#so far my favorite character is sanada

[mercuryislove]

me and the bestie so obsessed with persona 3 that we text each other like "tartarus tonight queen?" and "let's meet in the home ec room!" and "come to track and field practice today?" to ask each other to play

[floater0352]

One of my first (but hopefully not last) contributions to the emerging trivia on Shôgun:

Lady Ochiba / Ruri, the mother of the Taiko's heir Yaechiyo, is based on Lady Yodo/Chacha (1569-1615), niece to Oda Nobunaga and second spouse of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. We see her here as the primary moving force shoring up her son's position and the patron of Toranaga's rival Ishido.

Fumi Nikaido as Lady Ochiba, Shôgun, 2024

What makes the casting of this one very interesting is that Fumi Nikaido has played the actual role of Yodo/Chacha in a similar period production, the 2014 NHK taiga drama Gunshi Kanbei (which was primarily about Kuroda Kanbei, the strategist of Hideyoshi played by Junichi Okada).

Fumi Nikaido as Yodo, Gunshi Kanbei, 2014

While there's enough hype for Toranaga (especially as he is portrayed by public favorite and producer Hiroyuki Sanada--rightfully so), I wish to highlight Fumi Nikaido's return to this role as it does help highlight the differences between how Lady Yodo is portrayed in fiction. (It does help that we have no shortage of it now--even if it's mostly in videogames like Samurai Warriors, Sengoku Basara or the more historically-faithful Nioh).

The material we have of Lady Ochiba so far is of a proud, haughty, even disrespectful woman--and perhaps it's not exactly far off from how Chacha is portrayed even in Japanese media. To some extent, even Gunshi Kanbei conceded to this especially in the episodes I'm referring with this photo--what with it precisely being the moment Yodo is fearing coming to pass. A mother seeking to protect her son's patrimony (and by extension, her agency and regency), it's a universal trope in feudal drama. What Shôgun does not give her yet (but Gunshi Kanbei took pains to establish) is the recognition that she is as much a victim of the warring era, turning her into a self-loathing monster only able to survive trying to make sense of it all, and maybe recover their agency in it. Clavell rightfully gave it to his main focus character, Lady Mariko (played very layered and well by Anna Sawai compared to her more recent outings--herself based on Hosokawa Gracia).

It truly amazes me that 10 years has yet to make much of a difference for Fumi Nikaido and this role. The woman whose position at the top was only made possible by misery and her playing by the cruel game of chaos, she portrays both versions with the edge, anxiety and palpable will of a woman who's lost everything before and is at the doorstep of losing them again.

[emily84]

like, i'm not even liking shōgun. leaving aside how embarrassingly eurocentric, biased and racist the book is. (go read musashi if you want to read a genuine japanese epic saga with strong main characters)

as far as shōgun the show is concerned, i'm only on episode 2 and i already can't stand the white main character, with his 'american exceptionalism' yeah I know he's english but the show isn't and it shows, with carefully constructed poor wet meow meow personality and action-hero ''charisma'', and it doesn't help that the actor is a piece of wood next to titans like sanada hiroyuki et al

that said. i am living for the way these actors, previously confined to supporting characters and racist stereotypes are now dominating shows about their own country's history.

(also personally fangirling because sanada hiroyuki has been a fave for years and years! he's been acting since before the 80s iirc he's absolutely captivating in twilight samurai! and asano tadanobu became my favorite actor when i saw his incredible range in gohatto, zatoichi, ichi the killer and last life in the universe, all from the 90s/early 2000s)

i am so happy for their wins last night, good for them!!!!!!

[adachimoe]

PSC Eps 12, 13, 18, 19 "Ah-ha, I SEES it!"

Last time: Ep 1 + Explanation, Eps 2 + 4, Ep 5, Eps 6 + 7 (no Q&A), Eps 8 + 9, Eps 10 + 11 (plus PSC Cafe)

I paraphrased some of the phrasings, except for the fish question. I left that as-is because it impressed Isocchi so much she rewarded the viewer who asked it with a t-shirt.

Episode 12

Q: Does Rise wear earrings with a piercing-type backing, or does she wear clip-ons? A: Clip-ons.

(This sounds dumb because language thing and Atlus's answer. In JP, a "ピアス / pierce" is for pierced ears, but an "イヤリング / earring" refers to clip-ons. In English, we just call all of these "earrings" lol. The viewer asks if Rise wears a pierce or a clip-on or a magnetic clip-on, and Atlus answers that she wears clip-on, but not if her ears are actually pierced or not, hence my weird phrasing.)

Q: Where did Aragaki live before moving back into the SEES dormitory? A: He was probably living somewhere by himself, or he kept being an unwanted guest at the homes of his shady friends. Probably a big reason why he got to know Strega so well was cause he spent so long as a vagrant. Q: During Episode Adachi in P4AU, Adachi mentions getting tired of seeing the Moonlight Bridge when he was in the city. Did he used to live in Iwatodai? A: He didn't necessarily live there, but he worked in the city center, and would take the scenic route back to HQ by driving over to Moonlight Bridge to imitate a character on a popular detective drama.

(See this post for more about the TV show in question.)

