#maybe I'll reread the entire manga again

[reinemichele]

2006 - latching onto Kurotsuchi as bleach airs on adult swim

2022 - I latch onto the rotating gaggle of satanic anti-popes in the band ghost after youtube recommended me spillways

2024 - dude it's been Months and I still don't want to talk about it

I don't really feel much shame/embarrassment about my hobbies/preferences, and I'm always unabashed about enjoying cruel/inhumane characters, who often have that reflected in their designs. But like . the obviousness of these visuals is a little embarrassing 😭 Corporate wants you to tell them the difference between these two photos:

I fear I'm having some (non-serious, taste in fiction) realizations...

wait okay I was planning on reblogging this with actual text but

I think it's... generous... to say he "used" to be extremely unstable

[orcelito]

Got a coffee and my water and my copy of Nabari no Ou volume 1 that I found at a Half Price Books back in like 2012

I'm ready

[thankskenpenders]

And now for something new

So, here's something I was never planning on doing, but I just couldn't shake the idea... Thanks Ken Penders is gaining a sister blog featuring an entirely different comic franchise!

Introducing... Thanks Steve Ditko, a blog where I read the Earth-616 Spider-Man comics, starting all the way back in the '60s! It's gonna be much more casual and less thorough than how I run things here on TKP, though, which I'll explain in a sec.

If seeing me post weird bits from old Spider-Man comics sounds fun and you need no further info, then just head right on over to Thanks Steve Ditko. But for longtime TKP readers, I know you probably have questions...

Number one: Why?

Spider-Man's always been my favorite superhero, and with the Spider-Verse movies kicking ass and my excitement building for the new Insomniac game, I've been in a Spidey mood. Inevitably, a thought occurred to me: Maybe I should actually read the comics that everything else is built off of and see the wildly varying contributions of all the original creators, rather than filtering them through big budget adaptations. If I can power through One Piece and all these other manga with hundreds of chapters, it can't be that hard... right?

And, well, after a few issues I quickly realized that my options were to either clog up my other accounts with random Spider-Man panels for years, or to just make a side blog. And so the side blog was born.

Two: Will this blog replace Thanks Ken Penders?

NO!!!!!!!!!

Okay but prove it

To allow the two to exist side-by-side, Thanks Steve Ditko will have a different format than what Thanks Ken Penders developed. Rather than an in-depth guided tour that critically analyzes every story beat of every issue, TSD will just be a place for amusing panels and brief thoughts as I casually read the comics at my own pace.

If you've seen me make a few tweets about reading Spider-Man recently, I'm basically just moving that to a dedicated Tumblr. It's a place for me to dump these things so that it doesn't fill up my media tab on Twitter for the next decade. (You know, assuming Twitter is still around in a decade.) There will be many issues where I only post two panels that I thought were funny. There will be issues where I don't have anything to say at all. Maybe I'll reach a run that I just cannot get into, and I start skipping around more. Who knows!

This may sound similar to what I thought this blog would be before it blew up. Aside from the simple fact that there's already mountains of Spider-Man commentary out there and therefore less of a void for me to fill, one of the main steps I'll be taking to avoid repeating the past is not enabling an ask box on TSD. I do not need people to ask me to go into ten times more detail on everything. I do not need to write seven essay-length responses to questions about Spider-Man minutiae every day. I do not need a place for people to chide me for not covering certain scenes, issues, or ancillary series.

It also won't have any kind of update schedule. I'm trying to keep it very casual. I'm reading these comics at my own pace, and if I feel like sharing a moment or commenting on something while doing so? It goes there. That's it.

(On the subject of format changes, I'm also listing the issue, writer, and penciller in the body of every post. This is a thing I wish I'd done on TKP so that people didn't misattribute every weird Archie Sonic panel I post to Penders.)

Three: So when will TKP come back from hiatus? You said it'd come back after you finished SLARPG!

I don't know! Sorry. I have a couple things on the backburner right now for TKP, but I'm not sure when I'll get back to proper updates where I read more comics.

I wanted to bring TKP back this year, and that's still possible. The main hurdle is that I want to reread my own archive (again) as a refresher, which is, uh. A lot of posts. I've developed a high standard for myself on here, and I feel like I wouldn't be doing my job right if I forgot half the ongoing subplots and character arcs and didn't bring them up in my analysis. Especially when I'm discussing the work of an author as obsessed with continuity as Ian Flynn. Unfortunately, the nature of this blog means that every time I go on another long hiatus for Life Reasons I have even more comic continuity to catch up on than last time.

(This is a big part of why I'm making Thanks Steve Ditko an extremely casual blog instead of promising to become a Lore Expert on 60+ years of Marvel.)

Mostly I've just been very burnt out this year after having finally finished a video game that took almost eight years to make. I haven't really had the energy for any creative projects, including TKP. But I feel a little bit of a spark here with Spider-Man, so I'm chasing that feeling to try to get back into the swing of blogging about comics - no pun intended.

So, basically, bear with me on this as I start this low-energy side project. But hopefully folks will enjoy Thanks Steve Ditko as its own thing, too.

Look forward to goofy shit like this

[serendipity-by-chance]

New Gen 11

so like ive been having thoughts about ng11 given the recent chapters and all and wondering. whats the point of them lol. this is like me questioning the author again lol.

like we were first introduced to them very early on with sae's intro. ever since then the 11 players of ng11 have been mysterious. even more so with how much the manga heaped praises on sae making him compete against all bllk players and still coming out on top. also being the only one (prior to charles) who could actually play with shidou. and given that sae is genuinely the best midfielder we've seen so far, it was obvious that we would be excited for the ng11. However, ng11 is still confusing. according to bllk wiki (bear with me i havent read the manga in a while and im too busy with finals to reread and find the panels but trust once exams are over i will!) ng11 are players who are categorised as the "next gen" of football superstars. which would give u the idea that theyre the best of the best in the current gen. but here's the thing. they're not. look at loki. he's the same age as sae (i think i forgot sae's age but loki is 17/18) but loki isn't part of ng11. which u can say maybe he isnt anymore cause he's pro but remember when we see Michael for the first time isagi knows he is part of ng11 (chapter 157) which means isagi knows who the ng11 are right? Also when we see lorenzo for the first time (210) once again isagi knows who he is. Which definitely means that isagi knows who ng11 are. but thats not the case for loki which can lead us to think loki was never part of ng11. but loki is definitely a better striker than kaiser so why isnt he part of ng11? my problem with ng11 is how it seems so inconsistent? what makes one part of ng11?

again bllk wiki says that ng11 players are those of the next gen who have skills that cant be copied by others in a sense? like we see when michael makes his first kaiser impact even noa admits that michael is better at his speed of shot than noa and thats not sth he can easily copy. not to mention sae with his flawless pass. so is that all that makes one ng11? a skill that others cant copy? so ig ng11 is just the bllk version of knb's miracle generation (this came to me when i was rambling to my sister). the whole concept and history of ng11 being still ??? is so weird to me especially given that we have 3/11 of them in the manga now with sae and michael playing such pivotal roles to the two biggest characters (isagi and rin).

anyways, this thought came up to me cause i was seeing people on twt being like "so rin is better than ng11!!!" cause kaisagi decided to team up to beat him which made me think "huh, is he?" which then made me start questioning what exactly makes one ng11.

but whether rin is better than ng11 or not is still up for debate. especially cause there's 8 other players we havent seen. also... they all play different position lmao. rin is definitely the best in bllk. with rin vs kaiser debate... hmmm. even im a bit like... confused. id say in terms of their personal skills they might be more evenly matched? the kaisagi team up is necessary bc while rin has pxg on his side the entire bm team is divided betn kaisagi with both of them in a tug of war to turn the team in their direction. the match of bm is never bm vs other team lol. its always isagi vs kaiser vs other team. kaiser doesnt fight with just rin he fights with rin AND isagi and the same goes for isagi. which is why the next chapters will be so interesting.

anways these are all my thoughts on ng11! maybe i'll do a better one when exams end and i reread the whole manga and take proper screenshots and notes.

