#review by shuu

[shuubah]

Koisenu Futari Review by a Fellow AroAce

Disclaimer: anybody commenting to tell aros and aces how to feel or their two cents on what’s wrong with us will be blocked right away. 🖤

    2023 has just begun, and the calendar has already changed to the later part of February. It’s that time of the year again. I bet you’re thinking I’m talking about the infamous Valentine’s Day that has already passed 10 days ago. But no, I’m talking about Aromantic Awareness Week that spans from this 19th to 25th February, today. I’m mad amused that it falls in this so-called ‘month of love’. I’ve been awaiting it since last year to finally write a review for the J-drama Koisenu Futari, and I couldn’t ask for a better timing! Oh, love is in the air? I’ve arrived to spray anti-love aerosol! Right about when the others were busy posting in celebration of 14th February, I started writing this in order to make the existences of aros and aces known to more people. Beware of little spoilers here and there in the review. It’s no big deal though, watching the happenings firsthand is more important than the end results for this story.

   Koisenu Futari begins with the fateful encounter of two people who feel neither romantic nor sexual attraction. Kodama Sakuko always feels out of place whenever the topic of romance comes up. It doesn’t help that she’s a grown up woman with a younger sister who’s already married and has a child. Her mother’s continual insistence for her to follow the same path soon makes even the time with her dear family feel oppressive. To make the matters worse, her coworkers harbor the same mindset, with seemingly no place for platonic mingling. Thanks to her job though, she crosses paths with the retail employee Takahashi Satoru, who happens to make an off-handed remark that there’re people in this world who don’t fall in love. It leaves an impression on Sakuko.

   Meanwhile, she plans to share an apartment with her friend and move out of home to escape her mom’s nagging, only to be ditched by the said friend later because apparently she got back with her ex-boyfriend. Frustrated by her inability to fathom people’s fascination with romance, Sakuko searches on the internet about it in the hopes of finding something for better understanding. There, she discovers about aromantic and asexual people for the first time in her life, and feels a connection with the terms. She puts two and two together, speculating that the employee she met in the supermarket just the other day may very well be the one behind the blog post. Filled with excitement to finally stumble upon someone like-minded, she once again appears before Satoru to affirm her conjecture. As they get to discussing about their identities after the confirmation, Sakuko makes a bizarre proposition for the two of them to try living together and see if they can become a family without any romantic feelings involved, much to Satoru’s dismay. He reluctantly agrees when Sakuko manages to persuade him with the problems of both of their current living conditions along with the benefits they both get if she comes to live in his house. And so, the trial for two aroaces to become a family begins.

   As someone who loves hanging around in the online aro and ace communities, and occasionally watches J-dramas, you’d probably expect me to have jumped onto Koisenu Futari as soon as it became available for the international audience. The truth is, I went back and forth for several months before finally sitting down to watch it. Because it revolves around a subject matter that’s very close to my heart and precious to me, I had all the more apprehensions that it might misrepresent us, dance around the concept of being aromantic and asexual without using the specific terms given it’s a Japanese production, and most importantly – an ending that wouldn’t be satisfying for the actual aros and aces. Let’s be honest, it’s difficult to imagine adult aroaces leading happy lives to their likings amidst the busybody culture. I’m usually all for pragmatic conclusions, but it was that one exception when I didn’t want a reality check.

    Now that I’ve finished the full series, did my misgivings hold true? I’m not gonna dillydally and straight-out say it: absolutely… not! However, don’t take this to mean that it’s gonna be a smooth ride. Because from time to time, the turn of events will make you step back and think to yourself, ‘I don’t like this if it’s really going where I think it’s going’ or simply have qualms about how they’re gonna handle a certain predicament. That was the reason why I couldn’t pass a judgment on the show until nearing the end. Several incidents arise in such a short drama, and thankfully every single one of them got an agreeable closure in the end. With the last dilemma of Satoru following his dream versus Sakuko keeping their family together resolved, I must say that I couldn’t ask for a better finale. It’s hands down one of my favorites, the most fulfilling and gratifying ending in a piece of media.

    Speaking of Sakuko and Satoru’s ‘family without romantic feelings involved’, which they like to refer to as “family (subject to change)” for the lack of better words, it can essentially be described as a queerplatonic relationship. I’m not gonna explain what that is for those who got a question mark over their head right now. You can check out this TikTok video that clarifies it better than I ever could in a few sentences (that one time TikTok became accurate and helpful). One thing though, take what I said as more of a headcanon than an absolute truth. Because it took me a while to take a step back and remind myself that a relationship is queerplatonic only when the people involved in it decide to define it as one. Otherwise, it’d be no different than alloromantic people forcibly claiming a non-romantic relationship is “romantic” regardless of the said pair’s negation just to suit their own fancy. But I’m pretty sure the real reason in the case of Koisenu Futari is because the term “queerplatonic” just doesn’t exist in Japanese, and they’re not familiar with this English word either. Yep, that’s one of my initial doubts right there.

    It’s fine though, because the two fundamental and crucial terms are there at least. That’s right, the words “aromantic” and “asexual” have made their way into the Japanese vocabulary! Albeit, they’re said in the Japanesque style. Given how the Japanese people speak English words, I thought the abbreviations – “aro” and “ace” – would be pronounced as “âro” (アロ) and “ēsu” (エース). But they turned out to be “âroma” (アロマ) and “âseku” (アセク) instead, short for “âromanchikku” (アロマンチック) and “âsekusharu” (アセクシャル). Though, â might be the wrong phonetic in these cases. I guess I should’ve known, since Japanese people have this habit of taking English words and shortening them to their liking for convenience. Though, I’ve found that there is one actual Japanese word for asexual, musei (無性). But of course, it pertains to reproduction. And it’s no surprise either that there doesn’t seem to be any word for aromantic. Ah, the temptation I feel to crack the notorious ‘asexuals are plants’ joke right now…

    Ahem! Forget that for now, because I’m about to impart an illuminating piece of information that I picked out thanks to Koisenu Futari. It’s revealed in one episode that in Japan, the very word for “romance” was conceived in the Meiji era (1868-1912), and the values associated with it were nonexistent prior to that. Doesn’t it almost sound like romantic attraction is a concoction of the modern period, similar to how queerphobics complain that aromanticism, asexuality and other queer identities are newfangled fads? When you put it that way without further context, it probably does. To fully understand what this fact actually entails, we need to elaborate on the said Japanese word, “ren’ai” (恋愛). Take this with a grain of salt as I’m not an expert, but from what I’ve gathered so far with my limited knowledge of the Japanese language as well as the culture, renai is more about the whole affair of finding a love interest, getting into a romantic relationship, and engaging in sexual activities than it is about the matter of attraction itself. So, in essence, it’s not opening up a debate as to since when the Japanese people have started feeling romantic attraction, but rather when the idea of pursuing romance came into being in the land. Having played otome games set in the Meiji and the consequent Taishou era (1912-1926), I can tell that taking a lover wasn’t a common practice back then. Sure, those aren’t the most accurate and reliable depiction of history, but when even dating sims can’t play it up, that speaks for itself.

    Looking at Japan isn’t even necessary to recognize the veracity of the bottom line of this. Coming from an Asian country myself, once upon a time, romantic relationships were frowned upon like it was one of the biggest disgraces to ever happen to a family here, if not the biggest one. Nowadays, most families have grown to become more accepting of young adults getting into romantic relationships and marrying a partner of their choice, what with dating becoming more and more of a commonplace. It’d be fine if that was all there was though, but it has reached the point where I went to listen to a popular native podcast of ours around the time of Valentine’s Day, and it started with the anecdote of a high school guy asking around on social media if it was abnormal for him to not have a girlfriend yet, and if he should do something to find someone. The face I was making then was probably a sight to behold, since I instantly turned into a fine real life specimen of the “IGHT IMMA HEAD OUT” meme of Spongebob. That, my reader, is what we call amatonormativity.

    All this fuss about being single isn’t so much about attraction as it’s about compulsively following specific customs just to fit in with everyone else (not saying everyone who desires a romantic relationship is like this), as if we’re all dolls with the same features, manufactured together in a set. If we’re really going with the excuse of loneliness, wouldn’t it mean the humans, living in the olden days when romantic partners weren’t prevalent and corporations didn’t promote Valentine’s Day for the sake of profit, were the loneliest of all? And if it’s because it’s in our nature to want to be loved and cared for, how come many of the present-day surveys and statistics tell us that humans are suffering from loneliness more than ever before as the time goes on, when everyone’s getting into romantic relationships left and right? Doesn’t it seem to say something about today’s attachments and connections that are so sought-after? You’ve probably heard of the saying, “gender is a social construction.” Now if I may, hoping I won’t be skewered and grilled for this, “romance” is a social construction. Emphasis goes to the quotation marks. It makes sense when you learn about all the different kinds of attractions that exist, and how they can be mutually inclusive when it comes to certain actions, varying from person to person.

    I may have gotten somewhat derailed from the review, but it matters not. The focus of it isn’t just on Koisenu Futari being a J-drama, but spreading awareness about aromanticism and asexuality. Besides, I can imagine Satoru nodding in agreement with me and saying the same. Throughout the series, he often talks about amatonormativity with Sakuko and sometimes the others. That was a characteristic absolutely indispensable for him as well as the drama to be so relatable to the aros and aces. Screwing with rubbish societal norms isn’t enough, the need to rant about the dozens of distresses that suck the life outta us day in and day out is at the center of this ordeal. He’s an excellent embodiment of our thoughts and feelings. On the other side, Sakuko finds herself in messes that are the pictures of of our day-to-day troubles.