Episode 13

Q: Who is Margaret's favorite (hot guy) Persona? A: I think Ardha, Helel, and Yoshitsune are her favorites since she swaps between them a lot. She uses Oberon for the 9999 damage Megidolaon, so maybe she's got some obsession with him? Q: Why does the P3 Protagonist wear his MP3 player in Tartarus? It makes sense during his everyday life, but it doesn't work during the Dark Hour, and it seems like it would be annoying swinging around during battle, or I think it would break when he gets attacked. Did he just forget to take it off? A: Part of the reason why is that he will sometimes he listen to it on the way to Tartarus. The other part is that wearing it has become a habit. Q: In Persona 3, what's with the wound on Sanada's forehead? I'm worried because his ribs healed in a month but the wound on his forehead still hasn't healed after a year. A: The band-aid on the left side of Sanada's forehead is just to express that, "He always has injuries cause he's a boxer". Due to his past, he's the type who wants to train to the extent that he's bullying himself, so it seems he has a lot of fresh wounds on his face.

Episode 18

Q: In P4D, Kanamin's costumes include her plain jersey with a shirt that says "Life" (人生) on it, and it seems like the writing changes when she dances. How many variations are there? A: 13 total ("Life" + 12 others). Q: When did Sho from P4AU get that scar on his forehead? I thought the story would explain something about it since it glows when his eyes glow, but even after clearing the story, there was no explanation. A: The scar on his forehead is related to "that one thing" being implanted into his forehead. The blue glow is due to the influence of "that one thing" and the red glow is due to the influence of "the big guy".

(Contextually: Blue = Plume of Dusk and alternate personality, red = Hi-no-Kagutsuchi.)

Q: I want to know if Shiroku's pet fish Akihiko that's kept at Shiroku Pub is a freshwater fish or seawater fish? The fish itself looks like an oarfish making it a deep-sea fish which would at least need a tank with seawater. But Inaba is surrounded by mountains and the only sea on the map is Shichiri Beach. I don't think it's that far away because the main characters can go there, but Shiroku runs the general store during the day and the pub at night so I get the feeling she doesn't have time to go get seawater. A: If you look into it, there's an "artificial seawater mix" for keeping seawater fish in aquariums as pets and it's very easy to get through mail order. If she really is keeping an oarfish in an aquarium, that's impressive - something no one else has been able to do! I wonder how she does it... There's so many fish you can catch around Inaba...

Episode 19

Q: What's with the distinctive hair styles on Yosuke's Personas Susanoo and Takehaya Susanoo? Did Yosuke wish he could have an afro? A: The flashy hair isn't because of Yosuke's heart, but because the mythological Susanoo had the image of a tempest and a violent storm. It being red is to communicate that, within the game, Yosuke is not just strong against wind, but also strong against fire. Q: During January in P3P, it's mentioned that Sanada and Mitsuru take standardized tests for university admissions. But in P4 Arena, Sanada had been training overseas. Did he drop out? A: No. As mentioned in the P4 Arena story mode, he was just on leave from school. It was probably his own version of a ritual purification before embarking on the path of fighting as a professional, but even Mitsuru told him, "You're overdoing it".

(Since Aki joins the police force to support the Shadow Workers in the epilogue, I assume this is talking about him fighting Shadows professionally, not him thinking about becoming a pro boxer.)

Q: Why does Ryoji wear a scarf? November seems a bit too early for scarf weather. Does the scarf have a special meaning? A: Mainly for impact when you first meet him, but also his values are different than other people's and we were conscious of that - like he's "a foreigner who hasn't gotten used to this town yet".

(Japanese people tend to dress based on the season rather than the actual weather lol. [E.g. an older woman in the countryside asked me, "Aren't you cold?" when I was wearing leggings and a t-shirt on a warm sunny day in spring.] November would usually still be considered fall.)

[spinningwebsandtales]

Imagine Shimazu Finding You On The Roof Of  The Osaka Hotel

Koji Shimazu X FemReader

Rating: T+

Warnings: Mentions of blood, fluff, suggestive themes at the end

Word Count: 1.6k

(A/N:) I maaayyy have gotten carried away with this one. Besides John Shimazu became my favorite character. Yes I know he wasn’t in it much but Hiroyuki Sanada is like my top favorite Japanese actor. So yeah no brainer that I had to write something. This one is also SUPER indulgent for myself. I’m just sharing it with you my fellow readers! So enjoy this piece of my fangirliness and enjoy! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

The night covering the city of Osaka was soothing and peaceful as you made your way to the rooftop of The Osaka Continental. The various guards you passed by, bowed their heads respectfully as you passed them by. Very few had permission to get this far within the building, but you had permission from the manager personally to go wherever you pleased. Lastly you passed the sumo sized guards who bowed respectfully while opening the doors for you, that’s when you finally found the peace and quiet you sought for. The gentle breeze grabbed the sleeves of your yukata that the Osaka hostesses were required to wear as soon as you stepped out of the door. You breathed in deeply, letting the stress of the evening melt away, fluttering away along with the few cherry blossom petals to the streets below. You couldn’t see the stars due to the city’s lights but the lighting surrounding the building was more than enough to soothe you. Your life hadn’t always been so peaceful, as you were once one of the assassins that this specific hotel housed. An injury had taken you from the game and when the High Table had come to dispose of you, Koji Shimazu had protected you within his hotel and gave you a new purpose in life. You owed the man much, he didn’t have to risk his neck for you but he did anyway. You felt like you could never repay him, no matter how many years you served within his hotel. 

Not long after you had started working, Akira had begun to look up to you and you quickly became a mother figure to the young woman. At times when you caught glimpses of Shimazu he was smiling as he watched you and Akira together. As you watched her grow up, you also found that your feelings for Shimazu had started to change as well. You kept them well hidden as he had already given you so much, you couldn’t bring yourself to ask for more.

