#shes not even interesting as a character which is pretty bad. ok i think rin is the worst bc kishimoto forgot to make her a person

[favberrys]

I'm bored and in a kkg brainrot mood, so i'm just gonna rant about my opinions of kakegurui ships and i will make some headcanons:

Kirasaya

Ok i had to start with them bc they're just too iconic, i think they have one of the most interesting and complex dynamics in kkg, they really got me obsessed with them, it's probably my number one kakegurui ship and the reason i started watching the show and reading the manga. Honestly yeah their relationship has some power imbalance, since sayaka is kirari's secretary, and is probably disfunctional, but contrary to what some ppl say kirasaya is not abusive, kirari never physically or emotionally abuses sayaka throughout the story. Anyway they're a 10/10, peak lesbian yearning, if they don't kiss at least one i will jump the author. Probably one of my fav ships ever, i think they're made for each other and i can't see kirasaya with anyone else, they're just so good together and their chemistry is >>>>>>

Yumary

Ok this one is kinda an unpopular opinion bc most people like yumary, but honestly i can't get invested into it, there's something in this ship that doesn't make my heart go "fuck yeah they should be gfs". Personally i don't ship yumeko with anyone bc i can't imagine her in a relationship since her main thing is being a compulsive gambler, her existence revolves around it and she forms relationships when they're useful for her gambling games. I think yumary could be friends with benefits for some time, but after a while mary would probably break it off because i don't think she can handle a sexual/romantic relationship with yumeko and after a while it would make her go nuts. A friendship between them is already messy and complicated and honestly i don't think they are compatible that way. Yes they have chemistry and there's probably some mutual attraction but to me it's a no. Also can cishet dudes stop fetishizing this ship ? My vote is 6/10, mostly bc mary doesn't seem much physically comfortable with yumeko, idk mary just seems off with her in that sense and i prefer them as gambling partners or friends.

Meariri

I honestly love this ship, especially after reading the manga, they have such an great dynamic, i think they both care about each other, they have chemistry and i think they're compatible and that their personalities compliment each other, mary is often loud and aggressive and passionate while ririka is more closed off and quiet, they're like fire and ice and this case i think the saying "opposite attract" works with them. Mary counts on ririka and i love the fact that she is so comfortable with her physically (mary is almost always the one to initiate the contact, holding her hand, touching her head, etc) and ririka gets inspired by mary to be her own person and chase her goals. Plus they're really cute together, aesthetically i find them the most attractive couple, i'll give them a solid 9/10

Itsukaede

Lmao i don't even know if this is the correct ship name for itsuki x kaede, ok i don't hate it and i think they could work as a couple, it's not my cup of tea bc m/f ships bore me, but i like their relationship, they have the kind of old married couple dynamic that always works. 6/10.

Ryomeko

I can see it happening, i don't ship it, but i don't mind it either, i'm kinda neutral about ryota x yumeko, but i think he's one of the ppl who care about yumeko the most in that academy (with also mary ofc), the ship is boring bc ryota is bland (he's a good guy don't get me wrong and he defo doesn't deserve the hate he gets) and as i said previously i don't ship yumeko with anyone. Sorry i gotta give it 5/6 out of 10

Yumedari

Ok i love midari but just like yumeko, i don't ship her with anyone bc i see her as someone who's too much unstable for relationships, but i know that canonically she loves/likes/is attracted to yumeko so i don't hate this ship, i think it's decent, the only problem is that yumeko hates midari. Still i think that since they're the most insane mfs in that school somehow this ship could work. 6/10

Yuridari

Again midari in my eyes is kinda unshippable, but this ship is not bad at all, they would have that kind of bickering married couple dynamic like itsuki and kaede, i like it but it doesn't do much for me. 7/10

Ryomary

Jsjssjsksk i looked the name of mary x ryota's ship on wiki so if it sounds weird it's bc i don't know their ship name and i have looked at the first site google gave me. This ship is hard no, mainly bc ryota is very bland and i consider mary a lesbian (i read that she is a canon lesbian but idk if it's confirmed by the author, let's say lesbian mary is just my hc) so shipping her with men feels like a hate crime to me, mary is for the girls only, 4/10.

Tsumary

They are kind of cute together right ? I think they're adorable, tsuzura is mary's first love and i think that someone like her would make mary very happy. I still haven't finished kkg twin, so my opinion on tsuzura is incompleted and it might change, i don't hate her but i find her character a little basic/boring so even though this ship is cute it doesn't make me fall in love with them. 7/10 bc probably also tsuzura had feelings for mary and they have a healthy dynamic, you can see they love each other.

Midasaya

I enjoy this crackship, i know that they both like different people but i headcanon that they were together during middle school or that midari had at least a small crush on sayaka during that time, before kirari came to hyakkaou i like to think that they explored their sexuality together so midari was probably sayaka's first kiss, her first date, etc, so they would have history together and we also see that midari knows sayaka bc her character is described through her pov during tower of doors. I find this ship pretty funny bc sayaka is always so serious and composed and midari is a ball of chaos. 7/10

Yumesaya

This is another crackship i don't mind and find hilarious, yeah i'm a huge kirasaya stan but i'm also a multishipper and sayaka deserves all the girls in the world, so the more the merrier. I like to think this ship as one sided love in which yumeko sort of pines after sayaka and i think it would be very interesting to see kirari being jeaulous that sayaka is getting yumeko's attention. We saw jeaulous/protective sayaka in kakegurui, but i would also like to see how kirari reacts when someone tries to take sayaka away from her, it would be really interesting. Obv this would create some tension between kirasaya and also between kirari and yumeko, almost a sort of love triangle dynamic. My opinion is that yumeko is just too unstable to settle down, also they both probably would get bored/lose interest in each other after the heat of the moment. 6/10

Ririsaya

Sorry but i really can't see it happening not even if i squint, but i really enjoy the ririsaya fanfictions and i think those works are pretty great even though i don't ship them very much. It would be interesting if both twins were in love with sayaka and there was some tension/coldness between them for a while bc they liked the same girl (maybe i read too many fanfictions). My headcanon is that both sayaka and ririka had a crush on each other when they first knew each other and for sayaka it was probably pretty confusing bc she already had feelings for kirari. I see them as friends, 7/10

Yumemisaori

Again idk if this is the correct name of the ship, many said that yumemi and saori are a healthier/mentally stable version of kirasaya and i agree. the dynamics are similar bc we have the secratary that is willing to do everything for her boss and the relationship is a little more balanced, i think they would be very cute together, but sadly they had very little interactions and if i could see more of them i would probably ship them even more. I like them 7/10.

Sachiko x Mary

I didn't even find a ship name for this couple, so they must be pretty unpopular, i like both characters and their antagonistic dyanamic is very interesting, but i don't ship them much bc i think mary needs/wants someone who is completely different from sachiko, who wants to make mary her pet and mary is someone who cares very much about her freedom, her indipendence and wants to make her own choices and this completely clashes with sachiko's extremely sadistic and domineering nature. I prefer them as enemies who have some sexual tension or enemies with benefits or one night stand adventure, but nothing more. 5/6 out of 10 bc the only mary ship i really love is meariri and i also like tsuzumary a bit.

Sachiko x Mikura

This is probably one of the most unhealthy relationships in kakegurui, but i kinda like it. Their dyanmic is pretty much vertical with sachiko who has all the power and makes mikuro do everything she wants and mikura who is completely obsessed and devoted to sachiko (my opinion is that she developed a sort of stockholm syndrome towards sachiko). I think that someone like sachiko could never have genuine romantic relationships bc of her extremely sadistic nature, she sees ppl like toys to break and what she enjoys the most is seeing ppl suffer, so the only compatible person with sachiko is someone extremely masochistic like mikura. Giving them a 6/7 out of 10 bc their interactions are fun/interesting and spice things up.

Rin x Ibara and Yumeko x Kirari

Hard no to both of them, i don't ship incest, yall can do what you want but personally it's a huge no for me. When i first started watching the anime at the beginning i thought yumeko and kirari had some sort of tension and could have been enemies to lovers (lmaoo i was so naive), but then i discovered they were cousins and i saw more kirasaya interactions so i got completely turned off by this ship. 3/10 to both of these ships.

Sachiko x Sakura

Now this ship is very sexy, idk why i like it but i do, yes i don't see sachiko with anyone besides mikura, but this pairing is not bad at all, even though it's a crackship. I think they would be rivals with benefits and would argue a lot and then make out/have hot sex. 7/10 (maybe it's too high but since these are just my opinions i won't be objective)

Mary x kirari

Uhm is there really someone out there who ships them ? Yeah i thought they had some sexual tension in s1 with that tea scene, but it's a no from me, i don't like it and i don't think they're compatible in any way, i can't see kirari with anyone who isn't sayaka. 4/10

[redxblueihateloveyou]

Hi, I read the post where you said Kuroko knows Momoi and Aomine are oblivious to their feelings for each other. I am 99% sure in one of the Replace novels Kise looks at Momoi and Aomine (in Teikou) and thinks that they are oblivious to their feelings for each other. Why do you think they’re oblivious? Maybe M can be since you can like 2 ppl at once and she likes Kuroko but M has big boobs and A loves boobs, and she likes basketball. I’m really surprised A doesn’t actively want her romantically.

Yeah, I think it was mentioned that Akashi, Kuroko and Kise know.

I think oblivious here is only Aomine really, Momoi is just in denial. I mean she for sure doesn’t like Kuroko romantically and I’m like 99% sure from many scenes, that she's also well aware of that. Now as to why she behaves the way she behaves I can only guess. I always just thought that she’s just in denial of her feelings for Aomine, so she created this whole “I’m in love with Kuroko” theater bc of this. Like as we know Kuroko doesn’t take it seriously and she also knows perfectly well that Kuroko doesn’t take it seriously. 

And if she was in love with Kuroko truly, after the Teiko split she would go with him, I mean bc like tbh no matter how great someones friendship is (and Aomine and Momoi have been friends for forever), if you fall in love, you still pick your love (like Akashi who desperately wanted to take Kuroko with him). Like Shion and Safu can be mega great friends, he’ll still pick Nezumi and go with him, given a choice; Sousuke and Rin - wonderful friendship, but again once Haru was in the picture, it went bye-bye Sousuke. It’s just what happens in real life, too. So the fact that she decided to stay by Aomine’s side, I mean she didn’t do it bc it was the school of her choice or smth.. we know that she’s a very intellegent gal, despite her pretending to be a barbie sometimes, so I think she knows about her feelings for him, she just doesn’t want to go there if you know what I mean. At the end of the day everything that she does, she does for Aomine, whether ppl like it or not. So to me, it’s like she knows about her feelings for Aomine, she just chose to pretend it doesn’t exist, bc of reasons and maybe along the way even also a bit started to believe her own lie.

As for Aomine, well he’s dense af, I mean, it’s been mentioned that he’s so dense, that he’s almost impossible to talk to. Not to mention the fact that he’s always running around with all those boobies magazines and models, so it’s kinda not surprising that Momoi tries to pretend that she’s not into him lol. But yeah, she’s practically his ideal, he always describes, who is right under his nose, so I guess it’s funny.

Aomine is also very bad about noticing ppl’s relationships in general, he doesn’t get it and doesn’t seek one for sure. From what I saw I think he just doesn’t even think its needed. He’s ok with porno magazines and basketball. So he simply doesn’t even consider having a girlfriend. It’s not even about Momoi per se.

They still flirt with each other and act like a couple and that’s what Kuroko and Kise see obviously. Aomine does it unintentionally, I think, like he genuinely probably doesn’t get what he’s doing. I also think he most likely does believe that she’s in love with Kuroko, bc he doesn’t have enough brains to catch the truth as many guys btw who watch KNB.

Like that one homophobic not a long time ago commented under my akakuro vid: “Kuroko has a girlfriend, so stay mad, fags” xD I was like “Momoi is canonically Aomine’s girl, so.. stay an idiot?”.

But I mean, yeah, there are ppl who truly believe that Momoi is really Kuroko’s romantic interest. Guys especially. They probably also read those Niguo scenes like “omg his dog doesn’t like her” lol. I think Aomine is also one of those. But I personally don’t even see Momoi/Kuroko as one-sided, I mean, she likes Kuroko for sure as much as everyone there, but she certainly doesn’t see him that way, I mean sometimes her performance looks close to idiotic and comedic, which doesn’t quite work with the fact that we know perfectly well, that that’s not who she is. 

And there are 3 characters in KNB who hide their real feelings this way btw.

Now some ppl believe that they’re in a “love rosie” kind of situation, when bc they were friends for so long that they tend to overlook each other as romantic partners, but I honestly don’t see it like that. I wasn’t surprised when I found out that they’re canonically intended couple, bc they’re really written like this. I definitely didn’t see them as “they behave like siblings”. And I don’t know what sibling would look for so long under their sister’s skirt and comment “that’s pretty bold of you to wear such underwear today”, but like to each their own xD

Tbh I very much approve, bc they’re not one of those gooey, pinky, dumb hetero relationships in animes, that I don’t even know where their feelings came from, you know. I mean, she handles him perfectly and loves him despite knowing all of his flaws and still wants to stick around and she’s practically the girl of his dreams, so I mean, in KNB I’m surprisingly like okay with all the who author thought belongs with whom situations.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

My Entry for the @konoblog-simps College Au event. I had to write this after moving to my new place with little to no actual wifi and most of it was done on my phone so...ya, that was fun lol.

Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Anko, Maito Gai, Uchiha Obito, Nohara Rin, Genma.

AO3

Tags: College au

Word count: 2791

Summary: Hatake Kakashi is a genius. Top of his class in every subject, he rarely ever has to put effort into his assignments, and as a rule he doesn't. Except when it comes to Photography.

Special thanks: @saudade-mayari and @punk-pandame for help me out by Betaing the fic i had to write on my phone mostly.

