#serizawa can die and it will change nothing to the story

[cpn86457]

SeriRei 🥰

[atopearth]

Hakuoki: Kyoto Winds Part 9 - Souma Kazue Route

Really happy to get to see how Souma joins the Shinsengumi since he didn’t have the best welcoming from them in the beginning and he hasn’t heard anything good about them in Edo either, so this will be interesting! He always seemed so dedicated and faithful to the Shinsengumi after he joined so I’m wondering what made him change his mind. I guess patrolling with Harada and seeing how the Shinsengumi really is should be enough to change his mind haha! I mean, from how Kondo handles himself by being a leader that can admit his wrongs even to others supposedly “lower” than him, and seeing how organised the Shinsengumi are and how dedicated they are to protecting the peace in Kyoto with his own eyes, it’s hard to doubt their sincerity towards protecting Kyoto. Even if their methods may seem rough on the outside, they are doing what the police should do, which is stopping these ronin from bullying the townspeople, and regardless of how badly it looks on the outside, they are doing what they think is right and what they believe to be the most beneficial to the people of Kyoto.

HAHAHA, when Souma passionately declares to Chizuru that they should work hard as underlings together and become honest and upright people just like Harada and the rest, and then when he squeezes her muscles to check whether swordsmanship really isn’t her thing🤣 Sorry to disappoint you Souma but this one is a weakling lolol. Ooh so Kondou invited Souma to join the Shinsengumi because Souma left his domain since they didn’t want to fight for the shogunate. Too bad he doesn’t join yet~ I guess similarly to Iba, Souma was disappointed in his peers in the shogunate army who were happy to be reserves and be stationed on standby and not need to fight at all. I guess for someone who is passionate about fighting for his beliefs, it is pretty disappointing to be together with these people… After all that, I’m not surprised that he’d come to the Shinsengumi, since they accept people of all kinds as long as they have the heart and strength to fight for their beliefs.

I was always never really sure what Souma’s role was in the other routes, so I’m glad to finally know that he’s actually Kondou’s page (in training) haha! And loll Kondou wants Chizuru to teach Souma stuff she’s learnt as Hijikata’s page??? Has Chizuru even learnt anything?? Has she done anything? Loll. So cute how Souma is so passionate to learn from Chizuru and even calls her senpai! Damn, Okita is the one training Souma and Nomura huh? It’s true that they need to toughen up though, so I guess the ruthless Okita that has high expectations for sword skills is a good choice haha, especially since they’re pages, so they’ll be one of the closest people to Kondou, so they have to be reliable! I find it kinda funny that they don’t care about how Chizuru isn’t training with them, especially since she’s obviously weak but is also a page lol. Wow, I know Saburo (Itou’s brother, was it?) is suspicious of Chizuru’s identity since she popped out of nowhere and no one knows much about her but the captains watch over her, but stilll, pulling her kimono to check if she really is a man is very rude regardless of what sex she is! Hehe, I liked how Souma came to her rescue and even won in a verbal fight since personal conflicts aren’t allowed in the Shinsengumi, so if someone like him whose a captain did something like that, he’d definitely get a worse punishment than Souma and Nomura! You go, Souma! Also really glad that the guys have accepted Nomura and Souma to an extent and have revealed to them that Chizuru is actually a girl lol. Lmao when they kept indirectly insulting her by saying that it’s rude to think that she could possibly be a girl😂😂

Seeing Saito and Heisuke leave is always saddening, but to see through Souma how difficult of a decision it is to leave everything you know, everything you’re familiar with, your comrades and everything you once believed in to pursue something unknown but possibly more akin to your beliefs is definitely a very hard but brave decision. Souma had to leave his domain, his life, his hometown to pursue what he believed to be the spirit of a warrior and that’s why he appreciates that he’s finally found that in the Shinsengumi after he felt so lost and dejected from losing his home and yet unable to find this spirit. It’s always so reassuring to see Souma go and protect Chizuru even though he’s probably not that strong. It’s gonna get increasingly more difficult for me to like Kazama at this rate lol, especially when he relentlessly slashed Souma and mocked him for protecting Chizuru because of some stupid pride, I was so angry and so worried and hurt for Souma, I was so scared that he’d really die right there😭 I was really touched when he stood back up and told Kazama that he’s protecting Chizuru with his life because he made a promise between men (with the Shinsengumi) that he would protect Chizuru no matter what😢😢 So glad Sanan came in time…

Now that I think about it, I’ve never chosen the option where Chizuru assists with Itou’s assassination, which I must admit is in such bad taste to witness, especially considering that although I do not like Itou’s personality or the way he acts, I do think that he is very knowledgeable and knows what he’s talking about when it comes to the advancement of Japan. It’s kinda saddening that they killed him in such a distasteful way by getting him drunk as if they were friends seeking his knowledge and then killing him afterwards. Tbh, seeing Miki (Itou’s brother) come to the Shinsengumi for revenge with his wounds but still bearing an extreme hatred to all of the Shinsengumi for doing such a thing really made me feel so uncomfortable. Regardless of the reasons for needing to kill Itou, there’s no doubt that it was done in a dirty and disgusting way and the thought of it haunts me. Miki’s hatred is justified, his disgust, his pursuit and everything, it’s just so hard to watch. Sure, they were planning on assassinating Kondou as well and probably if Hijikata didn’t do this, Kondou might have been killed, but that doesn’t mean the whole act was “acceptable”, instead, it just shows that this was an era where if you wanted your beliefs and convictions to prevail in the end, you couldn’t be too picky about the methods used. Since Souma wasn’t able to deal with him alone before Miki ran off, it seems inevitable that Miki will be back.

It was really sweet of Souma and Chizuru to offer to make Heisuke dango and buy him sake every day when he lamented that now that he’s a Fury, he won’t be able to go to tea houses or anywhere as he used to since he’s considered dead to the world. It’s not surprising that no one would want to talk about the Roshigumi (former Shinsengumi name), Serizawa (former head captain that was the boss of everyone) and Ibuki (Serizawa’s page) considering everything that transpired. Although Kondou and them ended up killing Serizawa because his methods and everything (extortion, violence towards Ibuki etc) became impossible to ignore, he was the one that used the dirty methods to keep them and their group alive at that time. And I see, Ibuki probably never left despite the abuse by Serizawa because he felt indebted to him since he was the one that picked him off the road when he had nothing else. Serizawa was also the one who introduced the Water of Life into the group and probably one of the first Furies they had to kill… It’s such a dark past… It really must be fate that Ibuki was the one who gave Souma that wood block in the beginning featuring Serizawa in his Fury form intending for Souma to sell it for money since Souma had none, and it was because of that that he ended up meeting the Shinsengumi themselves and ended up here now being one of them.

Hearing Okita’s story of the past was really heartwarming when Souma sincerely believed that Kondou truly is a warrior in spirit considering how he and the others follow their beliefs and protect everyone they can. Honestly, hearing Okita say thank you was just so..sweet? It felt like he really appreciated that Souma felt that way and that their way of living was recognised. I can also understand better why Okita and others may not have looked at Souma fondly since he abandoned his “warrior” status to become “nothing” like them when they’re working so hard to become a “warrior”. But really, Okita entrusting Kondou’s safety to Souma is already reflective enough of how much he has come to acknowledge Souma, as Chizuru said, Kondou’s so important to Okita, so him approving of Souma guarding Kondou is a big thing! Hearing Kondou talking about how compromising your values is scarier than death, and how as long as he can live the life of a warrior and die honorably like that, he’s fine with a death like that…it breaks my heart to think about how his death really ended up being like😭😭 I honestly completely forgot about Kondou’s shoulder injury that ended up changing him, so when he suddenly got shot, I was so surprised, especially since you never really see it in the other routes.

Souma must have felt so terrible when he told Okita about Kondou, Okita entrusted him with his protection and this happens… I honestly didn’t expect to cry when seeing the flashback of Souma telling Okita… When Okita said he had no right to blame Souma when here he was sick in bed not able to be beside Kondou when he needed him, it was so hurtful...but the worst was when Souma told Okita to punch him for not being able to protect Kondou properly and he did, but he was so weak from the tuberculosis that there was no strength behind his punches.. Just imagining how painful it must be for someone as strong as Okita to lose the strength to protect the people most important to him and slowly die must be killing him on the inside so much, how aggravating and painful must it be for him to watch on the sidelines doing nothing but stay in bed? Just thinking about all that just makes my tears keep flowing😭😭😭 I’m glad Chizuru was there to comfort Souma, with his guilt of not being able to protect Kondou and then seeing Okita like that must be so difficult for him. The pinky promise that he’ll stand by her until the end was so cute though, I’m glad he’s also acknowledged her feelings of wanting to stay and fight beside everyone.

The moment Souma escaped with Chizuru and then bumped into Miki and his men, I knew he’d have to become a Fury. I guess it was expected since Souma’s swordsmanship was apparently lacking according to the others, so it was inevitable, but yeah, it’s always saddening to see the guys succumb to this pain. I’m not surprised that Souma let Miki escape, I’ve always found it difficult to face Miki’s hatred for the Shinsengumi, mainly because it’s so…justified? If I were Miki, I’d vow to get revenge too, not only was Itou his brother, someone he respected, his leader, but he was also killed in such a abhorrent way that thinking about it pains me so. Souma’s sentiments that he probably would have felt the same in Miki’s shoes if Kondou, Hijikata or Chizuru died in that way just resonated further the idea that we can talk about all these ideals, all these hopes for the future that require sacrifices and fighting, but in the end, regardless of the reasons, the fact that they killed someone’s family is something undeniable. Maybe it would be seen as naivety on Souma’s part considering that every time they go to war, the moment they kill anyone, they are killing someone’s family, but I think seeing it so first hand with someone he knew is just so much more confrontational and shocking. I thought that’d be the end of it but nope, Kazama has to appear every time to torture our favourite boys, like please!! They’re just making it harder for me to do his route in the future!! Anyway, even though Inoue and Yamazaki were already on the verge of death from their wounds, so you wouldn’t call it completely a sacrifice for them to fight Kazama to allow Souma and Chizuru to escape, but nevertheless, they could have died much more peacefully, so yep, still hate Kazama! Yamazaki is too precious to me, I can’t stand that he must die in this way :( The helplessness of Souma and his anger for being powerless against Kazama is always something frustrating to see for all the guys😢 And I agree with Souma, the future in Edo may turn out bleak but it’s important to never give up in their hearts because when you do, that’s when you’ve really been defeated. The cutest thing was Souma saying he’d protect Chizuru forever in his sleep, it’s always so adorable how he calls her senpai.