You walked over to one of the benches nestled under the low branches of the fully bloomed Sakura, enjoying their sweet scent as you watched the night sky. You could have sworn you could still hear the hustle and bustle of the city even from up so high. While you used this area as your personal getaway for tough moments, you never abused your freedom as it would be disgraceful to your employer. Losing yourself in the memories of you bleeding out in the Osaka’s lobby before the High Table minions. The smaller details were still a little hazy as you were in and out of consciousness that night, but the biggest moment you would never forget was when Shimazu stepped forward. He always carried himself with a strong, quiet, steadfast demeanor. Even when he lowered himself he still had command of the room and kept his dignity. There you laid, staining his meticulously cleaned floor at the feet of assassins when he stepped forward. The Yakuza looking guards at his side on high alert but standing down with just one wave of Shimazu’s hand. You watched, eyes bleary as he came to your side, your blood staining his shoes. What happened next, you would never forget as it shocked you to your core. Shimazu knelt at your side putting his face to the floor. His robes quickly soaking up your life essence while the same blood that leaked from you stained his skin and hair.

‘Please forgive my intrusion upon your business, but please spare her and she will find a new beginning here within my walls,’ he asked still kneeling in your blood.

You opened your mouth to protest, but the look he gave you had you silenced in a second. Here this man was lowering himself on your behalf, your heart skipped a beat as you started blacking out. The last thing you heard was the High Table assassins’ agreement and you were then whisked away and treated.

Now here you were so many years later and you were happier now than you had ever been. You smiled catching a fluttering petal while thinking of all the fond memories you had made since then. Lost in thought you didn’t hear the doors open or the quiet feet of your manager until he finally spoke.

“I had a feeling you’d be up here,” he spoke in Japanese. You had found yourself becoming fluent in the language as you had worked here many years in Osaka. It helped that Shimazu had taken time out personally to teach you as well.

“I needed just a little air before getting back to work,” you replied.

Shimazu nodded at his guards, who retreated giving you both some privacy. He came closer standing beside the small bench before gesturing with his hand.

“May I?”

You nodded, scooting over, “Of course. Who am I to deny a man the right of anything in his hotel?”

Shimazu chuckled while taking a seat. He looked to the same sakura blossoms you had come to view yourself. His rough fingers tracing the petals that hung before his face. You watched him from the corner of your eye, glad that the dark sky was hiding the blush on your cheeks. No matter what he was so handsome, and in his gentle moments you found yourself falling harder for him. Though he hid it well, he knew you were watching him. He didn’t want to seem unprofessional, but when the guards had told him where you slipped off to he couldn’t help but come to find you himself. These moments between you both were so rare that he wanted to take every chance he could to spend time alone with you. Yes he had saved you that day because he couldn’t stand the thought of the High Table doing everything they pleased. But after getting to know you and seeing what kind of person hid underneath your assassin exterior he was more than happy with what laid on the inside. You stayed for a few moments longer, until you knew that it wouldn’t be right to take anymore time away from your duties.

“Back to work,” you stated before starting to rise from the stone bench. Your arm suddenly jerked and you felt pressure around your wrist.

“Please,” Shimazu nodded towards the spot you were occupying, “stay for a little longer.”

You couldn’t deny the boss man what he wanted, but you could feel your cheeks redden further. You nodded wordlessly, retaking your seat. Neither of you spoke until Shimazu turned a little more towards you.

“Do you like working here,” he asked shattering the silence. More petals scattered on the breeze as you looked to him wide eyed.

“Of course I do!” You practically shouted before slapping your hands over your mouth. “Sorry.”

He laughed taking your hands into his, “Don’t apologize. I’m glad you like my hotel.”

“It’s gorgeous, but honestly I can never repay your kindness.”

He sighed looking away. This wasn’t where he wanted the conversation to go. He knew the way you felt about him and he felt the same. He had just hidden his emotions away, afraid of what his other employees would think or if it would upset his daughter. But now he felt those cares scattering along with the sakura petals that found freedom on the Osaka breeze. He released one of your hands to reach up amongst the branches of the tree you both sat under. You heard a snap before Shimazu tucked a few loose strands of hair behind your ear and placed a small twig loaded with light pink blossoms in your hair. You looked up in surprise as he stroked your flaming cheek.

“The sakura come every year but they float away so quickly that you don’t have time to enjoy them for long,” he breathed leaning closer. “I do not wish to waste anymore time dancing around feelings I should have spoken aloud long ago.”

You shivered as his breath caressed your skin, your whole body trembling from his words. You had to be dreaming right?

Shimazu,” you mumbled.

“Koji,” was his simple reply before he gently took your lips. Your whole world exploded as you kissed him back. The sakura blossoms couldn’t touch the colors that danced behind your eyes as you lost yourself in the taste that was Koji Shimazu. He was everything you could have possibly dreamed. Soft and hard. Dark and light. Your mind whirled in thoughts as he pulled you closer. You felt that your life had been leading up to this one precious moment, where Koji kissed you deeply under the lights of his sakura garden. When he finally released you, you both were breathless. He didn’t remove his hand from your cheek as he continued to stroke your skin. Your lip trembled, your dream finally coming true to know what the man you loved thought of you.

“I don’t really want to go back to work now,” you blurted.

Koji looked at you for a few moments before laughing and shaking his head.

“I wasn’t planning on sending you back downstairs to the lobby,” he replied a sudden glint of mirth coming into his dark eyes. “The night is still young and I feel it’s just beginning for the both of us.”

You didn’t know what to say as you were whisked away by the man you found so endearing. The guards bowed as their leader passed by, with you in tow. Like he promised upon the rooftop, beneath the blossoms, you didn’t return to the lobby below for the rest of the evening or until later in the afternoon the next day.

