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intrepid-fictioneer-7 · 3 months ago

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Recent chapters of the underrated Fate spinoff Fate/type Redline got me in my feelings so I had to talk about it at lengths, even moreso now that it hasn't updated in months (the mangaka, Ryouji Hirano, has health problems I believe). Spoilers obviously.

Now, when I call type Redline, "underrated", it's more of a subjective than objective assessment. Despite being a manga and thus far more accessible than the untranslated visual novels or light novel series of TYPE-MOON, I see it discussed fairly rarely. At the very least, as far as I know, there hasn't been much big posts analyzing it, so I believe this should be one of the first.

Just don't expect something really deep, these are mostly my musing, rambling observations.

In fact, for a long time, I didn't really have a well-articulated thought about Redline's themes. The contrast of a Holy Grail War taking place in the middle of a world war simply had me chalk it up to the tried and true "war is hell" and not think any deeper (which was a bit intellectually lazy of me). And there is certainly that, but it's a bit more elaborate than that, or else I wouldn't find Redline as interesting. And it all reached a thematic "climax" of sorts in the recent chapter as of the time of writingé

In reality, the story signaled its central theme from the very start, I just wasn't paying attention. One of the first chapters ends with this page:

At first, I thought this was just about Nobunaga. But it turns out this specific page and its text will become the precursor of how the manga is going to present Servants, and how this presentation fits into its larger representation of what war is.

Something you hear somewhat frequently when people mention Redline is "it made Servants scary again". It is only half true, Servants have usually only been "scary" in specific circumstances (Bluebeard in FZ, True Assassin in FSN, and Jackie in Apo come to mind). What they actually mean is that Redline shows Servants as above human again, and it does so by showing them brutally go through lots and lots of human bodies, when Fate is usually about Servants fighting each other. You see Servants vs. humans sometimes, but it's usually 1v1 deals. The only notable exception I can think of is Clan Calatin against Alcides in strange Fake.

There is also Apocrypha, but they are up against armies of homunculi, golems, and animated skeletons, so the dynamic is a bit different than with modern armies. It does however say this.

Indeed, Lancer of Red could burn to ash and crush the stakes with his flames and divine spear. But the Red camp's odds of successfully opposing the Black camp's overwhelming amount of material resources were fifty-fifty. Fighting a force of twenty thousand was beyond the capacities of even a mighty Heroic Spirit. Even then, there would have been no problems if they were alive, but right now they were Servants. The more they consumed prana in great quantities, the closer they approached death. (Apocrypha volume 2 ch.2)

Which is interesting in light of Redline's story, but I digress.

But here, in Redline, because it's during the Second World War, and members of the military are using Servants to do their bidding as well as planning to use them to win the war, there are a lot of interactions between Servants and modern human armies, usually violent ones, to catastrophic results, as Servants go through lots of human meat like cheese. The picture above is after Oda Nobunaga shoots down an entire fleet of American planes heading to Japan.

It's a type of interactions we only ever really saw when Berserker Lancelot in Zero overtook a JSDF fighter jet to fight Gilgamesh on Vimana, while the other plane got eaten by the Lovecraftian horror Caster summoned. The militarized forces of Faldeus in FsF mostly only go after human mages and steer clear of Servants.

And that makes for an interesting contrast that Redline is all too happy to highlight time and time again. When they say "Servants are scary", they mean "Servants are above human", in every sense of terms. No normal human can harm them or even pose a challenge to them, for they are above human strength and capabilities: they are superhuman, they are inhuman.

And that does not just mean inhuman power, but also inhuman thinking.

One of the main conflict throughline of the manga is the relationship between Kanata Akagi, our main protagonist, and his Servant Okita. They don't clash as such, it's not like Fate route Shirou hindering Saber from doing her job, nor is it like Kiritsugu disregarding Saber. It's more low-key, like a misunderstanding that can never be solved. Okita was a warrior in life, and this Holy Grail War in war-torn Japan is just another battlefield to her. Kanata however was born and raised in a Japan long after the war ended, in more peaceful times where he never had to kill. And it's this fundamental difference in lived experiences and mindset that stops them from ever reaching an understanding about how to approach the war:

Even later, as the war goes on, after Okita almost killed potential allies (more on that later), and Kanata reveals to her he comes from the future and what his goals are (ensure his grandma doesn't die and he can come back), and they decide to have a more honest partnership with each other, it's still not enough.

Because when Okita kills a human soldier again, this time a soldier wounded by Berserker who charged Kanata because he was a Master and he blamed magi for how pear-shaped the whole situation has become, this time she does a 180 and instead of convincing Kanata to become ready to kill, she instead wants him to think of her as his tool to kill in his place and take the burden upon herself:

Kanata can only ask her if she's really fine being a sword to be used by someone else and nothing more, to which she replies that's all she needs.

Do note how completely obscured, borderline blank (save for a small, thin-lipped smile), Okita's face is as she says this. As if Kanata and us readers really can't tell how she actually feels about her own words.

This is not the first time the manga does this with Okita.

Coming back to the almost aborted alliance I mentioned earlier, what happened is that, a few chapter before this, the Rider of this war, Sakamoto Ryouma and Oryou, met with Okita to ask her and her Master for an alliance to stop the war from spiraling further and kill more innocents. It would be normal to be suspicious of their intentions, especially since Ryouma initially hides from her that he is a Servant.

But that's not the reasoning Okita uses to reject the alliance and subsequently attack them:

"There is only one path for me (war)." And here it is again: "She's not human."

And it happened even earlier too. When Servant Assassin (Okada Izou) fights Okita, he grows more and more disturbed as he doesn't feel fear, anger, or exaltation as he fights and cuts her, feeling nothing at all from her aside from the scent of blood. Okada's thoughts are interspersed with Kanata's own thoughts about visiting his dying comatose grandmother in the hospital as a kid. And when Kanata touched his grandmother's hand, just like when Okada faces Okita, all it felt like was that:

As you can see, a lot of emphasis, both textually and visually, that Okita does not feel human, and her way of thinking is so alien people can't comprehend her.

And it's not just her, Servants in general are portrayed this way throughout. You saw the pilot's words about Nobunaga at the start of this post, but it occurs later as well. When she was first summoned in the previous war a few years ago by the Imperial Army, her summoner was an arrogant dude who tried to get her to submit and she casually beheaded him. Following that is this page:

Nothing showing on this blood soaked face except for elongated eyes like those of a monster. And after that, everyone in the room prostrate themselves before her like she is a god they worship.

She picks her Master from the crowd, the half-Japanese girl Kaname Asama, and she treats her surprisingly decently from what we see throughout the manga, giving the shrinking violet of a girl respect like she is her attendant, unlike Kaname's boss Magatsu (more on him later) who threatens her and even hits her.

So you would think they have a cordial relationship? Well, maybe they did, but that was until the recent chapter, which has Magatsu's Berserker fight Lancer, and instead of helping their ally, Nobunaga wants to leave, which leads to this exchange:

The same face and eyes again. Kaname doesn't understand her Servant, nor can she tell what she's thinking, just as Nobunaga's face loses all expression, making it impossible for us to tell as well.

(This is not exactly new in regard to Nobu: Keikenchi, the original author of Koha-Ace and the mind behind Redline, already made a Koha-Ace oneshot previously focusing on her, and in it it was shown that, when she was alive, Nobunaga could not "hear" the voices of other people, other humans, and it's her being unable to understand other people that contributed to both her rise and fall)

Another Servant serving as a good example of this is Berserker, which obviously makes sense when it's the Class that from the very start of the Fate franchise in Fate/stay night was there to be impossible to communicate with. But interestingly, everything that surrounds Berserker, not just the Servant itself, reinforces this theme, as if the story employs irony in making the maddest of them all in a war full of mad people the more in-depth examination of the idea instead of being the most obvious.

But I need to scale back a bit to explain.

The Master of Berserker is Major Magatsu, the head of the Imperial Army's magecraft division and one of the main human antagonist. He is kind of interesting in how it's not just his Servant, but his own actions that act as a fulcrum to demonstrate the point. See, in these last stages where it is clear Japan is going to lose, Magatsu wants to keep the war going. His main goal is that he sees the war as not just for the glory of Japan, but as an opportunity to create a world where mages stand at the top, even planning to orchestrate a secret coup within the Japanese military. He is able to amass a great number of men under him, all fanatically loyal to him due to a mixture of his own charisma and appeal to nationalism as well as cigarettes laced with suggestive tobacco making the soldiers smoking it pliable. His followers are so loyal in fact, that when a team of them comes back defeated after facing a Servant trying to deal with Team Kanata, they beat the only survivor up and torture him for his failure and for failing Magatsu, without Magatsu's knowledge or consent (in fact, he is slightly disturbed by this and thinks to reduce the dosage of the tobacco).

But that doesn't deter him from his tactics. Even when he has to hasten his coup after being forced to when pro-war proponents in the war ministry are assassinated, leading to his enraged troops to blame the proponents of suing for peace within the ministry, he still keeps with the easily pliable and fanatical troops even though it is clear he can barely control them. "When the madman runs, any man not mad starts running" is written on a banner hanging on the wall of the magecraft division's headquarters, and Magatsu, who doesn't know who wrote it, finds it a good quote, not knowing how prophetic the words would become. Regardless, Magatsu has made the entire magecraft division and then some fold under his command by making them believe he will be the hero to save Japan. He makes many speeches about saving the nation and how the preservation of the Empire is vital to the preservation of the soul of the nation, and can easily drive crowds into nationalistic frenzy with talks of using Archer and Berserker to fight on mainland Manchuria, and clearly invoking the spirit of complete sacrifice to the nation like in banzai charges and kamikaze, even if not explicitly:

Sometimes, an ordinary and unrefined person will defeat their fear of death and become a noble person with the resolve to throw away their own lives. This phenomenon, which one could call a miracle, is occuring at this very moment, in various places within Japan. War allows all sorts of miracles to exist.

