#reiji kotobuki

[alligaytorswamp]

for the record i would prefer their roles switched but reiji is too nice for this meme

[mandyyz]

Last Years Birthday fanart😭

[amarviy]

i'm excited for the quartet night movie

[sewmice]

QUARTET NIGHT MOVIE POSTER AND RELEASE DATE

Movie releases in Japan May 9th of 2025!!!

Movie website is here!

CD singles TABOO NIGHT XXXX and JINN-Ω-RAY release December 25th 2024!

[zettaireido-emotion]

Camus character analysis: games VS anime

If you finished the Uta no Prince-sama anime and your opinion of this man is "wow, he's kinda terrible," I don't blame you. in fact I've seen a lot of people say this

In this post, I want to talk about his characterization in the games and give my two cents on what the anime was trying to do with him, especially in his single focus episode Saintly Territory (S3E6).

Disclaimer: I wrote this on a whim because I'm sick and stuck at home so if anyone reads this, sorry I might go all over the place

Spoilers for all of the games!

The "be my slave" thing

Starting with Anime Camus's most egregious crime: treating Haruka like a servant/slave (however you want to translate it)

Basically in his focus episode, Haruka is tasked with writing a song for Camus. She wants to learn more about him in order to write it, but Camus will only let her follow him if she acts as his servant. She accepts without complaining, Cecil is rightfully angry, Haruka continues anyway and the song gets completed.

Now, am I about to say that Game Camus would never do this? No because he literally does lmao.

The anime doesn't pull this "servant" plotline out of nowhere, here's the context in his route:

Haruka accidentally overhears Camus talking about a plot to assassinate Saotome on the phone. When he notices that she heard everything, he basically tells her that he has to kill her now. But if she served him, he'd be able to keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't leak anything, so she could escape death.

Okay uh "work under me or DIE" isn't exactly better, nor is it a good start to a love story, but I'm not finished!!

(A side note: I have to add that the anime made him look like an even bigger asshole and borderline dumb when it came to the things he made her do. Like he expected her to know that snapping your fingers means you want coffee without prior explanation. bro

^This might have been for comedic effect but I promise he can be actually funny and endearing.)

What the anime couldn't cover

The Camus episode wraps up with Haruka pulling through and writing a song that makes Camus "sincere," he says it's cool at the very end and that's the episode. I think the problem is that we technically didn't see him being sincere or what that even means to him, besides when he was singing (banger song btw)

It's a shame because in a 20-minute episode you really can't show the game experience of slowly piecing together what this man's problem is.

First of all, in Debut and AS you'll be quick to notice that he always has homeland and duty on the mind, constantly reminding himself that he's in Shining Agency/Japan for a reason, and it's NOT to have fun or make friends

The truth is, he slowly starts to appreciate the banter with his colleagues, music, and working there in general.

But because of his initial mindset, he has to rationalize & justify every connection he forms, like "it's just for work" or worse: "actually it was ALL A LIE and I NEVER ENJOYED A SECOND OF THE TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER, I'm such a great actor haha"

He uses that to fool himself and to push the other person away so it doesn't happen again. This scene is probably the best example:

(I'll be using google lens because it's faster but I checked that the tls were okay)

He also does this in the Non-Fiction drama, which may or may not have actually happened, but I think it's still a pretty good reflection of what could happen in reality because he tells Ranmaru their bond was a lie, then mopes around in his guilt thinking about the good times and wondering why he's sad, and THEN later doubles down on the "it was a lie, I don't care about you" because he just can't let himself get attached to anything.

Basically, he's terrified at the thought of forming actual bonds because he genuinely thinks he's nothing if he stops being a cold weapon:

At one point he does admit he sucks (as a love interest)-

-which is pretty huge by utapri standards. I love these games, but the amount of times where a male lead does something icky, and everyone, including Haruka, acts like it's normal or like it's Haruka's fault is ehhh but I digress

Upbringing

Of course he's very proud of his homeland and status, but sometimes it's to the point of thinking he can't be anything other than his title. So why is he like this?

We got to hear about his childhood from Camus himself a few times, and it often ended with Haruka thinking "wait? that's kinda messed up?" and Camus insisting it's nothing/it's normal so yeah that's something...

His parents were in an unhappy arranged marriage, and his mother was forced to birth an heir which traumatized her so much that she can't see Camus without falling ill. Overall it's a pretty tragic situation since what happened to her was horrible, though not Camus's fault either. Even now she refuses to see him, and I wouldn't say that makes him sad because he never really met her, but simply knowing of her sacrifice probably adds a lot of pressure. As in, he only exists for this one purpose (inheriting his father's title and serving the country), so if he doesn't play his part correctly, it would have all been for nothing.

