#so I picked out a bunch of manga panels

[icezeebee]

Started so simple…

[caffeiiine]

i wanna cosplay fem fyodor since i love long skirts but i barely get the chance to wear them and i need an excuse to cosplay as well

[verytendou]

Coming out of my jjk hole to remind mappa i carry a big hammer and i NEVER FORGET

[anoant-haikyuu-dump]

More Nekoma hcs

• One time after an intense match Kuroo makes the mistake of taking the whole team out for hot pot, his treat. Never again. His wallet is in SHAMBLES, especially after the menaces that are Inuoka, Tora, Fukunaga, and Yaku get their hands on the meat menu. At least Kai helped with the bill

• Yaku is secretly super sappy— he gets emotional when reminiscing about the past, he loves romance manga, he tears up at sad movies, etc etc. Kai and Kuroo know about it and love teasing him in private but would never expose his softer side to the rest of the team. He totally bawls at graduation though and no one's suprised (they all knew)

• Shibayama and Inuoka are little gossips, they're always whispering to each other and giggling behind their hands (kinda like Tsuki and Yamaguchi but less bitchy lmao). They're the types to have conversations entirely made of inside jokes so if you hear them in passing it sounds like incoherent gibberish

• Thinking about that panel of Fukunaga holding an entire bunch of bananas, I think he'd bring whole-ass watermelons to school and scoop them out with a spoon for lunch. At first Tora’s appalled by it— as he is with most things Fukunaga does— but eventually he joins in. You’ll often find them hunched over a melon in the courtyard shoveling away like maniacs and spitting seeds into the air. Kenma thinks its the most disgusting thing he’s ever seen

• While we're talking about manga panels look at Inuoka swinging his tie around in the bg. He never ties it right, it drives Shibayama insane so he fixes it for him.

• One thing I like about stage play Kai is that he kinda has a short fuse and is a bit more sarcastic. I think he deserves a good scream in the club room at least once a week (Kuroo and Yaku guard the door so he can do it in peace)

• The third years are kinda like the Date Tech Alums in that they just show up to random practice games and heckle the team from the stands. Yaku's screaming at Lev about his form, Kuroo's teasing Kenma and Tora, Kai made a bingo sheet.

• Fukunaga has the kind of ADHD where he picks up a new hobby every week. Sometimes he's in the club room crocheting, sometimes he's learning yo-yo tricks, folding intricate paper cranes, rubix cubes, cup stacking, card shuffling, juggling, you name it. His favorite will always be cooking though, he uses the team as a test audience for new recipies.

[luffyvace]

HIHIHIHI TYSM FOR DOING MY REQUEST ^U^ I hope u Don't mind me dropping another one u :'))

Can I have kusuo reaction to Reader-chan being mostly know for her gore/angst/horror series but looks like nothing for a person to write this stuff (she looks absolutely innocent) yet having a (technically an old man) friend who is also anonymous writer for one of kusuo favorite series yet the said look absolutely opposite of it (the reader-chan and her friend are like Junji Ito and hayao miyazaki)

I'm sorry if u couldn't understand the request:')) my English isn't really the best-

HII DARLING! No problem at all! Of course I don’t mind! Request at any time as long as they say open <3

ohhh so she’s a horror writer :> OHHH I was confused at first but as soon as I searched them up and saw the memes I understood 😂💓

This is such a cute and funny topic! Enjoy your hcs anon 💖 ⚠️ Gore mentions⚠️

Kusuo isn’t easily scared.

there are very few things that actually do scare him, considering he can sense everything coming from a mile away

But shows and books are an exception (given he doesn’t stare at the pages to see through the book-)

he’s not normally into horror but your manga is actually very interesting to him!

seeing a bunch of mutilated corpses packed together is quite a gripping sight for him!

and honestly he is obbsessed likes normalcy but your case is a type of unique he doesn’t mind :)

it’s funny since you have this friendly and kind personality and your work is the exact opposite of that 🤗

it’s giving the cute core girlies!! (and guys!! <3) 💓💗💖🌸🌷💞🎀

he still gets the perk of reading the chapter before publish and giving small ideas for stuff

You once put his favorite character from another series in one of the manga panels and he when he noticed it he had a little smile on his face! 💗

he wasn’t excpecting you to do that at all and it was a pleasant surprise ;3

your introduced him to your friend and he also likes his work now!

Y’all are literal polar opposites- and ngl? He enjoys the balance!

like when he wants some exhilarating and goosebump-giving action he’ll pick up one of your mangas’

and when he’s feeling mellow while eating some coffee jelly on his bed his new (second) favorite author to read from is your friend!

His number one author is of course you ♥︎

would recommend his friends (specifically Kaido) one of your mangas to freak them out

they definitely won’t be expecting it seeing as though your such a cheerful person! 🌸🎀🌷

I feel like Torisuka would genuinely enjoy your manga as well!

he doesn’t get scared easily by creepy stuff for obvious reasons 😋

so you’ve got yourself another supporter !!