[strawwritesfic]

Enma Kozato x Female!Vongola!Reader: Coda

Summary: Can we try again?

Rating/Warnings: T (post-Inheritance Ceremony arc; Friends to Lovers; Enemies to Lovers; Love Confessions; Face Slapping; Slapping; Delivery Person!Reader; Adelheid & Enma; Adelheid/Julie)

Tag List: @imaginesfire

Notes: I've been in a Reborn mood lately, reviving some old OCs of mine with a friend via email. I'm even rereading what little of the official English translation manga there is. So I thought I'd brush off some of my old one shots for the series and post them, especially since I've had such kind feedback on the ones I've got on my Tumblr.

This was written back when I was in college, so probably circa 2011/2012. I did polish it up for this repost! Although there's really no helping the abrupt ending. I suppose I could have tacked something on, but the style would be so obviously different that it would really only make the original ending seem even more painful.

The reader character is based on (and originally written as) an OC in a roleplay group that I was in on DeviantArt at the time. I no longer recall the username, but credit where credit is due, so much as I can give it. The character's name was LaRae Souma.

Coda

Enma’s heart had never beat so wildly in his chest. Ba-thump, ba-thump, ba-thump. In the silence of the growing evening surrounding him, the noise felt abnormally loud. He lifted a trembling hand to his chest and pressed it against his rib cage.

“Why are you doing this?” he mumbled.

His heart, of course, gave no answer. Or maybe it did. Maybe its attempts to tear itself free from his insides were its way of telling him how downright crazy this entire plan was. Whatever the reason, Enma really wished his traitorous organ would stop. This whole situation was hard enough without adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Trying to calm down was a vain effort. Enma knew that. He’d been trying to do whatever that would take since school got out hours ago. How many girls had passed by, giggling because of how weird he looked standing at the gate? How many bullies had come by to exact their “standing” tax?

Maybe that was why his heart was still going crazy. Maybe he was finally running out of blood, and this was its last, desperate attempt to get what was left to the rest of his body before it gave out. Enma supposed that wouldn’t be too bad, really. At least if he was dead he wouldn’t be picked on anymore. He wouldn’t fail any more tests, either. And, for the love of God, he would not have to do what he was planning to do next.

The bag at his side buzzed. His head turned toward it. He blinked before slowly plucking his cell phone from the bag's pocket. Who would be calling him now? It was nearly dark, and the Vongola had no reason to contact him.

“Hello?” he said.

“Enma. Are you all right? It’s late.”

Oh. It was only Adelheid, then. He probably should have known, but Aoba had stolen his phone and changed all the contacts to pictures of himself flipping the camera off, so now Enma had no way to tell who anyone calling him actually was.

“She hasn’t been by.” He stared down the street again. Still no shadows appeared to be growing against the bright red sky. “Maybe she’s not coming.”

“It’s nearly dark. I would say she’s not.”

“She could be working overtime.”

“Enma, just come home. We’ll order more food, and you can talk to her then.”

“I don’t want to say it front of Julie.”

“He’s not going to say anything. If he does, I’ll hit him.”

"I'll wait a little longer.”

“Okay.” This time, her voice sounded a little warmer. “Call me when you’re on your way home.”

“Yeah. Bye.”

“Goodbye.”

He ended the conversation with a simple push of a button. Why hadn’t he taken the out Adelheid offered him? This was her idea to begin with, and Enma was seriously beginning to doubt her understanding of the matter. Her relationship wasn’t really comparable to his. All Julie had to do was grope her every once in a while.

Oh, God, was he going to have to grab your breasts? Did you even have those? It had been so long since he'd seen you that he didn’t remember. And Adelheid usually still slapped Julie when he did that. Enma didn’t really feel like being slapped. 

Was this what hyperventilating felt like? He had never done it before, so he didn’t know.

A rapid tapping came from down the vacant street. Enma looked up. Running down the shadowed walk was a figure moving at a quick pace. He stood straighter. Was it you? It had to be. His hands had started to sweat again. This did not make him feel any less like an idiot. He wiped them on his pants. That only made it worse; now he had wet patches on his legs.

The figure continued to draw nearer. The golden pool of light surrounding him was soon the one they stepped into, bringing their features were placed in high relief. [Color] hair, [color] eyes, waitress uniform. Yes, that was definitely [F Name] [L Name]. It didn’t take the painful lurch in his heart to tell him that much.

The moment of recognition must have been shared because you froze mid-step, one leg stuck awkwardly in the air. Enma reached up to ruffle the back of his head. Now he was completely lost. What was he supposed to do? You were just staring at him like he was a particularly disgusting bug that had fallen directly in your path.

Then your expression hardened. Your normally warm eyes he grown so accustomed to turned more brittle as you smacked your heel back down against the pavement. For a split second, he thought you were going to say something. Instead, you started moving again, your movements now choppy and stiff.

“[Name],” he said as you passed. 

You didn’t even spare him a second glance. 

“[Name]!” 

You did not even so much as twitch in his direction. 

Enma sighed. Now what was he supposed to do? Adelheid hadn’t described her plan past his finally making contact with you. Still, he was not the same boy you had known a year ago. Steeling himself, he moved off the wall and into step beside you. It was only be the grace of God that he didn’t fall flat on his face doing so.

"[Name].”

"What?” He had never heard you speak with that much venom in your voice before, at least not directed at him. He gulped. Maybe this was a dumb idea.

"I need to talk to you.”

“I’m in the middle of a delivery.”

“I know. It's for me.”

Thankfully, this was enough to get your attention. Once again, you stopped completely, though at least this time you remembered to put you foot down. Your mouth fell open in an “o.” Then you narrowed your eyes.

“What do you mean, it’s for you?” you asked.

“I ordered it. Can I have it, please?”

“No! I’m not giving you anything!”

“I’m going to pay for it.”

You continued to watch him for a few more seconds, then tossed the container at his head. Enma flailed. The box knocked straight into his temple before falling open on the ground. 

“Fine, then!" you snapped. "Eat it! See if I care!”

“Thank you,” Enma murmured. 

He bent down to retrieve the contents of whatever food he had asked for. He was so nervous that he didn’t remember, nor did he think he’d actually be able to stomach it if he tried. If he remembered correctly, most girls didn’t think it was cool when boys threw up their food. Once he had the scattered contents all gathered, he rummaged in his pocket until he found the wad of cash he had stuffed in it that morning–more than enough for both his food and a decent tip for you. 

“Your money." He held it out to you.

You said nothing as you snatched the cash out of his hand. And then you stood there. And continued standing there. Apparently you were intending to watch him eat the food. 

Groaning inwardly, Enma picked up the chopsticks and dug in without looking at what he was digging into. It was probably good, but he didn’t get to taste much before he started to choke. Seemingly satisfied with this development, you hopped on the wall and crossed your legs, the better to see him.

“Why’d you order from there anyway? Thought I didn’t work there anymore?” you asked.