For these reasons, the Colonel, the so far unnamed high-ranked Nazi who is Magatsu's main ally, praises him for "having a knack for understanding human nature", which is why he gives him Berserker, as he believes that, if he experiences the war from the same position as Servants, Magatsu may be able to come to understand them...especially, as he notes, Magatsu completely failed to have Nobunaga pay him any attention:

Magatsu, for all his charisma and servile attitude, completely fails to have Nobunaga pay him any attention even once since her summoning years ago. When summoned, she ignored him in favor of going to Kasame. She doesn't follow his orders nor does she even acknowledge him as a faithful follower: he might as well be air in her eyes. Not only that, she only talks to his subordinate Kaname Asama, whom he disdains for having foreign blood due to being half-Japanese. And the Colonel rightly realizes that Nobunaga's lack of interest makes him seethe. Magatsu seethes so much in fact that he comes to the conclusion that he doesn't need to understand Servants, especially to win when they don't seem to care what he's they're fighting for, so he would rather settle for Berserker than the unruly Archer, believing he can control him thanks to the Heroic Spirit Restraining Device provided by the Nazis. Very predictably, it goes pretty poorly.

As soon as he's summoned and out of the tank he was put in, Berserker immediately begins to indiscriminately kill soldiers of the magecraft division for no reason, and when Magatsu attempts to use his Command Spells on him, he cuts off his arm and crushes it, making the Command Spells disappear. Berserker then engages in a rampage throughout the magecraft division base, gleefully killing every soldier in his way, yet does not kill his Master despite his failed attempt to restrain him:

Magatsu is unwittingly along for the ride as Berserker carries him in his arms as he goes about his "fun".

Naturally, Magatsu's men try to slow down and stop Berserker using "anti-Servant" weapons (lol) that obviously do jack shit. But they use too much firepower and seemingly ignore Magatsu's cries for help, which leads him to believe that they are trying to kill them both. Berserker agrees in his twisted logic, and enacts more violence as he believes his Master is in danger.

The reality is actually different: when Kaname Asama try to get to exercise more caution so they do not accidentally hit and hurt the Major, when he is clearly an hostage, one soldier slaps her and rebukes her, madly stating that there is no way the savior of Japan would ever get hurt by these weapons.

They keep throwing weapons and men at Berserker, which eventually confuses Magatsu, because weren't they trying to kill him? Why then are they wasting their lives against a Servant?

Which is when the point is made.

As this massacre rages on, Magatsu is telepathically contacted by the Colonel, who congratulates him on summoning Berserker and says that the Restraining Device is working wonderfully saying as the major's mana and life are still intact. Magatsu, enraged, accuses the Colonel of having done something to his men, maybe brainwashing them to kill themselves, which is a fair accusation considering it is the Nazis who did assassinate the war hawks and forced Magatsu to accelerate his coup plans.

Except the Colonel says he had nothing to do with it and the reason for the soldiers' actions is far simpler: they admire Magatsu, they truly, genuinely do. The Colonel explains that his accomplishments, from taking control of the war to making a Servant protect the capital from air raids, made him look like a true messiah in the eyes of his men, and Magatsu was too blind to see it. Of course he denies it and calls the Colonel a liar, until he sees one of his men approach and try to reach him, only to be pierced by Berserker's spear for his troubles, and as he lays dying, Magatsu hears his last words on his bloody lips: "Glory to the Major."

As the one-sided battle against the human waves of martyrs continue, the Colonel throws Magatsu's earlier words about the war "allowing miracles" back to his face, bringing the whole arc to its logical conclusion, and I will transcribe the speech in its entirety since it intersperses scenes of the battle and that's too much images to for this post:

How about you open your eyes to reality for once? The only sane person in that battlefield is you. War is cruel. It burdens its victims with a detestable fate. But look at them. They do it for their country, for you. Their madness calls forth even more madness. All these men rush forward, knowing well only death awaits them. War takes these ordinary men, and turn them into martyrs. War allows all sorts of miracles. I thank you. You've allowed me to witness something beautiful. Did seeing people die finally get to you? Feeling remorse? I suppose you didn't have what it takes to be a soldier. This is no time to be losing your mind, Major. It's not everyday you get to experience war from such a safe position. Revel in it a little more. You are at the center of a miracle. That which creates miracles, and gathers people's faith. What do you call that, Major? Do you know? A God. Congratulations, Messiah. In this exact moment and place, you are the one closest to a God.

Just as the voice of God can't reach mortals, your voice can't reach these men. For alas, there are none who can hear it. Raise your head, Major. The curtain has fallen at last. And you should now be able to understand her a little more.

Archer arrives, looking down at Berserker and Magatsu standing on the mountain of corpses of all the men of the magecraft division, and Magatsu tries one last time to get her to look at him by calling for her help, as all he ever wanted was to prove he was worthy to stand at her side...and she laughs in his face. She mocks him for thinking he could ever control a Servant and finds his tear-stained and snotty face hilarious.

And Magatsu, at this last straw after everything, breaks.

As he begins to laugh maniacally, his Servant joins in, and as Archer, Berserker, and him laugh, it's as if the corpses of his men, their mouth frozen in bloody leering rictus by rigor mortis, are laughing with them. Magatsu finally realizes it was wrong to think to use Servants in a war, because they could never be measured by human standards.

It's not that Servants can't be understood, not solely. This sequence of chapters shows it goes deeper than that: it's war that turns everyone mad, and thus makes understanding impossible among humans. And Servants are humanity writ large, the highest of the high and the lowest of the low, because you need to be larger than life to be remembered for eternity in the Throne of Heroes. Which means that, where war turns humans into mad monsters, it makes the Heroic Spirits standing above humans into the embodiments, the apotheosis, the personified concepts of madness.

They are mad gods.

The World War and the Holy Grail War are both founts of insanity, because that's what war does. The average soldier's brain briefly brushes with the eternal sublime, the mysterium tremendum et fascinans that turns humans into figures of worship recorded and enthroned for eternity beyond space and time. And this brief contact with the Absolute gives them the divine language that makes them unintelligible to other men. Their visages, like Moses' after descending the mountain, can no longer be looked upon. They are completely obscured to us who don't live and breathe for war, for violence is their domain now.

War makes Berserkers of us all.

Is it any wonder that the Classes of the Holy Grail War by design favor warriors and warmongers? This war is rife with adepts of violence: a warlord (Nobunaga), a warrior (Mori), a secret police assassin (Okita), a plain assassin (Okada), and a martial artist (Li Shuwen). All of which mad in their own way and choosing the path of violence over any other options.

And I don't think it's a coincidence that the sanest and most "normal" Servants we have seen in Redline not only belong to the Classes less obviously about violence or weaponry, Rider and Caster, but their identities are also not famous for violence: the Rider was a politician and diplomat, while the Caster is a scientific thought experiment about the laws of physics.

I don't know how this will conclude or shake out, but I have my suspicions. Our protagonist Kanata comes from the peaceful post-war Japan and has so far always been repulsed by violence, despite attempts by his Servant and his grandmother to get him to get used to it to be more effective in the war. In fact, he reaffirms that he wants to win the war without becoming a remorseless bloodthirsty killer.

I can see potential routes the story can take depending on whether he slowly succumbs to war's madness or he heroically resists its call. Especially if he is pitted against what seems to be one of the main antagonists, the Nazi Colonel, clearly war's most fervent prophet, whose face is always obscured.

We'll see. The latest chapter as of the time of writing is the fight between Lancer and Berserker. Even the pair that seems to get along the best, Team Lancer, has the Master threatened by her Servant for almost "interrupting" his fight by trying to heal his wounds. And her (current) last words are a perfect encapsulation of the manga and my whole thesis:

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no-stupid-questions-official · 4 months ago

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Question about Ryouji Fujioka aka Ranka from Ouran high school host club

What are they-

Cause this was 2006 so they say tranny or crossdresser or stuff like that.

Also Ranka works at “crossdressing bar”, calls self a woman/tranny, and dad (they are Haruhi’s dad)

So like-

From a 2024 perspective

Drag queen??? Transwomen??? Just having fun?????

Also is canonically bisexual

#question

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coff-in · 5 months ago

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Beautiful transgender mother (Andrew) and beautiful femboy father (Alexis) ship dynamic within the Graves Siblings OC lore would be such a thing 😇

Mommy Andrew big supernaturals 😍🤤

her and her sister both have big ol' tiddies, i do NOT make the rules

when you say femboy father alexis i think of him crossdressing like ryouji/ranka fujioka from ouran high school host club. alexis isn't a femboy in the traditional sense in my head, he's more built than andrew is, but he would definitely be... feminine i guess ^^; he's really comfortable in his identity. him and andrew (as the oldest) would mother hen all their younger siblings.

alexis isn't incestuous romantically or sexually, so his role is definitely... um like protective and platonic for his siblings. he loves them though. he's the sane guy of the group for the most part but doesn't mind his siblings doing each other, as long as they're safe and happy :)

andrew tells alexis that he's going to date ashley and alexis sits him down, "what are your intentions with my daughter?"

"i... i don't have any intentions with her? she's my sister, alexis, i'm not going to hurt her!"

wonderful dommy mommy duo. great team.

#creaky coffin ⚰️#tcoaal #the coffin of andy and leyley #andrew graves #tcoaal oc

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infinstar · 6 months ago

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Foretold Happy Ending ...

I feel like though we have only been in Hayama's POV for the last two episodes, I love how everyone is team Hayama now XD and has completely forgotten how Shirasaki operates (though i can't say much either haha).

What I love about Shirasaki in this episode is that he is the only one who is trying to be honest to his own feelings to even if it is just to himself. He understands the importance of finally feeling this way about someone and is desperate with the filming of "Hiru no Yume" finale to actually fulfill his desires as it might never happen to him again. Hayama had already given up regarding his own feelings as he drew the line between acting and his feelings last episode. But he can't fully resist the advances of Shirasaki who is pushing forward with his emotions as deep down Hayama wants to give in too.

Shirasaki has always struggled to read the emotions and actions of others from the beginning and Hayama who always hid behind his persona is nearly impossible for Shirasaki to understand even if he knows that Hayama wavered between Ryouji's feelings and his own. He needs verbal confirmation from Hayama that it is more than a role, more than pretend lovers and it is Hayama's actual feelings. But this all can't happen until "Hiru no Yume" ends so that they can drop the act and drop the roleplay. That's also why Shirasaki defaults to it to hide his true intentions because of the impact it can have on their mental states and ultimately the acting which both love dearly.

Hiru no Yume vs 25 ji Akasaka de

This series has constantly been blurring the lines between the relationship and scenes between Takumi and Ryouji vs Shirasaki and Hayama to visually tell the story between them. Each episode that shows the filming of Hiru no Yume has a scene that the leads "rehearse" and how that scene is actually acted within the show in one form or another. I loved how the "rehearsal" scene was set far away as if to give privacy to Shirasaki and Hayama who were immersed in their feelings and was animated with physical expressions of their desires against the zooming in of Hiru no Yume NC scene which was sterile and mechanical. The contrast between them was night and day. That's when it occured to me, what the actual difference between Hiru no Yume and 25 ji Akasaka de was.

