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the-californicationist · 1 year ago

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Excerpt from Gunslinger - "Appaloosa"

OMG!! I commissioned this artwork from the incredible @captain-natey who RETURNED TO ME WITH THIS MASTERPIECE!!!! I just wanted to plug their work (their commissions are OPEN! visit their website here!!) and I wanted to post the chapter excerpt from "Gunslinger" (Price/Reader) that it belongs to. Hope you enjoy! Please go show Nate some love! Thanks for reading. TW: reference to past domestic abuse, Reader has call sign and speaks Spanish

Price sat beside you and pulled your chair closer to his, looping an arm around the back of it,

“Look, love, you don’t have to do anything you don’t -”

“Capitán! Quit whispering your sugary words into her ear. This is the woman who survived Miguel ‘El Matador’ Moreno for diez pinche años. She may look like a little lady, but she’s done nastier work than all four of you perritos combined. She is the reason why the infamous Jefe Luis Villagomez doesn’t travel north of the Rio Grande. Charon doesn’t ferry the living very often, amigos. She only takes the dead. Porfa,” Alejandro waved a hand in the air dismissively, unamused by Price’s coddling tones.

Ale may have been embellishing a bit, but he wasn’t wrong. You didn’t need your hand to be held.

“I can’t leave the animals,” you said, checking to see how far these men had thought this plan through.

“Laswell called Tony, and he’ll be here Wednesday,” Gaz told you.

Tony had watched the ranch for you once before. He was a sharp-witted veteran that had run his own ranch for decades, so you felt good about leaving the farm to him. Tony could take care of himself. He did tend to spoil the goats, but there were worse things.

“How long?” Your question hung in the air like a balloon losing its air, floating, surrounded by silence.

Vargas and Price shared a look. Price repositioned himself in his chair, not thrilled about having to answer you,

“Not sure, love. Is that alright?”

It was a test. What were you willing to sacrifice for this man and his makeshift band of brothers? Your peace? You’d fought so damn hard for that peace. You’d survived a devil of a man in order to sleep warm and safe and knowing you could take care of your damn business unaided. After giving up years of your life to unrest and fear, your reward had been the reconstruction of your independence. Price was asking you for your hard-fought freedom. You weren’t ready to give that up. You weren’t ready for sleeping on floors and reloading guns. You weren’t ready to face more devil-men.

But what else could you do? Price had you, threatening your heart. If you woke up tomorrow to his empty bed, you didn’t know if you could take that pain. You imagined that Kahlo’s Wounded Deer felt much the same; shot through the chest with nowhere to run, stuck between the cliff’s edge and your lover - your hunter - both promising suffering in different ways. No escape.

The captain studied you like a heeler dog studied its herd, watching for even the slightest movement to strike, to react. He witnessed the fear flash in your face, and in turn, you saw the despair shadow his. It was so slight, that change in his expression, but to you, it was like he was screaming. You, too, were screaming.

“Okay, but just for this mission. Then, I need to get back to my life,” you decided, making your limitations known, quietly but firmly.

The relief that washed through Price’s eyes was palpable.

Vargas served dinner in his chaotic way, family style, sharing plates. Everyone was eating with their hands, cradling the homemade tortillas like little flowers, using them to scoop up meat and sauce that dripped down their palms like nectar, spicy and sweet.

Ghost didn’t take his food into the other room this time, feeling secure enough to flip up the mouth of his painted mask to eat. It was like seeing him naked; he was always covered up, so any skin was somehow too much. Soap crowded Ghost from his corner of the table, trying to steal more asada, laughing and joking with Ale. Gaz and Price were huddled, murmuring about something, talking with full mouths in low tones.

It was almost too serene. There were times in life where you understood that you were in a moment you could never return to. You may have similar ones in your future, but somehow, you knew when certain wrinkles in time were singular. As you watched your guests, you knew that this was definitely one of those moments.

Price had his arm draped across your chair, keeping you near him. You crafted a bite for him in your hand, pinching the soft tortilla until it held the perfect amount of Ale’s asada.

You nudged Price with your free hand,

“Toma, come esto, papi.” Here, have a bite, daddy.

He turned away from Gaz and found you there, his bite of food in your hands, and his face lit up like a flame. Bending his head down to meet your hand, he grabbed your wrist in his huge fist, trapping your arm. Then, slowly, he put his mouth around the morsel, lips touching the pads of your fingers, tongue licking the sauce from them.

Vargas watched your interaction from the other side of the table, open-mouthed. Soap smacked him on the shoulder as if to cash in a bet.

“No, animales! Not at the table!”

The men shared a lighthearted groan and laughed good-naturedly, giving you and their captain a hard time about your little display of affection.

You smirked, feeling accomplished. Price had wanted to tell them, so you thought a dropped hint or two would be alright. To your relief, he laughed with them, chewing his food before making a comment,

“Sabe buena.” Tastes good. His voice, still badly accented, was mirthful and suggestive, dragging out another round of playful jeering.

Then, to your surprise, the captain pulled your chair back away from the table, leaning it on its rear legs, holding it at an angle, and kissed you deeply. You let out a little cry of shock, silenced by his mouth. But, you recovered, kissing him back, wrapping one hand around his jaw and the other running through his hair.

It was all in good fun. Normal. Just a couple flirting with each other, but for Price, you could tell it meant more. It was one thing to bare your souls to each other in front of the farm animals, or to sneak off and rediscover original sins in the quiet of your room, but it was something else to show the world that you chose him. To show his men that you were committed to their captain. That you weren’t just a rest-stop on their long journey. You got the sense that by committing to him, you were also committing to them: his family.

The rest of the meal passed in that same warmth, filled with laughter and jokes, stories and questions about each other. Intimacy. The whole time, Price couldn’t keep his hands off of you. Your thigh, your hand, the nape of your neck - he was grabbing you like a lifeline. He shared his food, making you try his chili relleno, giving you sips of his drink when yours ran dry, doting on you.

“Okay, time for dessert, yes?” You asked the others, picking up dirty dishes as you retreated back to the kitchen.

You heard exasperated groaning, their bellies full and struggling, but you didn’t hear a no. Vargas followed you into the kitchen, pretending to help,

“Dios mío, necesito un cigarrillo después de verlos a ustedes.” My God, I need a cigarette after watching you two.

“Cállate, cerdito.” Shut up, piglet. You smiled to yourself, cutting up what was left of the cheesecake, giving Price’s plate the largest piece.

“¿Estas enamorado, morena?” Are you in love, darling? His voice was a quiet whisper. It felt like a gunshot wound in your chest.

“I don’t know,” you said, in English, not trusting yourself to tell such a lie in your native tongue.

