#no but i thought of those posts where people would say that hitori was a wannabe emo and wanted to make this

[fullfledgedghost]

brothers but they r emooooo

[ID: a traditional drawing of nageki and hitori from hatoful boyfriend in an emo style. on the left, nageki has dark skin, a black bob cut with straight green bangs, and eyebrow piercing, a grumpy expression, a white t-shirt, a green and black striped hoodie half zipped up, a black star necklace, black fingerless gloves, black wristbands, black jeans, and dirty green sneakers with stars and a face drawn on them. on the right, hitori has tan skin, fluffy short brown hair with half of it dyed red, snake bites, a happy expression, a black choker, a red tie, a my chemical romance t-shirt, a dark grey hoodie unzipped, red and black striped arm warmers, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers with blood splatters on them. he is waving with his left hand. end ID.]

[simplysly]

What pokemon would Hitori-Gotou a.k.a bocchi choose?

So this idea literally came out of nowhere when i was zoning out at school, and so i though this will be a good topic of what our favorite anime girl with social anxiety will pick as they're pokemon partner.

Now, when I was searching around about this topic for deeper information, I've found this art/edit on reddit by drawricks that got posted on r/BocchiTheRock and it kinda make sense that she will have this exact pokemon.

THE HEARING POKEMON: AUDINO

If you didn't know who's that pokemon is, it's name is audino, that originally came from the gen 5 of pokemon game that's called "pokemon black and white"

And you might be wondering, why would I think that pokemon is suitable for her? or that'll be the pokemon of her choice? And well, the answer came from its pokedex that says "Using the feelers on its ears, it can tell how someone is feeling or when an egg might hatch."

Now knowing her, she's having a hard time to socialize with others, unless there's someone who actually drag her around. And let's say if nijika or anyone else didn't talk to her and she's feeling lonely or sad, perhaps her pokemon will be the one who make her feel better. Or there will be scenario where she have to talk to someone and audino can feel her feeling, that'll be the time it will help bocchi-girl escape the situation. It is indeed a convenient pokemon for her.

But in the other side, I do feel that it's not really matching for her neither since she might be got scared already to the pokemon when they first met (due to the anxiety, perhaps it's also applied to the pokemon too)

The other pokemon which I think would be fitting for her is...

THE WHISPER POKEMON: WHISMUR

Whismur are the pokemon that first available on the third generation of pokemon game that's called "pokemon ruby and sapphire" (there's also emerald for the third version)

Now I thought this pokemon would be really suitable for her due to the same liking and personality for the both of them. Both is timid, like to whisper, and very into music. (and also cute aswell)

At some scenario perhaps the both of them can make they're own music with the help of each other because of music liking. And the both of them probably going to get well rather quickly due to they're same personality and liking.

I didn't actually though about this pokemon by myself, I actually find one of the comments in the same post of the reddit art/edit I mentioned earlier, saying that "perhaps whismur fits bocchi more due to the same personality" which I can kind of agree on. Now moving on to the last pokemon and that is..

THE NEW SPECIES POKEMON: MEW

So the last pokemon that I think would be in the list for her is, mew. Now all of you might be wondering why mew? Well the first reason is that I've found a art about it aswell and the second of all is that it sort of having some of bocchi nature (or whatever it called). Now, mew is a pokemon that exist right from the start of this franchise, the gen 1 a.k.a "pokemon red and blue" (there's yellow version of pokemon aswell or the third version of the game).

Art by: Canis(?)

Now, based from the pokedex of the gen 1 that says "So rare that it is still said to be a mirage by many experts. Only a few people have seen it worldwide." And do you know how many people have actually realized about bocchi existence? Yep, only a few and that is only her parent and also her friend by now.

And just from that one pokedex i am now manage to connect a dot between this two of a match. And the gen 2 pokemon or pokemon gold pokedex to be specific say something like this "Apparently, it appears only to those people who are pure of heart and have a strong desire to see it." And I could assure you why it's relatable to her aswell.

When you watch the first episode of the anime nobody actually noticed her right? Except for nijika herself, and appearantly she's trying to find another guitarist too. With her strong desire to find another guitarist for the band survival and also her pure heart (atleast for me since she was the most kind also the one who make the most positive changes many time) she manage to find bocchi. Just like how you supposedly find mew.

And one more thing is that, as you can see mew and bocchi just seem like a normal individual with nothing special about them at first glance. But when you get to know them more you'll find out that the both of them is extremely talented. With bocchi that's skilled in playing guitar and mew that's skilled in its own strength (even tho not THAT powerful but still are one of the strongest in gen 1).

But some of the negative thing about it, is the personality of the both of them. In the anime you can tell that mew is actually a pokemon that's energetic and also playful while bocchi is the exact opposite. But despite that I personally think that mew is the best fitting pokemon for her because it resemble her alot (mostly) and also because I think it's cool that bocchi are actually rare human being at some point.

But what do you think? Comment below (or above?) About which Pokemon resemble her the most. Welp I guess that's the end of this first blog, honestly this activity are not that bad at all I have alot of fun (sorta) making this blog and all. I were like finishing this blog after one month and all but who cares? Atleast I still do make it right? ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Anywhoo see ya on the flip side! (Sorry for wrong and broken english)

(also I was about to add a jigglypuff, but because of its personality where it got annoyed when they sing and the listener sleep they'll be drawing on its face making me kinda rethink about it and all)

[ruby2stardust]

This post. One year ago, I watched Bocchi the Rock. And I still stand by every single word, now even more strongly than I did then. I have watched and rewatched this show so many times in one year. Maybe 13 times? Probably more. Read the whole manga three times. Read a frankly unhealthy amount of fanfiction. I have sung its praises to my family and friends, I have written multiple essays even if I haven't shared a single one. I have a Google drive folder where I personally made my own take on the translated lyrics of each song. Somehow, some way, I still have more to say. I'll get quite personal and a little dark. I have to explain how much this series has meant to me. To do that, I have to give a good picture of where I was.

