#op did not mean that it is bad to like. care about being androgynous or want it or uh wish to mindmeld with your gf given the alternative of

[unopenablebox]

ntn spoilers even now

this is an insane way to take something too personally but i am rereading ntn and am. secretly still mad/sad about one specific post from when it came out about how the Deep Wrongness we All Feel about paul is because within the gender framework of the book, it is about how being a transgender person who wants to cut their hair and have an androgynous body and leave behind their gendered history is Tempting But Deeply Wrong, an Intrinsic Falseness that if it could ever succeed makes you a Stranger To Your Family, not Good Real Authentic Transness which is Inherently Inescapably Historied And Messy and deep down we all know that and that’s why we all can agree that paul is a creepy fantasy that makes you feel bad

which, like, i get that op of that post was doing stuff about like. the literary meaning of paul in the context of the book and starting from explaining a feeling of uncanniness and also somewhat discussing their personal gender journey, but it did just um. honestly it hurt my feelings

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Higurashi New 2 | Wandering Witch 2 | Moriarty 1 | Taiso Samurai 1 | Kamisama 1 | Munou na Nana 2 | Golden Kamuy 3 1 (25) | Yashahime 2

I’m trying a seasonal challenge this time...so that means I have to leave some Crunchyroll anime to the side. That’s why I’m putting in the tags now.

Higurashi New 2

Apparently, now this Higurashi is called “Gou”…I dunno what that means in the context of this series, but *Saitama face* OK.

Is this girl…Rika? Or this Hanyuu girl I heard of on ANN? Update: Wait a bit from that point. You’ll get your answer.

Do they ever examine why the girls in Higurashi are what they are? Rika seems to have something supernatural going on, but Rena…is just a psycho girl right now, so it’s hard to care.

LOL, I was wondering where this “nipah” Rika meme came from, but it is present in the dialogue.

I predicted that Gilligan cu-er, transition far too easily…

Why is that kid’s face so tanned (?) in comparison to the rest of him???

How did these girls get up the building so fast??? (LOL?)

Wow, the cicada noise was pretty loud there, so…props to the sound guys for making that sound stifling.

Can we really trust what Mion is saying about Tomitake…?

I thought we were going to see Watanagashi in ep 3, but…okay.

Satoko speaks rather formally. She says kochira de gozaimasuyo! instead of kocchi! or kochiradesuyo!.

Who’s that blonde lady? Someone from Umineko?

The bright colours really help to sell the ominous nature of this ED and anime. I don’t think I understand everything that’s happening in said ED, though…

Gonna pause it here because I heard you need to watch the OG and Rei to understand this, now that the new Higurashi is operating under its “proper” name.

Wandering Witch 2

…Elaina’s a bit full of herself still…

…what the heck was that instrument playing over the titlecard? Bagpipes…?

LOL, it’s the Attack on Titan world!

Did Elaina lose her hat when she fell? That must be a very stable hat indeed.

Ooh, particle effects! However…there’s CGI here, although it’s only kinda noticeable.

Have you never heard of money…?

Wait, witches get discounts???

It seems Saya comes from Japan.

LOL, this is basically Quidditch without a snitch!

I like mushrooms, so I don’t get why people kick up such a fuss about them.

Saya seems to act like this is yuri bait…*sigh*

Saya’s crying like her sister died…c’mon, it’s not that bad!

I’m hitting pause. If this is actually how the series is, then it’s primed for a drop, but I can’t help but keep it on for the spectacular visuals and the fact it’s basically anime Harry Potter.

Taiso Samurai 1

I keep swearing I’ll finish my old simulcasts…but then new ones pop up like daisies…(I guess it’s better than having no anime to finish, right?)

I just realised how pretty Jotaro’s eyes are…! The fact he just sort of splats and then doesn’t get up shows how weary he is, unlike Sakura from Moon Land, who would’ve probably gotten up and never tried doing gymnastics again if he were in the same position.

Just by glancing over the results when I google for this Montreal gold, it seems it was done by a Kouhei Uchimura, but I might be wrong on that front…oh wait, there are 3 golds, so it’s not necessarily just that one…

You can tell this is 2002 because of that flip phone.

Intai Zamurai…it’s constructed the same way as the anime’s title. Two characters and then “samurai”.

BB (Big Bird) on the side there is so goofy, he’s…kind of distracting. <- Note the official website refers to Big Bird as BB, hence my use of it.

I was wondering if Rei was the daughter or the wife…so it’s the former.

Kinugawa Ropeway…it rings a bell, somehow. Maybe the Boueibu crew went there as DVD/BD extras.

…does everyone know that a ryokan is like a mini hotel with a traditional set-up?

*snorts* LOL, Keanu (Reeves, obviously).

That montage was a bit worrying…maybe the CGI took out part of the budget? I was a bit worried when I could tell there was CGI in that one starting segment.

…LOL, wut. Agent Smith (from the Matrix)?

Yamakasi seems to be a parkour thing which has its own movie.

…I’m sort of wondering: was that ninja a woman? If Jotaro gets another wife…I dunno if I’ll like the anime as much. Things could become far too dramatic if he did. Update: You do find out later in this episode.

I think – from lip reading – the ninja used -de gozaimasu. I remember getting it drilled into me that people don’t use that these days, but in the time of ninja and samurai, they did.

…another anime set in Ikebukuro. I knew from the station, but…’bukuro must be a nice place if people are reppin’ it all of a sudden.

Was Tomoyo an actress…?

“Kinugawa, as in the river where ogres get mad?” – See, that’s the pun I made about Boueibu’s Atsushi years ago…

This Takizawa guy’s so expressive, LOL.

Gotta love a man in a suit, yes…

…they keep building up to this retirement, only for him to not retire??? Which is it?! (LOL) That declaration works better in Japanese because the -shimasen goes at the end of the sentence so the weird sentence structure in the English translation actually makes Jotaro look like he really messed up due to nervousness speaking in front of crowds. Update: He just sounds like he stopped in the middle of a sentence in Japanese, which he obviously did.

There’s no time travel for sure, but there are ninjas! Plus dudes in jumpsuits!...plus, of course, gymnastics! It could still work, but I keep swearing there’s something supernatural coming around the corner for this…Also, this “gymnast trying to retire” thing seems to be drawing me in because of my whole current lack of direction in basically everything, much like Rikuo of Sing Yesterday for Me.

Kamisama 1

Hmm…Kamisama ni Natta Hi…it doesn’t say the subject stating this became a god, so the pronoun could be “she” or “you” rather than “I”, which seems to be the current standard for it. Update: It says on the title card “I”, so it should have an I then…I guess(?)