Overall, I quite enjoyed Souma’s perspective, I think his story really reflects understanding the spirit of the Shinsengumi and living it. He started off as a person who detested them, to respecting them and fighting alongside them, and I think that progression and transition was done nicely in the sense that alongside him, I could feel the strong emotions and thoughts that the Shinsengumi were very respectable people that followed their beliefs regardless of whether the odds were in their favour or not, they were warriors who fought to the death for what they believed to be right and for the best and I think seeing Souma recognise it through his eyes made the story engaging as a viewer since it felt like we learnt everything about the Shinsengumi alongside him and it made his emotions very relatable. In terms of the romance, there isn’t much yet, but I do find it very adorable how much Souma respects Chizuru as his senpai and how adamant he is towards protecting her since it was a duty delegated to him and because he regards her as his important senpai I guess hahaha. I think Souma’s earnestness in his route really warmed my heart in his route.

[shibuemiyuu]

Desires - Hakuoki Fanfiction - Chapter 13

Minna-san! Akemashite Omedetto Gozaimasu!

Hello all! Happy New Year 2019! May this year you will have another blessed year and of course may you still want to read this story of mine :D

Here’s the next chapter. And I like the scene in this chapter very much! Well, you get the gist already of what part of the story this chapter will be... BUT! Just read and enjoy!

(All the editing credits goes to @impracticaldemon)

Chapters of the Story:

Prequel - Prologue - I - II - III - IV - V - VI - VII - VIII - IX - X - XI - XII

@hijichiweek @kirakirachiizuru

Miyuu

-XIII-

Hijikata was on his way to Chizuru's room when suddenly he felt uneasy and halted his steps. He checked on his body, but he didn't find anything that out of the place. He started to walk again but his mind tried to pinpoint the source of the sudden uneasy feeling. Not to mention the sudden urge that he always felt whenever he thought of the only woman inside the Shinsengumi.

'Chizuru…'

Ever since the event in Shimabara, there were times that he felt 'weird' feelings, like the strong urge to always be near with Chizuru, or on some occasions, Hijikata could feel his desire screaming to be quenched; to do again what he had done months ago in Shimabara, with Chizuru. So, whenever he felt the 'weird' feelings, somehow it always related or lead him to Chizuru.

And that's why Hijikata was certain that the uneasy feeling that he suddenly felt was also related to Chizuru.

Hijikata quickened his steps unconsciously. He almost ran to Chizuru's room once he turned to the corner of the hallway that would lead to her room.

The uneasy feeling increased when he saw the door of her room was open. And he could hear a man's voice from her room. When he stopped in front of the open door and got a clear view of what was happening inside the room, his body froze.

A menacing-looking Sannan pointed his katana toward a frightened-looking Chizuru, who was trapped between the wall and the bespectacled man himself.

Hijikata couldn't describe the feelings that he felt at what he saw. He knew that Sannan had changed since he became a rasetsu. Even though he didn't want to acknowledge the change, the hostility that the rasetsu emitted from time to time, not to mention the rumors about what the rasetsu's squad had done when they were patrolling had made Hijikata wary of Sannan.

Nevertheless, Hijikata knew that Sannan prioritized the Shinsengumi's matters above all else. Till now, he had turned a blind eye to almost all the bad rumors about Sannan and would just give the rasetsu a warning if what he heard was getting out of hand.

'It is for the Shinsengumi's sake.'

He always repeated the exact words, like an incantation, whenever he heard some bad rumors about Sannan.

But never in Hijikata's wildest dreams would he dare to imagine that Sannan would raise his katana and pointed it at the Shinsengumi's members. Much less at Chizuru, a harmless woman.

"I just want a small sample of your blood. That will be all…" Hijikata heard Sannan's exact words to Chizuru. The words that made his blood turn cold.

Sannan had taken a step forward before Hijikata decided to speak with a bone chilling tone.

"What are you doing Sannan-san?"

Sannan peered at the voice that addressed him but his body didn't move from its spot.

"Oh, Hijikata-kun," Sannan said in delight. "Excellent timing. Please, give me a hand here."

Chizuru was surprised when she heard Hijikata's voice.

"Hijikata-san…" She called the vice commander's name unconsciously in a soft whisper, while her eyes following the fukuchou as he walked slowly toward her and Sannan.

Hijikata's face was unreadable. But somehow, Chizuru could feel that the man was emitting a cold fury. Her heart was beating faster than before. She didn't know if it was from the close proximity of the fukuchou or because of the anxious and frightened feelings from the scene unfolding in front of her.

While walking toward Sannan and Chizuru, Hijikata's hand drifting near the hilt of his katana. Then with calm purpose, he stepped between them. Sannan's eyes narrowed in displeasure when Hijikata blocked his view of Chizuru. His eyes could see that Hijikata's hand was on the hilt of his katana.

"What are you doing, Hijikata-kun?" Sannan's voice matched his feelings as he said in displeasure: "Do you want to be a hindrance of the great breakthrough for the Shinsengumi?"

Hijikata moved a bit and he completely blocked Chizuru from Sannan's view. He could feel a trembling hand gripped his kimono tightly from the back. His eyebrows creased and he tightened his grip of the hilt of his katana.

"I will ask you for the last time, Sannan-san," Hijikata said with cold and sharp tone. "What are you doing?"

They held each other stares. Then, slowly, Sannan gave Hijikata his manic smile like the one he had shown to Chizuru before.

"I'm just searching for a way to treat the madness of the rasetsu. You know, for the good of the Shinsengumi," answered Sannan casually. And if it's possible his manic expression was getting madder.

"Then, do you want to cut her for that reason?" Hijikata tried his best not to lose his composure because he knew nothing good would happen if he lashed out at Sannan.

"I'm not going to kill her. I only need a little of her blood."

The room was thick with tension. Neither of the men wanted to back down from their stance. They were both standing still while exchanging calculating stares with each other. Then suddenly, Sannan averted his eyes and heaved a small sigh.

"We've lost so many of the rasetsu. Not to mention that many of our human soldiers have fallen as well." Sannan's manic expression was gone and replaced with a solemn expression. "If we want to effectively utilize the rasetsu that we have left, as well as the ones we are about to create in the future, then we must find a way to temper their madness.

"If we abandon the rasetsu and what they can offer to us, then the future battles will only become more difficult. More of our men will die. We need the rasetsu's power, for the Shinsengumi." Sannan tried to explain himself to Hijikata and make the fukuchou see his reasons.

"Everything I do is for the Shinshengumi."

Hijikata knew that all the things that Sannan had done were for the sake of the Shinsengumi. Damnit, even he would do everything for the Shinsengumi, for Kondou, to strive till the end so they could be acknowledged as true samurai and not just mere ronnin! He had taken the oni title not just for show! All for the sake of the Shinsengumi.

"I know you are an intelligent man, Hijikata-kun. Surely you understand the action that I want to take." Slowly the edge of Sannan's lips crept up and his manic smile was back.

Of course, he damn well understood, Hijikata sarcastically remarked in his mind. He also had done the same things for years now. Itou Kashitarou's assassination and the murder of Serizawa Kamo were the evidence of his resolve to become an oni for the Shinsengumi. Then again, he never raised his katana against innocent people who had not done anything wrong. The ones that he killed were the bad ones, people that would be a hindrance to the Shinsengumi. Kondou would also not approve of his actions, whatever the reasons were, if he ever raised his hand against the innocent, moreover a woman. Hijikata's sense of justice was very high.

But now, Sannan had just done something that Hijikata hated the most. To raise a weapon against an innocent; Chizuru was an innocent and a harmless woman. That fact alone was enough to make him to stop Sannan. But... deep inside Hijikata knew the main reason that made him confront Sannan and why he felt like he wanted to strangle his comrade. Because it was Chizuru who was on the receiving end of Sannan's action. The dread feeling when he saw the bespectacled man pointing the tip of his katana at Chizuru almost made him strangle Sannan the moment he saw it. He knew he had to calm himself before he approached Sannan and Chizuru; a very difficult thing to do at that time.

He understood Sannan's reasons for his action. What he didn't understand was how far Sannan's obsessions for the sake of the Shinsengumi would make him go. And to put Chizuru in a dangerous situation was a big NO for him. Her safety and well-being was on par with Kondou in his mind… Maybe even more.

"This is all for the Shinsengumi, Hijikata-kun," Sannan continued, repeating his words, without knowing Hijikata's struggle. "And yet… You won't allow Yukimura-kun to share her blood?"

"...That's not what I mean."

"Oh?" Sannan's interest perked up a little. "What do you mean then?"

Hijikata released the grip on his hilt and positioned his body straight in front of Sannan. His eyes didn't leave Sannan's gaze. He spoke the next sentence as the vice commander of the Shinsengumi to his fellow comrade.