Biology had never been one of Kakashi’s favourite subjects. It was tedious, boring and had little to offer that challenged him in a meaningful way. Of course, that could be said about most of the classes that he took, but today’s problem was biology.

He’d deal with the other classes when he had to sit in them listening to the professor drone on about a boring lab that involved little to no actual skill and could just as easily be done on a computer. There were so many more interesting things he could be doing with this time.

Things he could be learning without having to cut open a frog just to get a good look at its insides.

“Alright!” Hearing Anko’s cheerful voice, Kakashi directed his gaze towards her. The only thing that could be expected when Anko was happy about something, was danger. It was what Anko lived for. The thing that gave her life, and today was no exception judging by the gleeful look in her eyes. “Let’s see what’s hidden inside of you.”

How she could have so much fun with something as simple as a dissection, Kakashi would never know. Though, at least she could find some enjoyment in a class that offered nothing but boredom for him and many others. So much fun that even when she started to cut into the poor frog’s exposed belly, there was still a giant grin on her face. An expression that made her look a little mad, in his opinion.

One that he couldn’t help but feel the urge to photograph.

Forgetting about the task at hand, he reached down to grab the messenger bag that he had set down beside his stool upon taking his seat and quickly dug out his digital camera. A small, simple camera that he had bought specifically for his photography class. Not a purchase that he had been expecting to make when he decided what subjects he wanted to take this semester, but easily the best purchase he had made. No 30,000 Yen textbook could ever hope to compare to the beauty of this camera.

Switching the camera on, he peered through the viewfinder and waited for the lens to come into focus. Just as he pressed the shutter button, successfully capturing a photo, Anko threw her head back and cackled. Even without looking at the LCD Display to see the picture that he had captured, Kakashi could already tell that it was perfect. With a look of maniacal glee on her face, Anko painted a delightful picture of the perfect Biology student. Someone who could find excitement in even the most mundane task set in front of them.

If anyone ever asked Kakashi to choose one picture to show people what a mad scientist would look like in real life, he would have to choose this one. There wasn’t a soul in the world who had ‘mad scientist’ down quite as perfectly as Anko, and if Biology class was good for anything it was showing just how much joy the woman got from things that would disgust or bore any other human.

“Mr. Hatake,” dragging his eyes off of his camera, Kakashi cringed when he saw Professor Orochimaru standing there glaring at him with that same unimpressed look he always had when he was speaking to Kakashi. “I think it would be best if you paid attention to the task at hand, rather than sneaking photographs of your classmates. Don’t you?”

Biting his tongue, Kakashi tucked the camera away in his bag and set it down beside his chair once more. It was best not to get into an argument that he was unlikely to win, even if returning his gaze to the poor frog laying on the table in front of him did drain all of the excitement he had been feeling just a second ago while holding his camera.

“Hey,” lifting his eyes, he watched as Anko leaned over the desk. That same joyful smile that she had been wearing while dissecting her frog was still plastered on her face. “You’ll show me the picture after class, right? I want to make sure I look perfectly terrifying in whatever picture you’re about to print off of me.”

Terrifying. That was certainly one way to describe her.

“I’ll show you after class,” he promised, giving her a playful wink. “Just try not to make a mess while you’re having fun.”

His comment was met with a laugh. “No promises.”

-----------------------------------------------

After a long day of classes, it was always nice to head out to his favorite café and get a nice cup of hot chocolate. An hour to relax before he started working on assignments, or headed to his part-time job at the university's campus bar.

Just some time to recharge after a long day of being bored out of his mind from monotone professors and lessons they always swore would require everyone's full attention to be understood, but never really did.

Today, he was not getting that time alone he usually needed so badly. Instead, he was sitting at a table with his three best friends, and the three loudest people in all of Konoha University.

Nohara Rin, beautiful and kind but with a voice that could not be missed by anyone. A trait she had picked up from spending so much time with Obito, no doubt.

Speaking of whom: Uchiha Obito. The second loudest student in all of Konoha University and possibly the world. Brash, knuckle-headed and dumber than a sack of rocks some days.

Ok, most days but Kakashi liked to give him the benefit of the doubt sometimes.

And then there was Maito Gai. Sweet, handsome, and always bursting with energy. The only person who was louder than Obito, and he made sure to leave no questions about that fact whenever he spoke.

How Kakashi had ended up with these three as friends he would never know, but he also wouldn't change it for the world. Even if his ears were ringing after five minutes with all three of them.

"How can you even say that?" Obito threw a hand over his heart in one of the most dramatic displays of horror Kakashi had ever seen. "Nutritional science? Better than theatre? Lies! Utter lies!"

"Maybe in your mind," Rin responded with a roll of her eyes. “Not everyone thinks Theater is the best thing ever invented since Dango.”

Gai wasn't so calm about Obito's response though. Not one to be outdone, he threw his hands down on the table and stood up in his spot so that he was staring Obito down. "At least Nutritional sciences can be used to help people," he defended his class with the same fiery passion that he showed with everything he did. “You're just learning to put on a show, which I'm convinced is a blood trait already for the Uchiha."

Kakashi couldn't find it in him to argue with that. Obito may be one of the most dramatic people he knew, but when it came to the Uchiha he was hardly the only one. Most days Shisui could give Obito a run for his money when it came to dramatic flare.

A fact Obito always got upset with him for pointing out.

"Kakashi, back me up here," Gai turned to look at him with soft black eyes that Kakashi would happily get lost in for the rest of the day. "His major is just...it doesn't serve a purpose."

"Someone has to be entertaining in this world, beast face," Obito protested. "And what's Kakashi going to say? His major is so boring he looks like he's going to fall asleep in class all the time."

"That's not wrong," glancing towards Rin, Kakashi jutted out his bottom lip to form the most pathetic pout that he could. "What? It's true! Today in biology you took a picture of Anko instead of doing the assignment."

Sometimes he forgot that he shared classes with Rin, but she always found a way to remind him, which wouldn't be nearly as bad if she didn't call him out on being a lazy shit like that in front of Gai.

"Kakashi, are you ignoring class again for photography?"

There was a disappointment in Gai's voice that he couldn’t stand hearing. As if he was about to be scolded for his life choices when he would much rather listen to Gai talk about how amazing he was.

But since he was now clearly upset with him thanks to Rin, there was only one option left to get him off of his back.

“I believe you were talking about how Obito's major isn't nearly as useful as yours," he offered, sticking his tongue out towards Obito when he immediately started to scold Kakashi for turning the conversation away from his own inability to focus in class.

"Well, yes-" watching as Gai turned his attention back to the conversation, immediately picking up where he had left off as if there had been no interruption, Kakashi couldn't help but reach into his backpack and pull out his camera.

Did he really need a picture of the moment that Obito stuck a finger out and poked Gai in the nose while desperately defending his major?

Yes. He did. Not only would it go well with the project, but the look of annoyance on Gai's face was priceless.

Definitely a picture worth putting in his personal photo album.

"I told you," turning his camera towards Rin, Kakashi snapped another picture just as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Tell me I look pretty in it."

Peering down at the image display, Kakashi smiled softly. "Absolutely stunning."

----------------------------------------------------------------

There was a process that Kakashi had when it came to choosing the perfect pictures for his project. First, he would go through his camera roll and make a mental note of all of the best pictures he could find. Next, he would transfer everything onto his laptop and then move the pictures he wanted into a folder for printing.

After getting the selected pictures printed, he would sit down at the small desk in his dorm room and organize them into the perfect design for his project. Whatever pictures ended up not fitting, would ultimately go into the small photo album that he kept under his desk. A book of personal favorites that he would look at on those really bad mental health days where he just needed something to make him smile. Even just for a moment.

It was a long process, but there was a reason he had never gotten anything less than a ninety on any of his photography projects.

Not that he really ever did poorly on any of his assignments. He actually did quite well on all of his lab assignments for biology and chemistry, even if he had a bad habit of not paying attention. It was probably the main reason his professors didn’t like him all that much.

“Still working on that, huh?” Glaring over at his roommate’s bed, he watched as the brunette stared back at him from over top his business textbook. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you put even half of this amount of effort into any of your other assignments, and I’m pretty sure those ones actually matter for your major.”

It was a true fact, just not one he wanted to hear.

He caught enough shit from Rin and Gai about his less than enthusiastic approach to his major.

“Don’t you have a small business to start up?” He huffed, turning his attention back down to the assignment in front of him. “Or did it go bankrupt already?”

“My business going bankrupt is as likely to happen as you actually telling Gai you have a crush on him,” Turning in his spot once again, Kakashi opened his mouth to argue against Genma’s frankly insulting assumption, only to find himself facing down a glare that could rival Rin’s angry look. “Don’t you dare try to lie to me, Hatake. Anyone can tell you have a crush on Gai.”

It wasn’t fair.

He wasn’t that obvious about it, was he?

“But that’s not what we’re talking about here, is it?” Genma continued. “We’re talking about your work ethic when it comes to assignments, and the fact that you’d rather put all of your efforts into the assignments for the one class that holds no value to your major.”

It was rather rude, Kakashi thought. First Genma called him out on his little crush, and then he turned around and scolded him for wanting to work on his photography assignment. Just because it didn’t hold any weight for his degree didn’t mean he shouldn’t put effort into it.

“Science is…” ‘Boring’ lingered on the tip of his tongue, but it wasn’t quite the word he was looking for. He actually loved Science, and had chosen the major hoping to explore a few different options after getting his degree. “Well, I love Science. Biology is interesting, Chemistry is a blast,” sometimes literally, if Anko was in the class with him. “And don’t get me started on Environmental sciences. I love it to bits. It’s just…the professors.”

There it was. The explanation he had been searching for.

The classes weren’t boring if they were being taught by the right people. Professor Uzumaki always made Astronomy interesting with her grand explanations and detailed outlines that drew his attention in. She never had any complaints about Kakashi not being focused in class. In fact, she had told him on multiple occasions that he was one of her most engaged students.

“Professor Orochimaru make’s biology seem like a chore, and the only thing interesting about Chemistry is watching Anko test the limits of just what can be mixed together without blowing the classroom up.” He was actually surprised she had managed to avoid doing that to date, given just how often she liked to experiment with chemicals. “But Photography is interesting. Professor Namekaze lets us explore things that we like, and the only restriction we have is the assignments due date and the basic premise of what the assignment is.”

This assignment for example.

His professor's words had been on repeat in his mind since monday when they received the assignment, and every picture he had taken since then had been carefully thought out to fit the assignment.

Though, now that he thought a bit more about it, he was missing one picture. Something that would tie the project together perfectly.

“Hey! Are you listening to me, Kakashi?” Picking his camera up off of the desk, he turned in his spot to face Gemma and brought the camera up so that he could peer through the viewfinder just as Genma tossed his book off to the side and started to crawl out of his bed. “Don’t you date-”

It was too late though. As soon as Genma started to reach out towards him in a poor attempt to snatch the camera away, he snapped the picture. The final piece to make the perfect assignment.

There was no way he would get anything less than a ninety-five on this one. The pictures were too perfect.

“Maybe I'll print you out a copy,” he teased, lowering his camera so that he could smile at Gemma. “You could use it for your tinder profile picture. Then at least all the people you bring over would know what they’re getting themselves into.”

The look on Genma’s face spelled trouble. As if Kakashi had just opened Pandora's box and released all of the worst plaques onto the world.

“You know, I have plans to hang out with Gai tomorrow,” Yep, that was definitely the worst punishment for his transgressions. There was no way this could possibly- “I think I’ll tell him about your little crush. How you can never shut up about him, and that dorky smile you get on your face whenever someone mentions him.”

Somewhere in the back of his mind he recalled a lecture from his father when he was young. A long explanation for why murder was wrong, and not a solution to all of lifes worst problems.

Surely this was an exception.

No one could possibly prosecute him for Genma’s murder when they found out what a cruel, horrible man he was.

And even if they could, they’d have to find the body first.

[boycottyashahime]

Hello! Anti-Sessrin person here. You said if this couple becomes canon it will ruin Sesshomaru's character development. I would love it If you could elaborate on that because you're always so eloquent and smart. It's ok if you don't feel like it, though. Have a nice day!

I've actually been looking for an excuse to sit down and write out a cohesive post on my thoughts about this. Contrary to what the shippers want to believe, my interpretation of Sesshoumaru and Rin's relationship doesn't have anything to do with my moral objections to child grooming. I happen to think there's plenty of evidence for a filial interpretation in the text.

First, I'd like to preface my little essay here by saying I'm going off the manga alone. I haven't seen the anime in a long time, because I dropped it when I got a little tired of trying to reconcile the inconsistencies between the two mediums. So, if you read this and have an impulse to say, "hey, what about that thing in episode such-and-such...", keep in mind that I probably just don't remember what you're thinking of.

So, let's go back, alllll the way back, to Sesshoumaru's first appearance. Here's a guy who tears off a dude's head for no other reason than to get the attention of his subordinates to demand a boat. Here's a guy who's spent a long time looking just about EVERYWHERE for his father's remains, not to pay respects, but to plunder them. Here's a guy who feels ENTITLED to rob his dad's grave for treasure he deserves simply for being his father's son.

Sesshoumaru begins his journey as a selfish, spoiled, entitled brat. He doesn't fit the usual profile of a kid throwing a tantrum on the street because he wants the expensive toy sitting in the window; he's very posh and very reserved, but fundamentally, his motivation comes down to the simple fact that he wants Tessaiga. It doesn't even really have anything to do with respect and admiration of his father, otherwise he wouldn't have been so eager to rifle through dear old dad's bones to get at a sword when he had another heirloom right there at his hip. Only Tessaiga was representative of the sheer destructive force he wanted to wield, so he ignored the fact that his dad didn't seem to want him to have it.