There’s a fish on the logo.

…this girl, I already know her name is Hina. That’s the 2nd Odin this season (the first is in Sigdrifa…or however it’s spelt)…she’s gonna be annoying, isn’t she…?

What’s this about a date…?

There are two Izanamis this season, too. The second is Hifumi from HypMic.

Looks like there was an accident, according to one of the signs.

…This feels exactly like a visual novel. I’m surprised it’s an original.

I was wondering why “Key Ramen” (Kagi Ramen) sounded weird…then it hit me. Key! You motherf**kers!!! *shakes fist* You were hiding right under my nose all along!

Hey, Potato-kun! (I know his name is Youta, but…eh, aside from having a possible girlfriend candidate and being a Nice Guy, he’s still a Potato-kun.) Stop staring in disbelief and do something!

…Why Potato-kun, anyway? Is it because his name means “become god”???

…This Izanami is so emotionless…it’s hard to imagine her cheering, Youta was right on that front.

…that style in Hina’s background…I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it for Sailor Moon Crystal, but I’ve forgotten what the artist’s name is (the one that inspired that artstyle)…

I almost expected Hina to interrupt the confession, like Leo from Taiso Samurai.

I kinda just shrugged near the end of the episode and finished it just to see if the confession would be interrupted, so…big fat drop there. I must not like much Key beyond Angel Beats (and even then, it’s only okay because it’s the relic of a time gone by).

Moriarty 1

I’ve been picking up Sherlock-related things left and right ever since I was a fan of Detective Conan…not Sherlock, Elementary or that Robert Downey Jr. movie, but the stuff Conan Doyle had his hands in. (I’d also like to keep an eye out for that Miyazaki movie, but I don’t know if I can/should go out of my way for it.) Therefore, I was a pretty easy mark for a bishonen Moriarty.

Who’s this “El” guy anyway?

…That OP is basically Black Butler all over again. I admit I went, “Oh, stuff this” for a second when I saw Rasmus Faber’s name on credits – when I went to entire series for him, they always ended badly for me – but I couldn’t stop watching the episode (since I skipped forward to the actual episode due to background noise), so this might be the anime to change everything.

I’ll be real with you – aside from Japan, America and China (the former two of which I’ve gone to and the latter I’ve technically gone to Hong Kong, which I have stronger ties to anyway), I honestly don’t have anywhere on my bucket list. That said, anime (obviously, the London arc from DC was a big factor) and this one movie called What a Girl Wants have been pretty instrumental in making Great Britain…almost make the list of places I want to go to. Key word: almost.

…I want a dub. With accents like Princess Principal.

Also, I forgot Soma Saito was our Moriarty…LOL.

“…for Man of Standing” (sic).

Turn the other cheek, Mr. Tailor.

The eyes really tell you everything about a person in this anime.

Ooh, this has absolutely no holes in its logic. It’s a strong contender!

Yashahime 2

Holy s***, is that Kagome’s brother?(!) He kinda reminds me of Takagi from Detective Conan for some reason…

Come to think of it…writers like Takahashi don’t normally have androgynous leads like Towa, do they?

That was…not the best fight scene, man.

Ooh, naginata. I’ve read a bit about them, but I’ve never really seen one used in an anime before…not to my memory. Not even the naginata in Touken Ranbu (plural) can help with that.

…this Rainbow Pearl business reminds me of Sailor Moon’s…uh, whatever they’re called…Rainbow Crystals, that’s right.

There’s something oddly comfy about predicting the “it won’t be my crying face, it’s yours you’ll get!” line, as bad as that sign may be for predictability on the whole.

I’ve felt in the years leading up to now, the progressive nations are slowly causing the entire gender binary to unravel. The more I think about my own relationship with my concept of gender – I accept gender-neutral third-person pronouns because initially I wanted to be anonymous on the internet, but now I’m just generally fine with it, for instance – the more I can agree and yet also disagree because of the progress the LGBTIQ+ community has made in recent years.

Munou na Nana 2

Ah-hah! People were calling it that the enemies of humanity were actually the superpowered kids and this proves it.

Ah, I think this Shibusawa is Masuda. I was here for him, so here he is.

Nana just says konnichiwa, which is the most basic of Japanese greetings. I don’t think it was phrased as a question, so…why did the subbers go with that?

Nana keeps breaking her chopsticks by leaving a bit at the end.

Lemme guess…Shibusawa’s talent is actually reversing time, not stopping it.

Is…that Shibusawa Nana’s giving flowers to…?

Golden Kamuy 3 1 (25)

If this is episode 25, was this always planned as a split-cour with season 2? I wonder…

Lingonberries! Oh, lingonberries! They’re those berries Ikea puts into their jam, right? (I’ve never tasted a lingonberry, but…yeah. That’s how I know of them.)

The sign says “Hurep Honpo” (backwards, as some older Japanese/Chinese things do), so it really just says “hurep” (since “honpo” = main shop). Update: Hurep actually means “lingonberry” and not the berry wine like I thought it did here, so it says “hurep wine” after all.

Thank goodness for 2D bears! (LOL)

Ratel?...uh, honey badger! That’s what they’re called in English!

…uh, and then it turns out to be a wolverine. I don’t know my Mustelidae, it seems.

There’s nothing like someone throwing a wolverine to know this is Golden Kamuy…(as weird as that sounds.)

…what was that random line about boobs about…? (Maybe it was just said to be random…?)

…ohhhhhhhh. These yellow eyes work much better than the standard red eyes you see in Munou na Nana or Moriarty. They’re so sinister.

Why did it suddenly change to an interview style…? Weren’t we waiting for a fight? Update: Seems the answer is “padding”. Not that I mind, I think it was interesting actually. Do more of that if you can.

[sometimesrosy]

please abbreviate name and ship

Anonymous said:I’m not trying to be rude as I know you ship Bellarke, but can you explain why you think L/xa was manipulative towards Clarke and why you disliked their relationship? I just don’t see it that way and I would like to hear a different perspective.

Am I ready to go into this? Ok. First, I’m not taking offense. I don’t have a problem discussing different interpretations, however, fandom has a problem with me doing so, which is why I ask everyone to abbreviate Lxa and CL, so that I don’t show up in their ship or stan tags, not because I am disrespecting the character or ship, but because I honestly don’t want the harassment to start up all over again. The history of me and the cl shippers is ugly, with me mostly trying to stay out of it and them coming after me like I was trying to poison their puppy. All the puppies. The CL fandom had a name for me. It was “The Devil.” So you should know that.

