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diagraphers-brother · 3 years ago

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Sailor Moon includes various statements about the origins of the sailor guardians, but it’s not clear to me how they’re supposed to fit together:

First, there’s the story we’re given in Serenity - Princess whereby the Inner Guardians are the bodyguards of Princess Serenity and were reincarnated in order to protect her. This fits with the later stories we’re given whereby the Outer Guardians are tasked with defending the Solar System from outside threats, with the fact that repairing the Moon Palace lets Luna give the Inner Guardians upgraded transformation devices, with the Sailor Quartet existing to serve Chibi Usa, with Pluto’s attribution of her rebirth to Neo-Queen Serenity in Sailor Pluto - Meiou Setsuna and with the fact that the Outer Guardians consider it possible in the fourth arc that their losing their powers is due to no longer needing them - By this explanation, the Sailor Soldiers are reincarnated and granted superpowers by the queens of the moon to serve as their elite warriors. This, however, fits poorly with the entire Stars arc, where we learn that there are sailor soldiers unaffiliated with the Moon Kingdom and that the Silver Crystal that gives the moon queens their power is just an especially powerful one of the Sailor Crystals possessed by all the sailor guardians

Then there’s Artemis’s claim in Sailor V is Born that Sailor V was once a knight of the goddess Venus. While we are never given similar claims about the other sailor soldiers, it seems feasible to generalise it into the idea that they are knights of the other Roman gods.

Five pages later, Artemis claims that Sailor V is a Venusian and the guardian of the planet Venus. Usagi implies similar facts apply to the other sailor guardians in Stars 5 (where she describes each planet as being protected by its corresponding sailor guardian) and 6 (where she tells the Starlights that she “has never been to any of her friends home planets”, implying that the other sailor guardians are not from the Earth or its moon, and thus most likely each from their corresponding planet). However, it does not seem to fit well with the Inner Guardians all having been bodyguards of the Moon Princess; furthermore, Mini Moon and the Sailor Quartet are not reincarnated like the other sailor guardians, and do not seem to have lived at any point on the moon or in the Asteroid Belt, nor to have defended them, hailing instead from Tokyo and the Amazon. Similarly, the Dreams arc associates Tuxedo Mask as much with the sun as the earth, but Endymion does not seem to have ever lived there.

The next account we receive of the origins of the sailor guardians’ powers is in Minako in Game Center Crown, where Artemis (acting as narrator) states that Minako is an avatar of Venus. We are never told outright that the other sailor guardians are avatars of the corresponding gods, Sailor Saturn is repeatedly referred to as a goddess in Three Soldiers, and Sailor Pluto refers to Chronos as her father in Infinite - Journey. This equation of the sailor guardians and their corresponding gods also seems to be supported by the fact that both Sailor V and Serenity have love interests named after mythical lovers of their corresponding goddesses. On the other hand, Sailor Pluto’s invocation of Chronos in Infinite - Journey seems to imply that he is a seperate entity from Sailor Saturn, and it is notable that Chronos is only ever spoken of as related to Pluto, despite in mythology being as closely related to Uranus, Terra, Jupiter, Neptune, Juno, Vesta and Ceres.

In the Dreams arc, the sailor guardians are stated to be princesses, and in Stars 4 Sailor Lead Crow describes Sailors Mars and Venus as the princesses of their corresponding planets and states that Sailor Mars was chosen by “this solar system’s queen” (presumably Serenity) to “be the princess of Mars and carry its power”. The implication of this would seem to be that the sailor guardians are each the princess of their corresponding planet. Sailor V seems to contradict this directly in A New Journey Begins, however, where she states that she is not a princess (These statements are quite clearly incompatible with eachother, being as they are eachothers’ negations, but both occur in contexts that make them difficult to interpret as false - Guardian Venus addressing Sailor Venus as ‘Princess Venus’ in Venus Dream occurs chronologically after Sailor Venus recovering her memories in A New Journey Begins, so it makes no sense for her to be continuing a deception that the memories have disproven, and aside from the contradiction in A New Journey Begins there is no reason to believe Guardian Venus is being dishonest; but on the other hand the revelation in A New Journey Begins is clearly portrayed as Venus discovering a truth that contrasts with a previously-believed falsehood which precisely matches the truth revealed in Venus Dream, and no-one has any reason to give her fake memories of not being a princess. I really see no way whatsoever to reconcile A New Journey Begins and Venus Dream. The fact that A New Journey Begins was published after Venus Dream, and that we do not see where Minako got the impression she was a princess anywhere in Codename: Sailor V, adds to the confusion.)

In Three Soldiers, the Outers describe themselves as carrying the protection of their corresponding planets, and in Earth and Moon Dream Nehelenia describes Tuxedo Mask as protected by the sun and the Sailor Quartet describe themselves as carrying the protection of four asteroids. Helios also describes Sailor Mini Moon as being protected by the moon in Mercury Dream, and she implies the same is true of Sailor Moon. This claim regarding the characters’ powers fit well with most of the other backstories, although it does not help to reconcile them with eachother, and seems somewhat at odds with the backstories that associate them with gods rather than planets. In Stars 5, Yaten makes the stronger claim that the sailor guardians are chosen by their planets, which seems to conflict with explanations that imply that they were chosen by gods, by Serenity or by the Galaxy Cauldron

The final explanation we receive for the sailor soldiers’ powers is in Stars, where we learn that they come from the sailor crystals, exceptionally powerful star seed crystals. Again, this explanation isn’t necessarily incompatible with most of the others, although if the distinction between sailor crystals and other star seed crystals is determined at the galaxy cauldron it is difficult to reconcile with explanations that whereby sailor guardians are chosen by Serenity or by the planets. The aspects of the worldbuilding most difficult to reconcile with the sailor crystal explanation concerns the transferability of the sailor crystals and the Silver Crystal: star seed crystals and sailor powers are intimately tied to individuals, but the Silver Crystal is used by three generations of the lunar royal family, and the villains generally seem to operate on the assumption that using it will be as easy as stealing it. It seems out of character for Queen Serenity to extract her daughter’s star seed crystal from her body for her own use, and she is implied to have been using it since before her daughter was born, yet the Silver Crystal is stated to be Sailor Moon’s sailor crystal.

So, that’s a total of seven explanations for the origins of the sailor guardians, some compatible with eachother, others difficult to reconcile, all explicitly stated of at least some of the sailor soldiers and implied to extend to the others, most with parts of the story that seem to outright contradict them, one explicitly contradicted regarding one of the same characters of which it is explicitly stated with both claims clearly intended in context to be accurate. If anyone has ways to make the worldbuilding regarding the sailor guardians less of a mess I would appreciate hearing them.

#Sailor Moon #codename: sailor v #worldbuilding nitpicking

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lightdancer1 · 3 years ago

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A scene from the ATLA/Sailor Moon crossover

Ursa was not entirely pleased that life's twisted sense of humor meant that one of the most important interactions she'd yet to have, and had looked on with foreboding and trembling began in one of the least desirable circumstances that it could. As it often seemed to, she rounded a corner to find herself looking at someone clad in what she knew abstractly as Earth clothes, a sleeveless jean vest and a bright green skirt.

Her hair was the same color green as the skirt, as she tapped her finger and looked appraisingly at a statue of Fire lord Zoryu, presented as a heroic figure facing the image of his older half-brother (and not at all truthful to the true events of the Camellia-Peony War but in a situation like political power what did a little truth matter). If the hair hadn't given away who the girl was, the smell that seemed strange of a vague hint of sea-salt in the air did.

She turned and her gaze was for a moment that of someone ancient and full of vast and terrifying power, the unbound strength of the Ocean in its stygian depths.

"Dowager Queen Ursa," she said in flawless Fire Nation speech.

"Kaioh Michiru," Ursa said in more heavily accented Japanese. Michiru's face remained surprisingly impassive.

As if her nod were a signal two other women either rounded a corner themselves or seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Ursa was never sure which.

"Tenoh Haruka," Ursa said.

The next one surprised her. She had been shorter than the rest but now she was growing, still, growing into the agelessness that would see her grown to womanhood among her family.

"Tomoe Hotaru."

And last there was a woman who was as tall as she was (and she felt more than slightly pleased that she was taller than both Michiru and Haruka, tall enough that if not for awareness of just who and what these Outer Senshi were she could have seen at as an advantage only to feel a slight dismay at Setsuna being her equal in height). None could doubt the combination of dark green hair, light brown skin, and crimson eyes.

"We meet at last," said the last one to arrive. She knew this one was called the 'Senshi of Time' and that there were stories about her. Like her she too had descent from a being that Earth would have called a God. Or a concept, perhaps. Time itself.

Looking at her in motion Ursa could believe it. Haruka reminded her uncannily of Aang, Michiru strangely more of the vengeful old woman called Hama than Katara. Setsuna moved with a presence that outweighed so unfortunate a name and Ursa, who knew what she was and what she could do, felt herself stepping back and then bowing gracefully.

"We need to talk," Setsuna said, and Ursa bowed again and accepted the words of the crimson-eyed woman. She pointed to one of the conference rooms of the Palace and Ursa was reminded of statues in the Garden of Tranquil souls, Shinigami that served the ranks of grim Yama, Lord of the Dead.

------

There were chairs around the table but they all stood as Kaioh shut the door, quietly. Setsuna did not waste time on theatrics or gestures of intimidation as the other Outers might have done. Instead she gave Ursa the most searing and searching stare she had ever seen. For a moment the woman, Meiou Setsuna slipped like the mask or cloak she was and she caught a glimpse of the true being that lurked beneath her eyes. The being ancient of days and full of years.

It was Ursa who got the first words in.

"I understand I owe you my daughter's survival, her health, and her happiness. You have my gratitude."

The Outers seemed to still at that moment. The youngest looked at her with cold eyes.

"She is our family, and she has been since she was called in through that portal on Earth."

Ursa's gaze hardened.

"You took her in like a stray or an abandoned animal. I was the one who gave birth to her. One of these is not like the other."

Michiru made a soft, dangerous sound.

It was Setsuna who spoke next.

"We had to spend a lot of time, aided by a therapist, someone you'd call a mind-healer, to convince her that she wasn't a monster."

Ursa flinched at that.

"Then, from what her family told us, when Galaxia slew us all she was the last one of us standing and fought with the ferocity of someone who'd seen one of her families slain and her brother and uncle promised to be next. We did not see her die. She did see us die."

Ursa's shoulders sagged a bit at that.

Setsuna's voice was very, very cold.

"So is that what you consider a monster to be, Ursa?"

Ursa shook her head.

"I'd like to think she eventually told her therapist why she was called that but she never told us. So if you don't mind," and now it was Haruka who was speaking, leaning forward on the table, her motions so swift that Ursa had not seen her move from the corner to the table until she'd seemed to spring there into her sight, "why did you call her that?"

Ursa sighed.

"When she was younger she was playing a game with her brother. Zuko liked to climb things and to hide, it's always been one of his gifts. He dared her to go up a pagoda higher than what she could manage at that time, to a place that couldn't support her. She fell...."

Ursa flinched.

"From the highest floor of the tallest building in the Fire Nation. She got up with tears in her clothes but no visible damage. I was horrified, I thought that my grandfather had cursed her the way he did me. And with something that would mean she could never truly fit in among humanity."

Michiru's eyes narrowed.

"Your daughter survived a fall from a building and you called her a monster to her face?"

Ursa nodded.

"You must understand, perhaps now, after this Galaxia appeared, we have a context for what that was. Nobody in the world knew that, then. Even Avatars could die."

Ursa shivered. "Nobody in the world knew how it was possible for anyone, let alone a child, to fall twelve stories and get up unscathed. Perhaps to you, with your bodies that can withstand everything the stories say you can do it is a normal thing. Or an understandable one. I grew up haunted by the curse my father's bloodline gives us all. I saw that my child could not be harmed, seemingly, and then this Galaxia creature showed that no, she truly could be. I would take back that word were I given the chance now, but I can't."

Setsuna gave her a long, level stare.

"It wasn't anything else she did?"

Ursa shook her head.

"There was an incident, when she was a child. Involving animals and her Father trying to harden her the way he was, or to see if she was like him. It didn't go the way he wanted and her Grandfather stepped in." She shivered.

"Azula had nightmares from it. Still does. And I am ashamed to admit that I thought she did that of her own will, not that her Father might have talked her into it. We did talk about that."

Ursa grimaced with the memory.

"I will admit to being far from a perfect mother. If you are looking for me to defend my mistakes, I will not do it. She came to me to save her brother's life and I sent her to bed that night with harsh words and left without waking her up. I literally punished her for one of the bravest things I ever saw her do. I have no defenses for why a grown woman with fire that can cut steel felt threatened by my own child. I do not, I cannot, I will not."

Something in the manner of the Outers seemed to change then, perceptibly.

Setsuna's gaze lingered longest and Ursa found it disorienting, as if she saw more than one person, or perhaps traces of Setsuna's motions, or fidgeting, or glimpses of what one who stood astride the components of time itself would think.

"You desire to change this?" It was her question, asked so softly that the other Outers seemed to look at her with keen eyes and for a moment she saw the Ocean, as if La himself had arisen and taken the shape of an aqua-haired woman, the howling gale of the Wind, and the deep dark eyes of Destruction until the moment passed.

"I do."

Setsuna relaxed, then.

"Azula told us this, but we also know how much your legacy hurt her."

Ursa flinched and then Michiru spoke.

"Ursa, you don't have nearly as much to fear from us as Ozai did. We had a version of this talk with him." Her tone was softer but there was steel in it, something Ursa could not neatly disregard.

"You could say we convinced him to abdicate his throne after some creative expressions of disagreement on suitability to parental status on both our parts." Haruka laughed at that one, the other Outers echoing it with a softer element to it.

"She fears and hates him. She wanted and wants to be loved by you. We know that difference, and we know what it means. About both of you, and about her past."

Ursa felt a sense of relief there.

"Then why-" she gestured to them.

Haruka grinned, the wild grin of the untamed wind.

"Because we too are who and what we are. We too were meant to be soldiers, avenging angels of destruction wreaking harm on all who dared threaten hearth and home. Crystal Tokyo is a paradise, but we have all the same our function and every golden realm has its monsters that lurk in shadows and seek to threaten it.

We, in our family, exist to banish the monsters, to do the deeds the Inners cannot. Not a task we relish, but it is what fate has deigned to give us."

She shook her head, the amusement growing further at the look on Ursa's face.

"But mostly because she's our kid as much, or really, much more than she ever was yours and she's Firefly's sister. And we wanted to have this talk while making sure that Sparky saw you the right way. People who want to be loved and have no true idea what love is can do...."

A shadow crossed her face.

"Terrible things," Ursa said.

Haruka nodded.

"Her father tried to do that to her, to make her something like a dark mirror of us, in a way. We love her, and we trust her, but all the same, when you meet Ozai...."

Ursa nodded again.

"Easier to suspect that kindness has its shadows and its demands."

Haruka nodded.

"And I did everything in my power to make her think my love did, and because of that, it truthfully did whether or not I admit it."

--------

The last tension fell after that and the Outers let her see something of the people and not just the fearsome guardians who kept eyes on the outer edges of the Crystal Kingdom and its frontiers. It had been the second test she faced after her first meetings with Azula and then Azula and Berthier, and no less grave a challenge than they.

When they left she sank into a chair heavily, legs turning to jelly. Another test met, another one passed.

Maybe, mused Ursa, the will of fate could become something better than the hands it had dealt her, and all her family at the start of all that had led up to this.

#atla aus #atla/sailor moon crossover #the Outer Senshi are always vaguely scary in full Senshi mode #even in Crystal Tokyo #the whole 'defending the Solar System single-handedly' thing

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sage-nebula · 4 years ago

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I’ve been thinking about what I would have liked a sequel to InuYasha to be like, since the official sequel has been such a disappointment (to say the least), so I figured I’d go ahead and post my thoughts.

To start with, we’re keeping Moroha, and she would be the actual main character. She’s the daughter of the previous two main protagonists, her personality steals the show on the regular anyway, and the fact that she’s part demon while also having sacred priestess powers makes her far more interesting than simply doing half-demons 2.0. I’m not sorry.

So, the story. I imagine that hundreds and hundreds of years back, like well before Inuyasha was ever sealed to the Tree of Ages and all that drama with Kikyou and Naraku happened, there was a prophecy made by some kind of deity (or deity-like) figure. The prophecy was something like, when a demon had a child with a powerful priestess, that child would then end the warring period between demons and mortals—and would, in fact, put an end to demons altogether. In other words, the child of the demon and shrine maiden would lead to the modern era, where mortals still roam freely but demons are (typically) nowhere to be seen. Not many knew about this prophecy, but very powerful and high-ranking demons did (e.g. Kirinmaru, possibly Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru’s father), and because they didn’t want demons to disappear from the earth for very obvious reasons (even though the prophecy wasn’t clear on how that would happen), they made it a point to try to stop the birth of such a child from ever happening—or, if it did happen, they made it a point to kill said child as an infant before they could ever grow.