This is important, because at first, Sesshoumaru doesn't seem to think of his father in terms of the guy's intentions or the steps he takes for the sake of his sons. Like most rich spoiled kids, Sesshoumaru views the Inu no Taishou in terms of his prestige and how that priviledge can be appropriated for selfish ends. Sesshoumaru wants Tessaiga not because he needs it, but because it's a birthright, and reinforces his legitimacy. When it's clear that Tessaiga seals Inuyasha's youkai blood, keeps him from going berserk, Sesshoumaru loses interest in Tessaiga - it's just a crutch for Inuyasha, and there's no prestige in taking it from him or using it for himself.

Sesshoumaru doesn't start to REALLY consider his father's intentions for the swords until later in the manga, when it comes out that Tenseiga was originally part of Tessaiga, and Inuyasha was meant to get the Meidou Zangetsuha attack eventually as well. It's at this point that Sesshoumaru starts to question if daddy actually HATED him, to give him a rather neat power disguised in a lame shell, but only to develop it so Inuyasha can have it instead, even after Inuyasha already got Tessaiga in the first place. It kind of looks to Sesshoumaru that Inuyasha gets all the powerful cool shit their father left behind, and that there might have been some favoritism coming down HARD on Inuyasha's side.

Above, you can see Sesshoumaru has two interlinked but distinct issues that are addressed throughout the story - his lack of compassion and empathy, and how tied his identity is to his father's favor and prestige. These two are somewhat separated in the narrative; there's a kind of pause in Sesshoumaru's development while a bulk of the middle of the story deals more with other characters and their development, but there is a little bit of a thematic connection between the two halves.

We'll start with the development of Sesshoumaru's compassion since, well, that's where the story begins working on his character. Right before Rin shows up, Toutousai let's Inuyasha's group in on the sword Sesshoumaru carries around and what it does, indicating that Tenseiga requires a compassionate heart to function. A bit ham-handed, but RT isn't very subtle most of the time, so we'll allow it. This sets up the next few scenes in which Sesshoumaru is unable to move and must play captive audience to a little girl doing the literal opposite of what he's used to. Sesshoumaru's habit is to show up and kill things, with no thought to the years of history, relationships, thoughts, emotions, etc that he's snuffing out. But while he's reclined injured in the woods, Rin demonstrates actual LIFE and the preservation of it, that part Sesshoumaru never gets to see. It's made all the starker by how BAD Rin is at caring for herself, let alone the strange monster she found in the woods. She does exactly nothing to help Sesshoumaru, despite how hard she tries, and is even injured by others in her attempts. She is the very picture of vulnerability, the opposite of the strong and capable Sesshoumaru.

This is a stark contrast, because anything less wouldn't be enough to create the necessary awareness of Rin's struggles that Sesshoumaru needs in order to use Tenseiga on here. And I know I've said this before, but I really cannot stress enough how obvious I think the symbolism is when Sesshoumaru uses Tenseiga for the first time; a phallic object gives life to a child, and the object's owner looks after that life throughout the rest of the story. He's not very good at looking after it, and it's clear that he's not sure about taking responsibility for Rin at first, because she pleaded for him to come back for her when he and Jaken left her behind to requisition a sword from Gaijinbou. To me, it's reminiscent of a teenager who knocked someone up, and ended up having to learn to give a crap about the result.

But, even if you don't accept that symbolism as particularly significant, Rin being a child, and human, and weak, unable to survive on her own, are important characteristics to how Sesshoumaru's compassion develops. Sesshoumaru is one of the strongest characters in the series, and he rarely has to worry about his own safety. And since he's in the habit of just murdering everyone he comes across if they're in his way, he's never had to worry about the safety of anyone else, either. When Rin comes into the picture, though, Sesshoumaru is faced with the uncomfortable reality of vulnerability in general. Through her earnest and incompetent attempts to foster survival in a world that can and does crush her, she's opened his eyes to how the disadvantaged, those without a powerful youkai lineage to rely on, have to struggle.

Rin herself has nothing to offer Sesshoumaru within this context of supreme vulnerability. She's not a friend, because she can't offer mutual support or use a skill to their benefit as a team. She's not a lover, because, well, she's a child and sexual/romantic attraction are conditions that wouldn't allow Sesshoumaru to extend his compassion beyond just her. As a mostly helpless kid, Rin has to rely upon Sesshoumaru and his power to survive, and Sesshoumaru employs his strength to keep her alive, getting nothing but a sweet smile out of it all. She gets all the benefits, he has all the obligations. This is PURE compassion - using one's advantages to another's benefit because you care about them, and not because you derive something from it as well.

This is why making Rin into Sesshoumaru's lover is a REALLY thoughtless take. It puts conditions on the compassion and muddies the message.

Moving onto Sesshoumaru's continued character development in the latter part of the story, the sword drama starts back up with slow, when Toutousai shows up and offers to reforge Tenseiga into a weapon. Sesshoumaru discovers that because he got angry enough to break his primary weapon in defense of Kagura's honor, he's triggered the next evolution of Tenseiga into something that can murder. Which is what he wanted at the beginning, yay! I want to point out here that Toutousai says Tenseiga noticed a change in Sesshoumaru's heart - anger for the first time for the sake of another. This implies that what Jaken said about Sesshoumaru getting tangled up in the fight against Naraku because Naraku kidnapping and using Rin to manipulate Sesshoumaru hurt Sesshoumaru's pride is actually accurate; he just really hated the thought of Naraku trying to use him, even if it was a failed attempt.

After going through HELL to develop the Meidou into a full circle (literally), Sesshoumaru then learns that the Meidou belongs to Tessaiga and Inuyasha, and that it's supposed to be handed over. Now, part of Sesshoumaru's angst over this idea, I think, is not just "did daddy love Inuyasha more?", but also the assumption that Inuyasha would have to KILL him in order to retake the Meidou Zangetsuha into Tessaiga. Thinking that your father meant for your little brother to kill you at some point to take your stuff is a pretty disturbing thought, to be entirely fair to him. This is why, when Sesshoumaru jumps into the meidou to take back control of the Naraku-possessed Tenseiga and breaks it deliberately, he spends the rest of the time in there moodily resigned to disappear. He genuinely believes that his father meant for him to die at this point, and even after they get out of there, he seems genuinely depressed.

This is Sesshoumaru's lowest point as a character. He's lost something he thought his father had meant for him, at his father's own wish, and he can't help but question why his dad would give him something just to take it away and give it to Inuyasha. It looks for all the world like favoritism, and since the Inu no Taishou is dead, there's no asking him what the hell the meaning of all this is.

This is all leading to one of the most infuriatingly ridiculous scenes I have ever seen in a manga - when Magatsuhi has crushed Sesshoumaru and everyone thinks he's been killed/absorbed, Magatsuhi is blown apart and rendered unable to reform by the shiny new sword clutched in Sesshoumaru's newly regrown arm. I could talk your ear off about how having Sesshoumaru stop being an amputee is erasure of consequences for his actions, or how being given back an arm is kind of a slap in the face for actual amputees, and where the mother f*ck did that sword come from anyway, but that's not what this essay is about, so I'll just keep all that to myself. The point of this is articulated by Toutousai when he says that Sesshoumaru had to let go of Tessaiga and his father's heirloom to stand on his own as a daiyoukai.

We've already gone over how Sesshoumaru is one of the most powerful characters in the series, who rarely has to worry about his well-being. He's just really strong without having to try. Sesshoumaru had already learned that he didn't need Tessaiga ages ago - he knew this when he learned that Inuyasha needed Tessaiga to keep from tearing himself apart eventually. But when he thought he had been passed down something from his father that was truly meant to be his, only to put all this work into it so that Inuyasha could have it, that embittered him again. It's not that he wanted the sword necessarily, but the thoughts and consideration of his father, who seemed to be putting everything he had into Inuyasha.

But his previous experiences protecting and considering someone (in some cases, multiple someones) weaker than him should have tipped him off. During the very battle in which he got his new arm and sword, he was actively helping those around him avoid Magatsuhi and keeping them close because he had a plan and the strength to carry it out. He was willing to take the extra step to protect Inuyasha and friends before trying to take care of Magatsuhi though, and that was the point. He put everyone else's needs ahead of his own, even Inuyasha's, and he did it without even thinking.

Toutousai just articulated what Sesshoumaru should have already intuitively known by that point. He never needed his father's heirlooms, the swords, his dad's power. They were unnecessary for him from the start. Inuyasha needed a leg up, because his own BODY could kill him after a while. But Sesshoumaru always had the capability of being great on his own. He just needed to finally separate his ego from who his father was and become his own person; stand on his own as a great youkai. While I don't agree with the execution, I can get behind the big lesson - don't rely on your daddy's wealth and influence to prop you up, and do the work to build a personality and identity of your own.

Which is ANOTHER reason why making Rin into a lover would be a thoughtless take. It would walk back Sesshoumaru's final lesson about being his own person apart from his father.

So, there you go. A comprehensive post regarding my take on Sesshoumaru's character development. I could add in a bit about Sesshoumaru coming to understand his father's consideration and the lengths he went to for the sake of protecting Inuyasha by having to give similar consideration to Rin, but I think this post is long enough, and that one statement on that aspect pretty much sums it up. Let me know if you would like me to elaborate on any of this, or if you would like to argue any of the points, I'm up for it. Might take me a minute to respond, mind you, but hopefully it won't take as long as it did to draft this behemoth.

Take care.

[wisteria-underground]

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! 

[isuzuapologist]

Rank the Sohmas based on how much you like them and why?

wow that’s gonna be a hard one to do..... i’m gonna put them in categories so i don’t have to strictly rank them.

not in any particular order!~

TOP 3:

yuki - first on my list! i already made a post about this but yuki is truly the character i relate to the most and i think his arc is not only my favorite but the most interesting to watch! he’s a treasure and the character i’m most drawn to. i always like to think he’d be the one i’d more easily befriend out of all of them!

isuzu - my sweet punk goth rebel... much like yuki her story and arc is one of the most interesting ones imo. in contrast to yuki, though, i think isuzu’s character allows us to see a very different side of the repercussions abuse has on a person. yuki presents well (overall) and keeps his problems to himself, but isuzu simply can’t do that. aside from that i just LOVE her will to fight and keep going, and her softer side. i adore her relationship with tohru.

kyo - how could i NOT have this absolute good of a boy in my top 3. i love love love his character and how much growth he’s able to achieve. i love his story, i love how he interacts with people!!!!! he has anger issues BUT i believe he is actually much softer with everyone around him than what it’s seen (which is often comic relief). super enjoyable character, and has everything i ask for in an orange haired anime boy. very cool of him.

love!!!:

momiji - very good boy. much brave. great fashion sense. really important member of tohru’s support squad in breaking the curse even if he’s not even aware of it. i think he just needs a tiny push to go at it like tohru and isuzu are doing. plus he really stands out to me for his courage. when akito hurts tohru in the beach arc momiji is the one who goes out to seek help and actively tries to stop the situation. meanwhile we see hatori, shigure and kureno (adults) standing in the back. vibing. even if momiji is scared to death he always does his best to make a change.

haru - adore him. love the way he takes care of people and his personality cracks me up all the time. his scenes are the best. although i wish he kept more of the attitude he had the moment he talked back to isuzu’s parents when he was younger!! he comes off as kind of passive sometimes even if i know he’s got it inside of him (hatori and kureno can’t relate). but anyway! truly love him. ((oh and the scene of his first kiss with isuzu didn’t sit so well with me.. anyone else??))

ritsu - i adore her. i think she’s relatable and a great portrayal of someone with anxiety!! (even if it is a litte clowned and meant for comedy) i don’t care if people find her annoying, i will forever defend her honor. she has a special place in my heart. how cute is she interacting with mitsuru??? how cute is it that she follows ayame around?? AND she’s a trans sapphic character hello?????? that’s canon. if i see anyone calling her a he i WILL throw punches. please refrain.

ok!!:

akito - hate them for obvious reasons BUT THEIR STORY... THEIR CHARACTER BUILDING............... OOF. super interesting, with an immense room for growth, they’re hot and they also make a great villain. pretty cool if u ask me.

kisa - baby!!!!!!!!!!! even though her story is short i love it and i wish we could have gotten more info abour her development in school. that would have been a really great chance to explore bullying without having it be based on flashbacks (also i’d die to see a scene where haru, rin and yuki go scare off her bullies. they’re terrifying. AND WHAT ABOUT YUKI BEING KIND OF HER MENTOR... oof) anyway i just love her. i’m also the year of the tiger so i couldn’t help but feel drawn to her when i first read.

hatori - i really like him but again, i wish he would MOVE MORE. take a stance. do something. please. if he wasn’t so much of a passive character he would be higher on my list. i find him interesting and you know i’m a sucker for emotionally distant characters but.. sometimes that just doesn’t cut it :/

hiro - essential for tohru’s growth!!!!!!!! he’s annoying but he’s so cute and has so much potential. i can’t help but find him to be sweet. i feel like we’ve all been a little like him growing up. belongs to the anger management (and bad bitch) trio along with kyo and isuzu.

ayame - can’t really relate to anything about him but he’s still pretty much here and queer, so props to that!!! also immense respect for mastering the art of being insufferable.

well,, :

kagura - find her kind of annoying to be honest. i still think she’s a cool character and i like that she helps out kyo in his growth + appreciate her humanity but eh... not really interested. her violent skits don’t really make me laugh and get old real quick.

shigure - love all his scenes, he’s incredibly funny and brings a LOT to the story. he’s ESSENTIAL. i just think he’s a deep, deep asshole. from what he does to akito (the ren thing??????), to the other members of the zodiac and to even mayu. i love him and enjoy him a lot but like.. dude. i can’t unsee that.

kureno - i like him and find him interesting but like............ he could have made such an impact and yet. kinda chose not to do anything. he has the potential to be a really cool character but. he’s disappointing.

[curewhimsy]

More Shiro-Sora things

I haven’t uploaded these tidbits to tumblr yet.