     The pair’s contrasting personalities also create a great juxtaposition for two aroaces. From my observation, for Sakuko, her aromantic aspect is prevailing to her identity; while for Satoru, it’s his asexuality. Sakuko is amicable, social and cherishes those dear to her. Romantic interests of the others towards her, however, puts her at a loss. Her encounter and conversations with Satoru – who’s the only aroace she personally knows – helps her to gather her thoughts regarding her orientation and get better at dealing with those situations little by little. In turn, living with Sakuko and spending time with those around her gradually alleviates the emptiness in Satoru’s life left by the death of his dearest grandmother. He has always carried around regret in his heart for being unable to confide in the only person close to him about his identity, as well as his incapability to grant her a grandkid when he was her only family. After all, not only is he a sex-repulsed ace, but touch-repulsed altogether. To top it all off, the meddlesome attitudes and comments from his surroundings have him jaded, so much so that he doesn’t even want the understanding of others. When communication fails again and again because people refuse to see things from someone else’s perspective or just accept them as they’re due to their fundamental differences from each other, shutting them off may be the only option left. His no-nonsense, solitary disposition very much resonates with me, although personality-wise, I may or may not appear closer to Sakuko on the outside.

    Setting aside the protagonists, I must bestow the titles of honorable mention and best side character to Matsuoka Kazu. Don’t get your hopes up right away though, because he’s gonna get on your nerves as soon as he gets involved with the plot. He’s the personification of the traits that make aros and aces roll their eyes, being insufferable at times. You’re probably gonna hate him, which you’re supposed to, until you start appreciating his character development. He goes from the greatest menace to the greatest supporter of Sakuko. Not to mention, I couldn’t have discovered the above-mentioned history of “renai” without him, since he’s the reason why Satoru goes off lecturing about it! Honestly, our lives would be much gentler if more of the aphobics could grow to be thoughtful of us like he does. Even Sakuko’s family members come around to a considerable extent. I was touched by her parents’ acceptance of her, albeit one outright and one reluctant. Meanwhile, her sister’s story is a good example of how life’s rhythm can be easily thrown off when it’s mainly build around just a romantic partner.

    Keep in my mind though, this is a Japanese show, so it goes without saying that the narrative is going to follow the style of their dramas. The biggest complaint I hear in regard to J-dramas is that they contain too much of overacting, and I can totally see where it’s coming from. Koisenu Futari though, in my opinion, is the opposite of that. Subtlety is an integral quality of it, not that there is no exaggerated reactions whatsoever. Sakuko and Satoru in particular make these faint yet distinct facial expressions that seem to say more than their words. Their respective stars, Kishii Yukino and Takahashi Issei, were the perfect choices for the roles. Takahashi Issei’s acting especially feels like Satoru’s character was made to be portrayed by him. They even share the same surname and all! I was surprised and delighted to find out he’s the one who voiced Amasawa Seiji, the deuteragonist of Studio Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart. Acting is acting, I guess. As for the supporting cast of Koisenu Futari, the performances that stood out in my eyes were Sakuko’s longtime friend Kadowaki Chizuru, played by Kojima Fujiko, and Sakuko’s father Kodama Hiromi, played by Koichi Mantaro. They left an impression on me.

    In spite of all the praises I’m singing about Koisenu Futari, I still can’t say that I’d absolutely recommend any and every aromantic and asexual person to watch it. This might sound like it came from the left field, but it’s actually for their sake. Because this isn’t as simple as a fantasy show or something where two characters are specified to be aroaces since they couldn’t care less about romance and sex. Rather, it’s a true-to-life depiction of the issues that come with identifying with these labels. The alienation and loneliness resulting from being “different”, falling apart of friendships due to romantic interest of the other party, vexation stemming from the inability to relate and thus empathize with those going through heartbreaks, aphobic belief that aros have it easy just because they don’t have romantic entanglements to worry about, family and societal pressure to get married and have kids, apprehension regarding the future that’ll likely be lonesome otherwise — all these difficulties experienced by aros and/or aces are remarkably brought out. In short, the plot is all about trying to navigate this world full of amatonormativity, heteronormativity and allonormativity. And as much as it feels great to see our representation, such a high level of relatability also means it can be triggering to see the exact same things that distress us in our everyday lives.

   I, for one, was left overwhelmed by the very first episode. Sakuko’s excitement over the initial living arrangement with her friend reflects the deepest desire of my heart that has been there since forever. I’m definitely not the only one; for many aros and/or aces, it’s a situation that’s considered a dream come true. Except the ingrained relationship hierarchy, where romantic partners are put above everyone else, pretty much always turns it into a pipe dream. After finishing that episode, I had to sit in silence for a while, trying hard to contain my emotions. On top of it, what occurs between the two of them later hit too close to home, again. Watching it unfold almost felt like a personal attack, the thought ‘I’m in this drama, and I don’t like it!’ running through my mind all the while. However, I have to admit that the last scene of the drama makes it worth it. The image of Sakuko happily cycling down the road with the most heartfelt, carefree smile on her face screamed freedom to me. Then revisiting the drama in order to write this review aroused the displeasure in me along with the appreciation all over again. It’s really up to how much an individual viewer can take depending on their mental state.

    For alloromantic and allosexual people though, I’d definitely recommend them to complete Koisenu Futari. Not merely because otherwise they’d be missing out on a wonderful show, but mostly because it’s important that they come to see things from aromantic and asexual people’s viewpoint. Of course, for one thing, you can avoid upsetting them and treat them right when you know better. Now, you may ask, what’s the odd of you running into an aro and/or ace when those’re such rare orientations? The thing is, many of us go through an identity crisis at the beginning because we’re never taught about the very existences of aromanticism and asexuality in the first place. It needs to become a common knowledge like homosexuality, bisexuality etc. Even when we do get to know who we are, we still feel the need to keep this intrinsic part of our personality to ourselves because of ignorant people’s hurtful attitude. So, if you’ve already proved yourself to be uncomfortable for the topic, the possibility of you being privy to the fact of someone you know being an aro and/or ace is very low in the first place.

   This obliviousness isn’t harming only aros and aces though, it concerns you, and your near and dear ones, too. Why do I say that? Well, once you step into the world of aromanticism and asexuality, your eyes will open to a whole bunch of problems around us, as well as a whole lot of ways of life. Namely, the clutch that amatonormativity, heteronormativity and allonormativity have on us, and how liberating living can be if you get to defy them. I can’t go into the details of what they mean in this review. You can always search on Google and Tumblr to learn their definitions, etymologies and implications. All I’ll say is that the Four Horsemen (including platonormativity) of the ‘love and sex are what make you human’ bullshit go hand in hand with misogyny, sexism, toxic gender stereotypes, toxic masculinity, domestic violence, colorism, body shaming, ableism and many, many more severe social issues. It’s impossible to escape them so long as you live in the society. So when you really think about it, being aphobic is basically advocating for your own victimization and/or decadence. Although, I suppose something as ridiculous as aphobia prevails at all is because the mere existences of aros and aces challenge the beliefs and learning that alloallo people have nurtured throughout their lifetime. It’s human nature to feel threatened by something they don’t understand. But on the other hand, broadening your worldview with the aromantic and asexual perspectives serves to benefit you regardless of your orientation. Personally speaking, even if I don’t identify as an aroace someday, I’d still be grateful for everything I’ve been taught thanks to it. I wouldn’t exchange this experience and thought process for anything.

   If there’s one flaw of Koisenu Futari though, it has to be its approach of aromanticism and asexuality being largely inadequate. The matters are explored through the two protagonists only, resulting in a limitation as to which facets of the orientations can be introduced to the viewers. There is this one time when Sakuko attends a gathering of aros and aces, but it’s way too short to put enough emphasis on the briefly discussed topics: the spectrums’ independence from each other, and the variation in individual preferences. That’s right, aromantic and asexual are the umbrella terms for two separate spectrums. You must’ve already noticed my continual usage of “and/or” until now, that’s because being a part of one spectrum doesn’t necessarily connote being a part of the other. Both of them also consist of a wide range of microlabels, and those’re contradistinctive at times. I daresay, compared to the entire populace of the rest of the world, I’ve witnessed way more diversity in these tiny communities that’re more or less close to the population of Denmark. A series could cast a dozen of aro and ace characters, but many of the particularities would still end up left out. Given the acute lack of our representation in the media, a complete drama dedicated to us is already an absolute blessing. Even just two characters, who’re gateway to the plain basics, are a great starting point. That’s all well and good, but the problem is that those who aren’t well-informed with the comprehensive nitty-gritties might develop a rigid concept of the identities, and thus question the validity of those of us who don’t fit the mold.

  I’d suggest alloromantic, allosexual and questioning folks to take Koisenu Futari as a stepping-stone to learn about aromanticism and asexuality. Thanks to Kaizen Subs, it’s accessible for the international audience. They did such a fantastic job with the subtitling. I don’t wish to depreciate any fansubbers who pour so much hard work into voluntarily providing English subtitles, but I also can’t deny that I often come across translations that’re far cry from the actual speeches. I was afraid the same might happen to Koisenu Futari, especially due to the lingos in the aro and ace communities that’re foreign to the outsiders. It was an utter relief to discover that it wasn’t the case. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find somebody else’s style of translating similar to mine for the first time as a translator. Personal reflection aside, this is your cue to watch the drama. Visit this link to download the subtitles. Just rename the files corresponding to the episode file names on your device, and it’ll make the subtitles automatically show up on the videos when you open them, whether it’s on computer or phone. Oh, and where to find the raw episodes? That question’s a no-no in public, but here goes: Đ Ɽ ₳ ₥ ₳ ₵ Ø Ø Ⱡ

  My only sincere request is for people to keep an open mind, about us and about the world. Koisenu Futari’s MyDramaList entry used to have the “naïve female lead” tag before, and that was more than enough infantilization of aroaces. Look at it this way, romantic and/or sexual attractions can be considered ghosts to us. Almost everybody around us claim to be able to see them, those who’re chasing after them. They ask us why we can’t perceive them. It’s because they only ever exist in the tales of others, not in our own realm, at least not without the exact same power. Maybe some of us have barely happened to encounter them at some point, but unsure of whether those’re actual ghosts or some other apparitions. Some can only see them once in a blue moon, under specific conditions. Some adore the idea of ghosts and their stories, regardless of their ability to sense them or the wish to interact with them in person. At any rate, we all belong under the hefty green or purple umbrella, or where they both blend in to take on blue, orange and yellow colors; our very own spaces beneath the rainbow.

