#news article: this game will have IKEMEN

[iristial]

First this specific news article title implying I don't have handsome men to swoon over if there's no suited-up bugmen or pretty monster suits in sight, and now the Zero One erasure lol

[phantombanquet]

【Ikemen Zunka】 [Dress rehearsal report] Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / Witch and Gingerbread House

Original Article

translated by phantombanquet

The first day of Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / Witch and Gingerbread House has kicked off at Shinagawa Stellar Ball on August 23, 2024! Here is a report on the stage rehearsal.

※ Please note that the report below the cut contains spoilers

For ACT 4, “Witch and Gingerbread House” will be performed based on Grimms’ Fairy Tale “Hansel and Gretel”!

This work is an original story by the theater circle and theatrical company ‘Dramatica’ organized by Wataru Hibiki, a character appearing in the idol produce game Ensemble Stars!!.

The appeal of the theatrical company Dramatica is its ‘double theatrical structure’ in which the characters from the game play the roles. This is a stage where fans of the game hold high expectations as they will be aboe to see a new side of the characters.

Another popular stage project of Enstars!!, which has continued to adapt stage projects since the first performance of ACT 1 in 2021, will depict a new story based on the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel”!

We bring to you a detailed report on the stage, where the audience was captivated by the singing, dancing, and acting!

Wandering through the forest, the brothers arrive at an ‘unfinished gingerbread house.’

The play begins with a scene in which Hansel (played by Mika Kagehira / Hiroki Ino) and Gretel (played by Nazuna Nito / Natsuki Osaki), who were abandoned by their step-mother, wandered into a forest, huddled up together.

Hansel and Gretel realize that they have been abandoned, and try to act cheerful to shake off their sadness.

As they travel deeper into the forest, they discover a strange house. The house made up ‘sweets.’ In there, Patty (played by Wataru Hibiki / Kazuma Yasui) and Ark (played by Hokuto Hidaka / Ikkei Yamamoto) were are arguing over something.

The cause of their argument is that they cannot compromise to their commitment to each other in order to fulfill the request of “creating the ultimate gingerbread house.” When Hansel hears their argument, he offers to help build the gingerbread house.

Hansel is first asked to pick fruit for the raw ingredient of sugar. As he heads into the forest with his ‘taming whistle’ to ward off beasts, he is immediately attacked by a beast. Hansel was given a ‘taming whistle,’ but is unable to tame the beast because he has not been taught how to blow it.

In a tight spot, the witch Dicey (played by Shu Itsuki / Taiki Yamazaki) appears.

Dicey plays a beautiful tune and tames the beast in the blink of an eye. The beautiful sound and the kindness shown by Dicey captivated Hansel as if “time had stopped.”

Hansel is fascinated Dicey and asks to be his apprentice. Even though Dicey refuses, saying, “You are not a witch to begin with,” Hansel—with all his strength—pushes his way into Dicey’s house. Thus, Hansel became Dicey’s helper.

Just when it seems that they are living in peace, something strange begins to happen to Dicey. It appears that the ‘secret’ that the witches possess is affecting them. Once the ‘secret’ is revealed, their relationship begins to change.

A suspicious figure watches over Dicey. Lao (played by Tsumugi Aoba / Hiromu Kudo) calls himself “a strange person who likes to take walks,” but what exactly is his true identity and purpose...

Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 is based on the Grimms’ fairy tale Hansel and Gretel and begins with a new story involving the strange encounter between a witch and children. Please enjoy the ‘miracle’ they create in the theater☆

Cast Comments:

Dicey (Shu Itsuki) played by Taiki Yamazaki

I thought that this work, Dramatica ACT 4, which was challenged under a new organization, was a result of fearless triar and error. Although this work is derived from Ensemble Stars!!, I think it has been completed as a single story, and I feel that we are getting closer to the real ‘Dramatica’ one step at a time. I would be happy if you could come visit the theater.

Hansel (Mika Kagehira) played by Hiroki Ino

First of all, I am happy to be involved in Enstars!! once again. I would like to take on the baton firmly and pass it on to the next in hopes that the series of works that have been performed and weaved will continue to be loved for many years to come! The result is a typical fun and pop-like work of Dramatica. I know this is personal... But I am sure I’ll be able to show you a side of myself that can only be seen in this work.... (Laughs). Everyone in this company is looking forward to your sweets.... No, or rather, your ‘visit’!

Gretel (Nazuna Nito) played by Natsuki Osaki

Since it was my first time to join Dramatica, I was quite nervous until rehearsals started, but I read the script, shared lines with everyone, and had a lot of fun being engaged during the rehearsals. This is Gretel, not played by Natsuki Osaki, but played by Nazuna Nito. I would like to bring you the fresh ideas born out of our imagination during rehearsals!!

Lao (Tsumugi Aoba) played by Hiromu Kudo

This will be Tsumugi's first time participating in Dramatica troupe, and I am very much looking forward to playing him as completely different from the Tsumugi Aoba in Enstage, which I did in the past! This work is based on ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ a fantasy filled with a human touch. I look forward to working with Tsumugi to figure out how to portray this original role of Lao. I will do my best to convey a wonderful work and show you a new side of Tsumugi Aoba. Please look forward to it!

Patty (Wataru Hibiki) played by Kazuma Yasui

I am truly grateful that this theatrical company Dramatica has continued to ACT 4 and that I am still able to play the role of Wataru Hibiki! ACT 1, 2, 3 each had their own unique color, and we will bring you another unique color this time as well! Please enjoy the newly directed and powered-up Dramatica by Ikkei-kun, who plays the role of Hokuto!

Ark (Hokuto Hidaka) played by Ikkei Yamamoto

Finally! Theatrical Company Dramatica ACT 4 / Witch and Gingerbread House has begun! A new fairy tale story based on Hansel and Gretel. The entire company has been working hard during rehearsals to create a work that will remain in everyone's hearts. In this work, the characters of Enstars!!, each played by a different person, faced their own thoughts and worries about their roles, and the answers to their worries are found in this work. I hope that you will remember each and every one of them in your hearts. I would like to deliver this production without missing a single person until the final performance, so we appreciate your support until the very end!