Your old friend covered his mouth with his hand, eyebrows heading skyward, giving you an obvious look. He replied in English, understanding the secret you’d been trying to conceal,

“You know better, Charon. We are not men who should be loved. I hope you know what you’re doing, mija. ”

You didn’t reply out loud, but on the inside, you heard yourself say, “Me, too.”

Even though they lived in the shadows, you weren’t sold on the idea that they should be priests for their causes. Men like Price typically followed two paths. The love of a woman, if she becomes his family, could break his heart, making him forget his purpose, distracting him from his quest for justice. Or, she would light a fire in him, turning him into a dragon. You were afraid to find out which path he would choose.

You wondered if he loved you.

You delivered the cake and poured more tequila into all the little cups that were thirsty for it.

John was rolling a cigar in his fingers absentmindedly, and you could tell he was aching to smoke it.

“You wanna come outside with me, love?” Price invited you, rubbing your thighs in big, sweeping strokes, making your blood rush through them, somehow knowing what you wanted.

Everyone else was chatting, or watching Gaz play that video game of his, backseat driving, telling him where to hide and who to shoot. Which gun to use. You slipped out onto the porch with Price, avoiding any more ribbing.

You stood against the porch railing, facing the yard, staring out at the darkness of the night, the rain finally dying out to a drizzle, casting little blue galaxies in the flooded grass, reflecting the light from a huge moon. Price stood directly behind you, pressed against your body, wrapping one hand around the railing, closing you in. He held his cigar in the other hand, smoking it in circles, trying to make the ashes burn evenly.

“You surprised me at dinner,” he commented, obviously looking for a response.

You feigned ignorance,

“Oh, why?”

“Feeding me by hand like that. Can’t be doing that in public. Makes me go a bit hard, love.” His voice was right next to your ear, gravelly and delightfully threatening.

You smiled sweetly, your words coated in pretend innocence, playing with him,

“What do you mean? I just wanted you to have a bite. One little bite can’t hurt, can it, John?”

“It’s bloody mental, the way you make me feel,” he took a long drag from his cigar and let the smoke tumble out as he spoke, leaning over you, “I’d fuck you right here, pretty girl, given half a chance.”

He took a deep breath along the side of your neck, smelling your skin beneath your hair, and when he exhaled, a moan was wrapped quietly inside it.

You pressed your ass into his crotch, finding him nearly hard. Touching his hand gently, you took his cigar and stuck it in your mouth, the wet leaves tasting like him. You curled the smoke with your tongue, locking eyes with him over your shoulder, watching him suffer deliciously,

“I dunno about ‘mental’, John. But it seems like you have an oral fixation.

You punctuated your last two words, saying them with a soft, sultry undertone. His eyes narrowed as he smiled down at you in a sinister grin,

“Do I ever.”

He stole the stick back from you and smiled even wider, teeth gleaming, his incisors seeming like fangs in his wolfy smile.

“Think they’re watching us?” You let your eyes turn over to the window, covered with a sheer curtain, fully aware that the view outside was more visible than your view into the house. Trick of the light.

He shrugged,

“Not if they know what’s good for them.”

Price’s cock had fully hardened now, and he thrust it up into your body ever so slightly, rubbing himself through layers of clothes, rocking his hips once and then twice like a promise of things to come. It made you feel a deep, primal lust, understanding his need without his words, your bodies engaging in an ancient art that had remained untainted by eons of time. You returned his invitation, rolling your hips back onto him, your ass pressing soundly into his pinned shaft.

“We should get some sleep. Early start tomorrow. It’s five hours to El Ojo,” Price groaned, whispering, rutting against you mindlessly, burying his face in your hair, staining your scent with his smoke.

You turned around to face him; he didn’t stop his idle grinding, looking tranquilized by his heady tobacco. Hypnotizing you with his casual eroticism.

“You don’t seem sleepy,” you commented, letting your hands roam over his chest and belly, tracing his nipples beneath his smooth shirt. He shuddered at your touch, sighing deeply.

With his cigar perched carefully between his fingers, he grabbed your jawbone, and you could feel the wet end press into your cheek. You could sense the warmth of the ash on your skin. He began to kiss you, all of the smoke and musky scents of him blended together, and his strong, masculine cologne made your head spin. His kisses were controlling and long, moving your head where he wanted it to be, sucking your lips and tongue, keeping them from exploring on their own. He was the guide for your passion, showing you all the ways he would be able to please.

He broke away, but only far enough to keep your lips from touching, his breath hot as it warmed your mouth when he spoke,

“Early. Tomorrow. We have to get up early. We should sleep.”

“Okay,” you sighed, a little dramatically, easing past his grip, removing yourself from him, untangling his vines from your bones, “if you say so, John. Buenas noches.”

You walked inside, swaying your hips a little more than you needed to, knowing he was looking, his blue eyes burning into your curves. Just before you went through the door, you glanced over at him. In the darkness of the porch, cast in shadow, the smoldering tip of his cigar glowed in his open mouth, the light from it gleaming off of his teeth and coloring his lips and beard a fiery orange. He was grinning, like a fox in a henhouse. When he saw you looking, he made a small show of readjusting himself, pawing at his swollen rod to release it from where it was trapped, and in the dimness, you could see its threatening outline.

You shut the door behind you, hands shaking. The other men mostly ignored you, but you caught them glancing your way, trying to sneak looks. Soap was not as sneaky as the rest, staring blankly as if he had a secret he shouldn't have.

As you wished them good night, they returned the sentiment casually, but it was then that you noticed the window. Price was still at the railing - in full, clear view, smoking. Blood rushed to your cheeks, and you could feel the flush tingle against your skin with embarrassment.

An hour or so later, you were already asleep when Price came upstairs. His heavy footsteps pulled you from your slumber. He was pacing in his room, packing perhaps. You went to the bathroom and pulled open the door. Upon hearing you, he opened his as well.

“Hey,” you whispered, squinting from sleep.

“Hey,” he was breathing heavily, dressed in nothing but the jeans and boots he had worn that day.

The captain watched as your eyes feasted upon his skin, gazing longingly at his thick waist where his pants were slung low on his hips, showing off just a bit of hair from below his belt line. One of his giant hands gripped the door frame, high on the plank, stretching his chest into a sweeping display of muscle. His armpit, arms, and torso were covered in the thick, dark hair you had let your hands roam across last night during your joining, and you knew how it would feel to touch.

Price slid his hand down the frame, making a slow scraping noise, stepping fully into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him with a click, his icy eyes never leaving yours.

He was enormous in the small space. His body was a powerhouse of visible strength. The meat of him hung heavy on his large bones, and he seemed, in the clean white tile of the bathroom, as if he was a specimen in some sort of display. Some museum exhibit, showing off, in sterile composition, the ideal form of Man. Built to fuck, to kill, to dominate the beasts of Eden from the lamb to the lion. Top of the food chain.