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—Catchphrases— Iroha says “nyaa” at times SeeU has a habit of saying “meow” Dex says “woof” sometimes Nigaito’s verbal tic is “gyuu” Miki says “Chun chun!” A lot... to be cute. Haku tends to say “Uwaah!” A lot. Uta’s catchphrase is “Yare yare...” (“Good grief...”) Taya’s catchphrase is “Is that sou, desu ne?” (“Sou desu ne” is basically “Is that so?” in Japanese. I combined the two. —Quirky behavior— Lapis carries around a toy wand and pretends to cast spells. Anon is just... chaotic neutral, in the way Luana and Isadore (OCs) are. She does things like eating Lunchables in the bathtub at midnight in the dark to prove that Lunchables float. Why midnight, and why in the dark? Because she doesn’t want dust bunnies to see her boobs. She’s also a very skilled mime. Kanon is wacky, and chaotic good. Like Luana and Isadore (OCs) but in a different way than Anon. She’s the type of person to immediately press a random button she found that says “Do not press.” She likes to annoy people with sound effects from her slide-whistle. She also likes playing dramatic kazoo. She also has clown skills, like juggling, and the ability to ride a unicycle. Teto is like Fuuko (Clannad) Taya is smart and dignified but... very clumsy and naive as well. Uta is badass, but kind of “chaotic dumb” in certain ways. Sometimes she forgets to do her homework while doing her homework. Don’t ask. Taya loves sweets, and his favorite is strawberry shortcake. He is also a good pastry chef... Uta is horrible at cooking! She is so horrible, that she makes things mega-explode! She is so horrible, she needs Taya to cook for her just so she can get by! Gakupo has some pretty sick ninja skills, just saying. Miki sometimes slips into “animated mode,” where she begins to act like a cute shoujo anime protagonist. Miki also sometimes runs with bread in her mouth when she’s late for school. When Ruko was late for school, she ran to school with an entire plate of breakfast in her mouth! Taya gets completely drunk after just a few sips of alcohol... Haku sure can hold her alcohol. She can beat everyone in a drinking contest... Nigaito is endearingly moe. He likes drawing pictures. Miki sometimes lends him cute manga about hamsters, his favorite animal. Ruby likes starfish for some reason. She always assumes every star-shaped item is supposed to be a starfish... Taya’s recorded voice has a tendency to break headphones. Nobody knows exactly why. Ruko is a very big eater. Akari likes stars. Ruby likes starfish. Piko likes stargazing. Yukari likes star celebrities. Nigaito likes the Big Dango Family song. Ruby tries to convince him that starfish are cuter and proposes the Big Starfish Family. Taya and Momo get into a rather heated argument over whether strawberries or peaches are better. Uta asks herself why she’s surrounded by airheads. Uta buys Taya a strawberry Squishmallow for his birthday. In no time, Taya is able to think of a personality and an extensive backstory for his new plush friend... Uta is impressed. Yukari fakes being mysterious and sophisticated to impress IA. It doesn’t work. —Funny Moments brainstorm!— Group chemistry! Misunderstandings... One time Taya tried playing Uta’s violin instead of his usual cello. He played an earsplitting tune and ended up breaking the violin. Not only does it just break, it comically explodes into little pieces! 46 of them to be exact... Taya mistook one of Akaito’s spicy habanero peppers as a new type of strawberry. He ate it, and it was so spicy that he temporarily lost the ability to speak.

“He’s just standing there... menacingly!” -Len, talking to Rin, referring to Kaito “Why did you set me on fire, Uta? Why didn’t you just write your essay?” -Taya ”Qingxian, I used your clarinet to unclog the toilet...” -Taya ”I am the darkness, I am the edge! I got this bruise falling from the ledge! Oh yeah!” -Zatsune “My voice is just naturally bass-boosted, I guess.” -Akaito ”You make the bass drop in my heart! I want to be together, with you.” -Yuuma, to Mizuki, in front of... everyone ”People all look the same to me. They all have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, arms, and legs. But Taya... you’re different. I can tell your soul apart.” -Uta “Take my hand... I’ll take you to a place where miracles happen.” -Taya. He was practicing lines from a short play he wrote himself. This captures Uta’s heart... “Take my hand... I’ll take you to a place where miracles happen... Now, shall we go?” -Taya, this time for real. He is reaching his hand out to Uta. He is trying to comfort her after an emotional moment. Both of them are about to cry. This is right before he confesses his love to her at the top of a hill under the stars.

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Random details- Taya is very polite, and selfless. He's always willing to do favors for people. He speaks in polite language. He bows at many occasions (Even in this universe that takes place in the USA, and not Japan.) He is humble as well. These may seem like quirks or obsessions as first, but it stems from his feeling of obligation to do things for people and "not be a burden," because he had friends and teachers who treated him like a burden before. When his anemia caused him to faint or miss classes, everyone treated him as a burden. When he starts hanging out with Uta, she comments on how he feels like a butler and tells him to loosen up, it's okay to be a bit more relaxed, and selfish even. Uta is pretty sarcastic, blunt, and sort of kuudere, so it'll be interesting to see her with the pure Taya Uta just lost her passion to depression, but that's touched on eventually/later She's all like "I hate life" but that's because of depression Taya tries to help out Uta and make her smile but... he ends up upsetting her... When Taya finds out how depressed Uta really is he starts crying for her and saying "I'm sorry..." and Uta is like "Why are you crying? Nothing is your fault..." And Taya apologizes again and says it's a habit that he feels responsible for his friend's sadness. Uta hugs him. "I haven't been able to cry for years, so I'm a bit jealous..." She says. "But... I still don't want you to cry though... I like to see your smile, ok?" Well I think the day Uta finally cries is when something bad happens to her but Taya comes and saves her and then confesses his love for her And then come the waterworks, from both of them! ——— There are magical moments where all 46 characters come together and do or create something. Such as a musical play. Do all 46 characters eventually become a gigantic group of friends? Imagine the 46 of them renting out an entire restaurant... and all taking turns performing karaoke! ——— List the backstories, secrets, sad hidden depth, tragedies, stories... and quirks! The quirks are how we grow to fall in love with these characters before we reveal the sadness. In the novel, it all ends happily... If it ever becomes a game, well... there would be a possible “good end” and possible “bad end”... ... Haku Yowane- Haku’s story is that she’s been lonely and insecure for most her entire life. Neru Akita- Neru’s story is that she has found herself alone and misunderstood for most of her days due to her temper. Miku Hatsune- Miku’s sincere, earnest dreams are crushed and she falls into a deep depression when she is diagnosed with an illness that will progressively damage her vocal chords. Miku never sang for selfish reasons. She sang out of love. She sang to connect others. She now compares herself to a caged bird, or one with broken wings. She wants to write a song about it... but she would rather have her final song be a happy tribute to all those who have helped her. Luka Megurine- Is Luka slowly fading away from this world somehow? Teto Kasane- Is Teto a spirit or something or other? Gumi- Gumi was bullied a lot since she was young, which traumatized her. Now people show her the tiniest bit of dislike, she panics or cries. Meiko Sakine- Meiko’s parents were neglectful, leaving her to have to mature on her own. Lapis Aoki- Is Lapis simply a wish fragment? Merli Aoki- Merli is still traumatized by the tragic death of her parents. Lily- Lily wants to change her image to someone more tame. She originally became a delinquent in middle school due to her parents’ constant fighting. IA- IA’s parents are divorced. It started after her mother had a miscarriage. She would’ve had a little sister named IO. Yukari Yuzuki- Yukari feels very insecure a lot... Uta Utane- Depressed, and doesn’t see much in life. Usually bored and glum. Once a bright girl with lots of dreams. Deep inside, she is passionate and caring, really… Can it be restored? Miku Zatsune- Insecure and hates Miku Hatsune for being more popular than her... Rin Kagamine- Rin has a mysterious connection to Len. Whenever Len is sick, Rin gets sick too. If Len were to die, Rin will suddenly die as well. Len Kagamine- Len has a mysterious connection to Rin. Whenever Rin is sick, Len gets sick too. If Rin were to die, Len will suddenly die as well. Kaito Shion- Kaito is actually an adopted child... not from this world... and doesn’t belong... Akaito Shion- Dell Honne- Dell is usually in a bad mood. He currently lives with a father who barely acknowledges him. He tends to keep it all inside, and he’s really just lonely and needs to find someone to vent to. Gakupo Kamui- Yuuma- Piko Utatane- Piko is a shy and compassionate person, but whenever he opens his mouth, he sounds very strict. He is bad at socializing and making friends, which leaves him quite lonely. On top of that, he is sickly and absent from school often. Piko wishes to make a friend. Mizuki- Nigaito Shion- He is sickly and is usually under the weather... Dex- Daina- Ruby- Taya Soune- Thinks of himself as a burden... Longya Yuezheng- His younger sister Ling nearly got into a tragic accident when they were younger, traumatizing Longya. Ling Yuezheng- She feels lonely that she doesn’t have many friends and is devoting her life to studying. Momo Momone- Is always passing out randomly... SeeU- Has a mysterious illness. Ruko Yokune- Ruko was always insecure about their height, six feet and two inches tall. They always wanted to be petite and feminine, but their body wouldn’t stop growing. Ritsu Namine- Ritsu used to be a bully. He remains to have a tsundere attitude... Deep inside, he has an earnest wish to apologize to everyone he ever hurt. Ruko is one of the few people who understands and knows this about Ritsu. In his childhood, he bullied Gumi for being a “coward.” Now he wants to apologize, but... Miki- Miki is too idealistic. She sees the world through rose-tinted lenses... but what happens when those lenses shatter? Aku Yamine- She wishes to have magic... she hates the state of the world. She hates evil, which is ironic... considering her name is pronounced like the Japanese word for evil. She wishes to cast out the darkness... which is ironic because her last name has the kanji for dark. Because of this, and because she tends to be a nuisance, Aku feels as if she is just a curse. Bruno- Bruno’s mother died when he was young. Clara- Clara was bullied a lot as a child. Iroha Nekomura- Yuu- Wil- Kyo- Akari Kizuna- Cheerful and sweet, and wants to make others smile… even though many heavy thoughts are hiding behind her own smile. Qingxian Mo- Being self-absorbed, Qingxian eventually begins to take advantage of Taya’s generosity and inclination to do favors. She may seem a somewhat spoiled brat, but she is lonely... Anon- Kanon- ——— College dorm antics... ——— Supernatural elements? Does the world have magical properties? How about the characters?

List them here...

All 46 characters mysteriously acquires a crystalline “star fragment” sometime during their journey. There are 46 pieces in total. Each character mysteriously acquires one when they are fulfilled. The fragment is from their heart. At a climax scene where all 46 are present, all the pieces are put together to form a beautiful kaleidoscopic star in 46 colors. This crystalline rainbow star can grant a grand wish, any wish... What will everyone agree will be their wish?

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 6/8/20

Ace of the Diamond, Vol. 26 | By Yuji Terajima | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – The fall season has begun! Furuya is wearing the ace number and dominates the first game, much to Eijun’s distress, since he’s still suffering from “the yips” after striking a batter with an inside pitch. Thankfully, Miyuki and Coach Kataoka arrange for Chris to drop by and teach Eijun a new trick, which seems to help get him out of his doldrums. Meanwhile, Furuya’s performance begins to deteriorate, rumors about Coach Kataoka’s imminent departure begin to circulate, and the guy who’s been observing them (but who is probably Kataoka’s replacement) plans to focus solely on cultivating Furuya the ace and objects to how much time and effort Kataoka devotes to the other players. I mean, I can only assume that this guy is going to get sent packing at some point, but I definitely appreciate that Terajima-sensei is able to make me this anxious about his presence. Perennially recommended. – Michelle Smith

A Certain Scientific Railgun: Astral Buddy, Vol. 3 | By Kazuma Kamachi, Yasuhito Nogi, and Kiyotaka Haimura | Seven Seas – The first half of this volume is a giant flashback, and you know those are always bad in the Indexverse. Expect dead kids, dead adults, and a whooooooole lot of evil science. Unfortunately, there’s also a lot here that relies on the reader knowing one of the antagonists is from New Testament Vol. 11… which we have not seen in English, and might never see. Too much continuity. Junko continues to be laughably retroactively strong, going toe to toe with a level 5 here. And there’s the bond between her and Misaki, which may be “master and servant” but is also a close friendship (and yuri tease, as Misaki herself demonstrates). Railgun fans will like this. – Sean Gaffney

The Girl from the Other Side: Siúil, a Rún, Vol. 8 | By Nagabe | Seven Seas – The eighth volume of The Girl from the Other Side is unbearably sad—so much so that I struggled to finish it, as watching Shiva come to terms with losing Teacher is a shattering experience. Compounding my sense of anguish were the final chapters, in which we learn why the Inside world was so desperately interested in Shiva. The parallels between her situation and our current health crisis are impossible to ignore, reminding us about the human cost of capitulating to fear, ignorance, and superstition in the face of a pandemic. In a less fraught moment, I’d be inclined to recommend The Girl from the Other Side for the lessons it imparts, but I think it’s OK to decide that Nagabe’s allegory is a little too on-the-nose to offer insight or comfort right now. – Katherine Dacey

Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest, Vol. 3 | By Aki Irie | Vertical Comics – After two messy but interesting volumes that see-sawed between mystery and travelogue, Go with the Clouds, North-by-Northwest finds its groove in volume three. Michitaka—who disappeared from the previous volume—takes center stage in the latest installment, as Kei inadvertently stumbles across some important clues about what happened to his aunt and uncle back in Japan. Though Kei’s discovery propels the story in a new and unexpected direction, the latest plot twists feel earned; the sometimes awkward shifts in tone and genre that characterized the first two volumes are smoothed over by new revelations about Michitaka, and a new sense of urgency about solving the trail of gruesome deaths he’s left behind. The result is a compelling story that has the trappings of a Scandinavian crime show but the soul of an X-Files episode. Recommended. – Katherine Dacey