[happyocelot]

Fic Author Self Rec! When you get this reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, or some snippets from upcoming WIPS. Let’s spread the self-love! Love ya and thank you for all you do!! 💖

Thank you, sweet anon. 🥰

I don't have any WIPs at the moment, but these are the five fics I am most proud of:

The End of Winter

This is my angsty NH Hanahaki AU. I had another NH Hanahaki AU but it's a cute and fluffy thing, so I decided to go for super extra pain and suffering in this.

Here are some lines I like from it.

"Naruto-kun...Naruto-kun was straightforward," she protested, eager to defend his honor. Even when he wasn't there. Especially when he wasn't there. "Whenever he spoke, it was from his heart. That was how he showed his regard for others."

***

Laughter bubbled forth from Hinata's throat, like fresh water from a stream, gaining force and vigor, rushing down a cliff.

***

Forever.

That was what happened when the sky met the sea and they spun off into infinity. The horizon, forever and a day away.

***

She caught his crinkling eye.

He caught hers.

And she turned away to hide a smile.

***

But that was a different kind of forever, the kind that she used to anticipate with sweaty palms and racing heart. The kind of forever that seemed like the slow blink of an eye and the warmth of a smile.

***

"There's...there's so much I still have to tell you." The dense mass in her lungs expanded and she fought down a wave of nausea once more. "But...you remember what I said to you that day? That day I faced Pain? That I'm doing this for my own self-satisfaction? You saved me so many times, and I wanted to save you too. But I...I can't tell you e-everything yet, b-because..."

Her Byakugan wasn't activated tonight. The world faded into a watery, crystalline blur.

Foolish, crybaby ninja.

"Because...I'm not satisfied. So please forgive me. Again."

She put her sunflowers into a vase and bowed deeply to the person who'd changed her, inside out, upside down.

"A...anyway...please keep waiting for me."

Frogs croaked somewhere off deep into the night, and Hyuuga Hinata was gone.

***

Hinata could never escape his name and presence, could she? Ever.

[...]But then, he always made her feel brave.

[...]That forever that she used to anticipate with sweaty palms and racing heart. Him and her and a bowl of miso ramen, extra large, with a helping of naruto.

He'd thrown away that forever.

For this.

I'm happy with Chapters 9 and 10 too. The last lines:

She touched the sunflower petal in her pocket, smiled, and wrote a name.

For some reason, this isn't my most popular fic. No, that would be

Let's Switch Up

and/or

Telephone Game

These are the most popular and most reviewed NH I've written.

Oh God, it's been two years and the mood whiplash is so severe. I can't believe that I am the same person who wrote both The End of Winter...and this.

***

Gaara was trying to be a better sibling now. He was.

And if it meant contacting this...Hinata and asking her to donate a harem for his big sister, then...then he would do it.

It was all part of his journey as the Kazekage.

***

"...Hyuuga's harem is old news. You should get out more and read fan magazines like Awesome Assassins from Across the Five Great Nations."

***

"Yeah!" Naruto cracked his knuckles right back. "Kikurage is UGLY. And so are Menma, Nori, Wakame, Tamanegi, Aonegi, Shiraganegi, Takana, Benishoga, Mitsuba, Shijimi, Kamaboko, Wonton, and Yuzukosho! We all know that the BEST is me, Naruto. No other ramen topping can COMPARE. Hinata would agree!"

"What did you say, brat?" snarled one of the bystanders. "Aonegi is an ikemen. He has amazing blonde hair and eyes as blue as the summer sky. He's an orphan with a tragic backstory, and – "

***

...It wasn't like he was obsessed with her concubines or anything and could recite their names by heart because he'd read that Awesome Assassins article over and over.

He just wanted to see her. And tell her that Naruto was better than Menma, Nori, Wakame, Kikurage, Tamanegi, Aonegi, Shiraganegi, Takana, Benishoga, Mitsuba, Shijimi, Kamoboko, Wonton, and Yuzukosho.

And tell her that if she really wanted, he could do Reverse Harem Jutsu.

***

What was I doing? I can't believe I wrote a long story in which the whole world believed that Hinata was carrying on polyandrous relationships with ramen topping guys who sounded exactly like Naruto.

And this time two years ago, I wrote this:

Teuchi had seen a lot during his decades as Konoha's Number One Ramen Chef.

***

Until now. This was the Number One Most Bizarre Incident he'd ever witnessed in his long, long years as the owner of Ichiraku Ramen.

Did those kids really think he wouldn't notice that something funny was happening, just because he wasn't a ninja?

I wrote...a chapter titled..."Why Don't You Wear Bras?"

When I said those were crack AUs...those were crack AUs. I suppose I was far too influenced by "I Am NOT Going Through Puberty Again!" by EvilFuzzy9, the (extremely funny) time travel NaruHina SasuSaku crack fic.

Besides these, I'm particularly happy with

The Moon Sure Is Beautiful Tonight

Facing the Sun

When I Look At You

Heliotropism

Where the Heart Is

When Your Blood Type Is B

Sunny Days

and some others.

Thanks for the question!

[hijirichigo]

Prologue: Chapter 6

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belong to +ONE by Ikemen Series and KansaiTV. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games.

Koto: Goodness, this gives me a headache in every sense of the word… 

I never would've imagined that the others thought I left Lit because of a love affair.

Koto: … Sure it’s my fault for not explaining, but… 

Koto: I can’t possibly just tell them I have inexplicable awful headaches and ringing in my ears that make me unable to focus on music… 

Even though I felt that I had cleared up the misunderstanding with Reiya-kun and Hijiri-kun… 

Koto: Of course we’d grow distant, right? I don't know what to do about it either. . 

The worldwide lockdown due to the recent disaster coincided with the start of my new life as a working adult. 

Drifting away from my friends was unavoidable due to the circumstances. 

Now that there was less awkwardness between us, I hoped I could reach out to them a little more… 

Koto: Come to think of it, didn’t someone else ask about Kei-kun and me a long time ago…? Who was it again… 

While trying to recall who that person was, I pulled at vague memories of a sky as red as the one now and something silver shimmering. 