Still a little shy from realizing you’d given his team quite the show earlier on the porch, you averted your gaze, turning toward the sink. Before you could run the water, he was behind you, quick, crowding your space exactly as he had on the porch.

He positioned himself behind you and, much more luridly this time, began to kiss and lick your neck, grinding himself into you as he did so, slipping a warm hand under your loose top, finding your soft flesh waiting for his touch. You could feel the roughness of his denim jeans through your cotton shorts, and the contrast between his soft, melting kiss and the hard, unforgiving feeling of him trying to fuck you through your clothes was too much to handle. Your body was trying to reconcile the two, splitting your thoughts, making you love-drunk on his ministrations.

Price pulled off your shirt, raking it over your head, tossing it to the floor. He laced his hand through your hair and began to tug your head back, forcing you to look at yourself, bare to him, in the mirror. There was only the nightlight, more like a small Christmas bulb attached to a plug, so the room lacked any harsh contrast. Your bodies, your faces, the walls - everything began to swirl together, all colorized in the same, peachy glow.

You felt his hands on your breasts, and you watched him touch you in the mirror. Seeing yourself being pulled and manipulated by such a large man was gratifying. His hands massaged into your softness, leaving warm trails on your skin, the tell-tale feeling of where he had touched and where he still had left to go. The captain saw himself in the mirror for the first time, then, looking up from leaving erotic kisses on your neck and shoulders.

He sighed, locking eyes with you in the glass. That sigh trailed off into a groan, a ghost of the one he’d given you last night in the midst of his ecstasy.

“Fucking hell, look at you,” he said in his lowest tone.

Suddenly, he was tugging at the button of his jeans and unzipping the fly, freeing himself and stroking his cock to attention using your plump ass. Through your flimsy shorts, you could feel the burning heat that radiated from him. Reaching behind you, his hardness fell into your palm and you watched the sensation crawl its way through his expression in the reflection. He gasped, resting his head against yours, whispering - yes, yes, yes - into your ear in a hiss through clenched teeth.

John’s hand found your pantyline and pried it away from your skin with a confident finger, traveling down into your folds, searching for the swelling bundle nestled in the crest of your slit, rubbing it in long, loose ovals.

It wasn’t feverish; it was measured. His was the hand of a practiced man. As he worked, you joined him, rolling your wrist to rub his foreskin up and down in achingly long pulls, letting his wet head graze your skin as you teased him. The thick length was drooling with precome, and you could feel its stickiness on your palm.

It didn’t take him long to find your particular rhythm, the one you used when staring at Pinterest photos on your phone of Keanu Reeves in his John Wick era; sweaty, bloody, and great with a gun. Price’s movements felt personal, like he’d read about what you wanted in your diary somewhere, as if he was in on the secret. It brought you to the summit very quickly, and he noticed the flush in your cheeks and breasts, only then increasing his intensity.

You tried to continue to stroke him, but as you began to come in Price’s hand, you could only hold onto his cock, grasping it like the handle in a car driving too fast, careening downhill, rushing to its inevitable crash.

“Yeah, love, come for me. Just like that, you gorgeous fucking thing,” he watched you tumble over the edge, crumpling in the mirror, reaching for him.

“John! Please,” you cried.

You felt the tension burst inside of you like a mortar, hot and molten, pouring out of your core and into your body in waves of climactic pleasure. No one had ever made you come that hard, that quickly. It was hard for you to stand. Price steadied you, using his talented hand to hold you to him while you remembered your legs.

Once you regained your senses, you removed your hand from him to pull down your shorts and panties, letting them pool at the floor beneath your feet. You returned to his cock, now swollen and throbbing, and fed it into you. Your come made his entry smooth and slippery, and he filled you up, your body celebrating his return.

He returned to his slow, grinding dance on the porch, thrusting himself into you rhythmically in aching, rolling motions. It was not the slamming pugilism of two people trying to find release. This was a concerted effort for him to fuck your walls into his memory, rubbing his dick along them to sense every ridge and sweet spot, and to find the ones that made you scream.

When you let slip a desperate moan, he would pause, reflect, and return, hitting it again and again, watching you writhe and begging for him to help you.

“You feel so good in me,” you admitted, talking to him in the looking-glass.

His eyes were full of mismanaged control, and his grip on reality was slipping,

“Bloody beautiful. So warm and wet for me. Goddamnit, I’m not gonna last.”

But, he did. Your beast had stamina. He returned to your clit as he thrust in and out of you, dragging his fat cock through your body, ripping two more orgasms from your lips before he surrendered.

You watched him come, crying out darkly in his reflection. He had pulled himself from you and was painting your generous ass cheeks with his load. The tacky fluid was searingly hot, and it ran down your skin in drips.

You smiled, bending back to kiss him,

“Messy boy,” you chided playfully, a naughty tone in your voice.

“Wanna clean you up,” Price sighed, satisfied and spent.

Do you want 30 more chapters of these two? Read "Gunslinger" here.

Reblogs and comments deeply appreciated!

#call of duty fanfic #cod mw2 #cod mwii #captain john price #cod #john price #captain price #captain price x reader #captain price x you #gunslinger #captain john price smut #captain john price x reader #captain johnathan price #captain john price x female reader #captain john price x you #price cod #price mw2 #cod price

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putschki1969 · 28 days ago

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『Kalafina Anniverysary LIVE 2025』 Official Goods

The official merchandise lineup has been revealed for the upcoming "Kalafina Anniversary LIVE 2025"💫[Interesting to see them use a different font. Have they lost the rights to sell merch with the old logo? In the past, there has been merch with different fonts but the main logo always remained the same. This time it's different for everything. Oh well, I should not be reading too much into it. Could have been a creative choice. The flower visual looks a lot like the one they used for the 9+ONE pamphlet, guess they didn't have much time to come up with a new design. At least all the photos in the pamphlet will be new ones so that's definitely a good thing!]

The application period for "pre-orders of on-site pickups" will start tomorrow. [They used a similar method for Kaji Fes. back in 2023. That one worked out pretty smoothly so I hope I will have no issues with this one either]

■Reservation period December 28, 2024 12:00 to January 9, 2025

▼Click here for the sales site https://officialgoods.jp/kalafina20250115

If you purchase in advance on this website, you will receive your item at the Tokyo Garden Theater pick-up location on January 15, 2025. Please see below for details.

■Sales period: December 28, 2024 to January 9, 2025 ■Payment methods (usage fee of 330 will be charged)

Credit card payment (VISA / MasterCard / JCB / American Express / Diners Club) [Hopefully, they accept overseas cards]

Convenience store payment (FamilyMart / Lawson / Ministop / SeicoMart)

■How to receive items

You will need to bring ID (driver's license, health insurance card, student ID, etc.). Please note that we will not be able to hand over the product if we are unable to verify your identity. Please show the QR code issued after your order is confirmed to a member of staff.