"Sannan-san, you are a colonel of the Shinsengumi. Are you really ready to break the Code?" Sannan was a logical man. Hijikata needed a valid reason to reason with Sannan. Speaking as the vice commander made him focus and think with cool head. "The Code says that we don't fight with each other, with the member of the Shinsengumi, for any reasons. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

"Ah, of course," Sannan said as if he realized something that he had forgotten. "However… Yukimura-kun is not, technically speaking, a member of the Shinsengumi, is she?"

Hijikata could hear something like a choked sound coming from the woman behind him. The grip on his kimono also tightened for some reason.

"She may not be officially a member of the Shinsengumi." He agreed with Sannan because it was the truth after all. "But she's been here long enough. She might as well be a member of the Shinsengumi. And I know for sure that Kondou-san and many of the members, including myself, have seen her as a member of the Shinsengumi.

"Drop your katana if you don't want to break the Code, Sannan-san. This is an order."

After that, Sannan slowly lowered his hands that held the katana. He sheathed the long and thin sword back into the scabbard. He exhaled a long sigh with a disappointed look on his face. But somehow the tension inside the room didn't lessen even a bit.

"I guess… I have no choice." said Sannan dejectedly. His mouth tugged into a small smile. "I will leave for now, then. But please consider what I've said."

The smile on Sannan's face was creepy and cold, and made Hijikata's hands unconsciously reach toward the katana on his waist. He watched him closely, ready if Sannan decided to pursue Chizuru's blood again.

"There's nothing to be considered. We can't cut her and take her blood for any reason. It will be against the Code." The thought of seeing Chizuru wounded, even if it was just a scratch, made the dread feeling came back again. The very unpleasant feeling that he didn't want to feel as long as he still lived. "Even if there are reasons, it won't change anything. Besides, even if I change my mind, Kondou-san will never let you do it."

There was a pause before Sannan spoke his next words.

"It's an easy decision for you and Kondou-san to make in this matter. You don't have the same investment... in this." Hijikata could hear the pain and desperation from Sannan that the colonel masked in subtle tones. "Many of our men, the Shinsengumi's members, have become the Rasetsu. And recently Todou-kun has become one also. That's why I encourage you to consider what's best for your comrades, your friends, when you make your decision."

Sannan's words cut like a knife, deeper than anything he'd said before, and made Hijikata cringe inwardly. Sannan turned and started to head for the door but Hijikata's words halted his movement.

"Wait Sannan-san."

Sannan didn't turn; he just stood not moving from where he was.

"Can I ask say something to you?"

"I'm listening."

"You reasoning is correct. It always has been. But… Sannan-san, tell me you aren't doing this because the blood-lust has taken your mind." Hijikata's voice was strained, as if he were pulling it up from somewhere deep within his soul. "Tell me that some sick desire to taste her blood isn't what is driving you to do this."

'Please, tell me it isn't,' Hijikata pleaded in his mind. He didn't want to believe that one of the men that he respected had degraded himself and succumbed to become a blood sucking monster; a creature that the rasetsu originally was. When he decided to step in between Sannan and Chizuru earlier, there was also one thing that he wanted to make certain of. Whether Sannan was still the same Sannan Keisuke that he knew or not. There was no hostility for all of Hijikata's actions and questions toward Sannan. Yes, he was angry, but he was also curious. He just wanted to be sure of the Sannan that stood before him now.

"Can I trust you?"

Another silence ensued. Not to mention the stifling tension that had slightly increased.

"Before I answer your question, can I also ask you something Hijikata-kun?"

Hijikata raised one of his eyebrows. He didn't expect Sannan to answer his question with another. "What it is?"

Sannan turned a bit to face Hijikata. He was smiling, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "As you know, since around the beginning of this year there has been some weird tension that has lingered around the Shinsengumi's Headquarters. I don't need to tell you from where that weird tension came. You know exactly where that thing came from. And honestly, it's not my business to get myself involved with it.

"But some of the members were affected by that tension. I don't know if you have heard it or not, but there were two of the rasetsu's members whose minds were not strong enough and that tension made them almost lose their mind. I had to kill them myself before they started to bother the other rasetsu."

Hijikata eyes widened, a shocked expression plastered on his face. He had never heard a thing about what Sannan told him now.

Likewise, with Chizuru. Her eyes were widening and if not for one of her hands gripping Hijikata's kimono, she would surely have fallen. The shock made her legs weak. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip, disheartened with the sudden information. The incomplete bond between her and Hijikata had made the others unconsciously suffer without her knowledge. More than she could ever imagine. Something unfortunate had happened because of her… again.

'Kami-sama...'

"Good thing that the weird tension has disappeared. I was ready to do something drastic if that tension still lingered around the Headquarters. It's not good for the Shinsengumi's members after all, rasetsu or not." There was a mad glint when Sannan talked about the drastic action that he would take. "But from what I've observed, there is one thing that hasn't changed and if I dare to say, that thing... that someone has changed in a way and become more intense."

Sannan looked straight into Hijikata's eyes. "Hijikata-kun, this action of yours, stopping me from taking Yukimura-kun's blood, defending her from me. It is not because of what I think, is it?

"Not because of the conclusion that we were talking about in the common room before you stepped into that room a few days ago, is it? I knew you were listening to our conversation before you stepped in. You wouldn't give Saitou-kun permission to beat Nagakura-kun when they were sparring later that day if you didn't have a valid reason for the action.

"So, can I trust you on this one?"

"..."

Hijikata was speechless. No other expression could describe what he felt except that he was at a loss for words and didn't know how he should reply to Sannan.

'Not this question AGAIN!'

"Then, my answer is the same as yours. But to ease your mind, of course you can trust me Hijikata-kun. As I've said before many times, my only concern is for the Shinsengumi. Only for the Shinsengumi.

"I'll see myself out, then." Without another word, Sannan turned his body and headed for the door. "Goodbye. I'll see and talk to you again later"

Sannan ducked out of Chizuru's room and walked away from there.

Hijikata released a sigh of relief and relaxed his shoulders. The bowstring-tight tension inside the room was gone, mostly. He could no longer feel a hand gripping his kimono. He turned toward Chizuru to see how she was faring.

"Yukimura, are you-"

But he was greeted with Chizuru's body falling to the ground. With his fast reflexes, he caught her before she completely fell. He held Chizuru's arms and helped her to stand on her feet.

"You okay?" Hijikata asked his unfinished question. He eyed her with worry and concern. The woman only nodded her head a little. Her bangs covered her eyes, so that Hijikata couldn't see her facial expression clearly. But he could feel that Chizuru's body was trembling from the hands that held her body. Well, he couldn't blame her. The previous event had been really nerve-wrecking. Even his nerves had not completely calmed down. He gazed upon the woman in front of him.

Honestly, he wanted to hug her. To embrace her. To ensure that she was safe and alright. To comfort her. He scowled a bit at his train of thought. Inside, he questioned himself on how he had become a man full of desires and lust?

'Focus Toshizou!' He reprimanded himself.

After contemplating his thoughts, he released his hold of Chizuru's arm but one of his hands held one of her wrists and gave it a gentle pull. "Come with me."

Chizuru didn't resist Hijikata's action and just gave him another nod, without voicing her thoughts. The two of them slowly walked out of the room with Hijikata leading Chizuru to the place in his mind.

"I'm sorry."

The first words that Chizuru uttered after the event was an apology.

Hijikata brought her to his room that was not far from her room. Since she had been assigned as his page from the beginning, the one that was 'forced' onto him to be honest (courtesy of Okita), Chizuru's room was always near to Hijikata's. It was the same at the new Shinsengumi Headquarters in Fudodo Village.

Hijikata brought Chizuru to his room for two reasons. One, so no other person could disturb them. And two, for him to be in the woman's room, an unmarried woman's room was not proper. Even though they had done it…. It was… just NO. Furthermore, his gut told him that he couldn't leave Chizuru alone. She was very distraught because of what had happened. He needed to make sure that she would not do something stupid.

Since Hijikata had brought her to his room, she hadn't spoken and just sat inside the room silently. The day had changed into night and dinner time was approaching. Hijikata stood near the door, facing the yard that was in front of his room. He had stayed there since they arrived. Fortunately, he had done his paperwork in the afternoon and didn't have anything that required his supervision for the rest of the day. He could watch over Chizuru as long as necessary.

He had expected that she would apologize. He sighed inwardly.

"There's no need to apologize," Hijikata said in knowing tone.

"But," Chizuru bit her trembling lip, "it was because of me that all the unfortunate things happened to the Shinsengumi."

Her mind flashed over all the unfortunate things in the Shinsengumi that had happened because of her. The last event with Sannan was the last straw. "If… If I stay here any longer…. I-

"I will just become a burden." Chizuru choked back a sob that threatened to escape her mouth. She shut her eyes tight, preventing the tears that had welled up in her eyes from streaming down her cheeks.

"I… I do not deserve to stay with the Shinsengumi."

Hijikata head was pounding and throbbing.

"I don't have the right to remain with all of you." Her chest tightened and gave her a twisted pain. She bit her lip harder. 'Even though the bond makes us have to stay near with each other… I don't have the right to stay with you, Hijikata-san.'

"I….. I should leave the Shinsengumi."

Chizuru's last sentence made Hijikata turn and look at Chizuru, who was now doubled over. Without given any thought he strode to Chizuru and crouched himself beside her. He lifted her face.

"Look at me, Yukimura," Hijikata said solemnly. Chizuru eyes still closed but a choke sound escape from her mouth.

"Open your eyes and look at me. This is an order." With a soft tone and patience that he never displayed to others, Hijikata tried to persuade Chizuru to open her eyes. But her eyes stayed closed. He heaved a small sigh.

The next thing the vice commander did was something that did make Chizuru open her eyes and look at him.

With his free hand, Hijikata cupped one of Chizuru's cheeks and talked to her once again with a very gentle voice. "Chizuru, look at me."

Chizuru opened her eyes, surprised at hearing her first name from the man in front of her. But the look that greeted her was the one that made her breathless.