Koto: Silver… silver blonde… Sui-kun…? 

Sui Kugimiya: … What? 

Koto: Was it you? Wait, I don't think so. Maybe I’m seeing things again… 

Sui: … Don’t just shut me out like that.

Koto: … EEEEH!? 

It was too convenient to be true. 

I did a double and even triple take at the person who had appeared next to me… 

Koto: Sui-kun…? 

Sui: Yeah, what is it? 

(This aloof attitude is definitely Sui-kun…!)

Kugimiya Sui, former co-vocalist of Lit. His otherworldly voice gave him the nickname “singing devil”... 

Koto: W-why are you here!? 

Sui: To give a speech as a representative of the alumni at the autumn gathering. 

Koto: Ohh!? That's amazing. Now that I think of it, I do recall hearing that they were still deciding on the guest speaker. So they chose you! 

Sui: Probably because our batch didn't have a proper graduation ceremony. 

Koto: Oh, right. You were the perennial top student, so you would've been the valedictorian and speaker back then if we had one. 

Although I was already used to it, Sui-kun’s usual reserved nature meant he never spoke much and today was no different. 

Sui: … Got curious after seeing your name in the staff list. 

Sui: So I thought I’d come to see how you’re doing in the working world. 

Koto: Ohhh, um…? 

(I wonder how many times I’ll be repeating myself today.) 

I gave him the same explanation I’d already given to Shina-san, Haru-san, Reiya-kun, and Hijiri-kun. 

Sui: Hmm. So you’re a writer now.

Koto: Yeah. I’m only helping out with the coordination for this party, though. 

Sui: You’re planning on making a living as a writer? 

Koto: Uhh, kind of? I’m finally close to securing a regular column for myself, so this is a make-or-break time for me. 

Sui: I see. I thought you definitely quit to live the rest of your life blissfully, but you sound serious.

Koto: … Live the rest of my life blissfully? Do you mean marriage…?

(How did he come to that conclusion… OHH…!)

Koto: I- I didn't quit my job to get married or anything of the sort! 

Sui: Whoa. 

Remembering my recent misunderstanding with Reiya-kun and Hijiri-kun, I scrambled to correct him. 

To my surprise, Sui-kun’s usually stoic facial expression faltered. 

Koto: F-for some reason, I heard that a lot today. Sorry for yelling. 

Sui: … It’s fine. 

(Though, I don’t really know why Sui-kun left Lit, either… but I shouldn't pry…) 

Sui: … I see. Sorry for jumping to conclusions.

Sui: I’m sure you’ll write good articles. Good luck. 

The smile he gave me was more beautiful than any I’d ever seen from him before. 

[warthogreporter]

I'd like to add some fighting game specific resources here. But, first let me reiterate that for Ren'py you can absolutely just browse Lemna Soft forums to solve any problem you have, and it has a dedicated section for code you can borrow.

Onto the FG stuff. @demoisverysexy I believe there are some additions here for your document.

First off I recommend this article series that did a lot to make the act of creating fighting game feel doable as opposed to impossible. The author has made multiple indie fighting games and is involved with the indie fighting game community so he knows what he's talking about.

For M.U.G.E.N and 2D Fighter Maker 2002 I'll just quote the linked article and note that it ultimately selects those two as the preferred engines for new fighting game devs.

"M.U.G.E.N. is hands down the most famous 2D fighting game engine. It requires work and dedication, but there is a large support community and lots of already-done characters you can use to test your game mechanics. To have a good idea of what can be done with it, have a look at The Black Heart, in my opinion the most shining example of original M.U.G.E.N. game out there."

"2D Fighter Maker 2002 is probably the most user-friendly 2D fighting game engine… but unfortunately is extremely hard to find, due to it being a Japanese exclusive — with some fan-translations lurking somewhere on the Internet. It’s pretty straightforward to use and you don’t need a single line of code, but it has some limitations due to the fact that there’s very little documentation around and you can’t expand the engine with scripts or code. If you can legally put your hands on it, just do it. It’s the best entry point in fighting game making and though not as powerful as M.U.G.E.N., it helps you understand the basics of making a fighting game."

Again reiterating that the above words come from the article I just linked and are not mine. Now some additions of my own.

Ikemen Go: My understanding is that this is essentially an open source successor to M.U.G.E.N, complete with being compatible with a majority of M.U.G.E.N resources. For an example game, there's TMNT x Justice League Turbo, a fan game that industry professionals have contributed to.

Castagne: A fighting game engine built on top of Godot that's still in development, so it's not yet at the point of creating full games. However, I've played around with it myself and found it very freeing how quickly I could get to actually programming the interesting stuff instead of having to struggle to establish basic movement and physics. It supports both sprites and models.

🎮 HEY I WANNA MAKE A GAME! 🎮

Yeah I getcha. I was once like you. Pure and naive. Great news. I AM STILL PURE AND NAIVE, GAME DEV IS FUN! But where to start?

To start, here are a couple of entry level softwares you can use! source: I just made a game called In Stars and Time and people are asking me how to start making vidy gaems. Now, without further ado:

SOFTWARES AND ENGINES FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO CODE!!!