“N-No,” Enma stammered. He was still coughing up bits of rice. “I needed to talk to you.”

“So you ordered food from my workplace?”

“It was the only way I could talk to you. You were avoiding me.”

“Because I didn’t want to talk to you.”

“Right.” 

Enma gazed forlornly at his eating utensils. Why had he done this? Of course you didn’t want to talk to him. After what he did…The look of betrayal on your face as you stood there with the rest of your family, the way your eyes seemed to grow dim as you watched him mutilate your friends…His gut clenched every time he thought of it. Who was he kidding with this? You weren't going to want to hear him out. You didn’t even want to be his friend anymore.

He took a deep breath and looked up toward you. It looked like he was still Loser Enma after all. What he realized, however, was that you were no longer looking away. Instead you had the full force of your glare on him. He flinched.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” you asked.

There could be a million things he hadn’t told you that you were asking about, each a worse secret than the one before. But Enma thought he had a pretty good idea what you were talking about. 

“I didn’t want you to get hurt,” he said.

“And why would I get hurt?”

He licked his lips. “My family…what we were doing…”

“Yeah, it was pretty stupid,” you snarled. “And thank you so much for showing such faith in me.”

“I didn’t want you to tell Tsuna. It was important. What if you said something and they found out?

You snapped straight up. Enma stumbled backward, managing to stay on his feet but spill what was left of his meal. This did nothing to stop you. In one easy movement, you jumped off the ledge, landed on your feet, and marched up to him. For a moment, all you did was look into his eyes. Then you launched yourself forward and started trying to smack every bit of him you could reach.

“Are you kidding me?" You all but shrieked. "I thought you trusted me! I thought I was your friend!”

“Ouch. [Name]. Stop." 

Your punches, if anything, merely increased in number. Enma groaned. What would Aoba and Julie say if they saw him now? Probably something along the lines of “You’re totally whipped!” Without thinking, he grabbed your wrists. You sucked in a breath. He supposed he had surprised you. The him of a year ago wouldn’t have tried to defend himself at all. One split second later, however, and you were back on the offense.

“You.” You tugged. “Are.” You tugged harder still. “Such a jerk, Enma Kozato!” You arched backward as far as you could. Still he did not let you go.

“I know," he said. "I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough! I don’t care what you have to say to me. Just go away!”

Enma took a deep breath. Now was good as ever. He didn’t think you were going to let him stick around much longer anyway. “I think I love you.”

The anger drained slowly from your face. Feeling that it might be safe to let you go, Enma released your wrists at last. He stuffed his now-free hands into his pockets and stared at his feet. The silence stretched on for several more minutes, and then there was a sudden whoosh and the sound of flesh meeting flesh.

Enma’s eyes went wide. The sound of the slap echoed in the empty road.

“That’s for avoiding me for a year!” When he looked up, you were rubbing at your wrist and scowling. “Did you think I was going to yell at you?”

“Well, you’re doing a good job of it now,” he said as he pressed his palm against his stinging cheek.

“Because, Enma, you are an idiot.” You scowled at him again, then whirled on your heel and marched over to your delivery box. Without looking at him, you continued, but he noticed your voice was quavering a bit when you spoke: “If you’re just going to say empty words, then you can leave me alone. For good this time.”

“They weren't empty.” he mumbled at the ground. Enma thought that maybe he heard you pause before going on your way. “I won’t bother you anymore.”

Before you could answer–if you were going to answer, which he didn’t believe could be true at all–he started shuffling away. He didn’t get far before he managed to trip and crash face-first into the sidewalk. A sickening crunch sound coming from his nose told Enma that he had just seriously screwed up. Perhaps it would be best if he just stayed there in the dirt until you left. He didn’t want the last thing you saw of him to be the blood spilling profusely from his face.

“Enma? Are you okay?” 

Oh, crud, you were standing right above him. He craned his neck so he could see, trying to make sure you couldn’t get a look at the newest disfigurement on his face. You knelt down next to him and then dragged him to his feet.

“You’re bleeding.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

You frowned. “No, I will worry about it. Sit down.” 

You pushed down on his shoulder and Enma obeyed without thinking. What were you doing? Why were you still talking to him? Hadn’t you already left, glad to have him out of your life? While he was pondering all of this, you were digging around in your own bag. A few moments later, you pulled out a first aid kit. 

Enma leaned back. “You don’t have t–”

“Yes, I do.” 

Enma fell silent as you began to work on him. It almost felt like old times, except for the part where the girl he was in love with hated him. He could probably do without that. Well, that and the broken nose.

“Hold still. I’m going to set it. It’ll hurt.” 

He braced himself. Sure enough, you pressed your fingers onto both side of his nose and pushed. There was a loud pop and pain streamed into his face. Enma lifted his hand to feel his nose.

“Why did you…?”

“Did you mean it when you said you loved me?” you asked.

“Y-yes.” Did you find him terribly stupid? Were you going to laugh at him? 

You turned, face hidden as you placed your kit back in your bag. “Then why didn’t you talk to me for so long?”

“I was afraid you hated me. I didn’t want that.”

“I didn’t. I just wanted to hear from you. When I called and you didn’t answer…” You trailed off. He could see your eyes again. They were filling with tears. “I thought we were friends.”

“You’re my best friend, [Nickname].”

"It doesn’t feel like it.”

Enma stared at you. You looked away and dabbed at your eyes with your sleeve. “I’m sorry.” 

You didn’t answer. 

His eyes darted about the street. What he was about to do was risky, but maybe it would work out? Maybe this time he could actually do it. Maybe this time he wouldn’t be a loser. “[Name].”

You looked back. He shifted his bag so it was behind him, then opened his arms. You gawked at him, and he lifted them slightly. For a few more seconds, you did not move. Another flurry of anxiety rushed through him. Was he being dumb? Should he put his arms down? Were you just going to hit him again?

You blinked back another set of tears. Then you leaped forward and threw yourself into his arms. Enma closed them around you, shut his eyes, and buried his face into your soft hair.

“I love you, [Name]. Can I try again?”

“Only if you promise,” you sniffed, “to never lie to me again.”

Enma smiled. “I promise.”

In return, you wrapped your arms around him. “I love you, too, Enma.”

[zonaenthusiast]

Time to talk a little bit about a duo I personally love and think is criminally underrated: Usopp and Robin. Rereading their meeting with the tontattas has reminded me how connected they are despite not being very obvious at first glance.

There will be HEAVY MANGA SPOILERS from the most recent arc. From chapter 1066, if I'm not mistaken. You can read the first part without problem if you don't read the manga, I'll let you know when I talk about the events of that chapter.

From the beginning, Usopp was was one of those most opposed to Robin joining the crew along with Zoro. It was quick, yes, but he was the last one (of course, not counting Zoro because that's a whole other post) that she managed to charm.

Robin is stoic, she's brave, she's strange, she's morbid, she's surprisingly inappropriate at times and practically nothing fazes her. Usopp is talkative, he's loud, he's shameless, a not-so-cowardly coward and a charismatic brat who often behaves like a sassy teenager. If you think about it enough, few mugiwaras could be more opposite than these two.

But they have two things in common:

They are incredibly good when they have to lie and pretend.

They both left the crew at the same time.

Usopp didn't get on the train willingly like Sanji did to rescue Robin but he did stay because he wanted to when he could have disengaged himself from her. He made up Sogeking out of embarrassment to help after the events in Water 7, but he stayed.

