#masao oda

[randomrichards]

GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN:

New kaiju in town

Battles a new Godzilla

How to stop them both

[thebigpapilio]

so everyone knows my ASAU of Persona 5 Royal, A Righteous Rebellion. right? And we're all also aware of @scruffyturtles' Adult Confidant AU?

well I sorta fused them? tldr: i made a (mostly) Adult Confidant AU for ARR! Details below, if you're interested - and if you have any questions about it, please ask @rollthedice-playthecards or this blog here!

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ARR! CANON-STANDARD TRIGGER WARNINGS!

The Fool and Strength (i.e. Igor & Caroline/Justine/Lavenza) are the same. Otherwise, everyone's changed.

The World (i.e. Protagonist) is Tae Takemi!

Her parents were abusive shitheads to her, and she got into a program that helped her escape for Tokyo.

Her first Persona is Merit-Ptah, a fictitious woman purported to be a chief physician of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh and thus one of the oldest known women in medicine and science.

The Magician is Sadamu Niijima (transmasc!Sae)!

The home invasion that killed Mr. Niijima also led to his death, but Igor came upon his soul and reincarnated him into a hound (because of Shadow Sae's tattoos) for The Yaldabaoth Game™.

His first Persona is Turiddu, a Sicilian bandit whose gang was "legally held responsible" for a massacre, although the entirely of their role in it is disputed.

The Priestess is Sadayo Kawakami!

She was a member of Student Council, but when she brought up Kamoshida's abuse to Principal Omon "Bael" Kobayakawa, she lost her seat. Kobayakawa actually replaces Kaneshiro as the third major target.

Her first Persona is Elissa, legendary founder and queen of Carthage... oh, and I will be shipping her with Tae for my Kawakemi agenda. :)

The Empress is Chihaya Fukurai (Mifune)!

Yuichi "Mammon" Fukurai, her adoptive father, runs Fukurai Foods (Big Bang Burger's owner and more). Chihaya was setting up to inherit the business when Yuichi "changed his mind" and prepared to sell her off in an arranged marriage to Rikio Sugimura.

Her first Persona is Lakshmibai, an Indian rani who rebelled against the Bri'ish.

The Emperor is Sojiro Sakura!

He's a culinary prodigy studying under his adoptive parent (I haven't decided who yet, but they're Azazel) - a TV chef who runs a kids' competition a la Chopped Junior. They definitely abuse some of those kids.

His Initial Persona is Hamlet, the famous Shakespearean Prince of Denmark.

The Hierophant is Makoto Niijima, owner of Cafe Bianca.

She's been looking for her estranged younger "sister" for years now.

The Lovers is Munehisa Iwai!

Munehisa is Shujin’s star athlete. Excels in every sport in Shujin except volleyball, from which he was banned after standing up to Suguru "Asmodeus" Kamoshida.

Kaoru, his younger brother here, takes the role of Shiho, and Akimitsu Tsuda and Masa replace Nakaoka and Takeishi.

His Initial Persona is Barrow, a Great Depression-era criminal who robbed small stores, funeral homes and banks with his partner Ms. Parker.

The Chariot is Ichiko Ohya!

Leader of the photography club. She caught photos of Kamoshida’s dirty deeds in the past and is trying to find a way to expose them anonymously. Oh, and she has a long-distance girlfriend named Kayo.

Her Initial Persona is O'Malley, an Irish pirate queen so violent Elizabeth I considered sending the Royal Fleet after.

Justice is Toranosuke Yoshida!

I sort of split Goro's two roles in this AU. Toranosuke plays the Detective Prince trying to solve the case of mental shutdowns (+ the Phantom Thief case), but his brother-by-choice Benzo Kuramoto plays assassin and mental-shutdown-inducer for Masao Kuramoto, his grandfather. Tora joins the team in Oda's Palace, and they fight Benzo in Kuramoto's Palace - that's where Toranosuke achieves his Second Persona.

Speaking of Personas, his Initial one is Greenlefe, Robin Hood's second-in-command and the only one present at his death.

The Hermit is Takuto Niijima (Maruki)!

Makoto had a brief stint as a police officer, but after a influential asshole (Kuramoto) drove drunk and killed one Tomoyo Rumi, she attempted to dig into the situation and was dishonorably discharged. Soon after, she met Rumi's boyfriend, Takuto (an orphan with one shitty relative), and took him in.

He would be a third-year if he was still in school. He’s wasting away as he grieves Rumi's death. He can’t bring himself to kill himself, but he also doesn't want to be alive anymore.

His Initial Persona is Popol Vuh, a religious text of the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ Guatemalans.

The Fortune is Hifumi Hibino (Togo)!

After Mitsuyo disowned Hifumi for coming out as lesbian, Hifumi moved in with her wife Haru (they both end up with Makoto later). Hifumi took up busking/street shogi, not wanting to be reliant on Haru.