Ren'py (and also a link to it if you click here do it): THE visual novel software. Comic artists, look no further ✨Pros: It's free! It's simple! It has great documentation! It has a bunch of plugins and UI stuff and assets for you to buy! It can be used even if you have LITERALLY no programming experience! (You'll just need to read the doc a bunch) You can also port your game to a BUNCH of consoles! ✨Cons: None really <3 Some games to look at: Doki Doki Literature Club, Bad End Theater, Butterfly Soup

Twine: Great for text-based games! GREAT FOR WRITERS WHO DONT WANNA DRAW!!!!!!!!! (but you can draw if you want) ✨Pros: It's free! It's simple! It's versatile! It has great documentation! It can be used even if you have LITERALLY no programming experience! (You'll just need to read the doc a bunch) ✨Cons: You can add pictures, but it's a pain. Some games to look at: The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo, Queers In love At The End of The World, Escape Velocity

Bitsy: Little topdown games! ✨Pros: It's free! It's simple! It's (somewhat) intuitive! It has great documentation! It can be used even if you have LITERALLY no programming experience! You can make everything in it, from text to sprites to code! Those games sure are small! ✨Cons: Those games sure are small. This is to make THE simplest game. Barely any animation for your sprites, can barely fit a line of text in there. But honestly, the restrictions are refreshing! Some games to look at: honestly I haven't played that many bitsy games because i am a fake gamer. The picture above is from Under A Star Called Sun though and that looks so pretty

RPGMaker: To make RPGs! LIKE ME!!!!! NOTE: I recommend getting the latest version if you can, but all have their pros and cons. You can get a better idea by looking at this post. ✨Pros: Literally everything you need to make an RPG. Has a tutorial inside the software itself that will teach you the basics. Pretty simple to understand, even if you have no coding experience! Also I made a post helping you out with RPGMaker right here! ✨Cons: Some stuff can be hard to figure out. Also, the latest version is expensive. Get it on sale! Some games to look at: Ib, Hylics, In Stars and Time (hehe. I made it)

engine.lol: collage worlds! it is relatively new so I don't know much about it, but it seems fascinating. picture is from Garden! NOTE: There's a bunch of smaller engines to find out there. Just yesterday I found out there's an Idle Game Maker made by the Cookie Clicker creator. Isn't life wonderful?

✨more advice under the cut. this is Long ok✨

ENGINES I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AND THEY SEEM HARD BUT ALSO GIVE IT A TRY I GUESS!!!! :

Unity and Unreal: I don't know anything about those! That looks hard to learn! But indie devs use them! It seems expensive! Follow your dreams though! Don't ask me how!

GameMaker: Wuh I just don't know anything about it either! I just know it's now free if your game is non-commercial (aka, you're not selling it), and Undertale was made on it! It seems good! You probably need some coding experience though!!!

Godot: Man I know even less about this one. Heard good things though!

BUNCHA RANDOM ADVICE!!!!

-Make something small first! Try making simple: a character is in a room, and exits the room. The character can look around, decide to take an item with them, can leave, and maybe the door is locked and you have to find the key. Figuring out how to code something like that, whether it is as a fully text-based game or as an RPGMaker map, should be a good start to figure out how your software of choice works!

-After that, if you have an idea, try first to make the simplest version of that idea. For my timeloop RPG, my simplest version was two rooms: first room you can walk in, second room with the King, where a cutscene automatically plays and the battle starts, you immediately die, and loop back to the first room, with the text from this point on reflecting this change. I think I also added a loop counter. This helped me figure out the most important thing: Can This Game Be Made? After that, the rest is just fun stuff. So if you want to make a dating sim, try and figure out how to add choices, and how to have affection points go up and down depending on your choices! If you want to make a platformer, figure out how to make your character move and jump and how to create a simple level! If you just want to make a kinetic visual novel with no choices, figure out how to add text, and how to add portraits! You'll be surprised at how powerful you'll feel after having figured even those simple things out.

-If you have a programming problem or just get confused, never underestimate the power of asking Google! You most likely won't be the only person asking this question, and you will learn some useful tips! If you are powerful enough, you can even… Ask people??? On forums??? Not me though.

-Yeah I know you probably want to make Your Big Idea RIGHT NOW but please. Make a smaller prototype first. You need to get that experience. Trust me.

-If you are not a womanthing of many skills like me, you might realize you need help. Maybe you need an artist, or a programmer. So! Game jams on itch.io are a great way to get to work and meet other game devs that have different strengths! Or ask around! Maybe your artist friend secretly always wanted to draw for a game. Ask! Collaborate! Have fun!!!

I hope that was useful! If it was. Maybe. You'd like to buy me a coffee. Or maybe you could check out my comics and games. Or just my new critically acclaimed game In Stars and Time. If you want. Ok bye

[the12thnightproject]

Can't sleep either

@lorei-writes started a tag game...

I wasn’t officially tagged, but the post did say “and anyone who feels like joining in,” and I thought the questions were interesting

Original questions

1. Who's your favourite Ikemen?

2. What do you like about them the most? (・o・)

3. Is there something you dislike about them?

4. Top 3 Ikemen!

5. Favourite route plot-wise.

6. A character you thought you'd like a lot, but ended up feeling rather neutral about? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

7. Who would be your best friend?

8. Who must be protected at all costs? ಠᴥಠ

My Answers:

Shingen - probably is obvious if you read my feed

This is probably going to sound like an “I buy it for the articles” answer, but it’s his brains. Not just the tactic/strategic brain, but his emotional intelligence (skill in reading people), the civil engineering projects, the political theory he read up on when he had the opportunity (end of his dramatic route).

The fact that he sometimes uses the above skills to manipulate the other characters.

Shingen, Sasuke, and it’s a tie between Mitsunari and Luka (Rev)

Plot wise – Hideyoshi dramatic. I know it’s an odd choice given that he’s not one of my top three (four) characters, but I thought he had the strongest character arc. Here’s a man who has dedicated his existence to ensuring Nobunaga’s success and safety – how does he react, cope, and hopefully grow when he believes that all-consuming mission has failed? It felt like the strongest “hero’s journey” of the routes I have read. (I have not yet finished Mitsuhide’s route yet… so that answer could change; and also haven’t yet gotten back through a majority of the romantic routes).

Going back to Rev on this… I thought I would like Ray, but the pacing on the route felt off.

Sasuke, probably. He seems like he’d be fun to marathon terrible movies with and snark on them MST3K style. And I love terrible puns… I imagine we would have long pun battles where we see who runs out of jokes first.

Mitsunari (because he might be brilliant, but his life skills can be random if he’s reading) and Luka (because he will overwork himself to get over his imposter syndrome)

I’m still new enough to tumblr to not have a lot of followers, and the ones I do have, I don’t know how they feel about being tagged (I need to create one of those surveys, I guess, and ask), so basically, if you see this, and you would have liked to have been tagged, consider yourself tagged.