Let me begin by telling you that I am the survivor of domestic abuse, and stared watching this show after finally kicking my emotionally, psychologically and economically abusive ex husband out of the house, and what I saw in CL was a reflection of my own relationship, aka, not healthy. I resonated with it as a woman with PTSD recovering from abuse. I tried to explain this in fandom but was ignored and erased and called a lesbophobe instead. I am not. I am an abuse survivor who cares about understanding and unpacking abusive relationships and empowering victims. Abuse is not limited to m/f relationships.

I need to make it clear that my interpretation of CL does not invalidate the interpretation of CL as an epic romance, fantasy story, or wlw empowerment tale. Those are all valid and I recognize the need for the wlw community to have the same kind of stories that straight people have always had, and CL within The 100 was SO CLOSE to being the epic fantasy that was needed. But the canon proved that it never was a romance genre story that allows... DEMANDS the happy ever after ending. So The 100 was a great disappointment to the fans. It failed to give them what they were looking for. CL was a LOT like a very traditional M/F romantic trope that does end up with a HEA lovestory ending, the captive princess and heroic warrior king story. So it’s no wonder they read it as an epic romance just like the ones they’ve been seeing for m/f romances for centuries... MILLENNIA. 

That said, I’m going to put my analysis under the jump, because I don’t want anyone who doesn’t want to hear it have it appear on their dash. This is an entirely opt-in meta, and if reading something critical of a ship you love or like is not what you want to do, then please be a responsible consumer of media and do not opt in.

okay, so op, I GET why you see nothing wrong with this romantic dynamic. I was like you once, and I thought the warrior/princess dynamic was sexy and romantic and the fantasy of being taken away from all your problems so you didn’t have to deal is A+. But ever since I was IN a relationship like that, and realized it wasn’t about love or romance, but rather about power and control, I cannot, AT ALL, find it attractive. It’s painful and harmful to be in. And it’s not great for the dominant lover, either, tbh.

Please note: I do not have a problem with them being wlw. NOT the problem. I’ve been involved with the lgbt community since 1988. I am bisexual, demiace and androgynous myself and my sister was in a long term relationship with a woman and I like other wlw ships just not this one--because for me, it reproduces a harmful m/f romantic trope. When I find m/f ships like this I don’t love them EITHER. (reylo is just as filtered out of my dash as cl is.) So that’s a lot of explaining why I disliked their relationship and it has to do with my experience in an abusive relationship that was about power and domination and how I learned that that is NOT love. So now I’m just gonna make some points about where there was manipulation in the the relationship, some of which came before romance, some of which was the ‘courtship.’

when they first met, L posed on the throne and blamed her for killing the army she’d sent to destroy the delinquents. Clarke WON the battle that L started, and she acted like that was murder. no.

When L told Clarke that Finn would die for HER. although her actions had nothing to do with his massacre.

When L told her that Finn’s mercy killing would haunt Clarke forever.

When L told Clarke that love was a weakness. That is the WORST advice ever and anyone who still stanned L after that nonsense... i just don’t understand why y’all have no sense. I knew from the start that was a sign that L was “in the wrong.” it is CLEARLY a bad life philosophy. (made much worse that she began a courtship with Clarke after using her philosophy to cut Clarke off from her people, thus leaving only HER love as worthy? IDK. But that’s after this timeline.)

When Clarke came running to save TonDC and Lxa from the bombs, and Lxa COERCED Clarke into letting them bomb the village. This was the first REAL sign to me that this relationship was manipulative and abusive and it wasn’t a relationship yet. They weren’t even friends yet. And Lxa used Clarke’s guilt over Finn and LOVE for Bellamy to rush her into a decision that benefitted LXA’s political agenda, to get rid of the troublesome rivals on the coalition. She used methods with Clarke that were the same exact thing that my ex used to do to me. She told her that she had no time to argue, although there was time for L’s argument, and there were no other solutions although Clarke offered like three separate ones (setting a fire as the probable most effective.) That was NEVER Clarke’s decision. Lxa COERCED her. And MANIPULATED her.

WORSE after it was done, LXA BLAMED HER FOR IT. Said it was her action. Forced her to keep it a secret (which only benefitted LXA.) Then tried to kill Octavia. 

Look I totally understand why Lxa was besotted with Clarke. She’s amazing. But she started pursuing her when Clarke was dependent upon Lxa’s army and goodwill. 

She started pushing her about her FEELINGS for Bellamy when they were military allies, AFTER telling her about how her political enemies used her love for Costia to control her, and KILLED her for it. So here she is, a political...associate, questioning her about someone she thinks she loves, after telling her that love is a weakness. Pushing her feelings for Bellamy as a what? Vulnerability? Way to control her? RIVAL FOR HER ROMANTIC ATTENTIONS? 

Then Lxa KISSES HER. IN the MIDDLE OF A CAMPAIGN? Can you freaking imagine? The woman with all the power, who Clarke depends upon for the life of her loved ones, essentially her “boss,” in a way. She makes a move on her. Think about this. “I like you, oh by the way, i hold your people’s life in my hand, so you should come live with me.” Dude. That’s not a sweet romance, it’s sexual harassment. 

Just to bring it to a point. Clarke rejects her advances and then THE NEXT WORDS are “he did it,” because Bellamy has sent up the signal, victorious warrior (rival) and get’s all Clarke’s attention. What happens then? Oh yeah. 

ON the verge of WINNING the freaking mountain completely, Lxa SELLS HER ROMANTIC RIVAL (bellamy) and Clarke’s people, who proved far more formidable and successful than she expected and so are a politcal threat to her, to her GENERATIONAL ENEMIES.  and then. get this.

AND THEN SHE INVITES HER TO COME LIVE WITH HER AGAIN. Oh hey babe, since your people are destroyed and your boyfriend is dead, wanna come to my place? ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?

And no, despite all the people who tried to argue that was a WISE political move, no the hell it wasn’t. It was the path to her demise. She broke faith with her allies, not just sky crew but also the coalition and they took her down for it. 

In addition, Lxa herself admitted that was her biggest regret. That was her biggest mistake. WRONG DECISION. Weak leader. And a betrayal.

THEN 3 months later, she kidnaps her and imprisons her. This is not romance. This is not protection. If it WERE protection, she would have sent her back to her people. She was a prisoner. This is not a romantic situation. 

Oh when she told her how PATIENT she’d been for ALLOWING her to not talk to her for two weeks. Bitch. You have her in prison. You aren’t patient. You aren’t kind. You kidnapped her. After your betrayal. YOU’RE the one who should be begging for her forgiveness. Instead you’re acting like she’s an immature child. What? 