Hundreds of years passed. For a time there was great concern over whether Kikyou would bear the child that would bring about the prophecy, given that she was a powerful priestess (the most powerful priestess) who had several half-demons interested in her. Fears waned a little when Inuyasha decided to become human like Kikyou, forsaking his demon half and therefore rendering the two of them unable to bring the prophecy to pass (and there was some argumentation over whether a half-demon could bring the prophecy to pass anyway, but the danger was too great to risk it in the minds of those who knew), but then all of that drama went down before he could, and Kikyou died before she could have a child with anyone, so it became a moot point.

Regardless, those hundreds of years passed, Kikyou was reborn as Kagome, Kagome and Inuyasha fell in love, and they ended up giving birth to a child, Moroha, who inherited both demonic powers from her father and sacred powers from her mother. And while it’s not as if someone was watching Inuyasha and Kagome on CCTV to stalk their every action, other parts of the prophecy (such as the full moon and sun both being present in the sky at the moment of the birth, which happened just as day broke, or stars falling the night of conception) lined up and made it clear that the prophecied birth had come to pass. Of course, neither Inuyasha nor Kagome knew of the prophecy, nor did anyone else in the village . . . but Kirinmaru, as mentioned before, did.

So Kirinmaru shows up some time after Moroha’s birth, when she’s still a baby, with the intent on killing her and probably her parents as well, for good measure, so they can’t have another one. He’s not alone; I’m unsure of whether Sesshoumaru would be with him or not in this version (because I feel Sesshoumaru would have complicated feelings on the issue; he doesn’t want demons to disappear but also he’s doubtful Inuyasha’s child could make that happen), but Kirinmaru would at least have his top four lackeys and possibly many other demons with him. Enough so that everyone in the village would be at significant risk. Of course Kagome and Inuyasha aren’t going down without a fight, but also a battleground is no place for a baby, so Kagome takes Moroha through the well (which we’ll say was working at this point in time) in order to have her family watch her. This serves two purposes: It gives Moroha a loving family to take care of her, with Kagome herself ensuring that happens, AND it allows us to show Kagome’s family after giving a frick about her potentially dying, which Yashahime failed to show with their non-reaction to her potentially having a child.

Of course, Kagome’s family doesn’t want her to return to the feudal era if there’s some huge battle going down, but Kagome promises that she will survive, and she will come back to get Moroha. She promises. So her family agrees to babysit Moroha, and Kagome returns to the feudal era . . . only to not come back. As a result, Moroha is raised by Souta and his family, and cherished by her grandma and great-grandpa, even though there is also an ever-present sorrow and grief because they believe Kagome must have died in the battle she spoke of. And Moroha does feel the love from her family, but also recognizes that they also see her dead mother whenever they look at her, so there’s that, too.

With that said, Kagome isn’t dead! She returns to the feudal era and things are indeed going badly (in a flashback we get plenty of “INUYASHAAAA” “KAGOMEEEEE” for old time’s sake), but I don’t want to kill either her or Inuyasha off. So instead, we’ll bring the Rainbow Pearls back into it. Like in the actual sequel, Inuyasha and Kagome end up sealed in one of the Rainbow Pearls. But the reason here is because Kirinmaru finds out that Kagome sent Moroha away to a place where he can no longer reach her, and he’s furious about it. But he also feels that, when she grows up, she will seek out her parents. So he figures, he’ll take her parents, seal them in a state where they can’t escape him, and then use them as bait. He’ll lure Moroha to him and kill her then. It’s a perfect plan. (And while I would want to seal Inuyasha and Kagome into the Tree of Ages since that’s their tree, at the same time, Kirinmaru can’t exactly take a whole ass tree with him. I mean, he could, but it’d kill it and probably end the sealing power. So.)

Years pass, Moroha grows. She can pretty much pass for a human girl aside from her fangs and her super senses / abilities, so she doesn’t feel like too much of an outcast in the human world. She's a little older than in Yashahime, maybe around 16, and as such was able to do at least a year or two of high school and has a few years experience in archery and kendo clubs as a result. But though she doesn’t feel like an outcast, Moroha has always been plagued by the feeling that there’s more to her story than she and her family know. She feels like there’s something missing, like the assumption that her mother died just isn’t right. This draws her back to the Bone-Eaters Well time and time again, and the final time (the one we see) Souta follows her there. They talk about Moroha’s feelings and her desire to know, and Souta tells her he think that she can make the trip—and that she should, if she can’t rest. He gives her Inuyasha’s robe of the fire rat (which I forgot to mention Moroha was swaddled in when Kagome took her through), as well as her bow and quiver from archery, and some other provisions. Then Moroha jumps through and returns to the feudal era.

So the main plot, or at least the one that Moroha is aware of at first, would be Moroha trying to figure out what happened to her parents, where they are, et cetera (and people like Miroku, Sango, and Shippou bursting out crying when they see that Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter did survive and is all grown up and looks so much like her parents). Then in the background of that is the prophecy and whether Moroha actually will carry it out or not. My thought is that she would, but it’s not that she kills all demons, because that’s pretty grim. Rather, it’s that the Rainbow Pearls would ultimately be used to seal or suppress demonic powers, with the implication that demons or people with demonic powers are very much still actually in the modern era, but they’re just sleeping, and could come back at any time. And perhaps this would be done at the end of her life rather than at the end of the series, I don’t know. But basically it would be written to explain the discrepancy of why there were demons and magic in the feudal era, but no longer in the modern era. It would make Kagome going back to the feudal era, meeting Inuyasha and building a family with him, something that actually needed to happen for her era to exist as it did at all. (So, a stable time loop, sort of.)

As for Sesshoumaru having daughters, I honestly really don’t think it’s necessary, but if he did they should be side characters (as in they can be part of the main group, but their story shouldn’t be the primary focus), and Kagura should be their mother. Since Kagura died, if we do still want them to be half-demons, then perhaps it could be that Sesshoumaru traveled to the modern era himself somehow to look for Moroha after Kagome sent her there (I don’t think the well would work for him, but this is a show about magic, he could find a way). He didn’t find Moroha, but he found Kagura’s modern reincarnation, a human woman who looked startlingly like her. He followed her around to figure out what was up with her, she thought he was a creep (albeit a very pretty creep), he eventually decides to leave her because she’s her own person and not Kagura, she follows him because she wants to know where he’s going, she ends up going back to the feudal era with him on accident, they travel together for a while, fall in love, have babies, etc. So I guess in that sense the mother of Sesshoumaru’s daughters wouldn’t actually be Kagura, just like Kagome is not Kikyou, but regardless, she’d be as close to Kagura as he could actually get and that’s better than the alternative that the fifteenth episode of Yashahime suggested, so I’d take it. (Granted I would have taken just about anything over that, but still.) With this scenario, Towa and Setsuna (if we kept those names) would be younger than Moroha, and would have been raised together in the feudal era. If they end up traveling with Moroha, perhaps it’s because Sesshoumaru sent them to do it by suggestion. The twins think they’re just ~bonding~ with their cousin, or at least helping her survive in an era she’s not familiar with, but also their father is using them to spy on her to see if there’s any chance she could bring about the prophecy.

So yeah, that’s what I got. If I’d been asked to come up with a sequel to Inuyasha, that’s what I would have written. Of course there are more details that would need to be ironed out, but nonetheless, we’d have a clear goal from the jump, the correct character would be the main character, and there wouldn’t be any child grooming or pedophilia. Win-win-win, honestly. We could have had it all.

#inuyasha #anti sessrin #inuyasha sequel au #moroha #moroha deserved better #so much better #anti yashahime

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love-sapphirerose · 4 years ago

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Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Episode 24

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/yashahime-princess-half-demon/episode-24/.170860

Look, there was never even the slightest chance that Yashahime's 24th episode would end up functioning as a proper series finale. I knew that. You knew that. We all knew that. Over the last six months, Yashahime has rambled, meandered, bungled, and straight tumbled ass-over-elbows in its vain attempts at telling a coherent and engaging story, but never has it managed to establish so much plot and character motivation that anyone would mistakenly think that it would be a one-and-done. I was a fool for ever dreaming of a world where Yashahime might have the decency to end here and now. Still, you can't blame a guy for hoping right?

Except, we've also learned what happens to hope when Yashahime comes calling, haven't we?

In a certain sense, you'd think a part of me would be happy to find out that “Sesshomaru's Daughter” was never meant to function as a complete conclusion to this story, because that could only mean that this season finale has less responsibilities to juggle, in the long run. In spite of every attempt on Yashahime's part to sabotage itself, that last couple of episodes managed to lay the groundwork for something that at least kind of resembles a conflict for this final chapter of the season: Zero has been revived by Sesshomaru's Tenseiga, and now she's got some Rainbow Pearl-fueled demonic wrath to bring down on our heroines; Kirinmaru has also descended from the sky to do…something, which can only mean double trouble for the girls!

Haha, no. That would be far too reasonable a direction to take the story, so instead Yashahime decides to spit right in its audience's face with more of The Usual Yashahime Bullshit™, starting mere seconds after Sesshomaru revives Zero with the Tenseiga. For some reason, Sesshomaru reveals that he is no longer concerned about her mortal link with Rin, and vows to do…something to her that involves a thorough stabbing. The logical assumption is that he wants to kill her, but that makes a negative amount of sense given that she was literally just dead, so I'm just going to pretend that Yashahime is trying to trick us, and that Sesshomaru's plans are more complicated than that. Is there even a scrap of proof to that effect? Hell no, but we're only a couple of minutes into this thing, and our collective sanity can only withstand so much of this malarkey.

Meanwhile, in Spooky Tree World: Jaken notices that Rin is crying. Later on, he manages to hitch a ride with Totosai and his cow thing, claiming that he needs to fix Rin's sadness. How does he plan on doing this? What purpose does this mission serve? I sure as hell don't know, and it never comes up again. Next scene.

Before Zero has the chance to do a single thing with her twice-recovered Rainbow Pearls, Kirinmaru lashes out and magically poofs them out across the corners of the land. Yes, after spending an entire season building up the Rainbow Pearls as the ultimate artifacts of unlimited power or whatever, they served no purpose whatsoever before the script re-scattered them like the knockoff Shikon Jewels they've always been. The most reaction that anyone musters is when Moroha says, "Oh damn. There they go." Cool, show. Cool.

As for Zero? She disowns her brother and then magically yeets herself away by thwipping her spider-web onto the thin air. Then, Riku stabs Kirinmaru, which does absolutely nothing, before he flicks his little earring and poofs away too. Then , Sesshomaru goes after Zero and explains that Kirinmaru should fight his daughters as a “rite of courage and cowardice.” He then also just zips off into the sky. No, we never see Zero or Riku again. Their entire involvement in this scheme was – you guessed it – absolutely pointless!

Around this point in the episode is where you might be asking: “Wait a minute. Why does Kirinmaru tell the girls he would have let them run away if they asked? Why does he seem concerned over Sesshomaru abandoning his children? Why did he turn on his sister; does he still want to kill the girls because of that one prophecy about getting murdered by a half-demon? What does any of this have to do with the big evil comet that is going to strike the Earth in the future?” Oh, you sweet summer child. Yashahime doesn't give a shit about your questions! And no, before you even think about it again, the future comet and the Mr. Kirin subplot are not ever mentioned again, either.

With all of that out of the way, the only thing left is the big showdown between Kirinmaru and the three girls, all of whom decide to stay and fight the guy who has already handily kicked their asses without so much as breaking a sweat because…they think he's lying about being strong? And Setsuna doesn't want to back down from the rite of passage she only just learned about thirty seconds beforehand? Sure. Fine. Let's go with that. Who cares?

Now, I do want to say at least one nice thing about this episode. Even though most of the episode looks embarrassingly sloppy and rushed, the visuals really turn themselves around for this last fight, especially right at the beginning. Each of the three girls gets a delightfully-animated action cut to show off their moves, and kudos to the artists in charge of those sequences. If anything, the sequence might look a little too good, as it clashes mightily with the butt-ugly visuals that the show usually sports and serves as a bittersweet reminder of the series that Yashahime could have been.

There. That was technically a compliment, right? I hope so, because the pretty visuals can't save the back-half of "Sesshomaru's Daughter" from being almost awe-inspiring in its lameness. For one, fricking Moroha just gets whooshed out of the fight after landing maybe one or two hits. Again. Then, in order to deprive us of even the barest shred of dramatic tension, Kirinmaru loudly announces that he is going to threaten Setsuna's life in order to draw out Towa's latent power. Unsurprisingly, this leads to him murdering the hell out of Setsuna after she nicks his cheek with that Blood Blade of hers. Or rather, he slashes her from her heels to her head with his magic blade thingy, and then she falls down perfectly intact, and slowly slips away into her first “sleep” in years. Do you get it? Because Dream Butterfly.

One final almost-good thing happens when Moroha comes back with her Beniyasha face on, and she finally gets to help Towa land a major blow against Kirinmaru (it sure is a good thing that nobody ever pointlessly sacrificed their life to try and teach Moroha about the dangers of using her incredibly useful Beniyasha powers, right?). For her part, the raged-out Towa gets her own demony glow-up, and she ends up looking like a little silver-haired Super Saiyan 3 (Super Sesshy 3?). Two giant super-power blasts later, and…a slightly winded Kirinmaru admits his respect for Towa, and then flies away of his own volition. Then Sesshomaru comes back from wherever he was and offers his broken Tenseiga to Towa to help bring Setsuna back to life, finally winning that Father of the Year award he has been vying for all this time.

That's it. No, seriously, that's the end of the season. No mention of Kagome or Inuyasha whatsoever, no clues as to what any of the villains' true motivations are; we don't even get a proper explanation for whatever the hell an “Aruku's Pinwheel” is! Instead, Yashahime's first season ended as we all should have expected it would: As a slow-motion train wreck of gobsmackingly stupid writing, lame action, and a veritable mountain of wasted potential. So sure, maybe some of the series' gravest failings can get ironed out in another year or two. Lord knows that I would be ecstatic to learn that future iterations of this show ended up being halfway decent.

However, that would never change the fact that this first season was one of the most exhausting, frustrating, and disappointing anime that I've ever seen. So, with no small amount of relief, I bid adieu to our three half-demon princesses. I wish I could say that I'll miss you, but I most definitely will not. Except maybe for Moroha, who always has and always will deserve better than Yashahime. For the rest of the knuckleheads that have been leeching away at our time and our patience these last six months, there is only one rating they could ever deserve...

#anti hanyo no yashahime #anti yashahime #anti towa #anti moroha #anti sunrise

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wisteria-underground · 4 years ago

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Some thoughts on Hanyo no Yashahime ep. 15 (some serious, some not):

1. Hats off to Riku for being at least a mildly interesting OC. I care about his motivations enough to keep watching the show, which is more than I can say about most anime-only characters. Congratulations to Riku and his amazing eye makeup, here’s to the rest of the season

2. Inuyasha finally got to live the life - more or less - that he and Kikyo originally dreamed about, and I think that’s nice! He has a little house with a garden, and a “job” exterminating demons, and a local community of friends and neighbors, and friends from further afield who come and visit him, and his social circle is a nice mix of humans and youkai. Inuyasha is fully and (by the looks of it) happily integrated into his found community without having to sacrifice either his demon or human side, and I THINK THAT’S NICE

3. In modern times, Kirinmaru would be known as “our family friend” and Sesshomaru would be obligated to introduce him as “Uncle Kirinmaru - well, not my real uncle, I just call him that because he’s known my dad for, like, forever”

4. At first blush, this would make Zero Sesshomaru’s mean auntie, but what with the whole “humiliated by your father” line and the Gold and Silver jewels being made from her tears, I suspect she’s actually a jilted lover - or would-be lover - of Toga’s who now lives to stir up trouble for his kids. Toga probably tossed her aside for Izayoi and she’s clearly still salty about it

5. Rin’s childbirth scene is the worst thing I’ve seen in a long time, but not for the reason everyone’s fighting about. It unfortunately exposes two major flaws, one of writing female characters in the shonen genre, and one of Rin’s character specifically. The first problem is that shonen writers usually have no idea what to do with pregnancy and childbirth, because, I suspect, they have no actual interest in the mother’s experience; for them, pregnancy and childbirth serve purely as plot devices, and the postpartem female body becomes a problem to be gotten rid of as soon as possible.