Kakushigoto: My Dad’s Secret Ambition, Vol. 3 | By Kouji Kumeta | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Whereas Zetsubou-sensei made a point to seemingly attack everything in the world for leaving the author (and, by extension, Nozomu) in despair, Kakushigoto is zeroing in on the manga profession in particular. Here we get mysteries answered, such as why are the pages of weekly magazines colored differently, who determines the order the stories go in, and what is the exact nature of a deadline? We don’t get real answers for any of these, as it turns out things are very fluid. As for Hime, she’s still cute, and still investigating things with her not-Zetsubou girls mystery club. And there’s still that flashforward threatening us with the death of Hime’s father. Will the series get that dark? – Sean Gaffney

The Misfit of Demon King Academy: History’s Strongest Demon King Reincarnates and Goes to School with His Descendants, Vol. 1 | By Shu, Kayaharuka, and Yoshinori Shizuma | Square Enix – This isn’t my usual fare, but I hoped it would help with my Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun withdrawal. And it actually did! Anoth Voldigord was the all-powerful demon king, but sacrificed himself to end a perpetual war with humanity, pledging to reincarnate in 2000 years. When he does so, he’s invited to a school attendend by his many descendants but nobody believes he’s who he says he is because his magic is too vast to be measured and all of the facts about his reign have been distorted or forgotten over time. Anoth isn’t too likable at first, but the fact that his smug announcements of superiority garner no reaction, his jokes fall flat, and he must deal with a pair of doting and dimwitted human parents all help to humble him a bit. I guess it sometimes pays to venture out of your comfort zone! – Michelle Smith

My Senpai Is Annoying, Vol. 1 | By Shiromanta | Seven Seas – Thankfully, the senpai is not annoying in the way that I feared—this is all on her. Futaba is a new OL at a company who is so short she looks about twelve years old. She also has a near-terminal case of tsundere. This mostly comes out when around Harumi, her senpai at the company, who is huge, nice, helps her with her work and occasionally lightly teases her, and she is absolutely not ready to deal with it. This manga has one joke—Futaba is embarrassed and gets mad to hide it—and if you like that joke, it can be fun. It’s also based on a webcomic, with most “chapters” being about two pages. Towards the end, there’s longer original content, and that works much better. Recommended for those who like 4-komas and tsunderes. – Sean Gaffney

New Game!, Vol. 9 | By Shotaro Tokuno | Seven Seas – You got the sense that Kou wasn’t going to stay in France forever, and sure enough, she’s back by the end of this volume. There’s some nice stories here about not-quite-rivalries between her and Aoba’s friend Hotaru, and of course the inevitable yuri tease between Kou and Rin, which will never rise above a certain level but that level is pretty damn high. Other than that, a big part of this volume features the danger of farming out parts of your game to outside companies to complete, as they’re harder to control and can easily affect quality in ways that need to be fixed somehow. We also see Aoba continue to grow into her role as a real adult, even as she continues to never quite take the starring role. Cute. – Sean Gaffney

Primitive Boyfriend, Vol. 1 | By Yoshineko Kitafuku | Seven Seas – Kamigome Mito is popular with the boys at her school but feels nothing for any of them, finding them all insufficiently manly. Mito is lamenting her circumstances while working on the family farm, when she suddenly receives a visit from Spica, Goddess of the Harvest. Mito’s hard work has not gone unnoticed and as a reward, Spica sends her back in time 2.5 million years to meet her soulmate, a member of the species Australopithecus Garhi. He takes care of Mito, she falls for him, and when she’s sent home just as his life is in peril, she’s desperate to return. It’s pretty fun, I guess, if you don’t let yourself get bogged down in the realities of how their relationship will never work. Thankfully, it’s also only three volumes long. It’s short, it’s unique, and thus I will keep reading to see how it all plays out. – Michelle Smith

Species Domain, Vol. 8 | By Noro Shunsuke | Seven Seas – The series has now reached the Culture Festival, and seems like it might slowly be gliding to an ending, which in a series like this means pairing up more people. The “joke” confession that wasn’t in the last volume gets revisited here, with much embarrassment all around. Kazamori’s desperation for other girls to be attracted to Ohki may end up getting her in trouble down the road. Mikasagi explains why he isn’t ready to commit to anything, etc. There’s also an extended bathhouse scene, for those who like fanservice, which includes discussion about where Mizuno should be, on the men’s or women’s side. Again, I appreciate the care they’re taking with this character. Fun. – Sean Gaffney

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 3 | By Kousuke Oono | Viz Media -As I have said in previous reviews, you read this series for its one gag, and should not expect more than that one gag done extremely well. Beyond that, here we see that our househusband is not the only former yakuza trying to make a living doing mundane everyday things, and that it’s much easier to change what you do than how you act. We also see why he’s such a good husband, manipulating things a bit so that his wife can meet some live action Pretty Cure actors (or rather the non-copyright violating Pretty Cure knockoff). That said, I think it’s Santa’s appearance that is absolutely the highlight of the volume, along with the stunned reaction of all the children. Hilarious. – Sean Gaffney

By: Katherine Dacey

[murasaki-murasame]

Thoughts on Fruits Basket 2019 Episode 25: “Summer Will Be Here Soon”

I was a little worried about how this episode would turn out, since it was obviously going to be a sort of set-up/transition episode for season 2 rather than being super dramatic and climactic like the last episode was, but I think they handled it pretty much perfectly, and this was probably the best place to end this first season.

Now we just have to wait for Some Point In 2020 [tm] for the second season :)

Anyway, thoughts under the cut, plus some of my overall thoughts on the season as a whole now that it’s done. [Plus spoilers for the whole manga]

There’s something hilarious to me about how right up to the last minute they kept surprising me with the different choices they’ve made with how they’re structured this adaptation and what parts they’ve included. After they revealed Rin’s VA and character design a few days ago, I figured that meant she’d be the only new character getting teased at here, but then literally right when the finale came out they were like ‘oh yeah and here’s Kakeru and Machi lmao’.

They REALLY leaned hard into making the whole second half of this episode a giant tease for season 2, but I can respect that. They handled it really well, at least.

Specifically, this episode adapted chapters 34, 35, and the final scenes of chapters 42 and 48. I was worried that it’d feel weird to tie scenes from multiple different chapters together like that, but they integrated it all together really smoothly. They had to change a lot of the context around the bits they included from chapters 42 and 48, but they did it really well. I was mostly worried about how they’d handle Kakeru and Machi’s teaser scene, but having Tohru and Yuki just walk past them down the stairs at school was a surprisingly simple way to do it. It’s interesting to note that because they included that scene without the overall context of chapter 42, we don’t know that they’re going to be new members of the student council. Which is kinda interesting.

I also liked what they did with tying the ending of chapter 48 into the small scene with Ayame at the end of chapter 35, by bringing basically all of the Somas together for the final scene. It all tied together really naturally. And I still think that that whole monologue the episode ends on was definitely the best place to end this season. It’s a really blatant end-point that teases what’s about to come in the next major arc. I also thought it was neat how they mentioned how Hiro was going to be late, which lead into the whole Rin scene.

And on that note, her whole intro scene was largely the same as it was in the manga, but it’s worth noting that they give her a little bit more dialogue where she actually mentions the curse, which is interesting because it takes a bit of a while for us to find out in the manga that she’s trying to break it. I think it’s a really good idea that they pretty much laid it out immediately. As much as I love Rin as a character, I’ve always felt that the way she was introduced into the story felt very awkward and kinda confusing, and part of it was because we don’t know anything about her motivations for a while, so this is a good change.

And like with with the Kakeru and Machi teaser scene, I think it’s interesting that, in terms of how the anime’s pacing things, we don’t know that Rin is Haru’s girlfriend yet. All we know is that she seems to be trying to break the curse. We’ll probably still get that whole reveal of their relationship early in season 2, but I just think it’s interesting that they made it so that the scene of her in the hospital is the first time we ever see her at all in the anime. I wondered if they might try and include Haru talking about her in this episode, but I’m glad they didn’t. They didn’t really have the time for it.

Also I’m in the middle of rereading the series now that I have the whole collection in Japanese, and I’m right in the middle of where we learn about Rin’s backstory and we start getting more development with Kakeru and Machi, so that’s pretty nice timing, lol. It’s really reminded me just how much we have store for us in season 2.

At some point soon, maybe when I’m a bit further into my reread, I’ll probably make a more detailed post about how I think season 2 will go, and how much of the story it’ll cover, but at the moment I’m kinda clueless about it, lmao. I wasn’t expecting them to adapt the content they adapted in this episode, so it’s kinda thrown off a lot of my predictions.

In general I still think that, if we get a third season after it, season 2 will probably end around the end of volume 16, or with the big Akito reveals, since that’s around the two-thirds mark of the story.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I also kinda hope that they only properly introduce Kakeru and Machi after the whole summer vacation arc ends. I just think it’s a bit awkward how in the manga they get introduced at the start of volume 9 and then basically vanish from the story until the start of volume 12. But we’ll see.

Before I get into my retrospective thoughts on the first season as a whole, I wanna mention that this episode had some really good animation and art in it. Especially in a lot of the scenes with Kyo and Kazuma. I just thought it was really nice, and slightly unexpected.

I also appreciate that we got a more thorough look at how the anime’s depicting the cat house, after last week’s shot of it. It looks like instead of being a basement of some kind, it’s an isolated shed or something that basically has a prison cell in it. Which is all kinds of disturbing.

Anyway, now that it’s all said and done, this first season was amazing and now I’m gonna have to try and impatiently wait for season 2 to start.

I dunno where to even begin, since I’m still not quite over how surreal and unexpected the existence of this series is. It’s not every day you see a classic shoujo manga get a multi-season anime reboot, especially one that’s so lovingly made. I know some people haven’t enjoyed it, but I think it’s been nearly perfect for what it is. You can really tell just how much love and thought has been put into this.

I don’t even hate the 2001 anime that much [ok there’s some parts where the anime-original comedy filler got extremely bad but still], but this is such a drastic improvement over it in nearly ever way. The 2001 anime still exists for those who enjoyed it, but I’m glad that this can serve as the definitive adaptation that people can get into. The manga’s really easy to get now because of the omnibus editions, but having a good, modern anime adaptation still goes a long way to bring new people in.

There’s some parts that haven’t quite aged well [*cough* Ritsu’s entire character *cough*] in a very 90′s kind of way, but as a whole this is the sort of story that has a sort of timeless emotional core to it, which is probably a big part of why it got a new adaptation.

You can also really tell that Funimation also has a lot of love for this series. With how they’ve been handling the simuldub, and how soon the BDs are gonna be coming out, I’m still convinced that they’ve been involved in the production of this new series from the start. In particular it’s been really neat seeing just how many of the 2001 dub cast they’ve managed to bring back for this. Including the reveal in this episode that they got Hiro’s old dub VA to voice Kakeru.

The more I think about it, the more fitting I think it is that this finale is very intentionally low-key and mostly serves to bring us back into the status quo while still hinting at future developments and mysteries. It’s just kinda nice to end the season off on a much more warm and happy note than how intense and bittersweet the last episode was.

Anyway, I’m probably gonna just spend the next however many months rewatching this while I wait for the second season, lol.

[miyoron]

Miyo’s Anime of the Decade though Actually Just 2019

***Before I start this list, I would like to continue to send out good vibes and hope to all those affected by the Kyoto Animation arson attacks this past summer. It still hurts and I hope things can get better for everyone affected by it, even though I'm sure some things will take a long time to heal, if they ever will. Just know that you will always have me wishing you the best I can and sending out hope for you to recover at your own pace.***

I like writing these things every year. Whether it lets me know if my tastes are changing or staying the same, or if I'm just sentimental, writing about things I like is fun. Anime is good and I like watching it. I watched a good amount of stuff this year even if some seasons I couldn't find anything I say would fit this list.

For example, I started watching the Symphogear series and it's fun but I wouldn't say I liked it as much as any of these shows. Anima Yell is a very cute show but I didn’t have much to say about it, same for Aggretsuko again. I liked the main characters of JoJo part 5, but I wouldn't say I liked watching that, especially as the villain was revealed more and more. Fire Force was fun for me for like 5 episodes or so but then I bailed so take that as you will.

But I don't want to sound too mean here. No, this is for stuff I liked a lot and I wanted to write about things I enjoyed. This year I actually kept track of shows I liked as opposed to figuring out what I'd go on this list at the last moment. Crazy, I know, but this could be a good idea. Don't worry, I didn't take TOO many notes so this will be pretty off the cuff of my head like normal though I'm sure. As always, I will be using whatever title is easier for me to write/preference.

With this bit of text out of the way, let's la GO!  In no particular order (as always)...

Mob Psycho 100

This entry counts for both season 1 and season 2. I kind of sped through the first one a little so I could catch up in time for the second one. I feel it stuck with me just as much though. Mob Psycho is a solid action series with very silly things going on in the background of it...and foreground honestly). I suspect ONE is very good at making this sort of series. Honestly though, every character in this show is great and there's so many feel good moments. Mob  himself is a wonderful character. The most powerful psychic force in the universe but he just wants to get buff to go out with his crush.

There's a lot to like about this series. The humor is on point and anything with Reigen is going to be hilarious, especially if it takes a while. Animation is consistently top notch, especially in season 2, and I love the psychic effects. They end up looking like an old 90's video filter or trapper keeper or something. However, the most impressive thing this series does is show that maybe fighting isn't the way to do things all the time and that the most important thing you can show isn't just sympathy, but empathy.

Mob is a really good show and both of the OVAs are fun as heck. I dunno why I originally slept on Season 1, but I'm glad I came aboard.

Kaguyasama: Love is War

You probably know this one from that one ending with the pink haired girl dancing, that was going around for a while even though it was only for one episode. This series actually took me a little bit to get into mainly due to being WAY too tired to keep up with it. The set up being that the smartest boy and girl in the most elite high school both want to ask the other out. However, being the one to ask the other out would be to give up all power and admitting defeat. Basically it's a battle of two love struck idiots trying to get the other to ask them out.