  It’s okay if you can’t grasp our hues right away. You can take your time. If it still doesn’t help, that’s okay, too. What’s not okay is dehumanizing or demonizing us. Don’t forget that humans are abusing and destroying each other in the name of love all the time. If you believe it’s a lie or an exaggeration, then open your eyes, strain your ears and take in what’s happening throughout the world. There’re more important things than love, attraction or even comprehension. Remember that consideration, compassion, communication and consent can go a long way to bring about happiness and peace in life. Also, please refrain from shoving “B-but aromantic/asexual people can feel romantic/sexual attraction and/or engage in such activities!” and other bigot commentaries down our throat. That’ll be all from me.

  Happy aromantic awareness week! It’s coming to an end soon, but may the awareness stick around.

Headers' credit: theprideful

“amatanormativity will not save you" flag credit: rjalker

[medea10]

My Review of Shikimori Isn’t Just a Cutie

How did I get into this anime? I added this just for the hell of it in the middle of its run on TV. That’s it! On with the synopsis!

Yuu Izumi is a second-year high school student. He is one of the unluckiest people to walk the earth. Just about anything can trip him up like rocks, bird droppings, truck exhaust fumes, and other random things. But there’s one thing in his life that makes all the unlucky things that happen even out and that’s his girlfriend, Shikimori. No first name given, she’s just Shikimori. She’s cute, bubbly, popular, all of the girls love her and all the boys are jealous that she’s taken…

And all I can see is that pink hair! Call it a prejudice, but due to certain animes I have a massive distrust of girl anime characters with pink hair. What’s this girl’s deal?

Like a light switch, Shikimori’s demeanor can change. One minute, she’s the sweetest thing ever and the next, I have a twinge of fear and can’t help but think Izumi is going to be dead next to her. Whenever this happens, Izumi’s heart skips a beat. He sees this as her cool side peeking out and makes him love her even more. Whatever bro! Let’s just see how you are 12 episodes later and if you still have your head attached.

BETWEEN THE SUB AND DUB: Crunchyroll is the one streaming, pimping, and dubbing this bitch. I ended up watching most of the anime dubbed. The dub is okay. I really can’t criticize the main cast and haven’t really heard them up to this point. The minor characters on the other hand I’m well familiar with.

Legit query here! Is Inuzuka a screaming maniac? I ask because BOTH voice actors did Bakugo and…you know! It’s not essential to the plot, but Crunchyroll added a few commentary episodes to the roster. If you’re interested in hearing the commentary from the Japanese cast, might check that out. They all seemed to have a blast recording this anime. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Izumi is played by Shuuichirou Umeda

*Shikimori is played by Saori Oonishi (known for Hisako on Food Wars, Muramasa on Eromanga Sensei, Doppel on Monster Musume, and Non on Keijo!!!!!!!!)

ENGLISH CAST: *Izumi is played by Bryson Baugus (known for Falco on Attack on Titan, Takumi on Food Wars, Natsuo on Domestic Girlfriend, Darling on Monster Musume, and Minato on Tsurune)

*Shikimori is played by Macy Ann Johnson (known for Emile on Spy x Family and Chie on Higurashi Gou)

SHIPPING: I think the question that’s on most of our minds is this, how did this relationship between Shikimori and Izumi start? Izumi has got to be one of the unluckiest characters in anime history. I feel like Touma from the Index series and Seita from Tenchi Muyo GXP got him beat, but damn this guy is cursed! Give these boys some credit, these unlucky characters can get quite lucky when it comes to women (some of the time). It’s been a while since I’ve seen it in a non-harem setting. Good on Izumi as he only has one girl. When it comes to Izumi and Shikimori, they both really do like each other. When they first hooked up, they were both aware of each other’s existence. It’s just that a matchmaking game at the culture festival during their first year in high school kinda fueled things for a relationship. That’s how we got Izumi x Shikimori.

Izumi loves his girlfriend’s cute moments and her ‘cooler’ moments. Ah yes, those moments! Shikimori has cool moments like when she’s shielding Izumi from some kind of misfortune. But there are these other moments where jealousy arises. She gets jealous!

And the person she gets jealous over is Izumi’s guy-friend Inuzuka. Really?! Her jealousy is towards this butt-for-brains?

She’s not even jealous when someone like Kamiya comes along. Kamiya knew Izumi before going out with Shikimori, she’s pretty, and has a lot of pent-up feelings for Izumi. Instead, Shikimori was understanding and Kamiya puts her feelings on hold. Who does this?! But I did feel a little bit sorry for Kamiya due to her being friend-zoned. I’ve been in that position before and it never gets easier to deal with.

ENDING: So, we’ve covered the culture festival, the sports festival, one of the main character’s birthdays, and an anniversary. That’s most things an anime would do for a finale and we’re not even close to the Christmas holiday. Actually, we’re ending the season with Izumi and Shikimori planning on going to an amusement park for a date. Shikimori is especially excited for this as she was taken in by a cute commercial featuring a bunch of couples. We then proceed to the best episode this series has to offer. This episode consisted of flashbacks of Izumi and Shikimori prior to both meeting each other.

In his early days, Izumi felt so cursed by his bad luck that he sacrificed going on a field trip he was looking forward to due to his fear of bringing bad luck to his friends. With Shikimori’s past we saw that she really didn’t have a personality of her own as she would always follow what her brother or mother would do. It wasn’t until the end of her middle school days that she changed things up and did things her own way. At the high school entrance exam and the result day, Izumi and Shikimori met. Shikimori helped Izumi and Izumi thought she was so cool and cute. Now that wasn’t the start of their relationship as it came later that school year at the culture festival! This was more of the spark that started the fire.

Moving on to the big date, Izumi’s bad luck didn’t seem to ruin much of the day as one would anticipate. Despite having to wait 90 minutes for a popular ride, Izumi and Shikimori enjoyed each other’s company throughout the wait. And even though their reservations at the restaurant went bust, they were upgraded to a fancy, upstairs table with a four-course meal. And even though Shikimori’s chances of kissing Izumi were dashed during the Sleeping Beauty ride, she got something unexpected on the gondola that night.

I know it was just a kiss on the cheek, but it was cute.

You know what? Most of this anime did bore me a bit. I don’t know, I got tired of seeing Izumi get struck with bad luck throughout the majority of the series. It dragged on and you’re just saying to yourself, “no one is that unlucky”. I mean, this guy’s bad luck is inching closer to Touma from the Index/Railgun series and Seina from Tenchi Muyo GXP. But then you get these moments in the anime that kinda bring you back. Episodes 11 & 12 were definitely the best ones, but I also like the side stuff with Kamiya. I just think there are many other romcoms out there you could be watching instead of this one. But that’s just me. If you want to check out an unlucky dip and his super-woman, pink-haired girlfriend, be my guest.

Crunchyroll has all of the episodes subbed and dubbed, plus several episodes with commentary from the Japanese cast.

[aromantickaneki]

@ghoulsagainsthumanity how dare you hide this in the tags

really? you’re STILL hung up on me trying to kill you? it was only on like twenty separate occasions. Grow up

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Grand Edition ☽ Genteiban Special Booklet Translation ☽ Diaboy Q&A 1 (Ayato)

Original title: DIABOLIK LOVERS Grand Edition 限定版スペシャルブックレット English translation by @otomehonyaku Click here for the scans (thank you to @karleksmumskladdkaka for providing the scans!)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The special booklet included with the limited version of Grand Edition (for the Switch) contains a Q&A section in which the Diaboys ask each other questions and discuss their answers. They're divided into 10 discussions, so I'll divvy up my translations accordingly. The first question was asked by Ayato. Have fun reading!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

QUESTION 1. Gimme me your best takoyaki shop recommendations! (Ayato)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Reiji: … [Sigh].

Shuu: I get why you feel like sighing, but aren’t you supposed to be the straight man (1) in our family?

Reiji: I have no recollection of taking on such a role! Good grief…

Yuma: Whoa now, aside from the fact that I don't like they way y'all look down on us, why’s this question limited to takoyaki to begin with?

Ruki: I agree. This question would be much easier to answer if you just asked for recommended restaurants in general, but… We don’t even eat takoyaki that often.

Ayato: Huh? You’re missin’ out on some delicious food. I could eat takoyaki for every meal every day.

Kanato: I do not care about takoyaki, but I would be happy to eat only sweets for my three meals a day.

Subaru: Heh. As if Reiji would ever allow that.

Kou: Me, me! I have one! I did a food review of a really good takoyaki stand for work the other day! I’ll tell you where it is later ♪

Ayato: Oh, there’s someone among those Mukami bastards who actually knows what I’m talkin’ about!

Azusa: I’m sorry, Ayato… I don’t really eat out much, so… I don’t know…

Laito: Well then, it seems that everyone except Kou’s answer is “I don’t know.” I’ll ask the next question ♪

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

(1) 突（つ）っ込（こ）み：Not in a sexuality kind of way! In this context, you could translate this as the ‘straight’ or more serious man as opposed to the ‘idiot’ (ぼけ), which are terms used for Japanese comedy duos. Reiji tends to be the serious one in the Sakamaki family—someone who tries to keep the family together (and often barely manages it). 