I have a feeling my girl boss Airua would get creeped out but 1) she wants to support you so she would probably buy and either never read or 2) read it anyway because it’s so interesting

like you captivated people with your work!

just as much as your friend does with more gentler topics

but in a different sense

You make your audience quite literally cover their eyes in fear yet still peak through they’re fingers with anticipation !

like that’s how good it is!

a “I can’t look away” type of thriller!

also you know that really talkative guy with the bob?

yeah he over analyzes your manga once he finds out about it

(which let me tell you- Kusuo tried his hardest to keep him away from it—but much to his luck- he got a hold of it anyway)

thankfully he likes it!

he’s scared- but once again- he just can’t look away :)

he comes to you and gives your extremely detailed compliments and (positive) feedback after each chapter is released and says he can’t wait for more

he also tells his expectations and predictions for the next one and hopes you’ll live up to them

so when your exceed them he’s more than thrilled (GET IT?? Ok..)

he’s practically able to predict every book or manga he reads because he analyzes everything

so when your able to surprise him he’s impressed!

after Kusuo he’s the first one to buy a copy

(cuz yk Kusuo gets those special you-get-the-first-copy-before-it’s-published-because-your-my-boyfriend-privileges)

LOL

the bob guy is low key jealous of him for getting it before it’s even PUBLISHED

tries to bargain you to get that too but it’s strictly reserved for Kuu ♡

okay I looked up bob guy’s name

it’s Akechi Touma (oops)

LOL “bob guy”

enjoy!! Pretty short but I think they’re a delight~

[darkcircles4lyfe]

This doesn't have anything to do with anything, but i had a talk with a friend a few days ago, about shonen biasis and the way this shapes our expectations, and mha came up so i remembered how so many people apply those biasis HEAVILY into the manga, to the point that they sound like they're looking for a different story.

And one of those things that it seemed to be MOST talked about is exactly bkdk's relationship.

I have seen many times people from the fandom (sometimes really angrily) point out how in most cases Katsuki seems to basically take up not one, but four roles in Izuku's life and this includes putting him in situations that people associate with the MC's love interest, and it is weird that, despite Izuku "having a girl" for people to make assumptions about, he seems to completely repulse any female character that could be the counter part to Izuku's.

And this made us wonder if Katsuki's placement in those roles and lack of interest was made specifically because the author precisely did not want the actions that both do for each other as romantic but a whole another thing entirely, as a subversion for the these classic tropes, as he did by making the conflict between Ochako and Himiko not a "rivals fighting for the affection of a boy" but something that is connected to the plot of these characters instead.

Oh you bet! I am always down to talk about this, because I think about it a lotttt.

This reminds me, recently I remembered a funny habit I used to have with books I read. Like, back in middle school. I used to start by flipping directly to the last page and reading the final sentence. Usually this did not spoil anything whatsoever, but sure enough, by the time I read through the whole book, that sentence would take on new meaning.

So I started musing about what it would be like if only I could do this with bnha, if everything was already out. It made me feel so nostalgic…

Will the last panel be something grand, or something small? Hopeful or sad? Distant? Intimate? A parting message to the reader? Will it look like almost nothing of consequence to the unknowing eye—yet burst with hard-hitting subtext?

Of course I wonder about all the twists and reveals that might be still ahead of us, but it’s kinda soothing to think about how the whole thing could be put to rest. Because then I realize I’m not worried.

For once, this is not because the story is following so many tropes so predictably that I know exactly, in so many words, how it will end. It’s more like the story is a close friend who I’ve gotten to know well enough that everything they do is so “them” it makes me smirk. I'm often marveling at how Horikoshi has managed to pull all this off. How is it that (at least here in the west) people who aren't really paying attention call it basic and cookie-cutter. Even a Japanese animator called it "classic," and this interview shows such obvious dissonance between Hori and the interviewer, just... wow. But it's so clear that bnha has broken just about every rule in the book at this point, so much so that I struggle to condense it into words. I'm like--*gestures broadly at everything*--why haven't more people picked up on it??

Yet we still get bombarded with people saying "it's a shonen, c'mon, we all know how this will end." Um. No you don't. I KNOW there has to be a bunch of people who are secretly frustrated by Kacchan taking up all the roles and getting all the moments. It's not even in a mysogynistic way, because Kacchan is the most anti-dudebro character imaginable. Bkdk's relationship isn't intended for them and they know it... and you know what, I'm starting to ramble. You've heard all this before. The thing I should really be focusing on in your ask is the part where you mentioned how you and your friend were speculating about bkdk ending up as "a whole other thing entirely" rather than simply romantic.

Well, fuck it, I've been biting my tongue, but now might as well be the time I talk about this. I got into a bit of a disagreement with someone over it once and then I shut up. Because it's very difficult to approach the subject without being lumped in with those people who see bkdk as "brotherly" (ew) or otherwise try to push some "crisis of male friendship" agenda, or at the very least without being accused of enabling people to make excuses against bkdk being canon ad infinitum. So let me be clear that I do NOT want bkdk to have an ambiguous or open ending. I want their complexity and importance to be acknowledged. I want them to use their words. I think we may have created a bit of a false dichotomy there.

I am aromantic, and to suggest romantic relationships are inherently the most important and intimate goes against every fiber of my being. I also reject the idea that cut-and-dry gay representation is more desirable just because it is more easily understood by the masses than aspec representation or representation of relationships "beyond" both romantic and platonic. We recognize how ridiculous it is for people to expect Izu*cha at this point, right? Well, the reason they're so confident anyway isn't just because of heteronormativity. It's also because of amatonormativity, the assumption that romantic attraction trumps all: no matter how much focus bkdk get, Izuku blushed at Ochako, so that automatically makes them more "important." THAT is the notion that I want to challenge most. More than anything, I want bkdk's relationship to be fully acknowledged because they have so much more going for them than just attraction.