[fighting-and-drawing]

Foraging-Angst

Hosted by: @violettduchess & @lorei-writes

Fandom: Ikemen Sengoku

Type: Fanfic

Characters: Shingen Takeda, OC (Thai [dedicated OC sheet coming soon]), Yukimura Sanada, MC/Mai

Prompt: Foraging (Angst)

Word Count: 1,000

A/N: This takes place way after the events of my longfic, Heart of the Warrior, in an AU of an AU. I have never really written angst, but I figured I'd explore an idea floating in my head lately.

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

Sanada-sama…

Yukimura-sama…

They were titles that naturally rolled off the tongue for every Sanada Clan vassal and samurai that addressed Yukimura. Although the boyish Peerless Warrior repeatedly told his closest vassals and friends to refrain from addressing him as such, they were still titles of respect that would be regurgitated whether by reflex or on purpose. Sure, Yukimura was slightly peeved by it, but formality was an unavoidable circumstance to the current head of the Sanada Clan. Yukimura would just have to live with it.

But, no matter how many times Thai repeated it, “Sanada-sama” and “Yukimura-sama” was as foreign to his speech as he was to both this time and country. Such is the life of a bodyguard, Thai thought to himself.

Speaking of, he was at least glad that today wasn’t raining like it was when they were traveling from Ueda Castle. The sun had finally broken through the clouds to grace the land below, yet the canopy of dew-laden trees provided much needed shade. The ground, damp from yesterday’s shower, was still firm against both Yukimura’s and Mai’s sandals as the lovers raced around the carefully cultivated forest. Their hands reached into the leaf litter below, grabbing fistfuls of fallen chestnuts ready to be harvested. Although this was supposed to be a lovely date idea that Sasuke had proposed, shenanigans were a given. What came was another one of their playful competitions, this one being “whoever can get the most chestnuts in five minutes gets bragging rights and their favorite treat.” So far, it seemed that Yukimura was going to win, and being the competitive tease he was, he made sure Mai knew it as well.

Thai, watching over from just a few meters away underneath a massive tree, chuckled softly to himself as the two continued to tease each other and scramble to fill their baskets. His gaze, although encompassing their surroundings for any hidden threats, still focused on Yukimura.

It was Yukimura’s smile, of course…that beaming, gorgeous smile…

A cough erupted from Thai’s throat, his gaze averting as Yukimura’s quick glance met his prior gaze. With things slowing down after the eventual peace between the Oda and the Uesugi-Takeda Alliance, Yukimura was starting to finally enjoy some downtime with the love of his life.

Or, rather, the person better suited for him…

No, now’s not the time for thoughts of “what could and should have been.” Besides, Thai already had plenty of time to reflect on their previous relationship, no matter how much this one stung past the walls in his heart. Even the betrayal against Haruka was not as debilitating as letting Yukimura go. It was time to grow up—time to take stock of his real position as was laid out in his first days at Kasugayama. His duty to Yukimura, whether before or now, come rain or shine, was that of a weapons bearer—a bodyguard so that his lord may live to see another day.

So that his love will—

Thai shook as a heavy hand patted his right shoulder. He turned his head to see who it was, sighing in relief. 

“Lost in thought, Thai-kun?” Shingen asked.

Thai shrugged his eyes, returning his gaze to the now-bickering duo. Apparently, Mai was accusing Yukimura of stealing out of her basket, earning a giggle from Thai “Eh, just reminiscing, my lord,” Thai answered Shingen, the larger daimyo moving to stand next to the foreigner. 

“Will you not partake in the harvest?” Shingen asked, gently shaking his full basket. “This region is known for its flavorful chestnuts. You shouldn’t squander such an opportunity like this.”

“Well, someone’s gotta watch those two.”

“Hm. Then, what better way than to join them?”

Thai shrugged again. “I don’t like being a third wheel.”

“A third wheel?”

“Ask Sasuke.”

As what naturally follows after the bickering, Yukimura pounced on Mai, ruffling her hair as she fought back by pinching his nose. Shingen and Thai chuckled, the latter’s gaze drooping onto the leaf-littered ground below soon after. That was him just a year ago…

“You know,” Shingen continued, placing his arm around Thai’s shoulders, “There's a spot the farmers told me where matsutake normally sprouts. Come with me to help find them.”

“Huh, but—”

“They can fend for themselves for a few minutes. Now, come. Join me.”

Begrudgingly, Thai allowed Shingen to lead him away from Yukimura and Mai. Although saying he needed Thai for foraging help, the foreigner knew that finding mushrooms was just an excuse to have yet another deep lecture with him. 

“I expected you to put up more of a resistance when our dear goddess came into the picture,” Shingen said, still leading Thai by the shoulder.

“What? You just mad you couldn’t get to her first?” Thai cheekily responded, returning his gaze to Yukimura. 

A loud, bellowing chuckle erupted from Shingen’s throat. “I would never have qualms with my pupil taking a lovely future spouse—perhaps, even the finest. But, what I am concerned about right now is how my lovely western sparrow is faring now that he has made the ultimate sacrifice for love.”

“Pfft. ‘Ultimate sacrifice?’ Come on, it wasn’t that poetic.”

“No need to hide things from me, Thai-kun. It’s better to speak your thoughts to someone rather than stew in agonizing silence.”

Thai rolled his eyes, the two continuing their slow pace deeper into the forest. “Yukimura-sama professed his love for Mai-san. Of course, I would step aside for those two to be together.”

“Hm, but I do remember Yuki-kun reaffirming his love for you, too. In fact, he wanted to keep you both.”

