#menma from anohana

[aparticularbandit]

....

So either I have seen more or read more Haruhi than I remember because there are definitely things I remember engaging with that are. apparently not in the first light novel.

Hm.

I know I did some scouring for extra stuff at some point. I don't think I read the other light novels. But there was a point where I binged a LOT of anime on crunchyroll (multiple times. actually. This is how I found Anohana, I think! During one of the binge cycles!), so...maybe I skipped past what I'd read?

I know I didn't finish it, though.

Hm.

-squints-

[twstddream]

I'm gonna spoil an idea I have for a fic, because it may never actually be written.

This idea works from the theory that Skully is actually from the past and might even be a spirit (or ghost) himself that somehow was sucked into the book either when he was alive and 16, and the contents and world as well as time of the book are anamolous. Or that Skully had died years prior, his soul tied itself to the book, and his conciousness was "awakened" with new visitors being sucked into the book that his soul is presumably trapped in.

I re-watched Anohana recently and have recieved visions of Skully acting in the place of Menma. Skully himself is unaware of how much time as actually passed since his arrival in the world ov TNBC, and upon meeting the others assumes they're all from the same time, namely, his time. It would explain why he uses "wagahai" as a self-refferential pronoun (it is unused in modern day and is considered an archaic way of speaking), why he doesn't recognize Malleus' name or who he is, why he doesn't know of the magic stones that mages use now (since it's been said that magic stones weren't always around and had been introduced fairly late into Twisted Wonderland's history) and why his ideas of Halloween are very survival-based, and less leisurely like it is in modern times. Jack Skellington could very well have existed in Twisted Wonderland, but has been forgotten and lost to time. (Probably because his story and very existence deals with alternate worlds)

Anyway. Yuu and co. eventually realize that Skully is not from the same time that they are. This is where my direection for the fic gets a little wonky:

When completing the story of TNBC and the event is over, Skully still lingers. So now it's up to Yuu to grant his wish so he can go to the afterlife and reincarnate.

It is still during the event that Yuu tries to grant Skully's wish, hoping to placate him out of his plans in the process. So now Yuu, Grim, and Jack (essentially the kidnapped trio) attempt to get him to move on from his plans, celebrate Halloween, and get his soul to leave the book.

[orange-demons-deactivated2024]

The VAs behind Avatar's voice

I was playing World Tour and for some reason I never really put too much thought into my Avatar's voice, and who the ENG VA was.

And it got me thinking about the other Avatar's voices that made an appearance, and who they were. Surprisingly, I have heard the Eng VAs in different medias before.

Hopefully, this can help people hear what their OCs sound like, instead of hearing bits and pieces from the game.

1. Voice 1 Age (Juvinelle) Tone (High) - Zach Aguilar

They voice Tanjiro Kamado (Demon Slayer), Arthur Pendragon (Seven Deadly Sins), David (CyberPunk: Edgerunners), Genos (One Punch Man), Colt (Hunter x Hunter), Koichi (JJBA Diamond is Unbreakable), Expresso Cookie (Last Cookie Standing) etc.

2. Voice 2 Age (Young) Tone (High) - Xanthe Huynh

They voice Alluka Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter), Marianne von Edmund (Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes), Nadja Liones (The Seven Deadly Sins: Dragon's Judgement), Ui Hirasawa (K-ON!!), Sachi (Sword Art Online), Meiko "Menma" Honma (Anohana) etc.

3. Voice 3 Age (Young) Tone (Normal) - KIMO Leopoldo

Made a separate post for KIMO here.

4. Voice 4 Age (Young) Tone (High) - Kimberly Woods

They voice Hinaki Ubuyashiki and Naho Takada (Demon Slayer), Marisa (Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes), Shard (X-Men '97), Little Sister Machine and No. 4 (Nier: Automata Ver1.1a), Hassan of the Serenity (Fate/Grand Order The Movie Divine Realm of the Round Table) etc.

5. Voice 5 Age (Young) Tone (Deep) - J. Michael Tatum

They voice Kyoya Otori (Ouran High School Host Club), Scar (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood), France (Hetalia), Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler), Nagi Kengamine/Owl (Deadman Wonderland), Tomoe (Kamisama Kiss), Erwin Smith (Attack on Titan) etc.

I definitely recommend checking him out, he voices a lot of characters I didn't even know were the same person.