[sebluvsmetal]

Hiya! You think I can please request Reiji and Shuu fluff headcannons, like before they started their fight? (My favorite brother pairing <33)

i believe the fight you were referring to was before reiji burnt down edgar's village. and i agree, these two would seem so wholesome if they didn't have so much beef lmao

BOUND BY BLOOD

Pairing: Reiji Sakamaki, Shuu Sakamaki Headcanons

"Reiji, come on! Let's play," whined Shuu, tugging on his younger brother's sleeve. "I have to study," Reiji replied, magenta eyes emptily scanning over the book page. Though, he felt more inclined to join his brother in a game of tag. "Come on, just one game?" Shuu pleaded, as Reiji heaved a sigh and wordlessly put down his book. At his brother's agreement, Shuu jumped up and down in excitement and pulled him away.

These two were inseparable. Despite Reiji's stoic demeanor, he clearly loved his brother.

They often spent their free time playing games together in the great expanse of the dense forest surrounding their manor, usually when their mother was away.

"Found you," the dark-haired boy smirked, putting a hand on his elder brother's shoulder as he shrieked in surprise. "Reiji? How?!" Shuu exclaimed, puffing his cheeks as Reiji chuckled.

Even as Beatrix attempted to pull the blonde back into his studies, he dared defy her when he was spending time with his younger brother.

Sometimes, when Shuu did have to study, he dragged Reiji along with him for help.

"Wait, Reiji. Why is this wrong?" Shuu pouted in confusion, tilting his head as he pointed to his answer marked with an X. "Substitute x as 11," Reiji replied, writing down all the steps and patiently explaining the process to his brother.

Whenever Shuu had exams, Reiji would always help him review and get better results. Being levels ahead of his elder brother benefitted both parties a lot.

"Reiji, look! I got perfect because of you!" Shuu grinned, flashing the A+ in front of the magenta-eyed vampire's face as he embraced the younger boy in appreciation.

Surprisingly, Reiji did get nightmares. Some shaking him up to the point where all he could do was pace in his room and ponder. He was still a young boy, after all.

At these moments, he'd teleport into the blue-eyed boy's room, though with reluctance. He always ensured he was unseen and that Shuu was alone.

As daylight poured in through the windows, Reiji rushed to shut the blinds. His bare feet padded on the wooden floor as he put a finger in front of his lips, Shuu's face curled into a confused expression. "Reiji? What are you doing here?" The taller boy frowned. Reiji only stared into his ocean blue eyes intently before walking to the bed quietly. As the cogs in his brain turned, Shuu gasped and leaped onto his bed next to his brother. "Ah! Did you have a nightmare?" He asked, as Reiji's eyes widened. He furrowed his brows, letting out a whispered 'shhh' as Shuu nodded. "Okay, got it. You can sleep here. Wanna cuddle?"

With Shuu's energy and Reiji's cold front, the two were an unlikely pair.

They were like peas in a pod; wherever Shuu was, Reiji followed, unnoticed by all. Almost like his own shadow.

The brothers' bond, however, was unfortunately fragile.

MASTERLIST i really wanted to blend some mini scenarios in! it doesn't really fit the format for headcanons, but i hope you enjoyed anyway : )

[tomikashii]

tokyo debunker : asking the ghouls to do the “jacked & kind” tiktok trend! (tokyo debunker OC edition !)

reblog this post with what would your tokyo debunker oc do if they were asked to do the “jacked & kind” tiktok trend ! 🤭

here are what my two ocs would do :

shuu tachibana

knows the trend because hana told him about it before.

lifts you up like it's nothing and place you on his shoulder . after the song cue ends, he place you back down & ask to review the video

would ask to re-take it again if it looks forced and awkward. he is actually pretty into this trend.

hana tachibana

would love to do the trend but she isn't that confident to carry you 🥹 (she believes she isn't that strong and is afraid to drop you)

so what you guys did was you asked her older brother to carry you both instead 😋

#everythingispushedtotheolderbrother 🤙🏻

[thefinalcinderella]

Tsurune Book 3 Afterword

Full list of translations here

Time for my unsolicited book review!

Tsurune Book 3 is one of the books of all time.

I'm not trying to be funny, that is my true opinion about this book.

I've said before that it feels like the author was forced to write this book in a hurry, and after finishing it, I can only say that those feelings have only grown stronger. I think the author was going for an abstract and spiritual feeling but it didn't really work out. It only made the story hard to follow, and the tendency for the novel to jump from topic to topic seemingly at random didn't help. It's probably super obvious in the author's head, but that doesn't matter if the reader can't follow their thinking. I really do question what the editors are doing because I'm not sure if they're giving the author proper feedback.

The novel also suffers from trying to do a lot but not doing any of it satisfactorily. It introduced a lot of new characters and plot points but never really did anything with them?? The new first-years faded out of the story after the beginning and idek what's going on with Kuon. As for the new school Haneina...the author just gave them one """quirky""" trait each and called it a day. It kinda happened with Tsujimine too but it was more subtle with them, and I think the central relationship of Nikaidou and Fuwa was compelling and well-written. Asahina and Eddie, on the other hand, are just really weird?? I honestly don't understand what their narrative role is supposed to be??

This might be a controversial opinion but I feel like the anime tells a more coherent, polished version of the story. I was rewatching it the other day and I was kind of blown away by how the visual quality improved between the seasons. S1 was definitely not bad looking but S2 is just *chef's kiss*. Idk if there's going be an S3 but it will be interesting to see how (or if) they adapt book 3

Anyways i don't want to say that book 3 is kinda pointless since it did give us some reveals (perhaps unnecessarily) but on the other hand...i feel like book 2 had a nice ending for the series as a whole as well? idk. if there is going to be a book 4, i hope it will be all about Kazemai hunting down Masa-san's bio dad

Thanks for following along with me! I know I've been really slow with this so im glad people are still interested haha

Previous |

This happened when I was reading a certain foreign novel’s translated version. As I was reading through the point of view of a character whose first-person pronoun was “私” (watashi), I came across a surprising description. To my surprise, the character I thought was a woman suddenly started to shave their beard. Later, I learned that there was an unspoken rule that men used “watashi” written in kanji, and women used “watashi” written in katakana.

Minato’s personal pronoun is “ore” in hiragana. It encompasses the meaning of “undifferentiated,” someone of unknown gender who is neither male or female, although his physical body is that of a boy. Nanao’s pronoun is “ore” written in katakana, a person of unknown nationality who can’t be classified as either Japanese or foreign, a person who wavers between the two, a hybrid existence that crosses that line. Takigawa Masaki is also someone who hovers between “human” and “not human,” so his name is written as “Masa-san” (マサさん) in the text. Shuu is also a character who is in between.

I’m attracted to such “fluctuating” and “swaying” things. Things that can’t fixed or distinguished in form or state, as changeable as “water.” Kaleidoscopic freedom and loneliness are two sides of the same coin. People who fluctuate cannot stay in one place, and instability follows. Because they can’t be classified, they do not belong anywhere, nor can they be emphasized with. I wanted to somehow hold back those who can’t stop walking. I wrote this story because I wanted them by my side.

Changing the topic, I was on my way home from a domestic trip. After spending a relaxing time listening to the chirping of birds on an isolated island, I heard a large explosion sound when I got off at a certain station in Tokyo. The warning signal of a train entering the station continued to sound, and announcements reverberated from all over. I forgot to bring my earphones, so I was unable to plug my ears and ran all the way to the edge of the platform. Glowing neon lights reflected diffusely, and the words on billboards and other signs crowded in my field of vision like a herd of horses. I almost thought that I had time travelled back to wartime. We had become so accustomed to the flood of sound, light, and text that we don’t realize we’re on the verge of drowning.

Tsurune is the story of masters and disciples and bow friends with the theme of rebirth, and it began as the story of seven archers. The theme of Volume 3 is “Meigen, that is the sound of the dawn,” and I wrote about shari kenshou (seeing true nature through the shot).

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the making of this book: Koyama Kyugu-sama, who I’ve interviewed, T-sama of the KA Esuma Bunko Editorial Department, Kyoto Animation-sama who was in charge of illustrations, the proofreaders, the novel’s official website, the printing company, and the distributors. The letters I’ve received are my treasures, and I have displayed them in my tokonoma alcove. I would like to thank my beloved kyudo teachers and bow friends, my precious friends, and my supportive family.

Last but not least, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the readers who have read this far.

I hope for the day when the beautiful tsurune of the archers will resound.

Ayano Kotoko

Spring 2022

Previous |

[bowcrazy]

Tsurune Character Songs Album Translations - Masterlist

Up Stairs (Narumiya Minato, Takehaya Seiya)

Crossover (Nikaidou Eisuke, Fuwa Koushirou)

Ari no Mama de (Yamanouchi Ryouhei, Kisaragi Nanao)

Growing Up (Onogi Kaito, Kisaragi Nanao)

Gekkou (Takigawa Masaki)

Kyoumei (Narumiya Minato, Fujiwara Shuu)

Translations by: Mod Yumi

Edited by: Mod Optimus Prime

Stay tuned for an album review!

[shimmerloid-ai]

Preliminary Considerations - Which Vocal Synthesizer Software is Right for You? - Free Softwares

Although this blog puts a major emphasis on the VOCALOID 4 editor, it, or VOCALOID in general, is not the only vocal synthesizer that exists. There are tons of other software that have the same function and a variety of different voicebanks, with some being cheaper and of higher quality than VOCALOID, or even free! That’s right, there are quite a few free vocal synthesizers out there (however the lack of frills may come at the expense of some missing features or difficulty of usage), which I recommend trying out before pouring your hard-earned savings on a program that you may not even use. What if you learn that you do not enjoy tuning or do not have the time to use the software? It would be a huge waste of money that could be invested in other stuff, such as basic necessities (GOOD FOOD) or other leisurely items, like video games, clothing from your favourite bands, art supplies, or merchandise. In addition, there has been a rise of a lot of smaller companies coming out with vocal synthesizers with incredible UIs that not only look appealing but are easy to navigate, and voicebanks that sound far too human and advanced than hATsUnE mIKU (don’t worry, I love Miku with all my heart, I am just trying to prove a point here). There are also some really sick features that you may not find in the franchises with bigger names.