Their conversation on the train is one of my favorite scenes in the entire Enies Lobby saga because it speaks so much about both of them, their relationship with Luffy, and I think it's where they really start to feel the doubt that maybe leaving him like they did (in different ways and each for their own reasons, but they both left) wasn't the solution to their problems.

Despite having just had one of the biggest arguments of his life with him just hours before, Usopp knows exactly what kind of person Luffy is. He knows that his priority is the welfare of his nakamas, Robin included. She was not present in Arlong Park and did not see with her own eyes what Luffy can do for the people he loves, but he did. Nothing will stop Luffy to do what it takes for them.

Robin had already left by the time the misunderstanding between Luffy and Usopp occurs but she is very perceptive and by the end of the Enies Lobby arc I think we can assume she has been picking up on what has been going on in her absence. I think this arc really brings them together, I think they both feel a little bit guilty (especially him because she, at least, had a legitimate reason) for what they have put the crew through.

And I only thought about all of this recently, after the revelation in chapter 1066. So, MANGA SPOILERS from now on.

Then, in chapter 1066, it's revealed something we were already suspecting at that point: Saul is alive and he is hiding in Elbaf.

We are in the final saga and there are not many islands left to visit, we only know that Elbaf will be one of them. Elbaf will be Usopp's arc, his connection with the giants from Little Garden and his illusion to become a great warrior like them can't come to nothing.

But we also have one poneglyph left to find in order to reach the One Piece, and it can't be a coincidence that the only person alive besides Robin who can read them is a giant. Chances are that the poneglyph itself will be there. So Elbaf will be Usopp's arc but it will also be Robin's arc. Exactly like Water 7 and Enies Lobby were.

What I'm going to say now is more my theories about the events of this arc: I think Elbaf is the place where Luffy and Shanks are going to meet again (we know he is going there and he is looking for the last poneglyph), where Usopp will meet his father and where Robin will give Luffy the last piece he needs to be the Pirate King. Luffy and Robin need each other like no other to achieve their respective goals, so she will also be one step away from fulfilling her dream when this happens.

In Enies Lobby, Usopp and Robin left the crew because they didn't trust Luffy enough. In Elbaf, I'm sure both of them (and Nami as a navigator, of course) will be the key to lead him to Laugh Tale.

I've talked a lot again, oh well.

[tokiro07]

[Note: Another post that ended up in my drafts by accident. I'll need to be more vigilant when responding to replies]

@buhbuhlmao replied to your post “I’ve actually had this headcanon that Namanie was...”:

One thing I’d like to add in this that I think is funny is that Nienami hates this power that she’s had for only 5 to 7 months (Assuming there was no drawing error in chapter 171’s Lullaby time travelling, her sailor fuku that was mundane-looking by the Suggestion Box arc starts getting tattered around the time of the Minus arc, and she has visible bandages by the Not-Equal arc).

​Ah, that's a nice detail. Rereading that chapter, it's really fun that you can tell exactly where in the story everyone has been reverted to. I don't know if that necessarily means that's when she learned her Style, though, it just means that's when she started stabbing swords into her arms like a lunatic

This girl had the most middling kind of conflicts that on their own pales in comparison to Abnormals who are "cursed" from birth and Minuses who go through all sorts of circumstances, and not even significant enough for Zenkichi to do anything more than joking with her and (maybe) trying to get her a diploma. Iirc Akatsuki said on Twitter that she “exploitively” wedded to Kamome in the 10 year timeskip, so her sets of troubles are contained by Tsurubami and (I guess) never entirely addressed.

If you can find that tweet I'll be eternally grateful, I need any confirmation I can get that my ship sailed

I don't know if it's fair to say that Minuses necessarily need to have particularly bad upbringings, as we never learn anything about Kumagawa's childhood, just that they have some kind of trauma or catalyst that skews their worldview dramatically. Given that Nienami was apparently always the comedic type, I'm not so sure she had anything like that, but it's also possible that her worldview was "life is a joke" and that might have been the path to becoming a Minus that was interrupted

I’m reading way too much into this random side char in a cult manga the anime of which most likely won’t see the light of day again lol. Is this how you feel with Monet at times?

Yeh

[happytapirstudio]

February 2024 Book Log

(bold means new this month)

Bosnia: A Short History by Noel Malcolm

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Book 5: Oath Breaker by Michelle Paver (reread, FINISHED!!!!)

Crowded Volume 1: Soft Apocalypse by Sebela et al. (finished)

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel José Older

Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear

Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death, and Art by Rebecca Wragg Sykes (unfinished - due at library)

Mossflower by Brian Jacques (reread, finished)

Orochi Volume 2 by Kazou Umezz

Pride Wars 2: The Four Guardians by Matt Laney (finished)

Guess who finally finished tCoAD book 5 lmaooooooooo okay jumping ship to Pride Wars 2 what the fuck was that ending. No spoilers but. Hello?????? Felt like I was being repeatedly tossed into the air by a gorilla until I landed face-first on solid rock. I'm anticipating this to be a finite series (four books, probably), so I'm gonna save my full review until after I finish the whole thing. I just need you to know I'm not happy with like...the whole last quarter of book 2, maybe more.

Once again defeated by due date. RIP Kindred I'll check you out again soon. In the meantime I'm reading a much slimmer volume on the history of Bosnia - 99% sure this is the text Sacco was referencing when he made Goražde.

Crowded was loads of fun. I spent like an entire Sunday reading it. Orochi is my friend's book...I have a lot of books of his I need to finish (I've been "borrowing" them for about two years now smh smh smh smh smh.) I typically have a hard time following the action and dialogue in manga, but Orochi is much easier for me, and a nice change of pace overall from most of the stories I read, comic or otherwise.

Dactyl Hill Squad has been in my inventory for nearly two months, and is on the very last leg of its library loan period. I grabbed it on impulse because it had dinosaurs. (You know me.) It's young YA, like Pride Wars, so it's got the typical young-YA quirks, but I'm really enjoying the core of the story: orphans of color navigate the aftermath of the Draft Riots in New York City during the American Civil War, in a universe where humans live alongside dinosaurs.

It's such a refreshing perspective that I'm even willing to forgive it for being set in NYC lol. This is, dinosaurs aside, a very different NYC - none of the hyperactive bustle and conceit of modern NYC that inevitably poisons the blood of any book or movie set there. This is old NYC...mid-19th century old...and I dig it.

I also love what Older does with his dinos: a healthy mix of traditional and modern interpretations, creating something unique and engaging. My only issue with the story so far is that we're not given good descriptions for about half the characters. Lots of names get thrown around in the beginning with little to no associated images, descriptors, or voices, so I'm having a hard time keeping track of the cast. Other than that, an exciting story! Glad it caught my eye on the bookshelf :)

[please-read-the-manga]

I don't mean to upset you, but I assumed you were referring to Itachi Shinden because a lot of the claims you're stating as fact are not directly supported in the OG manga, at least as far as I've seen, and I've been checking repeatedly as I go through this (because there's always new things to learn, for sure, and I'm open to coming across them).

EDIT: Placing most of the reply under the cut to save space.

I've been scouring to try and source a few of your thoughts, like Shisui being tasked to spy on Itachi, and that seems to either be tied to a random databook mention (I tried but could not find a link to validate) or it could be implied via the Itachi-Shisui anime filler that I believe is based off of Itachi Shinden. Otherwise, I went through and tried to reread each chapter that mentions Shisui and didn't come across this - it was a quick scan though, so I could have missed it. If you have it, please send it over and I'll save it to one of folders for future reference.