6. Voice 6 Age (Young) Tone (Normal) - Amber Lee Connors

They voice B. Jenet (Fatal Fury), Rye Cookie (Last Cookie Standing), Sachiko Juraku (Kakeguri Twin), Kurumi Saijo (Wonder Edd Priority), Pieck Finger/Cart Titan (Attack on Titan), Mei Mei and Nagi Yoshino (Jujutsu Kaisen), Furina (Genshin Impact), Miki Kawai (A Silent Voice) etc.

7. Voice 7 Age (Young) Tone (Deep) - John Patneaude

They voice Quatre Salision (The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak), Renault (Unicorn Overlord), Rei (Pokemon Masters), and Arlott (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang).

8. Voice 8 Age (Young) Tone (Normal) - Dawn M. Bennett

They voice Juvia Loxar (Fairy Tail), Sister Lily (Black Clover), Frieda Reiss (Attack on Titan), Setsuna Tokage / Lizardy (My Hero Academia), Yukong (Honkai: Star Rail), Charlotte Smoothie, Poppy, Olive, Kairen, Elmy (One Piece) etc.

9. Voice 9 Age (Young) Tone (High) - Alejandro Saab

They voice Kaigaku (Demon Slayer), Leon (Pokemon Journey), Cyno (Genshin Impact), Izumi Miyamura (Horimiya), Yukio Kasamatsu (Kuroko's Basket), Macaque (Monkie Kid), Terunori Kuga (Food Wars!), Haru Kohno, Masamichi, Gozo Murobuchi (Kengan Ashura) etc.

10. Voice 10 Age (Young) Tone (High) - Ryan Bartley

I use this one! :0

They voice Komugi (Hunter x Hunter), Tsubomi Takane (Mob Psycho 100), Pompompurin (Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures), Ram (Re:Zero), Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and so much more.

11. Voice 11 Age (Mature) Tone (Deep) - Jordan Reynolds

They Voice Siegfried (Granblue Fantasy), Ludociel (Seven Deadly Sins), Tiziano and Carne (JJBA: Golden Wind), Ingo (Pokemon Masters), Jin Wong (Astral Chain) etc.

12. Voice 12 Age (Mature) Tone (Normal) - Larissa Gallagher

They voice Lagoona Blue (Monster High), Bluebird (Steven Universe: Future), Lola Michisato (Komi Can't Communicate), Fine (Vampire in the Garden), Miss Pastel, Koala Princess, Demon Queenie, Sara (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes) etc.

13. Voice 13 Age (Mature) Tone (Deep) - Jason Marnocha

They voice Kirin Jodo (Mob Psycho 100), Demon King (Seven Deadly Sins), Olaf and Haldor (Vinland Saga), Katana man (Chainsaw Man). Charlotte Oven (0ne Piece), Keicho Nijimura (JJBA: Diamond is Unbreakable) etc.

14. Voice 14 Age (Mature) Tone (Deep) - PJ Mattson

They voice Baiken (Guilty Gear Strive). Herta (Honkai: Star Raill), Catwoman / Selina Kyle (Mortal Kombat vs DC), Cheer Bear (Care Bears), Locksley Longhair and Ferns (Barbie: Dreamtopia), etc.

15. Voice 15 Age (Mature) Tone (Deep) - Doug Stone

They voice Hugh Islands and Grandfather Bernadotte (Hellsing Ultimate), Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid), Lin (Ghost in the Shell), Dr. Kuseno (One Punch Man) Adolf and Foss (Berserk), Gorm (Vinland Saga) Gilbert Pronislav and Duke Aegir (Fire Emblem) etc.

16. Voice 16 Age (Mature) Tone (Normal) - Ellyn Stern

They voice Masaki Kurosaki (Bleach), Okumoto (Belle), Haraway (Ghost in the Shell), Veronica Vera (Shadow Hearts: Covenant), Tomiko (Hajime no Ippo), Okami (Skip Beat!) Agatha (Pokemon Generations) etc.

[applepie-enthusiast]

anohana AU ft. kamaboko squad, you cowards

Tanjirou as Menma - the pain of having someone so sweet, so pure and so kind dying untimely and in a horrid way too, just, 😞

Inosuke as Jintan - Inosuke will bear on the guilt and the burden of Tanjirou dying despite him having the least actual fault in all of it.

Genya as Yukiatsu - Genya wouldn't be able to handle Tanjirou's death and will repeatedly blame Inosuke for it. I kept imagining his personality here as canon pre-tanjirou.

Muichirou as Tsuruko - Secretly likes Yukiatsu but the latter is too dense for it. He doesn't seem to want to engage with their other childhood friends too but that's not exactly the case.