365 days ago, I was tired. College classes will do that. Especially when you have Autism and ADHD and anxiety and probably a few other things too. I was awful in school. I have been since 1st grade, and I don't know why I pressured myself into taking college classes. So yeah I was failing every class because I didn't know I had ADHD and I would stare at math problems for hours on end doing absolutely nothing trying to psyche myself up before curling into a ball to cry.

But that was just school. I had done school before. For years. The worst of it was something else. I was lonely. My family was distant. Always distant. Worse, the friends I made in high school turned out to be real jerks at times. Between blatant and open homophobia/transphobia to peer pressuring others into saying racial slurs as if it were an initiation ritual. I was always uncomfortable with it, but I had finally worked up the courage to get out of that group. At first, it was freeing. But every passing day, I didn't have people to talk to. I felt worse. I missed them. I had a hard time making friends, but those people had wanted me. I hated that I missed them.

Now, if you've watched the show, you understand what that loneliness looks like. At least a little bit. The first scene of the first episode in all its melancholy. I felt like that, but all the time and way worse. Social anxiety is a trap. The snake eating its own tail. I am alone, I do not want to be alone, but what if I ruin it? What if I mess it up? What if I do something dumb? I'll just wait for others to come to me. And so, I am still alone. It is a hard cycle to break, and even when people do try to talk to you, it's easy to miss the chance to make something of it.

I never blamed myself. My old "friends" were keeping me in an uncomfortable place, so I left. But I hated myself for missing them. I would sit by the train track each day, waiting to go to class. I would wonder, should I just walk down it? It would only lead to one place. In retrospect, I knew I didn't want that. But I felt trapped by my own emotions.

December 19th, 2022. Enter silly anime about teenage girls playing guitar. I watched eleven episodes in one day. And I was bawling my eyes out by the end. There are so many jokes about how relatable the show is. Yes. That's what drew so many in. From the first few seconds, I could relate to Hitori. But that wasn't what made it special. It was how she was portrayed, walking the empty hallways, the hunched posture, the panic attacks, and the self depreciating thoughts. All of it seeming sort of ridiculous, but it was very real to her. She was lonely. She couldn't speak up. And she always seemed to miss her chance. So she just retreated to what she knew.

I remember laughing. I remember smiling honestly for the first time in months. I remember connecting with these simple characters. I remember feeling understood by this show. I remember waiting for the final episode. And the emptiness I felt as soon as the credits rolled. But that feeling. The song filling my ears. That music, it made me want to try.

Music is powerful. The music in this series is intensely emotional. At least it is for me. I've listened to each song in repeat. Seeing those lyrics, the heavy pounding on drums, the wild strumming of guitar through the 14-song album that whirled through all sorts of emotions. I felt heard by this show. I knew that someone out there, heck tons of people all watching at the same time as me, all knew, and we all understood. The music couldn't have done it on its own. But the show wouldn't be what it is without the music.

It was a simple story. A girl played guitar alone. But by taking a risk and sticking to it, she changed. She didn't magically become an extrovert or cure her anxiety, but she began to learn to love herself. She began to learn new things. She began to gain more confidence in who she was, if only a little.

And I could too.

I need to gush about this series it's so good I have never gone from not knowing what something is to being hyperfixated so incredibly fast.

So Bocchi the Rock right? Yesterday I had no clue this series even existed. By the end of yesterday I had seen a few clips and heard a few people talking before watching one episode of it. Today I binged the other ten episodes and I am OBSESSED. This show had me rolling on the ground with laughter while simultaneously getting me invested in a story that normally I wouldn't find myself enjoying that much. So I'll just start from the beginning I guess this is a slice of life comedy show about social anxiety. I don't think I have to say much on that we all get it but the way it's portrayed here is just beyond words good. The presentation of this show is out of this world. It follows Hitori Gotoh a socially inept girl with a passion for playing guitar. She wants to start a band and get popular but just can't get herself out there. One day she brings her guitar into school hoping to get some attention to little success. However she is noticed by Nijika Ijichi who is just starting the Kessoku band and had her guitarist flake out on her five hours before a concert. Desoerate she drags Hitori along with her to join her band. It's a huge step for Hitori that she is not at all ready for and various shenanigans ensue from there. I could go on but this show is fantastic and I want people to watch it. I personally love how the show ties its drama and comedy together seamlessly. Whenever Hitori is stressed out about something the show goes wild changing up the animation style completely to represent her sudden panic attack which both puts you in her frame of mind and gets you to laugh.

My personal favorite is this one where the animation just rapidly devolves into simple 3d models for all of 4ish seconds while Hitori is hurled through a wall to represent her fear of an upcoming performance. It's something that I think a lot of people can relate to having to present to a ton of people is nerve wracking while also just being incredibly fun to watch and there's a different style change every single time this happens I never know what to expect next and it always catches me off guard and makes me laugh! The show also has an actual plot going for it it isn't all just jokes with no substance these characters develop throughout and they do it quickly enough for a character's growth in the season to be clear. It doesn't take Hitori 20 episodes to overcome every issue she faces. She's just honest and works on herself bit by bit with things coming full circle from the start to the end. It's the small details that really bring everything together here. Little things that keep popping up as the show goes on that develop Hitori and her relationship with her bandmates.

Also the opening song is super good I've been listening to it on repeat for literally like 6 hours.