In this post, I will be describing the features of different free vocal synthesizers and their advantages and disadvantages so you can find the one that meets your vocalo-p needs. Please note, I do not own all of these synthesizers, some of these are from reviews on Reddit and VocaVerse Network. In addition, some cons like lag could just be a me problem and better computers may not experience such issues. Also , I will not be covering every single singing synthesizer in existence, just the well known ones and those with proper UIs because there are so many. I am omitting NEUTRINO because it does not have a UI despite having such high-quality vocals, along with ALTER/EGO, as it does not have a piano roll.

UTAU

(Song: Meltdown by iroha(sasaki); UST: Tanjiro Taidana)

UTAU was designed to be the free sister software to VOCALOID. Not only can you use it without spending a cent, but it allows you to make your own voicebank as well! There are tons of popular voicebanks out there, including the Vipperloids, Gahata Meiji, Kohaku Merry, Matsudappoiyo, Denatsu Sora, Shuu Mawaine, and my personal favourite, SUZU.

Pros: 

Almost every single voicebank is free to download

Different types of voicebanks (CV, VCV, CCVC; Monopitch vs. Multipitch; Power, Weak, Soft, Whisper, Growl, Screamo; tons of languages)

Can make your own voicebank right in the software

Pitch bending on the piano roll instead of a parameter box!

Variety of job plugins to make usage easier

Credited for its growl and vibrato handling

Cons:

EXTREMELY dated, UTAU has not been updated since 2013

Not friendly for beginners, especially due to its old UI

Need to change your system's locale, and installing voicebanks can be frustrating

Most voicebanks (namely Japanese) can only read Hiragana phonemes and not Romaji ones; but job plug-ins can fix this issue

Open Utau

(Song: The Lost One's Weeping by neru; UST: Tanjiro Taidana)

If UTAU is the sister software to VOCALOID, then Open Utau is the younger sibling to normal UTAU. Open Utau is an open-sourced vocal synthesizer on GitHub with every feature in the original software while being easier to use.

Pros:

Dark mode with a sleek, easy-to-navigate UI!

Pitchbend with a click of a button; piano roll tuning is still consistent

Splice tool; useful for note-bending

No need to switch locale to Japanese

Easier to get the hang of

Frequent updates

Can use VSQXs and svps. without needing to convert them into USTs

Cons:

No Defoko…

Choppier and buggier than classic UTAU

Slow with rendering wav. files and launching the software

Phonemizers are tricky to work with, you don’t always get the same output as the same phonemizers in normal UTAU

External resamplers can cause overheating and slow down the software

Tuning is more dependent on job plugins than the original UTAU

Many users claim that otoing is easier in classic UTAU

SynthesizerV Studio Editor R1

(Song: Tengaku by Yuuyu; VSQx by Adam Edmond)

This preliminary edition of SynthesizerV was a major breakthrough for the vocal synth community when it was first released. With its realistic-sounding voicebanks and minimalistic aesthetic, this software has changed the game by a landslide for synth users. Although it's quite limited, R1 was an amazing start for what will become a godly program in the future. Pros:

Pitch bending on the piano roll and in the parameter box (very smooth, I experienced no lag when using it nor did I have to make pitch points or pause while editing the parameters)!

Voicebanks sound quite human

MIND BLOWING GLOTTAL EFFECTS (nine different growls, two screams, and a vocal fry that do not sound robotic!)!

Really simple UI, easy to pick up, great for beginners!

Cons:

Outdated; is no longer being updated by Dreamtonics

Needs a recording license for commercial use (though I highly doubt it is still being upheld)

Only four voicebanks are available; Eleanor Forte, Yamine Renri, GENBU, and AiKO - who is paid and an outdated version of her R2 voicebank (R2 versions of the same voicebanks sound much cleaner and realistic)

A little too minimalistic; aside from the addition of glottal effects and the typical pitch deviation, loudness, tension, breathiness, voicing, gender, and vibrato parameters, there is not all that much you can do in this edition of the editor

SynthesizerV Studio Basic

(Song: Antibeat by Deco* 27; UST: Mayu Sama Desu)

Also known as SynthV R2, this is the free edition of the software that is currently being updated, despite having fewer features than its complete, paid version. 

Pros:

Ready to play with as soon as it is installed

Twenty-five free voicebanks; sixteen Japanese, seven English, and two Chinese; all with unique sounds

AI voicebanks!

Instant mode; allows you to automatically tune the pitch of an entire track with the press of a button, although it may make the voice sound too pitchy

Waveform that allows you to see the volume and pronunciation of certain notes

Can use paid voicebanks in the free editor!

Just as easy to figure out as SynthV R1!

Cons:

Can only have a maximum of three vocal tracks in a single svp. file

Pitch bending is a lot more finicky compared to SynthV R1

Lite voicebanks sound mono-pitch

Lacks a ton of features that are available in SynthesizerV Pro; scripts, auto-pitch tuning, rap vocals, cross-lingual synthesis, vocal modes, alternate phoneme choices, and many other features are not included in the basic edition (even paid voicebanks can not use cross-lingual synthesis, vocal modes, etc)

The glottal effects parameter that was in SynthV R1 is sadly not included in both the Basic and Pro editions of the current program

VoiSona

(Song: iNSaNiTY by Circus-P; VSQX: Cirty_09)

Previously named “CeVIO Pro”, VoiSona is a vocal synth that uses AI technology to create beautiful vocals with characters that originated from a variety of other vocal synthesizers (such as VOCALOID!) and are created with the recordings of talented singers and voice actors. CeVIO project has also launched a trial speech vocal synthesizer called “VoiSona Talk” for their first anniversary.

Pros:

Users get Chis-A’s full voicebank upon downloading the synthesizer!

The program itself is entirely free to download

AI technology makes tuning easier

Piano roll pitch-bending

Has some features that are missing in its sister software, CeVIO AI

The “husky” parameter is great for making whispers

Can be used as a VST plugin in most DAWs or a standalone editor

Cons:

All other voicebanks are paid; either you purchase the entire voicebank once, or get a subscription to use all of them

HEAVY LAG; the program is quite slow with processing commands

Free-hand pitch-bending is not as easy to perform compared to UTAU or SynthesizerV; can be quite sensitve and the AI may not always yield the desired result

DeepVocal

(Song: New Darling by MARETU; UST: Mimisan15)

The successor to the Sharpkey Galaxy software, this vocal synthesizer was designed for Chinese voicebanks. Its UI is a combination of VOCALOID4 and UTAU, giving it a sense of comfort and familiarity. Speaking of which, you can create your own voicebank in DeepVocal as you can in UTAU and OpenUtau, and there are some pre-made voicebanks of popular UTAUs, including Namine Ritsu, Inari Akane, and Kuro Bousuka. In addition, there is also a Kiana voicebank commissioned by MiHOYO and based on the protagonist of Gun Girls Z and Honkai Impact 3rd!

Pros:

Ready to use as soon as its out of the box

Great engine for Chinese voicebanks

Can create your own voicebank

Runs smoothly

Has all of the necessary parameters needed to create songs and covers

Cons:

Voicebanks can be kind of shaky, choppy, and more sensitive to pitch changes compared to other engines like UTAU and VOCALOID

Pitch bending can be quite clunky

Voicebanks may have difficulty reading certain phenomes from converted USTs; you may need to edit them if you don’t want lyrics being read as “a” or “ra”

These were all of the major free softwares I found, but if I come across another vocal synthesizer in the future, even if it is not talked about in the vocal synth community much, I may make a post about it.

I know there are a ton of cons I found for much of the vocal synths on this list and they sound like nitpicks on my part, but as I stated at the start of this post, some of these issues could be a Shimmer Thing™ and they may not arise for you when using these softwares. I won't be surprised if you read through this post and are now feeling thrown off by the various features and pros and cons of these programs, so here's my two cents on what I think beginners should go for:

If you like realistic voicebanks and want a very simple software to start with, get either SynthesizerV Editot (R1) or SynthesizerV Studio Basic (R2). If you would like to experience them (spicy) glottal effects and very kind pitchbending (like it does not make you want to bash your head against the wall because Renri won't cooperate) along with unlimited vocal tracks, then try out R1, and if you want more features, voicebanks, and continous updates, go for R2. Or even better, try out both and decide which one suits your interests better.

If you have a preference for robotic voicebanks, would like a variety of vocals to play with, and find plug-ins interesting, then UTAU may be for you, especially if you want VOCALOID but you can not afford it at the moment. Although I shitted more on Open Utau than I did on regular UTAU, I recommend the former over the latter as it is still being updated and the UI is signifcantly easier to navigate, along with its phenomenal pitchbending function.

Finally, please take my words with a grain of salt. If you like the voicebanks or are interested in a specific software, or discover one that is even better than any of the listed vocal synthesizers, by all means, go for it! This is just a surface guide by an idiot who spends most of their time trying to make Fukase not sound like a computer dying, and I have not used any of these softwares as much as I have messed with VOCALOID. Plus, my computer is an absolute bitch, so you guys will probably have much better luck than me.

I hope this guide was of use and provided a better insight on the various engines out there. My next post will compare different paid vocal synthesizers, including CeVIO AI, Piapro Studio, and of course, the various VOCALOID softwares. Don't worry, I'll get to the actual tutorial bit very soon.