Zenitsu as Anaru - Secretly pines for Inosuke and claims to have had mixed feelings for Tanjirou but every time he does, he is reminded of how kind and sweet Tanjirou was, and he feels guilty over that day.

Kanao as Poppo - I know her personality is far from Poppo, but just imagine her seeing "unaffected" by all of it but she has had the most guilt of seeing young Tanjirou getting swept over the water and she couldn't do anything, being a child as well.

The last two I'm not so sure but come on 😞

Just, Nezuko as the sister Tanjirou left behind. It's uncharacteristic for Kie to lash out at other kids or to even blame them for her son's death (like Menma's mom did to her friends) but imagine her crying while smiling, saying she's proud to see them all grow up, which is i think, will make them feel more unintentionally guilty over Tanjirou's death.

[ultraericthered]

One Villainous Scene: Not Alright

[Feel I should start doing these types of posts at least once a month.]

In this case, the scene and character in question aren't "villainous" in the purest, most traditional sense of how you'd define that, but it comes off the heels of an antagonistic character acting in a very antagonistic way that makes him the closest thing to a villain this story has got despite him also being one of the six main characters. I'm of course referring to Atsumu Matsuyuki, AKA Yukiatsu, from the 11 episode anime Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.

For context, Yukiatsu was...more than a little bothered by hearing that his childhood ex-friend Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi, who he'd long been envious and resentful of, was allegedly able to see and communicate with the ghost of their deceased childhood friend, Meiko "Menma" Honma. We'd also been shown that Yukiatsu might have some skeletons in (literally) his closet. Then a few days back, Poppo caught a glimpse of Menma in the woods near the six friends old Secret Base, meaning Jintan isn't so special in this regard. And then Yukiatsu said he'd communicated with Menma too, but the actual Menma protests that Yukiatsu is lying. Now, at the end of Episode 4 and the start of Episode 5, we get the truth: the "Menma" that Poppo saw earlier who has been stalking around the forest and casting doubt on Jintan's claims about Menma...is, in fact, Yukiatsu with shaved legs and wearing a wig and dress in order to ressemble his deceased childhood sweetheart. Who could've seen that coming?

And that brings us to this scene, the moment where Yukiatsu finally shows us who he really is. Jintan tries to keep calm as he asks his old friend "are you alright?" And Yukiatsu. Mcfreaking. SNAPS, thrusting Jintan to the ground and putting a stranglehold on his neck, furiously asking "Do I seem alright to you?" More disturbingly, he proceeds to ask, in total seriousness, "Do I look like her? 'Cause you can SEE Menma, isn't that right? Say it! Do I look like Menma? Yes or no?", all with a completely unhinged look on his face. Once he's no longer strangling Jintan and is just holding him up by his shirt, Yukiatsu begins to break down in tears as he finally expresses why he finds Jintan's claims about ghost Menma so impossible to believe - he is convinced that if Menma's spirit rose from the grave and came back to the Earth, the person she'd want to visit, interact with, haunt or even curse would be him. Because according to Yukiatsu, it was his actions and something he'd said to Menma on that last day all six friends were together that directly led to Menma's following death. In his own words, he killed Menma. For years, Yukiatsu was racked with guilt over this and had a secret yearning for Menma to return to him, to make him face some divine punishment for it which would also serve as closure for him. But no matter how hard he hoped for it, he's never been able to see Menma, not even in his dreams. He seems far more hung up on the late Menma than Jintan ever was or could ever be, so to him it makes no sense why it'd be Jintan and not him that Menma would opt to appear to. By now, he's a weeping wreck.

There are, however, two good reasons why Menma went to Jintan and not to Yukiatsu. One is plot-based and revealed later on (has to do with Jintan's dead mother), but the other is left implicit: Yukiatsu has never been truly hung up on Menma, but on himself in direct relation to Menma. Every sentence out of Yukiatsu's mouth during this breakdown just oozes with self-absorption, self-obsession, and entitlement. His mind cannot fathom, cannot comprehend a scenario in which he is not made the center of his deceased friend's attention, in which he is not considered by the girl herself to be the friend who'd made the greatest impact on her and was the most crucial figure in her life, even if in a negative way that reflects poorly on him. He does not want to process the possibility that after death, Menma has rejected him in favor of Jinta Yadomi, just as he'd feared she'd do in life when they were children. Jintan remembers Menma for who she was, valued who she was, cares even now for who she was and is. Yukiatsu has been and remains fixated on Menma for what she was to him; his would-be trophy GF. An extension of his sense of self.