He was raised by his father not as a child or son but as the heir, always treated and judged as an adult (even during physical training apparently, make of that what you will)

When Haruka asks about childhood memories he has a very hard time finding something that doesn't have to do with his duties or the nation. And then admits he didn't truly have a "childhood" since he was never treated like a child

As for the queen, I think his love for her is sincere: she taught him a lot of things growing up, and according to him, she's also a victim trapped by her duties so he wants to ease the burden.

So hypothetically, if he found things or people that made him happy in Japan, he would feel obligated to lock them away because that happiness is incompatible with his life: he'll have to leave when his mission ends, he shouldn't be spending time on things that aren't "useful" as he doesn't have the free will to pursue them

In his mind he's completely tied down by the fact that he was born and raised for a single reason, and the fact that he does want to serve the queen.

(This is Saotome describing him btw)

Also it might sound ridiculous to bring his self-worth into question because of how pretentious he is, but I've counted a few situations where he seemed to have complete disregard for his own life, only worrying about Haruka and Cecil's safety in scenes when they were present. And he thinks wanting to be loved unconditionally is a childish thought he shouldn't have.

"Double Face" was a lie. There's like at least 10 layers

On the surface he does have two personas, his perfect polite butler act for the media, and his cold bitchy attitude off camera. But honestly, even when he's not acting as a butler, he's often putting up a front to hide any form of vulnerability (from himself as well)

His main struggle is finding who he is outside of what he's being told to do. Before, he never actually stopped to think about what he WANTS because it just never occurs to him, or if it does he ignores it.

That's why realizing that he has his own desires is essential to his character development, and him staying with Quartet Night (and Haruka in his routes) is so important. It's why Reiji feels the need to reach out and when he does, Camus either freezes up or tears up;

This all makes him the opposite of Ranmaru (being true to yourself and sincere), and similar to Ai (gradually learning to view the world in a less cold and logical way), but I kind of want to save that for another post lmao

He is especially hard on Cecil because Cecil says & does whatever he wants, and everything still works out for him, which is a way of life that Camus can't imagine for himself at all (despite maybe wanting it?)

That he can realize this and eventually admit out loud, despite all his pride, is also one of my favorite things about him

Season 2 does hint at something, so that's pretty cool!

Side note, I really love that his theme in the new Oracle series is "Change," the melting of ice.

So what was the anime supposed to do??

Of course there's no way to show all this in a single episode or even during the runtime of the anime, and I never expected them to because the story is very surface-level (that goes for all characters).

It's just unfortunate since the anime is the most accessible and well-known utapri media in the western fandom, and the character's main episode is bound to leave the biggest impression.

I understand the choice of being laser-focused on the servant plotline, it's supposed to be funny (?) and waters him down to a trope that's easy to understand at first glance (the step-on-me guy I guess)

Still, I can't help but compare it to Ranmaru's episode, who was also hard to work with in the games but was chill in S3E7 and got to pet cats. Anime onlys will never know how much Camus loves to dote on his dog smh.....

[kutanagii]

halloween event + krrn scribbles... thank you for the トロメ組 interactions i missed them sm 😞

[kikiy0oo]

utapri shining live card redraw i did a while ago :)) i remember having so much fun drawing thissss!! the ocean theme for this event was so good i loved it so much…😭💕💕 can’t wait for Live Emotion to put out some summery/ oceanic cards/events hehe

[cysf]

Some newly painted little things.

[weenie-kun]

im really glad this set managed to come out before sl got canned

[greyxly]

its all fun and games until they hit you with the "for finding the real me what kind of miracle should I offer to you"

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

ASSMU Behind the Stage Ver.B [Otoya, Tokiya, Reiji, Eiichi, Eiji] - Translation

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

Eiji: Ichinose-san! It's been a while. I'm happy to be able to perform with you again!

Tokiya: I should be the one to say that. I’m looking forward to seeing your wonderful performance up close.

Eiji: (chuckles) When I hear you say that, I feel really motivated!

Tokiya: Let's work together and aim for an exciting show!

Eiichi: I never thought I would see and perform with you again at a live concert, Otoya! Let's showcase it at the venue this time as well. The brilliance of our souls! A true resonance!

Otoya: Y-Yeah, I guess so. You might be exaggerating a bit, but yeah, let's do our best together!

Reiji: Hey, wait a minute! Aren't you all already close? Let me join in, too!

Eiichi: Of course. This performance is only possible when ST☆RISH, HE★VENS, and QUARTET NIGHT are all present. With this lineup, we should be able to reach new heights.