[adifferentworldfromyesterdays]

Can transliteration posts count for EAW? lol

I said I’d do “Everything I Ever Thought I Knew” breakdown, but “Next Stop Anywhere” adorable in jp and tempting. I’ll do “Next Stop Anywhere” after EIETIK.

Everything I Ever Thought I Knew -> 偽りの人生 itsuwari no jinsei

偽り itsuwari means fake, a lie, a falsehood and another reading that uses the character is 偽物 nisemono. That Nisemono in particular goes towards nonliving beings as there is 物* mono. 

*There is also 者 mono and モノ mono, but the second one isn’t needed here.

If you see this 者 mono that one goes towards living people/animals.  This can be seen a lot in Japanese, words having similar living and nonliving meanings, as well other things as in colors based on shades but is still the same word. 

And 人生 jinsei is life, lifestyle. Made up of two on readings. 

人 hito/ jin is person.

- Hito is pretty straight forward, also a person.

- The reading from jin is seen in words like 日本人 nihonjin, a japanese person.

生 nama / iki / sei is to be alive. 

- Nama is more on the scale of realtime as we see it in 生放送 namahousou, meaning live broadcast and 生クリーム nama curiimu, if you’re wondering why it has 生 nama it’s because it’s a reactive supplement to make whipped cream (or that’s my guess, jp namings are another day).  

- Iki* is for living, ex. 生きたい ikitai, I want to go live. 

- Sei is seen in words like 先生 sensei, teacher. 

*appears in song lyrics

Depending on tl, roughly the title can go as the following: 

- The false life I’ve led 

- The life that was fake

- The lie that was my life

Now onto the full song under the cut below!!

This is another good example where they had to combine/shorten parts orz jp in a nutshell. 

Lots to unpack here let’s take things slowly!

I thought I was an outcast -> たった1人で tatta hitori de

I thought I stood alone ->  生きてきたよ ikite kita yo

A rogue, a thief, a joker -> 居場所など　ないさ ibashoo nado nai sa* 

No place to call my own ->どこにも ない doko ni mo nai

I thought no one could love me -> 誰にも愛して dare ni mo aishte 

And how could I have known? ->  もらえないと moraenaito

I was wrong, oh so wrong -> 思っていたけど omotte ita kedo 

We start with tatta hitori de which fits with I thought I was an outcast, and so does the following line I thought I stood alone -> ikite kita yo. Next line we see they omitted A rogue, a thief, a joker, in favour of ibashoo nado nai sa. Then we see the lyrics change back to a closer tl. 

- Merely living on my own, with nowhere to call home. Yet*, gaining the affection from someone (was what he wanted) would be the answer, or so I thought. 

- Out in the world, surviving on my own. Nowhere to live and with nowhere to belong, I didn’t think I was able to love (and be loved). Until I was proved wrong (Rapunzel).

*sa in this context is like, yet, well, supposedly, you see.  

Then I thought I'd found it -> あの/る時夢を ano (aru) toki yume wo 

A dream that I could share -> 見つけたんだ mitsuketanda 

I thought I was so lucky -> 怖くなるほど kowaku naru hodo

It almost wasn't fair -> 幸せだった shiawase datta

I thought I knew my purpose -> ついに明日を tsuni ashita* wo 

I thought that I knew where I belonged -> 手に入れたと teni ireta to

But I was wrong -> 思っていたけど omotteita kedo**

This next part is fairly close but there are differences once again in artistic liberties taken lol.

* like with igad and Big Nose’s line, it stands for a definitive future

- The dream I had once dreamed of, it was finally realized. At first quite scary, it turned out quite divine. Finally a future** in sight, something I could attain, or so I thought.

- That dream I once dreamed of, laid before my eyes. Securely in my hands, not without its ups and downs, rested a future safe and warm (context; as it shows LBEA and in the jp he doesn’t say the contempt and secure line, he just says we can live comfortably lol), but now I know**.

** Roughly is or so I thought, but kedo can also work as a soft ‘but...’, making “now I know” an unspoken phrase.

Everything I ever thought I knew -> 全てが崩れ去る subete ga kuzure saru

Where I've been, where I'm going -> 過去も 未来も kakko mo mirai mo

Everything I counted on turned out to be untrue -> 信じていたもの 望むもの shinjiteita mono nozomu mono

Could've guessed, should've known, now I do -> 全部 儚く 消え去る zenbu hakanaku kieru saru

The first significant difference in the chorus is Everything I ever thought I knew becoming subete ga kuzure saru. Where I've been (past -> kakko) where I'm going ( future -> mirai) is pretty self explanatory. And then we see a mirror with the last chorus line cycling back to the first. 

- Everything is falling apart. Everything I wished for and everything I believed in. The past and future, all fleeting away, gradually until they fade away.

- Past and Future, everything is breaking apart, everything I trusted and everything that I had wished for, every ounce fading away like a dream (context?). 

Everything I've yearned for -> これまで 作り kore made tsukuri 

everything I planned -> 続けたもの tsuzuketa mono

All my sweetest memories were castles made of sand  -> サラサラ吹き飛ぶ砂の城 sara sara fuki tobu suna no shiro

Now that it's all crumbling ->ちぎれた思いを chigireta omoi* wo

help me understand -> 集めても atsumete mo

If none of it was really me -> 分からなくなるだけ wakaranaku naru dake

then who am I supposed to be?  -> 俺は誰なんだ？ ore ha dare nanda

The first two lines are similar but build more onto the castle, wall idea that Eugene had built over time. 

*omoi is an interesting word that can be liberally tl’d into feelings, memories, something, from the heart

- Everything I’ve made, everything I’ve built, that (sand)castle now being blow away by the wind. Even if I were to rebuild those memories, I’ve come to no longer know, who am I meant to be?