It's my belief that Yukiatsu is a psychopath, or close enough to one, as he hits off many boxes of the psychopathy checklist. He'd loved Menma as dearly as he could ever love someone, and deeply regrets his percieved part in her death with the most remorse he's capable of, as he is still only human. But not only do his consistent thinking and behavior showcase an inability to empathize with others and put their own feelings and individual personhoods on a level equal to his own, his actions in later episodes serve to undermine the purity of his feelings that this scene brings to the forefront, partcularly when he cajoles Anaru into getting the five living friends to re-enact the last time they were all together, right in front of Menma who he for 100% certainty knows is in there with them watching it all, mainly as a way to hurt Jintan. Such cruelty comes all too easy to him, and even when re-connected with his oldest friends, he seems to process life itself through the filter of "how does or can this relate to me?"

Yet the writing never simply makes him out to be a complete lost cause either, and that's also showcased beautifully in this scene. As he continues to weep, Menma walks over to Jintan and softly tells him something, prompting Jintan to announce out loud what she's saying to him. At first, Yukiatsu is getting aghast that even now, Jintan would mock him by "pretending" to see and hear Menma while he and none of the others can, but when Jintan mentions "that pretty hair clip", something that was only between Yukiatsu and Menma that Jintan could not possibly know of unless he heard it directly from Menma herself, he stands in shock, his tears dry, and he just...walks away. Like he needs to get back home and rethink everything. Even at his most deranged, Yukiatsu's heart can be reached, and his mind made to see reason and clarity, even if he is still a creep about it all.

Aside from the presence of the ghostly Menma as a supernatural occurance, Anohana is typically a very grounded and very believable anime, so this plot turn of a crazed, cross-dressing Yukiatsu so easily could've thrown it off for me. But as I watched it dubbed, what really saves and sells this moment for me is Ray Chase. He is astonishing with his voice acting for Yukiatsu and he holds nothing back in the character's bouts of madness. This man is so mad talented and so committed to his voice acting roles that his take on Yukiatsu elevates the character into almost a horror villain, which fits when you know that Chase would later provide the voice for an actual horror villain! This character, and this scene especially, really do belong to him, and so they linger in my memory, haunting me like Menma herself.

[medea10]

My Review of Lycoris Recoil

How did I get into this anime? I had a few open slots for new anime last summer. Plus, this came on the recommendation of one of my friends.

Japan seems to be at the most peaceful here than I’ve ever seen in any anime. That’s thanks to these assassins (known as “Lycoris”). Their jobs are to stop crime before it starts. One such Lycorsis is named Takina Inoue. There’s no doubt that she can get the job done, but really has no mindset for innocent bystanders. For fuck’s sake, she used a machine gun to take down some kidnappers and no fucks given about the hostage. Takina has a mindset that goes like, “You’re alive, right? So, you’re fine!” Takina was later moved to another section by a DA. Takina will now live and work at a café named LycoReco. Random. Actually, quite the opposite as this café has quite the crack-team including the hacker Kurumi, the getaway driver Mizuki, and the bad-ass teacher Mika.

Takina is now the newest member of this little section under the careful eye of Chisato Nishikigi. Chisato is another young girl that’s about Takina’s age and is considered to be the best Lycoris to learn from. However, Chisato is the polar opposite of Takina. Chisato is a lot more extroverted and has a philosophy of avoiding casualties during missions and that includes the bad guys. Can Takina learn something from spending time with Chisato and the other workers at LycoReco?

BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: This has been claimed by Aniplex of America and Crunchyroll. I got the opportunity to hear the English dub to this and thought they did a really good job. But I already knew it was in good hands when you’ve got Xanthe Huynh and Lizzie Freeman in the cast. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Takina is played by Shion Wakayama

*Chisato is played by Chika Anzai (known for Mina on Attack on Titan, Barbara on The Promised Neverland, Ryou on Taisho Fairy Tale, Nanamine on Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, and Sugawara on O Maidens in Your Savage Season)

ENGLISH CAST: *Takina is played by Xanthe Huynh (known for Platelets on Cells at Work, Hanyuu on Higurashi Gou, Menma on Anohana, Nagisa on Madoka Magica, Hanayo on Love Live, and PallaPalla on Sailor Moon [redub])

*Chisato is played by Lizzie Freeman (known for Chizuru on Rent-A-Girlfriend, Trish on Jojo’s Pt. 5, Hinata on Tokyo Revengers, Cardinal on SAO: Alicization, Mujika on The Promised Neverland, and Kizuna on Shield Hero)

SHIPPING: Let’s just say I ship these two the same way I ship Mikoto and Kuroko from the Railgun/Index series. I support it. I know it isn’t canon-canon, but enough hints were dropped for a majority of fans to support this.