“Yeah, that’s why I stayed as his weapons-bearer. Look, I’m fine and Yukimura-sama and Mai-san are clearly made for each other. Foda, there isn’t a day in Ueda when their teasing stops.”

Shingen released Thai, crouching down at the base of a pine tree where a few mushrooms had sprouted. “Much like how I remember you two back in Kasugayama.”

“Yeah…well, that’s in the Past. Right now, he’s happy, and that’s all that really matters anyway.”

“Hmm…” The Tiger of Kai carefully plucked the few mushrooms from the ground, placing them in his basket before rising to his feet. He turned back to face Thai, his gray eyes scanning the younger man’s slumped posture. “And, what about you, little sparrow? Does your happiness not matter also?”

Thai shrugged, hiding behind a melancholic smile. “This isn’t my first rodeo—er, I mean…well, you get what I mean. It’s not my first heartache. I’ll be fine.”

Thank you for reading, and thank you again to @mllorei and @violettduchess for hosting the Falling For Fall Creation Challenge!

[ryukang1995]

I was bored, so I did a movie cast meme featuring characters present within my AU based on the 2021 Mortal Kombat movie.

The cast: - The hero - Liu Kang (Ludi Lin)

- The hero's love interest - Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee)

- The sidekick - Kung Lao (Max Huang)

- The sidekick's friend - Cole Young (Lewis Tan)

- The sidekick's second friend - Jax (Mehcad Brooks)

- The sidekick's love interest - Li Mei (no actress yet)

- The redeemer - Kuai Liang/Sub-Zero (Yoshi Sudarso)

- The redeemer's friend - Hanzo Hasashi/Scorpion (Hiroyuki Sanada)

- The redeemer's love interest - Kitana (Adeline Rudolph)

- The hero's parents - Lee Kang and Lin Kang

- The hero's best friend - same as the sidekick

- The hero's superior - Raiden (Tadanobu Asano)

- The traitor - Kano (Josh Lawson)

- The traitor's friend - Kabal

- The traitor's second friend - nobody else (I can't really see anyone else befriending Kano)

- The one who dies first - Johnny Cage (Karl Urban)

- The villain - Shang Tsung (Chin Han)

- The villain's bodyguard - Goro

- The villain's henchmen - Bi Han/Noob Saibot (Joe Taslim), Mileena (Sisi Stringer), Syzoth/Reptile, and Reiko (Nathan Jones)

- The villain's love interest - Nitara (Mel Jarnson)

Author's notes:

- While Karl Urban is playing Johnny Cage in the upcoming sequel, I used the image of Simpy Cage aka his counterpart from the Legends animated movies. I'm not too excited for the sequel, one of the reasons why is because of a huge emphasis on Johnny Cage and what his role will be over arguably more important things like whether or not Liu Kang will be the hero and defeat Shang Tsung.

- Jade, Shao Kahn, Sindel, Quan Chi, Baraka and Jerrod have been cast for the upcoming sequel, but I did leave them out of this meme since I had nowhere to include them. I could have easily cast Jade as Kung Lao's love interest, and it's great if you ship them, though I kinda ship him with Li Mei more.

- The images for Li Mei and Reiko are from New MK1 since Li Mei is not in the film universe yet (and whether or not she will be depends on whether or not the film franchise keeps going), and the way Reiko was depicted in MK 2021 was really lame.

- Yoshi Sudarso isn't confirmed to be Kuai Liang/Sub-Zero in the sequel (at least, as far as I'm aware), but he is quite a fan favorite choice to play the character if he ever does appear in the film universe.

That's all for now.

[syneilesis]

🎧Ikemen Series R18 Seiyuu Masterlist🎧

As I have said before, I am listing Cybird Ikemen Series characters and their voice actors, indicating whether they've done R18 otome drama CDs and how I find their performances. I'm mostly familiar with Ikemen Sengoku, Revolution, Vampire, and Prince, but I'll include some Genjiden, Live, and Villains when applicable.

Since I've outed myself as an R18 drama cd enthusiast (connoisseur lmao), might as well lean into it completely 👀 This is going to be long, and nsfw language abound; MINORS DNI!!!! Please don't let this destroy your image of me lmao 😂🥹

Note on the distinction: R18 in this case is when you can hear the characters climax (voice actors use pseudonyms for these); some drama CDs are nsfw, but they cut off before the climax, so R15? R16? (voice actors use their real names here); sfw are just kissing, nothing spicy (VA real names).

Without further ado, onward!

Ikemen Sengoku

5 out of 17. Small number.

Oda Nobunaga (VA: Sugita Tomokazu): None, sfw only. I don't know if I'd listen if he'd ever have one; he'll always be Gintoki and Kagerou to me.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (VA: Toriumi Kousuke): None, also sfw only.

Akechi Mitsuhide (VA: Takeuchi Shunsuke): None, he's too young let him live purely a little longer lmao

Date Masamune (VA: Katou Kazuki): None, but I'm curious. He could do a Taniyama Kishou and dabble here and there 👀

Tokugawa Ieyasu (VA: Masuda Toshiki): Yes. Listen, I like his voice, I like to listen to his slightly raspy and husky voice. It's soothing to my ears. I like his sfw drama cds, the ones I've listened to. But his nsfw ones? He needs his kisses and sucking noises wetter. He needs to practice more *hinthint*

Ishida Mitsunari (VA: Yamaya Yoshitaka): HE HAS ONE OMG I listened to his samples once, I don't know if I'd listen to it again OMG MUKU MITSUNARI MY ANGELS i can't wrap my head around soft-voiced Muku committing sins

Maeda Keiji (VA: Sawashiro Chiharu): None. From what I gather of his personality from event clips, I think I'd like to shield him from sinning a little longer too lol

Takeda Shingen (VA: Umehara Yuichiro): None. I'd like to hear him though.