Usually this is ‘solved’ by killing off the mother right after giving birth. Rin escapes this fate, only to be subjected to having both her babies and her agency taken away. Shedding a single tear? Uttering such an inane line as “I have faith in Sesshomaru-sama” when he didn’t say a single word to her after what was likely hours of being in labor? I confess that this is the point when I lost it and just started laughing, the scene was so bad-hilarious. Nobody is this long-suffering and trusting about being ignored by their husband as he silently kidnaps her children literally from under her nose. Nobody. Rin was done dirty by this scene, and it just underscores the misogyny running through the shonen genre.

Unfortunately, this scene also doubles down on Rin’s role as a device for Sesshomaru’s character growth, which is itself pretty problematic. Her (multiple!!) deaths in IY prompt Sesshomaru toward emotional turning points in his character development, and here again in HNY her confusion and sadness over losing Towa and Setsuna lend pathos to Sesshomaru’s actions. We, the viewers, know that Sesshomaru is hiding the twins away so that Kirinmaru and Zero can’t find and kill them; I think the writers somehow wants the viewer to feel anguish on Sesshomaru’s behalf that he must commit such a seemingly cruel act for the sake of his family’s safety and can’t tell anyone about it because he’s such a tough guy loner etc. etc. But instead it comes across as confusing and unnecessary, especially since Kagome already knows the whole story and asks Sesshomaru point-blank about it. [Edited to add]: This model of stoicism-as-masculinity has not aged well from the original IY run. Female characters should not have to passively accept pain and confusion inflicted on them by male characters in the name of male characters acting “for their own good.” Sesshomaru’s refusal to communicate anything, ever, is not a romantic character trait: it does not make him mysterious or cool or badass, it just makes him kind of an asshole to the people he supposedly cares about, and I hope the rest of the series will actually grapple with that. Sesshomaru, in this scene, kicks off a whole chain of events that end up going disastrously for his family. One daughter stuck on “the other side”? One daughter with her memories and sleep stolen? His wife stuck in a tree? I have a hard time believing all of that was planned. The whole scenario is contrived and stupid and I hate it.

6. Not least because Sesshomaru’s proposed solution makes no sense! What are these babies going to eat? Where will they sleep? If Sesshomaru is ok with bringing newborns into a forest and leaving them under a tree, why wouldn’t he just bring Rin at the same time and make her recuperate from - again- a physically grueling ordeal under said tree? It’s not like he knows what the heck childbirth involves anyway! His whole decision-making process is bizarre and confirms my suspicion, held for some 15 years, that Sesshomaru is not some cool lone wolf type who has it all together, but instead is merely a fuck-up like the rest of us. As any quiet person (*raises hand*) knows, a great way to pick up a reputation for being ‘aloof,’ ‘cold,’ or ‘intimidating’ is to say as little as possible, even if on the inside you are hopelessly just trying to keep your head above water.

This is HNY Sesshomaru in a nutshell:

Where were you going to get all of these things, Sesshomaru?! Oh that’s right you didn’t think that far ahead DID YOU?!????

7. If Sesshomaru is at his mom’s house, and Jaken is at his mom’s house, then who is watching the babies????? (Tbh probably Sessho-mama)

Anyway this episode was A Mess but it was nice seeing Inuyasha and Kagome again. More of them and the rest of the original gang, please!

#just to clarify my take on infant nutrition is 'fed is best' but obviously formula did not exist in the feudal era and more importantly the #text didn't fit #i promise the next post will be about things i actually like about inuyasha and not just ranting #but sesshomaru is for real a disaster #hanyo no yashahime #inuyasha #iy #iy meta #iy analysis #kagome higurashi #sesshomaru #iy rin #hanyo no yashahime spoilers

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fatesdeepdive · 4 years ago

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Entry 13: Corrin’s Boat Dreams

The arena is open now, which means I can force units to fight to feed my gambling addiction. The game choses a random unit and random enemy for you and you get resources if they win. It’s very lacking, especially when compared to arenas in other Fire Emblem games.

At the end of the last entry we got a new unit: Kagero. So, time to do the thing I do in these entries and talk about her.

Kagero

Kagero is Ryoma’s other retainer, also a ninja, who has stats that make her a glass canon. Her personal skill makes her better at fighting other units who wield shurikens. She hasn’t really shown much personality yet, so I can’t talk about that, but I can definitely talk about her design. I love the scarf and the hair that covers her face. On the other hand, tiddies. This royal guard has massive boobs and deep cleavage, because Intelligent Systems knows their audience. To be fair, attractive female characters aren’t necessarily bad, and the game at the very least does have female characters who aren’t super fanservicey. I actually don’t mind Kagero as much as say, Tharja or Camilla, because she seems to have a personality beyond sexy. Probably. Been a while since I played this game.

Support: Corrin/Takumi

C: Corrin tries striking up a chat with Takumi, but he is hostile towards her, because of the whole backstory thing. See entry six for clarification. Anyway, Corrin suggests Takumi teaches her archery as an excuse for the two of them to spend time with one another.

B: Takumi is a stern teacher, but Corrin slowly improves. Corrin accidentally hurts herself and Takumi cancels the training session, quietly admitting to himself that he pushed Corrin too hard.

A: Takumi apologizes to Corrin and admits that she’s talented and fiercely devoted to Hoshido.

S: Corrin improves greatly at archery, thanks to Takumi’s training. Then we get the obligatory not really incest handwave and the two of them get married. Yay. This one actually has Corrin ask who her father is, if it isn’t Garon or Summeragi, and Takumi says that Mikoto didn’t write it down, which feels like a shitty thing for her to do.

Review: This is a weird conversation, considering the fact that Takumi learning to trust Corrin also happens in the main plot. Still, Takumi softening up a bit when Corrin gets hurt is a nice character moment. As for the S-Rank, you all know how I feel about the bullshit deus ex machina to excuse incest this game does.

Support: Oboro/Takumi

C: Oboro and Takumi talk about fashion, which reminds Oboro about her murdered parents. He asks if she wishes to return to fashion and she brushes it off, saying that she is more than happy serving him.

B: Oboro begins making a ceremonial outfit for Takumi and contemplates that her parents would be proud of her for being the seamstress for a prince.

A: Takumi sets Oboro up with a job helping other people with fashion in her spare time. She thanks him for the extra work.

S: Oboro attempts to quit both her fashion job and retainer job, because she is in love with Takumi. He says that he already knows, which makes sense, because that thirst was palpable. Takumi proposes to her and explains that he gave her extra work so she can start her own business after the war, which is nice but is also something he should have probably discussed with her in advance.

Review: This is a very laid back conversation that portrays Oboro much kinder than the game often does. I actually think Takumi comes off as a bit controlling, which is why retainers dating their masters is a bad idea, but overall it isn’t an awful support line.

Support: Corrin/Silas

C: Corrin asks Silas about why she doesn’t remember being friends with him and he brushes it off, because apparently everyone completely forgets about their childhood friend who was so devoted to them he became a knight for the slim chance he might see them again. Silas mentions that he and Corrin made a list of all the places she wanted to travel to and the two of them agree to go on a trip together.

B: Silas recreates the list from their childhood, which is filled with non-specific things like “a festival” and “a street food stall”. It’s actually a little cute. Corrin broods over why she can’t remember Silas and he tells her to ask her retinue, which is a word I had never seen before.

A: Corrin, after asking her retinue, reveals that she cried for days after they took Silas away. The two of them discuss how good friends they are.

S: Silas tells Corrin that she’s hot now and he loves her because she’s hot. He admits that Corrin’s out of his league, but they get married anyway because Corrin will have sex with anything with a pulse.

Review: So Silas is telling the truth? Really? He was so suspicious! This would have been much better if Silas was lying about his past and never knew Corrin. It at least would have had a resolution, as opposed to the half-hearted shrug that is this conversation. It set up a mystery and then just pretended it didn’t exist, which is infuriating.

Support: Hinata/Subaki

C: Hinata finds Subaki staring at his own reflection in love, because Subaki is literally a narcissist. As in, he’s doing the same shit Narcissus did that was so cartoonishly arrogant that the word narcissist is named after him. Also Subaki makes fun of Hinata for being a slob and agrees to teach him how to be more classy.

B: Subaki teaches Hinata basic cleanliness tips, like bathing, and combing your hair, and ironing your clothes. Hinata says that Subaki’s being ridiculous, and it’s framed as him being a slob, but I kinda think he’s right? The two of them are soldiers fighting behind enemy lines, they can afford to have wrinkled clothes.

A: Subaki recommends taking minor steps towards cleanliness.

Review: This is a mediocre, but ultimately harmless, fluff conversation that makes Subaki look like an asshole.

Birthright Chapter 11: To The Sea

The gang sails to Nohr. Takumi brings up the fact that Iago is probably a spy, but Corrin says she trusts him because, and I quote, he stood with us through one battle without stabbing anyone in the back. Such high standards our hero has.

Corrin says that she likes the sea and wants to buy a boat. The game better end with us getting that boat. Suddenly, the weather gets bad and the boat shakes. The ghost dude who killed Mikoto flies out of the water and attacks Azura. A battle begins against the ghost dude and an army of ghost pegasi riders. Weirdly, the ghost swordmaster dude isn’t actually an enemy in this map.

Early on in the battle, a new character named Reina shows up. She flies over to Corrin and explains that she was sent by Yukimura to help.She also brags about killing a shitload of enemies.

Reina

Reina, according to her unit text, is one of Mikoto’s retainers. She’s our first pre-promoted unit, an upgraded Sky Knight called a Kinshi Knight that can wield bows. I love the idea of flying anti-air units, but from what I remember they have bad growths. Design wise, I like that she has scars and looks a bit older than most of the female units. It establishes that she’s an experienced warrior. The halo thing is a bit weird though. Personality wise, she seems insanely violent, to the point of having a mini version of Lifetaker as her personal skill. But like, in a comedic way. Unfortunately, Reina only has supports with Corrin, which means she’s a bit of a throwaway character.

This was our obligatory Fire Emblem boat chapter. Stationed around the boat are Dragon Veins that create wind to keep the fliers at bay, but honestly I didn’t need them. I played this map defensively, bating the fliers with Rinkah or Silas then sniping them with Setsuna, Takumi, and our new flying death machine. Side note, what even is this ship? It’s covered and filled with market stalls, which I’ve never seen before.

After the battle, ghost dude, who we never actually fought and thus is still here, attacks Takumi. Zola sacrifices himself to protect Takumi and the ghost just kinda disappears. Sakura heals Zola’s wounds and Takumi apologizes for doubting him.

#fire emblem fates #fe 14 #fire emblem birthright #corrin fe #takumi fe #corrin x takumi #hinata fe #subaki fe #kagero fe #reina fe #iago fe #takumi x oboro

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rin-the-shadow · 4 years ago

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Crystal Tokyo Challenge: Day 9

Day 9: Your headcanon on the Senshi’s roles in the government.

The main one I have headcanons for is Ami, since she probably ends up doing something around healthcare. The thing I posted for the Shitennou’s roles ended up inadvertantly creating a headcanon that she would work to integrate magitech into the healthcare system to provide better treatment and accommodations for people, and I’m not letting go of that one now that I have it.

I kind of like the idea of Makoto and possibly Michiru being involved in environmental protection, but I’m not sure how much of that is just me reading too much into their powers.

Minako probably does something involving either defense or diplomacy at some point.

Someone does something involving public transportation and energy. I’m leaning towards Haruka but that may be reading too much into her and her cars.

Someone is probably doing something around economy, but I’m not sure who if anyone was particularly financially-inclined.

There’s also probably at least a few who help make, evaluate, and pass laws. I hesitate to put Rei in either of these positions because I want her to be able to take over the shrine, but for some reason I feel like she might be good at one of those.

Several are probably involved in the justice system.

What Setsuna does entirely depends on how overloaded she would be with the guardian of space-time thing.

And Hotaru is like twelve. Sure, she’d probably be older by the time Crystal Tokyo came to be, but at least starting out, assuming she’s still in school, I could see Haruka going, “NO SHE’S FINISHING SCHOOL FIRST” even if Haruka herself would have wanted to drop out in her place.

The difficulty I have in figuring out what most of these characters would do is that for many of them, I’m not sure how their skill sets and interests play into things, especially since I tend to see Crystal Tokyo as a more involved Kandrakar rather than a super realistic system of government, and a bit more localized rather than spanning the entire world.

And then there’s the question of how their roles as Guardians and any other careers they may have might play into what they can and can’t do. I don’t see Usagi as the type of person who would make them give up their own lives to serve Crystal Tokyo, but I do see them having some role in it regardless.

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koshofthevorlons · 5 years ago

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The Bad, the annoying, and just plain wrong Sailor Moon Fanon

Given Sailor Moon was released back during the early 90s and the ...issues the American dubbing had, a whole lot of fanon has sprung up about the series. Some of it is good and some of it is incredibly bad -- though this most often shows up in crossovers. Years ago, I made up a list of some of the most common misconceptions which I stumbled over and figured it might worth posting here.

Crystal Tokyo

The Senshi going out of their way to make sure Crystal Tokyo will come about.

People in the 30th century are obeying Usagi because the alternatives are freezing to death or being exiled into the far reaches of space. The only people “exiled” where criminals, such as the mass murderer who eventually became Wiseman/Death Phantom.

Usagi using mind control to set herself up as Queen of the World. Both sides in the future state she was elected to her position in the future of Crystal Tokyo by the population of the world. Which yes, is unrealistic but it is shojou manga and it is worth considering what Usagi brings to the position: she’s a neigh immortal God-queen who freely gave people millennia long lifespans, access to ancient lunarian supertech, and the knowledge that when the local eldritch abomination appeared, she would be there to kick its butt. Her extremely positive reputation with various galactic powers was merely the cherry on top of all that.

Utopian and dystopia Crystal Tokyo. There is still crime in Crystal Tokyo and people are still capable of being petty and selfish creatures. It's a better world but it isn't perfect. Some of the few examples shown people outside the future versions of the cast in Crystal Tokyo are kids who bullied Chibi-Usa and snobby politicians.

Usagi/Neo-Queen Serenity

Power hungry Usagi. Her stated dream at the start of the series is being a bride and house-wife. She constantly goes on about people’s right to make their own decisions and at the end of the Dark Kingdom arc in the manga, turns down the chance to crown herself.

Usagi being an force of stasis. At the end of the series, Usagi flat-out states the need for there to be change and growth in the universe, no matter how painful that it might be at times. That at times fighting was necessary for a better future. Of how the end of a war would lead to hope for the future and how it was all part of a balance.

Usagi as some type of valley-girl or crybaby post-series. Please, give the girl some credit. She beat back several demonic invasions, saved the world several times and managed to redeem an enemy that had supposedly wiped out all life in the galaxy/universe depending on whether you're using the manga or anime. Not to mention several times going to what was certain death for her, but doing so anyway. Hell in the manga, Usagi is shown through the series growing into a highly charismatic leader and skilled fighter. And even in the anime, she is shown growing at least some.

Usagi as some insensitive clod who's incapable of being charismatic. One of Usagi's strongest traits in both the manga and anime is her incredibly sensitive to people's feeling and ability to sway people’s hearts. This is the same girl who would eventually be elected by the world's population to lead them into a new future and had such a force of presence that she managed to redeem an enemy that had supposedly wiped out all life in the galaxy/universe.

The spamming of the Ginzuishou in a anime inspired story. Manga's understandable since it had no consequences. But in the anime she only used it at full power against Death Phantom and Metallia and once in the R movie. The anime emphasized the Ginzuishou would kill her if she used it. She had three one-time saves saving her life every-time. She had plot armor for the sake of the first arc because they thought the series would end with that episode and she wished to go back to being a normal girl as she lay dying. In R she and Chibi-Usa's wish to protect each other canceled out the effects. The third time, Fiore gave up his life to save her. Each time the senshi warned her she would die from the crystal if she used it. Yet she accepted it anyway.

Senshi

Guns can hurt the senshi. Anime shows the Senshi being bulletproof while the manga!senshi are blatantly superhuman.

The girls lives entire lives being wrapped up in their role as Senshi or the idea of Crystal Tokyo. ALL of girls are shown to have actual lives and dreams completely outside of their duties of being a Senshi.

The senshi all showing up to fight some no-name canon fodder. The senshi have only been together once during a whole fight and that was with Nehellenia. During S, Pluto died before Saturn appeared. The inners and outers are constantly separated and the outers tend to have their own lives to live.

Minako, Rei or Makoto giving up Usagi for some guy who happens to come by. In the manga, the inners all pledged to each other that no matter what happens Usagi would always come first and that boys would come later because she was so precious to them.

The Senshi betraying Usagi out of their own free will. The girls have repeatedly proven willingness to die for Usagi when the chips are down. Even more importantly in the Dark Kingdom arc, when they all believed that Sailor Venus was actually Princess Serenity, their loyalty was still first and foremost to Usagi.