- Everything I’ve continuously built, like a sandcastle being blown away, torn from my heart, no matter how many times I rebuild, no longer seeing (context), just who the real me is meant to be? 

Everything I ever thought I knew -> 全てが薄れてく subete ga usureteku

Every hope, every feeling -> 愛も 希望も* ai mo kibou mo

Love and trust and happiness , they're done, they're gone, they're through -> 涙も笑いも幸せも namida mo warai mo shiawase mo 

And what's left, me alone -> 手から こぼれて te kara koborete

once again -> 俺は ore ha -> 

Should've known -> 今また ima mata 

now I do ->  ひとり hitori 

Finally a mention of the title. Yeah, sometimes they don’t even add in the title lol (points at “Buddy song”「オレたち親友」oretachi shinnyu)

They're done, they're gone, they're through is another omitted line. And in place we get the following line te kara koborete. They’re really emphasizing how much feelings matter to Eugene Q_Q 

- Everything turned out to be a lie, the love and hope, our tears, laughter, and happiness, slipping from my fingers. Now to realize*, I’m once again, am all alone.

- Everything turned out to be untrue, *the warmth and protection (bc of Rapunzel and Corona), emotions overflowing, my hands unable to contain (context). And at last I see*, that I truly am, all alone. 

*this is also taken from context as he battle with his complex emotions. 

I guess my life meant nothing -> 偽りの人生 itsuwari no jinsei

I guess it was a sham -> 生きてきたのか ikite kita no ka

I guess I'm someone else now ->もう分からないよ mou wakaranai yo 

I wonder who I am -> 俺は誰だ ore ha dare da

Nothing’s majorly changed here. 

- Having led a false life, no longer knowing what’s right, I’ve lost sight of myself, so just who am I?

- Living out a falsehood, what do I believe in (context), when I don’t even know who I (really) am.

Thanks for reading.

And remember to give Eugene lots of hugs q-q. 

[manjuhitorie]

Hitorie’s unreleased concert recordings, are coming out on wowaka’s birthday

https://www.hitorie.jp/Loveless_IKI/

Hitorie’s full length DVDs of 2 concerts: The Loveless tour final and the IKI tour final in their full glory! It's region free and the release date is November, NOVEMBER, 4th. wowaka’s birthday.

The cover art has been unveiled, and the details of the bonus items have been divulged! 

The standard edition cover feautures wowaka in ai/SOlate T-shirt twanging his guitar! 

It comes with both concerts and an envelope with a lottery ticket for a chance to win a framed photo. It's cheaper and only comes with the 2 DVDs, the perfect piece! Regular edition DVD: via cdjapan

The limited edition cover features all members basked in laser lights! 

The complete special package comes with both concerts, a new special photobook of unreleased photos by cameraman Nishimaki Taichi, sticker replicas of the staff passes used for both tours, and an envelope with a lottery ticket for a chance to win a framed photo.  It’s also separated into Blu-ray and DVD, so make sure you buy the right one for your gear! DVD limited complete edition: via cdjapan   Blu-ray limited complete edition: via cdjapan Bonus pre-order items!!!

If you preorder from select stores you’ll receive a A2 size poster of the wowaka photo (Tower Records and CDJapan are sure to have it)!

Amazon preorders will include a 5 piece set of concert photo post cards! (Amazon hasn’t prepared a page yet though, I'll link it ASAP).

And preorders from the concert venue booths will nab you a Hitorie-chan themed ticket case. 

The track list is as follows

From Hitorie’s UNKNOWN-TOUR 2018 "Loveless" at EX THEATER ROPPONGI March 25th 2018 01. NAI. 02. Shinya 0-ji 03. Inperfection 04. One Me Two Hearts 05. Nichijou to Chikyuu no Gakubuchi 06. Bathtub and Sleepwalk 07. Eve Stepper 08. Loveless 09. Monocolor 10. Glare 11. Senseless Wonder 12. Unhappy Refrain 13. Social Clock 14. Namid[A]me 15. Talkie Dance 16. Unknown Mother Goose 17. Absolute Encore 1. Dancing Mannequin, Singing Fool Encore 2. Little Cry Baby

AND

From Hitorie’s National Solo Tour 2017 "IKI" at STUDIO COAST May 7th 2017 01. Heart Breath 02. One Me Two Hearts 03. Inperfection 04. Daydreamer(s) 05. Eve Stepper 06. Rularula 07. doppel 08. Lights in the Polar Night 09. Saihate 10. KOTONOHA 11. Hagure no Color 12. 5 Count Hello 13. Dancing Mannequin, Singing Fool 14. Shutter Doll 15. Little Cry Baby 16. Glare Encore 1. Kara no Waremono Encore 2. Senseless Wonder Encore 3. SisterJudy Encore 4. Montage Girl

"The full crowd bouncing around today was the best, I wish I could've shown everybody how crazy you guys looked. Please stick with us through future endeavors to come." After the IKI show in the DVD, ygarshy had said this.

And now.... that chance to see that day's craziness and follow their future is upon us, please do consider purchasing and dancing!!! And thank you for looking... 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

⚠️~~~⚠️~~~⚠️The rest of this post is unnecessary bonus manju material⚠️~~~⚠️~~~⚠️

I had report on the Loveless final compiled together from way back on March 28th 2019, so I’ll post it here again to give a small taste....!

●The stage lighting for Namid[A]me was apparently breathtaking, they made it look like it was actually raining, ●Yumao used a real gong for Social Clock. ●During Senseless Wonder yg went all the way over to snd’s side of the stage, stuck his body against his, and they played it out together. Then came the encore MC break.