CONTROVERSIAL EYE-CATCH: Has there ever been controversy revolving around an eye-catch? You know, those 5-second eye-catches animes put up halfway into an episode! In episode 11, we get an eye-catch of the girls putting spider lilies (a.k.a. those fucking flowers) in their mouths and smoking them like a cigarette. The higher-ups said, “Oh no, we can’t have our fans mimicking this. Those flowers are poisonous AF!” And so, it is changed from now on! One might think that this was taken way too far. But again, those fucking flowers are poisonous. Cosplayers will do anything to get that perfect shot. I wouldn’t put anything past anyone.

ENDING: Pretty much every major showdown this series has given us is connected to everything that happened in the first few episodes, those ammo hijackers. The one that seems to be pulling the strings is this guy named Majima. He’s the one who looks like a poor man’s Meme Oshino. Majima knows that he’s been tracked by a Lycoris, mainly Chisato. As it turns out, the two of them have more in common than one would think. Both were involved in a major event that caused the massive destruction of the Tokyo Tower. And both had extreme surgery by an institute.

It was made clear that Chisato had some major surgery done. She has no heartbeat due to this advanced machinery put in. Mika and the Alan Institute took a chance with this as Chisato was already showing promise as a Lycoris. But the heart condition she had would have squashed that. Unfortunately, Chisato’s life has been significantly shortened. A shady nurse that’s in cahoots with Mr. Yoshie (the man who gave Chisato’s life a second chance) drugged Chisato during a physical and tinkered with her ticker. At most, Chisato has two months to live.

Bigger changes are also on the horizon. Chisato got the DA to allow Takina to return. And most surprising of all is that LycoReco is going to close down. This means that Kurumi and Mizuki can leave Japan and do their own thing before coming into this life. We gotta start wondering why Mr. Yoshie is behind this sudden change with Chisato. Well, he and Mika made arrangements on how many kills she’s able to make. But as we all know, Chisato doesn’t want to kill anyone. Mika just wanted Chisato to live a happy life. We might have to put all that drama to the side as Majima hijacked all communication and revealed of the Lycoris’s existence (as the group has been top secret up to this point) and kinda set traps all around the city. If the Lycoris see civilians with firearms, they get in position out of habit. So, this is not good. Not just that, but Chisato and Mika are dealing with a hacker who kidnapped Mr. Yoshie.

Chisato made it to where Mr. Yoshie was being held and was confronted by Majima. He was able to tilt the fight to his own advantage and got in a couple of cheap-shots. In the meantime, his hijacking broadcast is still making airwaves showing the residents of Japan that yes, killer little girls walk among us and 3000 people disappear a year because of them. Okay, enough of this Meme Oshino knock-off. Let’s get this LycoReco crew back together again. The crew was able to temporarily knock-out Majima and hack into the system to stop broadcast of the Lycoris. Unfortunately, the higher-ups are ready to exterminate every, last Lycoris because their identities were revealed.

Okay, now is when I can be suspicious of this anime. Never trust an anime that features those red fucking flowers in the opening sequence. Because there’s a chance many characters are going to be killed.

Anyways, Chisato and Takina were able to save the Lycoris that were about to be exterminated. The only thing that fell through for Takina was that she was stopped by Chisato when she tried to go after Mr. Yoshie. He was of course responsible for Chisato’s shortened life-span. But Chisato’s kind nature once again prevents anyone from dying. Although, she does shoot Mr. Yoshie (it just doesn’t kill him). Mika might kill him though. He shows he can really kick ass! Chisato winds up alone with Majima again. He’s going to suicide-bomb the building. Luckily, Takina is coming to the rescue. Now the next things that happen I can only chalk this up as convenience.

Majima takes a nasty tumble during the altercation and is somehow still alive. The “bomb” he set off was really fireworks. Chisato is going to remain alive thanks to Mr. Yoshie again.

Okay then. I’m all for happy endings, but all of this seems rather too convenient.

In the aftermath, LycoReco is back open. But Chisato never returned. Takina eventually went on a mission to track her down. In Chisato fashion, she decided to heal herself alone. Well, everyone wound up together again and end up in Hawaii. Okay, that sounds like something Chisato would do.