[atopearth]

Shall we Date? Wizardess Heart Part 32 - Ted Route

It's been a while since the Buddy System was talked about, so I guess it might be interesting to see Ted and the heroine become buddies. I mean, she's not a dunce anymore so there should be nothing to complain about like with Elias loll. Hmm the new twins don't look very appealing for now, so let's see how this goes~ Ted is probably the most interesting one out of these new students lol. Anddd he's very prickly, but I guess it's understandable since he's a beastman and he probably wants to hide that from the heroine just in case she doesn't take to his race kindly. It was so cute how his ears and tail came out when he got drunk and fell asleep though lmao. Hahahaha I love how blunt the heroine was when she told him that she thought he was pretty handsome when his mouth was shut, and he said the same thing back to her lol.

WHAT? Lars (the older twin that looks like a little boy) publishes science articles?! I honestly thought he was just gonna be another silly guy lmaoo. Way to go against the stereotypical look I guess. It's sweet to know that Ted wanted to back out of being a part of the investigation team with the heroine and them because he didn't want them to be seen negatively as well (since everyone found out he was a beastman when he used magic and undid his transformation magic). It's nice that the others are seeing more of his considerate side since he's so harsh and cold most of the time lol. Aww I love how they manned the fruit shop at Hisoka's market together! I think it was really sweet of him to encourage her to keep at it a bit longer when she was really tired, he even praised her for being so good at customer service! Like, how rare is that?! Hahaha. Ooh, so Ted actually came to the academy because he needed to go to the forest to check up on the seal on the Nidhogg (monster with deadly venom that kills everything around it) that his people made a hundred years ago. Although it's kinda crazy that they sent him to check on the seal but don't have the means to actually seal it back up again if it were to break the seal; which it is slowly doing right now. It was really nice of Ted to tell her it doesn't matter that she was incapable in the past, because her past self is what made her today, and he even said she's a great Prefect now! Glad to see that Ted is acting more mature and kind towards the heroine now, he's warming up to her haha. HAHAHA, I loved how Ted hid behind the heroine when he saw Seth (wolf with Yukiya), it's so cute how he's scared of dogs and wolves🤣

Ted doesn't like to show his emotions much, but I found it really heartwarming when he told the heroine that he didn't want to see her get hurt on his watch haha. It's actually really cute how honest Ted is being with the heroine by asking to walk with her to class and even holding her hand!! Soo cuteee🥰 The confession really wasn't romantic at all, but I loved how straightforward Ted was about it, since I'm sure he knew her feelings as well. It's cute how they're going on their first date already though~ Lmao when everyone sacrificed Zeus to try and get Ted's Tiger Roar to work on the Nidhogg possessed Clive loll. Poor Zeus. It was obvious that the heroine needed to be the one in real danger for Ted to be able to use it properly. Aww, so the reason why Ted has been hesitating all this time about staying in the academy is because if he succeeds in this mission, he will be named clan chief and he's been aiming for that to prove himself his whole life since everyone used to view him as a weakling🥺 It was nice to see everyone combining their powers with a concrete plan on sealing the Nidhogg. It actually felt like they delegated their tasks properly this time instead of just the usual kinda fighting in the other routes imo haha.

Ted passing the trial was evident, and although considering how meaningful becoming the chief of his clan was supposed to be, he sure took losing the opportunity quite well lol, but I guess I can understand that staying with the heroine, becoming more mature and knowing more about the outside world would be better for him instead and I'm happy that he's kinda broken out of the idea that he needs to "succeed" their expectations and instead is living a bit more for himself. I don't know why they bothered making the heroine his buddy in this route though, because it changed nothing about the story, I'm sure she would have helped him regardless of whether he was her buddy or not. Otherwise, I liked this route. Mainly because it felt much better in terms of story compared to the other recent ones. Like, it's not as good as the first few seasons obviously, but at least I relatively enjoyed Ted and the heroine because of how cute he was, and also how capable he was. Clive and Lars don't appeal to me at all though so I'm hoping they'll surprise me in a good way but who knows. On another note, now that Wizardess Heart and my favourite Ninja Shadow are being dumped/discontinued by NTT Solmare, there won't be any more updates on these once I'm done with all the routes. I'm honestly so sad because I love Ninja Shadow, but it was pretty much expected once they ditched Wizardess Heart. I tried to play Obey Me but it's not my thing, and Story Jar is just annoying in terms of how money grubbing it is and just the way the whole app is done. So yeah, guess I can focus on my Switch and PC otome after I'm done with the last 5 routes! Well, I guess I still have the Ikemen games and Ayakashi Romance Reborn though hahaha!

[schemingyourmind]

for last 1 years, I kinda Fangirling toward....

Iwanaga Tetsuya.

I mean, he’s actually the real high spec ikemen. I know him because he’s played the role as Mamiya Haruichi at Doubt: usotsuki otoko wa dare. I don’t know anything WHO is he at first, but most of tokusatsu fan kinda giving a hilarious reaction when he plays as Mamiya, even one of my twitter friend who kinda following tokusatsu series said this: “he’s kinda type of ikemen for our age (compared to johnnys idol tho). I bet you will like him immediately”

and what she said is.... true 🤣

Since then I’m looking his variety show (and most of them are quiz variety show). he’s kinda famous because of his “wild” acting as (Shin?) Kuroto Dan from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. any kind of variety show are USING bgm from Kamen Rider Ex-Aid as his “official” soundtrack. LMAO I CANT EVEN...  🤣 He also cherishing his role as Kuroto Dan (he played some romantic movies yet most most of people knw him as Kuroto Dan), even his Twitter’s photo profile is a figurine of himself as Kuroto lol. 

now, how weird is he as Kuroto Dan?

welp

uh... okay

and I also understand why he was choosen as Mamiya Haruichi 

he also played as a director from a company on kamen rider ex aid. (mamiya is an IT director for his own company. what a coincidence, huh?)