●Yu started cheering himself on, while making flamboyant poses: "Yumaooooo!!  Oooh~!  WOooooOOah *rough voice* !!💪( ＞ω ＜💪)” Crowd: “You’re so cool~!” Yu: “Thank goo~ *Goes to a cutesy voice*” “You’re so cute~!” “Thank goo. Thank you!” SND: “Hey dude, they’re all callin’ ya cute and cool y’know.” Yu: “…(short pause) Thank goooo~~~”

wowaka: (laughing) We’re done, that's all we need for MC ahahaa.

●Leaving members stuck on what to ramble about, they’ve already talked so much throughout the whole tour, what’s left? So wo suggested that they do a re-cap on all those fun boring discussions they’ve had. Omnibus time. 

●Back when the Japan was collectively swept off their feet by the Olympic ice skater Yuzuru Hanyu-kun and his performance, wo had also praised him during MC.  Yet just thinking about him puts pressure on Yumao, it inspired Yumao to do his best. And as the next song on Rie’s set list was the inspirational Memai, he concentrated so hard, poured himself in and played super neatly, “Oh shit oh no oh shit, Hanyu-kun makes me nervous.” Yumao explained. 

●During the span of the tour SND fell off the stage way more then once... SND: “The skin on my back peeled off once too.” Yu “Eeeh?!” SND “Saying it peeeled all the way off is an overstatement but..” ”Well then the scab ripped off.” “Seriously?!” “But it healed nicely.” “Ahh” “After that, in Niigata, when I went to brandish my guitar up with a “pwooosh” towards the roof, it went bonking into my forehead.” ●SND’s middle finger had also stopped moving, (nerve palsy maybe??) During Talkie Dance there’s the “piropiropiro” where a “pero, pero” bit comes in between (Queue SND and Yuma singing the riff together), which is very straining. He has to press his fingers against the strings one by one to play it, he was scared but nonetheless. So Yuma watched him at the piropero part wondering “Oh no oh no is it gonna move? Is it moving today??””

When it came down to it his middle finger moved for him so thank goodness... (Manju comment: SND is this karma for all the times you gave the crowd the middle finger when they cheered your name,,, or flipped off girls who waved at you, or giving wo the middle finger a lot? God I love you)

●Yumao “Also ygarshy laughed ONCE!” “There was the one time I was talking nonstop (queue SND and Yumao making “blaghblergh” noises together to imitate him). When yga let out a chuckle, which made me super proud in front of everyone… I went Wahooo!!! but turns out it wasn’t because my story was funny or anything.  It was because yga was off on his own! Testing how many candies he could eat before we would shut up!” SND: “Did you chuckle because you finished the third candy?” yg: “Uhhh” SND: “Well tell us about it.” wowaka: “Is this the first time he’s talking?” yga: “See, I always think our encore MCs are… long. So I feel like having some candy. I was originally worried I wouldn’t be able to finish eating one in time, the song would start and turn into a problem, but.... it turned out that day’s had become the longest MC yet. I lost my inner bet, damn it, I thought. You guys really can talk. Three whole candies worth of talk! So I laughed, and Yumao thought I was laughing at hims story”

Yu: “Yeah yeah!! Honestly the story I had been telling didn’t have a punchline, so I just used your laugh as an escape.”

SND “Foolish” Yu “Yep” wowaka “Well that day the most” Crowd “laughing” Yumao “...Thank goo~ (laughing)” (Yumao you never have a punchline I swear to God I love you too)

●wowaka talked about the story from back when he used to be so so scared of standing in front of people. In middle school his teacher chose him to represent his class in the English speaking competition, yet he was so afraid that he just, went out to the podium crying hysterically. “I can’t talk English in front of everyone waghhh....”

But now he’s able to do >this<. He’s become such an adult. 

SND “I bet there wasn’t even as many people at the competition as there is people here today, haha and you’re able to even talk naturally here, eh, look at you.”

Yu: “Ahh even SND’s such a big boy now~.” SND: “Well we all have.” ●They announced the next nexUs tour at the Loveless tour final. “We just love doing shows” 

●Also Pre- Little Cry Baby emotional speech from wowaka.   “In living we find cool things and sparkling things, yet there’s moments when we betray those things, we worry if ahhh was I wrong with that, there’s so much of this, in actuality that’s all I do, yet still we’re made out of things we can’t throw away, that’s what I think, what is it! Like those sorta texture that have a paint dried over them, like things that are just superficial just… Those are things that I have NO FUCKING  interest in! Like it’s that, c’mON, with music, people are just humans!! trying to be, they’re trying to do what they can do! I have interest in things that only humans can do, some things that can even surpass human, and that’s what fuels me to do music. As long as you follow me, I feel like ,, I could go anywhere!!!!! thank you always, thank you for making me!! Thank you for being here!!!”

This was also the showing they used during the Memorial Service on June 1st… STAFF WE ARE GOING TO CRY “Thank you we were Hitorie, let’s definitely! *through deep breaths* definitely! Meet again!”