As dumb as that sounds, the setups are often hilarious. Seeing the main characters trying to out scheme each other and keep a straight face while watching is a challenge in itself. It's like that 4th dimensional chess but the end result is seeing who will hold the other's hand first. Then throw in the wild card of Chika who seems to both not know what's going on while understanding how easy it is to end up on top in these battles and...look it's very funny ok? Even if sometimes the joke is just "weiner".

Shows that made me tear up count: 1

Kemurikusa

Similar to the Kemono Friends and its big gold star award, I felt like Kemurikusa deserved a shoutout this year. It's still janky like Kemono Friends before it, but after everything that went down with that series, it was definitely telling when this was the better of the two. This is a weird series and only some of that is due to the animation. The studio does a wonderful job of making a world that's both interesting and haunting at the same time. Everything that happens all ties to a big mystery that isn't revealed for quite a while.

The characters are fun enough. From the serious Rin to the caring Ritsu. From the voracious Rinas to the dweeby Wakaba. It's a fun cast going on a road trip throughout the apocalypse as they try to find good water for their big plant friend that drives around their husk of a bus. It can get pretty dark at times even with the neon bright colors the titular kemurikusa shimmering softly in the background. Oh also there's a roomba friend and a girl with sharp teeth so I mean, it's got something for everybody.

Hitoribocchi

This series is a cute little show with a setup which is potentially mean if you think about it. Bocchi's best friend is afraid she won't ever be able to make any other friends since they're going to different middle schools. Because of this, she says they can't be friends again until she befriends everyone in her class. The biggest hurdle to this challenge being Bocchi is horribly shy and socially awkward which just makes things seemingly impossible for her to overcome. Luckily, this is a cute comedy series.

The show is basically about Bocchi trying to make new friends so she can hopefully one day reunite with her bestie from the past. As I said before though, she's kind of bad with knowing how to communicate with people so she has a bad habit of say following friend making tips she read in books or online to a t and not deviating from them. Thankfully she is able to meet with lovable weirdos like blunt Nako, pitiful Aru and ninja girl Sotoka. It's a cute little series that also has a lot of heart, especially if you've ever had to overcome your own social anxieties to interact with others before. It's also funny too so there's a bonus even.

Shows that made me tear up count: 2

Carole and Tuesday

Shhhh. Don't let Netflix know I finished this before they did. Carole and Tuesday is a fun show from the creator of Cowboy Bebop, as evidenced in the fact it takes place on Mars and uses the same currency. It's a fairly simple plot, two girls meet up one day on the streets and start playing music together. One's an orphan who's basically lived alone for most of her life, the other is a rich girl running away from her politician mother (whose politics are a little too close for comfort these days). They just wanna make music man, and with a former big time agent with them, how can they lose!

Carole and Tuesday are fun characters and the show has a fun future sci fi vibe while still being grounded in reality. One of the biggest highlights is definitely the music though with lots of new songs in every episode and a good number of them being certifiable bangers. There's an overarching plot that also hits too close to home at times but the big finale at the end made it all worth it in the end really. This is an easy show to recommend and I am doing so to you right now. Go see these girls trying to make it to the big time!

Shows that made me tear up count: 3

Fruits Basket (2019)

I skipped out on Fruits Basket the first time around. I always told myself I'd go back and check it out but, knowing how I do things, this never actually happened. Part of me is kind of glad I waited to check it out though since I really like the style of the new show compared to the one from the early 00s. What I'm saying is I should have checked this out a lot earlier than I did but I don't feel visually bad for doing so.

Fruits Basket is a show featuring Tohru, the most helpful lovable girl, and a cast of characters who all start to love her because she is the most helpful lovable girl. This might sound like a bad thing but it's not. All of the characters are really fun, save one who I don't know WHY they don't just beat up, and I love seeing all their interactions. I just grew really invested in all of them and keep hoping everything will end up ok for them in the end, while in some cases waiting for a really big shoe to drop and biting my nails in the process.

I dunno if I have a super bunch to say about it other than my favorites are Uo-chan and Hana-chan and I can't wait until part 2 shows up. I am ready to see more of these Zodiac weirdos get hugged by Tohru and become animals and have her solve their problems in that order.

Shows that made me tear up count: 4

....Now, as usual, I will take a break to talk about the Precures I watched this year...

Futari wa Precure

This year, my friend Cheapsteaks and I decided to go after the OG Precure scene by watching the series that started it all. School girls run into fairies being pursued by weird monsters from another dimension/world/whatever and have to become legendary warriors to help them out. It's a story we all know well, just with lots of dropkicks and judo tosses.

As much as I like Honoka and Nagisa, and the opening theme...Futari wa has a lot of growing pains which is to be expected. Being the first one, it feels more like other magical girl series of the time compared to the style of later Pretty Cure series. From the rather uninspired villains, including one named Pissard, to the bland crush of Fuji P-senpai, and especially the obnoxious fairies, this is definitely one of the weaker series in my eyes. Again, it's probably not fair to judge it though since they didn't know what they were doing yet with this series.

That being said, there is a dumb fun to watching the Crunchyroll subs for a nostalgic taste of hard yellow subs and often not great audio. Again, the best parts of this are Honoka and Nagisa and I can see why they still get to be super popular today.

Smile Precure!

The other older series we checked out this year was Smile Precure which is much more my speed. The characters are all really good and they're all super good friends and it just makes me feel good. Like just in general they'rea really good and strong cast and I love all of them. Reika/Cure Beauty is the secret funniest character just by being the straight man on a team of doofuses and it works so well.

Miyuki's desire to make everything around her "Ultra Happy" just makes you feel good seeing a character who just wants others around her to be as happy as she is. All she needs is a smile and that makes me also smile. Akane is fiery and powerful, Yayoi is a big sweetie whose artistic trials and tribulations I SUPER identify with, Nao is a super cool big sister and I already brought up Reika being great. This is really one of my favorite Precures I've watched so far and I'm going to be sad to see it go in a few weeks.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention that I love the stupid villain trio. Especially Akaoni. I love you big red oni doofus. (Please see oni times in the link below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXA5jfSJz_c&feature=youtu.be

Shows that made me tear up count: 5 (ANY NAO EPISODE AAAA)

Star Twinkle Precure

The newest Precure series! One we also dragged fellow anime friend Metalray into and I feel like it was a fun enough one. Cute alien encounters trying to help space zodiac princesses with a fluff unicorn and a tentacalien? Sign me up my dudes. Star Twinkle is a fun series and has a lot of things going for it, while also having weird similarities to Smile sometimes like soccer related attacks from good big sisters and prim and proper arrow girls.

The characters as always really make the show I feel when it comes to Precure and Lala is adorable enough to carry it entirely herself? But the enthusiasm of Hikaru is always fun because it usually just involves her being really into outer space and everything in it. Hey there's even Elena who is Mexican-Japanese and the show even explores a bit of her growing up being different from others so like, that's pretty cool I think? If it helps little kids learn to accept others and be cool through lil hermit crabs and dog space police officers, I think that's a real good thing.

...Now Precure time is over but I'm looking forward to next year's offering and seeing what old ones we go after next. (Spoilers, we will probably do Max Heart and Fresh!)...

How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift?

So this series has some problems in that like...wow sometimes during the exercise segments of the show, it just gets way too horny like...I dunno if I needed to see sensei in nothing but a bedsheet to show off how she worked her lats fellas. But I digress.

The main reason this show is on here is because it affected me enough to actually look at myself and start wanting to become healthier? Like the show is just a framing device for jokes and showing off exercise routines but the characters are all really sincere and the translation of the opening is even moreso? Like I feel this show helped me out a lot and I'm gonna let you all know about it cuz maybe it can help you out too if you need it.

I don't have a whole lot more to say but I will leave you with the opening I mentioned. Turn on the captions for this banger and remember that you can do it too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxi2Y4-NNXY

Wasteful Days of High School Girl

Hey, so can I say something amazing? Much like Asobi Asobase last year, this series was a very weird comedy that I absolutely ended up loving a lot in the end. The cast is full of delightful idiots, one aptly named Baka by her friends being the standout moron of the cast. The title pretty much says it all but you will find all sorts of high school girls here just wasting their youth away in their favorite ways.

You want a girl who draws BL doujin while listening to vocaloid tracks? We gotchu. What about a girl who is more invested in micro organisms in Petri dishes than her friends? Yo, we're set. A dipshit chuuni who climbs on top of absolutely anything tall and regularly needs to be rescued/leap out of trees because of it? Yea, that's here too. The show is not afraid to be weird any chance it gets and there's something I can respect about that. This series also had one of my number one laughs in an anime this year in one of the last episodes too and it still makes me laugh as I recall it right now.

Also like Asobi Asobase, it has the plus of having a lovable witch girl who is as pure as she is into weird occult shit. Majo you're a sweetie. Even if your room is creepy.

The Demon Girl Next Door

This show feels like something that should have come out about 5 years ago in terms of animation style, story set up, characters and even the jokes. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing though because not only is it pleasant and cute, it also knows when to step back from teasing its unfortunate main character. Shamiko, the demon girl formerly known as Yuko by everyone who isn't her family, is a kind of pitiful character and this series could easily just make jokes that punch down and humiliate her way more than it did.

Thankfully, the show actually does it's best to show that she is comic relief but also that she is genuinely a good person. She's not very good at being a demon as she is still learning so maybe she gets easily tricked by resident blase magical girl Momo more than she should. However, she will go out of her way to make sure her rival is eating more than the crappy instant food she frequently microwaves. Like I said, it's ultimately a silly, kind of dated feeling series but the character interactions are nice and it's just genuinely good

hearted to see these girls become friends, even if sometimes it's due to trickier. The show makes sure not to be mean at all times to Shamiko compared to say Satania in Gabriel Dropout's treatment, or the snake girl in that Dropkick show I dropped after one episode. Shamiko is good and hopefully one day she will be able to use her demon powers to rule the world so her family can have a bigger, non cursed, budget to live on.

O Maidens in Your Savage Season

Puberty is hard. Puberty is also maddening, wanting to drive you up the wall with new urges you are not used to. Simple joys like trains are replaced with weird videos you order off websites or somehow get from the back of a video store. Puberty is an inherently frantic time but it's also kind of funny if you think about it enough.

Maidens explores the tales of the Literature Club members as they go through this important stage of life and that's the fun of this series. All of the girls are each trying to find out exactly what it is they want out of a relationship. Is it just friendship? Is it Ess Ee Ecks? There's a lot of fun to be had as the series goes on. Whether it be Kazusa trying to get a bit further with a childhood friend, President Rika questioning her stance on relationships being even proper to have in high school or the writing adventures of HItoha going to sex chatrooms, there is a lot of different things going on in this show.

It's got a very good sense of drama as well; there were more than a few episodes where I found myself worried about what would happen next and hoping things would be ok. Niina's arc is very intense and gave me creeper vibes any time her old mentor appeared. The show is very good in general at just showing emotions and none of it felt like it was shoehorned or phony. The writing is top notch and I love all these girls. Puberty is a weird time but...they got this I'm sure.

Here are a couple of other shows I watched that didn't come out this year but enjoyed a lot!

SSSS.Gridman

Thank God Trigger was able to come back from its previous offering to give us Gridman. At first I was afraid that all of its Transformers color scheme easter eggs were just trying to lure me in with a mediocre show. This was not the case because Gridman just rules hard. A sequel/spinoff to the old 90's series, localized here as Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad, this show was a love letter from the creators to the show and other tokusatsu shows in general.

Kaiju appear to devastate the city, shown from low angles that just make it seem even more like you're watching an old toku show. The toyetic nature of Gridman's various powerups and the design of Gridman himself just further pay homage to this. There was one Kaiju for a moment I swear you could see a string operating it (for the record, it was not a string but was in fact part of the Kaiju). It's not just a cheap nostalgic trap though because the animation is superb, the action is top notch and the main theme song just kicks ass. This is a really cool series and if you have any passing interest in toku shows, are a Trigger fan, or like seeing Actionmaster Thundercracker's color scheme, go and check this thing out!

Other highlights include another version of Inferno Cop and Rikka's mom who is always fun and good.

Dirty Pair (TV series)

Dirty Pair is a series I watched a good chunk of before but never actually finished. Thanks to the #DirtyDecempair hashtag though, I finally went and did it and well...Dirty Pair is still really good y'all. It's got space babes who kick ass and are not afraid to go after hunks along the way. Seriously, it's great when you watch a show older than you and it lives up to its hype.

Kei and Yuri are really good characters because they will snipe at each other but in the end, they are still besties and will mess up anything that gets in their way. I appreciate that they always try to get more PTO and pay out of their boss. Even more, I appreciate that the chief will put up with all their shit, whether it be the aforementioned blackmailing for vacation or the sheer amount of destruction they leave in their wake,  and still is 100% behind them. He knows they're the best he has and nothing will get in their way.

So yea, Dirty Pair. Still a good show over 30 years later. You should check it out next December! Or sooner, whatever!

That abut wraps up my list of anime I watched this year, but I'm also gonna throw a little bonus round on you! Some anime movies I watched and liked! Lightning round go!

Promare Good fucking movie, good fucking soundtrack. Good Trigger things this year. It lives up to its hype for sure. Go see this when it is out on DVD and Bluray!

Sound Euphonium - Our Promise: A Brand New Day This was a nice movie that felt like a good third season condensed into about 2ish hours.

Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow I actually like the music from this one more than the movie itself but seeing Ruby's arc gaining confidence is good and I love it.

Bonus Saint Snow Track: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUNNWxK2Dfs

Redline A movie I kept meaning to see and finally did thanks. Stylish and cool as hell, and the dub is really good too.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly They made Broly a compelling character finally, holy shit. Also some good Frieza comedy.