(told ya, his makeup for Mamiya is.... QUITE BAD:( idk on the film since I haven’t seen the film itself but to using this photo as his promotional pic is kinda... errrgh)

I remember on one article(Video?) that covered about Doubt’s release,  Hotta Akane (Sakurai Kana’s actress; Doubt’s MC for live action)  said that Iwanaga’s gap when acting and not acting is VERY DIFFERENT. He can act like the crazy one as Kuroto Dan (Mamiya also kinda have a similar vibes tho), while his appearance is kinda..... PRINCELY. lol. 

I’ve read once about his way of life. He said on an interview that he still want to explore himself. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to act as weird as Kuroto Dan at his finest. what a totality! He will always explore new thing. 

Now, how smart he is?

according to his official profile from his agency, let me list ok?

- IQ above 148 (also Mensa’s member since 2013)

-was a model for Japanese magazine while doing his master degree on pharmacy (idk if he still doing it or not but currently he appears on Japanese TV as a talent)

- have a license as pharmacist

-TOEIC score above 830, TOEFL score above 60 (*CBT based test; this is maybe kinda standard for en speaker but for Japanese, his English ability is very high.... as we know, Japanese’s English ability is kinda... welp...); because of it, he had a chance to interviewing American actors (forgot the film) and went to Egypt without any interpreter crew(He still need Arabic translator tho) 

-had a triple A score from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut test (!!!)

-Color therapist trainer

-Aromatherapist

-Kanji, math, JP-EN interpreter? too much lol i can’t. help. 

-really loves quiz even sometimes he made some quiz questions on his twitter lol

Iwanaga is also a regular for プレバト！(Purebato; PRESSURE BATTLE; Japanese variety show）as a special student for Haiku (Japanese short poem) and also for color pencil illustration. his skill for drawing actually is FREAKIN’ GOOD.His choice of color when drawing actually is good but for he still need some improvement on water color if he really want to became a special student for water color segment (because most of the special studend from talent/artist on Purebato have a very high skill) He is also quite good quiz player and sometimes appear as a regular on several quiz variety show (but idk why only appeared on Toudaiou once; maybe those kind of quiz game play isn’t really befitting him or maybe to make sure his ‘smart talent’ title is still relevant, idk.). 

He is also kinda give me a fuel to not giving up on learning something new. haaaaaaa. I want to be as smart as him lol. /nah impossible

[inazuma-eleven-translations]

Inazuma Walker Volume 4 White Day Special - summary (Apologies for lack of pictures, but they can be found at @shawn-and-aiden-frost-9 under the tag Inazuma Walker and @edgarvaltinas under the tag Inazuma Eleven)

*All prefixes (-san, -chan etc…) are how Hino and Mo address the characters

New Character Contest: Character designs that were created by fans that will appear in the anime and games The girl’s name is Ponko and the boy is called Hyoujo Mo comments his mouth is always like that - it looks like the number three or waves I think the girl character is an actual tanuki that turns into a human They talk about how cute she is; Mo praises the design and Hino says it’s a perfectly created tanuki - a real tanuki They reminisce about the kappas from the original series They also bring up the fact that playing soccer barefoot is dangerous They congratulate the two winning designs, then Hino comments that it’s a wonderful idea that fan designs can appear in the show and games. Mo asks him if he is praising himself (for the idea).

Valentine Event Character Ranking: The Inazuma Valentine’s Event 2017 ran from the 10th-17th of February on Twitter where fans could Tweet chocolate/sweets/food/pictures and ‘give’ them to their chosen character by hashtagging the name of the event and their character’s name. Each tweet counted as one vote. They received about 4,500 tweets and while they’d like to, they can’t show everything so they’ll show as many as possible. They really praise the effort fans took - making their own chocolate, drawing pictures, coming up with their own scenarios etc…

Here are some of the comments about specific characters. 

Shindou I think they said he received a lot, and they talked about one of the managers calling him Shin-sama

Gazelle The girl’s message to Gazelle apologised in her tweet since she felt she failed in making her cupcakes. Mo explains the picture of the bar of chocolate surrounded by ice-packs as Gazelle giving a ‘cool/cold’ impression.

Burn Mou explains the tulip theme is because of his hair, according to a lot of fans

Asuto Of course, Asuto-kun’s candy is the sun. Mo says ‘Go for it!’ Is that a catchphrase?

Haizaki It’s a bento rather than chocolate, but it’s wonderfully made, right down to the bangs Mo says this character is well-loved

Nosaka The picture of him on the cake was drawn by hand, Mo seems impressed

Endou The gold Endou-kun figure in one of the photos is a charm, called an o mamori in Japanese, and Endou-kun’s name is Mamoru (same kanji) Mo says looks like an Ikemen/hottie in one of the pictures, and Hino can’t believe it’s Endou-kun but Mo insists it is. She says he looks cool.

Kinako They’re both happy to see Kinako-chan. Mo says she ranked very high. Hino comments that she’s popular in spite of being a girl, and Moe corrects him that it doesn’t matter than she’s a girl - she’s popular regardless.

Midorikawa Hino mentions Hiroto makes an appearance on the top cupcake, then corrects himself that his name has changed to Tatsuya. I think Mo mentions something about using matcha to make green food, Hino adds because he has a ‘green’ image (like his name means green).

Kira Hiroto All of his gifts are gum, not chocolate. Mo says, Happy Valentine! Here’s gum.

Goal Even Goal-san is loved.

Hakuryuu The captions in his picture are Hakuryuu protesting that he doesn’t eat sweet things, while his fan insists by shoving it into his mouth, and he calls her ‘kisama!’. Mo says fans love him because he’s cool.

Ibuki The atmosphere is kind of tense in this picture, like she’s apologising while giving him the chocolate Mou comments he’s popular because he played basketball as well as soccer

Aki Mo says the picture for Aki-chan looks like official art. Hino agrees and I think he says it looks exactly like a picture by a particular artist

Kogure He got frog-shaped chocolate

Wandaba Mo says he gets chocolate because Kidou is inside of him (same voice actor)

Manabe A lot of pictures have homework, and Mo mentions he’s popular

Gojou Mo says Gojou-san is great.

Kageyama Steel-bar shaped chocolate. Hino says the fans have thought this through, and Mo says reluctantly that Kageyama is popular.