Also some from IKI

●wowaka’s mother came to this show.... As divulged in this interview. THE ORAL CIGARETTES had sent Rie flowers in celebration of the event, which were on display at the venue.... Shiohigari SND’s good friend went, also the Synth player of the band “the telephones” who took the picture that’s featured on this blog) went also! ●Before Shutter Doll Yumao did his signature, Yumao! Yumao! Yumao! cheer on rhythm with the familiar intro, but with “Final! Final! instead. Along with We’re ●Hagure no Color had snazzy band introductions molded in between it. ●wowaka had actually cried during Little Cry Baby..... It really is a song that’s so important to him.... I’m anxious to see the video... ●MC: One was wowaka talking about how thankful he is for everyone and everything about this IKI tour. wowaka “I don’t want it to to enddd!” SND “We’re been on this tour for 4 months, it’s been a long time though, it’s amazing, it’s a new record for us.” wowaka “Now what am I going to do with myself tomorrow.“ SND “Go back to our dark dark life...” wo “Why”

SND “You guys had been waiting outside all this time, how was it, was it cold, are you okay? Further crowd: “We were okay-! Closer crowed “(less voices) We were okay.” SND “So you guys were okay and you were cold, okay (laughing). Well if you were cold, then see this sweatshirt Leader is wearing.. please wear one too That thing is perf.  Crowd: “Woooah!!” SND: “Why the fuck ‘Woah.’ Even if you said you’re okay then still go buy one alright. Thanks..”

[thejpfdude-blog]

The Week in Anime (Week of 3/26/18)

Herro everybody and welcome to a late version of TWiA! Sorry for the unannounced delay -- got a bit sick and focused more on rest. But I’m (somewhat) better now, just in time to talk about a few shows’ conclusions, including one which is early AOTY. So with that, let’s start it off right away with...

The News Corner:

So this time there’s actually something I can talk in pretty good detail about, and that’s:

Hitoribocchi no ○○ Seikatsu anime announced!

One of the few manga I’ve read (and enjoyed), this is basically a moe, less cringy version of WataMote. Basically it’s about a girl named Hitori Bocchi with severe social anxiety. She enters a new middle school without her only friend, who forces her to make 100 friends at said school. Cue the shenanigans.

Now I’ve read a handful of chapters of this one, and it’s a good ‘un. Obviously it’s #relatable, but it’s also pretty cute and very fluffy -- no drama here. Plus all of the characters’ names are puns: Hitori Bocchi -> hitoribocchi = alone as an example. Oh and it’s by the same mangaka as Mitsuboshi Colors, though I think this one is the better work in my biased opinion. Pretty excited for this one, maybe more than I should be.

K now rankings, featuring finished shows!

Rankings:

1 (0). Yuru Camp△ (9/10 FINAL) [12/12]

2 (0). Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (8.5/10) [11/12]

3 (+1). Violet Evergarden (8/10) [11/14]

4 (-1). Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan 2 (8/10) [10/24]

5 (0). Poputepipikku/Pop Team Epic (6/10 FINAL) [12/12]

6 (0). Takunomi. (6/10) [11/12]

7 (+1). Dagashi Kashi 2 (5.5/10) [11/12]

8 (-1). Gakuen Babysitters (5/10 FINAL) [12/12]

Awards:

Best Comfy: Yuru Camp

Let me start by saying this: the last episode of this was a bit underwhelming. Though that would be case when they continue off the previous episode, it didn’t really feel like a finale. I did like the throwback to the first episode with Nadeshiko/Kirby going to the same campsite Rin did in episode 1. It all goes full circle.

Now overall thoughts on the show. It was good. Actually more than good, it was probably one of the best airing shows I’ve ever seen. That’s not an exaggeration: ReLIFE is technically the highest-ranked show I watched while it was airing, but that doesn’t really count since all of the episodes came out at the same time. So the next man up is Yuru Camp, a show that I watched the moment I woke up on Thursdays, no matter how busy I was with life. Every episode was filled with maximum comfy, hilarious antics, and great Irish folk-inspired BGM. With the exception of one episode, it was consistent in animation/character design (which btw was great: I loved the design of every character). Not to mention the backgrounds of the campsites were A+. I could go on, but 1. I’m still a bit sick right now and 2. I’m gonna save the big details for the end-of-season award post.

So tl;dr, Yuru Camp is really really good. It’s not K-On where I recommend it to people who generally don’t watch SoL shows, but for those who want some comfy in your life or like CGDCT/SoL shows, I would highly highly recommend this. 9/10, a fantastic journey.

Worst Finale: Pop Team Epic

Wow that was something. Not really what I expected, but also entirely what I expected. As expected of the shitpost of the season.

So I guess this is the part where I analyze the show and talk about it, but to be honest, I don’t have much to say about it. There were some really amazing segments (freakin’ Hellshake Yano) and there were segments that flew over my head even after learning about what it parodied. Honestly, I’m impressed with the amount of work for what amounted to be such a huge shitpost. If there’s one thing I’m disappointed in it’s that they never used the “hambaga” joke, the one I’m sure a lot of people know given it’s usually the strip that introduces you to Pop Team Epic (I know it did for me). Still, I enjoyed watching the episodes twice, and at the end of the day it was a nice way to start off the weekends. So a good 6/10 overall: would reluctantly recommend.

Best Brother Complex: Gakuen Babysitters

Ah yes that was an episode. It was a nice ending to show the friendships and relationships that Ryuuichi makes throughout the season all in one place. Very fitting for the finale.

But now I have to talk about the #1 issue I had with the show. Actually scratch that, let me start with the positives -- it was very cute. The kids made for some fun times, and there were some legitimately tear-jerking episodes in the beginning parts in regards to Kotaru and Ryuuichi with their situation.

Towards the second half of the show, though, is when I realized something. And that’s that Ryuuichi is a pretty bad character. He’s your standard nice guy MC, with some knowledge in childcare added in. I realized this during the Valentine’s day episode (and any subsequent episode featuring either Yuki or Inomata). Now this probably isn’t really a problem for the demographic of this show (mostly female), but as a male I found the dude a bit generic. It also didn’t help that he had a really close relationship with Kotarou. Like a bit too close. I’m not saying he has a straight up bro-complex like the award title implies, but when Kotarou pretty much influences his social life, it’s something. Yeah there’s the whole thing with their parents dying and all that, but it’s still concerning to me how much he thinks about Kotarou. Well maybe it’s just my viewpoint, seeing as I don’t have siblings/never had my parents die (though I did live in a single-parent household). So I guess chalk it up to “wasn’t really my thing”.