We may not be able to accommodate you if more than 30 minutes have passed since the pickup time slot selected when placing your order.

■Pick-up location and time slots Location: Tokyo Garden Theater Time: ①2025/1/15 (Wed) 14:30-15:00 ②2025/1/15 (Wed) 15:00-15:30 ③2025/1/15 (Wed) 15:30-16:00 ④2025/1/15 (Wed) 16:00-16:30 ⑤2025/1/15 (Wed) 16:30-17:00 ⑥2025/1/15 (Wed) 17:30-18:00 ⑦2025/1/15 (Wed) 18:00-18:30 *Please note that you will not be able to pick up your item between 17:00 and 17:30.

If you are unable to receive your item at the venue ・We will ship the item to the address you entered when placing your order, with postage to be collected upon delivery. ・Expected shipping date and time: Shipments will be made sequentially from late January 2025 onwards

Kalafina on Anisong Premium Radio ~ Message from Wakana & Keiko ~

Wakana was the first one to leave a message to promote Kalafina's upcoming appearance on Anisong Premium Radio. (Source) Today, Keiko also posted a message. (Source) Now we have a message from Hikaru as well (Source). Hopefully they will also post some pictures of the three of them together. It’s been 6 years since Kalafina appeared on radio together🥳 Before their comeback performance next year, a 2 hour special will be aired on radio✨ You can also follow the broadcast on your smartphone📱 📻

Date/Time: 12/31 (Tue) 14:00~ 16:00 Radio Channel: NHK-FM MCs: Oishi Masayoshi, Asada Haruna Link: https://www.nhk.jp/p/rs/X7W4K87Q2K/

#kalafina #news #kalafina anniversary live 2025 #kalafina reunion #live goods #merch #merchandise #media appearance #radio appearance #nhk anison #anisong premium radio #アニソンプレミアム RADIO #wakana #keiko

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kaleidodreams · 1 month ago

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Updated 100 Memorable Skating Programs

Back in 2018, I created the original version of this list. (You can find the master post here.) Since 2024 marks my 30th year as an official fan of figure skating and there have been some more great programs created since the last time, I thought it was about time to update the list in honor of World Ice Skating Day. Same rules apply as last time:

Only senior competitive programs starting from the 1993-1994 season are eligible, since that's the first season I really started watching figure skating.

Each skater may only be listed once, unless a partner/discipline switch is involved.

Choice of music may also not be repeated. (Yes, there are two James Bond programs on the list, but Yuna and Wakaba use different music for the most part, so I'm letting it slide.)

I debated long and hard about whether or not I should still include programs from skaters who have proven themselves to be not so great people. I'm someone who has little difficulty separating the art from the artist, so in the end, I decided to keep them listed (although most of them got knocked down a few pegs). This list is more about the choreography than the skater anyway, although there are certainly some problematic choreographers out there, too. (Looking at you especially, Morozov!) So, just because a skater is listed doesn't mean that I'm a fan of them or that I condone their actions! I just think certain programs are still great regardless of the skaters' terrible behavior off the ice.

Choreographers are noted if known. If you know who choreographed the programs without a choreographer named, please let me know!

I've also created a handy playlist on YouTube if you don't want to click on all these links.

Ashley Wagner - Moulin Rouge (Shae-Lynn Bourne) 2016 Worlds

Jason Brown - Melancholy (Rohene Ward) 2023 Nationals

Patrick Chan - Phantom of the Opera (Lori Nichol) 2011 Canadian Nationals

Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje -Je suis malade (Pasquale Camerlengo) 2012 Worlds

Meryl Davis/Charlie White - Kajra Re/Silsila Ye Chahat Ka/Dola Re Dola (Marina Zueva, Igor Shpilband, and Anuja Rajendra) 2010 Olympics

Mao Asada - Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 (Tatiana Tarasova) 2014 Olympics

Sui/Han - Rain, In Your Black Eyes (Lori Nichol) 2019 Worlds

Marina Anissina/Gwendal Peizerat - Romeo & Juliet 1998 Olympics

Cain/LeDuc - W.E. (Pasquale Camerlengo) 2022 US Nationals

Daisuke Takahashi - Blues for Klook (Pasquale Camerlengo) 2012 Worlds

Kurt Browning - Casablanca (Sandra Bezic) 1994 Olympics

Michelle Kwan - Salome (Lori Nichol) 1996 Worlds

Alexei Yagudin - Winter (Tatiana Tarasova and Nikolai Morosov) 2002 Olympics

Jamie Sale/David Pelletier - Love Story (Lori Nichol) 2002 Olympics

Jeremy Abbott - Exogenesis (Jeremy Abbott and Yuka Sato) Nationals 2012

Oksana Grishuk/Evgeni Platov - The Feeling Begins 1997 Worlds

Yuzuru Hanyu - Seimei (Shae-Lynn Bourne) 2015 Grand Prix Final

Chock/Bates - Egyptian Snake Dance (Marie-France Dubreuil, Ginette Cournoyer, and Sam Chouinard) 2019 Grand Prix Final

Javier Fernandez - Guys and Dolls (David Wilson) 2016 Worlds

Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres - Sound of Silence (John Kerr and Silvia Fontana) 2017 Euros

Evgenia Medvedeva - Anna Karenina (Daniil Gleichengauz) 2018 Olympics

Nathan Chen - Philip Glass medley (Shae-Lynn Bourne) 2021 Worlds

Gabriella Papadakis/Guilliame Cizeron - Elegie (Saxon Fraser and Marie-France Dubreuil) 2022 Olympics

Aljona Savchenko/Bruno Massot - La terre vue du ciel (Christopher Dean) 2018 Olympics

Kevin Aymoz - Bolero (Brice Mousset and Kevin Aymoz) 2023 Skate America

Julia Lipnitskaya - Schindler’s List (Ilia Averbukh) 2014 Olympics

Elena Berezhnaya/Anton Sikharulidze - Lady Caliph 2002 Olympics

Yu-na Kim - James Bond medley (David Wilson) 2010 Olympics

Shoma Uno - Buenos Aires Hora Cero (Mihoko Higuchi) 2016 Grand Prix Final

Michal Brezina - The Way You Look Tonight (Jeffrey Buttle) 2016 Skate Canada

Shae-Lynn Bourne/Victor Kraatz - Riverdance 1998 Olympics

Adam Rippon - O/Fly On (Benji Schwimmer) 2016 Trophee de France

Jeffrey Buttle - Bells of Moscow (David Wilson) 2005 Worlds

Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier - Vincent (Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs) 2019 Canadian Nationals

Rudy Galindo - Swan Lake (Sharlene Franke) 1996 US Nationals

Sasha Cohen - Malaguena (Tatiana Tarasova) 2004 Worlds

Aljona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy - Pina (Ingo Steur) 2011 Grand Prix Final