Hijikata looked at Chizuru with the same look that he had given her that night in Shimabara. She could never forget the longing and desire that reflected in the man's eyes that night when they shared their passion. Hijikata's gaze was not as intense as that night, but the longing and desire that were looking back at her now….

Hijikata was a wreck inside. He tried with difficulty to remain composed and not focused on his desires and the dreadful feeling he'd had when he heard that Chizuru wanted to leave the Shinsengumi. He had to restrain himself not to downright jump and scare Chizuru with the raging feelings that burned inside him now. Before he knew it, his body had turned and walked toward her. He could barely control his body when he crouched beside her. Instead of doing what he intended to do first- to hug her and kiss her senseless, and to make her his again- he opted to lifted her face to look at him. However, his hand was shaking from the suppressed desires that he could barely control.

"Hijikata….-san." Chizuru whispered softly. They were so closed that she could feel his breath on her face.

"Listen carefully to what I will say. And you better remember it because I will not say it again." The gentle tone and Hijikata's kind gesture made Chizuru almost throw herself into Hijikata's arms. She wanted to feel those sturdy and strong arms envelop her body again like that night months ago.

"You are not a burden." A lone tear escaped from Chizuru's eyes. "Even though I found you to be a nuisance in the beginning, I never thought of you as a burden. You are more than that. You are the member of the Shinsengumi. Not officially, but who says that you should be an official member to be called of one of us? In my opinion, as long as the other members have acknowledged you, it's more than enough." Hijikata wiped Chizuru's traces of tears with his thumb.

"I…. We said that we would protect you." Hijikata's face turned serious. "You know that we, the Shinsengumi, all of us are Samurai. And a Samurai doesn't go back on his word. A man who breaks a promise just because something has changed isn't a man.

"All the things that happened with the Shinsengumi are not your fault. Since the beginning the Shinsengumi have had a bad reputation. That was thanks to some jerks that made us deserve a nasty reputation." Hijikata spoke bitterly, remembering a certain someone. "And about Kodou-san. He was the one that thought about the whole rasetsu business. You wouldn't even know about it if you hadn't stumbled on one. The rasetsu matters have been our problems before you came to the Shinsengumi. Kodou-san's idea is indeed insane, but once again, it was him that thought about the idea, not you.

"About Kazama and his oni companions. Kazama is working for our enemies, the Satsuma and Chosu clans. That makes him our enemy, whether he is an oni or not. What sort of warrior doesn't fight his enemies? You being a female oni that he's after is just a coincidence. Not the main reason for why we fought with his group of men.

"The Shinsengumi members are not weak. They knew about the consequences of what they will face if they join the Shinsengumi. Death is not something that they are not expecting. It is just a question of who will die or what situations cause us to meet our death.

"Nobody ever blames you for the unfortunate incident that happened within the Shinsengumi. The only one that blames you is yourself."

The tears that welled up in Chizuru's eyes were flowing freely now, cascading down her white cheeks.

"You once asked me if you could stay with the Shinsengumi. Before I answer your question, you have to tell me one thing first." Hijikata cupped Chizuru's cheeks with both of his hands. "What is it that you really want? If you really want to leave, I…. I won't hold you back.

"Or do you want to stay with the Shinsengumi? To stay with us?"

'To stay with me?'

Chizuru placed her hands on top of Hijikata's. She was sobbing openly. She gripped Hijikata's hands tightly. She closed her eyes, too overwhelmed with the feelings that she couldn't hold in any longer.

"I...I want… to stay. I… want… to stay with the… Shinsengumi. To stay… with all of… you. To be with… all of you…. I don't want to… leave. This… This is…. my home. I…. don't want to…. leave." With her sobbing and broken voice, it was a bit hard to hear what Chizuru had said. But Hijikata could hear it loud and clear in her voice that she was saying what she felt deep inside her heart.

"Chizuru," Chizuru opened her eyes and stared straight into the purple eyes that were inches from her. "It's true that we…I made a promise to protect you. And I will protect you." Hijikata said with conviction.

"But that's not the only reason for why we will do it. You care for the people here. You would fight for us. And as I told you many times, you are a member of the Shinsengumi. I'm sure the others also think the same, that's enough reasons for you to deserve to stay in here.

"And for me… I want for you to stay with us." With me. " You can stay, not leaving the Shinsengumi, and you have earned it yourself. And that's my answer for your question."

"Hiji-kata…-san. I…." The feelings that she had bottled up for months were now pouring out, like a dam that had broken and she couldn't hold any of those feelings anymore. "I don't want to leave! I… I want to stay!"

With wet, half-lidded brown eyes, Chizuru gazed back into Hijikata's purple eyes.

"...I want to stay… with you."

'Is this woman trying to seduce me?'

Hijikata pulled Chizuru into his arms and embraced the crying woman. She hugged Hijikata tight while pouring her heart out from the depressed feelings that she had felt the past few months. The safe and secure feelings that Hijikata's arms provided for her had undone the knot feelings that made her suffocated.

No other words were spoken but again, words were not needed. Hijikata would think about and berate himself for his actions toward Chizuru later. He knew that if not for Chizuru's distraught state, she would question his actions of hugging her not to mention the soft gestures that he had shown to her since they were talking from the beginning. It was a good thing that he could restrain his desires and was satisfied enough with only embracing her. For now.

Conscience be damned.

But again, if not for her distraught state, he would not dare to do the things that he had done and shown to her.

'Tch.'

Chizuru knew that Hijikata's action was not the thing that he would do in his usual state. Even in her distraught state, she knew that this Hijikata was someone that she wouldn't meet again in the future.

'Maybe the bond is the one that made him acted like that. So, it just a one-time thing and not his true feelings. He just takes a pity one me. But...'

Chizuru didn't know from where the doubt had come, but she could feel and know that there was more than just the bond that made Hijikata act as he did toward her. For now, she didn't want to indulge in these thoughts. She was exhausted and the comfort that Hijikata provided to her was the one that she needed. She didn't want to care about anything except for the man that was embracing her.

'This is enough for now.'

They stayed in that position for sometimes. Oddly enough, nobody came to Hijikata's room. Not even one person had passed in front of the fukuchou's room. Usually Kondou would come to Hijikata's room from time to time, not to mention that it was dinner time. Yamazaki or Inoue or even Harada or Nagakura would often come to inform him about the dinner time. But... Nobody come to his room.

Oh, well…

Suddenly, Chizuru pulled from Hijikata's embrace.

Hijikata released Chizuru, albeit a bit reluctantly. Already, he was missing the warmth of Chizuru's body. He could feel the front part of his hakamshita was damped from Chizuru's tears but he didn't care about the dampness. He was glad that she was no longer crying. He could see that she had calmed down and regained her composure. Her crying had stopped completely. But the woman was sitting in front of him with her head bowed. Hijikata raised one of his eyebrows.

'What now?'

Before he could ask Chizuru his question, Chizuru gave him another apology.

"I'm sorry for troubling you Hijikata-san!" said Chizuru with a hoarse voice, courtesy of her previous crying session. From where he sat, Hijikata saw that Chizuru's ears were red and he bet with all his fortune that her face was now red like blood; maybe because she had realized and was burning from the embarrassment of the hugging that they did. One word flashed in his mind.

'Cute.'

This woman… what had she done to him to make the infamous oni fukuchou think like that? He cleared his throat, which had suddenly become dry because of the things that he wanted to do with the woman who sat in front of him, because of what she had made him think of…

'Damnit Toshizou! FOCUS!'

"Please, if there is something that I can do for you to repay your kindness and to show my gratitude for helping me with my problems… Please tell me if I can do it for you!" Without knowing Hijikata's struggle to keep his mind in check, Chizuru continued with her attempted apology.

"…"

Chizuru didn't hear any reply from the fukuchou, instead she heard him move and felt his fingers touch her chin and lift her face to meet his eyes, again. The warmth of his gaze met her pleading eyes.

"Didn't you hear me when I said that you've given us enough help and you have also taken care of the members?"

"...I did."

"Then what is with this help nonsense you are talking about now?"

"It… It is just to repay the kindness that you've shown me… I just want to give something back to show you my gratitude, Hijikata-san."

"... Then do not bow your head easily. You didn't do anything wrong. Why should you bow your head if you didn't do anything wrong?"

"I… understand."

"Hold your head high. You're not doing anything wrong. Don't yield so easily or ever bow your head if you believe that you're right. You don't need to bow your head before me again just for the things that are already water under the bridge. You are not my page, Chizuru. You are my comrade in the Shinsengumi. Yes, I am your superior, but it doesn't mean that you and I are not the same. You have done things that a woman of your age would never do and have gained the respect and acknowledgement of the members of the Shinsengumi.

"If it's not for an official matter, don't ever your bow your head again. If you always keep bowing your head, all that you will see will be the past and the mistakes that you have made. Keep your head high so you can see the prize that you will win if you keep walking straight toward the future."

And once again, Chizuru found that she was falling for the man whose name was Hijikata Toshizou, the vice commander of the Shinsengumi. Such strong and confident words that she knew only Hijikata would say and he would be the only one that would do it without failing.

"Hai," said Chizuru firmly.

Hijikata retracted his fingers and placed them on his lap. "But if you want to help me so much… I guess you can make me some tea."

"Tea?" Chizuru was taken aback with Hijikata's sudden change of attitude.

"Yes, the tea that you usually make. For some reason, I want to drink that now. Oh, and please tell Yamazaki to bring my dinner to this room. Looks like they are forgetting about my shares of food. Ask for your shares also. I know that you haven't eaten since lunch."

Chizuru blinked several times before Hijikata's words sank in. She offered the man a small smile. "I understand."

Slowly she got up from her sitting position. Her legs were a bit asleep, but that didn't hinder her. "Please excuse me then."