The Hanged Man is Akira Kurusu!

Not much for this guy right now - like Canon!Munehisa, he's an ex-yakuza who runs Indomptable, an airsoft store. Ren is his adoptive son.

Death is Sumire Yoshizawa!

A medical misdiagnosis (by her biological mother Yui, not that she knows it) left Sumire's sister in a coma. Ever since, Sumire can't see anyone unconscious without thinking of Kasumi.

Temperance is Ryuji Sakamoto!

An orphaned man who teaches PE at Shujin and moonlights in an escort service to take care of himself and his son Morgana.

Just after his college years, his mom's ex-husband killed her and then killed himself to escape the police, so he has no support system. Thus, he got himself into trouble with a duo of loan sharks so he could look presentable enough to replace Kamoshida.

He, Ann and Shiho were friends in high-school, but he never saw them again after graduating.

The Devil is Ann Takamaki!

An up-and-coming actress working hard to make it big. She's keeping her sexuality (and her girlfriends Shiho Suzui and Mika Abe) under wraps from everyone, including her manager.

At the end of the Confidant, she moves in with her old friend (and future boyfriend) Ryuji after Tae mentions him.

The Tower is Goro Shido (Akechi)!

Goro is a very temperamental young man with no methods of healthily and safely letting out his anger at the world and his shitty, abusive father.

After Shido's heart is changed, Ryuji (and Ann and Shiho) take Goro in.

The Star is Zenkichi Hasegawa!

Even if Zen doesn't know it, he's the best player in the shogi club at Kosei. It's discovered their "team" has been fixing matches, and Zenkichi is determined to find out who's cheating.

Jyun Owada, his senpai and club president, is jealous, and is trying to cause strife between him and his girlfriend Aoi to weaken him.

The Moon is Sophia Ichinose!

Sophia is a Greek immigrant who moved to Japan for work opportunities. She's Tae's science teacher, so Tae really likes her. Her daughter Kuon, however, has fallen in with a HORRIBLY nasty crowd - a bigoted group who hates (among other groups of people) Kuon's adoptive mother. Kuon, naturally, is conflicted, and this leads to conflict between her and Sophia.

The Sun is Haru Hibino!

A young politician whose bold eat-the-wealthy mentality does not sit well with older generations - for example, her father Kunikazu, who disowned her and silently smeared her campaigns so she'd waste her inheritance and never expose his criminality.

In the end of the whole story, Haru legalizes polyamorous marriage!

Judgement is Shinya Oda!

Uses they/them pronouns here.

After Shinya's mother Hanae was killed in cold blood, they joined the SIU to find the killer. She did something to piss off Kuramoto, though, so he and the director do everything they can to keep Shinya away from that.

The Faith is Wakaba Isshiki!

Daughter of Shujin's new counselor. A science prodigy.

I don't have much ideas for her yet, never mind her Personas.

The Councillor is Futaba Isshiki!

Shujin's aforementioned new counselor in the wake of Kamoshida's arrest. Believing the world to be "without life" without her deceased fiancee Kana, her Palace becomes a Graveyard, where she "raises the dead" by fixing their problems.

She only has one Persona - Chac Chel, an important Maya goddess of many things, most prominently both creation and destruction.

The Hope is Yuuki (Mishima)!

His ranged weapon is eye lasers. They use both he/him and they/them.

An A.I. made by Katsuo Akiyama, a regretful high-school bully who caused one of his victims to commit suicide.

Their first Persona is Thyrsus - a giant fennel staff that Yuuki uses like a weapon alongside the Persona aspect of it.

The Apostle is Yusuke Kitagawa!

The only original Phantom Thief to keep the power of Persona.

Ordered by Madarame Ichitaro (the killer of his mother and Police Commissioner) to investigate the Phantom Thieves after a series of mass heart-changings occur again.

Akane has a brother, Natsuhiko, and they share the Jail. Their mother, Takayo (Yusuke's beard) is still dead.

His Persona is Enjolras, and he later gets with Akira.

Lastly, a unique Arcana - The Actor, Morgana Sakamoto!

A theater prodigy at his school (not Shujin or Kosei) and Ryuji's son. He has no clues to his past before Ryuji, and he wants to know, but he also wants his dad to be happy. At the end of the Strikers arc, Lavenza becomes human, and he and Goro get the Sakamotos to adopt her as well.

Reminder once again to post any questions about this AU to @rollthedice-playthecards!

[audiemurphy1945]

Spring Dreams(1960)

[ozu-teapot]

Blood Is Dry | Yoshishige Yoshida | 1960

Keiji Sada, Masao Oda, Mari Yoshimura

[mariocki]

Chiyari Fuji (Bloody Spear at Mount Fuji, 1955)

"I did nothing. It was all down to my retainer carrying my spear."

"Yes, but a retainer acts on behalf of his master."