Again, I want to reiterate that I'm a manga reader first and foremost and have only bothered to watch the anime through twice, sans filler (there are a few arcs, however, I'm a bit more familiar with wrt to the anime depiction). I generally revisit the main manga canon once or twice a year whenever I'm fiending for some nostalgia. But as I said, there are always new perspectives to check out and things that can be missed, so no worries on offending me there if that's the case.

I'll start by saying that I'm glad we ultimately agree on the Uchiha being underserving of their fate. It was a gross injustice and it serves as a core, central motivation for Sasuke that I personally care deeply about.

Again, I've never said Itachi is entirely to blame and I'm confused where you're getting that from as I would never imply that Itachi was 'as bad' as Hiruzen or Danzo lol.

The 'true' perpetrators of the UCM are Danzo, the Elders, and largely Hiruzen for his inaction and failed responsibility to do more. If we really want to tally up 'mistakes' that built up the issues within and outside of the clan, we can also call out Tobirama but that's a whole other mega post I don't really have time for right now (maybe one day).

You're correct that Obito engaged in the physical act of the massacre alongside Itachi, I never debated that so I'm just agreeing with you lol. However, I still don't see your arguments for trying to shoulder Fugaku with the same degree of blame as those actually responsible for the genocide (Danzo, the Elders, we can toss Hiruzen in there too). We'll just have to disagree on that interpretation.

This post, again, is not and was never intended to be about Itachi or the 'hate' he receives in comparison to Fugaku - I never wrote about that until it was brought up. I really intended this to just discuss Fugaku and Hashirama lol. I promise to never tag Itachi again if he's not the central character in the post I'm writing haha (I jest).

I can only speak to my own experience and what I see/what partially inspired this are takes that involve Fugaku getting compared to someone like RASA lmao, which is insane to me. Fugaku often gets dropped into these 'Worst Dad' contests alongside characters like Butsama, a grown man that actually hit their child, and I find him being alongside those characters to be a really poor interpretation of who he is. Now I'm sure you may disagree with my take on that and it's all good, man, that's your vibe. I've also seen Fugaku called vulgar words and he's frequently portrayed as the cruel hard-ass boogey-man who refuses to love Sasuke under any circumstance in certain Sasuke fan works. In this, he mostly serves as a device to distance Sasuke from his family which is a wild take to have (to me) as we know that Sasuke loves his family more than anything.

Regarding your take on that scene with Mikoto and implying that she is lying, you're absolutely free to have your own interpretation of it but that's not what I see at all. We're going to fundamentally disagree on that one too, friend.

This, to me, is a knowing smile (Mikoto's) and it comes after Mikoto reaffirms to Sasuke that his father does love him but struggles to show it (re: the 'awkward' descriptor). I use that to interpret that she wasn't lying for Sasuke's sake, that it is true, and here is evidence of Fugaku trying (in his socially awkward way) to faithfully answer Sasuke's question. She is happy here that both Sasuke and Fugaku are trying to grant a little more grace/openness to one another. It's not surprise that Fugaku is actually taking Sasuke's question serious, it's very knowing and in that, I think telling of the truth.

It's implied in the manga that Fugaku's attention turns to Sasuke only when the rift between him and Itachi grows greater. When Sasuke asks his father about Itachi's cagey (from Sasuke's perspective) behavior, I personally see a stressed man who is saddened he cannot connect to his own son as he tries to answer the question. To me, he's at a loss of what to do in the midst of all his overwhelming responsibilities as a Leaf Shinobi, as a clan head, and, importantly, as a father. I'm not offering excuses to Fugaku - a father should, ideally, find a way to connect to their child... but this seems to be a major point of struggle for Fugaku at this stage in the manga. I'm sure we disagree, but that's my take. Nothing here (to me) says 'I'm giving up on my son and throwing him away'.

As for children being seen as adults and being given adult expectations, I already discussed that in the last reply. It's wrong and it's further proof of Konoha's inherent flaws and the greater flaws of the entire shinobi system.

Okay, I'll admit to laughing with friends and (sometimes drunkenly lol) arguing that 'Sasuke did nothing wrong' for fun, but I think most fans are pretty honest about the characters in Naruto and their flaws (at least, I hope so). I'm quite indulgent with Sasuke personally, as he's unashamedly my favorite, but I'd like to think I'm fairly open-minded when it comes to well meaning/intentioned critiques of his actions... unfortunately he often gets unfairly villainized for things he never did/said, which does sound similar to your Itachi experience, maybe. That being said, as someone who frequently engages on Naruto discussions on other forums, I can assure you that Itachi is quite popular to the extent (and this is not tied directly to Itachi as a character or how I view him) you have people writing entire essays trying to excuse genocide in favor of state hegemony that can have harmful implications for the real world when normalized/painted as heroic and 'good'. Oy, but this is not about Itachi OR Sasuke's supporters/haters or whatever lol... keep getting distracted.

I kind of hesitate to mention this because it really strays so far from what this post is actually about, but we agree that Itachi was offered very little choice and he was manipulated by the adults around him to carry out the massacre while being an unwell, child of war that should have never been a child of war in an ideal/better world. That being said, he did make a few choices that no one asked him to make - namely in the way he handled Sasuke. I am critical of those actions, though I always acknowledge what had led Itachi to those conclusions/actions and he does outright reflect that he was wrong to do so (in the end). It doesn't negate the harm caused, but it's important to see these elements in tandem of one another. Yadda, yadda, no character is infallible - I think we've been here on this point already haha.

Re: Coup. Oh, I understand the consequences of a coup, my reason for positing that to you was rather to ask why you seem to believe the Uchiha didn't also consider those factors? I would actually love manga panels here and to see how the clan addressed this in their meetings. None of them are new to war/conflict, especially not Fugaku's generation and older, I'd imagine there were very strong opinions made weighing the pros/cons of such action. It is never one taken lightly, particularly not by an oppressed class, and I think knowing that adds to the gravity of this being framed as (essentially) their last resort. If they are to be discarded by the village (which Danzo was keen to jump on), would they rather go out together, on their own terms, or stolen from their beds under the guise of betrayal from within? We don't know lol, we don't get those insights sadly but I would have loved to read them.

You're still losing me a bit on the argument that Itachi 'had' to torture Sasuke in the way he did. I've heard the argument many times before from Itachi stans/glazers on other forums (not calling you this, that's just how they self-identified) and I personally don't vibe with it. I don't hate the character or anything, but you're losing me when it comes to this. I do not think there is justification for the torture Itachi inflicted upon Sasuke. Was there character motivation? Yes. Was it justified? In my opinion, no... never. To be clear: I'm not saying Itachi's involvement in the massacre was avoidable. I'm not saying Itachi is an inherently bad and evil character. I am saying the torture is something Itachi did of his own free will and I dislike what his actions forced Sasuke to endure. I understand why he did it, no need to belabor this further, but I personally find it wrong much in the same way I believe you likely find Fugaku's actions wrong. It's another impasse, haha.

And finally, we're going to have to agree to disagree again on Hashirama. I really like Hashirama and find him fascinatingly flawed, just like Fugaku (again examining the two of them was the whole point of the post hahaha).

Sorry we couldn't come to more agreements, but we got a few in there. I appreciated looking into your point of view and that you voiced it. It seems like you may have had some bad experiences with poorly intentioned fans in the past, and I'm sorry for that. Just know that I am way too grown to strongly 'hate' a character or anything, I promise. I simply find the analysis relaxing (most of the time lol) and it gives me the chance to dip into an old childhood favorite for a bit. :)

Hm, been contemplating these panels lately and thinking about which character is constantly demonized within the fandom/fan works involving them and which is frequently viewed as the ultimate loving and moral person...