Even Hino and Mo got gifts. They once again praise the quality of the gifts, despite fans only having a week. Hino’s happy that the characters are so loved.

Top 10 Character Ranking: Hino comments that even though they only had one week, so many people send tweets. A lot of magazines like Animage already guessed the most popular characters in their last issues, and they bring out one article as an example (for reference, that magazines lists Kazemaru, Fudou, Tatsuya, Aphrodi, Fubuki, Kidou, Gouenji, Endou, Gojou in that order as their guesses). Hino makes a joke about asking people to buy the magazine they showed (Famitsu?).

Kirino - 113 Tweets “I’ve been supporting Kirino since my youth. And he’s still my favourite today.”

Mo says the picture looks really high quality, like something from a real manga or an anime frame, the image of him accepting the chocolate with a smile. Then I think (and I could be wrong) Hino mentions that afterwards he’s going to have a worried look, which is why Mo reacts with ‘kowai, kowai, kowai…!’, meaning scary. (If I’m right, this is because Kirino shows hesitation about being popular with girls/ receiving things like Valentine’s…) EDIT: I’m completely wrong. Hino says the girl who drew the picture should come work for him as an animator lol

Tsurugi - 115 Tweets “Please take my honmei choco*!!! And because you look freezing, please take this scarf too!”

Hino says there was a fair amount of tweets for Tsurugi, and Mo adds because he’s cool. Hino then mentions that Kirino and Tsurugi were the two from Tenma’s story to make the top ten. They talk about the picture and Hino comments he doesn’t think Tsurugi looks cold at all, but he does look embarrassed. Mo says Tsurugi is a tsundere, except in front of his brother - then he acts like an angel.

*honmei chocolate - chocolate given to a boy on valentine’s day out of genuine sentiment

Gouenji - 131 Tweets “The strawberries are fire, the whipped cream is your hair, and the blueberries are what the ball looks like after you make a shoot.” His gifts are supposed to look like his face/image. Mo likes him so she was upset he wasn’t ranked higher, and only got 8th. A letter from the fan says she loves every aspect of Gouenji, from his hair to his face seen from the side to the kanji for his name. This fan loves him so much she can’t express it, and asks him to eat the cake she made if it’s alright.

Aphrodi - 134 Tweets “Kami no cocoa. When you drink it you’ll feel refreshed.” Mo says Aphrodi is a really popular character, loved by everyone. Hino comments on the Kami no Coco. They go to the next picture, and the message reads: “Don’t worry, it’s not Kami no Aqua - it’s Kami no Hot Chocolate!” Hino and Mo feel like these two would be friends, and find it amusing. They talk about how Aphrodi is cool.

Sakuma - 145 Tweets “I’ll be your biggest fan from here on too! I’m supporting you! Do your best as a player for Teikoku and with the new coach!” They talk about the eyepatch bear-chan, and the origami penguins. They mention Sakuma has become captain.

Kidou - 196 Tweets “For White Day, I’d like a written notification for an offer to join Kidou financial group and Teikoku! Oops, you’ve seen my ambition!” Hino says Kidou’s finally appeared. Mo says that while Kidou received a lot of chocolate, they chose the picture which really went all out to include everyone, like the koutei penguins, penguin Sakuma and Genda, Kageyama and even Gojou. Hino says it looks like a wallpaper. Another message from a fan says she made lots of onigiri chocolate, so please eat them with your close friends at Teikoku.

Kiyama Tatsuya (Hiroto) - 226 Tweets “I love Kiyama, who always does his best to believe in his own path!! I’m looking forward to see what you do next!” They talk about the cookies, in the form of Aliea, Ina Japan and even kappas. This fan mention since she can’t cook, she drew a picture. He’s liked no matter what his name. Hino mentions that when this person watches today’s PV, she’ll be amazed, and Mo teases him about praising himself again.

Fudou Akio - 374 Tweets “Akio-chan, act as you did before.” (I saw him called Fudou-chan/Akio-chan on the chat quite a lot too, must be a thing…) They mention he’s very popular, and talk about the bear in the photo dressed as an Inazuma Japan rep.

Fubuki Shirou - 374 Tweets “The white thing is a scarf. I like Fubuki no matter what series.” Mo says the Fubuki-shaped cookies are absolutely adorable. Hino comments that the design is great, right down to the scarf, and Mo says they look like they could be sold as professional character-based cookies. Although the new Fubuki has no scarf.

Kazemaru Ichirouta - 512 Tweets “I’ve supported you since I fell in love with you at first sight nine years ago! In contrast to you cool appearance, you’re so caring and sacrifice yourself for your team, with a warm Inazuma spirit. Do your best in Teikoku too! I’ll continue to support you from here!” Mo says Famitsu (the magazine that guessed the top-ranking characters) and Animage were right, and Hino agrees it’s amazing a character got over 500 tweets, a huge amount. They congratulate Kazemaru.

They both mention they’re curious about Gojou’s rank, then move o to commenting on the top 50 character ranking.

From 50-30 (Character ranking can be found on my tumblr) Even Kageyama’s name is there, in 50th place, with some female and GO characters. And in 33rd place is Hino himself! Before Desarm-san (34th) and behind Fideo (32nd). He thanks fans, as he’s happy, then Mo teases him if he eats all that chocolate he’ll get fat again. Hino mentions Matatagi (36th) and is impressed GO Galaxy characters made it. Hino mispronounces Matatagi’s name (Matatabi?) and Mo teases him that Japanese is difficult.

From 28-11 Both Hino and Mo talk about Minamisawa-senpai (22nd) (they call him senpai) for a little bit, as if they were expecting him to appear. Gojou-san got 21st. Hino looks amused that he’s near Minamisawa-senpai’s ranking. They mention Minamisawa-senpai’s pink phone. Hino notes Sangoku-san didn’t make it. Mo says he was 62nd. They talk about him for a bit, saying he’s very caring, though Hino calls him the ‘keeper who can’t stop goals’ and that there’s nothing really he’s able to stop, no joke. (Translator’s Notes: apologies to sangoku-san) They say it’s a pity Endou is in 11th place, just missing the top 10 Tenma is only 26th, even though he’s the protagonist of GO. Mo assures him tenma is very popular so it’s okay.