You and your friend make an excellent point, that it would be very much in line with Horikoshi's taste and the patterns of his writing so far if he chose to subvert the shonen romance trope not just by giving it to two boys, but also by disregarding its premise entirely. It's unlikely he'd try to stuff them into such a copy-paste ending right at the end.

So maybe they won't get the blushy confession, the obligatory kiss, the wedding, the 2.5 kids and a white picket fence. That's fine, we shouldn't pretend those tired tropes are suddenly revolutionary just because they're gay. But don't be disappointed! Without them, we have more room for things that are actually personally meaningful to bkdk to stand out and receive the nuance they deserve: talking through their feelings openly, building each other up like no one else can, understanding each other like no one else can, smiling at each other, embracing, holding hands, rushing to the other in the hospital, being glued at the hip (or even closer), healing mutual trauma, putting each other first in all things. Maybe we'll also get confirmation on Ochako's side as she moves on from her crush on Izuku. You know what other shonen manga took this exact angle as a way of subverting tropes and presenting genuine complexity? Blue Flag! There are so many ways to do bkdk justice.

Even a kiss isn't out of the question, if the right opportunity comes along. A perfect example of what I'm talking about is Good Omens (major season 2 spoilers) because the kiss between Crowley and Aziraphale was not at all about canonizing them. It was an expression of pain and desperation that just made sense at that particular moment. Neil Gaiman was adamant that if it took that kiss to understand the context of their relationship, you really weren't paying attention. I respect the hell out of that.

Recently I was even daydreaming about bkdk getting something similar to the sort of uh, shall we say tasteful nudity, that togachako got, because of how Izuku appears in the vestige realm.

Ya know like not in an nsfw way but in like a "this is so deeply intimate and soft that I feel like I'm intruding" kind of way... yeah. Because it represents vulnerability and openness and acceptance of someone as they are. And I don't care if people call that bait. It's not. It's beautiful. It’s honest.

[hannigramislife]

I read these manga panels, not sure where from, of Dazai taking Akutagawa out and Akutagawa drinking and him being a lightweight, which is the most interaction we've gotten from them that hasn't been violently upsetting, so now I'm gonna come up with a bunch of headcanons for them that aren't very probable in canon, but at least they're not depressing.

-Dazai found Akutagawa's retorts to other mafia members quite witty and funny, when Akutagawa wasn't aware that Dazai was anywhere near him

-Dazai taught Akutagawa how to read/write properly, and Akutagawa picked it up really quickly.

-Once every two weeks or so, Dazai will visit his and Gin's apartment (during his mafia days, of course) and bring bread and vegetables because "they're growing kids."

-Dazai rants to him a lot, even if all Akutagawa does in response is give hums in agreement every now and then.

-While Dazai is very harsh on him, he will not let anyone else think they can just hit or talk shit to Akutagawa. Disrespecting his protégé is the same as disrespecting him.

-Dazai very rarely mentions Akutagawa to people, but once he does, he compliments him highly; he can't help talking about the people close to him.

-He has 100% faith in Akutagawa's abilities to see something through. Just because Akutagawa has the habit of derailing from set plans, that doesn't mean he won't succeed in whatever he puts his mind to.

-He took Gin and Akutagawa to see the New Year's fireworks.

-The only thing he has ever given Akutagawa other than the coat was a book he had bought and read because Oda had said he liked it a lot.

-Dazai doesn't train Atsushi now because he is afraid of repeating the same mistakes he made with Akutagawa.

-Dazai knows that Akutagawa takes his tea with 4 cubes of sugar, and his mind immediately went there when he first saw Atsushi drink coffee with 3 cubes.

-Akutagawa is a survivor through and through, has a will of steel that allows him to stand up no matter what life throws at him, and Dazai is uncomfortable when faced with it because he doesn't understand it

-After meeting Atsushi and getting to know him, Dazai often wonders Akutagawa would have turned out if Oda had found him.

[bcbdrums]

Soul Eater NOT - part 9 (MAJOR SPOILERS)

But now we come to the biggest issue of all...

Untrained NOT students (the three main characters) defeat the witch. TWO meisters, using a single weapon, none of which who have any battle training or real practice together, are suddenly incredibly competent and powerful, even more-so than Akane and Clay, and kill the witch.

This undermines the whole of Soul Eater.

In Soul Eater we learn right away... The ultimate goal is to kill a witch and for the weapon to eat her soul. This is the power that transforms the weapon into something greater. It is stated that many meisters and weapons die in battle with witches. The witches are the centuries-old enemies of the DWMA.

So...for these untrained students to suddenly have the ability? And of course--the author has thrown in that the princess was forced to study martial arts, and that our lovable ditz has also studied martial arts... None of that changes that our weapon is in the NOT class. Specifically just how to use her weapon form not to hurt herself or others. Zero combat training. Their defeating the witch makes NO SENSE. It feels like the biggest let-down of the entire story. It horribly demeans Medusa entirely, it makes Maka's defeat of Arachne feel meaningless... If untrained students can suddenly do it, then, why can't everyone? What threat are witches at all?

Now one can make the argument that Shaula was a lousy witch. But! She somehow mass-poisoned and mind controlled all the NOT students and a bunch of citizens! So surely she has a lot of power??

But again...the manga didn't give us anything about her character. She's supposed to ride on Medusa and Arachne's coattails and we're supposed to believe and feel she's threatening by nature of relationship. Unfortunately, it doesn't work at all. It feels insulting (just like Akane being Star Clan).