Haruka being super masculine. In the manga she was androgynous and enjoys both male and female outfits. Following her gender being revealed, she generally wore feminine clothing and has been show to enjoy wearing short skirts. Also, she is is canonically stated to be bisexual.

The Senshi being unwilling to kill human opponents. In the manga, the Senshi usually ended up brutally murdering their enemies. In comparison, the anime has the majority of the enemies being either mind controlled or manipulated by an outside force, but even in the anime, they were willing to kill if necessary.

Mamoru being a pedophile. In the manga, there is only a three years difference, with Mamoru seventeen years old vs Usagi's fourteen years old. In Japan, fourteen years was very much legal as the age of consent was thirteen in the Tokyo region at the time the series was being written. With marriageable age thirteen for girls and sixteen for boys with parental consent.

Mamoru being willing to betray Usagi. They are engaged by the end of the series and happily married by the end of the manga. They are quite content with each other and even in the anime where Mamoru has often acted like an ass too her he's almost always had the reason that his generally being mind control during this time of the week.

Chibiusa's hair color came from nowhere. Ikuko, Usagi's mother and Chibiusa's grandmother in the manga has pink hair.

The Senshi simply being magic users who happen to be able to draw upon a planets mana. They are literal avatar of that planet's spirit made flesh. A Senshi is born when a Sailor Crystal nest inside a newly formed planet. And are the ones affected when something happens to their planet. As long as a Senshi exists in some form their planet, star, moon, asteroid etc has a chance to be reborn at a future date. The only senshi for whom this is not true is Usagi. Instead, her starseed is implied to have been a piece of the starseed represents the universe...

Pluto/Setsuna

Setsuna as some figure of of absolute order and/or stasis. Sailor Pluto is the 'Solider of Change AND Revolution.

Pluto using Space-Time Door as the "TV of Time.” She does not possess the ability to watch events through it. The Space-Time Door’s purpose is time travel, nothing more.

Setsuna as a some ice princess. In canon, she is a lonely woman who loves her Princess, her closest friend is Chibi-Usa, and she considers the Outers to be her family. She has dreams (to be a fashion designer) and fears (Cockroaches). She is not some manipulative shrew but instead a person who has a job that leaves her distant and with trouble relating to other people.

Pluto manipulating events to create Crystal Tokyo or purposely killing thousands. Her job is to stop time travelers from abusing the time stream. She remained guarding the doors through the fall of the Silver Millennium, the canonical restart of evolution on Earth, and all the way into the 30th century. Pluto only left after she died trying to reach Chibi-Usa while she was Black Lady. The only reason that she was able to have a life outside of her duty is due to Neo-Queen Serenity reincarnating her backwards in time so that there are two versions that currently her existing. Her older self-guarding the Space-Time Door and the younger one living with the Outers.

Chaos, its spawn and various servants

Beryl as a super-important person during the Silver Millennium. She was a maid and small-time witch/sorceress who made a deal with the local eldritch abomination sealed way in the sun.

Wiseman being anywhere close to that of a good guy or even neutral entity. Death Phantom is a Cosmic Horror born from the root of all evil in SM-Verse.

The Black Moon family being freedom fighters against the tyranny of Crystal Tokyo. Their ancestors are flat-out stated to be religious nuts who thought that the infinite power of the Ginzuishou and its ability to give people eternal youth went against God's will. They willingly fled to Nemesis after being told by Wiseman they could gain they could power and are implied to be responsible for transforming the planet into the living hell it became. The very first actions that people of Nemesis took when they returned to Earth was to kill countless innocent people without mercy by bombing planet and using poison gases on civilians simply because they believed long life went against god. Both sides also state the Black Moon's goals were only about their hostility toward people’s lifespan and later, to try to take over earth.

Chaos representing “just a little chaos" or serving as a “force of change/growth.” Chaos in Sailor Moon canon hearkens back to Chaoskampf of older myths. It is a primordial force of nothingness and destruction, which predates the Big Bang and is still salty about the universe existing. Every terrible thing, every planet destroyed, every life lost in the SM-verse all lead back to it. Chaos was behind the corruption of Galaxia, and Metallia, Death Phantom, Tau Ceti were all incarnations of it.

The Dark Kingdom only targeted Tokyo. They mind controlled everyone in China during Sailor V and it was her efforts to stop them got Venus so famous famous as Sailor V.

Misc

Calling the 'Space-Time Door' the Gates of Time.

There is no Juuban ward. Azubu Juuban is a neighborhood in the Azabu district of the Minato ward. It even says they live in Minato is volume one of the manga.

Anime "purification" is mind control. It is repeatedly shown as the process of outside forces leaving the victim’s body. Whatever that purification is it ISN'T about enslaving people to one monochrome will, something that the Senshi's enemies often did and what they fought against tooth and nail against. It is the realization you can be yourself AND stand strong with others. And if you don't like it you are free to leave or return but not find strength and purpose in hurting others.

#Bishoujo Sailor Moon #fandom salt #bad fanon #the internet exists #not that hard to do the research now #my thoughts #source: koshofthevorlons

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parfaitwaffles · 5 years ago

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Mid-Season Cures: Top Ranking

A few weeks ago, the newest mid season Cure, Cure Cosmo has debuted. And since Star Twinkle has been the 10th season to have a mid season Cure, I started to think about which mid season Cures are my most favorites.

Note: This ranking only includes Cures that appeared in the 20-ish episodes (aka joined the team around that time). Otherwise, it’d be hard (for me at least) to determine who exactly is the mid season Cure for certain seasons.

This ranking is based on personal opinion! You don’t have to agree with it, nor do you have to like it. It was made just for fun and not to serve the purpose to hate on certain characters!

#1 Cure Passion

It might sound a little funny, but yes, the very first official mid season Cure is also my most favorite one! Despite joining the fandom in 2013, Fresh Pretty Cure! was the first season I watched and totally fell in love with. There’s not a single thing I dislike about the season and I love ever character of the show.

But that is not the reason why Passion is my most favorite mid season Cure. Among all Cures that joined late, Passion/Eas just simply had the best redemption arc in my opinion! She was a badass character as Eas and suffered through her arc, trying to prove to Moebius that’s she is a loyal servant, even if it meant to risk her own life. And her struggle didn’t end after she became Cure Passion. She kept on doubting herself, she felt like she was all alone until she realized and accepted that Love and the others wanted her to be with her.

Additionally, Setsuna is simply badass, I can’t help but loving her.

#2 Cure Scarlet

To be honest, when Go! Pri first aired, I didn’t like it at all, it was among my least favorite seasons, and thus I didn’t think highly of Cure Scarlet. By today, however, I have totally fallen in love with the season and appreciate the plot, the setting, the characters, the everything. In my personal ranking, Go! Pri might not be my most favorite season but I still love it very much.

Originally, I thought Scarlet might be a rip off of Passion. But I learned and realized that despite them both being redemption Cures, they are quite different. Setsuna might have had the more impacting arc, but that didn’t mean that Towa’s was bad!! In fact, I teared up quite often during her arc as well and Twilight is a terribly awesome character! (I kinda even like Twilight more than Towa tbh).

#3 Cure Fortune

A lot people dislike HaCha, so I wonder how many of you would be surprised to see Fortune to be my 3rd most favorite mid season Cure. But yes, she is! Fortune has a lot badass-ness to give. Like... all other Cures were somehow chosen by Blue (he threw the crystals at them) while Iona took the PreChanMirror of her sister to avange her. She was probably one of the most determined Cures we have ever met. She literally went “God, who? I will rescue my sister no matter what!”. I agree that she was a little strict and stubborn towards Hime, but let’s be honest, she had all reason to!

Cure Fortune is just cute and amazing, I totally love her!

#4 Cure Sunshine

//coughs// I wanna talk with you Toei, about how you handled Itsuki. Because?? She (Cure Sunshine) debuted as a badass Cure who does shields but can kick ass because she’s awesome and all! But after a while, all she does is shielding her friends? She can kick ass, so let her kick ass, please!

Ehem... yes, I also really love Cure Sunshine. Tho before I watched Heartcatch Pretty Cure!, I thought Itsuki was boring... oh how wrong I was, right? Itsuki has probably one of the best transformations of all. It shows that you can be cute and badass at the same time. I’ve seen someone talking bad about her transformation, but tbh?? It’s amazing, give me more like that!

#5 Cure Beat

I have once started watching Suite Pretty Cure♪ but dropped it (because life got crazy). I will watch it completely one day though! And for favorite Cure... of Suite I love Cure Muse the most, but as I limited the mid season ranking to Cures that appeared in the 20ish episodes, I have to go with Beat. And I really do like Beat!! Like Passion, Beat was once a villain of the season, but even though they have a similar background, the story was completely different and I think Toei chose a good plot for Beat! I doubt that a redemption arc like Eas’ had fit with her tbh.

Now, I could never take Siren as serious as Eas but... I suppose we never should. I guess she was always supposed to be a funny character that the audience loves to see. And tbh that’s what I like about Siren/Ellen/Beat. How random and funny she was at times, but then could also be determined and protective again.

Also, guitars. Yes please. We need more Guitar Cures. We’ve only had 3 so far! (4 if you count Gelato, but she didn’t use one to attack)

#6 Cure Parfait

Tbh, I prefer Kirarin over Parfait and Ciel, but there we go; Cure Parfait is my favorite Cure from her season because she’s so different from everyone else. Her transformation is, imo, the most beautiful one and her attack... is really weird, but not as weird as creating a darn cake and then throw it at the enemy (seriously Toei, that attack is lame, what were you thinking xD). I can’t exactly say what I liked about Cure Parfait, I might like her the most because she and Pikario (best boy!!) had the best development and best arc of the whole season and thus her debut was so emotional, to me at least. Idk, but here we are. She can’t even make it to my top 5 favorite mid season Cures... xD

#7 Cure Amour & Cure MaCherie

I love Cure MaCherie and am neutral about Cure Amour, and as mid season Cures I’m pretty much “meh” about them because they simply took too much spotlight from the other three Cures. In the end,... usually a mid season Cure joins when the Cures can’t take a certain challenge anymore and need support. Then the candidate to become a Cure, becomes determinded and creates a miracle by becoming another Pretty Cure (that is the usual way. I prefer more creative ways, like Towa and Setsuna’s tbh). Emiru and Ruru’s debut was ... Hana was sick and Homare and Saaya were ignored. That’s why they had to transform... right?? In other words, it was lame.

At least the transformation and attacks were nice! They also felt like they are part of the team, which I missed in KiraKira, where Ciel always only spoke with Ichika and that’s it...

#8 Cure Felice

I still have to watch Mahou Tsukai, so my opinion of her could still change! But for now, I’m very neutral towards Cure Felice tbh, she is cute and I love her design but... that’s just it? Her transformation is beautiful, but just so looooooong... same with her attack, way too long and also a bit boring. I get she is the Cure of nature, but did you have to show the flowers blooming from step to step @ toei???

Also I never understood why we need a flower Cure in a season based on magic. I know she is Mother RaPaPa but... eh... yes.

#9 Cure Ace

One word: meh. Too bossy, and her entrance was too random. She never appeared before. It’s like Toei forgot about her until episode 23.

#10 Cure Cosmo

hmmm please note that this opinion of Cure Cosmo can still change as Star Twinkle Pretty Cure is still airing! However, as for now, I’m really no fan of her. I really like Yuni/Blue Cat though, as she is a badass character who likes to be a lone wolf! Cure Cosmo, however, just seems a little useless at the moment. Of course this is to blame on Toei but ,... well everything that happens is always to blame on Toei, so that’s even.

To me, her debut episodes, her transformation and even her attack were medicore and can’t be compared to other mid season Cures. Even Cure Ace had a flashier transformation (even though her fairy partner is annoying me). And even Ace’s attack was impacting, while Rainbow Splash is just good for visuals but except for that, it’s really lame. Up until now, the only (!!!) thing I can love Cosmo for is all the 80s aesthetic (but then again, Toei is trying WAYYYY to hard it that. It’s so much that it hurts, I’m sorry.)

I hope Toei steps up the game with Cosmo and maybe I’ll like her more by the end of the season. But now she’s just... kinda meh to me.

#precure #pretty cure #cure passion #cure sunshine #cure beat #cure fortune #cure scarlet #cure felice #cure amour #cure macherie #cure parfait #cure cosmo #cure ace

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lightdancer1 · 3 years ago

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As I've said before, I am taking elements of the manga, predominantly, leavened by the anime for my various Sailor Moon adaptations

In particular the first anime providing an actual backstory for Haruka and Michiru, though their arc is modified by virtue of the talismans being known factors from the start, with the actual goal of the Death Busters the capture of the Silver Crystal of either Sailor Moon or Small Lady (not that picky) to collapse the barriers between Earth and the Tau Nebula.

I use a somewhat different take on fanon re: Tenohs and Kaiohs as well. The Tenohs, not the Kaiohs, are the half not-Japanese family, with that other half Ainu and their having a mercantile background, first in the open city of Nagasaki and then as leaders of a major Zaibatsu and its post-WWII shape. So Haruka *is* from an affluent family, which by virtue of preserving its Ainu heritage also is conscious of both being not entirely Japanese and thus less beholden to specific Japanese prejudices. Meaning that Haruka's grandfather both deciphers a direct connection between the Daimon attack on Haruka's family and the appearance of Sailor Uranus after, and serves as the 'patron' that gets mentioned in the Manga as subsidizing Haruka and Michiru.

By contrast the Kaiohs were Daimyos who fought Nobunaga, lost to him, switched to Ieyasu, prospered during the Shogunate as some of the most powerful landowners in Japan, ultimately switched after the Satsuma Rebellion to Imperial Japan.....and are staunchly traditionalist aristocrats who are literal aristocrats who hold onto titled descent from an ancient clan.

And when THIS family has Michiru, who not only has no interest in marriage, nor the formal trappings of the lifestyle they prefer and then there's the dark dreams and her stalking Tenoh Haruka (which bothers them less for the lesbianism, though that does serve as a bigger issue, and more for the horrific prospect of a public scandal over it). So she's 'emancipated' in the sense that they deliberately neglect her and go so far as to give her her own space, which is the one the Outers ultimately end up making their home.

The Tenohs care for and accept Haruka, and are dubious about Michiru due to the stalking thing (and even if they suspect things they don't know for sure and Senshi magic means up to a point they CAN'T). The Kaiohs opt for the 'not saying we hope they both die in a fire, but' approach and essentially close off their relationship to Michiru altogether.

This is at least a part of why the Harumichi dynamic I write has Michiru being more than slightly possessive of and codependent with Haruka unless an outside factor shakes this up slightly. Michiru does what she wants to do, and makes the heavens tremble with her successes regardless of the cost. Haruka, by contrast, is a flightier free spirit in accordance with the wind and who gets far more indulgence by a lot of people to be.

Unlike some takes on Haruka but with elements that owe influence to DocHolligay's excellent Harumichi aspects, her more blustering public persona is a self-aware mask that hides a great deal of insecurities in part and in part is a deliberate obfuscation by someone far cannier than her mask lets on.

This also hinges on the stories centering the dynamic of the Outers, who have that very different function in and out of universe to the Inners, and their dynamics in turn differ precisely as one would expect in those contexts. The Outers, up to a point, deliberately create and cultivate masks for reasons that extend to their arcs including practical aspects of life with celebrity and fame and how the public personas and perceptions can grate on the individual personalities behind those masks.

Setsuna's mask is that of the wise and mysterious and virtually omniscient Sailor Pluto, which is just as much a mask and just as much bullshit as the masks that Haruka and Michiru wear. She truly is the most ancient and powerful of the Senshi but in the context of life on Earth she's much newer than some of them and in some ways far more alien than the rest with much less ability to hide it.

#sailor moon fanfics #outer senshi #outer senshi dynamics

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soulephant · 5 years ago

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It’s been a while since I last posted about 3H. Then, I implored people not to give shit to Black Eagles players for liking a house. By the way, don’t do that.

Turns out that isn’t the extent of the disrespect and snobbery that is displayed sometimes in regards to Three Houses.

Some people compare Three Houses ridiculously unfavorably to either Radiant Dawn or Conquest(?!?!). And then proceed to be all high-and-mighty and talk people down implicitly if not explicitly. Again, please don’t do that. Anyway, let’s address the comparisons first because I have some choice opinions about that.

(I guess, by the way, I’ll give some spoiler warnings for those who have not played Three Houses yet)

Let’s start with Conquest. It plays really well. That’s more than can be said for the vast majority of pre-awakening games, most of which were marred by awful handling of weight (in what world should specific people be slowed down by Iron Lances?), multiple promotion items, handaxes and such being broken at the expense of bows, and other assorted problems, to a point where I wonder “how is this supposed to ever become more than a cult classic?“. Then again, so does Three Houses.