And:

One is a man bearing the supposed 'Curse of Hatred' who loves his children so much that he is continuing to parent and offer unconditional love to his son even after said son has already participated in the brutal state-sanctioned genocide of their people/culture and is about to end his (and his wife's - who, btw, is on the same page as him) life.

The other is a man from the supposed 'Clan of Love' who boldly holds the conviction that he would cease his compassion towards even his own child if they stood against him and his dream (the village), regardless of the fact his dream (the village) is a corruptible entity that does not maintain personhood.

Interestingly, I think there is something to be said for the fact both Fugaku and Hashirama are also shown struggling to understand Itachi and Madara (respectively).

Fugaku is actually quite honest regarding his issues in relating to Itachi and while we're not always privy to all the conversations they've had about the state of the clan/sentiment of the Leaf village towards their people, it's clear that those discussions have been had. While the panels where we do see more explicit conversations taking place show Fugaku reiterating to Itachi that his role in ANBU is to serve as a pipeline between the clan/village (which could be argued as an unfair burden foisted onto a child, in my opinion) there are also moments that indicate Fugaku is willing to defer to Itachi (at least on some topics) when his son offers a contradictory viewpoint (like attendance at Sasuke's entrance ceremony, for example).

Side note... this also reminds me of the very short (unfortunately) interactions we see between Madara and his father, Tajima. Tajima clearly respects his son as well and defers to him when Madara insists that they not fight Hashirama and his family on the river - Tajima accepts this from his son without pause.

Alternatively, we also see Madara trying to explain his perspective to a skeptical Hashirama before he commits to taking more drastic actions. Madara is trying to articulate his frustrations with what is happening in the village/how it is progressing with regards to his clan and (even though we never really get Madara's own unfiltered perspective on this time period) we are shown instances of Madara's grievances holding water (ie. Tobirama advocating for Madara not to be made Hokage, but instead pushing randomly for a democratic system that never seems to actually be cemented or made precedent within the village afterwards but absolutely benefits Hashirama/the Senju in the short-run, Madara 'overhearing' Tobirama's continued bias against the Uchiha in private conversations between the brothers, Hashirama continuing to scold his brother -someone who had ample power within the system of governance since its inception- for his bias against the clan even when they're brought back via the edo tensei, etc). Hashirama tries to (weakly, in my opinion) defend the village status quo/way it is progressing and seems to want to better understand Madara, but isn't willing or is unable to go that extra mile for his friend - and, perhaps in some ways, Madara too was unwilling/unable to articulate himself in a more digestible way once their divergence of opinion on their shared village came to this new crux.

Ultimately, I just find it interesting that Fugaku, this character who is often portrayed by fans as a demon of hatred and cruelty, would (in reality) stand by his son even in his darkest hour, even as he is unjustly slaughtering their family, and continue to reaffirm that he is proud of Itachi/loves him - and this is directly counter to Hashirama who asserts he would absolutely kill anyone (including a child) that stood between him protecting that which he loves the most (the village).

And, of course, we also have this to chew on lol...

Sasuke explaining to edo Hashirama that Itachi inherited his 'Will of Fire' jingoism.

Mandatory disclaimer that Fugaku is not infallible and all the characters here (but Fugaku and Hashirama in particular) are their own people/the circumstances do vary (especially as one relationship is framed in the context of father-son and the other as two friends/peers)... I should also note that I still enjoy Hashirama as a character, I just think his flaws are often under-examined and that the hypocrisy inherent to the 'Will of Fire' philosophy/the Leaf Village (and by extension the shinobi world) is equally neglected especially when it comes to this fandom's love of tearing down the Uchiha to their worst traits/moments. But, man, something about these two panels and character portrayals in particular have just been eating at me the past few days, so I figured I'd try to work out some thoughts on them.

[dracimexidae]

Ok uhm, so, quick question, what am I supposed to do now that I finished reading Blast, and I'm left with both a sense of excited anticipation and intense concern at the same time about what will happen next?! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO COPE WITH ALL THESE FEELINGS I HAVE UNTIL (HOPEFULLY) THE NEXT NUMBER COMES OUT??!! 😭

[stray-dogrose]

I'm here rereading and thinking about the last chapter again so I'll throw here something I've noticed. I apologize in advance for my bad english and my poor skills in analyzing and exposing things.

Spoilers from chapter 101 ahead.

So let's start with the first panel, in which Chūya seems to be very tired: he's sweating and panting, as if he's reaching a limit. His eyes are whiter than the last time we saw him in chapter 98, there are fewer "wrinkles" under his eyes and even his fangs are significantly shorter. I think Harukawa-sensei drew a similar pose in both panels to allow us to notice these differences.

For the next bunch of panels we can only see Chūya's figure but he's faceless, so we can't get his expression.

Here we have the detail that rang an alarm bell in my poor and fucked up head.

"He's got the circuit already..."

I checked multiple translations plus the original japanese text in order to confirm that Fyodor was already aware of Dazai's plan from the start, he knew he would tamper with the circuit. And he gets scared, but just for a moment, 'cause his expression immediately changes in a more serious and concentrated one, as if he still has everything under control, as if he were waiting for it.

Even when Chūya starts to brutally punch the wall, Fyodor's eyes are clear and focused like we've never seen them before.

Then we have a close-up of Chūya's face again, where we can only see his still vampirized eyes but not his mouth, and again it's hard for us to tell exactly what kind of face he's "wearing".

In my opinion these two panels are just meant to be a glimpse of what Fyodor's seeing, they serve to draw attention to Chūya and his current state.

In fact, I think Fyodor's not looking at the wall to see if it will break. He's looking right at Chūya, he's evaluating his state. I mean look at his frowned expression: it's almost like he's calculating, maybe he's already planning an alternative escape route.

And only after having established that Chūya is still a vampire he says "this is bad". This can be referred to the fact that Dazai acted earlier than he had predicted and that Chūya is still a vampire. It's bad because it'll take a little more time for Chūya to regain his human form, and Fyodor clearly needs it to happen as soon as possible, even if we still don't know why.

Than we have the most painful panel of the entire chapter (of the entire manga, honestly), where Chūya is drowning and it seems that his "humanisation" is now completed, so here it comes what Fyodor is expecting from him.

Well, but what is Fyodor expecting from him? What should we expect?

Chūya obviously represents a key part of his plan, but in what way? If you think about it he hasn't played a part yet. Why is he here? Is he meant to deceive Dazai? Or to use Corruption?

[As much as I love Soukoku, I highly doubt that Chūya's been turned into human form by Dazai's voice, it's too "Disney Princess style", don't you think? We all know that the princess here is Dazai, but we're talking about Chūya now, it'd be out of character.]

C'mon, do you really think this is the face of someone on the verge of death? He has some plan in mind, he still has one, whether it's Chūya, his own ability, an external help or god knows what. He's mad as hell and I'm a bit scared of him right now, I think he will finally start acting serious.

In conclusion: it would be interesting to know if the vampire infection has a duration and I hope we'll get to know more about it in the next chapter, but I wouldn't be surprised if Asagiri took us back to where Aya and Bram are and gave us an explanation of a possible duration of the effect of his ability, if that was really the case.

Idk guys, maybe I'm just rumbling and all of this is so obvious for all of you that I'll make a fool of myself, but I wanted to point it out.