Eiji: I have worked with Camus-san before, but I’ve always wanted to speak with you directly, Kotobuki-san. I’m looking forward to working with you!

Reiji: The same goes for me. How nice! This feels refreshing.

Eiichi: Our objective is to let the Angels experience the best music. Although we are usually members of different groups, I believe it would be wonderful if this could be a moment where we elevate each other.

Reiji: I think so too. Let's talk about some things before we start the lesson so that we can deepen our friendship. Come here, you two. Otoyan and Tokki, wait here for a bit.

Eiji: Alright. What is it?

Tokiya: (distant) Do you think Kotobuki-san is up to no good?

Otoya: (laughs) It's kind of unusual and funny seeing those three huddled together in a corner!

Eiichi: What’s going on? You suddenly leaned in closer, is it some kind of negotiation you can’t tell Otoya or Tokiya?

Reiji: Funfunfun… While I am also interested in that… Having common topics of conversation is important when getting to know each other, right?

Eiichi: Oh?

Eiji: Common topics…?

Reiji: I'll tell you all about those two. I used to live in the same room as them, so I know all sorts of things about Otoyan and Tokki.

Eiichi: About Otoya and…

Eiji: Ichinose-san?!

(Otoya and Tokiya suddenly come up to them)

Reiji: Ack!

Tokiya: It seems we need to have a discussion between us first before you can deepen your friendship with them.

Reiji: N-No, you got it wrong, Tokki! I was just going to talk about trivial things. Just some things that happened in the room we shared during the Master Course, you see...

Tokiya: I have a bad feeling about this.

Otoya: I’m also bothered by it! Shouldn't we talk about Rei-chan instead? Like the story about how he got so engrossed in frying karaage that he nearly set off the fire sprinkler…?

Tokiya: Or that time he almost mistook toothpaste for face wash while still half-asleep in the morning and caused a ruckus…?

Otoya: There’s also that time when the eggs in the refrigerator ran out and all three of us ended up buying a carton so we struggled to eat them for a while.

Tokiya: You don't have to tell them that.

Reiji: You remember it well…! More importantly, stop disclosing my embarrassing moments!

Eiichi: I see. It is precisely because you have such an unreserved relationship that you are able to communicate smoothly and develop an excellent working relationship.

Eiji: (chuckles) You all get along really well.

Otoya: (laughs) You could say that.

Tokiya: I hope there's no misunderstandings.

Eiji: No, I’m really envious. We'll do our best to create enough memorable stories for you to take back home.

Otoya: Eiji is right!

Eiichi: At times, we interact in a friendly and harmonious manner, and at other times, we engage in friendly competition, spending wonderful moments together. Good! Let's work hard to make sure the time we spend together leads to the best live performance!

Tokiya: Now, Kotobuki-san, don't be discouraged and set an example as a senpai.

Eiji: I look forward to receiving your guidance!

Reiji: Yes. If you rely on me, I will do my best to help. Everyone, follow Rei-chan!

Otoya: Yeah!

[textingutapri]

The sequel by popular (me) demand

[mandyyz]

Reiji x Aju nice!

[kingofthenorth]

[sewmice]

More Quartet Night CDs for the TABOO NIGHT XXXX movie have been announced!

Starting on Wednesday, February 5, 2025, solo CDs, duet CDs, and medley CDs of the four members will be released every other week for three consecutive months! You can find the list of CDs, songs, and all details at the website here!

They release in standard order, Reiji through Camus. Then the duet CD with a Reiji and Ranmaru duet, and Ai and Camus duet. Just like SAMURAIZM and UUUU, there is a special edition for each pair but the tracks are the same. The final CD is new medley songs. This contains 1 more Quartet Night song, and then 1 more song per boy with the other 3 as backup vocal/chorus.

All of the solo CDs come with 1 drama track, and the duet and medley CDs have multiple drama tracks.

Ordering each CD through Animate JP or Broccoli before January 26th will get you a special clear card for that CD. Ordering all 6 CDs through Animate JP or Broccoli will get you special bonuses. Animate has an autograph board and 7 CD storage box (you only have to order 1 version of the duet CD, but it will fit both if you get both). And Broccoli will have a drama CD. And then there's lottery prizes from the Animate CDs. This is all very similar to how it was with the QN Solo Best CDs.

All of these CDs should release as usual on US iTunes as well. The only exception will be the previously announced Quartet Night TABOO NIGHT XXXX CD which will likely be streaming only on Spotify and YouTube Music.

[zettaireido-emotion]

Quartet Night being silly in AS/ASAS (part 2)