Conquest pretty much always has some difficulty. Conquest normal is perfect for me, but then, I’ve played several Fire Emblem games at this point. Now I’m not giving Conquest shit for this because it was designed for veterans difficulty-wise. It’s what the game set out to do and Conquest was marketed as such. Ideally though, normal should be normal. It should give the “average“, whatever that may be a challenge, but not be too punishing for exploring whatever the player wants to explore. My inner jury’s still out on whether Three Houses is too easy instead or not. I do not rule that out at present. But too easy is better than too hard, because with too easy, people at least get to play your game and like things about it.

Anyway, I will give Conquest props for gameplay, which I can’t stress enough is quite a good thing.

Characterwise, Conquest is a mixed bag. In part, because some characters had some pretty bad gimmicks (Setsuna would have been maybe okay if she was a general airhead, and didn’t have an absolutely ridiculous focus of falling into traps instead, which is simply not a viable primary trait), though it also has some characters like Niles and Peri, who have backstories and reasons for being the way they are. So far, there isn’t a single stinker in Three Houses, and the cast is shaping up to be stronger in general.

Storywise though... I’m sorry, I can barely begin to reasonably grant Fates fans any points in this regard. I was promised conquest, and what was I given? A conquest that is undesired to the point of Corrin being very whiny pretty much always, when ideally you would expect Corrin to at least toughen up a little (hell, his Nohrian siblings were right there to show him how it’s done!). Other than, what, chapter 16? Where Corrin actually quite masterfully plays Iago, they actively reject character development and keep embracing angst (after Ryoma’s death being the best example). And I get what IntSys/whoever the writer was was going for, because the war isn’t pretty. But it fails to work I find. Also, Conquest throws deaths left and right but... how are most of those supposed to affect the player again? Lillith being the most glaring example. She’s the reason your castle exists, and that’s... about it. Conquest just falls flat storywise (even if bits and pieces could have been okay), and comparing it to Three Houses favorably in that area is something I can already never comprehend.

Now Radiant Dawn. This mostly comes up because Edelgard is compared to Micaiah and people favor Micaiah? But here’s the thing: Radiant Dawn has a prequel (that, on a side note, is a more solid game). That prequel has a cast. That cast benefits from a support system, which Radiant Dawn practically removed. Then Radiant Dawn puts that cast, Ike and co and basically every legitimately good guy, against Daein, which has mostly just lost its mind again. Daein did not deserve the brutal occupation it had during Part 1, but that’s all I can say in Micaiah and the Dawn Brigade’s favor. The key thing is that if you have played Path of Radiance, and notice that Daein is awfully racist and quite unhealthy besides, why would you still willingly side with Micaiah? Why would you not wonder why the game forces you to guide her to victory, instead of teaching Daein a lesson again with a cast that you actually got to explore?

Basically, Micaiah’s enemy is not wrong. Daein may have been yoked by a blood contract, but let’s face it, most of Daein’s army just revels in fighting “sub-humans“ again regardless of why they would actually go to war. To boot, most of Daein’s cast has... little to no character to be found. Even if there was, the player would only have had Part 1′s 10 chapters to get that depth as opposed to the 26 or so that Path of Radiance’s cast had.

The same can’t be said for Edelgard. IntSys made the attempt to treat all houses equally, for starters. All houses are on equal footing. Edelgard’s methods are wrong, and she’s more extreme than most of the Hardin archetype, so please spare me that old news because I know already. But there’s enough things in the game to prove that Edelgard has a point regarding the nobility and crests (just look at some characters’ backstories!). To boot, there’s enough implications that the church has been untruthful for, what, at least a century? And don’t get me started on Rhea because she seems entirely too eager to execute dissenters and erupts the moment she doesn’t like something. Edelgard’s enemy has skeletons in its closet, is implied to be problematic, or at least aren’t the literal heroes of the game. Her enemy is actually potentially wrong!

Two other things in Three Houses’ favor are balance and difficulty. Radiant Dawn’s normal difficulty is... schizophrenic (supposedly localization turned what was hard mode into what we know as normal mode), sometimes too easy, other times outright making me break my no-death rule out of sheer frustration, and further serves to make Part 3′s Daein chapters absolute nightmares because the Dawn Brigade has like no exp pool. Three Houses, again, may turn out to be too easy but I’d take that over whatever Radiant Dawn’s normal mode was. Also as alluded to, a fair few units especially among the new cast just aren’t good. In Three Houses, everyone is usable. Sometimes a few units are broken but at least you can use everyone!

So for short, Three Houses:

The most morally gray or whatever side has a point and their enemy has actual skeletons in their closet.

Normal difficulty is perhaps too easy, but at least the game is accessible. You know, unlike most of the franchise.

Balance is satisfactory. No one is really useless.

Has a proper support system.

Radiant Dawn:

If you played Path of Radiance, why the hell would you still side with Micaiah? Her enemy is not equally wrong. Not even close!

The normal difficulty is schizophrenic because it was in fact supposed to be hard mode. Also because Dawn Brigade has like no exp pool. Still accessible enough, but only just, and pales in comparison to PoR and basically every post-awakening game including Three Houses.

Several new units are as useless as they are underdeveloped.

Has a pathetic excuse for a support system that makes any new addition to the cast a pretty poor character because they have no real opportunity to actually have potential depth explored.

I wish I could change people’s minds but I know there’s always people I disagree with. That’s fine, despite some of my strong word choices. If I end up displaying some hypocritical snobbery of my own in the process of outlining my own thoughts, that’s my mistake and one I will own up to.

What I am not okay with is when people go like “they’re just generous“, “they must be men” or any derogatory variation thereof. Come on man, that’s not being a critic! Being a critic is outlining positives as well as the negatives, and not getting particularly hung up on any of them. It especially isn’t being a snob towards people who don’t see things the same way! They don’t deserve that treatment, much less over video games!

So I hope I have clearly outlined my thoughts here.

#Soul talks #fire emblem #Fire Emblem Three Houses #rant #I guess #long post

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moomingitz · 6 years ago

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Now that Hugtto Precure is over, I can say that it now surpasses Heartcatch as my favorite season in the franchise.

As much as I like Heartcatch and Fresh, there are points in those seasons where they feel like their dragging feet with obvious and legitimate filler episodes.(As in episodes you can easily skip and not miss anything or be confused later on.) And while that’s something not exclusive to those seasons, it still sticks out like a sore thumb and hurts their pacing in what I at least think were already good seasons. However, when I went and marathon what there currently was of Hugtto earlier this month, all of the episodes felt like they served an actual purpose to the show’s story and characters and not just to pad things out. Episode 30 was the closest that came to being considered “filler”, but it was a fun breather episode anyway.

But what I think really won me over with this season was how all of the antagonists(who didn’t become the new “sixth ranger” Precure) were not only redeemed in a well done and relatable way, but their roles and character development in the season didn’t end after it. They continued to show up as supporting side-characters well after their redemption, and even helped during the finale. Heck, one of them, Daigan, even relapsed at one point. I do feel like there should have been more build up to Ruru’s- like in Fresh how Setsuna had been interacting with Love since their season’s very first episode- but it’s nice that she changed her mind because of a genuine change of heart, and not because she just found out she was actually a Cure herself all along, and she actually doesn’t become a Cure with Emiru until later on.

I think the show could have been given another episode or two to further explain some things. But I think the show still did a great job using the amount of episodes they had by focusing on what mattered the most in a very character driven season, and everything wrapped up nicely in the finale episode.

I should go and watch Go!Princess, now. I’ve heard good things about it and I do like what I have seen from the episodes of it I’ve watched so far.

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Hugtto Precure #anime #spoilers #personal

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junionigiri · 6 years ago

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Peony Pink and Cherry Blossom Tea Ch 6: Can We Talk

Summary: Things go wrong in the feelings department in the worst way

Relationships: Todoroki Shouto/Uraraka Ochako; past Shindo You/Uraraka Ochako; background Tokage Setsuna/Jirou Kyoka

Rating: T

Warnings/Notes: um. Angst and I’m sorry about that. Pls don’t hate Yui

“Hey there,” someone says from behind her. “That’s… an interesting thing your doing to our weights.”

Uraraka Ochako, fifteen years old, first year student of Ketsubutsu High’s general studies department, looks guiltily from the floating set of weights to the owner of the voice.

Her eyes meet dark hair, all messed up but in a nice way, like he just rolled out of bed. A handsome face with a sharp jaw, a little dirty and scratched from a scuffle. His gym clothes are all soaked with sweat and burnt and torn to shreds at different areas. He smells like he rolled around a barbeque pit, making her wonder what the heck are these hero course students doing, killing themselves in training?

“Oh,” she says in embarrassment, releasing her quirk on the weights all at once. They fall noisily on the concrete floor, making an ugly sound that causes both of them to flinch. “Yeah, sorry. Am I allowed here? If I’m not, can you pretend that this didn’t happen? Sorry, I got bored, and my friends--”

He raises two pretty eyebrows at her, lets one side of his mouth curl up in interest. “You got bored waiting for your friends, so you started floating weights around? Most girls just play on their phones or text, or something,” he says with amusement.

She shrugs and scratches the back of her head. “I would, believe me, but--”

Her phone is an ancient thing with a huge line in the middle of the screen that dies when she uses it for more than fifteen minutes. It’s at ten percent right now, and she left her charger at home, and she really didn’t want to walk the 2 kilometers to her tiny apartment in the darkening city without a working phone.

She doesn’t want to explain the pathetic story of her phone and poverty, though, so she stammers out, “Much more interestin’ usin’ my quirk than playin’ Candy Crush, that’s fer sure.”

He guffaws, and she sees a row of perfect, mesmerizing white teeth. “Well, you’re right about that,” he says. “You’re also right about you not being allowed here. This place is technically for hero course students only.”

She flinches. “Um… okay… so about the pretending part--”

He tilts his head, a smile that’s both playful and devious on his lips. “You asking me to be an accomplice, Ms. General Studies?”

On the surface, that easygoing smile is telling her that it’s okay to say yes. But Ochako finds something a little disconcerting under that facade of his--she knows he’s plotting something under that pretty boy face of his, but what?

She stares dumbly at him, not really sure what to do, until he laughs and breaks the tension. “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t see anything,” he tells her with another easy smile. “Just don’t do it again. You might wreck our equipment with that quirk of yours, ya know?”

She feels her ears turn red. “I’m sorry, I just got surprised. I don’t get to practice my quirk as much as you guys,” she says, picking up the weights one by one, floating the heavier ones in the air. She tries to be gentle with the landing, but partial gravity release is hard. When she releases them, the guy has to run and catch them in one hand.

Muscles in his arm bulge as he does. She bites her lower lip.

She isn’t sure if he notices. He pauses a bit, eyebrow raised. “That’s too bad, ‘cos your quirk is cool. If you went to the heroes course, I think we’d work really great together.”

She blushes further. No-one has ever told her that her quirk was anything other than ‘okay’, because while it’s exceedingly simple compared to others, at least it didn’t make her look weird or smell bad. ‘Cool’ isn’t a term she’s ready to hear. “Thank you,” she says, because she isn’t sure what else to say.

The guy steps closer to her. “I’m not just saying it. I’m serious. You don’t look like you believe me.”

She laughs awkwardly and steps back. “I… I didn’t say that.”

“Here, I’ll prove it to you.” Suddenly her hands are in his, and he’s staring right into her eyes and she’s paralyzed.

She hears her heart pounding wildly in her chest, feels the blood rush from her brain to her heart to her cheeks and the sound is so loud she almost doesn’t understand what the boy tells her next.

“Let’s spar. Right here.”

She freezes. Makes a silly face that makes him laugh out loud.

“I’m serious!” he repeats, dragging her to the sparring area with cushions. She stammers all the way there, even when he somehow gets her to pull off her shoes and stand in front of him, arms akimbo. “It’ll be quick. You try to activate the floaty thing on me, and I’ll try to dodge. Promise, I won’t use my quirk against you or knock you out or anything.”

She gives him another ridiculous look, shakes her head. “Are you sure?”

He smiles lazily at her, and positions herself for combat.

With a smirk, she tosses her uniform blazer aside, rolls up her sleeves, gets into position.

It’s a tough seven minutes, but it ends with the over-enthusiastic boy hooting up the ceiling in excitement, and Ochako collapsing on the mat from sheer exhaustion.

She releases the quirk, and he falls, lands on all fours like it’s no trouble. He helps her up with one pull of a strong arm and asks for her name, as if the thought just came to him then.

What a weirdo, she thinks, and tells him her name.

After that fight, life goes on in General Studies. In between struggling with English and chatting with her friends about the cafes they want to visit after school, Ochako doesn’t think much about him, except in quiet moments where she’s alone and she’s free to squeal and smile and roll over in her bed like an idiot.

Two weeks later, she finds a letter in her locker--a messy scrawl asking to meet with her outside. No signature. Her girl friends squeal at the potential confession. She shrinks at the potential threat.

When she gets there, Shindo Yo, as promised, stands there by himself with just his easy smile and his sincerity. “Uraraka-san, I like you,” he says with an intense look in his pretty dark eyes that makes her melt. He takes both hands in hers again, making sure that her finger-pads don’t make either of them float this time. “Please go out with me.”

She manages to say yes, somehow, despite the fireworks going off in her little brain. The happy smile on his face makes her heart feel full. He holds her hand, fingers intertwined, and takes her home.

When they find out the next day, all her friends squeal and ask how the heck did you manage to get the most popular guy in the hero course to look at you? At the risk of admitting violating school policy, she keeps her mouth shut and her smile consistently mysterious.

Days later, she opens her shoe locker and finds it full of garbage.

Ochako, strangely enough, misses the unsophisticated, garbage-in-your-locker type of bullying in high school. Because at least then she has a concrete, visual evidence of all the nasty shit going on in those evil little minds of theirs. Plus she can make the garbage float above the bullies and make the icky shit drip over their heads. It’s a satisfying stunt she pulled off once, and paid for with a hard shove against her locker, which didn’t make it any less worth it.

Now that she’s all grown-up there’s nothing as solid as garbage that showed their nasty thoughts in striking clarity. Only whispers and dirty looks that just won’t die down. Only these so-called professionals making her wait for too long when she needs to endorse important things about patients, and then blaming her for her slowness when things happen. Only anonymous comments on her (already locked) social media accounts and on the HGH Facebook pages that make not-so-subtle comments about her spending so much time staring into Doctoroki’s eyes that she makes a lot of mistakes at work.

Her HGH ‘parents’ are enraged, of course. Mina especially is always on the verge of throwing hands at anyone who so much as squints in Ochako’s direction. Eijiro, the more rational parent, has been coaching her to tell the nursing supervisor about the goings-on, but how is she going to do that when one of them told her to keep her relationship from affecting her work?

Also! How can her ‘relationship’ get in the way of work, anyway, when there isn’t much happening in that area? Sure, they make enough public appearances (lunch in the very middle of the cafeteria, facing each other, fifteen minutes max twice that week!) to keep the charade going, but… Doctoroki and her have gone back to being quiet.

It’s not that they’re being cold. They text as often as they can, but things have been insane at work. Shouto needed to back-up Dr. Momo a lot this week. There has also been an increase in villain activity everywhere, which means more wounded civilians and pros to tend to. Ochako herself feels the strain. She replies to him diligently, tries to get a conversation going despite the hour-long gaps in between replies.

It definitely isn’t the same as the nice talk they had over the weekend. She supposes this is why there are articles and articles in girly magazines about how hard it is to date anyone in the medical profession--for them, time is a construct that only serves to tell them how much they haven’t accomplished yet.

But at least this time Shouto seems to be a little less clinical in his texts.

Todoroki Shouto (1434H): Got a case with pedia--trauma, burn injuries, just stabilized. The pro who rescued the child days ago just visited. Midoriya is having his pre-op crying session as we speak.

Todoroki Shouto (1434H): Should I comfort him, or let him be? I feel very out of place just watching him here.

Ochako giggles imagining the scene. Deku-kun doesn’t always need the pre-op sobfest, but in hard cases he does it to focus, and so he doesn’t burst out into tears in the middle of the OR. Or so he says.

Three hours ago, she realizes, as she looks at the timestamps. If the other nurses didn’t make her wait so long and didn’t give her such a hard time during endorsements, she might have been able to reply to him earlier.

She starts to type, sorry, Shouto… you know, im having a hard time with work lately

… and then shakes her head, puffs her cheeks, deletes. No, don’t… Shouto doesn’t need to hear your drama, he doesn’t need more emotional load, he doesn’t have that sort of responsibility for you. This isn’t real. Isn’t real.