Every scene in Hiru no Yume has taken place during the day, even the NC scene. Ryouji and Takumi exist during the day within the "daydream" that is "Hiru no Yume". Their plot progresses first outlining the story of what will follow later or simultaneously for Hayama and Shirasaki (even for their own character development like when Shirasaki realised that he liked Hayama merged at the same time he said "I like you" as Takumi). So even as they rehearse a scene before the actual shoot, they still can't be honest as it's not the right timing yet for their story as they have to figure things out first. This is also paralleled in the way they utilised Yamase and the character he played in Hiru no Yume as a foil to bring about Hayama/Ryouji's true feelings. When Yamase's character asks Ryouji if he liked Takumi in broad daylight, Ryouji is honest and straightforward. In reality when Yamase asks if Asami liked Yuki at night at the lockers, the answer is more complex and ultimately Asami does not want to be honest with Yamase. It's interesting to note that the scenes within the drama itself is clean cut with the dialogue/words taking the centre stage to convey and drive the emotions of the characters via straight forward words/sentences. This is again contrasted with the more convoluted/ambiguous words spoken in reality at night betrayed by the honesty displayed through physical actions (though both Hayama and Shirasaki starts being verbally honest and direct at night within the later episodes after they became used to being more honest within the show). Ryouji and Takumi are intentionally left as almost 2D characters, simpler versions of Hayama and Shirasaki.

At 25:00 or night time broadly is when Shirasaki and Hayama exists and it is only within that time they can be honest and vulnerable. The kiss during the day whilst filming did not contain their emotions whilst the one at night did. During the day when Shirasaki asks to end their pretend relationship he is neither honest nor vulnerable (as he composed himself before speaking). But at night he can ask Hayama to sleep with him even as he is not fully honest he can be more vulnerable (which also occurs at 25:00). Another thing is that the rehearsals never include the dialogue of the relevant scenes as if these words are reserved to be spoken at the right moment when it is meaningful and true. So the physicality is practiced - the act of going on a date, making gnocchi, and kissing etc and it is which is also expressed.

What does this mean for the ending of 25 ji Akasaka de

After they consummated, the ending scene of Hiru no Yume is shown to be the scene where Ryouji finally confesses to Takumi.

バカだな、最後だなんて．．．こんなに好きなのに (You fool, how can this be the end when I like you so much)

I feel like Hayma will say this again in one form or another but only after Shirasaki questions him. I feel like we need to remember that they are each other's first love even if this is not in a university/high school setting. They don't know how to go about expressing this and for now they have been utilising the template set out by Hiru no Yume but there was no dialogue that allowed them to be truly vulnerable enough to openly communicate that they could replicate. It would be interesting to see how they figure this out. I think once Shirasaki gets confirmation from someone like Hayama's film club friend if he winds up visiting the club again (I'm sorry I forgot your name!) or Sakuma that the person Hayama likes can actually be him (or even from Hayama's manager?), he will definetely confront Hayama regarding it. It seems like the actual NC scene will take place at night again in the next episode so the communication of feelings will occur after that I think. But it will probably occur at 25:00 in Akasaka (maybe the club is in Akasaka)

Now that Hiru no Yume has officially ended, both Shirasaki and Hayama can wake up from the daydream. I hope we can see them be honest and reclaim the day too.

Side note:

This should have been translated into "I hope you don't have any regrets" instead which flips the meaning. I feel like this conversation with Hayama's manager is responsible for Hayama's action in the end of episode 9 as he is nervous about the pace in which Shirasaki seems to be intent on tying any loose ends and that when Shirasaki leaves Hayama's flat, it might be the last time he will see him.

#Hopefully.. Maybe ... please.#I have zero confidence in what I wrote but weirdly all the confidence in Shirasaki and Hayama that they will do what's best for each other #they affect each other so beautifully and however this story ends I feel happy #I just adore both Shirasaki and Hayama too much as I can relate to both #25 ji akasaka de #at 25:00 in akasaka #25時、赤坂で #jdrama #Japanese drama #JBL #Japanese BL #niihara taisuke #komagine kiita #Yumis overthinking analysis #This took way long to put together that I can't be bothered doing it again

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randomkposts · 9 months ago

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How would a female Minato (from persona) be? Do you think she will be recieved well?

Sorry for the wait.

I had a lot of thoughts on self insert protagonists and self inserts to work through first. It got long, but I hope you enjoy!

Most Persona protagonists, and Megaten protagonists in general, are harder to map out in personality, because of the self insert nature of them. You can infer things about their personality based on the options and dialogue choices given to you, and the comments other people make about them, but with the choice in the players hands, each variant is going to be different.

You can play the game working to max all the social links, some, or even none, while also boosting your social stats and exploring Tartarus. You can beat the game while characterizing the protagonist as someone who does nothing with their their time but karaoke and exploring Tartarus, and is grouchily dragged to the occasional social event whereupon they act like an asshole. Regardless of how you play the game and spend their year, they are given an opportunity to save the world. They still choose at the beginning of the game to use the evoker when in danger.

No player can take that away from them.

They also still have their backstory.

Their parents died in a fight between Aigis and Ryouji, and an aspect of death was sealed within them. From there they lived with relatives until they were sent to high school. How happy they were with their relatives is up to headcanon, but considering there is no sign of contact to or from them within the game, I will assume that the connection between them is one based on obligation not affection.

Additionally, with portable we do have a female protagonist for Persona 3, FemC. Kotone. Minako. Hamuko. Whichever name for her you prefer, she is the P3 female protagonist, and should not be ignored when considering this question. After all, while they have differences in their personalities, they share the same backstory. I would say, they handled their grief differently, and part of that may be from differences in gender and socialization.

They have different personalities too. MC/Minito has a quieter nature, where FemC seems to be more comfortable in social situations. Of course, they both seem to do their best socializing during one on one conversations for social links, a part of which is the nature of a self insert, their not exactly going to be starting the latest rumor, and you the player are left to imagine what they would be talking about.

Still, for them to work in a game like Persona, they can't be all left to the player like a Sim. No. They are a wildcard, someone who is able to switch their social mask to match the situation or person they are interacting with. Their Persona.

Let's backstep a bit to the older games where party members could all summon more than one Persona. Back then, characters had affinities for different types of Masks, based on what they were comfortable showing the world. They could use most types of masks with good affinity, a few with Best Affinity, and a few with Bad or Worst. What tarots they have best and bad affinities with tell you things about their personalities. In fact, I would say that their bad and worst affinities may be in reverse, which have a different meaning from upright readings.

Back on point, Maki and Yukino share opposite affinities for their best and bad Arcana, with Maki being best at Priestess, and worst at Empress, and Yukino being best at Empress and worst at Priestess. They are also the only two characters in the first game with a good affinity for Death arcana, with everyone else Except Reiji being Bad at it. (Reiji is Best for Death Tarot in the games). They are also driving forces behind their respective game routes, and can never be in the same party.

Reiji, as the hardest character to recruit in game, is also on a journey of his own, unless you get the requirements that allow him to open to the possibility of having a journey as friends. In fact Reiji has different strength and worst affinities to every party member, with the exception of Fortune which every party member has a best affinity for, and Moon which the males in the party have the best affinity for. Must just be that kind of time in their lives for all of them. 90s highschool.

Between tarots, birthday, initial persona, and blood type, we could look a lot into unsaid but present aspects of each characters personality.(If you want to learn what P3 protagonists blood type says about them, check out my post on Ketsuki-gata , they are bloodtype O.

In later games, they have simplified that by bringing the non player characters down to one arcana, and giving the protagonist nothing, expecting you to fill in the blanks. You are the fool on a journey, and thus filled with infinite potential, unlike everyone else who are more fixed in their presentation. They too are on their journeys, and perhaps their arcana is a reflection of who they are to the protagonist, and where they are in their personal journey.

Or maybe, alternatively, who the protagonist is to them. What mask does the Protagonist wear when interacting with them? Is the protagonist being the the face they need in their life to move to the next arcana in their journey, and that's why wearing the arcana mask they have gets more points in an interaction? Or are they being that face for the protagonist, the lesson they need. Perhaps it is both.

After all, we do have differing characters in our social links between the male and female protagonists in P3. Not a whole cast change, but they come across different people in their journeys, in contrast to P4 protagonist who can get different people for their links based on choices of club. And then there are party members Akihiko and Shinjiro, who have different Arcanas depending on the gender of the route you take.

This change is interesting, as none of the other cast members shift in perception. In fact, they are the last characters to have multiple arcana affinities in the series to date. And the original P3 had all of the characters capable of using personas come before 13 (Death) in the tarot. 0 the fool (protag), 1 the magician (Junpai), all the way to 12 the hanged man (Chidori).

In a Male route for Persona 3, Akihiko is the Emperor, and in a female route he is the star. Shinjiro meanwhile represents the Hierophant for a male, and the Moon for a female.

To try to keep this bit short (I have plans to go into more details about them in the future), the Emperor is symbolic of leadership, power, authority, influance, the father card lol. The star is a card of healing. It is a renewal of spirit, calmness, serenity, a positive outlook for the future. Basically one of the most positive cards in the deck.

The Hierophant is a teacher. In contrast to the high priestess who is mystery, intuition, and the unconscious, the Hierophant is traditionally based in education, righteousness, orthodoxy, sacred, and morals. The moon is probably the one of most complicated card in the deck, and holds meanings related to deception, and hidden aspects of life.

This indicates that the protagonists view and interact differently with Akihiko and Shinji based on gender and beliefs or vice versa. Probably a mix of both. For her, or perhaps to her Akihiko and Shinjiro were the star and the moon, even though their tarot journey still otherwise in life has them as Emperor and Hierophant.

That offers interesting things to speculate about. Some other post, or perhaps later in this one, I will get back to it. Lets talk about the Fool card.