She then gaslighted her and told her she didn’t do anything wrong when she betrayed her and she did the same thing anyone would do, in fact, LXA wasn’t the betrayer, CLARKE was the betrayer. She turned her OWN sins around and blamed them on Clarke. She did it. We saw her did it. We saw how she forced Clarke’s hand and made her choose between TERRIBLE choices. 

Then she FORCES her to bend the knee so she doesn’t murder all of sky crew. That was not romantic. That was force. 

And she offers her own private bent knee ceremony with no witnesses and promises we all know she won’t keep because she has no honor and no one there to make sure she does what she promises.

WHICH IS WHY Clarke can’t leave. Because no one else will make sure she keeps her promises.

AND THEN we get to the carrot part of the carrot and stick part of manipulation. You can leave and I’ll kill all your people, or you can STAY and get nice clothes and a safe room and good food and music and be treated like a pampered bird in a golden cage. Do what I say? Get nice things. Just because you are being given nice things and treated nicely doesn’t mean it’s not manipulation and you aren’t being dominated.

I might also add that during this time, L often mentioned her own death. As if it would happen. Now Clarke had to stay not only to save her people from death, but also to save LXA from death. Just so you know, this is a classic psychological abuse technique. The abuser threatens/implies suicide if the abusee ever leaves them. “Oh when you go I will die, that’s the way it is.”  

Reminder, when Clarke wanted to go to Arkadia and fix the massacre, Lxa REFUSED. When Clarke said, “so I’m a prisoner now?” Lxa said straight out in canon. “Yes you are a prisoner.” She had ALWAYS been a prisoner. She was not a guest. She had no freedom to leave. Making her feel like she had to or wanted to stay does not mean she actually had a choice. She did not. (compare this to when Bellamy told Octavia, i understand if you need to go, but you’ll always have a place with me.” O had the FREEDOM to stay or go, and B NEVER gave or withheld permission. She was free. Clarke was not.)

Oh and Clarke is not innocent in the manipulation, either. After the hakeldama massacre, Clarke used her evaluation of Lxa as being proud and concerned with her “legacy” to manipulate her into betraying her OWN people and their beliefs and saying “blood must NOT have blood.” And yes that led to L’s downfall, but to be fair, she already did it by sparing MW. L is vain, and Clarke worked that. To sky crew’s advantage, but she did. 

After they get back from Hakeldama Clarke has given up on Bellamy and their relationship starts being less manipulative. Oh wait. the whole “so wait, you want me to not take vengeance for your people’s crimes by wiping out the village, but you’re going to punish this actual murderer who just tried to kill you, huh? wow hypocrite much?” 

And then when Lxa decides to *surprise surprise* go back on her promise to treat sky crew like her own people and WIPE OUT THE ENTIRE POPULATION, she’s like, okay, I give you permission to leave now and be with your people. Aren’t I kind and merciful to let you go? NO YOU ARE NOT. It isn’t kind and it isn’t merciful and it isn’t loving to ALLOW your beloved to be with her people. before you wipe them out. Or even if you’re not. It shouldn’t be up to you whether she goes or stays. It should be up to HER. But it never was. 

Tbh it wasn’t until Lxa “let her go” after she’d already committed to murdering all Clarke’s people and Clarke couldn’t do anything to stop it anymore that the relationship stopped being manipulative. Their ENTIRE relationship was finding way to work each other. I do not like that kind of relationship. The only wholesome part of their relationship was their time with Pauna (no manipulaton it was a fine story) and the sex, (also a perfectly lovely story. )

Okay. go ahead and hate me now. A couple years after, I rewatched the show to see if I could see that stirring, epic love story in CL that the fans love, and even when I’d worked through my personal abuse issues and was no longer literally triggered by it, I found it to be a thin romance, far too political in nature. Just didn’t do it for me. Was it passionate? Yes. Did they like each other? D: No. I don’t think they were ever intimate enough with each other (except for with Pauna) to actually get to know each other. It was very pretty and glamourous. I am not a fan of glamour. It tends to be all show, little depth. 

all in all, I do NOT think CL is the love story that wlw deserve. I dont’ think it was intended to be. And I think people hungry for a canon fantasy love story believed they were getting their HEA that romances promise. But it wasn’t a romance. (I cannot make excuses for The 100′s social media presence at that time. they fucked up.) I think it was CLARKE’S story of darkness and trauma and recovery, and L was her shadow. She needed to fall n love with her to embrace her own dark side. And she needed to die to push forward both Clarke’s trauma and the plot. Lxa was a tragic hero like Macbeth. Doomed. I don’t like Macbeth as a character, either.

[beautiful-liu]

Chapter 17 - Remember me - Kryber

Title: Remember me

Pairing: Kryber [Amber Liu x Krystal Jung] Fandom: f(x) Genre: Drama, romance

Summary: The bad ass androgynous girl Amber Josephine Liu with a sex, drugs and rock-‘n-roll attitude whom everybody seemed to fear and admire at the same time, with the flash of a smug smile on her handsome face, and a sigaret or lolly pop in her mouth, depending on her mood. A leather jacket always hugging her shoulders, ripped jeans and a loose tank top that displayed just a tiny bit of her sports bra when she lifted her tattoo-filled arms. Everyone was weak for Amber Liu. Krystal simply didn’t see it. Until that one night she accidentally met her, and met a whole other person than the stories she had been made to believe. Word count: 4000 Rating: T A/N: Excuse the grammar mistakes. This is my first time writing a multi chaptered fic. Hope y'all enjoy the progress!