This anime was definitely a wild card of excitement. Usually, the summer anime seasons are the “lull” season with not much going on. Last summer was no exception, it was a bit of a lull. But Lycoris Recoil and Made in Abyss were the big hits of that season in my opinion. What’s even better is that Lycoris Recoil is an original anime. The manga adaptation only came out 2 months after the anime’s premier. This anime was silly, action-packed, and just a joy to watch. For all of you action fanatics, this might be right up your alley. Many reviewers say this is like John Wick. I have never watched any of the John Wick movies, but that’s probably an incentive if you have.

I’m glad this anime is getting more attention here and there. I mean, they collabed with Pizza Hut recently. God, could these two be any more like the girls from Railgun?! Okay, that’s all from me. I say give it a go!

If you want to check this out, Crunchyroll has every episode available for streaming (and in several languages as well).

[lunar-lily-ramblings]

Something I've always thought about when watching AnoHana was how each character must've grown up with their guilt.

You could say that Yukiatsu is a complete piece of garbage.

You could say Anaru is extremely desperate to fit in.

You could say Tsuruko is cold and emotionless.

You could say Poppo is irresponsible and too lax. (Whoever, actually, says this about the man is getting a punch in the face. I know it.)

You could say Jintan is apathetic and an absolute shut-in.

But grief isn't easy to process.

Sure, there are healthier ways to cope but, remember, these characters were around 10 years old when their friend left them. These five who remained kept thinking they could have prevented Menma's death had they done something. ANYTHING.

They distanced themselves from each other because they remembered their memories together and they hurt. How could they not? Those are just memories now. Menma was just a memory now.

What I love about this series is how they let all the characters show the worst sides and best sides of themselves. None of them are perfect. But the final episode allows them to finally express themselves. Express their grief. Express their pain.

It doesn't end there.

The five come to the realization that they've been holding on and tormenting themselves. They have the chance to talk to Menma again but they all don't take it because of their guilt.

When they begin to let go of their guilt, Menma begins to fade away. Her wish wasn't the firework or to make Jintan cry.

She just wanted them to be friends again.

With their guilt gone, the five look to the future with their friend in their hearts knowing that she's been reincarnated somewhere and having the time of her life.

This anime is a classic and still deserves lots of love

[hellcifrogs]

I saw someone mention Menma and all I could think about was the ghost girl from Anohana and was very confused.

I haven't watched Anohana bc I'm a super crybaby and can't stand sad stories 🥲

[aparticularbandit]

Okay - finished Case 1-2. That was...interesting.

Byakuya, you suck. Like. I have few words for how much you suck. What a jerk. Honestly.

BUT Chihiro gives me really strong Ritsu vibes - from Fruits Basket. They both, due to an inferiority complex, chose to crossdress to make themselves feel more comfortable in their own skin. Both stories are very firm on the no, no trans here, they're still men, they're just very weak men who are so weak they feel more comfortable dressing up as women - which...says something about the thoughts on women, but I don't want to go there.

It's just interesting.

(As opposed to Yukiatsu - Anohana - who only specifically crossdressed as Menma. Because he was in love with her. And she was dead. And it was a way of dealing with his grief but also of owning her? The show was very clear on crossdressing being a VERY shameful thing, so I feel like there's some culture differences there that I do not have the right to address.)

[the-good-names-are-gone]

@cassia-thots left is menma from anohana

honestly donteven ask me to explain

[bountifulwitcharchive]

      7 - 10

     13-18 

     30s  ( Ideally she should look 30 )

[lunimy]

gonna go trick or treating in a little

i want y’all to know i look cool as fuck as menma

[maddestmewmew]

me: hmmmm i always get hit super hard when i consume fictional content of children dying but then sticking around as ghosts until they can properly tell their loved ones goodbye, and then stop being ghosts once they do, leaving a bittersweet momment that ALWAYS makes me start sobbing without exception!! wonder what that about!!

me: (r e m e m b e r s)

me: haha oh yea! fuck!

[medea10]

My Review of Don’t Toy With Me Miss Nagatoro: 2nd Attack

First season review here.

Like a moth to a flame, I return to something that I know isn’t good for me to watch. I’ve made my point very clear about how I felt watching the first couple of episodes of Miss Nagatoro two years ago. But I also felt like there was a massive change within the characters since then. I don’t know, maybe I’ve succumbed to this weird Stockholm Syndrome I’m witnessing.

HISTORY: Naoto Hachiouji is a timid boy. This will be the one and only time you will see his real name. Everyone calls him “Senpai” so I shall do so in this review. Senpai doesn’t like confrontations or hanging out with anybody. You’ll usually find him in the art room or library working on his drawings. His quiet world is shattered one afternoon when he finds four loud girls sitting in the library. One incident of Senpai dropping his drawings sparks interest in one of the four girls. Hayase Nagatoro has an immediate fascination with her quiet and shy senpai.