"Don't screw up the tea. There's some document that I have to check after this. Your tea will be the key and the Shinsengumi's fate rests on this tea." Hijikata was lying of course. He didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, but what Chizuru didn't know would not hurt her. He was just really craving her tea.

Chizuru heard Hijikata's parting words. She looked at Hijikata with her smile still tugging on her lips.

"Hai... Hijikata-san."

Chizuru bowed before exiting the man's room. Before she completely out from his room, she turned and called his name while gave Hijikata her sweet smile. "Hijikata-san."

"Yes?"

"Thank you. Really… thank you."

Hijikata stared silently to Chizuru, stunned with the smile that she gave to him.

Chizuru wanted to say something else but she decided to hold her tongue. She didn't wait for the fukuchou's response and walked out from Hijikata's room. If she stayed any longer inside the room, the next words that she wanted to say would get her into trouble.

The words that she knew she would never be able to say to him. The words which she had held deep inside her heart. The words of her feelings.

That's why she would say it just inside her heart…for now.

'And I love you, Hijikata-san.'

To be continued

Note:  I think I kind of make Hijikata a bit of OOC for the second part of this chapter. Please tell me if I make our dear fukuchou, um..., yeah, not in his character anymore. BUT to my defense, I need to make him like THAT. I have made the poor Chizuru suffered of a roller coaster emotion on the several previous chapter. The girl needs all the pampers that anyone can give! And in this case, the role has landed on the oni fukuchou.

Anyway, thank you for reading this chapter and see u again on the next chapter :)

[popwasabi]

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” Review: Kaiju WWE Match Barely Rises Above Script

Directed by Michael Dougherty

Starring: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Ken Watanabe, and Milly Bobby Brown

 The term “dumb fun” gets thrown around a lot when describing a film like “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.” It’s often a blanket defense to shield a movie of this kind from any legit criticisms as unnecessary because “you’re supposed to turn your brain off.”

While I’m certainly not against indulging in cheap escapism I feel this defense often misreads the quality of a “dumb” movie as there are tons of films with bonkers plot-lines and themes that still hold up to strong criticism. A movie can be dumb and still make sense and an action movie can still be bombastic without bludgeoning a viewer with poorly contrived plot devices.

(A large percentage of super hero films and the MCU as a whole fall under this category.)

While “King of the Monsters” certainly isn’t short on spectacle and dazzling visual effects, its plot is more than just a little half-baked; it’s raw as hell with little coherence that will do more to takeaway from the movie’s best moments than enhance them.

The dazzling, kaiju-sized action will be enough for a large percentage of fans I imagine, and certainly kept me mostly entertained throughout the two-hour, fifteen-minute run-time but it’s not enough to lift the final product beyond being just ok.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” takes place five years after the events of the first film as we are introduced to Dr. Mark Russell a former Monarch scientist who specializes in animal behavior and communication. Russell has fallen out with his wife and daughter after Godzilla’s attack on San Francisco tragically took the life of his young son but after an eco-terrorist group bent on reviving the other titans of the Earth kidnaps them both Russell is brought back into the fold to help save the world.

The one big takeaway I’m sure most fans can agree on after leaving the theaters is quite clearly the giant monster scenes are some of the best in the genre’s history.

(I mean, nothing against traditional dude’s in rubber suits, of course.)

The special effects team which combined some motion-capture suit acting along with stellar CGI creates hyper realistic giant monster movement while also hearkening back to some good ol’ fashion WWE style kaiju on kaiju brawling. Yes, again, the plot leaves a lot to be desired here but the kaiju action more often than not starts before your brain hemorrhages too hard from trying to make sense of character motivations and thematic messaging.

Though I would’ve preferred less of these battles in the dark and/or rain the cinematography does create some truly awe-inspiring moments that will wow even the most uptight of viewers. It’s truly impossible not to find some joy in these scenes and for most die-hards fans this will be more than enough to satisfy.

(Me often times during the battles in my theater seat.)

Unfortunately for this die-hard the screenplay is lacking to say the least.

First, before I continue, I want to make something very clear; I have no problem with a film being “dumb.” More specifically I don’t have a problem with it being “unsophisticated.” A film like “John Wick” for instance is not a very sophisticated movie. Hitman loses wife, then dog gets killed so he goes on a murderous rampage to avenge both. The difference is despite “John Wick” having no art house message to tell at least you are never confused and/or irritated by the messaging and motivations of the characters in that plot and it never distracts from the meat of the film which is of course the action. 

Many of Godzilla’s Showa era films (which this movie mostly pays homage too) are like this and they work fine because again the plot moves the story along in a simple but effective way without detracting from its best parts, namely the Kaiju-sized wrestling matches.

“King of Monsters” unfortunately mostly fails on this level.

(I can honestly say the same thing about “John Wick Chapter 3″ as well but I’m not going to get into that today *sigh* but hey pew, pew!)

About a third of the way through the film the plot’s wheels spin wildly out of control and the mostly cognizant story up to that point goes up in atomic flames. You’ll spend more times asking questions than just sitting and enjoying yourself and it’s a real detriment to an otherwise spectacular giant monster throwdown.

The film largely wastes the talents of a hugely talented cast because of this between Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Milly Bobby Brown and Ken Watanabe. All of them do well with what they have to work with but the script really needed far less characters to work efficiently and unfortunately the acting talent here alone is not enough to lift a script that has very little clear direction. Character motivations and pathos seem to be dropped at a whim and the film’s final moments contradict a lot of the plot movement from earlier in the film.

(The ending of this film in a nutshell...)

Again a plot doesn’t need to be sophisticated to be good but it should AT LEAST make sense and work with the action, not against it.

There’s some interesting world building here and there but large sections of it are inexplicably and quite literally blown to smithereens on occasions and it will make you wonder if there was more fascinating story layered underneath it all.

Despite my gripes I would say it’s still mostly forgivable how bad the story is because of the aforementioned kaiju brawling but there is one unforgivable moment in this film and it symbolizes a much larger issue I have with the American interpretation of Godzilla.

(SPOILERS ahead)

Godzilla is often viewed in a pretty straight-forward manner by most fans; he’s a giant, fire-breathing reptile here to wreck cities for two hours and not much more than that. For the longest time I mostly saw the big G-man in that way as well and for what it’s worth I don’t think there’s anything wrong with enjoying Godzilla films on purely a superficial level. After all, a large percentage of Godzilla’s filmography is largely schlock.

(Fun schlock, of course.)

But eventually as I got older and grew more into my half Japanese-American identity my view on Godzilla became a lot more nuanced especially after seeing the 1954 original without the American re-dubbing and editing.

If you haven’t seen the original Japanese “Gojira” do yourself a favor and give it a watch right now. The 1954 classic is a masterpiece of post-atomic bomb era story-telling in Japan and at the time a long overdue allegorical discussion of what happened during WWII in that country. However you may feel about the use of the atomic bomb to end the war you cannot say that the results weren’t horrifying and tragic and its radioactive aftermath is still felt in Japan today.

In the US radioactive waste creates super heroes like the Hulk, Spider-man, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In Japan it creates Godzilla, a monster that is less a force of nature as these newer films describe him as but more the embodiment of dread, a vengeful God looking to bring about Armageddon to the sinful world. It played on very real fears about the hydrogen bomb and the escalation of weapons of mass destruction at the time and its message is still relevant.

(The 1954 film is not meant to be “dumb” and/or “fun.”)

Now, I don’t have a problem too much with changing Godzilla into a super hero for this series. Afterall, the Showa era films it largely takes inspiration from depict Godzilla mostly in this light anyways but if you’re going to do that you can’t go slapping the face of the darker, more vindictive “Gojira” and its theme in the process and it does that in just one scene.

About half way through the movie, Godzilla is duking it out with King Ghidorah off the coast of Mexico when the US military gets involved by unleashing their brand new weapon: the Oxygen Destroyer. Those who have watched the 1954 original know this as the weapon that eventually kills Godzilla.

Those that understand the original will probably see why I find this scene unforgivable.

The use of the Oxygen Destroyer in the original 1954 film is not supposed to be a triumphant moment even when it kills Godzilla; it’s supposed to be a dark moment that gets to the core messaging of the film’s story. The Oxygen Destroyer represents the next level in mass destruction in the movie; a weapon more powerful and more terrifying than the atomic bomb that created Godzilla. Its creator Dr. Serizawa (who is NOTHING like the Serizawa in this series) is reluctant to use it because he understands what terrible power it carries and what it might do in the wrong hands. In the end he sacrifices himself and his research by purposely detonating the weapon along with himself to kill Godzilla.

The way this weapon is brought up and tossed out immediately in this story feels like a cheap fan servicey moment that winks at the audience going “hey remember the Oxygen Destroyer?” It is both shocking and frankly a tone deaf and fundamental misreading of what that weapon is supposed to represent in the larger Godzilla canon.

(What I felt like doing to the writers after this scene in the film...)

It might seem small to other fans but it really speaks to how America has misappropriated Godzilla each time they have gotten their creative hands on him to fit a comfortable narrative regarding weapons of mass destruction. Just watch the dubbed version of the 1954 film and you’ll understand what I’m getting at.

It’s extremely problematic, even it represents a tiny moment in the larger and again confusing plot of the movie and would’ve been better off left on the editing room table.

(Thank you for baring with my mini rant here if you read this far...)

It should be said that I don’t hate this movie, however, warts and all. The kaiju-sized action set pieces make the price of IMAX largely worth the money and I certainly enjoyed it more than the 2014 film at least. I feel “Kong: Skull Island” is a superior modern monster flick in almost every way but as far as cheap escapism goes you could do far worst “King of the Monsters” at least.

But the plot’s often baffling, confusing and problematic choices unfortunately keep the film’s best parts from being enough to rise above simply mediocre and that’s a real disappointment.