For keywords" an upright fool is about new beginnings, freedom, innocence, idealism, freedom, adventure, and spontaneity. Its reversed keywords are gullible, reckless, careless, distracted, naive, foolish, stale, and dull. Its the card of infinite potential, a blank slate. Upright, it is a card of optimism, a new journey full of opportunities. The fool walks forward untroubled by the possible dangers ahead. They are willing to take risks off of intuition, expand their horizons, and generally, take that leap of faith. "

The bulk of Persona 3 is aptly called the journey, and it is about the P3 protagonist learning the lessons of the Tarot. There are reasons some social links are locked behind the progression of some other social links, and that is about the protagonist learning the lessons from the other arcana before they are ready to learn the lessons of other arcana. And perhaps ready to give the lesson that particular social link needs too.

I don't think I've seen a fic soley about the different masks of the any of the protagonists. Being a wildcard, they are good with all affinities, but being everything sounds intense.

"The reversed fool is about living in the moment, not planning for the future and disregarding the consequences of their actions. "

Which is what happens if you pick the bad endings. By giving up their memories in favor of ignorant happiness, you are choosing for them to live in the moment, giving up any potential of a future for their world to have a future, and whats more they give up everyone elses chance with that choice.

The other post P3 endings carry the themes of reversed fool, but I think it is strongest shown in P3.

In contrast giving up their life to save the world, gives them The World arcana.

"The world upright is about assured success, immigration, voyage, change of pace, flight. Reversed it is about Inertia, fixidity , stagnation, permanance. It is an ending to a cycle, a pause before the next journey begins with the fool.

“

To encounter the world in your cards is to encounter great unity and wholeness. It symbolizes the moment when the inner and other worlds, self and other, become a single entity. It is about reaching enlightenment. Nirvana. There is a recognition that the individual self is profoundly linked with all other things, and we are all dancing and sway along the flow of life to one rhythm. Not only do you hear this rhythm, but you participate in it - following the dips and the rises, the joys and the sorrows.

The meaning of the World card is fulfillment, achievement, and completion. This shows that all the efforts that you have been putting in place are starting to pay off. It reflects that you have completed a major milestone in your life and you have built the resilience to withstand challenges. The World may indicate completion of a long-term project, study or any other major event in your life. It may also mean the birth of a child, marriage, graduation or any other thing that you have accomplished.

The World card shows that you have a desire to give back to the community in various ways. You have a commitment to make the world a better place because you understand that everything is connected. “

Reversed, the world is “You are drawing near to something that marks the end of a journey or an era. You may have many accomplishments that have lined your path, but there is a strange emptiness that fills you when you look backwards upon it, as if you have all the pieces but they are not coming together. What is missing? Do you feel connected to what you're doing? Do you feel connected to others? What alienates you from feeling complete? From feeling whole?”

It's up to you the player to decide which aspect of The World you feel upon ending the game, but for what my opinion is worth, I am inclined to feel that the P3 protagonist is satisfied with their overall journey on the whole.

The movie took the male protagonist on an interesting journey with that, starting with him being apathetic and blunt. He manifests his trauma over his parents death by shitting out the world, and having little interest in many things including a sense of self preservation. He mostly joined cause, what else is he going to be getting up to at midnight? He breaks out of his aloofness whenever his friends are in danger, as dammit he does not want to witness another tragic ending. He comes to care more about his life and bonds over the course of the movies which impacts his abilities to fight, as “holy shit guys! This is dangrous!” Over the course of the movies, his arc is about learning to live again, instead of just surviving the day to day.

In game Protagonist is aloof, introverted, cool headed and talented. We know he uses proper grammar and tends to wander around for chats. He has good instincts, a preference for black comedy, and shares some catchphrases with Squall Leonheart. He likes video games, is at least somewhat sporty, and can play the violin, which implies that his caretakers were probably at least decently well off, as thats not a causal instrument to get into, but a pricy one. In game its easier to get social link rank ups by being enthusiastic, upbeat, kind, supportive and agreeable as you go out of your way to engage with them but as mentioned earlier, you can also go for the pessimistic, morbid, and lonely and barely engage at all.

If we go by the Q incarnation he's blunt, apathetic, and straight to the point. He has a metabolism people would kill for, cool and quick under pressure situations, and somewhat aloof. He cares though. “

In contrast to MC, FemC is “bubbly, upbeat, chearful, and funny. She has a wider range of humor options including sarcasm, joking tones, and dead seriousness. She is outspoken, blunt, and literal when getting her point across. In contrast to MC who is reserved and concise, she is more outspoken, injecting into conversations where he would remain silent. She's also likelier to resort to violence when provoked, particularly in defense of her friends.

She's seen by her friends in SEES as tough and dependable, as a leader should be. She's also a masker in that while she always seems to be in good spirits, she hides her suffering and burdens. She's also sensitive to criticism. The team worries about her.

She lets her cheerful masks down around Ryouji, her dialogue tones shifting to a more subdued to depressed vibe when answering him.

Like MC she has an insane metabolism, and unlike him she seems more possessive of it, getting mad if swiped without asking.”

(Grabbed from wiki mostly, as they put it nicer then I do at late hours)

That all said, is FemC Minato if Minato was born a girl?

In a lot of ways, yes. Their shared circumstances make them more similar then not. She could be a different universes version of Minato who is female. People go for the direction of having them be siblings. But it is equally likely that she was simply in a different car, and the battle in 1999 went slightly differently.

Are the differences between them purely gender socialization?

I would say no. I could see female Minato being an introverted, aloof, and cool headed girl, just as I could see Katone (I guess), being a blunt, bubbly, extroverted boy who is masking his doubts. It probably would not jive with everyone they meet, and might result in some diffhrent social links. You could speculate played a difference in how they delt with grief, and while that might have played a part in it, ultimately I think the big difference between them is that he is an introvert and she is an extrovert, and while that could be in part to expectations, it's more about social energy.

Even as a girl, I could still see Minato getting socially exhausted fast and shutting down. Even as a guy I could see Katone socially thriving.

Ultimately though, as a self insert, you shape how the protagonist interacts with the world, as they are meant to be a mirror you project into. And in P3 the characters gender is not super important. In P5 it would be a more loaded issue as the people of Tokyo would treat Joker differently as a girl with a criminal record, and the palace rulers in particular would have been grosser towards her as a woman.

But Minato would probably be mostly the same as a girl, save maybe not becoming best buds with Junpei, as I think it would take him longer to respect her, nor does she slot as easily into rival, this quiet firm girl, he doesn't quite know what to do with her for awhile.

Would she be as well received? Well, I can't say I'm an expert on what an audience wants, particularly a Japanese one, which is where the games target audience is, but I'm leaning towards no, or at least not at the games time of release. I can't think of any introverted, aloof, and coolheaded female protagonists off the top of my head, but tell me in the comments if you can think of any, readers!

As a neat note, its febuary 29th. Not only is it a leap year, its the day P3 was realesed in The EU in 2008!

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officerjennie · 8 months ago

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Tagged by @kuripon 😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

Last song: How to Save a Life by The Fray. I like sad music, what can I say

Currently watching: Rewatching TFS watching DBZA. Watch-ception. I'm a chronic rewatcher of comfort YouTube content, even tho I struggle to rewatch actual movies and shows

Three ships: Thomas/Richard, Tobirama/Ryouji, and a shit ton of OCs should just have an orgy at this point please and thank you

Favorite color: Purple. Any purple, but I especially love dark purples

Currently consuming: Sadly nothing. Soon it will be whatever I scrounge up for dinner

First ship: It was either something to do with Sesshoumaru or Sasuke? I did a lot of self shipping way back in the day. I know one of the firsts was Sesshoumaru/Rin tho

Birthplace: Joliet IL baybeeee. It's why the city has such a significance in one of my current ongoing stories :3

Current location: Bed, under my cat. It was naptime

Relationship status: Single and mostly unwilling to mingle - unless you're a rich guy willing to make me your house husband

Last movie: I honestly don't know. I don't watch movies much anymore. Hell it might've been the barbie movie months ago

Currently working on: A commission, a Tobirama/Ryouji omo fic, a Massive art project involving Heaven Gaia outfits, and my German lessons. The priority order depends on the day x)

Tagging: @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde @kitsunekage88 @tuliharja and whoever else wants to do this - tumblr keeps glitches when I try to tag people so I give up trying

#Love you kuri!!!!

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i-read-shitty-comics · 2 years ago

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Favorite Reads of 2022

The only criteria I have for this list is that I need to have read it this year. Audio dramas sadly don’t count, but they are ok for the honorable mentions.

The reason I even mention them at all is because I can’t speak Japanese, so therefore I had to read along with some translations. Also if they would be on the list more than half of this would be Nitro+Chiral stuff and as much as I love their stories, I’d like to have at least a little variety.

Speaking of Nitro+Chiral, btw:

10: DRAMAtical Murder re:connect

Content Warnings:

Body Horror, Cannibalism, Emotional Abuse, Explicit Sex, Explicit Violence, Incest … kind of?, Kidnapping, Mature Themes, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Self-Harm

Average Rating: 7.85/10 (VNStat)

Synopsis:

Fandisk of the original game that expands a bit more on every ending, with some extra content.

(Synopsis by ✨yours truly✨)

My Rating: 8/10

My Opinion:

Not much to say. I love DRAMAtical Murder, so I love re:connect. If the game wouldn’t be 80% smashing it would definitely be way higher though. Like, I don’t mind sex scenes, but do they have to be the main draw in the good endings?

9: Dekoboko Sugar Days

Content Warnings:

Explicit Sex

Average Rating: 7.52/10

Synopsis:

When they were little kids, Yuujirou Matsukaze rescued the poor Rui Hanamine from an unlucky incident. It was love at first sight for Yuujirou, and from that moment on, he knew that he had to protect Rui at all costs.

Now in high school, Rui stands tall at 186 cm and is strongly attached to Yuujirou, who is conscious of his height of only 165 cm. Despite knowing each other for so long, Rui remains oblivious to Yuujirou's feelings, and Yuujirou cannot bring himself to express his emotions. But as they grow more aware of what they feel deep inside, the harder it gets to contain their sweet sentiments for each other.

My Rating: 8/10

My Opinion:

Very cute little romcom I read whenever I need to bring a smile to my face. This is really all I have to say. It is just very cute and funny and adorable and the two main characters are absolute idiots and I love that.

8: Sweet Home

Content Warnings:

Bullying, Mature Themes, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Suicide, Violence, Domestic Abuse

Average Rating: 8.27/10

Synopsis:

Cha Hyun is a reclusive high school student who spends his days holed up in his room playing video games. But when he loses his entire family in a tragic car accident, he is forced to leave his home and carefree lifestyle behind and move into a new apartment all by himself. However, his pesky neighbors and lack of money soon become the least of his worries as people around him suddenly begin turning into horrifying monsters, plunging the world into apocalyptic chaos.