Now, in one of the very last panels right before the girls defeat Shaula, we get a sudden full-page image of Lord Death telling the witch: "Listen, you... Do you know who you've picked a fight with?" Out of nowhere. And this is the one and only time he appears. Subsequently, Shaula screams his name and then the girls kill her. SO.... One could headcanon that it is in fact Lord Death taking over the three girls and it's he who defeats the witch in the end. This is the only way to make this ending palatable. But even that just doesn't feel right...

Support for this idea is that...very suddenly, when the witch is defeated (at the girl's dormitory) who should suddenly show up next but...! Tezca, Justin, Spirit, and Death the Kid, who take the witch's soul. This last chapter's opening panel shows all eight death scythes with Kid and Lord Death, and they're all perched on that rooftop so it's even implied that all eight may suddenly just...be there. Not only does this make no sense generally, the sudden arrival, but we know from SE canon that the only death scythe in Death City is Spirit! Author forgetting his timeline again. Just...tossing things in last second to be cool I guess? Gotta get all the cameos in before it's over.

But again, the sudden arrival of all these huge players could imply that Lord Death took over the girls and it was truly him that defeated Shaula. But this is some far-reaching and it really only softens her defeat slightly.

So in conclusion, the entire villainous plot and the witch's defeat is a hot mess.

[marichild]

heyheyhey 3 and 4 for the fic ask game ?

*slides in* *puts on peace sign* HELLO TO THE BEST AKU STAN EVER <3

3. Do you have any upcoming WIPs? How fat along are you with them?

QUITE A FEW ACTUALLY! since you're my bsd moot I shall give you a small list of the ones I'm focused on posting at least by January <3

ALREADY BASKING IN THE SUN — kunikidazai canon, slice of life vibes, pining & fluff. teen and up. currently the first scene is written and I hope to have it out next week!

IF WE MUST BECOME SOMETHING — soukoku, dazai & atsushi, festivals, based on that absolutely lethal wan! panel. yk the one. with the fireworks. teen and up. it's half written!! I just need to write out the final scenes and post next week hopefully

WHERE MY PULSE BEATS — soukoku college/high school au, band member!chuuya, soloist!dazai, whatever you can use to describe pre-dark era soukoku to lovers, explicit, I am still plotting this out very randomly

UNTITLED — soukoku canon relationship fix-it, missing scenes vibes, post-dead apple & post-cannibalism arc, explicit. still writing out random scenes to see how well it all fits together

UNTITLED — fyozai, vague college au, straight up just discussions of suicide. ghost!fyodor. mature. making notes for it and reading fyozai fic (giggles my fav bsd ship ever) to properly cement characterization!!

4. Tell me about one of your abandoned WIPs. Why did you abandon it?

AHDHHSHD I'LL COPY PASTE MY REPLY TO THE OTHER ASK!!

hoo boy. so, there was a sort of ambitious au I tried to write once—have you heard of twin star exorcists? I'm an anime enthusiast of it since I got pretty frustrated with where the manga was going what with the constant delays and derailing from the main point and the author not staying consistent with details, etc. that being said the anime doesn't fill a lot of gaps that should have been filled.

so while I was still pretty active in the kpop circles—which I probably will go back to soon lol when I feel less icky about the people I was beefing with—I tried to write a TSE au. while it wasn't my brightest idea to transpose a bunch of Koreans onto a Japanese setting, I also underestimated how difficult it'd be to handle all those canon details.

plus, exorcism is very heavily based on Buddhism, specifically in Japan, so I was just like. well am I prepared to potentially insult an entire faith. (research goes a long way kids! don't listen to younger mari) and I just sort of...let it falter and it doesn't even exist in my wip folder anymore </3

(it also involves a forced arranged marriage and the topic of being forced to have a kid, essentially, and I didn't want to genderbend anyone for it, so my solution was a trans man who was at least somewhat interested in having kids biologically one day, like me. once again, I didn't feel I did a very good job of it, and it was a little daunting to write it knowing that i did want at least a semi explicit scene that, once again, reflected me as a person. being a minor at the time, I let the idea go. and I was also much less confrontational at the time so I didn't think I could handle it if anyone was being weird about it lmao—which I fully can and will at this point.

that being said, I did write a fic about a trans man having a kid for a different fandom earlier this year, so I'm linking it if you're interested! very fluffy and family fun. and not explicit. though be warned, it is rpf lol)

HOWEVER!! I've actually considered picking it up again and rebranding as a soukoku au? once again, enemies to lovers, my transchuu agenda, my dazai can be any gender agenda, EXORCIST PRODIGIES, one of the characters has no idea where they came from and has a whole Bit about questioning their humanity. i.e. arahabaki parallels. there are a few gaps I'm trying to work out but it's definitely an idea haha)

fic ask game

[animehouse-moe]

Monthly In the Garden With My Landlord, Volume 1: Surprising Charm

Based on the just the synopsis, I'd say I was curious about this series, but I don't know if I was ever fully sold by it. Because of that, I'm very glad that I ended up picking it up regardless, as there's a lot of charm and energy that this first volume brings, making it a series centering around adult romance that I think quite a few people will enjoy, and for quite a few reasons that I'd love to illuminate.

Let's start with the idea of the story. Asako Suga is a manga editor that was just dumped by her girlfriend, leaving her in an apartment full of memories and firsts that are tied to her now ex. Because of that, in a spur of the moment decision she decides to move into a house that's being rented for pennies on the dollar and seems to have nothing wrong with it. That is, until she moves in and finds out that her 19 year old Landlord, and ex-idol, is living there with her.