"It was my retainer's achievement -"

"Without his master, a retainer is nothing. A retainer acts on behalf of his master. This is the authorities' point of view."

[honorableintentions]

[diedraechin]

Hi! I love your BYSOTI and been my top 1 favs for YOI's fanfictions! If you plan to make it a book I would definitely support you all the way hehe. But really there's something that I want to ask you if it's ok with you to answer? I'd been rereading your story and it got me curious on chapter 39, what the other skaters in Japan thought of Yuuri? Since he just swooped in for nationals, wins it, then leave again for Detroit. Especially bec he don't also joined the group chat for Japan's skaters.⛸️

Thank you so much!

So, what do Japanese skaters think of Yuuri... it depends! LOL that is such a cop out answer, but it's true! There are some generalizations though...

Specific skaters (aka the ones that get names and multiple mentions in the fic) tend to have more experience with the way Yuuri is. So Keiko is very friendly with him and teases him like a sister would (but one closer in age to him than his actual sister). Like Nishigori teases Yuuri. Yuuri and Masao are friendly. Not close, but friendly. Jun (pairs skater and supplier of Yuuri magazines to Viktor) is more the group mom (as she's the oldest among the Japanese Team skaters at 26ish) so Jun just wants Yuuri to be happy and safe and skate well and is happy that Yuuri's friends compete in pairs because no one competes in pairs for Japan and she's edging closer and closer to retirement...

The younger skaters like mentioned in the skate america chapter... for the girls anyway... Yuuri is kinda the "cool/attractive" Men's skater that they've been seeing for years in the skating magazines. So some crushes, some eye rollyness, some think he's a good skater, some think he's overrated...

The point that Yuuri was talking about in chapter 39, however, is his interactions with his competitors in Men's Singles. At this point, Yuuri at 20 is basically around the average age. The older skaters who are still in it like Oda are in there mid heading into late 20s; they saw Yuuri come up and basically usurp all of them without any acknowledgement (because Yuuri is bad at human interaction and becomes a turtle instead of trying to get to know people). So there are definitely some that dislike him or are frustrated because he started placing on the podium at nationals while a Junior (and one that never seemed to want to step up into Seniors). Some like him (apparently Oda likes everyone so I'm making the assumption that his character in the yoi canon likes Yuuri because Oda is made of sunshine and rainbows).

Then there are the Men's singles competitors that younger than him. So Juniors like Minami or younger Senior competitors that heading into their first season as a Senior. The majority of them this Yuuri is amazing (at least to some degree). And a little terrifying because Yuuri has resting murder face with Minami probably being the only one who would literally bounce his way into Yuuri's field of vision maybe dragging a friend or two along who always wished they could get something signed.

Then there are the bulk, probably, who are right around Yuuri's age and haven't quite started dropping off to focus on university etc. Murata fits into this category. And they are the ones that are least likely to be a fan of Yuuri's or think of him as kouhai who has risen through the ranks. Some are probably impressed by him, but some are just super frustrated by him. Like Murata (he'll be our example). Murata has tried for YEARS to beat Yuuri... the entire time they were in Juniors together even and never managed it. Yuuri is literally his top rival and he kinda feels like Yuuri has his head so far up his own ass that he doesn't even realise Murata exists. Which isn't the case at all. Yuuri takes competing against him very seriously, he just never says anything to that effect. Murata thinks that it's insulting to the other skaters that Yuuri won't even join the group chat that the rest of the top skaters in Japan are in and most of the skaters in there are basically "that's so Yuuri". He doesn't get it because he thinks that Yuuri is a jerk... and Yuuri kinda is. He doesn't do the things that Murata expects. So NHK is his first time dealing with Yuuri outside of nationals and they're stuck in a room together and he's heard how Yuuri stays up too late, requires wakeup calls from his coaching team etc... He was definitely expecting to room with someone who was more "I'm better than everyone here so I don't give anyone the time of day" and instead ran into rote politeness, an awkward turtle, someone who literally doesn't get enough sleep because he's just sitting on his bed frowning into space, doesn't really do small talk unless forced, someone who apparently Keiko directs all her teasing energy at (which he's actually glad he's not the focus of), and probably drinks too much. So getting to see him in a different set of circumstances has put Murata's opinion into flux, but his base opinion is probably shared by a few of that skaters who hover around in the top ten at nationals and only see Yuuri once a year when he flies in, basically wins, and then leaves.

[sips-tea-cutely]

#bungo to alchemist masterlist

nsfw: [★]

Osamu Dazai

-

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

-

Haruo Sato

-

Shūsei Tokuda

-

Chūya Nakahara

-

Tōson Shimazaki

-

Sakunosuke ‘Odasaku’ Oda

-

Ango Sakaguchi

-

Sakutarō ‘Saku’ Hagiwara

-

Saisei ‘Sai’ Muroo

-

Saneatsu Mushanokōji

-

Naoya Shiga

-

Jun’ichirō Tanizaki

-

Kazuo Dan

-

Kan Kikuchi

-

Masao Kume

-

Tatsuo Hori

-

[honeysucklescans]

Bungo to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma

Original Work: DMM Games Artist: changes each chapter

Scanlation Status: completed

A spinoff manga based on DMM Games' PC and smartphone game "Bungo to Alchemist" in commemoration of the anime debut, with a new artist and new characters every week!