[risfics]

hii hello u don’t have to post this on ur page or anything but i wanted to let u know i rlly love ur writing sm. ive been reading ur works for a while, way before i even started writing on tumblr and i really am in love with the way u write. i cant even tell u how many times i’ve reread ur one hange fic it’s so amazing i love it soso much. i remember discovering u on my old blog and i was so excited to go thru ur entire masterlist. ive had so many old blogs but my most recent one is pakulvr idk if u remember me but yea!!! big big fan of ur works and im glad you’re posting ur writing again bc i missed it sm. i’m trying to make this blog strictly sapphic so i cant exactly reblog it but i do love ur recent sm!! you’re one of my fav writers

oh god I'm so sorry for not answering 😭😭🫶🏽 I rarely check my inbox, this message is so so so sweet. i deeply appreciate it this and all your love!! I'm really struggling to write bc I am not as into anime or manga as I used to be, and smut itself is really not as enticing to me lately either ☹️.

but now that I'm slowly falling back in love with DC comics, I have hopes I'll maybe write things for certain characters in that universe!! and possibly some sapphic stuff bc im super in love w starfire still, so hopefully I'll be able to keep writing more in the future!! 😭

Ty so much for this message, this means a lot to me!!!! 💗💗

[pussyfootmaneuver]

6 and 7!!! i want hot takes if u got em :)

6. Which saga is your favorite? 

oh god, having actual opinions on things. this is tough... the saiyan saga is super nostalgic and very interesting to look back on as this Moment where DBZ defined its own identity at a time before that identity got like, repetitive or way over the top. but the namek saga IS that toppest peak of insanity brought to its natural conclusion, with the following androids/cell saga being kinda like. not bad but weird, pacing wise, when you think about how natural the progression from raditz to frieza went.... i've never even SEEN the majin buu saga but the fact that ssj3 goku is there makes it the greatest of all time AND BUU TOO i like buu :) weird creature. the tournament of power was cool and enjoyable to watch and i liked all the characters that were designed who we'll never ever see ever again.

the best super dragonball heroes manga is the first one, demon realm mission, that tells the story of how xeno trunks and the time patrol came to be- it was NOT adapted into a full little anime arc which is BULLSHIT considering it's the greatest one and crucial background info for the entire concept... i love it and the characters it introduces so much. WAIT I FORGOT ABOUT GT the baby saga is so interesting and expansive and huge in my mind and ssj4 is awesome so there. those are some of my favorites

7. Which saga is your least favorite?

resurrection F did more damage to dragonball than literally any other super media. it embodies the absolute nosedive of derivative pandersome (not a word?) rubbish that the series shoveled out in lieu of doing anything more interesting. bringing frieza back like that was comparable to like, the 4d movie where broly shows up to kill goku and now he's GOD BROLY so you can take him seriously as a threat at this point, it's the same thing. super saiyan blue has grown on me bc it's so stupid but scrapping super saiyan god immediately was a bad move too. everything abt that arc is totally limp and purposeless. super was at its strongest when exploring new universes and their fighters, and at its weakest when bringing back stuff from Z like frieza or future trunks (altho i do like what zamasu has going on, it's just why did you have to lean on future trunks for this ? marketing)

ig my controversial thoughts on the android/cell saga make it the lowpoint of z for me?? but it has its own swagger that i can appreciate... i'm only just reading the original manga so maybe i'll come to appreciate it more. it'd also probably feel bigger if like, the majin buu saga didn't kinda shit all over the stuff it changed about the series LOL super 17 is an incredibly weird part of GT that could easily be cut all together without losing much. i appreciate the androids getting some screen time and emotions and stuff but it's so out of the blue. the worst super dragonball heroes arc is-- and im very sorry to a very special friend for saying it, but it's prison planet. literally just have a grudge with it bc it's where the ""anime"" starts and i got so tired trying to watch it at various points before reading the manga... it's been too long honestly i should reread it, i'm sure the manga version is better and more fun than i remember, i just have the anime version stuck in my brain. cumber is awesome and his power cannot be contained and all but we get More cumber later anyway, along with his whole gang... like tch... cmon

[kishimotomasashi]

Pain

there are no rules against finishing an ask game weeks later

favorite thing about them

I honestly don't know if asking for "Pain" means I should answer for just Pain or for Nagato as well, but I'll assume the former.

I think it was funny when he blew up Konoha, mostly because I had no idea you could actually do it. And he just went ahead and did it. Legend.

AND he killed Jiraiya.

least favorite thing about them

Started what I consider to be the second most boring arc in the entire manga. I haven't gotten to it yet in my reread, though, so maybe I'll have a different opinion later but for now I just remember the Pain Arc to be really fucking boring.

favorite line

*gets slammed repeatedly on the head with a slab of ground like a whac-a-mole* "Do you hate me?"

brOTP

sjhdkshdjsh he is a Corpse. Several corpses in fact. Konan I guess, but I don't think she's very happy about having to constantly speak with Nagato dressed as Corpse Yahiko so not really "brotp" but more "she's the only person he can actually hang out with that I can imagine him hanging out with".

OTP

Again. he is corpses.

nOTP

Do people even ship pain with anyone? I mean I imagine they do but I've never seen it. But to answer the actual question, no one. Because he is corpses.

random headcanon

If this even counts as a headcanon, I think Konan hates every second she has to spend with corpse Yahiko. She'll go see Nagato face-to-face every possible chance she gets.

unpopular opinion

I think we should lean into the fact that Pain is multiple corpses more. And I mean be kind of edgy about it, in art and in fics. A lot of the Akatsuki are disturbing inherently in what they are/what they've chosen to become but honestly Nagato choosing to act through 6 human puppets he made out of people who actually died, including his best friend, is one of the most

song i associate with them

I do not think of him enough to associate a song with him 😭

favorite picture of them

Cliché but.

This ask game (no longer taking, just linking for reference)

[13eyond13]

I'll try to keep it short because you're very kind but I'm becoming annoying... I actually like Soichiro. It's his morals I cannot stand. In fact, in line with his, I like Matsuda's and even Light's variations more, even with all the darkness they entail, because they're more critical. I adore L and find him relatable, but I'm not so sure if I'd like him as a person in real life, and yet I again like his morals more than Soichiro's. I still think Soichiro is generally a better person than any of the others. I still dislike his morals the most. When I say at the opposite end of Soichiro in the moral spectrum is where Near stands I'm not talking just about my personal liking, but as I interpret their views on morality. Maybe there's some detail of the manga I'm forgetting (I truly have to reread it), but Soichiro didn't seem very critical about... anything, while Near states something like "even if god came and told me this is good and this is bad and this is The Truth I'd still consider and come to my own conclusion". I like that. I care less about someone getting a moral with what I may consider a degree of grey if they do that. I myself have very strong morals that nonetheless have degrees of grey; strong doesn't mean pure. My grey and someone else's grey might be very different. But I've developed them, not accepted them blindly. Near of course, Mello, L, and even Light and Matsuda do this, but Soichiro generally doesn't. And I dislike that greatly. In fact, I think I'd find him kind in real life, and likeable, but I'd not really like him because I can't really bring myself to like someone like that even when they're kind and compassionate and good. I'm already talking more than I intended but I'll try to point out what bothers me of his attitude.