Sanada Yukimura (VA: Ono Kensho): None, sfw only.

Imagawa Yoshimoto (VA: Yashiro Taku): MY BOI. It's funny how he voices angsty and sad characters in ikeseries but HE'S SO CUTE AND WHOLESOME IN DRAMA CDS. I love him in Switching best.

Uesugi Kenshin (VA: Miura Hiroaki): I am averse to yandere characters, but in this one he did, he's a tsundere. NOW I LIKE KENSHIN BY ASSOCIATION. Miura's drama cd is one of my favorites, sad but romantic.

Sarutobi Sasuke (VA: Akabane Kenji): None, iirc.

Naoe Kanetsugu (VA: Nakagawa Akinori): None. I don't know if he's done sfw ones, but I'd be willing to listen to them, just so I can add more Kanetsugu voice reference lol

Kennyo (VA: Shingaki Tarusuke): Hehe. Hehehehe. Heh. It's been a while, I want to hear him again. Especially when he whispers against my ear amidst a packed train. I also liked his cute and flustered daycare employee cd. HA. SE. BAE.

Mori Ranmaru (VA: Aoi Shouta): None, as far as I know. I think he'd get a kick out of it, though.

Mouri Motonari (VA: Konishi Katsuyuki): None. He does sfw ones? How sfw are Cybird CDs?

Kicho (VA: Kaji Yuuki): None, but I remember he did a mature one where's he's like a yandere and a do-S and just whips you while laughing maniacally. I don't know, that was a long time ago. I didn't even remember if there were ever spicy scenes; I just remember the whipping lol

Ikemen Revolution

This game is, like, the treasure trove of R18 voice actors. 13 out of 17 have done at least one R18 drama cd. Well done, IkeRev!

Lancelot Kingsley (VA: Okamoto Nobuhiko): None, sfw only. He usually uses his cute voice for these CDs.

Jonah Clemence (VA: Hanae Natsuki): Yes, early on. I think he stopped after he married. Listened to two of his CDs, his voice is too soft for my tastes. He does good moaning and whining.

Edgar Bright (VA: Yashiro Taku): see Imagawa Yoshimoto

Zero (VA: Kumagai Kentarou): MY LOVE, MY CURRENT OBSESSION. He does desperate, drugged out, and angry-at-life so well. His moans and kisses are 💯 I prefer his boyishly youthful voice than his deeper one. When he hits that high-pitched whine *chef's kiss* He comes so prettily *dreamy sigh*

Kyle Ash (VA: Furukawa Makoto): What a man, what a voice. Personally I liked his earlier works because there were more variety in the plots and characters, but I think he works best with plotty CDs and/or emotional drama. Rouge et Noir comes to mind; REUNION for the drama. I enjoy the CDs where his voice is cooler, not too high-pitched, not too deep. He sighs when he kisses, and it sounds divine.

Ray Blackwell (VA: Shimono Hiro): He did a few early in the r18 drama cd years. I remember the one where he was a yandere butler. It was also a mobile game, but I didn't know which came first (I think the game). There was also that teacher x student cd. He also did Wasurenagusa as Todo Heisuke iirc.

Sirius Oswald (VA: Suwabe Junichi): None. This man was born with a velvet voice bUT FOR WHAT

Luka Clemence (VA: Enoki Junya): He has a recognizable voice (makes me think of aluminium idkw). He did an angsty incest one and a servant to a lady one. They're okay. His orgasms need more work, though.

Fenrir Godspeed (VA: Kakihara Tetsuya): Semi-active. My fave is the one where he's childhood friends with the MC and has a badboy/playboy rep but he's actually a virgin I think, or at least acts like a blushing maiden when he did it with the MC (who takes control of the sex). He's vocal in this one; he cried at one point because he came prematurely. It's funny and I love it.

Seth Hyde (VA: Murata Taishi): PLEASE. PLEASE LISTEN TO KOIBITO VS NIJIGEN VOL 1. HE'S JEALOUS OF MC'S OSHI LMAO IT'S SO META AND HILARIOUS I LOVE IT.

Harr Silver (VA: Terashima Junta): I'll buy any r18 cd this man makes, period.

Loki Genetta (VA: Murase Ayumu): He did one. Like Hanae, his voice is too soft for my taste. He did, however, once choked on a candy trying to emulate blowjob noises for a BLCD, I don't know what else to tell you.

Blanc Lapin (VA: Shirai Yusuke): CHAOTIC KING. A couple of times, he tried to insert objects up his ass, just to know what it feels like lmao. What dedication. I liked his first R18 otome drama cd where he's a submissive and breedable pirate subordinate (MC is the pirate captain).

Oliver Knight (VA: Hamano Daiki): He did some. Haven't listened to any of them though.

Mousse Atlas (VA: Toki Shunichi): He did one! Around the same time with Yamaya. At the time I was liking him for voicing Ginji in Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi. Haven't listened to it though. Also did a few more.

Dean Tweedle (VA: Wada Masanari): I don't think so.

Dalim Tweedle (VA: Asato Yuya): Ditto.

Ikemen Vampire

5 out of 17. Funny how this is the game where sucking and sexytiems are advertised and yet!

Napoleon Bonaparte (VA: Shimazaki Nobunaga): Not R18 ones, but he did some for Rejet? I don't know.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (VA: Toyonaga Toshiyuki): Sfw only, I think.

Leonardo Da Vinci (VA: Tsuda Kenjiro): None as far as I know.