Me (1737H): sry! Brought a couple of cases to med ward, took a while!

Me (1738H): i hope u told him he was gonna be okay! deku-kun needs a lot of tlc!!!

Me (1738H): work hard!!! I hope the baby makes it :(

She sighs and drops her phone in her scrubsuit pocket and patiently waits for her ‘tattoo date’ in the hospital lobby.

Her phone vibrates again, and she inhales a bit, hoping that it’s Dr. Tokage telling her that she’s on the way down and they can finally go to Illusion Inks for her next session with Jirou. It’ll be an hour of her being pierced with needles while watching two pretty girls shamelessly flirt while she simmers in mild jealousy, but it’s definitely better than moping about at home and waiting for the next reply from--

Shindo Yo (1740H): Hi, Uraraka-san!

Shindo Yo (1741H): Busy day at work, I bet (✖╭╮✖) it’s the same for us too

Shindo Yo (1741H): what r u up to?

She stares glumly at the texts. Of course it isn’t Doctoroki. She breathes, asks herself why she’s doing this, but does it anyway.

Me (1742H): I’m on my way out of work, senpai.

Shindo Yo (1743H): wow, ur replying fast to me today! Happy~ Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Shindo Yo (1745H): u must be rly rly pissed at work today huh? lol

Me (1747H): ig

Me (1747H): lots of villain attacks lately. busy

Shindo Yo (1748H): u know it :( we’re trying our best too. Just worked a double shift cos of that. Im beat!

Me (1749H): same

Shindo Yo (1750H): yeah u look like it 〈(゜。゜) gotta do sth bout that

She freezes and narrows her eyes at the text. Wait, don’t tell me--

Me (1751H): senpai. Dont be creepy

Shindo Yo (1752H): waaaah im not

Me (1752H): im callin security

Shindo Yo (1753H): pls dont i promise im not bein creepy!!!

Me (1754H): yes. u. r!!!!

Shindo Yo (1754H): only a little!!! just dont move ok?

From her vantage point in the middle sofa, she immediately looks around the lobby. There are only a few people sitting, waiting, speaking to the receptionist, who all suddenly turn to her with barely-concealed interest in their eyes.

She smells strawberries from behind her. When she turns her head, she gets a faceful of box and strawberry scent. “What the--”

“Whoa, easy,” that familiar voice says with a chuckle. “You really are extra pissed today, huh.”

She gets the box out of her face and gives Shindo Yo a solid glare. “Senpai! What are you doing here?!” she squeaks.

He isn’t wearing his skimpy hero uniform, thank god. He’s in a shirt, a leather jacket and skinny jeans, a lazy smile on his face that would have made her stupid with want in her younger years. He chuckles again and leans forward. No sense of personal space whatsoever, as usual. “Had business here. I’m just waiting for my associate to get to the lobby so we can time out.”

She raises an eyebrow, obviously not believing him. “We?”

“My new agency, remember? We’ve been crazy busy lately, but when we get time we try to see the people we help out on the field.” He moves the box around, as if it’s proof enough of his claims. “I just saw a young lady I rescued from an attack in Naruhata. She gave me an entire box of strawberry mochi. Which is sweet, but unfortunate, seein’ as I don’t really like sweets and all…”

Even though it’s not uncommon for pro heroes to do just that, especially the young ones, Ochako isn’t convinced. “Really. Where is she admitted?”

Shindo rolls his eyes, pulls out a card attached from the box and reads. “Dear Seismic-sama, Thank you for saving my life. Heart eyes. It isn’t much, but please accept my gift! This is my fav snack ever and I hope this makes you happy, exclamation exclamation. Stars and hearts and cute rabbit with hearts for eyes. Love, Luna-chan from room 432.”

He lets her read the card, and she has to admit that the glittery gel ink and the cutesy handwriting makes it look genuine. She stops narrowing her eyes. “Okay. I guess that’s pretty nice, senpai.”

“Right?” he says with a proud little grin. “Am I still creepy, Uraraka-san?”

She puffs her cheeks. “You still are,” she says with a petulant upturn of the nose. “I really thought you were waiting to ambush me! You really gotta be less weird when you text!”

“Haha, fine fine.” He tries to look apologetic, but not really. “So… you alone here? Are you waiting for Todoroki-san, or…”

“Oh… no… he’s busy,” she says. Instinctively, she looks at her phone and sees no messages. She wonders if the surgery is over.

“Hm. Odd.” There’s a little devious glint in his eyes as he says it, one that makes Ochako narrow her eyes at him again like he’s a creep. “What, I’m just saying! Because she told me she’s just finished talking to him, and--”

She? Who she? Also, what would Shindo know about Todoroki anyway? Seriously, why does he care so much about the two of them, when--

“Shindo-senpai. Uraraka-san,” someone says from behind him, making Ochako’s words of protest die in her mouth.

Two people approach from behind them, staring at their conversation as if it’s the strangest thing in the world. Ochako meets Kodai Yui’s raven eyes and glassy skin and aura of gentleness that she’ll never achieve in her lifetime ever. The momentary breathlessness that any normal person gets from staring at her magnifies upon seeing the person next to her.

“Oh… Yui-chan and Todoroki-kun,” Shindo says. Standard friendly smile on his face, a raise of an eyebrow as he glances at Ochako knowingly. “You guys done with your little talk?”

Ochako doesn’t mean to stare, but the way Shouto looks at her in a mildly perturbed manner makes her wonder how shocked her face must look like.

Yui nods. “Our patient is okay. Todoroki-san and Midoriya-san did well.”

The other pro nods, and then sticks his hand out to shake Shouto’s. “So I guess that means I should congratulate you, Doc? Yui-chan was so worried about Tanuki-kun. She was pretty happy knowing that you were on board the case and all, ya know?”

Face not moving the slightest, Shouto nods and takes Shindo’s hand. “Thank you. Seismic-san, right?”

“Nah, you can call me Shindo. Or, senpai. We didn’t go to the same school, but we’re both proper heroes, you and I,” he says, eyes creasing. “Uraraka-san calls me that, so I don’t mind if you do too.”

“Hm,” says Shouto, looking at Ochako curiously.

Ochako stupidly looks down on her hands.

Yui glances at the two of them with an unreadable look before looking at Shindo again. “Senpai, Yoarashi-san might be wondering where we are right now.”

“Ah, you’re right.” Shindo makes a bashful face and bows to the two of them. “Sorry for cutting our conversation off so abruptly, Uraraka-san! I guess we can continue next time, eh?”

“Huh? No, that’s--”

Before she can protest no, we aren’t talking about anything important at all, don’t say misleading things in front of my fake boyfriend, Shindo is already pushing Yui by her shoulders out of the lobby and giving the two of them a small wave of one hand. Soon, they disappear in the elevators, leaving the doctor and the nurse alone.

Shouto blinks once and trains his eyes to hers. “You two seem close,” he says neutrally.

She nods, bites her lower lip. “I knew him from high school.”

My first boyfriend, she wants to say. First person I ever loved. First boy to ever break my heart. Because it’s the truth, a distant one that’s so far away that she should feel nothing significant if she admits them.

Still, she doesn’t. And she wonders why the words don’t come.

“Hm,” Shouto repeats.

There’s something odd going on in his eyes, something very hard to read. Ochako decides that if he were to ask anything at all about Shindo, that she’d tell him everything--how they started and how they ended and how Shindo is weaseling himself back into her life and she’s probably giving him one too many chances to do so by replying to his stupid texts because she’s stupid and lonely and stressed over all the gossip and all the things going on in Shouto’s family that really isn’t any of their faults--basically all that she can’t tell Shouto because heaven knows he’s got too much on his plate as it is, and Shindo seems to like listening to her, but she really wished that it was just Shouto and her and none of this shitty drama--and even though none of this is real, sometimes it feels so real , just like their drive back from Shizuoka, and--

And…

And, Shouto doesn’t say a single word. And… all that senseless drivel dies down her throat. She looks down on her hands again and gives up on that trainwreck of ideas.

Instead, she braces herself and says, “You and Yui-san.”

He blinks. Without a word or a single movement, waits for her to continue.

She inhales as quietly as she can, and speaks again. “I didn’t know you guys spoke too,” she manages, without any incriminating lilts to her tone. Or so she hopes. “I mean… I’m not, you know--I’m just a little bit surprised, I didn’t know she was the pro you were talking about earlier--”

Ochako do you really sound as much as a jealous bitch as you do in your head?! You’re just stating cold hard facts, so don’t be weird about this. Don’t be stupid.

Shouto speaks, after a beat of loaded silence. “I should have texted you about her, I suppose,” he says quietly. “She went to us right before the surgery to make sure that--”

“Paging Dr. Todoroki to ER. Dr. Todoroki, to ER now. Dr. Todoroki--”

They look up the ceiling, then at each other, and down on the ground simultaneously. Open their mouths at the same time, wordlessly clamp them shut as if they’re each other’s awkward, awkward mirrors.

Shouto exhales quietly, and says, “I should go. That might be Dr. Aizawa looking for me. I heard there’s been another Nomu attack nearby.”

Ochako nods. She tries to give a bright smile. “Okay. Do your best, Todoroki-kun.”

“Okay. Be careful going home, Uraraka.” He looks down on her hands, that odd look never leaving. Ochako carefully stares at his mouth, waits for the usual smile he gives her before they part ways.

It doesn’t come. Soon she watches his broad back disappear as he goes past the doors to the ER.

Later, she realizes that she’s still holding the box that Shindo left behind. For Seismic-sama, the card reads, clearly visible to the naked eye.

She wants to shove her face repeatedly into the stupid mochi.

The bothersome feelings of that odd encounter don’t leave her, not even when Setsuna eventually makes it to the lobby and asks her why she looks like she looks like Dr. Shiozaki after talking to an atheist. She manages not to say a lot of how she feels on the way to Illusion Ink, but eventually caves to the heavy interrogation when Kyoka starts working on her tattoo again.

(It’s really hard to be dishonest while a sharp needle is drawing lines on the inner, softer side of your arm.)

She doesn’t tell them about the fake-dating scheme. Just her honest troubles about people talking shit and treating her like shit, but not hard enough that she can complain to people about it. People hinting that she isn’t good enough for Shouto, just because she’s an ordinary nurse with an ordinary face and an ordinary quirk, and how fucked up it is that people would rather see him with Yui-san rather than someone like her.

And actually seeing him with Yui-san, out of nowhere… that took her by surprise. Made her feel weirder than it should. Shouto didn’t even look that bothered when Ochako was eyeing the two of them with all those silent questions floating in her head. She was ready to listen to whatever excuse--no, explanation he would give, but he got paged, and all she has is that heavy shitty feeling in her tummy to bring home.

“Hm,” Kyoka says, as she lifts the needle and dabs her swollen skin with gauze. (Lots of people going hm this evening. She’s starting to get sick of it.) “And you say that Doctoroki saw you talking to that Shindo guy at the lobby, right?”

Ochako winces, but doesn’t say anything.

“Hm,” Setsuna concurs, as her sharp teeth work through a strawberry mochi. “Todoroki saw, all right. I was watching all of you from the back, ‘cause it looked like drama was ‘bout to go down--”

Her jaw drops, allowing a shocked stupid sound escape from it.

“-- and it was obvious that Seismic was super into you,” she continues without an ounce of shame. Her disembodied hand floats and stuffs a mochi into Kyoka’s mouth, who receives it blankly. “If I were Todoroki, I’d be super bothered. But he didn’t say anything at all after that encounter. Right, Ochako-chan?”

She closes her jaw, and winces again. That’s also part of why she feels like shit right now. “Is it weird that I feel bad that he didn’t feel bad about this?”

The other girls look at each other. “Well… I mean if it were us, and it was Yui instead of Seismic makin’ eyes at Kyoka-chan, I won’t be bothered,” says the lizard girl thoughtfully.

“I agree. Yui looks like a sweetheart,” the tattoo apprentice agrees with a sage nod. “I even got her photobook! It’s really nice, I understand why they had a stampede over it--”

“Oh shit, is it the unofficial one by the photographer, Spiral?” gasps Setsuna, eyes wide when Kyoka nods at her smugly. “Let me borrow please omg I heard the entire book is soul-cleansing, and heaven knows my dead and rotting soul needs cleansing--”

Ochako immediately realizes that she’s speaking with the wrong pair. She sighs as they gush a little more about Yui, until they notice her simmering in a pool of insecurity.

“Oh, but we don’t mean that you’re any less of a sweetheart than Yui,” says the internist with a cackle. “Uh… right. What I was saying was, it’s different, what happened earlier. Seismic and you? I dunno, I guess for others it looks like you guys were just talking but… when I saw you I had half a mind to get you out of there… something just didn’t feel right, I guess? And I was totally waitin’ for Todoroki to do the same, but...”

He didn’t. The little nurse twists her lip. “I wish you got me out of there, Dr. Tokage,” she sighs. “Maybe then I wouldn’t feel so…”

Disappointed. Guilty.

“Weird,” she finishes, with a sigh.

“Hm.” Kyoka and Setsuna say in unison, eyeing her with sympathy and suspicion and it’s weird how they mixed those together.

“Well,” the tattoo artist says thoughtfully, triangular eyes boring right into hers in the most grown-up glint she’s ever seen, “I get the confusion, I really do. You’re dealing with a lot at work, so you’re not at your best right now. Maybe that thing with that Shindo guy is nothing, and that thing with Yui is nothing, and maybe it isn’t worth it to be weird about it. But I think that all those weird things that you’re feeling should be expressed as they are to Doctoroki. You know? I mean… it might be a weird conversation, but you guys are in a real, adult relationship--”

She tries not to choke at the last part.

“--and real, adult relationships require real, adult conversations. Otherwise, there’d be misunderstandings, and trust me, those are the things you want to deal with as soon as possible. Right, Setsuna?”

Setsuna nods and gives Ochako a sawtooth smile. “Gotta say, Ochako-chan, you got your work cut out for you, eh? Shouto’s a talker, isn’t he?”

The nurse sighs deeply. He can be, if he wants to, but it’s obvious that he didn’t want to say anything earlier. Maybe for him it’s all nothing.

Maybe she should talk to him about it. But… how to start talking to Todoroki Shouto about… feelings ?

Yikes, Ochako. Good luck.

The troubled nurse closes her eyes as Kyoka continues shading the entire planet Saturn on her arm.

Me (2143H): hey! Im home from illusion ink. Arm hurts like crazy. Dr Tokage gave me a ride back. How r u?

Todoroki Shouto (2200H): That’s good. I’m waiting for our turn to use the OR. It’s going to be a busy night.

Me (2202H): Oh no. Please do your best! ;;;;

Todoroki Shouto (2201H): Thank you. I will.

Me (2217H): Say, Shouto. I know this is weird for me to ask, but

Me (2218H): Can we talk?

Todoroki Shouto (2219H): ?

Todoroki Shouto (2219H): We’re talking now.

Me (2220H): No, I mean. Like a real talk irl. Over food or sth

Me (2221H): I can treat you anywhere u like promise

Todoroki Shouto (2221H): Ah.

Todoroki Shouto (2222H): It might be difficult to do so soon. I’ll do my best to make time.

Todoroki Shouto (2224H): I’ll let you know as soon as I can.

Me (2226H): Oh! Thats totally fine i get wat u mean

Me (2228H): so yeah, i guess ill just wait for ur schedule to clear up;; and mine too hahaha

Me (2245H): ah, so, i gotta go to bed soon, got the morning shift tomorrow

Me (2246H): good night ^_^

Todoroki Shouto (0214H): Sorry about that. We just got out of surgery.

Todoroki Shouto (0215H): Please be patient with me, Ochako.

Todoroki Shouto (0230H): Good night.

Things happen. Outside, society’s on the verge of crumbling because villains keep popping up left and right.

Life in the hospital, however, goes on.

This week, Shouto and Ochako manage to make exactly one public appearance: a coffee run at the convenience store next to the hospital lobby, before he forces his sleep-deprived self to drive her home. She isn’t sure if he does it out of obligation to their set-up, or if he needed a functioning pair of eyes at the passenger seat to wake him up if he falls asleep on the wheel… which happens twice, at different stoplights.

They make it to Ochako’s apartment without incident. She watches him carefully as he rubs his tired eyes and takes a swig of the cheap coffee, which makes his mouth curl in distaste. “Are you going to make it home, Doctoroki?”

He nods, although his sallow eyes seem to say the contrary.

She swallows nervously and says, “You can… take a nap inside, if you want to--”

“I’ll be okay,” Shouto says, with sudden clarity. “I don’t want to impose.”

But you should, she thinks. “I don’t want you to get in an accident.”