Samantha Cesario - Carmen (Inese Budevica) 2013 Trophee Eric Bompard

Tatsuki Machida - East of Eden (Phillip Mills) 2014 Worlds

Xue Shen/Hongbo Zhao - Turandot (Lea Ann Miller, Renee Roca, and Gorsha Sur) 2003 Worlds

Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker - Liebestraume (Pasquale Camerlengo) 2018 Nationals

Olga Mikutina - My Nocturnal Serenade (Rostislav Sinicyn) 2023 Europeans

Lu Chen - The Last Emperor (Toller Cranston) 1995 Worlds

Giada Russo - Red Violin (Edoardo de Bernardis) 2016 Europeans

Junhwan Cha - Fate of the Clockmaker/Cloak and Dagger (Shae-Lynn Bourne) 2022 Olympics

Han Yan - La La Land (Yuka Sato and Kurt Browning) 2019 Chinese Interclub League

Wakaba Higuchi - Skyfall (Shae-Lynn Bourne) 2018 Worlds

Kazuki Tomono - Die Fledermaus (Misha Ge) 2022 Japanese Nationals

Yuma Kagiyama - Believer (Shae-Lynn Bourne) 2024 Worlds

Karen Chen - On Golden Pond (Karen Chen) 2017 Nationals

Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani - Coppelia (Marina Zueva and Cheryl Yeager) 2016 Nationals

Yuko Kavaguti/Alexander Smirov - Manfred Symphony (Peter Tchernyshev) 2014 Skate America

Philippe Candeloro - The Three Musketeers (Natacha Dabadie) 1998 Olympics

Alexander Abt - Songs from the Victorious City 1998 Nations Cup

Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir - Prince medley 2017 Worlds

Ekaterina Gordeeva/Sergei Grinkov - Moonlight Sonata (Marina Zueva) 1994 Olympics

Satoko Miyahara - Madama Butterfly (Tom Dickson) 2017 Japanese Nationals

Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha - The White Crow (Romain Haguenauer and Ginette Cournoyer) 2023 Four Continents

Anjelika Krylova/Oleg Ovsiannikov - Masquerade Waltz 1997 Worlds

Alena Kostornaia - The Departure, November (Daniil Gleikhengauz) 2019 Grand Prix Final

Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi - Two from the Grave (Ilia Averbukh) 2013 Worlds

Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov - The Man and The Shadow (Nikolai Morozov) 2015 Grand Prix Final

Stephanie Rosenthal - Rockit (Stewart and Christi Sturgeon) 2006 Nationals

Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue - Across the Sky, Caught Out In The Rain (Marie-France Dubreuil) 2018 Nationals

Mikhail Kolyada - The Nutcracker (Ilia Averbukh) 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia

Sinead Kerr/John Kerr - The Landing/Turn Around/Gravity of Love (Evgeni Platov) 2008 Worlds

Kaetlyn Osmond - Sous le ciel de Paris, Milord (Lance Vipond) 2016 Grand Prix Final

Carolina Kostner - Ave Maria (Lori Nichol) 2014 Olympics

Karina Manta/Joe Johnson - Sweet Dreams (Christopher Dean) 2019 Nationals

Gracie Gold - Firebird (Lori Nichol) 2016 Nationals

Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri - Atonement/Song For A Little Sparrow (Barbara Fusar-Poli and Corrado Giordani) 2022 Europeans

Keegan Messing - Singing in the Rain (Lance Vipond) 2018 Worlds

Elizabeth Punsalan/Jerod Swallow - Astor Piazolla medley (Igor Shpilband) 1998 Olympics

Rika Kihira - A Beautiful Storm (Tom Dickson) 2018 NHK Trophy

Mariah Bell - Chicago (Rohene Ward) 2016 Skate America

Brian Joubert - Rise (Evgeni Platov) 2009 Europeans

Stephane Lambiel - Poeta (Antonio Najarro) 2007 Worlds

Kaori Sakamoto - The Matrix (Benoit Richaud) 2020 NHK Trophy

Akiko Suzuki - O (Pasquale Camerlengo) 2012 NHK Trophy

Qing Pang/Jian Tong - The Impossible Dream (Shae-Lynn Bourne and David Wilson) 2010 Olympics

Takahito Kozuka - Io ci saro (Lori Nichol) 2014 Japanese National

Smart/Diaz - Mask of Zorro 2022 Europeans

Matt Savoie - Ennio Morricone medley (Tom Dickson) 2006 Nationals

Deniss Vasiljevs - Puttin’ On The Ritz (Benoit Richaud) 2016 Worlds

Caroline Green/Michael Parsons - Violin Concerto No.1 Eso Concerto, Clouds, The Mind on the Wind (Elena Novak and Alexei Kiliakov) 2022 Four Continents

Tara Lipinski - The Rainbow (Sandra Bezic) 1998 Olympics

Denis Ten - SOS d'un terrien en détresse (David Wilson) 2017 Shanghai Trophy

Valentina Marchei/Ondrej Hotarek - Tu Vuo Fa L'Americano (Massimo Scali) 2018 Europeans

Krisztina Czako - The Addams Family (Igor Bobrin) 1997 Europeans

Cheng Peng/Yang Jin - My Drag (Lori Nichol) 2016 GPF

Bradie Tennell - Mechanisms, Chronos (Benoit Richaud) 2020 4CC

Evgeny Plushenko - Tribute to Nijinsky 2004 Russian Nationals

Vanessa Gusmeroli - Rats D'Hotel 1999 Worlds

Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau - Monde Inverse (Shae-Lynn Bourne and Shae Zukiwsky) 2015 Skate America

Isabeau Levito - Dulcea Și Tandra Mea Fiară (Yulia Kuznetsova) 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva - Batwannis Beek/Sandstorm (Tatiana Prokofieva) 2015 Europeans

Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi - Soran Bushi (Marina Zoueva, Ilia Tkachenko, and Koyo Yanai) 2021 NHK Trophy

Amber Glenn - This Time (Kaitlyn Weaver and Randi Strong) 2024 Lombardia Trophy

Ivan Righini - You Raise Me Up (Ivan Righini) 2016 Europeans

Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte - Life is Beautiful (Liudmila Vlasova) 2017 NHK Trophy

#figure skating #world ice skating day #ashley wagner #jason brown #patrick chan #weaver/poje #davis white #mao asada #sui/han #anissina/peizerat #cain/leduc #daisuke takahashi #(and a bunch of others)

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miki-my-love · 4 months ago

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#浅田舞 #mai asada

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mirai-e-jump · 10 months ago

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Uchusen Vol.184 (Spring 2024) King-Ohger VS Donbrothers/King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger ft. Suit Actor Takada Masashi Interview (translations below)

Publication: April 1, 2024

"The Royal Sentai, Donbrothers and Kyoryugers are going to get wild during this year's Golden Week!!"