Arthur Conan Doyle (VA: Kimura Ryohei): None. He does some for Rejet. Wasurenagusa. I love him as Utashiro in Yuugen Romantica!

Vincent van Gogh (VA: Aramaki Yoshihiko): None. I want to listen to his Vincent voice more though. Very soothing, perfect for falling asleep.

Theodorus van Gogh (VA: Sato Hisanori): None. As Theo he should be braver in making sucking noises lmao

Osamu Dazai (VA: Yashiro Taku): see Imagawa Yoshimoto

Isaac Newton (VA: Aoi Shouta): see Mori Ranmaru

Jean d'Arc (VA: Someya Toshiyuki): None. I like the quality of his deep voice though.

William Shakespeare (VA: Hirakawa Daisuke): Yes, plenty, but not as active as before.

Comte de Saint-Germain (VA: Horie Kazuma): Yes, way back when, which explains why he's so good at ear-whispering. I only know he worked for one series (and sequels) where he's a tsundere student council vice president (?). A CONFESSION: I listened to his drama cds when I was writing That Comte Fic in order to capture the mood of the sexual tension.

Sebastian (VA: Morishima Shuta): None. After watching him in Cybird events, I'd probably laugh at him or pity him. I can no longer imagine him doing R18 based on his Cybird hyper host image.

Vlad (VA: Saito Soma): None. Shame. I really want to hear more of Vlad 😏

Johann Georg Faust (VA: Kamio Shinichiro): None. With his voice, I'd rather he read erotica to me.

Charles-Henri Sanson (VA: Kijima Ryuichi): He has one; listened to the samples, his voice here is same as Charles's. Actually, even the character looks like Charles lol. There seems to be a bathtub sex scene there. Or hot spring, I dunno.

Galileo Galilei (VA: Furukawa Makoto): see Kyle Ash

Francis Drake (VA: Hatanaka Tasuku): None, far as I know.

Ikemen Prince

4 out of 13. lol

Leon Dompteur (VA: Katou Kazuki): see Date Masamune

Chevalier Michel (VA: Ono Yuuki): I'm trying to look for any of his works that has Chevalier's timbre but he does more lighter voices! Sad. He did a couple of hardcore ones, but I liked the one where he's a tsundere magician.

Yves Kloss (VA: Uchida Yuuma): None?

Nokto Klein (VA: Eguchi Takuya): He did one a long time ago. It was a hentai game I think, the Queen Bee one? There's a drama cd for that. The characters are all insane if I'm not mistaken.

Licht Klein (VA: Oomi Shoichiro): None.

Clavis Lelouch (VA: Nojima Kenji): It's funny, because his brother had done R18 drama cd BUT HE HASN'T D: EDIT: WAIT WAIT WAIT I THINK HE DID R18 LET ME CONFIRM OH MY GOD EDIT EDIT: I listened to it but – the name credit gave it away – it's not R18 😞 It is, however, a yandere vampire cd so there's ear licking, biting, and blood drinking. But that's it. Sad. He would've been good with r18 >.>

Jin Grandet (VA: Yasumoto Hiroki): He did some, and he's coming back in the bdsm game What in Hell is Bad? !!!!! Haven't listened to any of his CDs though.

Luke Randolph (VA: Yoshitaka Sion): None.

Sariel Noir (VA: Hayami Show): None. I don't know if he does sfw CDs.

Rio Ortiz (VA: Mineta Hiromu): None. He, Oomi, and Yoshitaka are the hosts of IkePri Cybird events; I still see them as kids, I'm leaving them alone.

Silvio Ricci (VA: Satou Takuya): I AM A SHRINE MAIDEN AND HE IS THE GOD I WORSHIP. My all-time fave. I'm willing to make a recommendation list if you ask 😂 He's prolific (!!!!!), I think he's done every character tropes – tsundere, yandere, ore-sama, senpai, kouhai, osananajimi, CEO, do-S, do-M, dom, sub, oniisan, and so on. He's so good and dedicated at capturing character tics?? He slurs his words when he's lust-drunk oh my god. He needs to do more do-M and/or submissive characters pLEASE I NEED IT

Keith Howell (VA: Hatano Wataru): None, sfw only I believe. EDIT: I was told he did R18 games hehehurrr 😏 (thank you for that info!)

Gilbert von Obsidian (VA: Asanuma Shintarou): None.

For the games below I'll just list those who have done R18 drama CDs.

Ikemen Genjiden

Tamamo (VA: Tamaru Atsushi): I got used to his cutesy voice that I forget he's good at deep voices too! My fave of his is Nochikare where he's a wanko-type kouhai, he's so cute there I'd smash a table from so much cute aggression.

Nasu no Yoichi (VA: Suzuki Ryouta): I know he did some before, heard a couple of his. Could've been better. (Tbf, this was during the time when R18 drama CDs were just starting out. So I think many key players were new to it, compared with BLCD.)

Kurama (VA: Morikawa Toshiyuki): I can't have Sephiroth whispering in my ear lol. That aside, I really couldn't imagine him doing R18 because he's known to voice iconic characters. And yet here we are. His Yamazaki Susumu in Wasurenagusa took me out because of his drunk line, "Nyaruhodo." I will never look at Sephiroth the same way again lmao. But yeah, I haven't listened to his works properly because they were made years ago.

Kitsuji Sueharu (VA: Komatsu Shohei): MY NEW FAVE, MY NEW LOVE, MY NEW OBSESSION OH MY GOD?! I haven't bought any of his works (WHICH I SHOULD REMEDY IN THE FUTURE) but from the sample of this one CD I – I JUST. H-He's good. I love the sound of his panting 😭

Ikemen Live

I'd like to mention here that I love KENN's character in Yuugen Romantica. It's not R18, but that is one of the few sfw drama CD series that I listen to and enjoy.