Read it on: AO3 & asianfanfics

Moodboard: x

Krystal woke up to soft beams of sunshine peeking through the half closed curtains lightening the room. Amber still had her arms wrapped around her waist and she could feel the steady breathing on her shoulder. Slowly, she opened her eyes, to let them get used to the light. She yawned, despite it being 11.30 AM. Krystal turned around in Amber's arms to watch her. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw that small frown on her forehead again. Another maths equation? She chuckled softly. Krystal started to press kisses on her lover; on her forehead, her cheek, her nose, her shoulder, her arms, her hands, her fingers. It took her only a few minutes before Amber woke up by the feeling of Krystal's lips against her skin. The other woman opened her eyes slowly. A sleepy smile grew on her face when she saw that Krystal was looking at her. "Good morning, Princess." Amber's voice was raspy and she had to cough a few times to clear it up. Krystal chuckled, propped herself up on one elbow and moved forewards to kiss her on the lips. Who cared that they hadn't brushed their teeth yet? Amber kissed her back willingly and when they broke up they both sank back into the sea of pillows that covered Amber's bed. "Did you sleep well?" asked Krystal. Amber nodded then stretched. The sheets got pulled a little backwards, revealing her still bare breasts. Krystal couldn't help to let her eyes dwell off because Amber didn't seem to care to pull the sheets back. Was she really that confident? Krystal tried to contain a smile. Of course she was, this is Amber Liu she's talking about. "Hmm-hmm," nodded Amber. "What about you?" "I have gotten a good night's rest for the first time in weeks, I'm pretty content," laughed Krystal. Amber rose her eyebrows up to half past her forehead. "You weren't supposed to get a good night's rest!" she complained loudly. "I have failed!" Krystal laughed and slapped her across the shoulder, causing the other to burst out in laughter too. Amber placed her hands around her cheeks and pulled her closer for another kiss. It felt so good, Krystal thought, this feels so damned good. Her belly had turned with butterflies when they broke apart and she couldn't help to grin. How wonderful was it to feel loved again. Right at the moment Krystal wanted to bow in for another kiss, she heard a low grumbling noise. They both looked up, then started to laugh. "I guess I'm hungry," chuckled Amber. "Care to get some breakfast? I feel like going to a diner. Denny's, perhaps." Krystal placed her index finger on her lower lip and cocked her head to the left, as if she was thinking. Eventually she made a 'tch'-noise by letting air escape through her teeth. "I really have to go," she said softly. Amber frowned, then chuckled and shook her head. "Well, I promised to drive you home myself and I want to get breakfast at Danny's." Krystal huffed at Amber's cocksureness. "Oh, you're such an-" "Hmm, yes, what am I? Adorable, I know right!" exclaimed Amber. Krystal shook her head. "You're an ass, that's what you are." "Well you are what you eat so-" "AMBER!" They both burst out in laughter again. Krystal tried to get out of the bed as quickly as possible, but Amber had wrapped herself around her waist to keep her in the bed. They struggled for a moment in the bed that turned out to become a real competiting who was able to hold the other down longer. Krystal eventually managed to get on top whilst pressing Amber's wrists down into the pillows above her head. Their faces were so close that Krystal could feel Amber's fastened breath upon her lips. Amber chuckled. "Oh no, you got me. You're lucky I haven't eaten yet otherwise I would've won from you so badly!" Krystal rolled her eyes. "You would've won from me no matter what because you're at least twice as strong as I am but you're letting me win now," she replied. Amber raised her eyebrows. "How did you know?" "Because I've seen your biceps last night, and I know what they can do," replied Krystal with a wink. Amber laughed and pressed a kiss on her lips. She freed her hands without much effort — even though Krystal really tried to keep them above her head — and wrapped them around her waist. They rolled over and this time Amber was on top. She brought her face close to hers and at the moment Krystal thought she was about to kiss her, Amber moved her mouth to her ear. "I thought you liked being the bottom?" Her cheeks immediately started to burn. Amber bowed back and started to chuckle at her red face. Krystal immediately pushed her away, back into the blankets and got on op of her as soon as possible. She knew she wouldn't look very convincing in Amber's t-shirt, no bra and her underwear of last night but she wanted to try either way. Amber let her press her arms above her head again. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at Krystal. "Well, maybe you should let me be the top the next time, see how that turns out," she said softly. Krystal flashed a smile before she started to place feather light kisses in Amber's neck. Amber tugged at Krystal's grip, but not hard enough for her to let go. Her lips trailed down, over the sensitive skin in her neck to her collar bone and eventually her the beginning of breasts too. When she felt Amber move her chest up and she could feel her breathing get heavier, she knew she had done her job well. "So there's gonna be a next time?" Amber breathed. Right before Krystal's mouth would find her nipple, she looked up with a bright smile and shrugged. Fast as lightning, she jumped off of Amber and got out of bed. "I don't know!" she chuckled. "Didn't you want to go to Danny's?" Amber looked at her in confusion. When she realized that she had been tricked, she growned and threw her head back into the pillows. "You're terrible." "I know. But I'm hungry so let's go." Amber looked at her from the bed and shook her head. "I don't want to go with you anymore." Krystal tilted her head and smiled sweetly. Too sweet for someone who really means well. "Okay well then I don't want to go to bed with you anymore," she said stubbornly. Amber's head shot up and she immediately jumped out of bed. With a few quick strikes she had reached Krystal. Without any effort she lifted the other girl up and threw her over her shoulder. Krystal yelped and tried to Amber to put her down, but she was too strong so she eventually just gave up and let her carry her to the living room. "Okay, let's go! Go go go!" she laughed. Krystal rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her own chuckles as well. Danny's was crowded, even at lunch. Luckily there had been a table for two. With much regret she shot a excusing smile to the waiting family that had already been there before they got in. Krystal had borrowed clothes from Amber, because she didn't feel much like to go back out of the apartment in her dress from last night. It smelled of sweat and alcohol and she already felt dirty because of the previous night and the fact that she hadn't been able to take a shower before she left the apartment so she had borrowed some clothes from Amber. Luckily Amber's clothes were freshly washed and felt nice and soft against her sore skin. She had traded the black t-shirt with white little lightnings for a white shirt which she had tugged into one of Amber's tight black jeans. The shirt was a little too big for her and the jeans a little too small, because Amber's legs were shorter than hers, but overall she wasn't dissapointed with her look. Amber hadn't bothered to do her hair and simply wore a snapback. She looked like she just had emerged from bed — which she actually had — with her thick black sweater and her baggy jeans and sneakers. With Amber's thick bags under her eyes and Krystal's messy hair they really looked like people who had had a rough night and they were also treated as such. The waitresses often came to fill their coffee cups again which was a luxury that they both liked to get used to. In silence they ate their breakfast and drank their coffee. Krystal had called Kai during the breakfast after having seen that he had called her five times this morning. He had been mad at her and they had argued over the phone for at least a quarter before she hung up annoyedly. He had started to complain about her not coming home nor informing her that she stayed over at someone else's place. Kai had been actually offended that she hadn't rushed home this morning to apologize and, 'just went out to have dinner like nothing had happened'. Krystal had tried to calmly tell him to fuck off, only with nicer words. Amber had listened along and hadn't been able to hide her grin. Krystal had just shot her a non-amused look and had angrily taken a bite of her food. Krystal had also called the company to check if everything had gone well after she had left. Her personal assistant, Eloisa, had assured her that everything had been cleared from the entrance hall and that the room looked just like any other day. That had at least been able to comfort her a little. She now only had to deal with an angry fiancé. After three quarters they were done with eating and they made their leave. Krystal had wanted to pay for the food, but right at that moment she had gotten a call from her father, so Amber had secretly taken the bill and had paid for it. "You know, my salary is higher than yours so you should just let me-" Krystal had started to complain, but Amber had silenced her by grabbing her hand and placing the back of it to her lips. Krystal had been shut up immediately. "Why are you doing that?" "What, paying for the bill?" "Kissing my hand, stupid." "Because I want to," Amber merely chuckled. Krystal pressed her lips together untill they formed a thin, pink line on her face. "We're not together..." she muttered. Did one night stands even kiss each other's hand? Were they affectionate to each other when the sex was over? Of course, Amber was not just an one night stand. She was special. But still, they weren't together. And how much Krystal hated it to admit, they both had someone else to love. She had always underestimated the feeling of forbidden love. When she had watched movies of starcrossed lovers, she had always simply thought that they should just be together, no matter the costs. Now that she was in such a situation herself, it wasn't so easy. She wished it was though, that she didn't have to choose between her work and the person who had snatched her heart away once more. Krystal knew that Amber had caught her heart last evening. When they had first met it took her a long time to realize that she had been in love with her all that time, that Amber hadn't been just a fling, because she simply had never been in love before. Now that she had experienced it once, she knew how to recognize it the second time, especially because the same person had made her fall back in love all over again. It was a weird feeling, to admit to herself