I think it's an idea that a lot of people could be turned off by, but here me out on it. It's actually really fun, and well executed. Asako, and Miyako (the ex-idol-now-landlord) have just the right balance of comical and shallow traits as they do deep and impactful ones.

Sure, Asako might be a sucker for a pretty face, and that might have played into sticking around. But, she's more than that. She doesn't immediately fall in love with Miyako because she's pretty, but rather she struggles to maintain an appropriate amount of distance from this young adult, largely because Miyako struggles to be an adult.

And really, that idea itself opens up the story so much.

Asako and Miyako struggle to form deep relationships with people. Asako falls under the stereotype of being suckered in by looks, and Miyako is in the position where looks is all that people care about. Neither are able to directly connect with someone and form a deep and emotional bond, not even in the romantic sense necessarily.

I mean, the manga itself addresses that as Miyako takes to calling Asako onee-san a whole bunch, which perfectly highlights their beginning relationship. Miyako relies heavily on Asako, while Asako is babying Miyako.

The idea of romantic feelings is present, don't get me wrong, but it's absolutely an undertone to the pair forming a deeper relationship that extends past superficial tendencies. Because of that, I really hope that in future volumes they struggle with the expression of those feelings and they struggle with how it changes the shape and form of their relationship.

Anyways, let me share my love for the art. It's got a very light feeling, but that doesn't diminish the feeling of it or the detail in any fashion. It's still very present and strong, but it's not not got a heavy lineweight or strong shading or lighting and whatnot. I guess you might call it "flat", but I don't really think it's a bad thing.

I think the only thing I could really complain about is the environment art, since there isn't too much of it, but that's par for the course with a lot of manga these days. What's good though is that the mangaka fills that vacancy very comfortably. Subtle screentones that fill gaps, intelligent paneling and focus, and mindful layouts that work to really fill panels and use negative space. It's not anything incredible, but it does plenty to be aware of the gaps in backgrounds.

I think most important though is their willingness to break molds. They really don't restrict their characters to the confines of panels, routinely breaking out from those lines or existing entirely separate from them, or even having them partially cut off from them.

Speaking of characters, these designs are really damn good. The level of detail and uniqueness they carry is really great, and something that I think can be very rare to see.

Just look at the smaller details, Miyako's eyes are a different shape to Asako's (which are then also different to Hatomori's, who is a supporting character). Then look at the noses and mouths as well. Asako generally has a more squared off mouth, while Miyako's is rounder. Similarly, Asako has a more prominent nose while Miyako has overall softer and rounder features, but has larger/more prominent eyes.

It's really great design language that is very rare to see in a lot of series these days.

Even better is the expressiveness of these designs though. Character acting has a prominent role in a series like this, and Yodokawa's designs work wonders in regards to that. They work great both in terms of subtle and extreme moments, which creates a really nice feel to both ends of the first volume.

Also, the design sense and posing? Absolutely sublime. Yodokawa really has considered everything about these characters. Asako tends to wear more plain and "typical" outfits, while Miyako brings more energy and style, and all of Miyako's outfits are just so pretty.

Really, there's not much of an end to how much I enjoy the various pieces of this first volume. There's so much that I'm not doubt leaving out a considerable bit of charm and quality from this post, so I really recommend people give the manga a try. It's promising to bring a much more friendly and positive adult romance story, but not without depth or emotion. The art is endlessly engaging and fun, very stylish and well utilized, and the characters are such a treat. Just read it if you can.

[night-heron-writes]

Spy X Family Chapter 76

~*~ Warning: Contains spoilers for Chapter 76 of the manga! Open at your own risk, agents! ~*~

First of all, a slight break from the crushing angst was nice. After a whole bunch of stressful chapters, a little bit of fluff was in order.

It was nice to see, as I expected, that Twilight was worried, in his own quiet, overthinking way. He's not at the point yet to just absolutely break down and show his emotional side, but he shows he cares with his repeated concern for Anya's mental health as well as her physical well-being. I also noticed that during their breakfast conversation, he didn't once think "for the mission". We're making progress, people!

Also, he drives her to school! I can't imagine him letting her back on a schoolbus for quite a while after that whole ordeal.

I found it interesting that Anya has picked up that something is weird with Damian's family. Of course, she doesn't quite understand the depth of it, she's six. But she's noticed that something doesn't quite add up, and it stuck with her.

And then Twilight, the poor sap, misunderstands her pensiveness as her being mad at him for not picking her up. He has a remarkable ability to feel guilty for situations he wasn't involved in or things he would have no way to change. (Shh it's the trauma)

And there we have our first "for the mission" of this chapter 😂. Interestingly enough, it's not about her Stellas, or even her friendship with Damian. He's thinking that if she's traumatized, then the mission is in danger. And he's not wrong, but it's nice to see the "for the mission" directed at her well-being and nothing else.

And then we get the discussion between Henderson and the tutor-in-residence, which feels like the set-up for a longer plotline. Especially this gem:

Henderson continues his trend of being a Loid Forger fanboy, but to me this seems like an excellent way for Endo to start giving more and more plot-relevant clients to Loid Forger. Perhaps even Melinda or Donovan Desmond at some point? One can only hope.

And then we have this panel:

I notice that Jeeves says "residence" instead of "rooms" or something similar. It looks like Melinda lives in a completely different house most of the time, then. An interesting window into the Desmond home life, and one I didn't quite expect. I wouldn't have thought that Donovan would allow such a thing. For a man so concerned with the Desmond family name he doesn't seem to care if people think familial relations are strained.