Also, feel free to ask any questions about vocal synthesizers, or... literally anything! I'm practically starved for asks-

Thanks for reading!

[jinnaizaemon]

I was translating 13-05, the episode where Yoshino-sensei goes to visit Komatsuda Yuusaku to (try to) tell him he will fire Shuusaku for being such a poor secretary. There's a scene where Yuusaku shares about how proud he is of his little brother for using difficult kanji characters, and the gag is that all the examples he gives are from words related to his poor performance at work. But earlier in the episode, they show a poster written by Shuusaku with all the spelling mistakes he made, and realizing how bad it is makes Yuusaku's claims even funnier...

Here's the English translation of the poster:

"Weekly challenge: - Go to bed early and wake up early - Wash your hands before your meal - Don't forget to brush your teeth - Greet others cheerfully"

Here is the corrected version of the text:

"今週の努力目標 - はい寝はや起き - 食事の前に手をあらう - 歯みがきを忘れずに - あいさつは元気よく"

And here is what Shuusaku wrote:

"分週の怒力目表: - はい根はや起き - 食事の前に毛をあらう - 葉みがきを忘れずに - あいさつは元木よく"

Let's review it line by line.

- First line, He wrote 分 instead of 今 in the first word, and 怒 instead of 努 in the second. He probably mixed up the characters due to their visual similarity. On top of that, both of 怒 and 努 can be read as do. - In the second line, he wrote 根 ne (root) instead of 寝 ne (sleep), due to the similar pronunciation. - Third line, he wrote 毛 ke (hair) instead of 手 te (hand). -Fourth line, he wrote 葉 ha (leaf) instead of 歯 ha (teeth). -Fifth line, he wrote 木 ki (tree) instead of 気 ki (spirit/mood).

On top of that, he wrote most verbs in the phonetic hiragana alphabet instead of using the proper kanji characters, making his text look even more childish (but to his defense it might be to make the text more readable for the younger students?)

So this makes the first sentence entirely nonsensical, and the rest sounds like: -Root early and wake up early. -Wash your hair before your meal. - Don't forget to brush your leaves. - Greetings are.. good trees?

Yuusaku is a supportive big brother, isn't he?

By the way, Komatsuda Shuusaku's name is a pun on 困った就職 komatta shuushoku, meaning "having trouble in finding a job/getting hired". But the actual reading of his name is 小松田秀作 : Komatsuda is "a field with small pine trees" and sounds like a common name, while the characters for Shuusaku reads 秀 shuu, "excellent", and 作 saku, "work" (as in, a production, a piece of work, art, craft, etc), a master piece. Despite his actual skills, Shuusaku was surely named by a family who believed in his potential and wished him the best...!

His brother seems to be named after the actor Matsuda Yuusaku. The name 優作 Yuusaku, has the same saku character, while the first character, 優 yuu (or yasa) also means "excellent" as a noun, but more commonly used in the adjective for gentle, tender, affectionate... Truly fitting indeed...!

[tg-pilled]

My review of the Tokyo Ghoul live action movie!

First off, I won't be reviewing based off the CGI, props, etc. I don't know enough about practical effects or that area to make any proper judgement regarding it.

Secondly, this is my opinion. In no way am I trying to make fun of the actors, CGI, storymakers, etc. I just have autism and will be commenting about what I did and did not like about the live action.

Here is what I LOVED:

The casting was perfect in my opinion. I was pretty much like "yeah wow that's the character if they were real" for every single character

The acting was pretty good! I wasn't expecting it to be as satisfying as it ended up being.

THE FIGHT BETWEEN AMON AND KANEKI AT THE END WAS SO GOOD 🙏 THEY ATE, DEVOURED, AND LEFT NO CRUMBS

Touka and Mado's fight was so well done! It was the perfect balance of emotion and action! I love that they didn't back down from Mado being batshit crazy and that they didn't make him hesitant to kill anyone! It felt like they stayed really true to the characters in that aspect!

THE RELIGIOUS IMAGERY??? OMFG I LOVED IT SOSO MUCH!! When Kaneki pierces Amon and leaves him looking like he's been crucified??? Wow. Amazing, stunning, never been done before. Mado calling Touka a sinner??? Amazing, stunning, never been done before.

Renji, Touka, Kaneki, and Hinami walking through the creek made me tear up omfg they are FAMILY.

What I Liked/Appreciated for What It Was:

The storyline was decent. I know they have to set it up and stuff but I REALLY wish we could have seen the final arcs, Jason, Shuu, etc. I am also biased because those are my favourites to analyze BUT I also understand that it's a movie that is trying to fit a large amount of content into a small amount of time.

I felt like Kaneki's character growth/development was rushed BUT towards the end where he's laughing over Amon's body and then sees himself in the puddle, WOW what a scene. Even still Kaneki's development was rushed but it felt like they were wanting a second movie.

The ending was. Okay enough. I wish Hide and Kaneki had seen each other again but like. I'm insane about their relationship anyways. AND THE WAY KANEKI LOOKS AT THE CHAIR. It was very good I appreciated the throwback and it came full circle.

What I Did Not Like At All:

Okay this isn't even the movie's fault but it being rated NC-17 makes no sense to me. I felt like it barely showed anything and it should've just been rated R. It is definitely an atypical horror movie but it is still horror.

Nishiki felt extremely cast aside. If they hadn't included that scene at all, nothing would have changed. They didn't make him as compelling as he was in the manga (again, it's a live action so I can't expect much) but he was very much a forgettable aspect of the movie despite him looking so babygirl.

I miss the talk that Hinami and her mom had before she died. It felt so short and wasn't well done in my opinion.

It felt bound to the anime (which we all know is better if you have read the manga and can actually understand wtf is going on) which is not an inherently bad thing but there should definitely have been more explanation for the character motives.

Anyways thank you for reading if you made it this far into my ramble and autistic rant. Thank you to my wonderful moot for getting me the link to the movie 🙏

[bengiyo]

Minato's Laundromat Ep 2x07 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Minato fell into a spiral that Shin doesn’t feel like he can talk to him about everything. Before Shin and Minato could work this out, Asuka showed up heartbroken over Shuu and learned for the first time that Shin and Minato are also having some big problems. I got to enjoy gays in crisis helping their fellow gay in crisis even as Asuka realized he was a third wheel and eventually moved on. The doctor cleared things up with Minato and asked him to take care of Shin, giving Minato the push he needed to tell Shin that he wants to be relied upon sometimes and for Shin to reveal that he tries very hard to see cool and competent in front of Minato. They had a Now Kiss moment, but Shin of course pushed too far and it broke.

Oh, Shin, I hope you get some relief before the finale of this season. My man is not shy about what he wants.

Oh ho! I was hoping Shu would talk to Sakuma-sensei.

Sakuma-sensei is so kind and gentle to these guys. It’s not easy to help people sort their feelings as deftly as he does.

I really love when someone gets advice from a trusted friend or family member about their relationships and the next scene is them speaking with the person they angsty about.

I really love Asuka’s expressions.

Asuka’s relief that Shu does have feelings for him is honestly so endearing.

Shin is killing me with this camera.

Finally, Minato is the one with fantasies.

The directors of this show really like to have two characters walking together in frame only to stop when someone says something that pokes at the other.

Now these two are fighting over which of their boyfriends has a cuter sleeping face. I love them.

Shin has a practical view about reciprocity in love that I appreciate even if it feels a little sad.

It is really lonely eating by yourself when you get used to eating with a loved one.

Yes, Minato, no one is around. Let your tired boyfriend sleep on your lap.

Comedy aside, I like that Minato doesn’t look at Shin when he’s trying to come out about their relationship to Sakuma-sensei, but he does move to stand beside Shin for strength to get it out.

Of course this man is excited at the news and cheers them on. He’s too good for this world, to pure.

And now Minato is initiating a handhold. Love to see it.

He was eating out for the raffle tickets!! I’m gonna lose it.

We haven’t seen Shin this big-eyed and excited since season 1.  I’m so fond of this boy.

Now there’s teasing for next week about intimacy. I will not be fooled by this show, but if they don’t release the sexual tension before this season ends I will not be reviewing this experience fondly. I am genuinely patient with Minato figuring out his way to comfort with being practically gay, but I will be so disappointed if this show goes super chaste at the end. Shin is so obviously horny and I have watched The Novelist and Mood Indigo now. My tolerance for this overly-cute nonsense as a character has clear and expressed desire will not hold.

[lizzemeavisualnovels]

All Things Visual Novels

A collection of links to current, interesting visual novel related stuff and information from around the web, for adults interested in the medium

Current features: Visual Novel OST Song Recommendation, Visual Novel Recommendation, Upcoming Game Jams, Visual Novel Fanart, Reviews, Ebay Finds, and Visual Novels On A Budget

✨Today's Visual Novel OST Song is Clear from My Merry May, by Takeshi Abo

✨Today's Visual Novel Recommendation is: Our Cinderella

"Our Cinderella is a winter fairy tale themed stat management sim / texting sim created for the Once Upon a Time and Winter VN jams. Help Iggy make it to the party and find love with one of his childhood friends!" art and quote from the itch.io page

This free visual novel was an absolute joy to play, with very funny&witty dialogue. Each character felt alive with their varied vocabularies and various texting styles. I chose to romance Orlam and the whole ride was fun, romantic and in the end quite sweet. It's not very difficult, I beat it on my first try. Highly recommend for anyone who wants a short funny romance that relies on wit, with zero needless fanservice.