Read on Mangadex

Read on Cubari.moe

Read on Imgur (each chapter listed):

Chapter 0 - Story & Author Intro Chapter 1 - Akutagawa Ryuunosuke & Dazai Osamu Chapter 2 - Tokuda Shuusei & Shimazaki Touson Chapter 3 - Dazai Osamu & Nakahara Chuuya Chapter 4 - Oda Sakunosuke & Sakaguchi Ango Chapter 5 - Hagiwara Sakutarou & Murou Saisei Chapter 6 - Mushanokouji Saneatsu & Shiga Naoya Chapter 7 - Shiga Naoya & Akutagawa Ryuunosuke Chapter 8 - Dazai Osamu & Dan Kazuo Chapter 9 - Kume Masao & Hori Tatsuo Chapter 10 - Akutagawa Ryuunosuke & Kikuchi Kan

[cantfoolajoker]

favorite persona arcana list edit challenge

this was just a thing i wanted to do for myself and thought maybe other people would want to do it. the main goal of the challenge is to pick 1 character for each arcana listing that is your favorite and make an edit for them (or you could do a drawing or writing if you wanted, this is pretty loose).

the characters are from p1-p5 that have canon assigned arcanas, and for the cases in p3(p) where the slink does not match the arcana, the persona will be used for the main arcana, along with a few other minor changes to make the list more coherent.

under a read more since it’s a lengthy list! have fun y’all.

0. FOOL — - P3MC - P3FeMc - P4MC - Joker - Igor

I. MAGICIAN — - Yuka Ayase - Kenji Tomochika - Junpei Iori - Yosuke Hanamura - Morgana

II. PRIESTESS — - Maki Sonomura - Fuuka Yamagishi - Yukiko Amagi - Makoto Niijima

III. EMPRESS — - Yukino Mayuzumi - Mitsuru Kirijo - Margaret - Haru Okumura

IV. EMPEROR — - Boy with Earring/Naoya Toudou - Hidetoshi Odagiri - Akihiko Sanada - Kanji Tatsumi - Yusuke KItagawa

V. HIEROPHANT — - Kei Nanjo - Bunkichi and Mitsuko - Shinjiro Aragaki - Ryotaro Dojima - Sojiro Sakura

VI. LOVERS — - Lisa Silverman - Yukari Takeba - Rise Kujikawa - Ann Takamaki

VII. CHARIOT — - Masao Inaba - Aegis - Kasushi Miyamoto - Rio Iwasaki - Chie Satonaka - Ryuji Sakamoto

VIII. JUSTICE — - Hidehiko Uesugi - Katsuya Suou - Chihiro Fushimi - Ken Amada - Nanako Dojima - Goro Akechi

IX. HERMIT —  - “Maya”/Isako Toriumi - Saori Hasegawa - Shrine Fox - Futaba Sakura

X. FORTUNE — - Jun Kurosu - Keisuke Hiraga - Ryoji Mochizuki - Naoto Shirogane - Chihaya Mifune - Labrys

XI. STRENGTH — - Yuko Nishiwaki - Koromaru - Kou Ichijo and Daisuke Nagase - Caroline and Justine

XII. HANGED MAN — - Baofu/Kaoru Saga - Maiko Oohashi - Naoki Konishi - Munehisa Iwai

XIII. DEATH — - Eikichi Mishina - Pharos - Hisano Kuroda - Tae Takemi

XIV. TEMPERANCE — - Bebe - Eri Minami - Sadayo Kawakami

XV. DEVIL — - Reiji Kido - Tanaka - Sayoko Uehara - Ichiko Ohya

XVI. TOWER — - Mutatsu - Shu Nakajima - Shinya Oda

XVII. STAR — - Ulala Serizawa - Mamoru Hayase - Teddie - Hifumi Togo

XVIII. MOON — - Maya Amano - Nozomi Suemitsu - Ai Ebihara - Yuuki Mishima

XIX. SUN — - Tatsuya Suou - Akinari Kamiki - Yumi Ozawa and Ayane Matsunaga - Toranosuke Yoshida - Sho Minazuki

XX. JUDGEMENT — - Marie - Sae Niijima

XXI. WORLD — - S.E.E.S/Nyx Annihilation Team - Investigation Team/Seekers of Truth - Phantom Thieves of Heart

??. BONUS — - Takuto Maruki (Councillor) - Tohru Adachi (Jester/Hunger) - Sumi Yoshizawa (Faith) - Sophia (Hope)

[denofgeek]

Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan, a new historical documentary series on Netflix, is being billed as a “real-life Game of Thrones” but it’s much more than that. This is actual history, which is far more compelling than fantasy because it really transpired. “It is like something out of a movie,” says showrunner Matt Booi. “If you wrote this down, no one would believe it. And if you saw it, I think you’d say, ‘Nah.’ But it happened.” 