KonoSuba! Legend of Crimson Imagine a village full of dipshit chuuni wizards. This movie was fun and funny as shit. Warning: It does have one awkward joke related to gender but it thankfully passes by it real quick.

So I think this is my list. I hope you enjoy it. The next time you'll see one from me will be in the distant future of 2020! Hopefully things will be cool by that point to go with the good anime.

[seelestia]

YES I AM HERE sorry i've been running around like a headless chicken these past few days hsdfhjhdf and yep... you know, the shadow realm almost feels like home now, i loooove it when they most-definitely-not-forcefully shove me in here /s oh yeah, i've submitted a ticket again, but so far no replies yet, as per usual! 🙃

speaking about voicelines, i'm curious to know - which version of ayato do you prefer? cn? en? jp? owo

i doooo ;;; lmao it's ok there's a lot of edible things outside yk like grass and stuff- /j my god yes if there was a choice between "always winning your 50/50" and "having unlimited resources (except primos) in genshin" i would choose the former so fast-

very very true. i actually wanted kokomi too, she's so cute and her movement sets are super pretty.... but i want the other characters more atp hsdfhjsd i'm sorry mermaid princess i'll get you eventually!!!!

oh gosh i wonder.... hmmm... i mean, last time i reblogged an ask game, some people told me i give off the same energy as lisa lol irl-wise i think i give off kujou sara vibes - closed-off, serious, and stern, but tbh with my close friends i act like how i act online! maybe thoma but not that much hardworking and a lot less talent in housework hahah

many thanks i have signed it and submitted it to the uh- whatever government equivalent in teyvat that takes care of that- AND I READ HIS PROFILE AND I AM SO SOFT NOW HE IS ADORABLE

hehe i shall bring presents in the shape of fun stories and shenanigans that happened afterward~

istg, tumblr 😭 but you're on your vacay rn, so let's forget about the existence of the shadow realm momentarily, shall we? i don't want tumblr's shadow jail distracting my cousin from her vacay >:( and hopefully, they'll send you a reply by the end of the trip! trying my best to keep my hopes up for the both of us 🤞

rin jie, the way i already listened to his voicelines in all languages before you even asked me 🚶(how am i doing well the down bad scale, idk... but i know you can relate to this, so we both can't speak for ourselves /j) each va did such a good job in their language but i recall having my jaw sink to the bottom of the earth when i heard his korean version. vv elegant but also clear/authorative at the same time <3 fun fact: korean is my third language, so maybe the familiarity also helped a bit! (i liked the cn version too tho! zhao lu's take on ayato's voice is vv light and elegant <3) but wbu??? which voice-over language do you prefer, rin jie? 👀

trueee, the "(except primos)" on the latter was the deal breaker LOLLL <//3 i'm happy that at least, itto treated you right on the 50/50 (the man wants you to conserve your sacred elemental burst, how sweet /j) 🤧 speaking of, the v3.1 update is today! since i'm on 50+ pity and on the 50/50 rn, i'm gonna use my pulling strategy that i told you about~ i need venti for easier runs in the abyss, but if i like cyno's playstyle more, then i'll set my eyes on the general mahamatra 🤫 good luck saving up on primos this patch, rin jie >:)

if i were to put it, you're vv friendly but you can be assertive (and savage, hehe) when needed! smth about imagining you as kujou sara makes me want to pat your head??? but the irony of me being shorter, helpppp. legs, come on and grow taller than rin jie and xiao already 🤨 (/lh)

TYYY !! lin is but a soft man who needs headpats, so those are exactly what we shall provide <//3 i'm kinda excited to write his voicelines because through them is where we truly get to know a character >:) not just about his backstory and views on the other characters like the archons but also what an awkward he is sometimes 😭 so, i'm glad you think he is adorable <3 his gameplay talents make him out to be a good hydro applicator and support! i'm still working on his talents but he does increase the team's energy recharge so you can spam ult with him on your team ;D tysm for showing interest in him, i'm crying, ueueuue 🫂 also, i've told you this before but if you ever make a genshin oc, i will also go feral. (/hj)

[mikunology]

Mikunology File #4: Fanmade/Derivative Characters in Vocal Android

Forget those dumb character lists I made in the first two files, I don’t have the time to make icons/portraits for everybody.

But, I figured I might as well talk about the fanmade and deriative characters that will be featured in this series/comic/story/whatever, so here we go. And remember, some portrayals of characters are made up purely for storytelling’s sake--if there wasn’t a story to any of this, I’d probably portray some of these characters differently.

Info under the cut! (WARNING: A CRAPTON OF READING.)

Truthfully, unlike the Cryptons, who have a clear-cut role in the story (which is, duh, the main characters), a lot of the fanmade characters are sort of scattered throughout the story. Some are important, most are just little background characters that help populate this wacky, futuristic world the Vocaloids live in. But I have to say, I have the Friendship is Magic approach to background characters: despite being backgrounds, they probably have their own story to tell.

So what of them?

Akita Neru & Yowane Haku: Oh, these guys. As stated on a post I made on Incorrect Vocal Android Quotes, these two start out as low-tier villains, so low-tier I actually wouldn’t categorize them as such considering other characters fill the title of “villain” so much better. Why? Story-wise, these two do little more than make halfhearted attempts at antagonizing Miku and the Cryptons, and even then, it’s mostly Neru’s personal envy. That’s why I don’t consider it a spoiler that Neru and Haku end up joining the heroes--though Haku’s role gets expanded later on as we learn more about her creators.

Calne Ca/Calcium: Calcium, surprisingly enough, would have counted as a oneshot villain if it weren’t for the fact she’s just terribly lonely. Calcium, in reference to Deino’s concept, is supposed to be a robotic exoskeleton--and in this story, a robotic exoskeleton developed by a miscellaneous company for some shady reasons. She gains a Miku skin (thus becoming Calne Ca) after coming to idolize Miku’s music and deeds, and later on gets the more humanlike skin from Bacterial Contamination after Miku befriends her.

Zatsune Miku: As mentioned on Incorrect Vocal Android as well, Zatsune is definitely one of the more textbook supervillains in Sapporo. Created by a mysterious underground company, Zatsune’s mission is basically Kill & Replace--assassinate Miku, get all her glory and fame, maybe cause a robot uprising in the process, who knows. Thing is, curiously enough Zatsune’s specific function is more of an attack droid, not a singing one, and while at first she’s a bit more quirky and hammy she gets MUCH more serious when you see her...other design (aka her original one, if you’ve been to the Fanloid Wiki).

Dell Honne: Last I checked, I mentioned Dell quite a few times on Incorrect Vocal Android as well, and well...he’s not at all a nice guy, and arguably a worse villain than Zatsune depending on your perspective. While in retrospect I realize Dell was supposed to be a “Yowane Len”, so to speak, he’s actually a human character who is supposed to be Haku’s creator. He runs the large technology company Honne Corporation (a corporation I’ll go into more detail about later since I plan on making a post about companies in this story), and initially created Haku based on Miku’s success, and subsequently junked her when Haku failed to perform. But he’s not just a backstory character--he gets up to some evil plans later.

Hagane Miku: OK, OK. I’ll be honest that my portrayal of Hagane is a bit confusing, but I’ll do my best to be straight about it. (The problem with Miku’s derivatives is that I had to explain why she has so many lookalikes.) To start, I will say that I didn’t initially intend Hagane to be her own person in this verse--in one of the old drafts of this plotline, Hagane was simply a death metal alter ego Miku took on when people wanted her to be edgier. But in this current plotline, there are two Haganes, based on the H-side and M-side versions the Haganeloids were supposed to have. 

Hagane Type-H: The Type H Haganes are a line of attack droids sent to destroy Sapporo while simultaneously wrecking Miku’s reputation, supposedly created by a faction of Honne Corp. (though it’s unconfirmed). The thing is about the H-Haganes is that unlike the Cryptons, or heck, unlike Zatsune, they are mindless--they simply follow the commands whoever made them gives them. Which, to Miku and crew, makes them that much more dangerous.

Hagane Type-M: This is where the more confusing part comes. See, as more stuff happens, the Vocaloids end up inspiring a LOT of people, and not only do more singers pop up because of them, more heroes do, too! That said, it’s not uncommon for some of said new heroes to base their image on the Vocaloids themselves--and thus, M-Type Hagane Miku is a vigilante fighting bad guys on the lower deck in a punk-rock Miku image. Who she really is, no one knows, but she definitely helps the group when the H-Types show up.

Sakine Meiko: OK, this one is purely technical but I felt I should clear up some things in case someone tries to point it out--Sakine Meiko and the Meiko that features as a main character (MEIKO) are one and the same. Sakine as the derivative she’s known as was Meiko’s persona when she used to be a teen idol, being a one-hit wonder before retiring so Meiko could study science. Hence, that’s why I give Meiko the surname of “Sakine” even as an adult.

Shion Family: Yes, they exist here, too. The Shion Family is, as expected, Kaito’s crazy family of brothers (and one sister) that he occasionally goes to visit, or that occasionally visit him and cause havoc. I won’t go into detail about each one, but the family is pretty much made up of (in order of birth): Akaito (red), Kikaito (yellow), Kaito himself (blue), Mokaito (brown), Taito (purple), Nigaito (green), Kaiko, and finally Kageito (who I’ll go more into next). All this plus their unnamed foster father who I need to make. Zeito, as much as I wanted to include him, isn’t here simply because I haven’t figured out a role for him yet (as Kageito kind of has the role people would expect Zeito to have, knowing Zatsune).

Kageito Shion: You know how above I say that not all portrayals in Vocal Android are reflective of my image of the character, and that if this were ust a story-less random thing characters would be portrayed differently? This is definitely one of those times. Kageito, in this story, is Zatsune’s right-hand man and most loyal lackey, being a calm and sweet boy that was transformed into a devious and crazed monster after being possessed by a mysterious shadow being. He directly antagonizes Miku and the Kagamines numerous times but is routinely defeated, and goes into hiding with Zatsune sometime later (whom he’s infatuated with, by the way). Whether Miku actually brings him back to his original self is up in the air.

Hatsune Mikuo, Kagamine Rinto, and Kagamine Lenka: I was slightly iffy about adding genderbends in simply because it’d be hard to explain how they exist (because, like I said before, I’m trying to explain why there’s so many Mikus running around), but I gave in eventually. Kind of along the lines of how Haku was developed, the genderbends were made as knockoffs--created by a couple of random scientists who wanted a piece of the action. Mikuo, Rinto, and Lenka don’t have the powers that Miku and crew have, though, but they befriend them just the same. S’all good.

Kagami Kawaiine: Now we’re getting to the silly ones. Kagami, unlike most of the characters above, is simply a silly background character that pops up now and again to annoy absolutely everyone around her. She’s a human girl that tries to imitate Miku and interrupts random events by being a weeb.

Sasayaki Nerune: Another background character, and actually my OWN character--she’s a narcoleptic android that works random odd jobs and appears from time to time doing something weird. I just think it’s fun to have her cameo occasionally.

Hachune Miku, Tako Luka, Shiteyanyo and Larval Rin: The weird little mascots are characters that simply pop in now and again to do whatever, with Tako Luka officially being Luka’s pet in this story. Hachune shows up very randomly as a sort of a visual joke, but also offers Miku rather assertive advice (thus leading Miku to believe Hachune is simply a figment of her imagination). Shiteyanyo and Larval Rin I haven’t decided on yet, but maybe they’ll show up somewhere.

Mikudayo: Mikudayo, in all essence, is just a little running gag that exists solely to spook the hell out of the other characters. While I imagine it originated at a convention/concert kind of place (mirroring how it came to be in real life), it just stalks Miku relentlessly for some reason. Miku isn’t too sure it’s even just a human in a suit, either.

OK so that was a LOT of writing I just did. But yep, those are the plans for those characters, at least. And just so everyone knows, I’m totally open to suggestions on other derivatives as characters (I am NOT taking ocs, but if there’s a more notable fanmade I haven’t heard of then I’d love to include them). If you got to the end of this post, then I wholly appreciate your endurance of my weird ideas and your interest.

[avicebro]

The UBW backstory isn’t that bad

Ok as a big Medea fan I am tired of people talking badly about the UBW anime backstory for her so let’s talk about the visual novel, the anime, and her backstory from hollow ataraxia.

What does the VN talk about? Barely anything.

This is what we learn from the VN about Altram. We learn that he was ultimately afraid of her and then cursed her so that she would have less power than him. She convinces him to use all of his command seals on silly things, and then kills him with her Rule Breaker. She kills him because “she did not like the fact that the contract with him still existed”, because he didn’t want to fight and remained passive, because he was an idiot. Then she meets with Kuzuki and the rest is history.

In terms of a story this isn’t very interesting. She kills him because he’s passive? That doesn’t fit with her, someone who in the Fate route just sits at the temple until everyone has basically died. She killed him because he was an idiot? Ok, but that doesn’t fit cause why wouldn’t she just try to make him a puppet or just continue to trick him like she does with his command seals? So, this just points to her killing him because he was afraid of her magical strength over him? Which again, ok she could have taken this as an insult for cursing her, but anyone in the caster class is likely to have more strength than their masters so. It just doesn’t stand that well, especially for Medea. Never mind the fact that Medea Lily likely would have been summoned by this master than normal Medea, because he doesn’t have any evil to him.

So why is the anime better than the visual novel?

Altram in the anime is a greedy, power hungry spoiled brat. He has women on his arms and daddy’s credit card backing him up as well as the Mage Association. The “I am afraid of you because you have more power than me” goes a step further because instead of simply cursing her, he uses a command seal so that she cannot use rule breaker on him, and this likely replaces the curse in the anime.

However, there is more fear here than in the visual novel. When she shows her power, he’s afraid of what she can do to him if he steps out of line. He believed he could use Medea as a tool like his money to win the war but when she proves to be stronger than him his fear makes him dump her, because immediately after we see him and Kirei settling on her getting killed by Lancer.