He shakes his head. “I won’t. Promise.”

He drains the coffee, to prove his point further. Ochako continues to eye him warily, but it looks like entering her tiny home will make him more uncomfortable than dying on the road, so she keeps her mouth shut.

“You can… take a nap in your car, if you need to,” she says, unbuckling her seatbelt with a sense of defeat.

“Don’t worry about me.” He tries to look at her with some assurance. “I’ll be fine. I’ll text you when I get home. Or when they pull me out of the wreckage. Either way.”

She laughs nervously. That’s all she can do at this point.

Thankfully, twenty minutes later as she sits on the floor biting her fingernails to the crescent, Shouto sends a photo of his car, parked safely in the garage. Home. I’ll be sleeping in a bit. I’ll see you at work tomorrow.

And that’s that, for the week. Ochako feels a little empty, if she were being completely honest with herself, but really, she shouldn’t have hoped for anything different than this sudden exhausted back-and-forth between them.

She shouldn’t have allowed herself to feel much more than that.

Because as it happens, on the dull Tuesday that follows, all hell breaks loose in the feelings department, in the worst way that it can.

It happens like this:

1409H. Most of her work is done, she isn’t on deck for the next procedure. All her paperworks are done, and her shift is essentially over. It’s one of those rare good days at work where she finishes on time. Eijirou and Yuuga are done, too, and to celebrate the rare miracle of being out of the hospital in the light of day, they decide to treat themselves to a nice meal.

Eijirou and Yuuga argue about where to go for some time. In hindsight, Ochako thinks that things might have gone differently if Yuuga had insisted on wanting to eat Monoma’s croque madame a little bit more, but as it happens Eijirou convinces them that NTG cafe is the way to go, because have you even tried their truffle pasta Aoyama? Oh my god you should, and also he wants to see if the owner, Bakugou, is doing okay today. (He doesn’t elaborate much when he’s asked why he wants to check, though.)

Ochako hasn’t been to this cafe much--the first time she ordered something, Bakugou was manning the counter and had the gall to write RoundFace on her cup. Never mind how accurate it is, and how very amused Mina was at the time it happened, it was still pretty darn rude. But she digresses.

Today, though, the other blonde barista named Kaminari takes their orders, and they take a seat at the back of the cafe, near the exit at the other side.

As they wait, Yuuga gushes about the Idiabazal cheese he got thru the Cheese of the Month club. Ochako tries to be interested, but ducks down to send a message on her phone very quickly:

Me (1432H): I finished work on time today so im eatin out with eijirou-kun and yuuga-kun :) i hope work won’t be too insane for you today.

She stares at the screen for a good minute after she sends it, expects nothing and sees nothing. She pushes her phone back to her pocket, tries to lose herself in Yuuga’s sparkles, and…

The cafe collectively holds its breath, as the pro-hero Yui enters.

Even Yuuga pauses for a good second to say, “Ah! My, isn’t she stunning?”

Dressed simply in a sleeveless white shirt and jeans that fit her just right; very light make-up that enhances the glow of her face. Straight, dark hair that falls over her shoulders. She goes to the counter to place her order, not minding how Kaminari instantly goes whey and almost messes everything up.

“Yeah, she is,” Ochako admits with just a smidgen of sour in her voice. She watches as Yui regards the grenade-matryoshka bomb at the counter with prolonged interest, opening and closing the doll as if it’s the most amusing thing in the world.

Huh, she thinks, seeing the unmistakable smile on the other girl’s face. So she can do something else with her mouth…

She reprimands herself for sounding so mean, and goes back to sipping her cold brew.

The door chimes as another person enters the cafe. She doesn’t look up, not until she hears Eijirou cough, and Yuuga hum in surprise.

Ochako almost doubles over herself, when she sees the scene in front of her.

Todoroki Shouto looks mildly out of breath, like he ran on the way there. His coat is slung over his arm, and when he reaches out to touch Yui on the shoulder, she turns and stares at him as if she’s expecting him to be there.

“What the,” Eijirou mumbles, looking at Ochako with more than just a little concern.

They exchange very sparse words, and pick a table at the other, more intimate end of the cafe. They don’t seem to notice that they are there. When they sit, Shouto’s back is to them. Yui’s face is visible from Ochako’s vantage point, if she peeks over the other customers’ shoulders.

“Well… this is quite étrange ,” Yuuga whispers to her, conspiratorially. “Did you know about this, mon enfant? ”

She numbly shakes her head and keeps an eye on them from a distance. Yui seems to be saying, thank you for meeting me here, Todoroki-san. You must be busy.

Eijirou reaches out for her hand. “Baby, you okay? Maybe we should go there and say hi? You know, it could be nothing, and...”

Ochako shakes her head again, and watches Shouto’s head move a little as he speaks. The heroine replies with a curt nod. There are plenty of words being exchanged--she misses a lot of the words being said, and barely deciphers, I understand. For your family though, this might be important.

The blonde turns to her with a questioning stare. “ Mes amies, Ochako doesn’t look so well, perhaps we should leave instead, let her have some fresh air--”

“Shush, you two,” she snaps, a little too sternly than she means. Her two friends flinch and look down. She’ll say sorry later, but now she can’t feel any sense of apology, she can’t feel anything--

Okay, Yui says, an odd look in her eyes. Her mouth doesn’t move from its usual straight, impassive line. She says something that Ochako can’t quite catch, and then--

I want to hold your hand.

Shouto freezes. Ochako freezes even more, because Yui reaches out and holds his right hand, and he doesn’t stop her, and she says something in such a low voice, her mouth barely moving, like it’s a secret between the two of them, and Shouto leans forward, says something back, and--

“Babe.” Eijirou’s tone is sharper now, sharp enough to cut through the panicked haze that her head is suddenly lost in. “Ochako. Look at me.”

She does just that, and wonders why his face is suddenly so hazy and why it’s hard to breathe. When she inhales, it’s shaky, and an ugly sob wants to escape from her open mouth. She doesn’t let it though, she focuses on the way Eijirou is holding her hand and the way Yuuga is patting comforting circles at her back, keeping the sounds at bay.

“Let’s get you out of here, okay?” the redhead says softly. He shimmies out of his hoodie and places it on top of her shaking head. “You don’t have to say anything, we’ll just get you through the back exits, get you some fresh air--”

“ Oui, ma petite chérie, ” Yuuga adds, dabbing her cheeks with a paper napkin and glaring at the other tables, who begin to stare. “We’ll take care of you, do not worry.”

“Okay,” she hiccups stupidly.

They make it outside somehow, away from prying eyes. Ochako guesses and hopes that the faraway table doesn’t notice them and her and her stupid tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes. Eijirou drives her home, with Yuuga tagging along, sitting in careful silence.

In her tiny apartment (the one Shouto doesn’t even want to step into, ahhh it makes more sense now), she allows her friends to sit herself down on the floor, wrap a blanket or two around her, play her favorite songs. Yuuga fusses about her bare kitchenette and somehow comes out with a cup of hot cocoa, while Eijirou sends an SOS to Mina and Hanta to come after their shift, if they can.

They ask her to talk, in turn. About her and Doctoroki, if there were any problems, if there were any signs. Because, social media aside, come to think of it, her friends don’t know a thing about the two of them. “I mean, I see you guys eat together at work sometimes, but I… haven’t seen you two talk up close. Except that time in the locker,” Eijirou says as gently as he can.

She shakes her head. Keeping up appearances is hard enough to do for the crowds and Shouto’s family. “We haven’t been… talking a lot.”

They never did get back to talking about their IRL talk. They ask why, and the urge to tell her closest friends about the fake dating scheme wells in her chest like a dam about to break, but she stops herself on time. Still, she can’t give another reason other than being busy. Eijirou and Yuuga look at each other and sigh in unison.

“Whatever is going on, mon cher,” Yuuga says, after they carefully try to wheedle more useless details from her, “You two simply must talk. Yes?”

Ochako sniffles and says, “But… talking is hard.”

She’s afraid of admitting to Shouto that she feels hurt, even though by all accounts she doesn’t have the right to. Especially when Shouto did all this in the first place ‘so no-one gets hurt’.

Eijirou laughs and ruffles her hair, like the brat that she is. “Yeah. It is. But I don’t think you’ll feel any better just not talking about this right?”

She buries her face in her fluffy blankets and whines.

Todoroki Shouto (1756H): Good work today. The patient we operated on is recovering really quickly.

Todoroki Shouto (1758H): Are you on your way home?

Me (1805H): ya i am. In mina-chans car

Todoroki Shouto (1806H): Okay. Let me know when you’re safe at home.

Me (1810H): …

Todoroki Shouto (1812H): …?

Me (1814H): why

Todoroki Shouto (1820H): …

Todoroki Shouto (1821H): I’d like to know that you made it home without anyone causing you harm or threatening you.

Todoroki Shouto (1822H): I don’t want a repeat of what happened in Shizuoka.

Me (1825H): ah. ya that makes sense

Todoroki Shouto (1829H): Are you all right, Ochako?

Me (1830H): yeah i am

Todoroki Shouto (1831H): You sure?

Todoroki Shouto (1832H): Please be honest with me

Todoroki Shouto (1832H): Whatever is bothering you, I’d like to know. I’d like to help.

Me (1834H): Doctoroki

Me (1837H): Shouto, I mean

Me (1838H): When should we break up?

#todoocha #todochako #shouchako #peony pink and cherry blossom tea #cafe/hospital au #todoroki shouto #uraraka ochako #shindo yo #setsujirou #tokage setsuna #jirou kyouka #kirishima eijiro #aoyama yuuga #kodai yui #angst ahhh #sorry

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 6 years ago

Text

That’s a lotta debuts...

Rokuhoudou 12 (FINAL)

Ankoro mochi.

Temari seem to be round ball-like candies.

Youkan is a jelly-like sweet. Manjuu are sweet buns.

Kintsugi.

Tsundere grandpa strikes again, LOL. (There was another one in Saiki Kusuo, come to think of it…)

You can see some of the previous customers in these pans, like Isago.

I think tsundere grandpa said umai (“delicious”) after he was served the tea.

You can see…er, I forgot his name, but chicken tempura guy…dancing around in the background, LOL.

I feel sorry for Isago. He didn’t get much of a word in there…

Can we not with the shaky cam???

The framing of this show is exquisite. Just look at how Yakyou is backlit by the shop, showing how isolated he is in comparison to the warm Rokuhoudou Night inside.

Putting these two brothers side by side and back to back is really something special, symbollically. It shows how they’re equals.

Gure’s got his duck boat coat (happi…?) on.

Gure even has a duck boat shirt!

That one pose when Sui and Tokitaka declare Gure/Tsubaki’s combo to be like a festival…Tsubaki’s got no pupils for comedic effect there, ha.

Karamimochi.

“It goes down easy.”

Tsubaki…sensei? When did Gure start calling him that? Or is that just a joke name, like Gure does?

Haha, Isago’s face was scary.

Tsunozaki even got Yakyou some osechiryouri! That’s committal to the man!

Sui’s hanging with Kotsuru and her grandpa in the ED. Interesting.

There’s a little rubber duck on the table near Sui.

The lanterns say “Edo” on them.

Sui’s camera is a “Nion”, LOL.

Hey wait a second! This last shot of the guys looking at the night sky is what they normally show in the ED, but it’s in a different style and from the back.

Okay, that’s a wrap! I’d be glad to see another season of this just based on the warm and comfy atmosphere alone…

BnHA 51

Was it just me or was the taxi CGI?

Can we please get Mineta out of this show already???

They animated Mineta with such…er, gusto. Why???

Why is there a rabbit? More importantly, why are the girls wearing Iida’s glasses?

Meanwhile, Bakugo’s just going ZZZ…I think he has the best taste, simply because he chose to ignore the competition, haha. Update: I thought about it and Bakugo was being really nice this episode, surprisingly. Maybe he really is mellowing out!

I don’t really get Tsu’s popularity, but at least I understand her feelings of becoming anxious when everyone disobeyed her request.

Boueibu HK 12 (FINAL)

Sorry, I’m just really mad and disappointed at myself…so if I seem out of sorts and willing to laugh at everything, then that’s why.

“Bing”? Why “bing” and not “oof” or something else?

Uh, subbers? There’s no exclamaton mark on the ep title, y’know?

CGI arrows? Now there’s a usage of CGI I’ve never seen before…Update: They’re actually spears.

Wait, does that mean Zundar, Dadacha and Wombat come from Honyara Land too????

Uncle??? Oh great, more family business. *sigh*

Hey, this soldier-making machine is kind of like the mech…alright, I’ll stop with the comparisons to season 1. It’ll only make me feel bitter.

“You wanna step outside, huh?!” – Uh, Manza? You’re already outside…

“…they project a shadow behind them.”

I love how they’ve managed to retain Kamopapa’s uncertainty in the subs.

Hey, with all the best shows I’m able to see parallels to the themes in weird moments like this one. So seeing Ata relate to Furanui shows how there’s a parallel between Ata/Ryoma/Kyoutarou, Wao/Kamopapa/Karurusu and Kamopapa/Karurusu/Furanui, and I couldn’t see that in previous seasons (either that or it wasn’t there), meaning this show is thematically better than seasons 1 and 2.

Aw, brotherly love…

Admittedly, season 2’s Postcard Memories (that’s apparently what you call the style with a lot of streaks) are the best, so I can see why one measly eyecatch from season 3 can’t compare…this one doesn’t have any streaks on it anyways, so it’s not like it could.

“Stop ducking responsibility!” – Was that a pun on kamo? Or a typo?

Hey, just like season 1. Why is it that people believe upright stalks in tea give you good luck anyway?

Aw, I wanted them to keep tradition with this moment and have Taiju go, “I don’t know.” But no matter, keep watching.

Well, here’s the lyrics to Happy Ready?????! Sing along, friends!

It’s interesting that Ata/Taiju/Maasa’s swords have details on them that match their outfits.

*giggling at how stupid and silly it all is, plus how infectious the song is* But seriously guys, those wands aren’t microphones…

…*surveys the bath shot* Wait, where’s Ata??? Update: He comes in later.

So they’re going to stick with their guns and say that Kamopapa is a duck? I see, I see.

Wait, they flew to the school (in the OP)?! Has that ever happened in the previous episodes?

See, even if Happy Ready????? takes the stage, the OP is the best in the end! Hahaha…sorry, had to rub it in there.

That second-last sentence means something along the lines of “If we could meet again, I’d be happy.” That’s literally speaking, though. They probably stuck “are you happy?” into the ending just to piss people off, though, hahaha…or to admit they got caught up in all the catchiness of Happy Ready…

Anyways, that was (probably, LOL) a better ending than season 1 in regards to story and themes, so that’s just great! Happiness for everyone! See you again someday.

Island 1

I got so unsatisfied by how small the offerings were this season and needed something to keep my mind off a huge annoyance (one I can’t get rid of, you can see me being troubled by it in the Boueibu commentary above) that I know I’ll hate myself for watching this show, but…here we are.

Kid with amnesia. *sigh* Anime trope count: 1.

Robot dogs? That’s so early 2000s.

Ridiculous anime hair. Trope count: 2.

I knew that faceplant was coming because I read up on reviews before starting this (that’s specifically why I thought I was going to hate it), but on the other hand…thank goodness I didn’t have to see his (I already know his name’s Setsuna, so Setsuna’s) junk.

So if Marine Day (Umi no Hi) is celebrated on the 20th (see the calendar in the background of Karen to see what I’m talking about)…it must be July in universe. Just from a quick Google, it might be 2015 or it might be 1875 (see one of the Google results that says when the holiday began)…then again, Marine Day is celebrated on a Monday…

*raises arm to the sky to block sunshine* Trope count: 3. I need a bingo chart for these tropes, man.

This “outsiders must stay away” reminds me of Shiki, which is…uh, not the best comparison, considering what I’m comparing.

The one with the dandelion hair is…meant to be voiced by Hibiku Yamamura, right? I heard she was switched out because her company didn’t want her to voice the girl, which is the only reason I know this show in the first place.

What a lurid angle Karen’s been shot from…you can focus on her *erhem*(whispers “nonexistent balls”) from here.

“…you can punch or kick me to your heart’s content.” - Well, at least Karen avoids bringing up the trope count (by slapping Setsuna).

“…I’m off the hook.” – No need to spell it out, Mr Obvious. I’m grumpy here plus not really enjoying myself, so if you make any false moves you’re in for the drop.

Why are Setsuna’s eyes so small in comparison to everyone else’s anyway?

Well, the song finally got my attention. Congrats, you’ve just won my non-apathy, Island. (sarcastic)

“Cruzeiros” seem to be the currency on the island, huh? By the way, there’s a movie called The Island involving a gory staple gun scene. You might not want to refer to this show as The Island for that reason…

The bear slippers are an odd touch (aka an interesting detail), don’tcha think?