The annual Super Sentai VS series will be released as a double feature for the first time ever this year! "Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger" will face off against two major legendary Sentai, "Avataro Sentai Donbrothers" and "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger." The battles take place in the Land of Death, Hakabaka, and on Earth, where Gira has become the new Uchu King……?! The original cast has also gathered in numbers, as the King-Ohgers, Donbrothers, and Kyoryugers face a new battle!

King-Ohger VS Donbrothers Story: Kitou Haruka and the other Donbrothers are sent by chance to Shugoddam, a kingdom in Chikyu, a planet in a corner of the universe. They interact with the kings of each country, however……Furthermore, Momoi Tarou also visits Shugoddam to deliver something to Gira.

(middle right) Ono Minoru (played by Sakakibara Takashi) who has turned into a Hitotsuki multiple times, will also appear in this year's VS! Even Saruhara is reluctant to touch Ono, saying, "Let sleeping dogs lie."

(bottom left) From the right is GolDon KuwagataOhger and GolDon MomotaroOhger

(bottom right) Momoi Tarou visits Caucasuskabuto Castle. He's supposed to deliver something addressed to Gira, but what's inside?

King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger Story: Kiryu Daigo and Utsusemimaru set off to space in pursuit of Dagded, who has invaded Earth. Daigo brings Prince back from the future world, but the future is changed by the effect of time space alteration. They arrive in the Chikyu multiverse. There, not only does Gira become the Uchu King, but the conditions and ranks of the other kings have changed as well……

(top left) From the right is Gira Husty, Kiryu Daigo and Kiryu Daigoro, a triple Red lineup! Don't miss the first Kyoryu Change since "Episode 33.5" six years ago!

(top right) From the right is KuwagataOhger Carnival and Gabutyra KyoryuRed. In what way will these two transform…..?!

(middle) The "Evil King," an enemy created by a malicious spirit. Calling himself the "King of Pure Evil," he stands in the way of the King-Ohgers and Kyoryugers.

Takada Masashi Interview Suit Actor for KyoryuBlue, KijiBrother, ZenkaizerBlack and Spider Kumonos among others. He also played multiple police officers, including Asada Keisuke, and the Shugoddam knight in King-Ohger.

Takada Masashi, who has worked as a Suit Actor in numerous Super Sentai series, made his debut as a hero in "Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger." 10 years have passed since then……Takada, who in recent years has left a strong impression not only as a hero, but also as an actor, will play "five roles as one person" in "King-Ohger VS Donbrothers. Furthermore, in "King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger," which will be screened at the same time, he'll play the same KyoryuBlue as he did 10 years ago. We asked him about his thoughts on this double feature and the TV series, which can be called the "Takada Festival."

"Unlike cast members whose roles are decided by auditions, Suit Actors like Takada-san are often nominated for "this role." Takada-san, when playing the role of a hero, how do you prepare for it?"

Takada: I ask the Producers what kind of character they're looking for during costume fitting for the suit or during still photo shoots. Since it's several months before we film the show, some things may not be decided at that stage, so we work on it gradually. I get an idea of what the role will look like by listening to how the script is progressing, and then I'll consult with the Action Director based on that and think about what kind of performance would best suit the character while creating the role.

"You sometimes get an idea of the character while filming, right?"

Takada: Of course. Sometimes we meet the cast members playing the pre transformed roles only after filming has started. They watch our performance during the recording for the dub, but we don't know what kind of voices they'll use until the broadcast. Some information is learned only after the broadcast starts, so I update my image each time I go out to shoot a scene.

"Before getting into King-Ohger VS Donbrothers and King-Ohger VS Kyoryuger, which will be screened during Golden Week, we'd like to ask you about your memories of the TV series. First, Takada-san was the motion capture actor for KijiBrother in Avataro Sentai Donbrothers. In order to play the role of KijiBrother, who's depicted in CG, for the motion capture, were you required to act differently from the other actors?"

Takada: It was all new to me, and I was fumbling my way through it with Okada Kazuya, who played the role of InuBrother. In a normal Sentai, we all act together in front of the cameras, but in Donbrothers, it was just me and Okada acting in separate locations. Because of that, I wasn't able to get a sense of distance between myself and the actors in the background, nor was I able to act while being aware of the camera's position. The line of sight was especially difficult, and I had to do retakes many times. However, I don't think I had that much trouble, as compared to KijiBrother, who flies through the air, it seemed to be more difficult as InuBrother, who literally has his feet on the ground, At the same time, Suzuki Hirofumi-san was saying his lines in a way that felt as if he was actually talking on set. When he said things like "Miho-cha~n!" he would create the kind of "pause" that's typical of Kijino (laughs). Then, before the dub recording, I'd tell the recording artist what kind of lines he'd be saying, and when Suzuki-san heard this, he'd add a voice that matched my movements during the recording. Such a thing was very KijiBrother coded.

"Did you play the role of ZenkaizerBlack differently than when you played Zenkaizer in Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger?"

Takada: In the end, they never revealed who he was (laughs). In Zenkaiger, he said something like "Chou-wah!" all the time, so I thought their character development wouldn't be the same. Before Goshikida Kaito transformed, he would just read books and say things like, "I have it (aruyo)" in a nonchalant tone, so I was aiming for the image of a mysterious hero who doesn't do anything.

"In addition, you played the role of the police officer Asada Keisuke in Donbrothers. At first, we thought you were just playing the role of a police officer, but when he was given the name Asada, he began to leave a strong impression on viewers."

Takada: Actually, the name Asada was chosen when I asked Komura Junko-san (Scriptwriter for Lupinranger VS Patranger), "Did you have any rejected ideas for Asaka Keiichiro's name?" That's because, for me, Asada Keisuke is like the alter ego of Patren1gou/Asaka Keiichiro. Just as Keiichiro was chasing LupinRed, Asada was chasing Inuzuka Tsubasa. So, I was acting with exactly the same intensity as when I was playing Patren1gou. However, it was a pleasant miscalculation that he appeared more frequently. There was a detective named Sayama who was chasing Inuzuka, but he turned into a Juto……I found myself appearing in more scenes than Saito Kenya-kun and Fujita Yohei, both who played Sayama's subordinate detectives. In addition, on the set, I kept saying to Assistant Producer Matsuura Daigo-kun, "This police officer is Asada Keisuke," and then he wrote in the script, "Also known as Asada Keisuke." It made me happy. You could say this is my win (laughs).

"In Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger, Takada-san served as the Suit Actor for Spider Kumonos. How did you prepare for this role?"

Takada: Ikeda Masashi-kun, who plays Jeramie, appeared in the first episode as the narrator, so I knew his way of speaking even before he started acting. That's why, based on my understanding of his vibe before transforming, I was able to work with the Directors during costume fitting to match my image. Based on Ikeda-kun's vibe, I tried to create a cool yet noble aura in my performance. As an additional warrior, his weapons are different from those of other heroes, so I was conscious of making him able to perform actions that require alot of effort.