that she was in love again with Amber after one night. Or perhaps, had she never fallen out of love? "We're not together, but we once were. Love doesn't simply pass because you're distanced from each other, or when we're both tied to people we don't actually like," Amber simply said. But she did let Krystal's hand go, and she immediately regretted saying anything at all. Even though she wanted to grab her hand again and hold it into hers, intertwine their fingers together and never let go, she stayed silent. It was for the best. It was probably just a one night stand, she told herself. Perhaps, after today, they'd distance again and never talk to each other again. Then the problem would be solved, wouldn't it? The thought saddened her. Amber drove Krystal home like she promised. A silence had settled between the two women, one that was aching to be broken. But Krystal didn't know what to ask. The only thing that was worth discussing was their relationship status right now. Were they strangers? Friends? Friends with benefits? Lovers...? Krystal cringed at every word. She couldn't let Amber go anymore. It had been a mistake the last time and she had under gone the concequences for years after that. They'd never be strangers again. But friends? Had they ever been friends? Their relationship had gone from enemies to lovers in two days eight years ago. Krystal couldn't reckon she had ever thought of Amber as her friend. They had always been more than friends. And even though Krystal loved having sex with Amber — she had never met anyone who could make her feel better than her — it would feel empty to sneak out of her own apartment, away from Kai, to someone who could please her. Krystal already isn't good at dstinguish platonic feelings from romantic feelings and she wasn't the kind of person who was able to have sex with someone mindlessly without feeling something. Sex, to her, was more than just an act. It was paired with feelings. Perhaps that was also why every attempt to sexual intercourse with Kai had failed: she simply didn't love him. And lovers... What if they could be lovers again... Krystal let a sigh escape at the thought of holding Amber's hand again without feeling guilty. She could proudly say Amber was her girlfriend once more. Her stomach already twisted with delight when she only thought of it. But of course, there was no way that they were able to do that. Her father, her mother, Kai... They would never accept it. The wedding would be off. Krystal might even loose her job when it came out that she was in a relationship with a woman. Because of Amber's masculine appearance, they would be able to hide her gender, but Krystal simply didn't want to. She wanted people to know that she was a woman and that she was the most amazing woman she had ever met. They were probably stuck somewhere in between these for stadia and Krsytal hated it. She hated not knowing what she was up to. It made situations inpredictable. She knew that was how Amber liked it, but she liked to have a plan and when she didn't she got very insecure and doubtful. Amber had stopped in front of Krystal's apartment building and she got out to open Krystal's door. She brunette looked up to the other woman, who smiled at her, eventually sticking out her hand to help her get up from her seat. They looked at each other for a moment. Krystal couldn't help to notice how the corners of her mouth had been twisted up so cheekily. "Well, good luck, I suppose," Amber said eventually. Krystal looked down and flashed a faint smile. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I guess so..." she muttered. It stayed silent for a moment. Eventually, she looked up, with her lower lip caught between her teeth. Amber was looking at her with a strange curiosity. "I guess I'll be going then. Drive home safely." "I will." She turned around and walked off, towards the entrance of the building. Her lower stomach was prostesting for her to stay with Amber, but her head won over her heart like it always had and she kept on walking. The drums of her feet meeting the pavement rung in her ears and she was aware of every step she took farther and farther from Amber. She was only a meter away from the entrance. Her hand made contact with the cold metal of the doorhandle. There was a sound of a car door slamming shut. And because of that, a rush of panick ran through her body. Krystal turned around quickly, only to see Amber lean nonchalantly against the side of the car. She felt stupid noticing that Amber had only shut the door of the side Krystal had gotten out of. They locked eyes again and Amber lifted her eyebrows, almost as if she wanted to ask if there was something wrong. And she wanted to answer that there was nothing wrong, but in this small moment of panick, her heart had taken over. "Will I see you again?" she asked. Amber's smile grew softer. "If you want to, Princess, then you will." Krystal still bore her wide grin when she opened the front door to her apartment. Amber's words had stuck into her mind like they had been glued there. They played over and over in her head, like a romantic drama OST. She let Amber's backpack slide from her back, which contained her dress and her heels from last night. Her clothes felt even nicer now, the fabric was almost ticklish to her skin. She let herself fall on her couch and closed her eyes. Amber's face immediately appeared in her thoughts. That smile... and how good she had looked when she had gotten into her car and had driven away with one hand on the wheel... Not to mention when- "So you didn't even care about what I said to you?" Kai's voice pierced through the air, sharp as freshly broken glass. Krystal immediately shot up straight, opening her eyes trying to find her fiancé. He was leaning against the wall. A black blouse was hugging his figure, tugged into black pants as well. When he walked towards her, his naked feet made sticky sounds on the stone floor. "I was having breakfast... or lunch," she muttered. "It'd be a waste of money to just get up right after it had been served." "We could've gotten lunch together. Money has never been an issue, you know that," he said coldly. Krystal bit down on her lower lip and pointed her gaze at the ground, unable to look at him. "Why are you so mad at me, because I got a little drunk last night? It was my party, wasn't I allowed to?" she asked softly. She heard Kai sigh deeply. He walked towards her and sat down on their mahogany wooden coffee table, so that they were on the same height. He had his legs spread and his arms crossed in front of his chest. There was a frown on his face. "I'm not mad, just annoyed. I don't blame you for... partying," he muttered. Krystal looked up to him, this time with a frown of her own. "Then why are you annoyed? Because I stayed over somewhere else instead of at home? It's not because I didn't want to stay at home, Kai, it's because it happened to be that way," she lied smoothly. Becoming a vice president in Jung Internationals required certain skills. Lying was one of them. And because she had been taught to lie all her life, she was able to do it rather perfectly right now. Because Kai also believed she was in love with him, didn't he? "It's probably my own fault, I let you go and went home myself," Kai muttered, more to himself than to her. Krystal huffed. "I really don't get what's the problem. Amber took good care of me, we're... friends." She was barely able to make the word leave her throat. It left a bitter aftertaste because she knew very well that they were not friends. But Kai believed so and it was the ideal lie to keep up. Because you know... best friends go over to each other's places a lot, right? "That's exactly what's bothering me, Krystal. I don't know that chick at all. Yeah, I know she's some rich man's kid who has gone all off trail but that's literally the only thing I know of her. And now you're sleeping over at her house?" Krystal let out a nervous laugh. "You're being ridiculous. What's supposed to happen?" "Well, you never know nowadays. The streets are roamed with lesbo's," Kai said bitterly. "And you know, she is one.. right?" Krystal's face grew colder. Her breathing slowened and a strange calmness spread through her body. Her father hadn't brought her up with mercy and she wasn't planning on trying to give Kai some right now too. "Amber is my friend and I do not want you to speak of her that way." Kai was surprised by her sudden angry tone. He stared at her confusedly, before laughing it off. "Talking about her in what way? She IS a lesbian, ain't she?" "A homophobic way. There's nothing wrong with her." "Krystal, come on, I am not a homophobe, you know I didn't mean it that way," he said quickly. Krystal squinted her eyes suspiciously. "Well, clearly you did because it obviously sounded like-" "Let's not fight about something not worth fighting for, okay," Kai interrupted her. Krystal stared at him in anger, not liking to be silenced. Her nails digged into the skin of her hand and she had to clench her jaws so hard not to spill out some really mean words that her teeth felt like breaking. "Well, since Amber is your friend, we can invite her over for dinner, can't we? We can also invite Luna. Make it a double-date! Nice, right?" suggested Kai. He had already stood up to walk towards his phone, which he had forgotten somewhere on the dinner table, when she realized what a catastrophe that would become. Krystal's eyes shot open in fear and she tried to stop him, but before she could reach him, he had already taken his phone and typed in the number. She placed her hands upon his arms. "Sweetie, I really don't think this is a good-" she tried, but he shushed her by placing his finger to his lips. The phone was already ringing. Krystal wondered how Kai could have Luna's number. She might've given it to him last night. Perhaps the double-date idea has been into his mind already for a while. "Hello, Luna. It's me, Kai. I was thinking, maybe we should all grab some food together, the four of us. I'm an amazing cook so-... Ah, of course, we can also come over to your place! ... Yes, you, Amber, Krystal and me... This Saturday is fine by me, just text me the address. See you then!" Shocked, her eyes were fixed on her fiancé, who said another goodbye before hanging up. When he looked back at her, there was a proud glint in his eyes. It reminded her of a child who tried their hardest to do something good but in the measures of an adult, it was still incredibly dumb. "Luna said she was glad to receive my call and that she and Amber would love to have a dinner date!" Kai said enthusiastically. Krystal had to keep her mouth shut to now spill out a group of foul words and simply nodded shortly. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as her brain was making up the worst possible scenarios ever. Her stomach turned at the thought how awkward it was going to be. Oh, this dinner was going to be a disaster.