“You’re really rich.” – You don’t say, Mr Obvious?! (That’s strike two. You can do better than that, show!)

The way the mother converses is like the mother from Big Bang Theory, only with less talking…

His bed isn’t even springy, yet he bounces…? What?!

Why are all the main girls we’ve seen so far tsundere???? Why does she (Rinne) have a choker??? Most importantly, why am I using so many question marks???

Turtle apron…I’m not going to judge that, now, am I? It’s actually cute, in a vague sort of manner.

Ugh…tsundere acts are terrible when you’ve had to witness them thrice…

The monologuing…it’s losing me…but what’s a tachyon? Okay, here you go.

*falls over, starts having a nosebleed* That…was a comedy moment, right? Completely lost me…

How did Setsuna get back to Rinne’s house, anyway?

Uh, Rinne? Why aren’t you afraid of sexual predators? Are you really alone on Urashima?

Somehow I anticipated the last part of, “When the light touches me, I’ll die” before it occurred.

Rinne kinda looks like Menma when she’s just in a white dress. Update: I haven’t even watched AnoHana, by the way.

Anyways, that was boring. That’s a drop.

Hanebado 1

Another show I’m going to hate myself for…oh great.

Welp, I’ve read around about the shows on offer and this was one of the more favourable ones. I can see why, because aside from the boob jiggle and random slow mo, it was pretty well-animated.

What’s up with the extra-long ribbon in that girl’s hair, though?

Random yuri moment (on the paper, mentioning the “queen” of something)…? Not what I’m here for, but okay…

Short-haired girl seems to be way too angry. Why so serious?

I don’t have that much badminton knowledge, but I do know YONEX (see bag) is a real badminton brand.

Urgh…those panty shots, boob jiggles etc. are really making me regret watching this. However, there’s a real dynamism to this OP’s visuals that really sparks my interest, which is really saying something.

Apparently “hane” is what you call the shuttlecock in Japanese (aside from the more obvious “shuttle”). Makes sense, as “hane” can also mean “wing”.

“Bad” as in short for “badminton”. Not actually “bad”, y’know?

Strangely, they sexualise Aragaki the least. As if she’s the manliest in the bunch. That’s already true without saying that though, since she’s got the short hair and savagery more typical of a man.

There’s a box where the tilde should be, LOL.

They pretty much make the girls think about either boys or the sport. Can’t girls have more objectives than that? Diversity, people, diversity.

Can we not with the butt shot? Seriously, you can tell this was made by a man with a passion for badminton.

Why don’t we see these girls’ faces? *makes face of confusion*

Seriously??? This is what passes as comedy this season??? “Mistaken for perv”??? Ick.

Huh. For once, Aragaki speaks some sense. Considering what’s been bringing me down since before I watched Island, I completely get that feel, Aragaki. Maybe I’ll watch your show, then, if you can tell me how to feel again.

What’s with these feet shots, though? They’re almost as weird as the fanservice ones…

Hmm…the palpable tension…Alright, this gets another episode. If the fanservice is intolerable, I’m outta here.

Angolmois 1

I read some good stuff about this on ANN. This should be great!

I think I’ll end up liking this OP…and everything else about this show. Just look at that animation!

Wadatsumi…isn’t there a manga named after him? Update: Yes, there is!

Is it just me, or does the show look a bit…grainy?

Teruhi seems kind of like a siren for some reason…hmm…should I be suspicious of her?

Ryuugyuu Palace = Palace of the Dragon King.

ANN (I think it was) said Goryeo = Korea. Not sure which Korea, but…maybe at this stage, it was one unified Korea.

Whoa! Teruhi’s got some sadism behind that smirk…! Wouldn’t want to die by her hand, for sure.

The thing is…I wouldn’t normally support anything involving Mongolians, because most of my expertise comes from China/Japan (both forces who traditionally aren’t that happy with Mongolia…then again, they aren’t very happy with each other, either). However, I can see myself getting behind this for sure now that Teruhi’s shown her hand.

Tsushima Island.

Basically, Kuchii is the equivalent of an Australian convict…just with less water between his homeland and his new land.

Everything in this show looks like a Postcard Memory, geez.

I can see the little night vision boy being like a wakizashi in Touken Ranbu, i.e. a fast one who leads the pack.

Oh dear…just when I was enjoying the show, Teruhi gets captured. Dang. Just what I was waiting for (sarcastic).

Wait, a blonde blue-eyed person using the Gikei style? Wuh? Must be a missionary or someone related to one. Maybe he’s Dutch…?

Is that Gon-oh, never mind. It was Kuchii.

“A message from the ones watching Goryeo.”

At least Kano’s treated like a non-damsel in distress!

Why do I think these Mongolian ships are CGI? I’m not sure myself…

Hey, this title card reminds me of Nobunaga no Shinobi! In fact, the two are pretty similar, it’s just the war that’s different.

Despite my slight misgivings, this is a strong contender for best of the season already! Phew…it could even take out Hinamatsuri…and that’s an interesting prospect, huh? Especially because I don’t have a winter show to take that spot.

Angels of Death 1

I checked up what satsuriku means and apparently it means “slaughter”. So yeah, that’s a perfect translation…not to mention I haven’t read ahead on this show, so anything for it is a surprise.

I thought the OP was going to happen after that titlecard, but nope. Just an OST track…

Why would anyone talk to a typewriter? Sure, it responds to your voice, but…eh, I guess anything happens in a horror show.

Geez, those wall effects are realistic. Just like I’d expect from a game adaption. Now if only I had an adaption of Alice Mare, which I’ve played before…

The effects on the walls remind me of Despera promotion, actually…

Should horror shows and other media teach a consumer the value of life? Or the horrors of humanity? Who knows, maybe both…?

Like dude, don’t wonder if there’s an elevator when there’s a sign right in front of you saying “elevator passage”!

So, uh…what happened to the bird, Rachel?

Wellllllllll…that’s not sketchy at all. Your doctor saying he’s actually your doctor, that is.

I wonder if Rachel’s sewing up of the bird represents her insanity…or her humanity…

(Trigger warning…?) Why does the doctor’s words seem so much…like a paedophile’s?

CGI door…geesh. Why is it I get the feeling Rachel’s being dragged along on a plotline she can’t deviate from?

What’s with this awkward pinning position? Sometimes it’s meant to be sexy, sometimes it’s meant to be horrific, but this…with the doctor’s tongue hanging out, it looks kind of dumb and takes you out of the show.

Aw, c’mon. The slicing of the head was enough, you didn’t need to add blood rain to it…

“I’m a grown-ass man, you know.” – For some reason, I found that line funny.

That’s a lot of blood splattered on the walls…maybe too much for a human…? I’m not a medical specialist, don’t ask me.

Hmm…I don’t know about this one yet. In mystery terms, it’s better than Island – it does pull twists off very well, simply because I can’t really see them coming. However, as a horror, there are a few eyebrow raises involved. It’s good enough to keep for now, but it’s probably going to get lost in the rabble later on.

Harukana Receive 1

Ooh no, I’m going to hate myself for this…I’m only watching this for my resolutions and the fact all the good stuff debuts late! You understand???

Is it just me, or are all the shows getting English titles on their titlecards from day 1 these days? It was the same with Satsuriku no Tenshi…

I’m already zoning out of this episode a tonne, and that’s just the plane zooming overhead to establish the setting!

I don’t get the green edge of Haruka’s eyes (note I read up on this show with the ANN preview guide beforehand). I mean, why is it green???

Wait, in the airport it’s only women. C’mon, that’s just unrealistic. Not to mention there’s a bit of emphasis on how Haruka’s…tatas…move, which is vaguely annoying.

Sorry, but there are some reallllllly ugly CGI cars in the background that distract me a lot. It’s pulling me out of the show.

All the girls so far have had green-edged eyes, but this one’s got red…

Oof…that sun…that sand…I can smell the beach already. At least that’s a pro of this show.

And…boob jiggles. One last strike and I’m kickin’ you out, show!

Why are all anime turtles called Kamekichi? I mean, Touken Ranbu’s Urashima’s turtle is also called Kamekichi…

Narumi (red-edge) actually has purple eye edges. My bad.

I thought the ball was going to hit Haruka, just for comedy. At least I was wrong…

There’s something really CGI and round about the ball. There was this beach volleyball game I remember seeing someone play, and the ball looked exactly like that.

There’s something vaguely annoying about Haruka’s enthusiasm. For the show, it’s nice for the sake of moving plot (and “plot”)…but I find it a bit grating.

Narumi reminds me of Ahagon (Umiko) in New Game.

Why do I feel like I’ve heard the “we don’t need aces” spiel before? (Not just because I read about it a few days ago, too.)

Geesh, more boob jiggle.

Is it just me, or do Kanata and Narumi look similar when there’s a closeup on them?

Oh yeah, protip. Mikasa is an actual provider of volleyballs. Not just an Attack on Titan reference.

They were clearly trying to go for comedy with the lines and stuff. I learnt from Acchi Kocchi that if I’m not impressed with a comedic moment time and time again, it’s likely the show will fail on me.

Wait, these girls are cousins, right? This is edging into yuri right here…eesh.

There’s something oddly realistic about the sand. I’m not sure whether to be happy about that or not.

What was up with the slow-mo??? Urgh, it frustrated me!

Actually, Narumi is kind of like Hifumi from New Game as well…quiet and unable to stop others from pushing her around most of the time.

Chanpuru.

Nothing came up on Google about inamuduchi. Update: Oh, it was because I typed its name wrong. Fixed it!

Rasmus…Faber? The guy who attracted me to Asterisk War??? He’s here??? That’s it! That’s the last straw! Every show he’s assigned to is terrible for me, and this is no exception!

(Trigger warning) Lemme guess…Kanata’s parents died and so she couldn’t play anymore.

Turns out Mikasa (the volleyball guys I was talking about earlier) helped out with this show too. No wonder it seems true to life…but that Kamekichi joke was terrible. Terrible, I tell you.

See? I did hate myself for that! Urgh!

Update: That was Haruka’s mother??? I thought that was her older sister???

Chio’s School Road 1

Why…do I get such a bad feeling about this show???

Tsuugakuro literally means “commute to school road”, so thank goodness I don’t have to deal with that mouthful.

What’s with the boob jiggle this season??? That’s why I passed on this show initially! Also, are those really bad graphics…intentional?

Alright, because this OP ends with a man’s fly being down, I’m going to stop it right there. I could do without that in my life…

…Alright, Plyasm talked me into properly watching this one. If I hate it again, it’s his fault.

…(exasperated tone) Dude. I like the gamer girl trope, but not the boob jiggle. The heck am I meant to think???

As much as I can relate to not wanting to be pointed out in order to not stand out, I feel like that’s just there to make an objective of the endgame. I don’t know why I think that, I just do.

The kitty is very fluffy at least.

How is Chio not slipping as she runs across the rooftops???

For a second, I thought the bird was trembling in mid-air! That’s just impossible…y’know?

Huh? I don’t get the yellow monkey joke…and that’s not a name pun either. It’s just a random statement made from exaggeration with no basis in the language! My enemy when it comes to jokes!

Okay, when even side characters have bouncing balloons under their shirts, I. Just. Don’t. Get it.

Panty shots…the only thing worse than boob shots.

Assassins don’t help people, though…

The reaction faces…aren’t even as good as Mahou Shoujo Ore’s, c’mon. They’re just…kinda there. They aren’t even memeable.

Samejima Gakuen…enjo kousai (compensated dating)…? *giggles a bit properly for the first time this episode*

Is it just me, or do the teacher’s eyes not match? One’s blue and the other’s…brown? I don’t know.

It’s the start of the second segment in the first episode…and I can see this premise wearing thin already…

Why do the little men on the crossing signals have hats, anyway?

*sigh* Another panty shot…

I think the spinning made me dizzy…it was probably done like this to maximise laughter, but it sure didn’t make me laugh.

Ouch, wouldn’t want to be on the end of that kendo practice sword…and he hasn’t even hit anyone with it…

I thought…she was going to say “thank you”…that would’ve at least gone for the feels. I just feel vaguely disappointed, y’know?

With that, it’s another drop…but I can’t really complain to Ply either because I didn’t entirely hate it, either…Maybe if I understood the gaming references I could understand it better, but it’s a flop nonetheless.

Music Girls 1

Oh dear…as soon as I went in, I immediately got a feeling of “I will suffer from this, won’t I?”

Girl, c’mon. You’re at least 2 years too old to be playing with dolls.

Wait, are we welcoming Japan or are we being welcomed to Japan? Dangit, English!

Kotoko looks like obvious comic relief, you can tell from the face alone.

Roro looks like she’s 10! Heck, what is her deal?

I feel like all of the show’s production budget went into animating that one sequence with the cows. That was just an imagination sequence, people!

Wow, suddenly you’ve caught my attention, show. Just by having the pigtailed girl’s hair go up when she was surprised.

Hey. Wasn’t Mr Ikehashi suffering from salt in the eyes? Shouldn’t he have cried it out more than that? Why didn’t anyone clean up the salt afterwards? It’s questions like these you need to answer, show.

The background characters in this show look terrible, by the way.

*sees a loving pan of the girl (Hanako), starting from her boobs and stopping near her mouth* Okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…I’m really regretting the decision to watch this now.

Why is it that the shows this season look so good, but they’re so trash under the surface, trying to break through??? (referencing a Coldplay song)

Didn’t you guys notice the name “King Records” in the opening credits? When that plane was there? Okay, well, now you know. “Pine Records” isn’t the most blatant of shout-outs, but the spirit of it is still kind of there.

You don’t get the candy-stripes of the girls’ outfits in this show? I don’t, either.

Hey…you’re kidding, right? 2D animation! Not even Idolish7 did that to the max! You really have my interest now!

That girl’s counting in English wasn’t bad. At least not enough to require subbing.

This eyecatch…makes this girl look like an extreme loli…

“That’s why you know the steps.”

I can see the blueprints for the shipping now – Uori x Kiri…(sarcastic)

Wait, so when did Hanako listen to On Stage Life anyway???

Why do they colour the whole girl in with luminscent blush? It’s kind of weird…

Why haven’t Hanako’s parents actually gone looking for her???...Oh, spoke too soon.

CITIZEN clocks are an actual thing, haha.

How does Ikehashi know Sachi???

Oh dear…well, at least her singing was enough to surprise me.

Have you noticed most of the Music Girls’ fans are male??? No, all of them are! Aside from Hanako, that is.

I just know I’m not going to memorise these girls’ names at all…

Okay, if this doesn’t have a card game to go with it sooner or later…then you can have as many digital cookies as you want.

Strangely…I had a much better impression of this than I thought I would. It’s better than some of the other shows simply by being mostly devoid of fanservice, anyway, although there is a loli in there…I think her name was Roro.

Cells at Work! 1

Yay, finally something I was looking forward to! It’s been a few years since I did biology classes, but I’ll give it a shot!

Ohmygosh, LOL. I still remember that dendrites look like trees…or aliens.

Aren’t white blood cells a little bit yellow due to the plasma they have…?

“Another blunder!” doesn’t quite equal “Machigaemashita!”, but it does work in context.

I never thought I’d say this…but I can see why Red Blood Cell is considered moe. Endearing, but not too annoying! Plus just a hint of cute.

Oh yeah…platelets. I forgot about those guys.

The Helper T Cell looks like Kazuma from Noragami! Wahaha!

To quote Web MD: “The spleen also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.” That’s why the killer T cells are being threatened with being chucked into the spleen.

Thank goodness they explain all this stuff, like hemolysis. I’d probably be lost otherwise…I probably did learn it all those years ago though.

Capillaries are meant to be small veins, right? No wonder RBC is getting all confused…there must be tonnes of them in a body.

Huh? *has to suppress laughter* Even RBCs have senpais, LOL!

That RBC doodle on the door is so cute~!

Why does this pneumococcus keep announcing what he’s going to do anyway? He keeps losing the element of surprise, man.

Mucosa. Also apparently called “mucous membrane”, which is a term I’m a lot more familiar with.

The pneumococcus was CGI in his bubble for a second there…

Oh, it’s been a while since I saw the term “eosinophil”. Apparently, it’s a kind of WBC.

Oh…dear. I think I remember reading once that your average sneeze is 2G (as in, this G). So if you ever thought your sneeze was powerful, now you know. *cue The More You Know GIF*

I think I ship it already, the unrequited love of a WBC and an RBC. Also, WBC is probably going to be bae of the season, even though he’s…well, a WBC. And a muscleman.

I’m not quite sure what gas the RBC has in the ED, but I think it might be CO2…

Ooh, definite keeper!

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