"Takada-san has wide shoulders, so what kind of gestures did you keep in mind when playing the same role as Ikeda-san, who's more slender?"

Takada: Ikeda-kun doesn't close his legs when he acts, but I always close my legs to give the impression that I'm slim. In episode 28, the swapping episode, Sakai Taisei-kun, who had been watching my performance, acted by closing his legs like Kumonos, and without thinking I told him, "You don't have to do that! I just look big when I open them." Another thing I do is mutter "otto" every time we film (laughs).

"Kijino said, "Miho-chan," while Jeramie said, "otto" to create a pause (laughs)."

Takada: Ikeda-kun's "otto" is useful to create a pause during conversation. I also incorporated it into Kumonos.

"Now then, in King-Ohger, Takada-san played the role of an unmasked knight. What was your impression of this?"

Takada: In the first episode, I played a mean role. I thought, "I don't like this" (bitter smile). He had a forceful attitude toward the citizens, didn't he? I thought that I'd like to appear in the second episode and beyond, since he seemed like such a big deal. The children threw rocks and other junk at him and he ran off pathetically, so I guess he wasn't such a bad guy. Anyway, I was careful not to make the viewers hate him. Thanks to their support, I've had the opportunity to appear on several occasions since then, carrying Gira's coffin and doing some action with Douga-san, and you can see that he's quite a high ranking soldier in Shugoddam. I found that part interesting as I performed. The person who let me appear was usually Director Hiroyuki Kato. I have nothing but gratitude to Director Kato.

"Although he made a guest appearance in King-Ohger, Takada-san's first role as a hero in the Super Sentai series was KyoryuBlue in Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. How did you plan to play KyoryuBlue 10 years ago?"

Takada: I had heard that he was the only character making old man jokes. Additionally, he's a power fighter. That being said, I think I started preparing for the role with the idea that I could play it without thinking too much about being a hero. However, because we were on Sakamoto Koichi's team, we had to work hard on the action. That's why I had been practicing with Kinjo Yamato-kun, who plays the role before transforming, even before filming began. There are some parts that I'm alittle embarrassed about watching now, but it was a time when I loved muscle training, so my body was nice and toned.

"The characters played by Takada-san will be appearing all at once in VS Donbrothers and VS Kyoryuger. Especially in Director Kato's VS Donbrothers, where he played four roles."

Takada: I played both heroes and characters, so I was the only one who had perfect attendance during filming (laughs). Director Kato also said, "Takada-kun, you're so much fun to have around, so I included you in the entire filming schedule." I've already got a cozy relationship with the Director! (laughs). Shortly before filming began, I happened to meet Director Kato at a convenience store near Toei Studios and asked him, "Will the knight or police officer appear? There, I heard that I would be playing several roles by myself and was told, "You're going to be busy~," but it seems that ZenkaizerBlack's appearance was decided at the last minute……I unexpectedly ended up with five roles (laughs). Of course, I couldn't act alone in the scenes where all the members are assembled, so I sometimes had to rely on substitutes, but this was a rare opportunity, so I had alot of fun filming it.

"Takada-san, when you were yourself, what were you most conscious of while working on VS Donbrothers?"

Takada: The police officer and knight both have the same face, don't they? They're different people, but when Inuzuka, being chased by Asada, wanders into the world of King-Ohger, he finds the knight there. The question then became what kind of interaction would take place with Inuzuka and Sononi. It was fun to play the role, and I thought about how to make it more enjoyable. Director Kato also seemed to be very impressed.

"You play the role of KyoryuBlue in VS Kyoryuger, but did you notice any differences from 10 years ago?"

Takada: It was around last Summer I think…..before we filmed the collaboration episodes for King-Ohger, that I heard a rumor that there was going to be a V-Cinext. So, my first thought was, "If I don't do muscle training, my suit will be too baggy!" There was a sense of crisis. When I was filming Kyoryuger, I did muscle training every day, so I was very bulky. I tried to get close to that, but was shocked when I didn't turn out at 100%. Also, I've been doing this for 10 years now, and the action has gotten alittle better, so the dull feeling from back then doesn't really come out. Now, I aim for quick action with alot of moves, but back then I put alot of effort into each shot. So, I slowed down alittle and put more power into each shot.

"VS Donbrothers and VS Kyoryuger, in which you can also enjoy Takada-san's struggles, will finally be screened. These are productions where you can enjoy Takada-san's acting throughout their entirety."

Takada: Taisei and the others may have more roles, but in terms of the number of roles, I'm number one (laughs). I hope you enjoy the differences between Asada and the knight, but I also hope you don't miss the Kyoryuger's activities, which haven't changed in the past 10 years. Only Ofuji Naoki-san, who played the role of KyoryuGold was unable to participate, but I think you'll enjoy "Kyoryuger" as an extension of the original, both before and after the transformations. I'd like you to pay attention to the action before the transformation, which is one of the strengths of Sakamoto's team. Director Kato's love for comedy shines through in VS Donbrothers, so I hope it'll make you laugh.

"These productions also unexpectedly follow the history of Takada-san's 10th anniversary as a hero in the Super Sentai series."

Takada: Thankfully, I've been given the opportunity to play the role of hero every year, and I've learned alot from every production. I think that because of what I learned from my veteran seniors, Fukuzawa Hirofumi-san and Takeuchi Yasuhiro-san, I've gained alot more experience in the field, which led to Donbrothers and King-Ohger.

"Do you have any plans for future appearances?"

Takada: I can't go into details, but "Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger" will also have an episode by Director Kato, so there may be alittle surprise in store (laughs). I hope you enjoy VS Donbrothers and VS Kyoryuger, as well as Boonboomger!

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ritornello · 6 months ago

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since i can't answer myself so well, what would you say are asada nemui's distinctive storytelling traits and on a personal matter if you'd like what makes you like her stories? not so much tropes but running themes, art and such. i hope it's not too heavy of a question and thanks ^_^

Hi, this is a great question. For anyone with the patience to read all this I think it might help explain what makes Asada Nemui such an intriguing manga artist. (especially without the "it's because X reminded me of Y! - type analysis that occurs very frequently in english fandom communities)

There's a lot of images in this post, but it's not too spoiler-ish.

Comments about art

The first aspect of Asada's art I would want to praise endlessly are the page layouts. Dear, My God was one of the first stories I read by her and the flow of the panels is what really stuck out to me. I like using this sequence of pages as an example - can you guess what's going on?

I removed all of the dialogue and SFX, and it's so well laid out that the sight-to-panel direction, background design and expressions of the characters are enough to understand what's happening. It almost feels like you're looking at a scene from a movie or storyboard.