The situation takes a turn for the worse when Hyun realizes that he himself is slowly turning into a monster, while a mysterious voice in his head grows louder and louder. With his time running out, Hyun must work together with his fellow tenants to uncover the cause of the outbreak and find a way to survive in this hopeless new world, all the while fighting to retain his humanity.

My Rating: 9/10

My Opinion:

Incredibly gripping. It was really hard to put it down and I loved following the main character on his journey to discover his humanity and regain his will to live.

7: My Brother’s Husband

Content Warnings:

none

Average Rating: 8.17/10

Synopsis:

Yaichi Origuchi's uneventful day is interrupted by a big, burly foreigner who shows up at his front door and begins to hug him. The man introduces himself as Mike Flanagan, and Yaichi quickly discovers that Mike is the widower of Ryouji, his younger twin brother. Since Ryouji left for Canada a decade ago, Yaichi heard nothing about him other than he married a foreigner and passed away the month before.

While Yaichi is apprehensive about the whole situation, his young daughter Kana is absolutely thrilled at the idea of having a gay Canadian uncle. Kana's lack of understanding of Japanese societal views on homosexuality cause Yaichi to reflect on his own preconceived notions. And as Mike continues to stay with the family, Yaichi gradually learns more about his brother-in-law, and he recalls his own past with Ryouji.

My Rating: 9/10

My Opinion:

Another very cute read and you can see that casual homophobia in Japanese society is a topic the author is extremely passionate about. Now subtlety is not in this manga and I understand why. However, it is a bit annoying that the message is so strongly shoved in your face but that does not cancel out how cute and sweet it is to see the familial bonds develop and the main character to become a better and more tolerant person.

6: Magi

Content Warnings:

Sexual Abuse Played as a Joke

Average Rating: 8.28/10

Synopsis:

Fourteen years ago, mysterious buildings called "Dungeons" started to rise in various places around the world. Within these dungeons, powerful beings called djinns rule over. When a person successfully conquers the dungeon, the djinn offers their immense strength in the form of Metal Vessels, recognizing him or her as a worthy king candidate. Adventurers from many empires and kingdoms venture into the dungeons in search of their bountiful treasures and the power of djinns. However, to travel through them is not an easy task, and only Magi—legendary magicians who choose kings and develop countries—can guide people through.

After being trapped in a room for most of his life, a young Magi named Aladdin finally sets out on a journey to explore the world along with his friend, a djinn named Ugo, who he can summon from his flute. Through a series of fateful encounters, Aladdin meets new various friends and allies, and together they begin an adventure that will change the fate of the world.

My Rating: 8/10

My Opinion:

Magi still slays just as much as I remembered. Not much to say except that I absolutely adore politics, economics and especially philosophizing in Fantasy. Combine that with a fun cast of characters and a setting that isn’t based on medieval europe (thank fucking god) and you have me squealing in my seat while I read.

Also my favorite arcs are the Kou Empire arc, the Balbadd arc and the second Balbadd arc in that order.

5: Sweet Pool

Content Warnings:

Cannibalism, Child Abuse, Cults, Emotional Abuse, Explicit Sex, Mental Illness, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Mentions of Homophobia

Average Rating: 7.78/10 (VNStat)

Synopsis:

After yet another long stay in the hospital, Sakiyama Youji hoped that things would finally get back to normal. But shortly after returning to school, his world begins to change — and no one seems to notice.

Bizarre symptoms plague his body, and vivid hallucinations of blood and flesh stalk his every waking moment. At the same time, two fellow students — the stoic Tetsuo and the notorious troublemaker Zenya — begin to take an intense and inexplicable interest in him.

What are Tetsuo and Zenya after? Are his hallucinations really nothing more? Everyone seems to know more than they’re letting on — but by trying to put the pieces together, Youji may be sowing the seeds of his doom.

(vndb)

My Rating: 8/10

My Opinion:

This story really grew on me the more I thought about it. This is definitely not for everyone. In fact, I would barely ever recommend this to someone. However, it is my favorite game to talk about because the premise is so bonkers. Just summarizing the plot will get some funny reactions out of people, which is what I’m living for.

But once you get past the extremely out there premise you get a really well executed slow paced horror and is tragically beautiful. When I listened to the audio drama of the characters just going to karaoke and hang out and have a good time, I was so happy for them that I almost cried,

I never would have expected a story about a dude shitting meat to touch me in this way, yet here I am, close to tears and kind of disturbed because what the fuck did I just read?

4: Our Dining Table

Content Warnings:

none

Average Rating: 8.19/10

Synopsis:

Yutaka Hozumi has always been bad at eating in the company of others, with people complaining that his presence makes mealtimes boring and food taste bad. While eating lunch alone one day, he is suddenly approached by a hungry little boy to whom he hands over the onigiri from his meal. When the boy's older brother shows up, Yutaka is introduced to Tane and Minoru Ueda—a pair of siblings with a significant age gap.

When Yutaka meets the brothers again, they ask to learn how to make his special rice balls; little Tane insists that they were the best he had ever eaten. Succumbing to Tane's adorable pleas and his own fear of the intimidating Minoru, Yutaka agrees to become their cooking teacher.

As lessons morph into meals, Yutaka and the siblings grow closer—but Tane and Minoru's close bond draws out uncomfortable memories for Yutaka, and there are feelings lurking beneath the surface of these group meals that were not initially apparent.

My Rating: 10/10

My Opinion:

This is just so wholesome and cute. To be fair this is mainly so high because I’m an absolute sucker for cute and wholesome things but that doesn’t make this any less heartwarming. As someone who loves to cook for other people I also love that, in this story, food is used as a way for people to connect and bond over and form relationships that will last a lifetime.

Honorable Mentions:

Biting the Tiger (8/10)

DRAMAtical Murder Drama CD Vol. 1 Koujaku (8/10)

DRAMAtical Murder Drama CD Vol. 2 Clear (9/10)

DRAMAtical Murder Drama CD Vol. 4 Noiz (8/10)

Mom, I’m Gay (8/10)

My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness (8/10)

No.6 (8/10)

Sweet Pool Drama CD Everblue (7/10)

3: Alice in Borderland

Content Warnings:

Mature Themes, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Violence

Average Rating: 8.40/10

Synopsis:

Feeling unsettled about the future, high school student Ryouhei Arisu often escapes the reality of life. After hanging out at a bar, Arisu and his best friends, Daikichi Karube and Chouta Segawa, wait for the first train to arrive in the morning. Suddenly, a colorful array of fireworks set off in the sky, and an enormous blinding firework renders them unconscious.

The trio finds themselves back at the bar covered in dust, discovering that the city has become a barren wasteland. But instead of being worried, Arisu feels alive for the very first time in his life and relishes the freedom of this lifeless city. However, his bliss is cut short when the group rashly enters a festival venue. Seeing its delicacies and lively ambiance, they think the place is a dream; unbeknownst to them, it will be the setting for their first deadly game.

Together with his friends, Arisu slowly enters the mysterious area known as the Borderland—an unknown country where every game puts their lives at stake, and a single misstep can lead to their demise.

My Rating: 9/10

My Opinion:

The only reason this isn’t a perfect 10/10 is because I am not a big fan of the romance, which had way too little build up and no chemistry, imo. This manga is just amazing, it is so intelligently written and I couldn’t put it down no matter how tired I was at times. First thing I did in the morning was reading this, first thing I did when I got home from work was reading this, last thing I did before going to bed was reading this, even though I was way too tired, forgot what I read and had to re-read it the next day.

It is just really good and I highly recommend it to anyone who can stomach the gore.

2: DRAMAtical Murder

Content Warnings:

Cannibalism, Emotional Abuse, Explicit Sex, Explicit Violence, Kidnapping, Mature Themes, Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Self-Harm

Average Rating: 7.92/10 (VNStat)

Synopsis:

"I will destroy you."

Midorijima. Situated to the south of Japan, this beautiful island was once a place where people lived in harmony with nature. Then the Toue Corporation took over, driving off most of the island's residents and forcing those who would not leave to live in the shadow of Platinum Jail, a walled-off megaresort where the wealthy wallow in luxury.

Aoba is a young man living with his grandmother in the Old Residential District, the last refuge of Midorijima's people. While his peers join gangs and fight for dominance of the streets or immerse themselves in the virtual reality game Rhyme, Aoba works part-time at a junk shop and hopes only that his peaceful life will last.

But strange things are happening on Midorijima, and Aoba will soon have to fight... or lose everything that he holds dear.

(vndb)

My Rating: 9/10

My Opinion:

Ok, listen: I love this game a lot, as you probably could have guessed from it being on number two. However, there are very few words that describe how much I have loved every second (that doesn’t have Mink) of this game.

I laughed and smiled so much during this game and despite knowing everything that will happen I still dreaded the bad endings and empathized with every single character and the situation they were in.

I almost cried, twice and still laugh about the memes that were made almost ten years ago.

If there is only one title you are willing to check out, please let it be this one (number one a few too many content warnings to recommend, imo). I know 18+ gay romances aren’t something everyone is interested in but, trust me, you won’t regret it.

Also, if you say anything against my boi Clear I will find out where you live.

1: Slow Damage

Content Warnings:

Attempted Suicide, Child Abuse, Child Trafficing, Drug Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Explicit Sex, Explicit Violence, Gambling, Human Trafficing, Mature Themes, Mental Illness, Pedophilia (nothing is shown but it is mentioned a few times), Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Domestic Abuse, Self-Harm, Suicide, Mentions of Homophobia, also warning for strobe lights

Average Rating: 8.92/10 (VNStat)

Synopsis:

The year is 20XX, and the declining nation of Japan has built the ultimate casino resort: Shinkoumi. This "special administrative region," once known as Tokyo Waterfront City, is functionally its own separate country under the complete control of a private managing organization known as the Takasatogumi.

With the economy in turmoil, the masses flock to Shinkoumi with the hope of getting rich quick, or at the very least, venting the stress of their overworked, underpaid lives. With no restriction on who can enter, crime has flourished, and entire districts have decayed.

Our protagonist, Towa, lives a life of indolence on the third floor of a small neighborhood clinic. For you see, he has a hobby: painting human desire. Specifically, the moment before those suppressed urges break free from their constraints. And to do so, naturally, he must experience it himself firsthand.

In the art world, he is known as "euphoria".