Soichiro is very very anti Kira, but he's working for a government with the death penalty and he doesn't seem to consider that even for a moment. For him, that the government does it is justifiable but monstrous if a person does it. He doesn't really have a justification, it's just like that because it's as it is. He's very against L's methods, buy L uses people who were going to die anyway at the very moment he uses them either way because of the death penalty, because of the government. From a government pov, if the government were to do what L does, it'd be something terrible. From an individual pov? Not so much. It's ugly, but it's beyond himself whether that people die or not, and his decisions are easily justifiable from an individual pov: they're going to die irrevocably, that very day at that very time, and he is using what he can to solve a very complicated case that is taking many lives, and he even might use the moral support of "I'm giving the prisoners the chance of choosing, with the potential reward of lifelong imprisonment instead of death". And again, while a government doing that is terrible, it's not as terrible for a person. L is a private detective, an individual. People can be fallible. Governments shouldn't. What L does might be justifiable, if ugly, for a person, but it would be unforgivable for the government to do. But the government lies on L and it's L who takes the slander of the rest of the Task Force. And that's what Soichiro doesn't see, and that's what bugs me. Soichiro sides with the government and the laws no matter what, no matter if they're terrible and are actually the cause if indirectly of the terrible things L is able to do (I'd have to reread to be completely comfortable affirming this, but Soichiro's attitude towards the government reminds me a bit of Mikami and Misa to some extent).

Soichiro hates Kira, and hates and criticises L's methods and his ruthlessness, but doesn't even consider for one moment the problem is not L. The problem is not the 24 yo boy/man, the problem is his government, that has the dead penalty and actually let's a private detective carry on with the investigation and do as he pleases (and I'm not even taking into consideration how L's upbringing and the lowkey if fun exploitation he was subrmited to have most probably influenced if not determined the way he acts in these cases, because while it's intriguing it'd feel like justifying L out of pity, and either way Soichiro doesn't know that; but I mention this because L's entire past at Wammy's, like the other children's, is another very terrible move from governments and adults in responsibility positions). The problem is Interpol, the governments in general, blatantly saying L is ruthless but not even setting rules when working with him. And I think it would actually have been very easy to stop L doing those things. Just change the rules of the game, tell him beforehand there are a few things he can't do. It's a game after all. Of course L would still exploit the moral and legal vacuums of the rules as he pleased, as one does when playing anything, but the government wouldn't have given him totally free way.

I'm not sure if I'm explaining myself very well. Years ago in a class I talked about the difference between personal vengeance and the death penalty. I feel this is similar. A person is fallible. A government should be able to stand over licit murder. L manipulating people to prove a point is ugly. A government doing that or letting someone free way to do whatever is terrible. L does whatever, and as an individual is not so horrible as it is that the governments internationally actually let him do whatever even knowing beforehand without setting rules. Soichiro sees this and it doesn't even cross his mind for a moment to criticise the government he's working with. Also, he considers his morals the best, which makes sense in a first person pov (why support x morals if you don't think they're the best? I'm not critisising this), but he's very... imposing about them, while as I say not being precisely the most critical thinker. That Soichiro is like this, morally (I'm not even talking about the policeman aspect though that's so often talked about in the fandom), makes a lot of sense to how Light ends up being Kira, and with how Matsuda thinks and acts. And I find that very intriguing, but I can't stand Soichiro's simplistic morals and his better-than-you attitude even though he's a generally good person. That's why I dislike his morals the most (of course you don't have to agree!). I don't stand by Near's morals either, but I like his "god could come and tell me and still I'd doubt" attitude. It's what makes gods mad in basically every mythology, but I love that kind of thought process. I'm very much like that too.

I'm so sorry this is so long. I tried to cut, but I got the impression it'd make it even less clear or more difficult to understand. Or maybe the lack of clarity lies precisely on how repetitive and long this is. I'd like to think English not being my first language has to do with this, but honestly the problem is most probably just me. I hope I made the point understandable enough, though. And thanks for your patience. I really liked that post of Near someone sent as an opinion and how you replied! Very interesting takes on both ends.

Hi again! You have some very thought-provoking points about it all, and don't worry, your English is excellent.

I loved Near's stance about these things as well, and that's something that really bothered me when growing up about some authority figures and institutions being really totalitarian and silencing of doubts or stances they deemed too negative or incorrect to voice aloud. I value having freedom of choice and the ability to think critically about everything immensely. Maybe it's because I went to a very strict and sheltering and weird little school as a child that tried very hard to indoctrinate me with a specific worldview, and always shamed and silenced anyone who disagreed or questioned them or felt like an outsider or wanted to have a different point of view. I remember relating the most to Matsuda on the task force when I first watched the show as a teen, because he was always speaking up with his devil's advocate questions or confusions. The way Soichiro and the others usually yell and scold and shame him for this bothered me a lot, because I wanted them to discuss things openly so I could see all the different sides of the arguments more clearly. Actually, I think this is a pretty culturally similar thing between Japan and Canada (where I am from). There's a strong emphasis on doing what's best for the entire group instead of just yourself, and being too controversial or outspoken or individualistic about certain things is often taboo and frowned upon as a big social faux pas. It's possibly quite a bit stronger pressure toward obedience and conformity and politeness in Japan in certain ways as well, but I don't know for sure as I haven't lived there myself.

I think Soichiro had a bit of nuance and flexibility with his morals and his stances in various instances throughout the plot, and to me he seemingly tries hard to see things from other angles during complicated moments in what must be one of the most difficult situations he could possibly face as both a police chief and a parent. But it's true he never seemed to doubt that upholding the laws already in place and the way his government punishes the convicted were the "correct" ways society should function. I think this series would be a really interesting one to discuss in a class that talks about stuff like justice and the death penalty and law and ethics and such for how many of these things it touches on in an entertaining and thought-provoking way!

[soul-dwelling]

Besides dropped plot points or those that were radically altered do to editor demands/other factors, I sometimes wonder if there were set uped plot points that Ohkubo straight up forgot? He did adress then Makas mother thing, but do you remember any other things that seemed to be mentioned in a way, that just saying that Ohkubo ignored them while knowing seems unlikely. I guess it's just funny to imagine him rereading soul eater and going "Wait a mintue...Yeah that was supposed to go somewherw..

If I ever do a re-read of the entire manga and post about it online along the way, I would love to offer a list of dropped plot points or editorial changes.

But for now, I'm blanking. There is pretty much only one thing I think got dropped along the way and awkwardly addressed in the very last chapter, but I'll get to that in a moment.

Regarding Maka's mother: I get the sense, after Spirit shows off her ring to Maka, that Ohkubo had almost nothing else he wanted to address about her. He had plenty of chances, he didn't, he just didn't want to. And I don't care as much, because her physical presence was absent for so much of the series that it never felt like there was more intended to do with her. Obviously fans have shown how much could have been done with her, so I appreciate that fan content over imagining what the manga should have done with her.

The only thing that comes to mind as a dropped plot point is Angela Leon. You have her lose Mifune, practically get adopted by Tsubaki and Black Star and Kim, and then nothing more comes of it aside from a last-chapter return that is just there for Black Star to tell her to get stronger. That is pretty much the only plot point that was dropped that I can think of--and it felt like a missed opportunity.

And maybe dropping the plot about Noah before revealing that Asura had swallowed the various versions of him along with the Book of Eibon before he vomits them out. That moment felt rushed, but that didn't feel like a dropped plot point. I know I just said waiting to bring in Angela again in the final chapter felt like a waste, but it didn't feel like a waste bringing back Gopher and the Noah's in the last chapter: that felt more like "their adventure continues," and I was fine with that.