Now when I say “fascination”, I mean Nagatoro teases the ever-loving crap out of this boy every chance she gets. It’s usually customary for an underclassman to respect their senpai. But all of that is thrown out the window with this anime. You can say this is just Uzaki-chan in a high school setting and the main heroine doesn’t have a big rack. Also, Nagatoro is just fucking brutal. Senpai was reduced to tears by the end of episode 1 this bullying was that bad!

SECOND ATTACK: I guess we’re right back to the tail-end of the culture festival and it’s primarily the same thing.

Senpai breathes. Nagatoro attacks. Pervy! Creepy! Hahaha! Something absurd happens that could be taken the wrong way. Jealousy. More laughing at this boy.

…Yeah, that’s pretty much all there is to it. It’s the same thing as last season. I mean, yeah, there are several changes here. We see a more vulnerable Nagatoro at times. Senpai switched up his appearance a bit by changing to contact lenses. And at least this season doesn’t consist of Senpai being bullied to the point of tears like last time. Though the awkwardness is up 1000% here.

LICENSING: Crunchyroll still has a hold on this anime and as expected, they released their usual number of dubs in the weeks following the premier. And of course, we got the return of the English cast from the other year with Kimberly Anne Campbell and Erik Kimerer.

NEW CHARACTERS INTRODUCED: I mean, there were a few here and there so I guess they deserve a nod.

Let’s start with Nagatoro’s sister, Misaki. She’s a Nagatoro all right, she’s a teaser just like her baby sister. And yes, she sees that her sister like Senpai.

Speaking of relations, remember the art president from last season with the curvy body? Now that Sana’s graduating, her little cousin Hana is now enrolled in the school and keeping Senpai company in the art room.

JAPANESE CAST: *Misaki is played by Yoshino Nanjou (known for Eli on Love Live, Awatsuki on Railgun, Aiko on Baka & Test, and Sonia on Berserk 2016)

*Hana is played by Sayumi Suzushiro (known for Kei on Kaguya-sama and Kurena on 86)

ENGLISH CAST: *Misaki is played by Vivian Lu

*Hana is played by Xanthe Huyhn (known for Menma on Anohana, Hanyuu on Higurashi Gou, Platelets on Cells at Work, Takina on Lycoris Recoil, Haru on Persona 5, Hanayo on Love Live, and Hidomi on FLCL: Progressive)

RANDOM NOTE: Art president is still at it. Seriously, how the hell can she run that fast in heels and in that bunny-girl costume without spraining an ankle, have a nip-slip, tearing fabric, or working up a sweat? I’m convinced this bitch ain’t human!

SHIPPING THE SECOND ATTACK: What do you mean Senpai doesn’t know Nagatoro’s first name? That’s like first episode knowledge! To be fair, the most Senpai has to go on is what her friends call her “Hayacchi”. But in anime romcoms, one of the biggest moments would be for one of the characters to call the other character by their first name. We went through a lot of that shit in the second season of Uzaki-chan. Every so often, we do get genuine moments between Senpai and Nagatoro like when Senpai stuck up for Nagatoro or when Senpai asked Nagatoro’s first name. Besides that, it’s the usual Nagatoro acting all tsundere when someone asks if she likes Senpai, but will flip if she sees Senpai with another girl.

Anything else to go on?

Um…how about these two going on a date? More details below.

ENDING: This has been a pretty productive season. Not when it comes to admitting one likes the other or something like that. Hell no! Character growth, I meant. Nagatoro showed a lot of growth when it came to practicing judo again. I was aware of this arc going into this season and it was nice to see this other side to Nagatoro besides the teasing and taunting. As for Senpai…he started wearing contact lenses and it stuck around.

During the judo competition, Nagatoro baited Senpai with a kiss. If he wins a competition, she’ll reward Senpai with a kiss. Did he win a competition? Hell no, Senpai wound up flat on his back in his first match. But then Nagatoro asked Senpai the next time she wins to promise her a kiss. Yeah, could you be any more obvious here? We all know both of you like each other. But we gotta get the minor cast of characters to nudge them into going on a date. Hana Sunomiya (the younger cousin of the art president) especially nudges Senpai to ask Nagatoro on a date. After a lot of back-and-forth between the two and their terrible ideas for dates. Seriously, who the hell would ever suggest going to a dog fight for a date? Senpai, the fuck is wrong with you?!