Upcoming Itch.io Game Jams 🎮

For visual novel developers, these jams accept visual novels

Otome Jam 2024 (for making Otome Games) Starts April 30th, 1 month duration

Josei Jam 2024 (for making games aimed towards woman) Starts April 30th, 1 month duration

Preggo Game Jam #2 (for making pregnancy themed games) Starts May 1st, 3 weeks duration

Cyberpunk Game Jam (for making cyberpunk games) Starts April 26th, 9 days duration

Wierd game jam except it's spring🌷🌸🌹🌺 (for making weird games) Starts April 26th, 4 days duration

Visual Novel Fanart From Around The Web 🎨

Found or made some fanart relating to the medium? feel free to message me on tumblr with the link! I'd love to see it

Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes from Ace Attorney Dual Destinies as drawn by ichi2co

Various Drawings of Luke Atmey with other characters from Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations drawn by ryu1

Hoshino Yumei from Planetarian as drawn by ふにまる

"Enter The Void" An art of Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club by Shirakawa Shuu

Amane from If My Heart Had Wings as drawn by redhoodedicosahedron

VN Reviews ✏️

disclaimer: I have not always read the following visual novels myself

Utakata no Uchronia (泡沫のユークロニア) reviewed by orenjipekolatte

If My Heart Had Wings reviewed by Andrew Barker

The Coffin of Andy and Leyley reviewed by LewdNekoNya

Too Many Santas! reviewed by William Worrall

Upcoming Visual Novels 🆕

Visual Novels currently in development

Love Can Only Go Up: A Visual Novel About Stock Market: Romance whilst navigating the stock market. Partly funded, ends May 5th

Without a Voice: Blooming Edition: Kickstarter for Physical copies of the pay-what-you-want yuri horror visual novel Without a Voice. Fully funded including stretch goals, ends May 5th

Save The Villainess: Guide a romance novel villainess, and try to save her from being murdered. Kickstarter upcoming

Ebay Finds 💸

Visual novels and merch currently on ebay

Phantom of Inferno JP Visual Novel DVD Port

Clannad Sony PlayStation 2 PS2 JP Best Version Sealed New WATA 9.6 A+ Graded

Full Metal Daemon Muramasa Collector's Edition English JASTUSA Nitroplus Opened

Rewrite Limited Edition Japanese Import PC Visual Novel Key Windows JP US Seller

Fate Stay Night Limited Edition Game Windows PC TYPE MOON Japan

Yoake Mae Yori Ruriiro Na Feena Fam Earthlight 15th anniversary 1/7 PVC Figure

Visual Novels on a Budget 💰

Current sales and free games

For 8 bucks USD, The Itch.io Palestinian Relief Bundle ends in about 12 days and features 373 games, some of which are visual novels

Wanna play the og tsukihime? A fan has ported it to the web

The GOG visual novel sale has 2 days remaining including noteworthy titles "Please Be Happy" (15.99 USD), "Higurashi", "Long Live The Queen" (2.49 USD) and the point and click game "Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures" (2.99 USD)

The Asenheim Project aims to emulate several old pixelated Visual Novels in browser with javascript (NSFW)

The game jam Nanoreno 2024 has recently ended, resulting in several new, free to play short visual novels

Emily is Away <3 is currently $1.99 USD on steam until April 29th

Itch.io has several free visual novels available to browse through, including Contract Demon and Doki Doki Literature Club

And that's all folks! ✨

I hope this was informative! Wanna see more? Got any ideas? Let me know, and feel free to message me with any art, announcements, sales, reviews, or any links at all relating to the medium of visual novels

[masterdetectivexx]

Hi MTX, big fan of your work.

I was wondering if you have any thoughts about the recent case, especially with the 17 year old case being fully revealed. Plus how do you think all of this will lead to the climax of the Rum arc? Also, do you feel we may get the full flashback with Tsutomu and Wakasa from chapter 1099 soon or towards the climax of the arc?

File 1106-1109 Review/Discussion

These last 4 chapters of the chess tournament case, that effectively revealed everything about the day of the Kohji case 17 years ago, will go down as one of the best flashback stories in Detective Conan history. It left me personally speechless and overwhelmed in such a satisfying way, and although it felt like the end of an era within Rum arc (The Kohji case mystery), it propelled us forward to new potential storylines, as well as potentially leaving some bread crumbs of the Kohji case, for us to get excited about.

Kuroda Hyoue

Right from the cliffhanger of File 1105, we started off File 1106 with Kuroda revealing how Kuroda became a witness in the Kohji case. We got the official confirmation that he used to work in the same division as Furuya Rei in the NPA, Security Bureau's Security Planning Division. He had then revealed in File 1107 that he was gonna have a preliminary meeting with Amanda Hughes, which was later explained by Amanda to be about trying to take down the Black Organization, and Karasuma Renya along with it.

From the context clues given in this case, it doesn't seem like Kuroda was given any information ahead of time (like Amanda's suspected identities behind the black organization), which made Kuroda function well as a protagonist that we follow along to discover what had happened in the 17 year old case. The biggest reveal when it comes to Kuroda's character was that his mysterious accident that put him in a 10-year-long coma happened the day of the Kohji case, 17 years ago. This indirectly revealed that his teased work history with Iori (File 1090) would have only taken place max 3 years before Iori left the Public Security. This is because Iori and Rei had never met back then and Rei's earliest known activity with the NPA is 4 years ago (when he met Masumi in the train platform), while Kuroda woke up from his coma 7 years ago.

Haneda Kohji

As expected, Haneda Kohji got properly introduced to us, and he was revealed to be the same age as Shuukichi currently (28). Kohji had a very eccentric personality, that appealed to me a lot. He was goofy, but also at the same time very intelligent and level-headed under pressure. It was very nice to see those two sides contrasted well with each other, where he goes from crushing over Asaka (File 1106), to calmly assessing a situation and facing danger with a pokerface (File 1107). Due to stubbornly sticking to his motto ("stick to one's orginal plan"), he was willing to sacrifice his life for a stranger he just met (Asaka).

As for Kohji's dying message, it is now officially debunked that there was other additional messages apart from the hand-mirror message "CARASUMA", since we got the reveal that Kohji had given his bishop shogi piece to Asaka before facing Rum (File 1107), and Kuroda didn't find any other suspicious details in the crime scene (File 1108). Kohji's object imprint in the middle of his right palm from File 948 does therefore indicate an inconsistency, that might stem from Gosho changing his plans regarding how Asaka got the shogi piece (taking it from Kohji's corpse vs Kohji giving it to her).

How Kohji shocked Rum and effectively earned Rum's praise twice was the best part of Kohji's story. When Kohji revealed that he had seen Rum in an old article from 47 years ago, where Rum acted as spokesman for Karasuma Renya, it stopped Rum in the middle of his tracks and ultimately saved Asaka (File 1107). It was a very gripping way to reveal how Kohji knew that his killers were tied to Karasuma for his dying message, while also highlighting more similarities between him and Shuukichi, through their shared good memory, which would further explain why Haneda family would want to adopt Shuukichi to inherit Kohji's will.

Another interesting fact that had me lightly speculating was that Kohji revealed that he has a playmate that has transient amaurosis like Asaka (File 1106). Since we later got the easter egg that Kohji had faced Katsumata Chikara in his 4th title shogi match, it is possible that the playmate he was referring to was Chikara. While not a relevant fact in the grand scheme of things, since Chikara has been a recurring shogi player, Gosho could be fleshing him out like this as Shuukichi's current rival.

Rachel Asaka

This case had the most important development for Wakasa Rumi, as it officially revealed her whole backstory up to 17 years ago and the entirety of her relationship with Amanda. File 1106 revealed that her full name was Rachel Asaka, who became a bodyguard to Amanda following her father's footsteps and essentially had a mother-and-daughter relationship with Amanda. This history became a key factor in the confrontation between Amanda and Rum that followed. Wakasa's vision issue was also explained, as we found out that she had transient amaurosis, that causes temporary blindness.

Wakasa's glare towards Kuroda during Tent case (File 987-988) and her hidden scars (File 1005) were also officially explained. Wakasa had mistook Kuroda to be one of the BO members responsible for Kohji's and Amanda's death, and she had gotten the scars from the same accident that put Kuroda into a coma (File 1109).

This case also debunked the theory that Wakasa/Asaka is Vermouth in disguise, since we saw Asaka grieve over Amanda's death in File 1108, despite Vermouth having played a role in entrapping Amanda by calling off Amanda's SWAT team support after impersonating her (File 1107). This turn of events does however resurface the mystery behind Wakasa's BO affiliation and knowledge.

My current speculation behind Wakasa's current connection to the BO is that around 17 years ago, Asaka joined the CIA. There are a couple hints and easter eggs that has propelled me to this direction.

Amanda was revealed to have ties to both the FBI and CIA in File 948. Gosho had name-dropped both of these plot-relevant intelligence agencies in association with Amanda, and has just utilized Amanda's connection to the FBI director in this backstory to call for SWAT team. There is a high possibility that he has planned on also using Amanda's CIA ties in a similar way, but since Amanda is already dead, the only one who could use Amanda's CIA connection is her daughter, Rachel Asaka.

Rachel is a US citizen, which makes her eligible to join the CIA, and with her martial arts and weapon handling background she would have had a head-start competence to enter their training program with the help of Amanda's CIA contact. It's also in Rachel's interest to choose the CIA, since they handle foreign affairs, which would include where her mother's killers originate from (Japan). Since Asaka was shown to have an idea of who Amanda's killers were based on their previous attacks (File 1107), it is highly likely that Amanda revealed her suspicions to Asaka that they were tied to the japanese group Karasuma, as Rum feared. Even if she wasn't given any details from Amanda, she did hear Rum's voice as he spoke japanese (File 1108), which gives her an idea of where the enemy could be based. There is also Rachel's unresolved meeting with Amanda's other friend, Akai Tsutomu 17 years ago (File 1109). Since Tsutomu's wife Mary already investigated Karasuma Group in the past for her brother-in-law Miyano Atsushi (File 1011), we already have evidence to Karasuma Group being in Akai family's radar, so even if Amanda didn't share anything with Tsutomu, it wouldn't take Tsutomu and his promised intellect much effort to piece together Haneda Kohji's dying message that the culprit was Karasuma. In other words, at the very latest, Rachel could have found out about Amanda's killers' originating from Japan with Tsutomu's help, who she could trust.