According to Booi, the show covers one of the most violent periods in Japanese history. The six-part series begins in 1551 with the death of feudal lord Oda Nobuhide and follows the rise of three of Japan’s most influential warriors: Nobuhide’s son, Oda Nobunaga (Masayoshi Haneda), Tokugawa Ieyasu (Hayate Masao), and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Masami Kosaka)...

[Read more at Den of Geek]

[ffamranxii]

Finally updated my playables and arcana!

All relevant info under the cut! (There be spoilers)

UPDATED ARCANA

All confidants/social links from P3, P4, and P5. Also included the arcana for P1 and the P2 duology because I can never remember who’s what. Arcana did not exist in this framework for Shin Megami Tensei If...

FOOL

P3: - (technically this is SEES, but I did not include groups) (also the protagonists for P3-5, Elizabeth, and Aigis)

P4: Tohru Adachi. (Adachi technically holds two arcana, though he starts as one and becomes the other: the Hunger Arcana, which does not exist in a standard tarot deck, but comes from the Thoth deck. I did not include it because he switches from one arcana to the other)

P5: Igor

MAGICIAN

P1: Yuka Ayase

P3: Kenji Tomochika (male protagonist)/Junpei Iori (female protagonist)

P4: Yosuke Hanamura

P5: Morgana

COUNCILLOR

P5: Takuto Maruki (does not exist in standard tarot, from El Gran Tarot Esoterico) (Royal only)

HIGH PRIESTESS

P1: Maki Sonomura

P2: Maki Sonomura

P3: Fuuka Yamagishi

P4: Yukiko Amagi

P5: Makoto Niijima

EMPRESS

P1: Yukino Mayuzumi

P2: Yukino Mayuzumi

P3: Mitsuru Kirijo

P4: Margaret

P5: Haru Okumura

EMPEROR

P1: Naoya Toudou (P1 protagonist)

P3: Hidetoshi Odagiri

P4: Kanji Tatsumi

P5: Yusuke Kitagawa

PRIEST

P5: Zenkichi Hasegawa (does not exist in standard tarot deck, from Thoth deck) (Scramble only, no art available for card at time of posting)

HIEROPHANT

P1: Kei Nanjo

P2: Kei Nanjo

P3: Bunkichi and Mitsuko

P4: Ryotaro Dojima

P5: Sojiro Sakura

LOVERS

P2: Lisa Silverman/Ginji Sasaki

P3: Yukari Takeba

P4: Rise Kujikawa

P5: Ann Takamaki

CHARIOT

P1: Masao Inaba

P3: Kazushi Miyamoto (male protag)/Rio Iwasaki (female protag)

P4: Chie Satonaka

P5: Ryuji Sakamoto

JUSTICE

P1: Hidehiko Uesugi

P2: Katsuya Suou/Hidehiko Uesugi

P3: Chihiro Fushimi (male protag)/Ken Amada (female protag)

P4: Nanako Dojima

P5: Goro Akechi

HERMIT

P3: Isako Toriumi (male protag)/Saori Hasegawa (female protag)

P4: Fox

P5: Futaba Sakura

WHEEL OF FORTUNE

P2: Jun Kurosu

P3: Keisuke Hiraga (male protag)/Ryoji Mochizuki (female protag)

P4: Naoto Shirogane

P5: Chihaya Mifune

STRENGTH

P3: Yuko Nishiwaki (male protag)/Koromaru (female protag)

P4: Kou Ichijo (protag joins basketball)/Daisuke Nagase (protag joins soccer)

P5: Caroline and Justine

HANGED MAN

P2: Baofu/Yasuo Inoe

P3: Maiko Oohashi

P4: Naoki Konishi

P5: Munehisa Iwai

DEATH

P1: Reiji Kido*

P2: Eikichi Mishina/Hiroki Sugimoto

P3: Pharos

P4: Hisano Kuroda

P5: Tae Takemi

TEMPERANCE

P3: Andre Laurent Jean Gerraux

P4: Eri Minami

P5: Sadayo Kawakami

DEVIL

P1: Reiji Kido* (Reiji is the only canonical non-protagonist to hold more than one arcana at the same time. He is both Death and the Devil in P1, and makes a minor appearance in P2, where he is still Death and the Devil. However I didn’t have enough space to squish him into the Death slot for P2)