I’m still waiting for a truly satisfying high production value take on Godzilla but given the fundamental misreading of the big guy’s much more nuanced background by Hollywood perhaps I should stop looking to the West to figure it out.

Welp. At least there’s always “Shin Gojira”…

 VERDICT:

3 out of 5

Hopefully Kong adds some much needed charisma to this franchise once he gets his big ape hands on Godzilla...

[sambart93]

Hakumyu Tag Game!

From allyyyyy0619. Ever since Harada-hen many people were discussing about Hakumyu in many social medias. And I had this thought of creating a hakumyu tag game (yes it’s pretty random xD) Actually if anyone has seen something like this that has been done before pls let me know and I’ll probably just delete this xD. Alright, here are some questions and have fun! :D

1. Which musical was the first that you have watched? Your impressions on the overall production?

I’m pretty sure I went in order so the first one for me was obviously Saitou-Hen. I’ve had a strange relationship with HakuMyu. I watched Saito - Shinsengumi Kitan within the space of like two weeks so it’s all mashed together in my mind. I only just recently did a proper rewatch of the entire series where I took my time on each stage. It’s clearly obvious to see the massive production value step up they’ve had over the years. I’ve always enjoyed the songs though; the songs have always been top-notch. Naturally some dodgy casting choices also but we can forgive them because the overall product is great fun even if it’s a ‘rip out your heart and feels’ kind of fun.

2. Which musical is your favourite in terms of the song performances and why?

3. Which musical is your favourite in terms of the storyline and why?

I’m putting two and three together because it’s the same answer for me: Harada-Hen. 

Just putting it out there. I’ve only seen two HakuMyus in person (Live 2 and HaradaHen) and they are definitely my favourite two. Harada-Hen was this MASSIVE change and step up. It’s phenomenal how different the entire production is in Harada-Hen. 

Also with the previous HakuMyus I struggle to get past the half way point without wanting/needing to turn it off and take a break from it. Not because they’re boring just because I naturally can’t watch a full stage in one sitting at home. I’ve gotten into the habit of turning stages off at the half way point and leaving the rest til the next day. So I naturally get fidgety and stuff now after about an hour and I have to say that’s MY fault and just ruining my own enjoyment of stages xD I’m weird okay...

But I saw HaradaHen FOUR times (and in the flesh) and was not bored at all in fact I hated when we got to the break so it’s definitely a special HakuMyu to me/ Same with Live 2.

Also can I get the CD of all the songs from HaradaHen asap?! Seriously the songs this time around were all amazing! I easily accepted all the new songs straight away!

AND we finally got a proper happy ending in HaradaHen too so it wins int erms of story for happy endings xD

4. Which musical is your least favourite in terms of the song performances and why?

I’ve been relistening to the soundtracks constantly recently trying to figure out which are best and such, and let me tell you: the OkitaHen songs and soundtrack is SO bad! 

Usually I delete songs if I don’t like them one-by-one on my iPhone and seriously I think my OkitaHen album has only about 3 songs left in it, all the others (Hijikata-Hen, Live, Saito-Hen etc.) are still full albums on my iPhone xD just OkitaHen songs, just no.

5. Which musical is your least favourite in terms of the storyline and why?

HA this one is easy: Kazama-Hen. Without getting too hatey - Chizuru is a fucking dumb bitch iwho is responsible for everyone’s deaths and unhappiness in this one. I am never rewatching Kazama-Hen just because of how ANGRY her and her choices make me in this one.

6. The musical that you didn’t initially love, but has/have grown on you?

Pretty much all of them? First time around they were all just one big mush but rewatching them for a second time, I’ve started seeing their differences and each one’s charm. But the biggest surprise... Reimeiroku. First time around I was like ‘wtf we need this?!’ and then the second time around I got to know Serizawa more and realised he had this whole disease and stuff going on and I was immediately totally into it!

7. Original or latest casts?

LATEST! Seriously, after Harada-Hen my ranking has changed completely! Before HaradaHen I was like ‘NO ONE can surpass Shuuto as Shinpachi! NO ONE! He is perfect!’ and then I left HaradaHen and was like ‘Shuuto who? He got nothing in Fukuyama!’ xD and we all know my deep dislike for 2nd Gen Shinsengumi like Shohei and RenRen (not the actors themselves but as the HakuMyu characters). I am SO in love with Fukuyama, Tsubasa and Naya as their HakuMyu characters <3 they’re perfect.

8. Live 1 or Live 2?

LIVE 2!!!!!!!! << I’m MakiChan bias and we got to see him shirtless and it was my first HakuMyu in the flesh so yeah, LIVE 2!!!

9. Favourite actors/characters?

Do I even need to answer this?

10. Actor/actress whom you think has the best vocal skills?

Ooooh this one is a juicy question... I’ve actually enjoyed Kikuchi Mika, Fujikoso Yumi and Isobe Karin as Chizuru, but the best...

Actor would be naturally either Yazaki or Shougo

Actress would be... I’m going to stay bias and say Karin <3 I freaking love her and her arrangement was a little different to previous Myus too which was interesting. After Karin then Yumi me thinks.

11. Actor/actress whom you think did the best in bringing out the character into life

Oh jesus this one is hard... The actor who straight away nailed their character I think is Fukuyama Shoudai and Ikeda Junya. Everyone else seemed to take about 2 or 3 Myus to really understand their character. MakiChan is almost there, Gaku finally got it down this time around. Even Yazakai and Shougo took a few Myus to get their characters just right also.

12. HIjikata,Souji,Saito or Harada,Shinpachi,Heisuke?

This is interesting... I’m going to the San Bakas just because my deep deep hate for Hijikata is never going to go, sorry Okita xD -- Yes, I HATE Hijikata! Always have, always will! Come at me!

13. Favourite minor character?

What do we class as Minor? DOES YAMAZAKI COUNT?! IF SO THEN:

YAAAMMMMAAAAZZZAAAKKKIII!!!!

14. Favourite Shinsengumi member?

As in character or actor bias?

Character: Yamazaki. FOR-E-VA!

Actor Bias: MakiChan as Okita <3 and Fukuyama as Shinpachi <3

15. Favourite demon character?

Shi

Ra

Nu

I!

16. Favourite Chizuru?

I already answered this: Karin

17. The actors/characters that you didn’t initially love, but has/have grown on you?

Fukuyama Shoudai and Kizu Tsubasa. I had like NO opinion of them after and during Live 2 but thanks to the DVD release event and HaradaHen, I am so in love with them as their characters!

18. Least favourite actors/characters? Why?

I already mentioned this too: Second Gen Saito and Heisuke. Shohei and RenRen are perfectly fine actors, but they were just NOT suitable for these roles and characters. Espceially when you compare them to Ryo, Naya, Ikeda and Tsubasa. AND we can all agree was Hide’s Hijikata was a mistake too, right?

19. Favourite solo song?

PAINT IT BLOOD!!

20. Favourite duet?

This is hard... Okita x Saito? I think it’s called We are the power or something?

21. Favourite group song?

The new group song from HaradaHen - I don’t know the title. They sing it twice in Part One though. And Kinniku Love will always be in my heart.

22. Which Yaisa! is the best?

I’m so confused as to what this means... Do you mean the opening or the ending song? All Yaisas are amazing.

23. The songs that you didn’t initially love, but has/have grown on you?

Chizuru’s Yoiyami no Machi -- I am so in love with this son! Any time it comes on I try my bloody hardest to sing it even though I’m tone deaf xD

Kazama’s Itsuka Makotoni is a great song too! I didn’t like it so much at first but I love the Hijikata version with Chizuru’s screaming and shouting in it xD

Also the new Eating song from Shinsengumi Kitan I HATED at first but now I love doing the little dance bob along with the cast and stuff. It’s no drinking song or kinniku love but it’s fun xD

24. Which production are you most looking forward to?

One where Yamazaki doesn’t die xD

Also I really want Yamazaki-Hen and Shinpachi-Hen SO LONG as TakaChan and Shoudai are the leads.

25. What does Hakumyu means to you?

Oh this is difficult. I haven’t even been in this fandom one year yet! I guess I’m only just starting to figure out what HakuMyu is to me. I mean it has things I love: It’s a musical, it has some of my (now) fav actors in, it’s got demons, it has both amazing feelings and also rip your heart out feelings. I think the main charm of HakuMyu is that although it’s technically an awful story, they make it fun and enjoyable and you enjoy going through that pain with the characters and every time the stages are a little different and the songs (we all know) are amazing. But yeah.. I’m still figuring out what it means to me. Definitely HaradaHen 10000% captured the real and true heart of Hakuouki for me personally.

I personally tag @coffee-scramble and @masayume85

Alright! I’m Done!

[princecharmingtobe]

I also wanna say, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is a great example of how being predictable is not inherently a BAD thing.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

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I predicted most of the important story beats in the movie as I was watching it. I predicted Emma was involved with the badguys and not really kidnapped, I predicted at the very start that Dr. Serizawa was gonna die (he’s the wise old man, wise old men in movies sacrifice themselves it’s what they do), I knew every time it looked like the main cast were gonna get eaten by something that Godzilla was gonna pop up and save them, I knew Mothra was gonna die probably also by sacrificing herself cause that’s what Mothra does. 

Almost NOTHING in this movie took me by surprise (and I don’t even go here, I only knew about Mothra cause I’d looked her up a couple days before the movie), there weren’t any huge twists that I didn’t see coming, the only thing I didn’t really predict was Ghidorah being an alien, but anyone familiar with the lore wouldn’t be surprised by that (I looked up the monsters when I got home).

But it was still fun and exciting! When the main cast were in danger I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Godzilla to show up and save them, and sure enough when the music changed, or we saw his lights under the water/ice, I’d get a big grin on my face. “Here he comes!!!” I knew he was gonna save them, and he did, and it was great.