They thank everyone again for participating, then say they’ll give their White Day gift - a message from the top three characters.

Fudou’s Message (I’m so sorry, but I had trouble understanding the second part of his message, so I’ll need more time before I can translate it properly!) It seems like you went through a lot of effort to give me unnecessary things. Well, since you went through all that trouble, I guess I’ll accept. But (missing) this isn’t a thank you or anything. What? You want something in return? No way!

Hino smiles and says he’s very rude to fans. Mo says that’s the part of Fudou fans like. Hino wonders if this ‘thank you’ message is really okay… Still, it’s a Fudou-kun-like comment. So that’s Fudou’s ‘thank you’.

Fubuki’s Message

Thank you for these wonderful gifts!
I have to say something appropriate in response to your thoughts, right?
It might be difficult for Atsuya to feel the same way, but he’s not a bad person.
Because we’re going to show you cool moves together, stay with us from here on out too! 

 Hino comments Atsuya made a guest appearance in his picture, then I think they said his ranking was quite low in the top 50. They said Fubuki-kun’s voice sounds genki and confident - he’s a new Fubuki-kun compared to the previous series, thanks to Atsuya.

Kazemaru’s Message That you remembered me like this makes me so happy!! Now I’m running in a new ground… I feel a different wind, with new feelings. But, I have a feeling not good things are going to happen… Whatever happens from here on, I’ll only run forward, without forgetting Raimon spirit! I’m depending on you to support me!

They said Kazemaru-san gave a perfect ‘thank you’.

Another White Day gift is the picture (Kaze, Fubu, Fudou), which can be downloaded from the Inazuma Walker page in many sizes. They talk about the picture for a bit, how all three look cool and Shirou’s doing his special training with his ski board to become like the wind, and Kazemaru-san has his running tracksuit. They said Atsuya’s not in this pic, but he makes his guest appearance in Shirou’s message.

Hino and Moe talk about how fans think so carefully about the InaIre characters, and they’re glad they held the event.

(I’ll upload the second part of the summary about the PV in another post)

[hijirichigo]

Prologue: Chapter 5

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belong to +ONE by Ikemen Series and KansaiTV. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games.

— Someone read an article I wrote and gave it their appraisal. 

The realisation left me feeling unexpectedly happy, shy, and even embarrassed. 

Koto: … ehehe.

Ever since leaving the agency, I had the recurring thought about whether I was doing the “right thing”.

I originally started my career in hopes of supporting hard working artists from behind the scenes, inspired by the time I spent with Lit. 

But as my days were filled with inexplicable headaches, tinnitus, and the merciless demands of my job, I decided to let that dream go at last. 

Still, there were plenty of times I wondered if that was the right choice to make. 

But somehow, Haru-san’s words cleared that uncertainty. 

Koto: Hearing that made me really happy, Haru-san. … Huh? Haru-san!? 

I looked around flustered, and Haru-san was nowhere to be seen. 

Koto: No way. Did I imagine all that? Was Haru-san a little dwarf or something…? 

Hijiri Fujishiro: Haa? You think that giant Haru-nii’s a dwarf? You’re as idiotic as ever! 

Reiya Sanjo: Wow, it really is Koto-chan…! 

Koto: Huh. Eh? EEEEEHH!? 

I nearly fell over in shock as two familiar faces peeked into the club room through the doorway. 

Hijiri: Yo, idiot Koto. Been a while. 

Hijiri Fujishiro, a piano prodigy who was a year younger than me. And…

Reiya Sanjo: We haven't been in touch even once recently, but how have you been?

Reiya Sanjo, my childhood friend since elementary school.

Koto: W-wh-what? Why are you guys here!?

Hijiri: Whaddya mean “why”? Don’t treat us like we’re spirits. 

Reiya: Haru-san sent us a message saying “Koto has been located”, so we came over half-believing it. 

Koto: “Located”... why the word choice? 

Hijiri: That’s Haru-nii for you. He’s always been a little special. 

Reiya: You’re helping out as a staff member for the party, huh? That makes me look forward to it even more. 

Koto: News sure travels fast…! I mean, yeah, but I’m mainly on the preparations side of the team. 

Reiya: Then will you be at the party on the day itself? 

Koto: I was told that if everything goes smoothly, it’s up to me whether to stay or leave…

Hijiri: Nuh-uh. You’re not allowed to leave. You’re gonna stay for at least the first 15 minutes.

Koto: Oh, um… 

(I probably shouldn't mention the opening act yet.) 

Even though they were the concerned party, I was hesitant to mention something that hasn't been officially announced. I repeatedly opened and closed my mouth, holding myself back from saying it, when… 

Reiya: Oh— um, right. You see, thanks to Miyamoto-san’s connections… yeah. 

Hijiri: What’s with that tone!? It’s hard for us to keep going if we don’t believe that our talents are what's pushing us forwards. 

Hijiri: I mean, yeah our debut has a little prestige added to it, but still— 

Koto: Eh? You’re officially debuting? 

The unprecedented crisis in the entertainment industry severely impacted Lit. 

Although they managed to hold a few live shows and participated in some band collaborations, they had yet to announce anything about a CD debut. 

Reiya: Ah— umm… pretend you didn't hear that. 

Hijiri: Oh come on, the news will be made public next week anyway. What’s the big deal? 

Hijiri: Plus, Koto used to be part of Lit. Even if she wasn't, she probably would’ve heard about it from Kei already. 

Koto: Huh? Kei-kun? Why him?

I blinked in surprise at the mention of an unexpected name. 

Hijiri: Ha? … Koto, aren't you… Kei’s girlfriend…? … Or did you guys break up? 

Koto: … What?

Reiya: Nah, wasn't it just a one-sided thing on Kei’s part? Besides, Koto-chan’s popular. 

Koto: HUH!? What are you talking about!? 

For some reason, the conversation took a dramatic twist and started turning into an unbelievable story I didn't even know about. 

I held my head, struggling to keep up with Reiya-kun and Hijiri-kun…