Thankfully, we get a more romantic scene after that stupidity (music and all) where Senpai runs to Nagatoro to formally ask her out on a date to the aquarium. The two of them felt really good during this moment. The next day, their minds were pretty much pudding and that left their friends thinking they have to interfere. Sana and little cousin Hana are going to prevent anyone from messing with their date. Meanwhile, Nagatoro’s friends Gamou and Yoshi jumped to every wrong conclusion by thinking Nagatoro is going to take away Senpai’s virginity.

Where would they get a stupid idea like that? Oh, I don’t know. How about any time anyone here mentions Senpai’s virginity and dirty stuff like that?! I forgot how immature high schoolers are.

The date at the aquarium went…well, how would you expect a date (or mock-date) to go in this anime? Nagatoro’s going to keep calling Senpai creepy. Nagatoro’s going to be critical about this trip with Senpai. Senpai is going to do that gesture that now looks weird after wearing contact lenses. To be fair, he’s been doing it since putting the contact lenses in. It’s still weird. Nagatoro is going to get jealous and threatened being surrounded by all the other couples at the aquarium. Senpai is going to be oblivious to what Nagatoro really wants. And Senpai is going to have one chivalrous moment. Everything I said here is exactly what happened and doesn’t need to go any further.

Nagatoro seemed to have had a fun time on today’s date. Even though she gave it a score of 50 out of 1000 points, she had fun. And we end with a hug…No, not really. Because they were interrupted by Nagatoro’s friends and the Sunomiya cousins. In short, that moment was ruined. Nagatoro was pretty steamed with her friends and Hana felt guilty. But all was forgiven eventually. They got to hug eventually. That’s how they ended the season at least.

Okay, I’m feeling much better about this than I did when I first started watching this anime. I let some time pass since watching those episodes where Nagatoro made Senpai cry and let the actions of this season swirl around my head a bit. There’s not a lot I can say to sway people to watching this as teasing chicks and wimpy boys can sometimes be a trigger point for some people. Like I said last time, if you were a fan of Uzaki-chan, this is probably another one to check out. They’re both very similar in story.

After watching both Uzaki and Nagatoro’s second seasons this past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that Nagatoro and Senpai are ahead in the romance department. Yeah, I feel like Uzaki and Sakurai have gone like several steps backwards compared to these two. But I feel that’ll be more of a discussion for a different day and review. Possibly if either one of these guys gets a third season. I feel like things might get a little interesting in the future as Senpai is a third-year in high school and that means he has his whole future ahead of him to plan. But again, if and when that happens, I’m interested to see what plays out between him and Nagatoro.

Okay, that’s it from me. If you want to watch Nagatoro, Crunchyroll has both seasons available. While you’re there, if you want to check out Uzaki-chan too, it’s there as well.

[honey-tea-and-cookies]

Thank you so much PR Death Note is one of the anime in my Thankyou soo much PR Death Note is one of the anime in my animelist since years lol. I'll surely watch it when I'll get enough time( It's kinda long..lol). Can you recommend me one more? And would you mind telling me which anime character resonates me? Scorpio sun, scorpio rising, pisces moon, venus in virgo and scorpio mercury.<333

Hi sweetie! It's no worries. Yeah it's 30-something episodes, sorry love lmao. Sure I can recommend one more!

PR's Astro Anime Recs:

- Anohana. Don't worry, it's only 12 episodes so it's much easier to watch than Death Note (I binged it in a day). I chose Anohana because it's absolutely heartbreaking and I think your water placements will really feel it. It's also more or less romantic, which I think your Pisces Moon would appreciate. It's kind of dark and has themes of death, but I don't think that's a deal breaker for your Scorpio placements. I think you would have the ability to appreciate it, as emotional as it is. All this said though, I think you'd enjoy Death Note more~

Also just after I finished writing this I thought of Tokyo Ghoul, so either-or.

The gif above is Menma from Anohana

What Anime Character Would Resonate With You?

- Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba). I think you would relate to him with his deep and fierce love for his family. His dedication to working, every single day to save her/keep her safe. I also think you'd relate to his amazing emotional intelligence, and empathy for absolutely everyone. I love Tanjiro so much

My sweet boy Tanjiro <3

That is all I have for today! Thank you so much for sending this in and I hope this helps! Let me know if you watch these shows, and tell me what you think! Sending you lots of love <33

[dawnie-chan]

New sketch, well cleaned up sketch of Menma (Meiko Houma) from Anohana. What a cute emotional series, would recommend. Trying to decide if I should colour her using my usual traditional watercolours or practice digital again.