Poor kiddo, no wonder he seems happier in the dorms. I get that Melinda has her own stuff to deal with, but after last chapter's drama and how she went on about cooking for Damian, I expected her to at least eat with him. It's another comparison drawn between the Forger family and the Desmond family: the Forgers are all present at breakfast, and openly voice their concern for Anya, while Melinda straight up leaves the building and Damian only finds out she cooked from Jeeves.

The scenes with the other kids swooning over Damian, Becky, and Anya are cute, and of course getting another Stella goes to Anya's head a little bit. "Double Starlight Anya", really? 😂

This one made me chuckle out loud. And that little smirk on her face 😂

And Becky calling it like it is:

Also some of these rich Eden kiddos really need to touch grass once in a while. "Peasants" are people just like everyone else, and it's slightly appalling how these kids think that class makes a biological difference. As they get older, that can easily turn into bigotry.

The whiplash of Anya and Damian getting along somewhat to fighting to getting along again to fighting again is such an accurate depiction of little kids' friendships. Ten minutes is long enough to start and finish two separate wars.

And then we get this cute panel at the end, which sums all of that up nicely.

In conclusion, the fluff was strong in this chapter, but it wasn't a filler chapter, per se. The fluff was plot-relevant and moved the story along, as well as making a nice change from the last several chapters.

I do have a sneaking suspicion that this reprieve from the angst will be a brief one. My hunch is that either the next chapter or the one after that will take a hard left turn back into angst territory. See ya in two weeks!

[2n2n]

Hello, first I just wanted to say that I love your posts and the way you talk about tbhk ❤️Secondly, I know that this question has no relevance to the chapters that are happening, but I'm curious to see your perspective. Do you think Nagisa kunishige-san (the man who attended Tiara festival) will cross paths with Hanako in the future? Or that Kou's father might show up at school? If so, how do you imagine their reactions?P.S: Keep up the good work

I'm kind of hoping Kunishige and Tiara will simply clean up the mess in the school itself either while (somehow...) or after time is done being frozen, because I don't want us to have to bother .... ! I can't really see how dealing with gathering all 1 billion sakara petals out of students eye balls would be necessary to See or contribute to the story, so ... I could see them being our janitors. Clean everything up so we can cut to the chase with the final festival scenes with living 12 year-old Tsukasa and Nene-chan. PERSONALLY, I wouldn't want to go from punching a bunch of owls, to punching an old man, to punching a bunch of trees page by page ... and AidaIro tend to spare us chains of action/fightan, since this is a HEARTFELT toilet manga...

I really actually loved how the Far Shore arc did NOT waste tons of chapters on "what happened to Akane & Teru facedown in that puddle???" and answered all of that in just a few quick wrap-up panels, in the form of Aoi explaining to Nene-chan what happened (which is also, a cute and character-building thing for the girls to share, I much prefer that). It also left plenty of hanging threads to pick up later (not knowing how Akane/Teru got Aoi's soul back from the far shore)...

I've talked about Kunishige and Hanako meeting here. But basically it could go absolutely any way, they could recognize or not recognize, only one of them could recognize, they could care they could not care, they could be irrelevant, they could be gravely relevant, we just don't have enough information. There is nothing to theorize....

daddy could show up at any time and it gives me ulcers... I don't want more Minamoto crap so soon... on top of kunishige and tiara, that's simply too many people in 1 room, I would think it should be spaced out .... he should wait a minute... what a pain it would be to draw panels that full... don't make Aida-sensei draw so many non-shotas at once like that... he should come around while we are dealing with Mitsuba or something and Kou is having a crisis... *wearing a T-shirt that says I DONT CARE ABOUT NOT HANANENETSUKA*

I imagine if Hanako had to see Minamoto dad he would be like, "ugh, another one? why... " like you would seeing another bedbug crawl out of a crack in the wall. everyone get out of my jurisdiction ugh... too many of them... in my school...

[theevilthatismokke]

/chapter 100 spoilers/

I... struggle to write something about this chapter, because it feels like I'm just repeating myself from last chapter...

The most interesting thing to note here are Mitsuba's feelings about how he wants to die. Once again we have the preciousness of life contextualized through the lens of someone who wants to die.

Mitsuba thinks he's a monster, his cravings for hearts, be them supernatural or human, and his inability to stay together without them, leave him feeling like his dream of becoming human is impossible.

And without his dream, there's nothing out there for him. No family, no lovers, no friends...

Love is the driving force within JSHK. Life without love (and as always, I reiterate that this love can be various things; platonic love, romantic love, familial love, the compassion and empathy for those around you, self-love, or even passions/dreams/desires you can follow, sometimes, it can be all of these all at once) isn't worth living in the world of JSHK.

Which is why, seeing Kou cry over him... just seals the deal to Mitsuba.

To Mitsuba, it means his life has value to Kou, and that their bond, that meeting each other, has meaning. To die, knowing it wasn't all pointless, that he was cared by someone, that's what Mitsuba wants.

That Kou can suffer over losing him, is proof for Mitsuba that somebody actually cares about him, even if it isn't all that special, even if Kou would do that (as far as Mitsuba knows) for anyody else.

This is also a recurring thing in JSHK. There's this... tendency, where the characters can only, truly conffirm that their beloved cares about them through tears, grief, suffering or any other extreme act or show of emotion.

We have this with Akane knowing Aoi reciprocates his feelings when he sees her crying (and she never cries!!) over the mere thought of him hating her.