[swipestream]

SUPERVERSIVE: Four More Anime Reviews

Hinamatsuri, our first anime

Four Anime Reviews is one of the most popular posts I’ve ever done on the site. Since then I have watched a lot – and I do mean a LOT – more anime, and enjoyed almost all of it (I will only actually watch something to the end that I enjoy).

In light of that, I have thought carefully and decided on four more anime to review. The rules: They must be an anime I have not written a review or article on already…and that’s it. This means nothing on Mob Psycho 100 or One Punch Man, even though Mob Psycho especially is probably my second favorite anime that I’ve watched since that original article.

I’ll also be sort of kind of breaking that rule for the final review, but that show NEEDS to be talked about.

The 10 star rating system is gone. I realized I would have to rank too many shows I really liked below 5 of 10 if I wanted to be consistent. So now it’s just thumbs down and thumbs up.

(I wrote a couple short articles on already airing anime, so my short conclusions on them: Cells at Work improved as the season went on, added real character development and intelligent world building, and ended on a high note. It is my easy winner for anime of the summer 2018 season. Steins;Gate 0 spun its wheels a bit in the middle and had some hilariously bad action scenes but the last four or so episodes were fantastic and it too ended on a REALLY high note.)

And without further ado:

1) Hinamatsuri – Yoshifumi Nitta is a high-ranking member of the Yakuza whose life is turned upside down the day a young, probably autistic girl named Hina with psychic powers inexplicably shows up in his apartment. Nitta pretty much has no choice but to adopt the little girl and wacky hijinx, as well as moving familial bonding, ensues.

Review – This was another show from the summer 2018 season, but I didn’t watch it until much later. It really took me by surprise how much I liked it. The characters are lovable, the jokes are consistently on point, and they do an excellent job juggling their surprisingly large cast of characters.

While the jokes are great, and the show really is very funny, where it truly shines is in its serious moments. The bonds formed between the characters – not just Hina and Nitta but several side characters as well – are consistently touching, and even some of the gags have a sweet edge to them that just makes you smile, like when Hina decides to throw a party celebrating Nitta’s promotion but somehow gets the idea that parties are supposed to look like funerals. It’s a great gag but it’s still touching that Hina makes the effort to go that extra mile, as well as an excellent character moment – the first time in the series Hina decides to do something nice with no ulterior benefit to herself.

Best girl is Hitomi.

Is it superversive? – Very! Not just in its main plot, but throughout its several subplots as well the story is consistently uplifting.

Recommendation – Two thumbs up. It isn’t a must-watch classic, but it is a lot of fun.

2) Last Exile – Claus Valca and Lavie Head are sky couriers on the planet of Prester, a steampunk style world where two nations are in perpetual war and flying machines known as vanships rule the skies. One day a dying courier asks them to complete a dangerous mission: deliver a little girl named Alvis to a flying battleship known as the Silvana. And our adventure begins!