P3: President Tanaka

P4: Sayako Uehara

P5: Ichiko Ohya

TOWER

P1: Takahisa Kandori

P2: Anna Yoshizaka

P3: Mutatsu

P4: Shu Nakajima

P5: Shinya Oda

STAR

P2: Ulala Serizawa

P3: Mamoru Hayase (male protag)/Akihiko Sanada (female protag)

P4: Teddie

P5: Hifumi Togo

MOON

P2: Maya Amano

P3: Nozomi Suemitsu (male protag)/Shijiro Aragaki (female protag)

P4: Ai Ebihara

P5: Yuuki Mishima

SUN

P2: Tatsuya Suou/Tatsuya Sudou

P3: Akinari Kamiki

P4: Yumi Ozawa (protag joins drama)/Ayane Matsunaga (protag joins band)

P5: Toranosuke Yoshida

JUDGEMENT

P1: Eriko Kirishima

P2: Eriko Kirishima

P5: Sae Niijima 

AEON

P3: Aigis (does not exist in standard tarot, from Thoth deck)

P4: Marie (does not exist in standard tarot, from Thoth deck) (Golden only)

FAITH

P5: Kasumi/Sumire Yoshizawa (does not exist in standard tarot, from Visconti-Sforza deck) (Royal only)

HOPE

P5: Sophia (does not exist in standard tarot, from Visconti-Sforza deck) (Scramble only, no art available at time of posting)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

ALL PLAYABLE AND IMPORTANT CHARACTERS

PERSONA 5 SCRAMBLE: THE PHANTOM STRIKERS

Sophia, Zenkichi Hasegawa

NOTE: P5S was released in Japan in February 2020.

PERSONA 5 THE ROYAL

Kasumi Yoshizawa 

TRIVIA: Kasumi’s real name is Sumire. She assumed the identity of her twin sister Kasumi after Kasumi’s tragic death.

PERSONA Q2

Hikari

PERSONA 5

Ren Amamiya / Akira Kurusu, Ryuji Sakamoto, Ann Takamaki, Morgana, Yusuke Kitagwa, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura, Haru Okumura, Goro Akechi

TRIVIA: The protagonist is named Ren Amamiya in the anime and Akira Kurusu in the manga. Futaba’s codename is Navi in Japanese and Oracle in English.

PERSONA 4 ARENA ULTIMAX

Labrys, Sho Minazuki

PERSONA 4 / PERSONA 4 THE GOLDEN

Yu Narukami / Souji Seta, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Teddie, Naoto Shirogane

TRIVIA: The protagonist is named Yu Narukami in the anime and Souji Seta in the manga. Teddie is named Kuma in Japan.

PERSONA Q

Zen, Rei

PERSONA 3 FES

Metis

PERSONA 3 PORTABLE

Minako Arisato / Hamuko Yuki / Kotone Shiomi

TRIVIA: The female protagonist has no canon name, but has been called Minako Arisato and Hamuko Yuki by fans, and Kotone Shiomi in the stage play.

PERSONA 3 

Minato Arisato / Makoto Yuki / Sakuya Shiomi, Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori, Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada, Fuuka Yamagishi, Aigis / Aegis, Koromaru, Ken Amada, Shinjiro Aragaki

TRIVIA: The protagonist is named Minato Arisato in the manga, Makoto Yuki in the anime, and Sakuya Shiomi in the stage play. Aigis’s name is spelled Aegis in Japan.

PERSONA 2 ETERNAL PUNISHMENT

Maya Amano, Ulala Serizawa, Katsuya Suou, Baofu, Tatsuya Suou, Eriko Kirishima, Kei Nanjo

TRIVIA: Maya was a playable character in the first Persona 2 installment, as was Tatsuya. Eriko Kirishima and Kei Nanjo return from Persona 1.

PERSONA 2 INNOCENT SIN

Tatsuya Suou, Maya Amano, Lisa Silverman, Eikichi Mishina, Yukino Mayuzumi, Jun Kurosu

TRIVIA: Yukino Mayuzumi returns from Persona 1.

MEGUMI IBUNROKU PERSONA

Naoya Todo / Yuya Narumi / Jihei Suzakurin, Maki Sonomura, Masao Inaba, Kei Nanjo, Hidehiko Uesugi, Eriko Kirishima, Yuka Ayase, Reiji Kido, Yukino Mayuzumi

TRIVIA: The protagonist is only referred to as “the pierced boy” (Japanese)/”boy with earring” (English) within the games themselves; in the manga he is Naoya Todo, in the drama CD he is Yuya Narumi, and in the novel he is Jihei Suzakurin. Along with Maki, the protagonist makes a minor appearance in Persona 2, while Eriko, Kei, and Yukino return in P2 as playable characters once again.

SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI IF…

Tamaki Uchida, Nobu Akiyama / Jin Aoki, Reiko Akanezawa, Yumi Shirakawa, Shinji Kuroi, Ideo Hazama, Akira Miyamoto

TRIVIA: SMT If… was released only in Japan and is considered the originator of the Persona series. The series features a protagonist whose gender is decided by the player, something not seen again until P3P, though the female protagonist is canon in the games and the male protagonist is canon in the manga. Tamaki makes a cameo appearance in P1 and P2. The male protagonist is called Nobu Akiyama in both the manga and its sequel and Jin Aoki in the novel.

[rpsabetto]

An Autumn Afternoon [Sanma no aji] [The Taste of Mackerel Pike]

An Autumn Afternoon [Sanma no aji] [The Taste of Mackerel Pike]

(Japan 1962)

“We are alone in life. Always alone.”

— Sakuma

If one film perfectly captures what solitude, melancholia, and acceptance of things for what they are feels like, it has to be Yasujirō Ozu’s gorgeous and quietly contemplative An Autumn Afternoon [秋刀魚の味]. Framing death and loneliness in such metaphors as war, alcohol, marriage, aging, and the global impact of postwar America, this one…

[sakuraihoshi-kawaiiartblog]

Algunas Ediciones que he hecho Utilizando Photoshop y los Juegos: Dream Boyfriend Astral Days y Dream Girlfriend  :D

********************************************************************************* Original Characters (Sanji & Pudding): ©Eiichiro Oda Oc’s (Julián y su Novia)& Photomanipulation: © Hoshi Sakurai 

Backgrounds:  © Masao/ Hemo Hemo / Hoshi Sakurai 

[ozu-teapot]

Blood Is Dry | Yoshishige Yoshida | 1960

Masao Oda, Kaneko Iwasaki, Keiji Sada

[aion-rsa]

Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan Is a Netflix Docu-Drama Written in Blood and Ink

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Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan, a new historical documentary series on Netflix, is being billed as a “real-life Game of Thrones” but it’s much more than that. This is actual history, which is far more compelling than fantasy because it really transpired. “It is like something out of a movie,” says showrunner Matt Booi. “If you wrote this down, no one would believe it. And if you saw it, I think you’d say, ‘Nah.’ But it happened.” 

According to Booi, the show covers one of the most violent periods in Japanese history. The six-part series begins in 1551 with the death of feudal lord Oda Nobuhide and follows the rise of three of Japan’s most influential warriors: Nobuhide’s son, Oda Nobunaga (Masayoshi Haneda), Tokugawa Ieyasu (Hayate Masao), and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Masami Kosaka). Japanese historians, as well as dedicated fans of Samurai movies, will be all too familiar with these three Samurai because their impact on Japan, and their consequential representation in Japanese media, is enormous. 

“It’s something that a lot of people outside Japan don’t know a lot about,” Booi says. “They know the iconic sort of figure of the Samurais, but a lot of the minutiae was missing. Netflix understood, and so did we, that this was a great story that is going to resonate with a lot of people.”

Nobunaga, Ieyasu, and Hideyoshi lived during Japan’s sanguineous Sengoku period (1467-1615). Sengoku means “warring states.” It was a time when the country was ravaged by civil war, political intrigue, and upheaval. This period is the setting of almost every Samurai story. It was when these noble and brutal swordsmen were beginning to become eclipsed by firearms. “That’s what makes this era so poignant,” Booi explains, “We’re seeing the end of an era. It’s like the same way that guns ended the mounted knight in Europe.”

Booi understands why Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan is being compared to one of the biggest TV series of the last decade, too. “The Game of Thrones reference is a nod to the political maneuvering that is happening on the political landscape at this time. It’s a chessboard that these certain players are moving key pieces to try and control it all. It really is about an attempt by a handful of people to gain control over a fractured nation.” Like Game of Thrones, the Sengoku period is an epic saga, full of tales of honor, ruthlessness, and betrayal. It is one of the most colorful eras of Japanese history. 

And that color is red – blood red.

Lessons from Akira Kurosawa and Manga

When it comes to Samurai films, the undisputed master was Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa. One of the world’s most celebrated directors, Kurosawa made classic films like Hidden Fortress (the inspiration for Star Wars), Seven Samurai (the inspiration for The Magnificent Seven, Battle Beyond the Stars, and many more) and the psychologically relevant Rashomon. The Samurai genre owes a tremendous debt to his work. 

“I’m such a Kurosawa fan,” Booi says. “In terms of cinema, he rules over everyone almost in my mind. His ability to tell a story visually, I don’t think you can touch it. He’s just so astonishing. He’s the greatest. He’s the master. In terms of movement and shots, of how nature was, it was always something that we were aspiring to try and walk a little bit in his shadow.”

Additionally, Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan stole some pages from another leading Japanese media. According to Booi, graphic novels were a major source of inspiration. “If you look at the composition of shots, look at the color, at the color correct, it’s very dark. It’s a very gritty world punctuated by blasts of color, the reds of the blood, the red of the armor sometimes. So we thought a lot about graphic novels because, obviously, that’s such a big part of the world of contemporary Samurai lovers. We wanted that to inform it.” 

Furthermore, many of the re-enactment scenes are framed through doorways and such to resemble a graphic novel panel. This was a very conscious effort from the filmmakers. “There are two motifs that are heavily used, and one is blood and one is ink,” Booi explains. “The history of Japan in this period really seemed like it was written in blood and ink. Graphically, we were trying to make a world that nodded its head towards graphic novels and comics in general.”

Several battle scenes are shot in shadowy darker tones, contrasted by brilliant splashes of digital blood. “We might’ve got a little carried away with that,” Booi confesses, “but it’s hard not to when you’re in that world…It’s pretty shocking though when you get into some of the accounts of Nobunaga literally putting swords through just unfathomable amounts of people who stood in his way.”

Getting the Battles Right

Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan balances these ferocious battle reenactments with explanations from some of the world’s leading scholars and authors. They put the violence into historical perspective. 

“We leaned on what we thought were some of the best storytellers, not just best academics,” Booi says, “people who can not only download the information but do it in a way that was comprehensible but also entertaining, because for so many of our viewers, a lot of these ideas and these concepts and even names are going to be very foreign. To have people like we had to unpack this for us was really incredible.”

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For any period project, historical accuracy is key. Authenticity was paramount for the production. Booi’s team sourced armor and weaponry from some leading companies that make them for other Japanese historical activities. “Some we had to make,” Booi admits. “Obviously, authenticity is really difficult when you’re dealing with such intricate designs and such incredible craftsmanship.” The filmmakers made sure objects like the family crests were accurate and were careful not to have them pop up in the wrong places. “It was incredibly challenging to try and portray any of it accurately.”

Another critical detail was to shoot all the reenactments in Japanese. Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan is produced by the Toronto-based production company Cream so Japanese dialogue presented a unique challenge, both during production and for editing. “It was an essential obstacle. We all felt that trying to tell this story, if we did not have Japanese-speaking actors representing these people, there would be no credibility. There would be no authenticity.” The Cream team felt that the whole thing would fall apart the minute one of the Samurai spoke in English. Japanese dialogue is translated with subtitles, including for the featured Japanese-speaking experts. However, the subtitling never gets obtrusive because the bulk of the story is in English. “We just felt that was non-negotiable, that it had to be there. And it was something that Netflix really backed us on too.” 

A Blood-soaked History Lesson

Booi has made other military history documentaries. Among them are award-winning and Emmy-nominated productions such as Breathing Fire: The Secret Weapon of the Somme (Channel 4), The Weapon Hunter (Smithsonian Channel), and Blood and Fury: America’s Civil War (AHC). War stories are his specialty. 

“There’s so many things that draw me to the genre. There’s the sweeping sort of historical stuff, but also as somebody who is really interested in stories, I think you can get some of the most gripping and entertaining stuff when people are forced with sort of life-and-death decisions like that.” Booi feels that telling the big picture stuff through personal stories is particularly compelling, which is why he focused his lens upon Nobunaga, Ieyasu, and Hideyoshi. As Booi says, “Looking at what happens with those three guys, you get an incredible window into how the period ends ultimately and how the next period begins.” 

Nobunaga alone is a fascinating figure. He has been portrayed repeatedly in movies, books, manga, anime, and even video games, usually as the villain, but not always. Kurosawa’s award-winning film Kagamusha depicted Nobunaga as a strong and respectful leader. Booi can’t categorize him as a villain or a hero. “It’s hard not to stand back and be sort of knocked out by his ambition, his genius. But on the other hand, it’s tough not to be revolted by his violence and cruelty. He would do anything for power.”

“It’s not by accident that one of our contributors constantly refers to him as sort of an Alexander the Great of Japan in that he was just so innovative. He was raised with so much tradition, but he wasn’t bound by it. That’s what’s so fascinating about him. He’s constantly doing the unexpected.”

In many ways, Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan is an exploration of how power corrupts. “It’s really interesting to watch what happened to Nobunaga and how the decisions that he makes later on in the show come back to haunt him.” 

Without dropping any spoilers (although anyone can just look up the Sengoku period online to find out what happens), Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan examines the consequences of what power does to a person and how it can cause devastating blind spots. It’s a time-honored tale, still so relevant for our time. 

“There’s always an appetite for some stories about the Samurai,” Booi says. “It was such a lovely period because it’s such a violent world, but it’s also a world that is so bound by honor and duty.” Booi enjoyed exploring both sides of the same coin. “It’s just such a remarkable world.” 

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For Booi, the Game of Thrones reference is an easy comparison to make. “But I think that’s where it ends. There’s lots more than the fantasy element of that.” Being reality based, Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan doesn’t include sorcery or White Walkers. “We have a one-eyed dragon,” Booi teases with a grin. But to learn who that was, you’ll just have to watch it.

Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan is a six-part series that premieres on Netflix on February 24, 2021.

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