It can be dangerous to grant people's darkest desires – someti mes, even deadly. But in the spirit of avant-garde, Towa is willing to die for his art…

(vndb)

My Rating: 10/10

My Opinion:

I can not put into words how much I love this story. The first three routes are solid 8/10s, really good but not the best I have ever read. As soon as the true route started ,however, I was hooked and got extremely emotional. The romance is so beautiful and I love all of the characters so much.

Now, don’t take this game lightly, every single content warning this game has is more than deserved. It is incredibly fucked up and disturbing, I do not recommend it if you have an even slightly faint heart. However, if you are able to read it, please do. This story is absolutely incredible and I love it so very much.

I could start crying thinking about the fact that the only extra content for the game has not been translated, yet and that it will take a while for me to follow the characters further in their lives.

#manga recommendation #manga review #lgbt manga #lgbtqa #boys' love #achillean #achillian #nitroplus #alice in borderland #sweet home #magi the kingdom of magic #magi the labyrinth of magic #dramatical murder #sweet pool #slow damage

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j0hnnymouse · 1 year ago

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Ouran High School Host Club - Borrower AU

I’ve had this idea in the back of my brain since July 2020, and I have periodically typed down some stuff to actually develop it. Hope you guys enjoy, and feel free to send me asks if you want to know more or have your own fun ideas for this concept! (Disclaimer: This is primarily self-indulgent. I want to speculate [and maybe write fanfic about] G/T with the characters, not construct an entire complex narrative. Not to say all logic goes in the trash, but this is mostly about having fun.)

BASIC PREMISE

Haruhi is a Borrower whose tumultuous existence has led her to live in the walls of Ouran Academy. She’s drawn to Music Room 3 because the Host Club orders food in abundance and there is always some left out for her to scavenge. She is eventually discovered by the club’s members, but is quickly assured that they bear her no ill intentions. In fact, quite the opposite - they are quite taken with their little discovery. One factor from canon remains intact: when Haruhi is first found, she’s mistaken as a boy. The truth is quickly clarified, but her ability to pass as a boy sparks an idea... Kyoya, the vice-president of the club, offers Haruhi a deal: Haruhi will join the club as a host in exchange for food, comfortable living accommodations, and basic assurances of safety. Put simply: she will not have to “borrow” because they’ll make sure her needs are met.

“How the heck is Haruhi gonna stay a secret from the world at large?” Well, for the sake of self-indulgence, this AU operates on the logic of “what happens in Host Club stays in Host Club” where Haruhi is concerned. All of the guests understand this and treat it with the highest regard (OR ELSE)

CHARACTER BIOS

Haruhi: Self-sufficient, physically sturdy, and extremely practical. To that end, she has very little regard for gender norms, cutting her hair short so she doesn’t have to manage it and wearing whatever is most functional for borrowing.

As a host, she can often set hearts aflutter without even trying due to her size. Though she doesn’t easily welcome physical contact at first, she does eventually build enough rapport that she will step into the hands of certain people. Tamaki: He is high-strung on matters concerning Haruhi to the point of annoyance; she often accuses him of treating her like a porcelain doll. Kyoya: He recognizes how the novelty of her being small could appeal to girls and is the one to suggest she work for the host club. Kyoya is very stern about keeping Haruhi safe and comfortable, both for her value to the club and a strong sense of obligation to uphold their agreement. Hani-Senpai: Honey’s childlike innocence helps to put Haruhi at ease shortly after they get acquainted; it also helps that he frequently shares his sweets with her, since Haruhi’s first and truest love is food. He is general very sweet and polite, though he can get a little overexcited. Mori: His quiet, imposing demeanor intimidates Haruhi at first. But seeing the way he interacts with Honey-senpai, she quickly realizes that Mori is a gentle giant. If Haruhi needs to be carried or given a lift, Mori is the one she prefers to rely on. He is gentle without being overly fussy (unlike Tamaki). Hikaru and Kaoru: These two love toy with Haruhi a lot in canon. How do you think that goes in an AU where she’s toy-sized? Haruhi’s safety may be a top priority for the Host Club, but the twins still like to have their fun. Though they are mindful of Haruhi’s boundaries, they often make a point of testing what those boundaries are. Ryouji “Ranka” Fujioka Though I haven’t thought all of them out fully, there are differences between this AU and the canonical version of this character. -Not related to Haruhi -Still a cross-dresser or potentially identifying as transgender. (The weirded-out attitudes from the canon characters would be dialed back or removed entirely in any potential stories). -Comes into contact with the Host Club through different circumstances. (Perhaps connected to Haruhi’s lack of gendered thinking.) Renge Houshakuji Once again rising to a management role within the Host Club, cue the appropriate amount of gushing when she learns about Haruhi. Once it comes to light that Haruhi is a girl (despite Haruhi’s gender-neutral sentiments and practical outlook), Renge pushes for her to be given a more varied wardrobe. Sho and Ari A young couple contracted to build a functional dollhouse for Haruhi to live in. Their names are a nod to Sho and Arrietty from the film Arrietty. Gojo and Kitagawa (from My Dress-Up Darling) They are hired to make clothes for Haruhi. Kitigawa measures Haruhi and serves as a style guide, Gojo handles all of the actual crafting.

#ouran high school host club #ouran hshc #ohshc #ouran #borrower au #giant/tiny #g/t #size difference #haruhi #tamaki #kyoya #honey senpai #mori #hikaru and kaoru #renge houshakuji #ranka fujioka #my dress up darling #gojo #kitagawa

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mostbelovednjpwtournament · 2 months ago

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Most Beloved NJPW Wrestler Tournament

#njpw #American Dragon #Ryouji Sai #most beloved njpw wrestler tournament

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444lpblue · 2 years ago

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What animes will I be watching in Winter 2023? (+ Staff Roundup) - Part 2

A bit later than I wanted this out as I was incredibly sick, but here I will be continuing on about what animes I will be watching in Winter 2023

NieR:Automata Ver1.1a Direction: Masuyama Ryouji Series Composition: Masuyama Ryouji, Yokoo Tarou Character Design: Nakai Jun Studio: A-1 Pictures

Truth be told, I know almost nothing about the NieR franchise except for the character designs which are very aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. Video games adaptation has always been hit or miss, but I do think the staff lined up here does make this series have a greater opportunity for a better adaptation. Yoko Taro the creator of the game himself will be working as series composition alongside Masuyama Ryouji, so we can at the very least expect something that isn't too far off from Taro's own vision. Masuyama Ryouji has been an A-1 Pictures lifer for a while now working on shows like the Great Pretender and Blend-S, I was a bit surprised when I first saw the Nier PVs. The direction and colors went in a much more cinematic direction than most of Ryouji's other works, lacking the colors and more expressive personality in the characters. This is also one of the first more "serious" series he's had a role in so that likely also has an effect. I'm fairly curious about how this series turns out, but I don't have too much to say about it based on the trailer and staff for now. The trailer looks fairly solid, albeit a little drab and the staff seems good if a bit mismatched.

Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister! Direction: Fujii Shingo Series Composition: Yokote Michiko Character Design: Imamura Ryou Studio: Studio Bind

Studio Bind is one of the most promising new studios we have seen in a very long time. Their work on Mushoku Tensei was honestly breathtaking. Now they're back with quite a different project in Onimai. Similar to Mushoku Tensei however, a lot of the staff here does not have much experience in leading their own production in a significant role. Bind wants to take chances with their anime with younger, less experienced staff members which continues to be great to see. Looking at the PVs for this series suggests that the gamble paid off. The character designs by Imamura Ryou are adorable, it's relatively simple but allows for such expressive movement and facial expressions. The way they are colored makes them appear almost 3 dimensional in certain shots. The composition by Akane Fushihara also adds a lot to it. A lot of the shows she's done composition will also have this slight layer of fuzziness that helps to blend in the many colors of the show perfectly, while not overdoing it. You can see this in Spy X Family and No Game, No Life. I'm excited to see Fujii Shingo in action, as I'm not familiar with him at all, but if Bind has picked him to work on this project, he must have done some significant work that impressed them in the past. The show looks great, and the manga has a positive reception. I will definitely be watching this show in Winter 2023.

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Direction: Suzuki Youhei Series Composition: Minakami Seishi Character Design: Iizuka Haruko Studio: J.C. Staff

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale has caught on my eye a lot more than a lot of other people's. The combination Iizuka Haruko's character design and Suzuki Youhei's direction coming together is thoroughly exciting for me. Haruko has worked on so many wonderful character designs such as in School-Live!, Children of the Whales, and of course Josee, The Tiger and the Fish. Her designs have a distinctive soft look to them, yet they never lose their sharp features like a lot of softer designs tend to do. They truly stand out among most character designs and the color pairing that typically goes with her characters is for the most part very pretty. Youhei on the other hand, I have been impressed by his direction in the past, he has very creative ideas on using lighting and how to emphasize a very important scene with clearly limited production. He's good at working around a limited staff. From the footage I've seen so far, this series is helmed by a very nice group of animators to go along with his direction. From the glimpse of movement here and there, they're animated fairly well and look similar quality to cuts seen in The Executioner and Her Way of Life, which is one of J.C. Staff's better-looking shows in recent years. It's not often we get a shojo series that looks as visually unique as this show here, as often time shojo animes tend to get unfortunately stuck with rather bland character designs, which is a shame because there are so many underrated shojos with amazing stories that get overlooked because of that. I have high expectations for this series and it's one of the series I'm most looking forward to in this season that doesn't have a lot of things that stand out.

The Fire Hunter Direction: Nishimura Junji Series Composition: Oshii Mamoru Character Design: Saitou Takuya Studio: Signal MD

Probably the most visually "interesting" show of the season, a blast from the 2010s, we have The Fire Hunter helmed by veteran director Nishimura Junji who hasn't been doing as well recently. He had some interesting ideas in Vlad Love, which was a visually decent show, but was far off the filter and lack any substance to support it. The storyline is this series is a mystery as it's based on a novel, that we have no translations of in English. The footage in the trailer portrays a very nostalgic art style that we've seen a lot more in the 2010s, which appealed to me greatly, but the production quality has to be brought to question a bit. There are many awkward cuts prevalent through the PVs we do have of the show and the way the show has been cut is also very weird. There's a usage of the dolly zoom in the first PV that just looked incredibly off as if the camera zooming out was morphing the characters themselves. Sorry if this is sounding a little negative for a series I will be watching, but it has to be said I am a little worried about the sustainability and consistency of this project, however as this season is a bit dry, I'll be giving it a watch anyways just simply due to the very classic art style and interesting premise that stands out from the more generic plot summaries this season.