This makes Altram a new Jason in many ways. Never mind the fact that if one compares Altram’s look to Jason’s in Fate/grand order they look very much alike -   they have similar characteristics. They are both pretty boys who wish to use other people to get what they want, and once they have gotten those things or things go awry, they point the blame somewhere else. When Jason starts to lose his popularity, he and the rest of the city blames it all on Medea, as detailed in her backstory in Hollow Ataraxia. When Altram realizes he cannot work with Medea because he is afraid of her, he tells Kirei it’s because she does not care for human life (even though in the visual novel we rarely see her kill—she doesn’t fully kill the humans she drains the mana from which Kuzuki critiques her for, she lets Rin and Shirou go).

Altram becoming ‘a new Jason’ also makes Medea’s actions make a lot more sense. When she tries to work with him and give him advice based off of his workshop, he ignores her.  She kills him because she knows that he is a Jason, and she’s already gone through all of this bullshit and would rather not. Also, by killing Altram it also acts as killing Jason. Furthermore, having a really shittier master just makes her time with Kuzuki even better and makes her falling for him so quickly more believable as she’s constantly dealt with assholes.

Now, so let’s consider the things ufotable could have done for Medea’s backstory:

a)       Kept it the same as the VN

b)      Done what they did by fleshing out Altram

c)       Done her actual backstory, or the fate version as detailed in hollow ataraxia

d)      Skipped over the master part and focused on Kuzuki

 I think we’ve talked about why option a) is just ok. Ultimately it doesn’t fit with Medea’s character and it is boring. It is also short and doesn’t have very much to animate. This could have given us more time to flesh out her relationship with Kuzuki, which would have been nice, but it would have felt boring.

Option b in my personal opinion is the best. Sure, there were some problems with that. They should not have included the Bazzett wink or even Lancer to be honest as they don’t explain how she gets out in the first place. They could have kept the curse instead of the command seal against using rule breaker. The children dying part was kind of unnecessary as well. There are flaws in the story: however, I do enjoy Altram a lot.

Option c is unrealistic. In Hollow Ataraxia, it takes a long time for them to do Medea’s backstory, as they start from the beginning to when she leaves Jason (which isn’t even her entire story!). The anime used less than half of the episode for Medea. To fit her entire story is not possible. Some scenes could have been done, sure, but they would feel short and rushed. They could “flip” through but if you don’t know the myth that well it would feel cheap and confusing to people who have no idea who Medea is before watching fate/stay night. Furthermore, having her tell her story in Hollow Ataraxia is important as she becomes a mini-Angra Mainyu by the end as everyone blames their problems on her.

The main reason why option C is bad is: it isn’t important to the story. What is important to the story is why Kuzuki Souichirou, teacher and non-mage himself, has Medea as his servant. This needs to be fleshed out in unlimited blade works or it would not make sense at all to first time viewers. Furthermore, what do we need to know about Medea really to understand her? Not much: she’s an evil witch who wants to go home and uses skeleton monsters. That’s it. We don’t need to know her entire backstory because it doesn’t apply to the plot: in unlimited blade works, she’s an evil witch from Greece and the bad guy who will use underhanded tactics to get what she wants. It sucks that we don’t get her backstory, but as I mentioned before, having her backstory in Hollow Ataraxia makes a lot more sense.

To further this point, let’s look at another hero who is big in unlimited blade works but doesn’t have their backstory explained but rather teased: Cu Chulainn. Like Medea, he doesn’t explain his story until Hollow Ataraxia. Like Medea, it doesn’t matter what his stories were, because they don’t matter to the plot. All the reader or viewer needs to know is that he’s a strong well known Irish lancer. There.

So finally, option d), have more time with Kuzuki. I feel like this is the one I would have preferred the most but I understand why they didn’t put it in. It’s obvious to the viewer that Medea likes Kuzuki, but less the other way around, which I feel was a missed opportunity as I still see people say that the relationship is one-sided or unrequited. If this was added it would make Medea’s death sting even more, make Kuzuki’s fight for her even more believable. However, this is also a problem of the VN (and even in Hollow Ataraxia) so I can’t really touch much on it.

There we go. I feel like a lot of people consider this “to be where UBW got bad” which, ok, sure, as I mentioned there are problems in the way they handled it. However, if I had to choose between the rather ok version we get in the visual novel, the one we got or a rushed version of her myth, I’m going to choose the one we got.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to message me if you wanna talk about this.

[akiharashizuka]

Cardfight Vanguard G: Next turn 41 thoughts

It’s been a while. I skipped over episode 40 because it’s a recap, so there’s nothing to comment on it. Today’s episode is mostly fights, so it will be a shorter review. That’s why I’d like to include some stuff revealed in the Weekly Bites at the end.

Fukuhara High School Vanguard Club VS Team Diffrider

The first fight of the final stage is Verno (Amaruda) vs Rin. The contrast between the 2 is evident right from the start. 

Amaruda is as calm as always and only wants to see what her opponent is made of. Rin, on the other hand interprets that as being looked down on...I don’t really like where this is going.

However, I liked when Amaruda got rid of Nurse of Broken Heart, which was very emphasized. It has been in Rin’s deck since her debut (if I’m not mistaking) and for a good reason. The “broken” in it’s name describes this card well, because it can lead to extremely high power-ups. From the perspective of someone who doesn’t play, I think it was a good move, even though Rin managed to bring it back during her turn.

*sighs*...Ok, I didn’t want Rin to win because I dislike her character, but I gotta admit that it makes sense. She has a goal now. MC Miya even reminded us of it by pointing out the scouts in the audience.

But, her attitude and how she sees everyone beneath her, how she wants the others to kneel before her really gets on my nerves. Maybe also because I met people in real life with that mindset. And I really hate when things always go their way so easily.

It’s good to know that Amaruda feels a bit frustrated. She only acted out of pure curiosity and it didn’t seem like she cared about winning or losing. There’s nothing wrong with that, but when it comes to a game you like, it can’t be helped but feel frustration when losing. Especially with an opponent like Rin. Her displaying this kind of emotion, makes me appreciate this character even more.

Then, we have Saori (Dumjid) who seems done with everything. Except for his job.

Even more so. His facial expressions are close to Yami Marik-level. Not sure how I feel about this, but at least he doesn’t act that bratty now. He still shows some hypocrisy though. He knows how devastating wars are, yet he wants to turn the Fight into a hellish one. It’s like he cannot accept a different view on Vanguard. Knowing his reason, is understandable and makes things interesting. That’s why I’m looking forward to see how are they going to handle this character in the future.

Now, let’s talk about Hayao who continues to impress me. His ambition is simple, but it works well. Out of the Fukuhara trio, I think he is the one that changed the most. And for the better. He used to be so wimpy and panic so much, but look at him now. He found courage. He is able now to display his strength. Another thing that made him stand out is that Hayao is so different from the other Narukami users introduced (Kai, Ishida, the DE branch chief). He doesn’t seem like the type who would play this high-offense clan. Yet, he does and I think he represents the clan well. Especially that, starting with the G era, the playstyle of Narukami started to differentiate from Kagero.

I liked watching his plays. Speaking of which, Narukami is getting new stuff in the upcoming Booster Set and it was nice seeing it in action. I personally have a good opinion on the new cards. But, since I don’t have the necessary knowledge to evaluate them, I also checked the comments and there was plenty of positive feedback. Knowing that, it’s a bit sad, since he will most likely lose. Honestly, I wanted Hayao to have the only win for Fukuhara.

So, that’s it for this week. Now, for the Weekly Bites part. They posted some highlights for the Final Stage arc. Of course, there are summaries for the upcoming episodes, but they reveal some more stuff, probably hinting to events that will come after the Jaime Flowers vs Striders match. I’ll include the links as well.

First off: this . Guess I should take them in order:

1. A trip to the mountains, huh...So, this means that there will be a day (or more) between Striders vs Jaime Flowers and the final match (which is most likely Diffrider vs Striders). I don’t know why they chose to go there, but I think I know who are they going to come across. Kanzaki. Because...he was training in the mountains last time we saw him...And I’d like to see him return. Plus, he’s a Shadow Paladin user, so he can mentor Kazuma. I’m also looking forward to some comedy moments with him (the ones in Stride Gate were hilarious) xD Maybe one of his horses trying to eat Chrono’s swirl again xD

2. Hmm, I guess this is more about the upcoming Striders vs Jaime Flowers. It was revealed that Kumi will face Taiyou. I’m curious how it will turn out.

3. I really doubt that Fukuhara will win, but I don’t think their club will be completely disbanded. I believe something will happen that will change the principal’s mind. Maybe because the scouts being impressed with their performance and wanting to recruit them.

And, the 2nd slide:

1. That’s something I can’t wait to see. I wonder if they are going to connect it to his lore (the one revealed in June 2017).

2. Again, I don’t know what to expect from Dumjid. “Fear and hatred”, that’s pretty much how he feels right now as well. Maybe something bad happens to him?

3. Oh, so Miguel (Antero) might return. I wonder what this can lead to...

4. Finally! I was starting to get worried that the writers forgot about Noa (Chaos Breaker). I can’t wait to see Kai and New Nippon in action.

[princebete-archived-moved]

How do you cope with rejection in the rp community? Asking for a friend.

//rejection? 

well i wish i could say “ i ignore it!” but really that’s not a reality for me. Not at first, anyway.

I’ve face all kinds of rejection, from straight up to not being responded to from memes, to starters, to messages etc.– to being downright ghosted. People have their reasons, and I don’t usually put much effort into hosting resentment toward those who I feel “ reject” me. Because that’s way too much energy to keep up with. 

But at first. It’s awful. 

I like feeling wanted. 

And I know I get more out of online friends then real life. Because a.] i can hang with my friends and remain in my bedroom in pjs with my cat and disney shit. b.] there is something about being able to tell people more stuff about urself online than in person 

so i guess what im trying to say is. when im rejected. it’s more of a missed opportunity for a good friendship. 

and that’s a bummer. 

but honestly. there have been many friends that come and go, and it’s all a part of the process of applying yourself to the social networks. and i try to just compartmentalize everything. 

IF I notice a pattern with people. one minute im ghosted the next they return, i try to stay away from them. because i know i personally am unable to handle that it’s like being second best. i consider this a type of a rejection. almost like a use and abuse. 

stay away. save urself the time and emotion. 

next is examine urself. look at your interactions with every so far as a whole. past to present. 

do u ghost others? maybe a little pushy? [ ive been there!] oh! here is a scenario. you got an idea or an au, you are soooo excited or you have so many fresh ideas. you tend to piled it all on at first?? and the person just gets burned out or shys away. sometimes it’s good to recognize that despite it being good having ideas. sometimes people can get overwhelmed a great deal. and overly stimulated by everything. you gotta take it one step at a time, and not push too much on them at once. keep to one idea... write down the others... and slowly introduce those over time. or consider that maybe u should keep those ideas for other partners. some people can only do one or two threads per person at a time. not saying that that is ur frriend’s deal but--yanno?? it’s a learning process because etiquette online is so terribly skewed, especially on tumblr. one person may be more open than another. some people dont communicate ooc a whole lot, they just write. which is fine [ im not particularly drawn to this. because ooc is important to me. it keeps confusion at bay. and very enjoyable to get to know those who i write with] 

are you approaching the right people to rp with? 

i dont think this could ever be enough. because there are always people to write with. every corner of this website there is a person who wishes to expel and share their creative content.

so don’t give up. that’s my advice. there are so many out there. be patient. be open. 

now when all that is said and done. and yeah you wanna rp now right?

well okay. 

what muse do u play? there are some that are a lot more difficult to get ur foot in the door with then others. 

When i came here. i immediately joined a group, and i joined one with a big niche [ aka disney] now im not saying a group is ur best bet, but it’s pretty nice when you are figuring out the norms of this abnormal discipline  [ my family cant wrap their minds around rp, other than that ‘roleplay’ is regarded as a sexual activity not writing…. ]  

i picked a canon muse i felt i could take to. [aladdin] and made a little name for myself. 

so lets say your friend is writing an oc. ye? or a very unknown character from a book or film or anime etc. it’s going to be a bit more difficult to start out then lets say playing something more people are familiar with. 

and a lot of people may disagree with me. but [ this was me wanting to feel wnated] i picked a muse i knew people would be more familiar with, and i made an ame for myself. made friends AND THEN introduced my unfamiliar muse when my friends were now open to the idea of writing with me, just a different muse. just to gain some traction— then over time, the writing [ lots of writing. write write write. writing will attract other rpers] attracted newcomers to the unfamiliar blog and eventually i stopped being rejected, and became welcomed. 

and the biggest of all, is to familiarize others with your writing, and with a nice page that covers the backstory of said lesser known character.

but youll find that the other blog will become a fav. 

also, your fandom is a big deal too. and the demand of the muse.

BATB fandom was dead. 

there were like 10 belles. 4 beasts. me. forte. some cogsworths and lumis and 3 gastons… . 

so because there were less of us, but a wide audience [ llots of people know batb] i found myself being gravitated to a lot because there were not many of prince adam…[ now they are COMING OUT OF THE WOOD WORK. LIKE GREAT. BUT SHIT. DEMAND WENT DOWN. tumblr rp economics] but because of this [ i admit. its bad] people were sortof forced to rp with me. or at least had to give me a chance… to which— they then realized my writing aint so horrible, nor is the mun. and now even as the fandom grows, they are loyally sticking by my side, being exclusive with me [ not rping with other beasts. this is THEIR choice. but it’s nice to feel this considered] 

there are times were i make a muse, and it’s not a big interest to others. i really tried with Rin. She is the main character from the music video of Shelter by MAdeon and porter robinson… or prince cornelius from thumbelina…. or aradinus my male ariel…. ive got so many reject–ees. 

but it’s ok. theyll revive one day when i feel it. 

my newest is Prince Philip, so we’ll see if he gets ‘ rejected’…. just need to find the right people. 

hold out for them. and keep trying.