We also have this with Hakubo and Sumire, as Hakubo's grieving over Sumire for centuries (it's not just that he was miserable over her, he was cursed by their love) and his boundary being his personal hell, are proof to them both of their mutual feelings.

I don't think I need to elaborate on the "extreme acts or show of emotion" lol. Pick any character. Go ahead.

And, you know, this makes sense, even without the aesthetics of the manga, because...

Well, this is a story about a bunch of lonely, self-loathing, unloved people whose communication skills and emotional intelliegence are of a collective sum of negative points.

...but I digress.

Meanwhile, I find Kou's reaction to Mitsuba's assessment of his character to be very interesting:

Mitsuba seems to see Kou as this ridiculously kind person, who cares about everyone just about equally.

And he's not particularly wrong. Kou's a kind boy, and that's been established many times. I do think a part of his wish to help others is genuine.

buuuut, Mitsuba's not entirely right.

At least, as far as Kou is concerned.

You see, JSHK doesn't deal in black-and-white, even when it comes to things like selflessness or selfishness. Many times, we've seen that an apparently "selfless" behavior isn't treated as simply as such. Like Yako's wish and actions to bring Misaki back.

And Kou’s a similar case.

Kou wishes, more than anything, to become a strong, reliable, selfless ideal hero. Well, no that’s a lie. Kou struggles with his own self-worth, and because he equates said worth with strength (the strength of a good exorcist, to be specific, as that’s what he grew up hearing from his clan), he tries to emulate the heroic image he has of the Minamoto exorcists and Teru.

Kou’s desires to “save everyone” are strongly rooted in these self-worth issues. He… wants to be needed. Kou wants to be a hero, at least partially, because he wants to feel good about himself.

something, something, insert panel comparing kou and yako for the nth time

But Kou’s, so far, had big problems with admitting his more selfish motives.

Being selfish, having a… less noble motivation, breaks this heroic image he strives to achieve. Kou doesn’t want to admit his own selfishness, which is why he sees the Red House “temptations” (that’s how he sees them, as cheap tricks, temptations of an evil spirit).

it's interesting that kou only relents and kinda admits he wants those things when he encounters his (dead) mom. because that's a wish he can accept. he still gets conflicted abt mitsuba tho.

“That’s not what I want”, Kou yells to the desires revealed by the Red House.

“I only wish to save [Nene]!”, Kou justifies. He’s a hero, after all, who is going to save everyone, right?!? His motivations are only saving others and slaying evil kaii, of course he’s not selfish!!!

…right?

This also applies, I think, to his relationship with Mitsuba.

There are some key factors that leave Kou confused when it comes to Mitsuba, and why he tends to… try to push Mitsuba to the back of his mind.

There’s, of course, the fact that he doesn’t consider “this Mitsuba”, the “real Mitsuba”. But also, there’s the fact that… I think Kou is disturbed by his growing feelings toward Mistuba. He doesn’t want to admit that there might be a person who’s slowly become more important than all others. More important than Nene or his brother or even his want to become a “hero”.

Because that would be selfish.

And because these feelings are intense.

Both, in ways that are, unbecoming, unfitting of an ideal, selfless hero.

…and because, deep down, there’s a part of Kou that wants to devote himself solely to Mitsuba, and have Mitsuba, in turn, depend solely on Kou.

Basically, Mistuba’s suicidal, Kou’s selfish but doesn’t want to admit it, and that can only end well (lol).

As always, communication, self-discovery and acceptance of love are the only way things can move forward, so let’s see where this will go.

Other than that... I'm curious about the school festival. And the little things they mentioned, like... the cafe, the haunted house and the little play with, princes and princess. Because of the twitter events and all that.

well, who knows lol.

Also!! One last tinfoil moment before I go!! (as if this post and every other post in this blog wasn't enough... )

what the heck are you planning for chapter 101, aidairo?

[tiressian]

What's with the couples (itakugi and satoshoko) talking about loneliness and heaven and earth lmao. 👀

I talk about satoshoko a lot because a) I ship it (friendship, romance) , and b) it's the most underexplored dynamic in the sss trio in canon and me brain hate gaps, me brain like filling in gaps.

I was talking about Nobara and Yuji because some one asked me the other day if I shipped them and I said yeah, both ways, platonic/romantic (and definitely the blurred middleground of the two dynamics because i find strict dichotomy very boring). So itakugi, whatever the dynamic, has been on my mind 🤷‍♀️

that last ask was specifically about the romance side of itakugi so i just thought those panels were hilarious regardless of whether those panels are interpreted as romantic or not. I get the appeal of shipping them romantically lol

As to the "loneliness" and "heaven and earth" stuff - I'm on a reread and picking up on things you can only notice once you've given the manga a second pass. There seem to be a bunch of parallels/callbacks, so I'm playing callback bingo and noting down everything because i am not doing another reread lmao. Whether there's a payoff to noticing these callbacks will depend on how things turn out for characters, so I'm invested.

And that marks the tldr version of this ask being answered lol below the cut is me rambling about " alone" as a theme

That theme of being "alone" (connection) seems to be a throughline throughout the series. I've noticed a bunch of characters point it out so I've taken to recording it when it happens. It's not a theme that's strictly rooted in romantic relationships and I have started a collection which ill post once im up to date on my reread.

Yuji and Nobara happened to be on my blog so I just put it under that ask so i can jump back and find it again if i ever get the urge to write them in fic - friendship/romance what have you. As a ficcer taking note of character dynamics are details that give you context to get their voices right in writing. ok i digress.