Review – This is one of the classic anime of the early 2000s that helped anime boom in the U.S. Like Trigun before it Last Exile was more of a hit overseas than in Japan, perhaps due to the heavily eurocentric atmosphere, though the split was not nearly as extreme (you can go so far as to call Trigun a bomb in its home country).

The reputation is deserved. Last Exile is a fantastic show. The visual style and tone are reminiscent of Miyazaki’s Castle in the Sky, though with a more adult edge to it. The plot is intricate and complex but well written, and all secrets are revealed in the end.

The characters can sometimes come across as a bit two dimensional with one exception: Dio (no, not that one). Dio is probably the series’ biggest achievement, along with its revolutionary integration of CGI into the airship scenes. Introduced originally as a mysterious, androgynous, and rather creepy figure, he becomes almost a metaphor for the show as a whole as it progresses, as solving the mystery of who and what Dio also solves the mystery of what is really going on in the plot. He is by far the most memorable part of the story, which is a real compliment as the story itself is also engrossing.

Is it superversive? – Extremely so. Like Pazu before them Claus and Lavie are the sort of people to selflessly commit themselves wholeheartedly to a stranger – Alvis – despite barely knowing her, and this is presented as the correct and moral thing to do. Characters who start off looking like they’ll be threats become allies and the story ends on a high note.

Recommendation – This one IS ammust-watch classic. Two thumbs up.

3) Yu Yu Hakusho – Yusuke Yuremeshi is a young punk who spends all of his time fighting and going to the arcade. One day he knocks a boy out of the way of a car, getting hit himself and dying as a result. Then a cheerful young woman with a flying…paddle…informs him that she’s the grim reaper and that due to his selfless act, if he wants it, spirit world is willing to give him a second chance at life. After seeing the reactions of his sort-of-girlfriend, principal, and mother he agrees. On his return Yusuke is made the Spirit Detective of Earth, hunting down demons and punching out bad guys to save the world.

Review – One of the more influential shonen anime, this early 90’s show shows its age occasionally but for the most part holds up exceptionally well. In contrast to Togashi’s later and far inferior anime Hunter x Hunter (maybe the most overrated anime of all time), Yu Yu Hakusho is fast paced (almost no fight goes longer than two episodes, a trick My Hero Academia stole) and always fun. Togashi’s real strength, however, is in his exceptionally well realized characters. The main group of Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hei is one of the most memorable and entertaining in all of anime. Not only are their personalities distinct and memorable, but each of them has an interesting backstory and goes through a TON of character development as the series progresses.

The Dark Tournmanet arc is, rightly, considered one of the greatest arcs in anime history. It goes on a little long but the high points of that story are so high who really cares? But the show isn’t perfect. The arc following Dark Tournament noticeably drops in quality and Togashi has a really, really big problem with killing off major characters even when it makes sense both narratively and metatextually – to spoil a scene, the revival of Genki was particularly egregious. This problem gets even more ridiculous in Hunter x Hunter, with the utterly absurd revival of Kite. Still, back to Yu Yu Hakusho, the show picks up again by the Three Kings saga and while I’m still five or so episodes away from finishing it completely it’s hard for me to think I won’t be satisfied by the time it all ends.

Is it superversive? – Yes. Just listen to the OP. How can it not be?

Recommendation – If you’re a fan of any modern shonen you really should see Yu Yu Hakusho and get a look at a lot of classic tropes used when they were still fresh. Two thumbs up.

Actually, you can see a lot of its DNA in My Hero Academia, leading to…

4) My Hero Academia – Young Izuku Medoriya is born quirkless – powerless – in a world where the vast majority of society possesses some sort of superpower. When Medoriya gets a chance to meet his favorite hero, the legendary Symbol of Peace, All Might, he convinces him he has what it takes to be a hero. Seeing his potential, All Might gifts him a special quirk that can be passed down generation to generation: One for All, a quirk that stockpiles power. But in order to harness this power, Medoriya, who takes the hero name Deku, needs to train at the prestigious superhero academy UA High, where he begins his journey to become the world’s greatest hero.

Review – This is the one I’m sort of almost cheating on, since I did write a review of the movie. Rawle already talked about season 1 and Nathan gave it a rec last year, but hoooooooly crap. We need to talk about how exponentially this show improved.

Season 1 was…okay. It was good. I liked it. I decided to keep going with the show on the basis of strong recommendations and the excellent final fight scene that ended season one. And then season 2 happened. And it started with a tournament arc.

And suddenly, the show was amazing.

Previously the show had focused on Deku, leaving the rest of its colorful cast in the background. Season 2 shifted focus, turning into a true ensemble show, with side characters – even side characters who weren’t the center of any stories – getting their own arcs and backstories. The sports festival reaches its climax in a fantastic battle with Deku and the fire-and-ice powered Todoroki, and this is the moment the show passed “really good” and became exceptional. The interweaving of Todoroki’s backstory in the middle of the exceptionally well choreographed fight, combined with the strong narrative being told by the fight itself, really cemented the series identity as a vehicle for both stellar action AND compelling drama without losing its optimistic, can-do spirit.

It is also not the best fight in the series.

The show isn’t perfect. Season 3 was arguably both the show’s best and worst season. The first half of the season, the training camp arc up to the unbelievable battle between All Might and All for One – one of the greatest fight scenes of all time – was clearly the highlight of the entire show to date, but the preliminary exam arc in the second half fell a little flat. The stakes in the prelim exams weren’t high enough to make the stories compelling by themselves and it lacked the strong interpersonal drama that drove the sports festival of season 2, though the arc did end on a high note.

Even so, how does anyone not love My Hero Academia? Literally every single person I know who gave the show a shot is now a huge fan. It is brilliant.

Is it superversive? – Oh, HELL yes. It’s probably the most superversive show on TV right now. Deku is seriously inspiring.

Two last things about the show:

The soundtrack KICKS ASS. Each OP gets progressively better. Make My Story is an earworm. You Say Run goes with anything.

UNIIIIIIIIIIITEEEEEEED STAAAAAAAATES OOOOOOOF SMAAAAAAAAAAASH

Postscript: There are two honorable mention anime I really wanted to talk about but didn’t quite make it onto the list this time. Robotics;Notes came out of nowhere to surprise me with a well-written slice of life story about a school robotics club in an alternate history where robots are a much larger part of daily life. It takes place in the Steins;Gate universe but aside from a couple of Easter eggs this is incidental.

And Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic is absolutely fantastic and maybe my second favorite shonen anime to HeroAca. They’ll both be on next list.

SUPERVERSIVE: Four More Anime Reviews published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames