#master japanese

[peterkothe]

INKtober 2024-Versus👊

Son of Ultraseven, the face of the Heisei era New Generation Ultras, Ultraman Zero vs. Ultraman Belial, the fallen, devilish, corrupted Ultra, and Zero’s arch-nemesis!

[zarla-s]

I did Karaoke for my birthday a bit back and had a lot of fun, so I got to thinking about what songs these two might do, and of course they'd do Pokemon songs! I immediately thought of OK! 2000 for Kabu since the singer screams at the top of her lungs right at the beginning, haha. Larry's voice is softer in Japanese than I expected, so I thought of something a bit quieter for him - Soko ni Sora ga Arukara. It turned out the lyrics for that kind of fit!

When you become tired from trying so hard, Look to the sky as you shed your tears. The wind brushes your cheeks, I'm sure it'll say: "It's okay if you fall. You are you and that makes you wonderful!" Those that haven't been hurt cannot see the blue sky. On a journey you hesitate to walk on, your life will shine.

The OK! lyrics are simpler.

OK! Let's move on OK! If we're together, we'll be all right OK! Even if the winds change OK! Our dream won't!

Since the lyrics were in Japanese I figured I should write them out for real instead of Romanizing them, which made me realize just how long it's been since I've written in Japanese, haha. I bet my handwriting is terrible...

[patreon]

[purpledemonart]

Master Kohga in traditional Japanese woodblock style

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The Industry is Having Issues But the Spice Spicy Must Flow

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) eps 1-2 of 10 - One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames starring MaxNat. I'm over this concept but I do enjoy MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Tai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha to deal with. (Phupha is played by Gun Thanawat who was Khom, the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night. We like this, but we scared of the love triangle aspect.) Did that make sense? Yeah, okay, see what I mean?

Initial thoughts?

The subs are troubling but I’m enjoying this show a lot. It’s nice to see MaxNat get something meaty to sink their teeth into - that’s not just each other. Also it’s so smart of them to give us a fully fleshed out entire episode developing the alter romance rather than just a separation + death. It makes Khram’s grief and motivation that much more believable. Also it’s really nice to see Nat have good chemistry with other actors. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 3 of 8 (10?) - I'm still enjoying it. But Two Worlds is objectively better. So this one has lost ranking. Also, unexpectedly chili (the name of my heavy metal Thai cover band).

Lovey switchy and verse main couple too.

This is all quite pleasing.

The bit where the hosts pretend to be a BL couple actor ship was epic on so many levels.

Also unsettling.

All sex work is performative, and in a way there is something more honest about this depiction, in this setting, than what BL actors are made to do on the promo circuit. Which then begs the question, how different is BL from sex work? That's the unsettling bit, for me anyway. Not to slam on sex work AT ALL, we pro-the-true-pros on this damn blog, but actors have been shaded by association with True Professionals for a very long time and BL has already had one epic shut down in this regard. (See the PerthSaint scandal around Love By Chance, no I will not explain.) Where was I? Oh yes, so anyway, see the Gossip section for the part where they better be paid either way!

Also, since I'm a warped fucker, I found this scene funny.

And then hilarious when all of those BL tropes were just trotted out. Like a greatest hits reel.

Truly beyond meta. (How Absolute BL of them.)

Note he’s even standing in yaoi's patented "hands in pocket with the shoulders back"? 

Meanwhile, the gayest bridge in Thailand made its quarterly appearance:

And lip serviced was paid to the most touristy romantic things you can do in Bangkok.

And I mean lip service literally. 

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 5 of 8 - I’m still enjoying it but getting more and more nervous. We getting too close to Promise territory for comfort. EXPLAIN Ji’s reticence well and do it now or risk audience mistrust. We have to be given a GOOD reason for Ji's behavior, or he'll be irredeemable.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - NO SINGING. Yes smiley kisses and good communication and a nice healthy relationship. But no singing!

1000 Years Old ep 6 of 12 - Dropping in the ranks. I’m sorry it’s just gotten boring. It has, however, inspired me to invest in my own ridiculous cream fuzzy sweater. Which I plan to wear with leather trousers and huge stumpy boots, like the Kpop queer I truly am. Or do I mean vampire? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Seems to be an excuse for a small posse of Thai actors to wander around Tokyo playing tourist and sing in public . Someone stop them?

“Most people think this kind of thing is bad manners .”

Anyway, it’s v boring. I’ll give it one more ep but I suspect I’ll DNF.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 6 - Meh. This is also looking suspiciously DNF-a-licious.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 5 of 11 - It's brilliant. I love it. I'm ready to hurt. Let’s do this thing. 

Distribution note: This one has been picked up and is also airing on Viki now, so it may lose YT distribution in soem territories. I like Youku's hard subs better than Viki's subs, but that's a matter of preference not information since I don't speak Mandarin.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - It is good. Every week I like this show a little more. I'm enjoying a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet slightly surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scene with this Japanese brand of authenticity was oddly elegant - for lack of a better way of putting it. All in all, this is a good show. Thought provoking. Stylish.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - It remains lovely but they sure are reusing a lot of footage. Also, this was a classic penultimate doom episode. I do wonder how they are going to resolve this show ethically.

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - It is what it is, and it isn’t my style of show no matter what country of origin. Oddly that's one of the reasons I don't like it. Anyone could have made this, it's not as Japanese as I want it to be, it's just indie film club high school angst. Yawn.

I watched it, finally

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube) 7 eps - I dislike vertical filming, but I kind of enjoyed this show as a BL. I like class conflict romances. For me the rich kid is a bit too dictatorial (edges into bulling), but it’s kinda works. It’s sparse and underdeveloped and a bit plotless, but mildly entertaining. If you're missing Vietnamese BL you might give it a try. 6/10 

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) 8eps - A Burmese BL that I had thoughts about but actually ended up recommending. Read the saga here:

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) ep 1 of ? - on one hand it's micro-installment vertical, on the other it's adorable and from Taiwan. I blame @heretherebedork entirely for my conundrum. As indeed, I did for My Type back in the day. (That was Nat Chen's first BL, yes of Kiseki: Dear To Me fame.) So I think I will also simply lean on Here to let me know when it's done and binge all at once. It's just too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute pieces, I don't have that kind of endurance training, not even for BL.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - it's finished now, I dropped it at ep 4. Should I bother?

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing for some reason.

Man Suang that MileApo vehicle from last year is coming to Netflix in the USA. I haven't heard much about it and since the KP stans would have lost their tiny minds if it was any good at all, I'm assuming it's not good at all.

Gossip

Thai BL actor Yoon breaks with his former company and talks about some very very VERY shady goings on in the Thai BL industry. Including not being paid.

And whacha know, same thing happening in Korean BL.

Have I mentioned recently how much I hate the film industry?

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is also a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast.

I wonder if this was part of the hold up, with Geonu on Build Up right now, they might have tried to muffle this one. Or maybe it's just that bad...

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV?) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner), Best and frest face, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Without ghost girl.

With ghost girl.

I think she may be my favorite part of 1000 Years.

CLASSIC tsundere seme description of a sunshine uke. Like classic'est of classic. (Two Worlds)

Is there such a thing as a tired trope in a BL? Since it is a genre that is made up entirely of tropes quilted together? Your philosophical question for today brought to you by Deep Night's kabedon (Japanese trope) + punishment threat (Thai trope).

Love me a lap sit moment. (City of Stars)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE Plus is Now Available! 🎉

The Japanese and Chinese versions were released on July 18th, but the patch supporting English, French, Italian, German and Spanish has finally been released today! The loading times have been greatly improved, the graphics have been upgraded, and all the sub-stories that were DLC on the Switch version are included, so it's a great deal! Check it out on the official website:

Have a good rain! ☔️

[columboscreens]

the beautiful thing about columbo is that he has all the emotive capability of an anime girl

[maukiki1]

im sosick of pretending like the mfb blader dj aint the coolest character in beyblade history im so serious hes so awesome and epic dont argue wit me

Alsoe Watch my epix blader dj limp bizkit amv that looks like its from 2012 #epicvideo

[marypickfords]

Woods Are Wet (Tatsumi Kumashiro, 1973)

[souenkun]

I don't see this talked about often in the english side of the fandom, as this tidbit got lost in translation, but:

In the japanese versions for both texts and voice lines in the middle-aged opposites venet, kabu addresses larry with "—kun (くん)" in their second meeting in front of the restaurant. It's a japanese honorific to address someone who is a junior than you, in terms of either age or work experience/status. Inferring from this, kabu may either (1) be slightly older than larry in age (as I think they both have equal years of experience, just that larry happened be slightly superior to kabu in terms of their workplace status because he is also an elite four member), (2) be that friendly and warm as a person that he calls larry with "—kun (くん)" right away in the second part of their event's story, or (3) both.

Take what you will from this, friends! 🫡

[awesome-and-impressive]

The fastest sword man in the world

More like this

[zarla-s]

I saw this Aokabu meme on Twitter and I had to fill it out! Even though i tl;dr'd on it like i do with everything I CAN'T SHUT UP WHY CAN'T I SHUT UP i just have so many feelings about them

(Larry = Aoki, Kabu = Kabu, thus the japanese shipname)

[sofieflee]

Rain Code Ship Week Day 7 - Free Day!

Sorry I took so long to finish this ship week. In really liked participating though and I hope it goes better the next time! Anyway this piece is heavily inspired by the bath scene from Delicious in Dungeon. There’s just something about non-sexual intimacy that is just so sweet to me. I imagine post-canon Yuma doesn’t really understand personal space, considering he wouldn’t have much experience with human interactions. He’s just checking up on Desuhiko after a mission! But despite both of them being very naked he believes that there is nothing wrong with getting all up in his space.

[plague-of-insomnia]

What’s In A Title?: Variations on “Master” in Black Butler

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

Throughout the manga, we see various titles used for Vincent, Real Ciel, and Our Ciel, with these being more obvious in the original Japanese than in translation.

This post will focus on Sebastian and Tanaka and the various terms they use at different points within the story.

I personally am not an expert on keigo (the most formalized of speech that Sebastian speaks almost exclusively in in Japanese), so I am not really going to be going into the subtleties there. (Other posts have tackled this already, and probably with more expertise than I could.)

I also want to emphasize I am only now beginning to read the manga from ch 1 in Japanese (I’ve only read bits and pieces until the most recent ~25 chapters or so), so it is possible I am missing some examples or variations mentioned in other parts of the 200+ chapters not brought up here.

However, I think we can still look at these subtle differences even if you are an English speaker who knows zero about formality levels/humble speech in Japanese. And if you’re willing to take this journey with me despite these caveats, keep reading.

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

Before I get into the variations between Sebastian and Tanaka, let’s look at some of the titles used:

The variations are as follows:

Dannasama - 旦那様

Toushu - 当主

Shujin - 主人

Goshujinsama - ご主人様

“my lord” - ご主人様・マイロード

Lord Ciel - シエル様

Bocchan - 坊ちゃん

Tanaka

Tanaka uses #1, #2, #3, #6, and #7. Let’s look at him first.

Dannasama - 旦那様

Means “master of the house,” but is also a term you’d use with a boss or someone of higher status, akin to “sir” in some usages in English.

Tanaka uses this term only for Vincent, so far as I know.

Toushu - 当主

Means “present head of the family.”

Tanaka uses this when speaking about/to Our Ciel when distinguishing him from his father, the previous head. For example, in the murder arc when he points out that it isn’t appropriate for the master of the house to be upset by a servant’s death.

Shujin - 主人

Means “head of the household” or “master” (among other uses). This version does not have the added formality/humbleness of the versions that Sebastian uses (the go- prefix and the -sama suffix).

Tanaka uses this when speaking generally about “the master” or “one’s master,” for example, in the end of the murder arc when he tells Sebastian a Phantomhive butler shouldn’t die before his master.

Lord Ciel - シエル様

Just Ciel + the kanji for “sama,” is how Tanaka refers exclusively to Real Ciel throughout the manga, to the best of my knowledge, when speaking to or of him specifically, individually.

Above, we see how in the example on the right (in the present), Tanaka calls RC “Lord Ciel” directly, and in the example on the left, how he refers to him that way in the past as well when not directly addressing him. (OC is “you” or 貴方 there.)

Bocchan - 坊ちゃん

Means “young master,” and is how Tanaka refers to Our Ciel almost exclusively (except for the examples above), not only before the tragedy but after. He immediately knew that Ciel was OC and not his twin, and we know this because of the address.

Sebastian seems to have picked up the title from Tanaka, because he does not use it before they see him. Above, he even puts special emphasis on the title when he uses it for the first time. And as far as I know, aside from “my lord,” he refers to Ciel as such exclusively thereafter.

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

Sebastian

Sebastian uses #4, #5, and #7.

Goshujinsama - ご主人様

Means “head of the household” or “master” (among other uses). This version does include the formal/humble prefix “go-” and suffix “-sama.”

This is the first term that Sebastian uses for Ciel when he shifts from “you” (貴方, anata) to “master,” when they first begin establishing the contract. He also uses a variation on this I’ll explain next, but THIS version, said exactly like this, he stops using after their visit to Tanaka.

You can see in the above examples that he uses this address both before and after he assumes his butler form.

I expect that this is likely how Sebastian has referred to all his masters as I believe it’s the most humble/formal way of addressing one’s master (aside from more specific titles that may be used).

My Lord - ご主人様 ・マイロード

Even before he adopts “bocchan,” Sebastian sometimes refers to Ciel in English as “my lord,” as Yana informs us via the katakana spelling on the kanji. Yet she still writes it in keigo, as if to reminds us of the manner in which Sebastian speaks, and that even if he has dropped the uber formal “goshujinsama,” he is, in a sense, still using it throughout the story.

Bocchan - 坊ちゃん

As I explained above, this seems to be a manner of address Sebastian picks up from Tanaka. It seems to imply that he does so partly because he recognizes that the old man is aware of Ciel’s real identity (unlike Madam Red, who assumes he’s RC, which is why Ciel looks so dead-eyed while Sebastian is smirking).

Maybe he does it to mock him at first, a reminder that Sebastian knows he’s a liar. Maybe he adopts it because he’s never had a young master before and decides it could be a fun change of pace.

Unless Yana says something or reveals more insight into Sebastian’s POV, however, we may never know exactly why he made this shift and stuck with it.

旦那様・当主・ご主人様・マイロード・様・坊ちゃん

And that’s my rundown of how “master” is used in Japanese by Sebastian and Tanaka, depending on who they’re addressing or referring to and at what point we are in the story. As you can see, most of it is lost in translation.

If you enjoyed this post, you may like to check out some of my other kuro translation posts, including my pronoun series, in which I explain why various characters use certain personal pronouns.

Reblogs and tips are also always appreciated!

[smbhax]

Kinu Nishimura "Super School Fighter II X" Unlocked & screenshot in Street Fighter 6 (PC/Steam)

Play session: https://youtu.be/wUPX2VrMtWM

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

The wise and beautiful Lord Natsuka, yet naïve and sheltered, Anime vs Manga *

Natsuka-sama truly has an excellent heart. Not only we officials, but also the common people, admire him greatly. Meikyoin accepts worshippers regardless of their status, so the other day, I handled a petition addressed to Natsuka-sama from someone in Ariake Village. Moreover, he often visits the court! I have personally been spoken to by him! Clear-headed and intelligent! A gentle yet bold personality! A wise ruler and a distinguished figure. My grandfather always says that he resembles the previous Emperor Kinjou. He is filled with overflowing dignity and beauty... Truly a person worthy of being a sovereign! In the first place, Wakamiya being recognized as the "heir to the throne"— If only that political upheaval ten years ago hadn't happened... Lord Natsuka’s decision to become a monk might not have been his true intention.

There were many voices opposing the abdication in favor of the heir to the throne... By now, it should have been Lord Natsuka, not the foolish Wakamiya.

Natsumi Matsuzaki and Chisato Abe, from the manga “The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master,” Chapter 5: Brothers

* for seichanza @ynxnyx (bc I know you like him too very much)

[burn-fire]

The birth of Shinigami!

So the obsession of Japanese mythology came back to me and I just thought of Shinigami popping up to existence after the death of her mother Izanami since her mother was the first death that happened in the world in Japanese mythology so I think I needed to see a baby Shinigami.

Blood warning

Here's moments after her birth witnessing her brother getting chopped up into pieces under the cut.