Wakasa/Rachel being a CIA agent would explain how she got the latest update of the APTX4869 victim list where Kudo Shinichi is labeled as "dead" (File 1005), since the CIA has Kir as their mole in the BO who could share those sensistive BO intel. It would also explain how Wakasa found out about the latest events within the organization, like Sherry's betrayal, as well as Hell angel's research that gave birth to the poison that killed her mother (Amanda). There was even a parallel between Asaka and Kir in File 1108, where just like Kir in File 603, Asaka was also iconically transported unconscious in a car that is being chased by the Black Organization. This could have been an intentional setup by Gosho to hint to Asaka's current CIA affiliation.

Another character that Wakasa/Rachel has had multiple parallels with is Subaru/Akai Shuuichi. Both have been the main red-herring of being the main antagonist in their respective arcs, both saved Ayumi from the culprit in a similar way and both were suspected by Conan/Haibara while the other liked them. I have referenced them often in the past in association with the theory that Wakasa could be someone already established in disguise just like Subaru, but these parallels could also be indicating that Wakasa/Rachel is basically a female version of Subaru/Akai. Both lost their parent to the BO, both potentially joined American intelligence agencies (FBI & CIA) to investigate the BO and both are potentially star agents within their agencies who have made high-ranked BO members (Gin & Rum) as their archnemesis. Even this latest case had a resolution (File 1109) similar to the resolution of Black impact (File 504), where Asaka outsmarted the BO by shooting at them just like Akai.

Amanda Hughes

Amanda Hughes' focus and confrontation with Rum was probably my favorite part of this whole case. She was revealed to be even more important and powerful than originally established, since she was also running for president in an upcoming election (File 1106). Amanda has become one of the best backstory characters. She is a very kind and loving woman who sacrificed her life to save her own daughter. It was so satisfying to see her go out in her own terms by forcefully biting Rum's hand to ingest the APTX poison he had merely planned to lure Asaka with (Amanda's weakness) in order to capture her so he can have control over Amanda's power (File 1107). This could be viewed as another parallel between Asaka and Kir, since both their parent (Amanda & Ethan) commited suicide to save their daughter.

Among the most important revealing part in her dialogue with Rum was her history with Karasuma Renya. She revealed that she has met Rum when he was a child 67 years ago during Karasuma Renya's birthday party (File 1106). Amanda also got to learn about Rum's left eye's photographic memory, and how he has been using it to blackmail powerful people into doing the BO's bidding (File 1107).

This became relevant later to Amanda's dying message, as she used her lipstick-smeared wristwatch dial to indicate "watch out", and smeared the knight piece's eyes with lipstick in order to warn about the culprit's dangeorus eye ability (File 1109). The way she utilized the wristwatch in such a puny way reminded me of Policewomen murder case's dying message, where the victim used a "no parking" sign by itself in a puny way to hint to the culprit (File 1017). Chiba questioned whether the victim would use an object that way for a message, and while Conan agreed it seemed questionable, he reasoned that it would make sense to use it that way if the victim had nothing else to use.

Amanda's dying message does however leave you with oddities. Considering how thoroughly she used the wristwatch alone to indicate a message, it doesn't explain why she opened up the chessboard while creating the dying message. Compared to Kohji's dying message, Amanda's dying message is the one that leaves more questions to be answered. Just like how Amanda used the wristwatch in a puny way for a message, it's very likely that Amanda used the knight piece and the chessboard in a similar manner. Here is my current analysis on Amanda's dying message:

Rum

All the information we had gotten on Rum in this case was setup to have significance in it, like how we learned that his right eye also used to have the photographic memory ability (File 1107), only to later find out Rum has been planning on regaining that ability through the APTX research (File 1109).

When Rum revealed to Amanda, after feeding her APTX4869 poison, that "Rum" was a codename that he had inherited from his father, who had worked under the boss for many years (File 1107), it's highly likely that this was also setting up something very significant. If Amanda pieced together from those parting words Rum's real name, then it would immediately fit with my Amanda dying message analysis that the knight piece & chessboard are together spelling out MUGA (as in Rum actually being Muga in disguise).

My current Rum theory based on this codename inheritance revelation is that the Rum Amanda met 67 years ago as a child, who grew up to be a spokesman for Karasuma Renya 47 years ago in the international economic forum, is actually the father of Rum from 17 years ago. This would mean that current Rum who killed Amanda and Kohji 17 years ago is the second generation of Rum, who not only inherited his father's codename but has also been disguising as him for at least 17 years after being taught by Vermouth, who was revealed to have joined the BO back then (File 1107). In short, the Rum we have been seeing active until now, who lost his eye ability in his right eye, was Muga disguising as his father, after inheriting his father's codename "Rum".

If Amanda had learned through her influential position that Rum had a son named Muga, and that for example Rum's father wasn't someone special who had worked under Karasuma Renya for a long time, then she would have enough context clues to realize that her killer is not the Rum she knew, but his son Muga, the new Rum, in disguise. Since Amanda was told by Rum that a young woman with abilities to disguise and imitate voices joined the organization, it wouldn't be hard for Amanda to make the leap that the son could be using that woman's help to disguise as his father. As I mentioned previously, Rum's face since 17 years ago being a disguise would explain why he hasn't aged much in 17 years. Something that Muga shares in common with Rum is also those light eyebrows, which could be a genetic trait that passed on from father to son.

This case also hinted towards the explanation behind Rum's investigation of Kudo Shinichi's death. It's very likely that Rum has been interested in the research since 17 years ago, since he implied that he was testing APTX4869 on Amanda and Kohji to check whether it killed or not (File 1108). It's possible that Rum wanted to regain his photographic memory ability in his right eye since back then. Now, in the current time however, after Kudo Shinichi was exposed to the public in File 1005 (as well as after Rum potentially already confirming Shinichi's survival as Muga), he would have evidence to believe that Sherry's APTX doesn't always kill. If Rum also got ahold of Sherry's research papers that documented the de-aging result in one mouse (File 179), then it would explain why Rum is suspecting that de-aging is possible through APTX4869, that could "turn back the clock on his right eye".

This case was a huge stepping stone for Conan, as he has now officially found out Wakasa's true identity, the history behind Kuroda's accident, the existence of Amanda's dying message, and a clue to Rum's past eye ability (File 1109). It's refreshing to see him talk it all through with Akai, but what's also refreshing is the fact that he finally got information on Tsutomu from Akai (File 1109), after failing to gain info since the start of the Kohji case mystery (File 949). It was also nice getting to see the complete Akai family 17 years ago and a tease of Tsutomu-Mary romance. Akai's explanation that Haneda Yasuharu (Kohji's father) couldn't rely on the japanese police and had asked his friend Tsutomu for help is further cementing the likely truth that Vader (mysterious respirator elder), who thought that the police are fools, is actually Haneda Yasuharu.

As for what we can expect next, I think based on Gosho trackrecord with Rum developments (where they have taken place every 5-volumes since Volume 85), the next big Rum development (that is likely the climax of Rum arc) is gonna happen in 3-4 cases (within volume 105), so even if we take a breather in the next case, I think it will still have crucial main plot development that will be setting up the climax. We could be saving Wakasa-Tsutomu-Rum flashback and Kuroda-Muga flashback for the climax, but what we should be getting soon is what Gosho teased in Let's Talk Day 2023: that something big will come into contact with Amuro.

[obihiro-division]

Daiki’s Thoughts on Roppongi Division

Kai Quinlan

“A DJ? And a big one too, huh? Nobody in my family is really a fan of people and events like that… Unless if it’s for business. So if he really is a famous guy, then maybe he knows about my family or the hotels they run. Ooh, if he’s one of the big producers for songs, then that means he’s gonna help me make my songs right? Then do you think he came make mine more ‘boom!’ and ‘pow!’ and… Just awesome! I hope he’s nice! Even if he might look a little scary, he might be good!”

Mireya Quinlan

“Nightclub? Oh, I’ve kind of heard of those places. Usually my brothers tell me I’m not allowed to go with them. But Levi! He said he’d take me to one in America when I get old enough! Maybe when I’m there, then I can know more about Mireya? I mean, its hard to make a review on someone who runs a business you don’t know about… And I wanna learn so I can make more friends! After all, your friends are your greatest power!”

Zakari Hiroya

“Zack! I’ve seen him before! When, when I was following Master Shuu? I saw them talking. He found me out so quickly that I thought maybe he was special, but he just laughed and said he was just a lucky guy. Which I think is a power! I mean, it’s Lucky’s special ability, Devil’s Luck! From Kyurangers? If he has enough confidence in himself, his luck can make him super strong, just like Shishi Red! I tried to tell him that, but he just keeps laughing at me. I’d be more mad at him for mocking me, but if Master Shuu likes him, I will let it slide. After all, Master Shuu is an ally to justice so I trust his friends!”

Private Party

“So wait, they’re a family team working together in the D.R.B.? I wish I could have done that with my brothers… But, there’s no use moping around! I bet we can be friends with them. There’s very little chance that this team is an agent for darkness, so together, we will unite and defeat all evil! …Right?”

[bunnys-otome]

this is genuinely like one of the funniest reviews I’ve read. I don’t normally like snarky reviews or ones that shit on the whole game but this one got me. obv a lot of things weren’t totally understood and this is like a train of thought review from 10 years ago- so just take it as funny instead of serious :) this particular section had me cracking tf up, explaining what goes down at the end of Shuu’s More Blood route. that fire was wild

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