Text version:

While reading The Sound of the Waves, a page describing the plot of a writer's story more or less summarizes Asada's layout style. It generally begins with an establishing shot before laying out the rest of the scene, which with a longer story may take a few more pages to conclude.

The divisions of pages seems to average around four to seven panels, and pages with three or fewer panels show up very sparingly - likely saved for more impactful scenes.

(I'll just take a second here to add how much I love that she generally sticks to one shade of screentone. Limiting the palette to just three values is a great way to create shadows and dramatic lighting effects!)

Asada's direction is very focused on telling a story - there is always some type of visual cue that the scene is actively present and happening in front of us, the readers. I like this continuity compared to a series that might have excessive headshots or pages of flashbacks during a scene with a lot of action.

One of my favorite scenes in Sleeping Dead is in the second volume, when Mamiya is out in his van and attempting to construct a conversation. It fills an entire page, but his entire monologue could have been condensed into one "thinking" panel.

It doesn't necessarily look bad like if it were like this, but Asada intentionally uses the entire page to emphasize Mamiya's expressions, his awkwardness as he slowly loses confidence in himself. (Plus he's actively driving and looking at the road.) I like that this is a very private scene that reveals the inner character he tries to hide during the majority of the first volume.

I also like that she understands the importance of a readable layout enough to redraw areas that might be confusing to look at, like this one from the magazine version of Sleeping Dead (left side) :

In the last panel it's difficult to tell who's talking, because there are four detached bubbles and you can't see Sada or Mamiya. I wasn't sure if Sada was talking in the first bubble since it's directly below him, but the second seemed like Mamiya since it's drawn so awkwardly. For the paperback release she added a line to connect the two bubbles - obviously it's Mamiya saying both and becoming nervous as he brings up the possibility of having more sexual activities with Sada.

If you noticed the changes in the other panels of that page it also goes into her tendency to do redraws. Some of them look quite different after they've been changed - from the series I've read I noticed major redrawing for Dear, My God, the older short stories republished in Ai, Sei, and even Takatora and the Omegas (though Asada credited changes in that one to the fact that she's now working 100% digitally).

My opinion for these is kind of mixed, sometimes they do look better and sometimes I prefer her original style. This one from Dean My Love that appears in Ai, Sei is a crime lol.

There was a two-volume manga called Mangaka Gohan Nishi (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Comic Artists) published in 2015, and it has one page comics by mangaka discussing food they eat. Asada appears in the second volume and her page mentions watching movies.

(basically it's about being bad at / injured by stovetop cooking so she prefers the safety of the microwave. But in the unidentified movie the characters make an explosive device with a microwave…)

I would undoubtedly say films are a large influence to her, and I've caught some parallels/references in her work, but it's kind of a disservice to only point out similarities in characters or genre tropes rather than her skill as an artist and storyteller.

During the last couple years Asada's also been fairly active on Twitter where she shares concept art and extra comics that add more to what she was limited to write in the published works.

For Takatora she's even been live-streamed the planning and inking of its (as of now) upcoming chapter on Pixiv Sketch. The series already has over two dozen pages of extra content judging by a numbered page she shared on Twitter.

Overall I appreciate that on top of having a high output she seems to care a lot about the quality of content her readers are getting. Not every artist makes redraws for their series on top of doing multiple serializations and lots of fanart/doujin content.

(And she has made a lot of fanart and doujinshi. For 10+ years.)

Comments about storytelling

I'm probably going to sound more rambly here, because I'm not a writer or a critic. Regardless of which series I enjoyed or disliked, I think most of them have an element of pushing boundaries in BL manga.

As one Japanese reviewer said when commenting about Sleeping Dead - Asada's manga are the type you want to recommend anyone to read...except you can't.

I think it goes without saying that the focus of sex in her manga can be a barrier, but there is enough range in her work that a reader (with some help) would be able to find a story with an amount of sexual content they'd be comfortable with. I could definitely see Asada working on more non-BL titles like The Swerve, Yoi and A Friend's Funeral, but to be blunt...she seems to really enjoy drawing men having sex.

Boundary-pushing can be apparent in most of her manga, especially when it starts as early as the first chapter. In the least extreme variation, her titles like Sleeping Dead and Call feature somewhat jarring love interests - middle-aged, sexually awkward men that are unconventionally designed compared to other BL love interests.

When the second volume of Sleeping Dead was nominated a Chil-Chil award for its story, Asada shared this illustration of Mamiya in a boxing ring. I love to imagine it as him squaring off with the much more handsome and less follicly-challenged ukes of the other nominated series.

If you check out her earlier series there are a few subjects considered taboo to look at. Sexual violence occurs pretty frequently. Surprisingly (or not, if you've been around long enough), it's not even rape that's considered risky subject matter in BL magazines.

According to a recent interview with Chil-Chil, Asada originally planned to publish Takatora and the Omegas with a different publisher (my guess is Shodensha, since they serialized My Little Inferno in OnBlue), but its inclusion of sexual health topics was considered too extreme:

[Interview translation credit goes to Ikari of Bottom of the Sea Scans, which currently scanlates Takatora and the Omegas.]

Thanks to Canna being willing to publish her more explicit story ideas, we might be able to see how far she planned to go with Takatora. The published chapters have already broached subjects including hysterectomies, abortion and sexual autonomy. I think this situation with Takatora has parallels to the struggles female shoujo mangaka faced in the early decades of manga publishing for girls.

The magazine Canna tends to serialize BL stories that include elements of science fiction and fantasy, which I think has made it a place where artists like Asada can have less restriction in their storytelling.

But...I don't want to praise Asada just for tackling difficult topics. Going back to the comments about page design, there's a huge focus on dialogue. Characters are frequently conversing and making eye contact with each other. She's amazing at writing characters with unlikable traits that are still enjoyable to read about, or are paired with a partner that helps balance out, or even tolerates their faults.

I think it can be easy to drop a series if it has unlikable characters, but she tends to put them in situations that question their ideologies, and we get to see how they change over the course of the story. Even Asada commented that she's not a huge fan of how the protagonist of Takatora and the Omegas acts:

Takatora could wind up being one of the most extreme examples of an unlikable protagonist, but we'll get to see if his bigoted views are changed as he's challenged by his peers, and as he offers his own support to solve their troubles.

At this point I totally got lost in the Takatora sauce, but other little aspects I love about her manga are the humorous moments, the sometimes getting too over-her-head writing, and endings that can be unexpectedly gut-punching yet written in a way that's the most grounded in reality. And in Sleeping Dead's case, immediately followed by a whiplash of silly extras.

I hope that with Takatora and Yoi - which seemed to have planned out for a while - Asada can continue to do her own thing, because I think it's a much better creative output to make whatever the hell you want instead of conforming to the preferences of the publishers.

In conclusion:

#Asada Nemui #inb4 some manga youtuber copies all of this

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