You don’t have to surprise your audience at every turn to be entertaining. Sometimes meeting audience expectations can be more enjoyable than subverting them.

[rieshon]

Spring 2018 Preview

I can’t believe a new season starts in a week already... heres the shows.

1. Comic Girls: KIRARA ANIME BOIS. Do I even need to say more than that? The girls look absolutely adorable, the animation looks on point, and although the director is a debutante he's being backed up by an impressive quartet of writers including Takahashi Natsuko, Yokote Michiko, Hanada Jukki and Machida Touko. Oh yeah, it's also got a bunch of hot channees in addition to the cute schoolgirls. You can't go wrong with this one.

2. Amanchu! ~Advance~: Satojun is back at it again with the silly hiragana subtitles for sequels. The masters of healing are back again for a sequel to what was one of my favorite shows of 2016. More Teko, more of that sexy Itou Shizuka-voiced teacher, and more relaxing feels. This is exactly what we need to fill the Yurucamp-shaped holes in our hearts.

3. Alice or Alice: There are a lot of things that make me excited about this show. Obviously the cast is one: Ayaneru plays the main character, and we got Natsunee and Oonishi in there too. The director is Kobayashi Kousuke, an alumnus of the Pretty Rhythm series who was very heavily involved in Pripara, which you may know is the best anime ever made. And then there's the aesthetic: everything from the character designs to the title logo make this look and feel like a harem anime from 15 or so years ago, which is absolutely my jam. Pretty hyped for this one.

4. Sword Art Online Alternative Gungale Online: One of the weirder things to happen over the past year-ish is that I've become an unabashed SAO fanboy. The shows are just good, y'all. So you can imagine how I feel about a new show set in the SAO universe written by the author of Kino no Tabi, a show I just put in my top five of the last year, and with characters by Kuroboshi Kouhaku (also of Kino) who is the utmost hotness right now. Hopefully this will be more than enough to tide us over while we wait for SAO3 to arrive.

5. Waka-Okami wa Shougakusei: This looks like a kids anime at first glance, and, well, it is. It's based on a series of popular children's books, but they've really gone all out with the production values based on the PVs (Madhouse producing) and it looks immensely charming. Some of the best anime are childrens' stories, so I'm quietly excited about this one.

6. Hinamatsuri: This is shaping up to be one of the weirder shows of the coming season, and it looks great. From the look of the PVs, feel. are going even more all-out than they usually do with the visuals, and it also looks genuinely funny. Plus it's got a cute loli. Should be good.

7. Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue These: It's finally here. Obviously I've heard nothing but good things about the original series, but I'm never going to have the motivation to go back and watch something so old, long and difficult, so hopefully this new anime has got me covered. I'm sure there will be plenty of discourse about it; I just hope it's decent.

8. Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai: Somehow, we've still never gotten a sequel to the wonderful Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, but this show brings together the chief staff of that show for a new romantic comedy anime at Douga Koubou. With that pedigree (they even got the same guy who did the OP song for Nozaki) there's definitely reason to be optimistic about this one. Not to mention it's got cute gaijin girls and an imouto voiced by Inosuke.

9. PERSONA5 the Animation: I think I'm going to give up any ridiculous illusions I have of actually playing the game any time soon and just watch this. It's the only realistic way I'll get to see dat Kawakami-sensei and Takemi-sensei. You know I'm all about the channees right now, and man, does P5 have some good ass channees. The anime is actually being directed by Ishihama Masashi, the man who did Shinsekai Yori and literally hasn't done another TV anime since, so that's pretty exciting. Obviously, a lot Shinsekai Yori's success is because of the material adapted, but if you can make a masterpiece like that you've got to have some kind of talent.

10. Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii: CUTE CHANNEE ALERT WEEWOO WEEWOO WEEWOO. I'm all up ons this. Is there anything better than cute OLs? ...Man, things sure have changed around here. Also, that title is just mean when it's literally an anime about otaku having romances. SOME OF US OUT HERE ARE LONELY

11. Last Period -Owarinaki Rasen no Monogatari-: Has there been a good social game anime yet? I guess Schoolgirl Strikers was alright, in that I actually managed to finish that one, but most of these turn out to be bad. I hope Last Period can be the one to buck the trend and be truly good, because I love the silly light-fantasy tone that it looks like it's going for. Wisemen for best girls. There's tons of cute girls with great designs (the one thing you can always count on social games for) and it'd be a shame for them to go to waste like so many before them.

12. Hisone to Masotan: I got really excited when I saw this because it looked like a cute anime about fighter planes. Instead it looks like it's a cute anime about fighter... dragons. What a ripoff. I wanted the planes. My aviation-nerd pouting aside I'm sure it will still be adorable JSDF propaganda. I just really wanted the planes.

13. Golden Kamuy: It's some kind of weird serendipity that I'm studying the Ainu for school this semester and now we get an anime explicitly about the Ainu. Period anime are pretty cool (the Russo-Japanese War isn't a setting explored in much visual media at all), the premise sounds cool, and I really like the look of the Ainu girl. Plus, how often do we get Ainu culture actually presented in anime? Remains to be seen how well it's done, but it's pretty neat.

14. Uma Musume Pretty Derby: Aw yeah. If only Jug was around to see the horse girls. I have no reason to doubt that this will be great fun, especially since it has the financial backing of Cygames, who have more money than God. Just hopefully we don’t have to see any of the cute girls get put down after breaking a leg.

15. Lostorage conflated WIXOSS: Somehow the WIXOSS anime series is still going. selector is still one of my favorite shows in recent memory, but Lostorage was complete spaghetti compared to it, so there's nowhere to go from here but up, right? This new series promises to bring back the characters from selector, which gives me mixed feelings. I don't want them to just play off nostalgia for the old show, but I'm also kinda excited to see Yuzuki and Tama again. I guess we'll see what happens. Maybe a new director will shake things up for the better.

16. 3D Kanojo Real Girl: Man, who wants a 3D girlfriend? Can your real life girlfriend be considered 3D if you're living in a 2D world? This stuff always leaves me conflicted. I'm down for some Serizawa Yuu-voiced heroine, and the always-capable Akao Deko is writing the screen adaptation, so it might be good.

17. Mahou Shoujo Ore: Oh god. I'm pretty sure I saw clippings from the manga of this a while back. It's a mahou shoujo where the girls transform into buff dudes in magical girl outfits for some reason. It can't be a coincidence that the protagonist is named "Uno" and is voiced by Oohashi Ayaka. If this show is even half as amazing as Fantasista Doll it'll be a great success.

18. A.I.C.O. Incarnation: There are a few Netflix-funded series this season but most of them don't look especially interesting. This one looks alright, but it's using the stupid Netflix bulk release model so I guess I'm waiting until April to start it despite all the episodes being out already. It looks like it could be a cool science fiction show, and I like the Naruko Hanaharu character designs.

19. LOST SONG: So this is that Suzuki Konomi promotional vehicle... From the PV, it doesn't look great, but I am a big fan of Konomin's singing so I guess I'll have to check out at least an episode. I just doubt her ability to act as well as she can sing.

20. Caligula: Strangely, this show does not seem to be about the son of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder who ruled as Roman emperor from 37 to 41. I actually have no idea what it's about. Something about idols. But some of the character designs look pretty good, especially that blonde channee, so it's a maybe from me.

21. High School DxD HERO: It's baaaack. The show I watched three seasons of for Ayaneru that gave me almost no Ayaneru is back to continue to refuse to give me Ayaneru, probably. But hey, I like channees now anyway, so I may as well keep watching out of tradition if nothing else. I just hope Gaspar is like, actually in it this time...

22. Omae wa Mada Gunma wo Shiranai: This is an anime to promote Gunma... I guess? It definitely doesn't look like your typical local promotion anime... Apparently Gunma is a totalitarian state in this world. The green-haired girl played by Ucchii looks pretty good so I'll check it out.

23. Akkun to Kanojo: SUPER tsundere love comedy? Even regular tsundere is good. Unfortunately it's the dude who is tsundere in this one which isn't the thing I want. But the girls still look pretty cute so I'll definitely be giving it a look.

24. Mahou Shoujo Site: Uh oh, it's dark magical girls. There's nothing wrong with the concept per se but works like this often end up being grimdark for grimdark's sake (see: Mahou Shoujo Ikusei Keikaku) so it makes me worried. This one looks like someone tried to mix Madoka and Jigoku Shoujo. It should be good for a laugh if nothing else.

25. Kiratto Puri Chan: Well, here we are. This is what they killed Pripara for. So who did they get to succeed the comedic savant Moriwaki Makoto? Well, it's a guy without a whole lot of directorial experience: Hiroshi Ikehata. What he has directed have been some incredibly charming shows, including the underrated Akiba's Trip anime and Sore ga Seiyuu. The main writing credit goes to Hyoudou Kazuho, who has worked with Hiroshi on all of his directorial projects but doesn't have any especially interesting work to his name. The biggest chance this has to be even marginally worthy as a successor to Pripara is if they continue to draw on the extended family of Pretty series creators, like Pripara did to a large extent. With Moriwaki's steady hand removed, I don't have high hopes, but if they killed Pripara for a show that's not even decent I am going to be upset.

26. Aikatsu Friends!: So Stars is ending and a new generation of Aikatsu is here as well. I can't let this pass unnoticed because Kido-chan is pegged to be one of the new Aikatsu leads and I'm always thirsty for new Kido-chan anime. I didn't really like Stars, so I hope this new one is more on the silly side, like joji anime really should be.