Even with that, though, this show was enjoyable to watch, and I don’t regret picking it up. A high 5/10 for me, would recommend.

Best Episode of the Week: Violet Evergarden

Okay, I thought last week’s episode was sad. Well, this week’s was even worse in that regard. I don’t know why, but this week’s episode hit me harder. AND NOW SPOILER WARNING (btw if you haven’t been watching this show DO START NOW because it’s really started to pick up recently).

The moment I saw Aiden and his picture of Maria, I knew things would go wrong. That only got worse when he got shot, though there was some hope when Violet saved the dude. But then the slow death was a killer, and the letter delivery was the killing blow. Yes my friends, I shed one tear. I know, amazing.

In all seriousness, I’m loving the episodes so far from Violet Evergarden. I love it when an anime gets me invested in a show to the point where I put all of my emotions towards it. It’s happening with this show and After the Rain, and the last notable time it happened was with ERASED. At that point it becomes more like something you experience, rather than something you watch. And all of this wouldn’t have been possible without the episodes people called “slow”. Sasuga KyoAni for the long con.

And that’s all for this week! Look out for the annual “Shows I’m Watching for the Spring 2018 season” post which should be out within the next few days. Anyways, thanks for reading and I’ll see you in the next post!

[manjuhitorie]

Muro Festival, is a rock festival! Which invites newcomers, upcoming artists, veteran come-on-ers, and all hard song enthusiasts alike to celebrate. Named after Muro Kiyoto, who is the manager of a Shibuya concert venue. As an avid enforcer of music events he’s esteemed by many in the scene, so the event draws in people who are driven by the fuel of that pass. At least bands will comment “Muro fest is an adhesive (Arukara)” or “The number one trait of Murofes is that the performing bands have awesome strong connections even on the side, and that the essence of that friendship engulfs it (Wasure).“ or “Even if Murofest was hosted at a small park or a in the middle of the street or in Muro’s house or even in a public toilet, I would perform. I love Murofest (Mizuno Gii).” 

Anyway the performances are full of power! Full of summer heat! Full of maudlinism to soar like Muninn! Full of a favorite: there’s Hitorie’s dead pan heartfelt bassist, ygarshy! 

And you were able to watch it on a niconico livestream but...

 IT’S ENDED NOW

 I will preserve this post as a report.... Doubling as a source for various trivia....  I’m considering maybe if a fan makes a purchase of a Wasureranneyo album, or something of similar sentiment, and DM’s me a screenshot, I could share the recording... Even if you see this in a billion lightyears from now. Because sharing is caring, all around yeah!!!

You have to get niconico premium to watch it, which is only 540 yen. Nothing compared to the fest’s ticket fee of 10,000 yen (Plus airfare fee for us overseers). You can use foreign debit cards, or even Paypal… ! Much of the performances were locked up, only for Premium members originally even for those who were able to watch real-time, so there’s no regrets in seizing the now. Thumbs up. Live shows enhance a whole different essence, so more than listening to a J-rock playlist on Spotify I’d recommend taking a dive into this while you can!!

Not only can you upfront witness the air around their electric pickguards warp to their technique, you can see them hop and whomp and throwmp around! What chords they clench with their teeth, what lines they unleash from the pit of their lungs, what parts the band will huddle together for and what songs mean the world to them! Also the crowds reactions, I move when I see them move, in polysemy. If there’s any niche J-rock band names you’ve maybe been curious about, or just want to find some new indie J-rock, the artist line-up is here! LAMP ON TERREN: wowawawa’s best buddy ‘Dai-chan’ is in there… *Waves hand* TERREN were once scheduled for a joint live with perfect timing, so they brought a birthday cake for wowaka and they got friendly with Rie... or so they thought.. The next day SND was ready to beat the shit out of them on stage. But they’re all friendly now (I think)))) Arukara: They master the standard rock setup with wads of distortion, wah effects, while sometimes make instrumental songs with violin etc. even! They do podcasts! And they reinforce cats a lot. I recommend Chigirero.  majiko: Village Man’s Store: Who are the band with bright red suits, bright firey songs, and bright red lips who kissed Shinoda that one time - In seriousness I could recommend them though, they’re sweet with only a little taste of the sleazy!  KAKASHI are rejoiced by quite a few Hitorie fans I know. There’s CIVILIAN: A three-piece whom all graduated from the Tokyo School of Music Shibuya, the bonds roam, who also hosts Nanou HoehoeP, another past utaite like majiko. LEGO BIG MORL: Sukippara ni Sake: Who are swanky with Kachāshī-like dances to the stretches of never making a boring song. And so so many more! J-rock band names start to make more less sense the more I’m in here! Wahoo! A band named Hitorie performed two years ago, and there’s LEGO BIG MORL this year, which is hoisted up by the same manager as Hitorie, Mika Arara! The members separately will some participate in cooking shows(), some each do acoustic shows on their own accord, each ego-search, and their stoic songs together are bound to at least make your foot tap from their flavored textures. For this sake I’m eyeing up the band’s particularly memorable whiz named Hiroki Tanaka. Hiroki is not most notable for his #My ygarshy hashtag, but for the sake of this he is. Under the tag is either Hiroki posting a picture of him together with ygarshy or him commenting #My ygarshy on pictures ygarshy of himself with others. Or the “What? Are you a couple?” on ygarshy’s “It’s our 9th year anniversary” photo of him with SND… yg “Sorry.” In general ygarshy and Hiroki are friendly, they drink and vent together time to time.Also Hiroki and Shibata Takahiro, the character who comes in soon, have a unit called Takahiroki. Which is the two of them fused to make flurry, with only an acoustic guitar and a mic as their weapons even!  Their concerts tend to break the norms of the non-flamboyant J-rock scene, as they screw around with their power with no real point, just a joint to a jollity! Where as many J-rock shows will use screens of music visualizers to engross, Takahiroki will use the crowd by galvanizing them raise their signature rainbow towels or make explosive call-outs towards the flames of reality. Where many will use subdued dance to party, Takahiroki will chit-chat about food and females as they swing their limbs like spinning amusement park rides or dress as bartenders and drink . Though all rock shows are have their unique tricks and spirit, it’s nice to see it super shaken up also… I introduce these two for good reason! It’s background for what’s feautured in the niconico livestream! The band Wasureranneyo! That Shibata is on vocals and guitar, that Hiroki is on main guitar, our ygarshy is on bass, and Takayuki Tomita is on drums! Tomita is from a band called THE LOVE NINGEN, whom I’m not sure how came into relation with Shibata, but Wasurerannee yo is constantly borrowing members to fill it’s blanks due to . ygarshy has been consistent for more than half a year now! Hiroki also bounces in whenever he can an ex. Wasurerannee yo member once filled in for Love Ningen. They themselves most likely meet at festivals like this! Where similar bands get together under a sonic medium and spend the crepuscle ball. But I’m going back to ygarshy! Him! His performance is a spotlight!