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague Direction: Mankyuu Series Composition: Konparu Tomoko Character Design: Kanou Miyako Studio: Zero G, Liber

Mankyuu is a director whose rise to fame has mostly come through his early flash animations. Now he will be directing a romantic shojo series and from the footage we have, it looks fairly nice. The composition thanks to Tomomi Saito, makes the scenes feel more cinematic than they likely would have been without any of the filters applied. It gives the character designs a great sense of depth and makes the show feel more "premium" than it is. Zero-G has been not been a very good studio, a lot of their works are not the best looking nor are they the best animated, just a very mediocre list of work they have and this seems like the best-looking series they've ever produced, possibly through the collab with Liber who is a total mystery in their own right as this is their first anime. It will be very interesting if the rest of the show will look as dynamic as the trailers but I have hope. So, you have two characters seemingly in a very cute relationship with a visually appealing trailer, what's not to like? Seems simple and easy to explain to me why I'm watching this.

Conclusion: And that's it for now... There might be some shows or season 2s I end up watching that I didn't talk about in this list. If I do pick them up I will talk about it in my first episode impressions when they roll around. At the moment I'm kind of considering watching the old Trigun so that I can watch the upcoming sequel/reboot/remake? I don't exactly know what it is, but it looks great for a fully 3D anime and got me interested.

#winter 2023 anime #winter 2023 #anime #nier automata #onimai #oniichan wa oshimai!#sugar apple fairy tale #the fire hunter #the ice guy and his cool female colleague

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xitty · 2 months ago

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Here's my "trying to desperately find books that scratch the same itch as The Case Files of Jeweler Richard" collection. And I have to say, none of these can top it but two I really like. Three out of four are from Yen Press and one (Onmyoji) from Cross Infinite World. Jeweler Richard is from Seven Seas. So Yen Press is aggressively targeting the same crowd and look at me, it's working. All four have supernatural elements unlike Jeweler and so far I've read only the first books of these series. Noting the BL vibes too because I like handsome men together. ;)

****

Mikage Sawamura: Associate Professor Akira Takatsuki's Conjecture This is the the best of these four and closest to Jeweler Richard in feel and setting. It's about titular university professor who's a folklore expert and a student called Naoya who hears people's voices distorted when they lie because he stumbled across festival of the dead as a kid and things happened there. Takatsuki is eccentric and harbors a few secrets of his own. They solve cases relating to urban legends and cursed objects etc. There doesn't seem to be any BL vibes even though Naoya notes how handsome and charming Akira is. Enjoyed the book a lot and I like the characters and the urban legends!

Yoshiko Utamine: Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes I like this one a lot too! Misato is an onmyoji who takes a job in a small town of Tomoe, joining a government management unit who deals with abnormal crises. Ryouji is doing a freelance monk work and claims to be . Their paths cross, they end up living together and solving the mysteries together. And their family backgrounds play roles too. Inspiration from mythology, Shinto, Buddhism, Onmyodo etc. Not actual BL but it's very easy to ship them. Liked that the paranormal investigation was a government job, it's not unique setting of course but between these four books it's a different to the others.

Michiru Fushino: The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant A lot of promise here and only marred by unnecessary threats of sexual violence at certain points. Masamichi has failed his university exams, lost his job and then is hit by a car to top it all, about to die. A handsome specter called Shino appears and wants to eat Masamichi but he offers to fix him and eat him only later. Masamichi agrees and they began living together in Shino's antique shop. There are demons and curses and tsukumogami etc. This is BL! First book very slow on that though but it's BL, writer says so. This is actually rewrite of their earlier work.

Yoru Michio: Hell Is Dark with No Flowers Great setup but writing is the weakest of these. Seiji is 20-something NEET who gets lost in the city one day and finds a mansion. The owner, Shiroshi, invites him to tea and offers a place for him as his assistant. Shiroshi sends people who have sinned to Hell and Seiji sees people who have sinned as yokai. Shiroshi doesn't seem to need Seiji's skills though and Seiji feels more like a pet. The links to yokai and the mysteries are interesting but exploring characters' thoughts and reason is a bit lacking and pacing is jumpy. No BL vibes.

****

So, the first two I absolutely recommend, third with that one content warning attached and fourth not really. I already have more volumes from each except Hell because there's only that first one out. And I don't know yet if I will get the second one.

#books #light novels #these don't have illustrations inside though btw #associate professor akira takatsuki's conjecture #onmyoji and tengu eyes #the contract between a specter and a servant #hell is dark with no flowers #mikage sawamura #yoshiko utamine #michiru fushino #yoru mitchio

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curried-mermaid · 4 months ago

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Special Edition - A Review: Onmyoji and Tengu Eyes - Hide and Seek in the Wintry Mountains (Vol. 2)

Author: Yoshiko Utamine Publishers: Cross Infinite World Age Group: teen Genre: Shojo Mystery Type: Light Novel

Content Warnings: Taboos, child abductions, small amount of violence

Spoilers ahead

Plot

The two otherworldy friends, Misato Miyazawa (our pale pretty boy with long black hair) and Ryouji Karino (our 90s flashy gangster wannabe), find themselves in the midst of a strange, supernatural mystery—and this time, demons are involved!

After defeating the Inugami, Misato’s team at the Abnormal Disaster Unit entrusts the good-looking onmyoji with the resolution of a new enigma. At the same time, hot-blooded freelance monk Ryouji is discreetly tasked with a missing person case in Izumo: Katsuki Narukami, Misato’s beloved younger brother, has vanished.

As their respective investigations progress, uncanny similarities between the two cases begin to surface and the more it seems like Ryouji and Misato are the latest players in an increasingly sinister game of tag.

Character Development

From the first volume, Misato has grown quite a bit. He’s learned to accept the spirit snake attached to him (mostly). He’s not a doormat of a person and learned to hold his own (within reason). We see more of his personality in this volume. While he is a soft spoken person, it’s a defense mechanism. He’s not afraid to share his opinions and offload his stress to Ryouji and Hirose (his childhood friend who has a job at Town Hall and visits the Abnormal Disaster Unit). In this volume, we learn a lot more about his relationship with his brother and get a glimpse of his family life before he left. There are some scars from his youth of betrayal, guilt, and self-deprecation.

Ryouji is the same as he always is. We get a lot of growth from him in this volume that expands on the ending of the first. He’s learning to rely on Misato a little bit more and goes through a great emotional arc of wanting to repay the favor (Misato saved him from the Inugami) by helping find Misato’s brother.

It’s safe to say that the bromance is blooming nicely.

The characterization is a lot more compelling than the first volume. There are several different emotional arcs happening in this volume. Misato and Ryouji go through their own arcs as do a couple of secondary characters. This characterization is compelling because the audience can relate to the emotional journeys more than in the first volume. I think this comes from having a complex plot that is more coherent than the first volume was.

The audience can relate to Misato and Ryouji better than the first volume. We also get a few secondary protagonists in the Sugihara family, the family cursed from eating Adzuki beans. The legend of the area says if you eat adzuki beans you’ll be cursed with a rash that turns to adzuki beans and pus before it kills you. If a child is under 7, they’ll be lured to the mountain to play hide-and-seek never to be seen again.

The mother particularly goes through her own character arc from disbelief, to grief and blame, to realizing what’s happening to them is not their fault. While they did eat the adzuki beans, they’re new to the area and didn’t know the superstitions. We find out during the novel that the villagers fears and guilt from sacrificing and trying to appease the little girl (the one who lures children to play hide-and-seek) created this very curse the mother suffers from.

The creation of supernatural phenomena is always random. Sometimes it creates entities, curses, negative encounters, etc but not always. Otherwise this world would be overrun a long time ago. The book explains this very well.

Katsuki goes through his own arc that helps him to grow from a child mindset to more of an adult (remember those growing pains in teens and your 20s). He dearly misses his brother and follows the spirit paths towards a shikigami that’s keeping the children from being lured by the spirit girl (demon). The shikigami acts as a substitute.

Katsuki learns that he can’t always have his way. While he wants Misato to come back to the clan and he’ll do anything to make that happen, he learns he can’t force the issue. In fact, he needs to create a future for himself that doesn’t include other people that may leave his life. He cannot create his entire life plan based on having certain people always around him. This is an unsustainable life and he must face that people come and go. This very mindset helps him to connect with the demon eventually sending the girl demon to paradise by making her remember who she is beyond being a sister and the demon in hide-and-seek.

World-building

The world-building is contemporary with a merging of old town versus newer development in Tomoe. There are a lot of restless spirits which makes it easy for Misato to have a job. On the flip side, Ryouji works for the local real estate agency dealing with stuff as well. It’s an interesting difference in dynamic.

We get some expansion on the differing spiritual practices in this one; Shegundo, buddhism, Onmyoji, and a little Taoism. It’s fascinating to experience all of these differing beliefs, their similarities, and how each of the characters that focus on those use their spiritual abilities and training to help Misato and Ryouji as their respective investigations cross.

Themes

There are a lot more themes in this one!

The first theme continues from the first volume about finding your tribe or those you vibe with.

“They were both living in the same ghostly, gloomy place; that was all. They gazed at the same distant sky from their dim position in existence, the darkness unchanging whether twilight fell or dawn arrived. It was comforting to be with someone who was must like him” (p. 81).

This is a really important inner reflection from Ryouji as he’s talking with Tsugawa, one of Ryouji’s co-workers at the bar. It shows us how Ryouji feels about Misato. Knowing Ryouji’s background, this is a big reflection coming from him as he keeps people away from him, but Misato has broken through.

The second theme is about the ties/chains that bind us to each other. This theme is great because it shows the dichotomy connections have. Ties can mean a tight/close-knit connection between individuals that cannot be severed. It also refers to the chains used to restrain. The connections we encounter that become ties is both a comforting thing but can also be stifling. It’s how we choose to react to these connections that makes relationships dynamic, engaging, and worth the effort. Sometimes, things don’t work out and severing a tie is the only option. I don’t believe that ties can never be severed but it does take a lot of effort, boundary setting, and reminding yourself why you did it in the first place. We see this very thing with Misato as he thinks about his past with his brother.