I wondered what Gege's message about dealing with being alone will be (note: loneliness is different from being alone; i just think "Alone" is a stronger theme overall), thats why ive talked about it, that's why ive started to pay attention to it, I like me some themes. They scratch me brain.

[vulpiximisa]

I love the host club arc a lot so here’s a bunch of things that I like

Kyoshiro making an obscure reference that I don’t understand and Shinpachi pointing it out

Yorozuya automatically getting into Host mode and they all gas each other up when they say their pick up lines

Cardboard saint. I don’t watch Saint Seiya but I was reading some of the Sorachi notes and it was an old joke he brought back. I think his jokes are the best when they’re referencing obscure stuff.

Hostalker -> Host Car

The manga panel has Kagura throwing Kyoshiro and garbage at Car Isao but in the anime random garbage just flies down and it’s just so random to me skdjdkd

Hasegawa’s cardboard dropping off when he does the pose

Kagura doing the pose

Shinpachi playing the cop and doing the pose (AND SAKAGUCHI IKEBO ARIGATOGOZAIMASSS)

Gin acting charming and shy and successfully hooking the girl

The way Car Isao just nyooms in and his “Vroom!”

The way Car Isao positioned this time so when Gin sits on him they’re touching dicks

Anytime they have to call the cops on Kondo

Hijikata just looking out the car window going “what’s wrong with you” (“what’s your crime”?)

Gin and Isao being super chummy

The way the banana randomly appears in the corner and Kondo just takes a bite while still talking

Dragging Hijikata and Sougo into the host nonsense

I don’t go to Sengoku Basara but any seiyuu references are always good. Let’s Party!!!

When Gin says he’d be popular in 3D and the anime made a reference to their Gin model

Bringing up the popularity polls ranks

I actually know Oizumi Yo!!!! (Professor Layton voice actor)

GIN COMPARING HIJIKATA TO DAISUKE SAKAGUCHI

I guess I kinda like GinTsu a bit so when she just calls him by his host name instead of the usual Gintoki

Gin being tossed between Hiji and Shin twice like they are a goal post lol

The lead in from Tsukuyo calling host club Yoshiwara for women (and Shinpachi having to explain it to her) over to Okita and Sacchan having a time

The little pause before Sacchan going “I can’t see” at Okita holding the menu out for her

Sacchan getting into Okita’s S taunts and asking for his name (Sacchan and Kondo are usually lumped together more but now I honestly want to see more of the actual S and M together)

Straight Man Synchro Kick!!!

Shinpachi and Hijikata actually trying to do their work and serving all the rowdy guests

The anime straight up censoring sushi Madao and Isao. And then they make this shy face 😆

Them getting tossed into the commotion like fish

Hijikata and Shinpachi just standing next to each other the whole time

Perfectly in sync straight men holding Gin down preventing him from leaving

Hijikata’s cellphone in the anime has shinsenguni design

Suddenly they’re all telepathic and can speak to each other without Yagami hearing

“That’s like throwing a chair into a pack of Jackie Chans”

The kunai stab manga panel. Shinpachi looks really handsome there lol

Gin calling his “guests” “baby-tachi”

Tsukki swinging Sacchan like a weapon and Sacchan is into it

Tsukki holding Sacchan under her arm and into the Madam’s face

Sorachi likes making fun of Jackie Chan’s nose

I’ve never actually seen the entirety of Dragon Ball(Z) but the entire convo is hilarious

Also the two getting smacked the whole time

Quiz Bowl references

Madam putting down her broken glass after her answer

The whole Vegeta smackdown

Madam coming in with the “Dirty Fireworks”

Hijikata calling Shinpachi Kakarot

Sougo coming in with his baby face, acting like the trump, just to take a sip of the tequila and dropping with Gin and Hijikata

Madam also drinking a ton of tequila glasses but daintily

The reveal that Madam is just a lonely rich lady who wanted to have fun but is getting scorned by the dark rumors

A happy ending for Madam who actually has a sense of humor

Basically I love the straight man duo running around trying to get things back in order

[electroslag]

oh ya lemme write about the con

i had a lot of fun and i did not drink!

i actually made a bunch of new friends, had a lot of fun taking pictures and posing for pictures, got absorbed by a group of 20 yr olds who thought i was the same age as them LMAO (it was masks required/we were all in cosplay so we didnt realize ages until i asked), hung out w a work friend + her new bf + his friends, met a guy who prints stickers!! traded some IGs, bought lots of art stickers, and did a kendo panel which was very fun.

overall it made me really miss being into cons like i used to be. the last con i went to was like.... really bad. it was shortly after my stepfather was killed in a car crash and my entire life had been turned upside down. like weeks after. and the two girls i went with were just awful to me. just no empathy or understanding for me whatsoever. to be ignored and excluded and have people be upset at you for being sad/cranky/tired/not always 100% ready to party lmao....

i kinda stopped going after that bc it was so aggressively unfun. it also kinda made me hate a lot of the anime they were weirdly obsessed w, and be turned off from nerd/geek culture in general.

i kinda fell off the anime train entirely but i’ve been picking up manga again. i like sewing and crafting so i really wanna get back into cosplay!! i need to learn how to pose fr. being in my 30s i also feel like i have different characters available to me now. makima + naruto’s mom were really fun cosplays lol i am gonna keep both of these costumes on hand but i def wanna get contacts for makima. i wanna go to a few of the cons around here and idk im just super excited !! also i didn’t really feel the need to drink at all while i was there. so that was cool