the important part     THE SHOW    highlights 

Wasureraneeyo start at 1:27:28, end at 1:58:39. You can manually copy-paste, and it’s a whole 30 minutes action-packed. There's about 48 hours before a the single watch instance will expire, but it's possible to close the window and come back anytime between then.

The first 5+ minutes are rehearsal, they’re muted to give the live-goers an extra extra incentive. It’s still worth a peak to see how musicians will stroll as they test. They played their theme song and also a cover of Alexandros’ Wataridori there’s nothing worth hearing anyway right (*wails).

The rest is 100% worth the buck!  ●Shibata starts off by whimpering over an urge he needs to burst out, he needs everybody to cheer him on. When he Says “Miyamoto - Ryou!”, you have to shout “You can do it!” Note: Miyamoto and Ryou are a comedian duo, who just days ago were revealed to the victims of a corrupted corporation, who was holding absolute control over them. People have cheering for them to win better circumstances in the case. Yet the apologies and the press conferences have been fantasy football battles.... Ugh... It's a riot for sure though! Official news reports are here or here or etc. ●He gets everyone to wiggle their arms 90�� angles above their heads “like we’ve gone crazy!” and shout a nonsensical “Yossoi hoi hoi!” chant! With the heat as the beat! yga just plays bass! ●He makes noise for his mom, multiple times throughout! His T-shirt even has his mom on it! Specifically a picture of 2 year old himself being embraced by his mother printed on it, with the word “Mother” metallically written on the back… Source from his past diary entry of him expressing his maternal love. I can’t believe this ygarshy no wonder you can’t help but smile a lot during these shows. ●He complains about the shitty time he “went out drinking when he two cute girls walked through the door in, ‘Oh, oh, oh!’ he thought, only for them to start chit-chatting about how small their boyfriend’s dicks are! What kind of damnation is this bullshit!” ●The lyrics are about that stuff anyway!! ●There’s also a special appearance from Kanata Takehiro, the vocalist of LEGO BIG MORL. Shibata bitches at him mid-solo because “Fuck you! All the girls are staring at you now damn it!” *He is actually popular in the band due to being good and cooking and math and being an overall goofball behind the gallantries. The original of Odore Hikikomori features Hiroki and Sekihan, of Happy Head NANIYORI also he was in the niconico scene a long time ago, both dressed in clothes that you may find very unlikely but 100% plausible. ●ygarshy smiles and then recalibrates his hair over his eyes to look like a dark souls boss faceless again. He holds his bass with the neck upwards, he’s reviving his high school orchestra club bass playing sensibility. Virtuoso. The high tempo of Wasureraneeyo’s songs is definitely on par with Hitorie’s, Rie's irregular metres, swapping, interchanging and 456 metres are monstrous, but the sheer volume of tutti and strumming in Wasure’s punk songs seems to be something else as well…! yganbare!! ●Also don’t worry about those missed minutes because Shibata crowd-surfs again. This time with cash in his hand a mission! Saying “I’m glad to be here! Take me to the cute beer darling!”, as he is driven by the hands of the compliantly ecstatic crowd towards a staff member waiting in the middle of the crowd, holding up your average beer! Shibata trades the cash for the cup, he orders everyone to gather under him, “I can’t stand up if you’re pushing my ass! Oh now I can thank you”, and at last he gains the support to stand up! On top of a crowd for God's sake he rises. To glug the beer like a food chain top predator of the wild. Then to slide back to stage while crying for his mom again.

●Hiroki physically shoves ygarshy around while they have the stage to themselves. Ahh how the tables turn, the kicker to the pushee. ●In his black robes ygarshy is just such a trance to witness play throughout… It’s really great in motion and as a whole I love dirty rock concerts. Music has to be heard, my lumberous lumpy text can’t convey those sound waves… So give it a watch if you may have free time to do so! Only if you can please!  Source for comments and some info: https://skream.jp/feature/2019/06/muro_festival_2019.php  More photos and videos can be found on their official twitter! Photos by Suzuki Kouhei woah...