We see more evidence of this when Ryouji contemplates pratityasamutpada, a key doctrine in Buddhism based on chains of causality. No one lives only according to their will because each action/causality has consequences/ripples into other people’s lives. The example for this volume is if Kasuki decides to continue to live in the spirit realm on the mountain (as the next head of the Narukami clan) this action ripples through other’s lives. The entire clan will have to find someone else to become heir, his tutor will lose his position in the clan, and his brother, Misato, will be forever worried about him.

The third theme builds on top of the first two but also goes in an inner direction rather than an outward direction. It’s a perfect theme on looking within. It’s remaining true to yourself by accepting all parts of you. In my circles there are a lot of people that are all ‘love and light’ and those that are all about ‘trauma (shadow) work’. Two separate ways of looking and dealing with things.

After Misato has a bad dream caused by a spirit that’s latched onto him, he rejects Shirota (the snake spirit that’s become part of him). When Misato comes back to his normal mindset, he says the following:

“…to ignore Shirota was to turn his back on himself. No wonder he’d lost sight of himself and been readily possessed by a malevolent entity” (p. 152).

We cannot come to terms with ourselves and our experiences if we are not willing to accept all parts of ourselves, the light and the dark. Everything must be in balance, not all light or all dark. Humans are complex beings that contain both. As such, it gives us the unique perspective to create right and wrong, to have beliefs, and develop a sense of self that interacts with other ‘selfs’. How we treat ourselves shows outward to others. We reject or accept others based on how we accept the many facets of ourselves. To ignore the darkness or the light within, is to ignore and reject the full self that makes you who you are.

Observations & Predictions

As I said in the characterization portion, the plot is more coherent which creates great emotional relation between the characters and audience. The waves of sub-plot come together with the main plot nicely, like diverging roads that all come together to create a merging highway towards the end.

The writing is also tighter than the first volume. This made me want to read it more than the first volume. It took me about a month to get through the first volume while this volume was about a week (distractions are fun). The tighter writing allowed the characters and themes to shine in this volume. While this volume isn’t perfect in pulling you in to read non-stop, the author and their team of editors did an excellent job improving upon their faults in the first volume.

One observations I want to go into is the bromance between Misato and Ryouji. When Ryouji thinks about their relationship, Tsugawa thinks they’re a couple. He vehemently disagrees saying they’re just friends, not even best friends, though he’s never had one so he doesn’t know if Misato qualifies. Ryouji has strong feelings about friendships and romance.

“All friendships are like toilet paper once romance gets in the way” (p. 81).

At the same time, we get a different reaction from Ryouji later in the book. During the final fight Misato calls Ryouji his partner. Ryouji reacts by blushing and stuttering over his words. Misato takes it back seeing Ryouji flustered. Ryouji says not to mind, he just never thought about it (p. 264). (If you’re a fujoshi then this little interaction is gold).

Later during the same fight, Ryouji calls Misato his partner. It’s then Misato realizes why Ryouji was so flustered, as it gets him flustered as well.

I can see the series going one of two ways based on the interactions between Ryouji and Misato. The first is that a romance will blossom between them. Ryouji will reject his feelings because he’ll want things to stay the same. He won’t want to lose the intimate friendship he and Misato have. Misato may also be a little like this, but it’s more likely he’ll try to reject it in turn because he doesn’t want to be betrayed again. He’s also still dealing with his emotions from this second volume so they may resurface from a different perspective.

The other way is that it remains a bromance with hidden gems that tantalize the fantasy of them eventually getting together. I think this route is more likely.

Recommendations

More “friendship”: The Night Beyond the Tri-cornered Window By: Tomoko Yamishita

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard By: Nanako Tsujimura

More Supernatural Action: Bureau of Paranormal Investigation By: Er Dong Shui Shou

Jujutsu Kaisen By: Gege Akutami

Same Vibes: Dark Gathering By: Kenichi Kondo

#onmyoji #tengu #mystery #paranormal #hide and seek #demon #anime and manga #anime #manga #manga review #book review #otaku #weeb #curriedmermaid #yoshiko utamine

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kuroihashiba · 2 years ago

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Just posting some thoughts about the TOBARI 陰陽 series tracks that I've had on my mind since I just finished lively with dazzling light's first listen last night. Spoilers for both, do feel free to avoid if you wish.

So first off I just really wanna say I really love the whole conception and existence of 陰陽 for TOBARI and the fact that ZIX are also incorporated into it..!!!! They were apart of the Black With High Purity (BWHP) initial track and I think their senior-junior relationship with TOBARI is so fun :')

(also maybe this is just an insane person thought but I really reallyreally REALLY want SAUDADE to become a real in-universe unit beyond Ryouji and hear their style too)....

With the existence of 陰陽 as a CD series for SUNPRO, I do think it's really important to note that it appears Sainosuke-sensei designed them with the concept in mind, as their respective "attributes" are noted on one of the character design sheets found on their pixiv! Very neat detail B)

So basically the first half of the series (after the SUNPRO meeting in #1) is all about Kuroi conceiving songs for the series. With the help of Shiou, they end up deciding that the 陰陽 series for them is in the form of personal songs (hence why each disk comes with a solo). The tagline for BWHP, 俺の陰。俺の影。(Loosely: My darkness. My shadow.) was actually a line spoken by Shiou in regard to the conversation. Both characters actually speak each other's taglines for this series! I don't have Shiou's on-hand right now, but I know for a fact Kuroi mentions it in Lively with Dazzling Light.

(Also a very specific fact, they spend time at Shiou's apartment for track #2– and Shiou owns a beanbag. I just think that's very important to note. Kuroi loves the beanbag and like, immediately sinks into it.)

Track #3 flits between Kuroi's life post-disbandment but pre-TOBARI– showing how he spent the last of his money on cup noodles and was living on the bare minimum food-wise for a good while before Shiou came to his apartment to propose the formation of TOBARI over a meal (as seen in Innovation #3). Kuroi is effectively telling the story of how his life was before Shiou, days blending together while he composes, broke as all hell... It's worth noting that Kuroi's flashbacks of the days show nothing but rain, with the moments leading up to Shiou's arrival being prefaced with chirping birds signifying a great day outside. Genuinely neat point, I think.

With regards to his background, this is... literally the most that he's talked about those days at this point. I thought this would've been in Yamanemuru, but I think the small hint of him listening to his band's CD back then leading into BWHP was a great idea. In general, I just love the way the scenario writer is handling Kuroi and his growth.

I don't want to spoil too much about the tracks, but I love the way TOBARI have grown together here. BWHP's songs are what hooked me into X Lied Project as a whole, but the tracks are just a total 1-2 punch...!!!

Speaking of songs, I'm working on TLs for both of them at the moment and wanted to share a few gems:

Moonlight, the duet track for the disk, makes note of water lilies in the second verse– the peak flowering season for them is August, the same month in which the disk itself was released. It also symbolises a pure spirit/heart, something which I'm fairly sure Kuroi is described as having. Take that last bit with a grain of salt until I can confirm it, I'm sure it's been in there somewhere.

Additionally, Moonlight makes note of what appears to be Kuroi's unpainted, true face (素顔, or sugao)– it looks like a direct callback to Real in the Dark's line about throwing away a fake facade, to me at least! (Kana's TL is linked via the wiki above for context reasons).

Setsunateki Blast, localised for the worldwide Spotify release as Momentary Blast, contains words such as 煩悩 (bonnou, worldly desire), 本能 (honnou, instinct)– these words have been trends in TOBARI songs– particularly Resonance of a Solitary Night. They're also present in GOKUSAISHIKI!

Anyway, onto Lively with Dazzling Light. The first track's name is a real mouthful particularly with the Spotify localisation, but I genuinely love it– "The musician who is like the smell of the sun", this constant comparison to the sun for Shiou is really so true lol I love him.

First track has follow up on what was seen in Proani S2!!!! Kuroi and Mamoru friendship!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ken and Mamo also finally get to meet Shiou, who wasn't present for the episode at all– Ken and Shiou really seem to hit it off, I hope we get more of them in the future (like in a NIX anime adaptation? winkwink). TLDR: They go out to a cafe and have a chat, mostly about music and work related stuff. Iced coffee, yay!

Track #2 is really where the meat of it comes in. Essentially, Shiou takes Kuroi out to a fast food place (think: mcd*nalds, b*rger k*ng, m*ss b*rger, etc) for a meal after he's been hard at work on the songs for LDWL. Kuroi calls him troublesome, Shiou calls him cruel in return. Classic banter.

Shiou gets a burger combo, Kuroi gets chips & a coffee. There's this real good bit where Shiou can't decide whether to sit at the window bench or at a regular table, and Kuroi chimes in like "let's get it to-go" and Shiou snaps back with "That's not the point." I like them a lot

It feels like the focus is mostly on Kuroi here, but there's subtle ways in which the focus is on Shiou– Shiou as a good partner and junior, Shiou's past, in some ways, Shiou through Kuroi's eyes. There's a bit of talk about Shiou's high school days in particular, it seems that even back then he was reliable and even thought highly of by his peers. Even disregarding the content (which I'll be doing for brevity's sake, this post is getting LONG), it's nice to see how Shiou and Kuroi can talk so freely and openly like this– prior to X Lied, prior to even Innovation when it's not focused on the initial meeting. It really speaks to Kuroi's development, and even Shiou's as someone who effectively enables Kuroi to open up and avoiding much attention on himself while doing so (see: Shiou getting flustered whenever anyone comments him... he's moe your honour). There are points where Kuroi sounds so genuinely happy and gentle, which is a feat in and of itself given how neutral and even emotionless his tone has sounded right from the beginning. The end of the track actually made me tear up a little– there's even a little callback to the bit in Innovation where Kuroi says something and Shiou asks about it, only for him to hit back with "...its nothing". I love them so bad guys I promise.

Unfortunately I've decided to put off the LWDL tracks for a little while (because GOKUSAISHIKI is a real doozy and I do not have the brain capacity for that right now). I don't have any substantial TL notes yet, but I would like to point out that the way the song name is written (極祭色) is a play on the word 極彩色 which is pronounced the exact same way. The GOKUSAISHIKI we know itself doesn't have a meaning, but the word it's based on means "richly coloured", much like the idol it's representing :) I only figured this out because there's a RE*L album of the same name, I'm not a language whiz lol

Aaaaanyway that's all, apologies for the very long ramble as a first post. I'm just thinking about them a lot right now. I survived NIXLIVE and all I got was these fantastic songs :')

#kiley blabbering #kiley meta talk #tobari

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