27. Cutie Honey Universe: Rember Cutie Honey? I mean, I don't, but a lot of people do. Apparently it's the 50th anniversary of Nagai Gou's venerable battle girl series, so they're doing a revival of it. I really dig the neo-retro art style going on here, and the cast is absolutely star-studded (our current darling, Kurosawa Tomoyo, is included among the likes of Hanazawa Kana, Tamura Yukari, Horie Yui and Kugimiya Rie) so I just might check it out.

28. Steins;Gate Zero: I really don't know if I want to watch this. Steins;Gate wasn't the worst of the semicolon anime; in fact, the first half of the series was greatly enjoyable, but I don't think I need to retread the infamous "shooting of the moeblob" that led to the godawful second half. It's got Christina, I guess. I just really don't know if I can subject myself to Okabe again.

29. Megalobox: This looks technically amazing, I just don't know if I'm interested in it. Will probably wait to hear other people's opinions before I check it out, if I ever do.

30. Gegege no Kitarou: I don't think I'll actually watch this, but the latest version of the classic children's anime has been getting some attention because the character designs for the female characters are, how you say, Extremely Good. They're definitely good enough that I'm tempted to check it out. Dat Nekomusume...

31. Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory: It really happened. I'm including this as the highest-profile show I definitely won't be watching. I haven't seen any of the other FMP anime, so it would be stupid to try and jump in here. The subtitle being abbreviated "IV" (for season 4) is very cute though.

I don’t know how to rank shorts so heres those:

Tachibanakan To Lie Anguru: It's time for another Yuri Hime anime! All you need to know about how hype I am for this show is the tagline: 'The harem manga protagonist is a girl!?' Tsuda Minami is once again going to have to be hard gay, this time with five different girls apparently. I'm especially looking forward to the Mikakoshi-voiced blonde. Unfortunately, being a Creators in Pack anime, it's a short...

Fumikiri Jikan: This is a five minute anime but I absolutely love the premise: girls wait at a train crossing. That's it. You gotta love manga and anime sometimes.

[atopearth]

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms Part 2 - Toudou Heisuke Route

It’s kinda ironic that a part of the reason why Nagakura and Harada left in Saito’s route was because Kondou kept partying and drinking sake to get new recruits without focusing on the goal of the Shinsengumi, and yet now in Heisuke’s route, they’re doing the same thing as Kondou in order to try and save the Shinsengumi from the lack of members….

Lmao at Heisuke having checked out Chizuru’s house in Edo already and she’s concerned whether he went into her room and he’s like, he wouldn’t go into a girl’s room🤣 They’re so silly hahaha. Chizuru always thinks that she’s not useful, but I can really see how important she is from Heisuke’s perspective, really, her words, her presence is just so important to him because she understands him so well and can help him stop trying so hard to keep up a tough front when he doesn’t need to. She really helps him let out all his feelings and thoughts and keeps him sane, and you can really see that. I think it’s so important to have someone like that support you from behind, sometimes even more so than someone that can physically fight beside you. Whenever I see Heisuke’s new look though, ughh, he looks like such a little boy! He looked much better with the long hair and everything, sighhh. He’s still cute though I guess lol. I love how depending on Chizuru’s reaction to his new clothes and hair, Heisuke’s attitude towards it changes, he was so much more accepting of it after she called him handsome🤣

The Shinsengumi moving to Edo only served to allow the Furies to go on a rampage there instead! It’s disgusting that they’ve lost all sense of humanity and reached such depravity to kill townspeople for blood! There’s no point of keeping up the Shinsengumi if they just allow these guys to rampage at night! They’re there to protect people, not allow such senseless killing! The poor people! No one deserves to be so mutilated and killed beyond recognition just because these guys desire blood! I don’t like Kazama but it’s good that he and Amagiri are going around at night checking up on these deaths, because the Shinsengumi needs to control the Furies and really not create any more! It’s quite saddening to see how everyone handles being a Fury. For Saito, it was so difficult for him to accept having to drink blood and rely on such a fake power, whereas for Heisuke, not being able to hang with Chizuru in the daylight to simple outings such as looking at flowers torments him, the fact that he’s alive but also not alive hurts him….

Despite everything though, it seems that Nagakura and Harada will still leave because they question Kondou’s ability to lead when during the time they needed to capture the castle, he spent too much time in his hometown for no apparent reason and refused to retreat leading many men to their deaths.. I always find it saddening to see Nagakura and Harada leave the Shinsengumi, but I think it’s even more so this time since they asked Heisuke to leave with them, and when he couldn’t bear to do it considering how much the Shinsengumi had done for him after he got a second chance at life and how much he would be worried about leaving Chizuru here and leaving, the three of them could only drink until morning reminiscing of the past instead. The thought of that scene was just so heartbreaking but also beautiful. Since I do think about the little scenes of the past they shared in Kyoto. I guess this shows that although they’ve all changed and are going to go on different paths, there are still things that haven’t changed, regardless of whatever is happening, Nagakura, Harada and Heisuke would still share drinks together. The only depressing thing is that this could be the last time they can do that anymore…

When Heisuke avoided Ryunosuke (former Shinsengumi member back when Serizawa was the chief), it was so difficult to watch that Heisuke has to hide away from everything and everyone he knows and can only show himself to few people. But I guess he also hid away because he didn’t want to remind Ryunosuke of those days since Serizawa (previous chief of the Shinsengumi) would always beat him up, especially since he seemed rather satisfied with his life now. Back then, Heisuke was worried about him, but now, it seems like things have turned around, Heisuke is the one with all the worries now. Maybe in the end, things would have been much better if he left the Shinsengumi back then too… Then Heisuke would have been able to experience a normal life, he wouldn’t have to think about how unpredictable his life would be, whether he would succumb to the lost of his mind from bloodlust, whether he would continue to be a monster constantly drinking Chizuru’s blood or whether he’d just up and die tomorrow without having achieved anything… There are just so many fears oppressing him, it feels so terrible…

I can’t believe Sanan’s aim is to make a Fury kingdom and prove their worth as the strongest beings! To think he even made Sen drink his blood through a kiss when she was distracted so that he could control her because his blood has such capabilities… He wants her as the Queen of the kingdom since she’s a pure blood Demon but omg, Sanan has really been working behind the scenes, he’s already started his whole kingdom by hiding all these Furies, which are actually innocent people he killed in Edo! How dare he… How could he do something so disgusting… I’m even more disappointed in him this time around! I agree with Heisuke, he can’t be forgiven, he’s lost all his previous purposes and humanity, he’s lost everything that made him who he once was, he’s nothing but a monster living to bring chaos to humans and Demons. It’s so terrible that Heisuke had to be the one to kill all these innocent people that had been driven mad from turning into a Fury, but I guess now they can rest in peace that they’re not killing other people…. But, Sen has been captured…. Seeing Heisuke so desperate to save her but being blocked by so many Furies was just so disheartening to see….

To think that Sanan ran off and got the trust of the Sendai Domain that are all trying to band together with other people and domains to overthrow the Empire of Japan… It’s true that since the Shinsengumi is under the Aizu Domain now, they can’t so blatantly go to Sendai, but since Heisuke is supposed to be “dead”, he can go and deal with Sanan. It’s true and it’s cruel that Heisuke has to be the one to deal with this alone but there’s no other choice and I’m sure Heisuke doesn’t want to leave Sanan like that as well. Sometimes, you’ve gotta slap your love interest to show him how much you care🤣 Chizuru’s right though, he’s not a monster and she will not abandon him. It’s kinda cool to see Heisuke, Kazama and Kimigiku ally together to destroy the Furies and save Sen. Their motivations may be different but the goals and results they want are pretty much the same, so I thought it’d be cool if Kazama joined them, but to see it really happening is nice. Seeing Heisuke mature, grow and acknowledge his weaknesses and the detriments of their situation was really, I don’t want to say nice but he’s really grown, even though he laments the situation, he also acknowledges that he needs to handle it and will do so, he’s very strong, that’s for sure. It was pretty funny when Kazama and Heisuke started arguing like little kids hahaha.

I feel like the thing I love about Heisuke’s route is that it has a great balance between story and romance. You can really feel the love between Chizuru and Heisuke and you can really see how precious they are to the other and how well they support each other, and the story is engaging as well! I mean, going to defeat evil Sanan is very interesting! I’m sure Kimigiku wouldn’t mind sacrificing her life to save Chizuru and Sen since Chizuru was Sen’s first true friend and so she would never want the mind controlled Sen to do such a thing. At least Sen woke up from that I guess, and she won’t necessarily die since she’s a Demon! But yeah, when Heisuke successfully killed Sanan, it was impossible to feel happy. In the end, Sanan was a comrade, he was a friend and whether they’ve gone down the wrong path or not, that fact will never change, so seeing it have to end like this is just so difficult to stomach. It’s so touching that because Chizuru was there, Heisuke could realise that there’s so much more to life than to dedicate it to the sword and to fight, he’s got a second chance at life, so no reason to give it up like that again! It was sad to see even Heisuke leave Hijikata and the Shinsengumi but I do want Heisuke to enjoy a better life no matter what, so I guess my feelings are similar to Hijikata’s. Sad but happy for them.

As usual, the bad endings are pretty meh, besides the unrequited love one where the love interest dies. I mean, seeing Kazama step out alone acknowledging Heisuke as a warrior but only to tell Chizuru that he had turned into ashes after exerting everything was just too cruel….

Overall, I loved Heisuke’s route. I loved it so much because I love how supportive Chizuru was to Heisuke throughout all the pain whether it be physical or emotional. They both tried their best together, talked to each other and communicated their love for each other. It was pretty depressing since Heisuke always feels like he’ll break apart, but with Chizuru there, it gave him hope and made their life a bit more happier haha. I think their relationship was portrayed really well and Heisuke is such a great guy. Initially very happy and optimistic turned serious and carrying burdens out of his control, but nevertheless he is who he is and I loved every bit of his route. I can see why so many people love Chizuru with Heisuke haha.