Chigusa Kyouichirou (VA: Itou Kento): Deep voice, cute high-pitched moans! Love him.

Fujishiro Meguru (VA: Kuroda Takaya): Haven't listened to his works yet.

Mashiro Kanade (VA: Fukamachi Toshinari): Only found one, and wow. Gosh. What an aggressive CD 😂

Shinonomi Eisuke (VA: Taniyama Kishou): Len Tsukimori 😭 It's been a while since I listened to him. All I remember is that he also did a vampire drama CD (LOL HE SHOULD'VE BEEN IN IKEVAMP) but I can no longer recall the details.

Tsubaki Makoto (VA: Ono Yuuki): see Chevalier Michel

Ikemen Villains

William Rex (VA: Tachibana Shinnosuke): I AM SO FOND OF HIS VOICE. What's funny is that my favorite works of his are not R18. Wasurenagusa is probably my ultimate fave out of his CDs. Primarily because he used his ax crazy voice there. I AM LIVING FOR HIS AX CRAZY, MANIACAL VOICE. It's *chef's kiss* perfection. He also did one in Midnight Jiang Shis. But for R18 I like his Otona no Meruhen best. He often portrays do-S characters, but I want him to do more do-M.

Harrison Gray (VA: Sugiyama Noriaki): I know a couple! Girl's Therapist where he's a beautician and Otona no Meruhen where he's a tsundere wolfboy. He puts the uke in Sasuke huh lol Recently listened again to his wolfboy cd. It's entertaining enough (the story was more entertaining than the sex scenes lmao [but that's a given in Otona no Meruhen series]).

Roger Barel (VA: Eguchi Takuya): see Nokto Klein

Victor (VA: Takahashi Hiroki): I'm surprised he has one; haven't listened to it though.

So that's it! If you've reached this part, wow congrats I salute you, please don't think of me differently now lmao.

I'm sure more of them have done BLCD, but I'm only familiar with otome drama CDs. Cybird drama CDs may have spicy moments, but since they're using the voice actors' names, I'm pretty sure that they don't include R18 scenes; hence, this list. If you know a voice actor who did an R18 otome drama cd but is listed here as not having one, tell me!

I can't be the only one listening to drama CDs in this fandom, right? Please say hi? 🥹

[leastdatablebracket]

ROUND 1, MATCH 8

Propaganda under the cut!

Akihiko Sanada

because the first time i tried to date him i found out that if you don't select three very specific dialogue options, even if he confesses and says "so you're my girl now" the game won't perceive you as dating unless those three specific options were chosen. and it's not like it's a simple thing to just reload the save; persona 3 is a very story-dense rpg, and it spans the course of an entire year or so. my first playthrough, if i wanted to reload that far back i would have lost several months worth of progress, if i even had a save that far back, which i didn't. anyway, that sucked, and it made him literally undatable in my first playthrough. also also, i found out through youtube that if you date ken amada and him at the same time (yuck gross, for more than one reason) he fights with him over you. which could be funny, if he weren't a senior in high school beefing with a literal teen year old. in the middle if the dungeon where were fighting monsters. it's funny, but not in a very "ha ha" way, more in a "dude you should know better" kind of way. gives me major ick. also, he's kind of a battle hungry and impulsive guy, who likes protein powder a little too much - and by that i mean, it's canonically confirmed that he puts protein powder on top of his beef bowls, which...yuck??? idk that just gives me the ick. i just personally don't think i could handle someone that athletic all of the time. also, there's a period of like a month in the game where you can't hang out with him and progress your relationship, which is annoying if you're trying to 100% the game. otherwise he's a pretty sweet guy i guess? still my least favorite dating option besides ken amada in-game.

Sam Dalton

Spineless af, no personality but 'horny' for the mc. pretty shit at being a parent. Literally cheated on their fiance, but the fiance is made out to be the 'bad guy'. Character is gender customisable but is written so white male coded urgh. is terribly jealous but not in a cute way. just really annoying. much rather choose their ex wife or fiancé over them any day

[lethargicwizard]

So I watched "Bullet Train" (A while ago but that's not important)

Since it's been a while since the movie came out I feel pretty safe but never the less Spoilers!

If I had to describe "Bullet Train" I'd call it Hollywood's greatest attempt at emulating less conventional methods of storytelling. With the original text being written by Kōtarō Isaka as a novel (and that end, I have no idea what liberties were taken with its production, and adaptation compared to the original story) and because of that fact it may be cringe to say that on my first viewing, I thought the film felt like something that would do well as a single season 12 episode cult classic anime from the mid-nineties to early two-thousands. Everything from the film's setting to the characters screams that sort of slightly absurdist charm that you'd usually see from that era of anime and manga. A collection of assassins board a bullet train in Japan for a myriad of different yet interconnected reasons strung along by a well-foreshadowed central antagonist and a mysterious yet charismatic dark horse, all taking place in a black humor thriller.

Yuichi Kimura is a father out for the blood of the person that put his son on life support struggling with his position as a father demands of him. Not knowing that his decision had left him as a pawn in a dangerous game he does not completely understand.

Ladybug (which is what I will forever refer to this character archetype as) is a charismatic if oafish thief who seems to live in a state of perpetual bad luck however never fatally succumbing to it. returns to work after a stent away from attempting to reevaluate his choices and steer himself away from some of the more unsavory aspects of his profession and more often than not failing miserably at it.

Lemon/Tangerine, a dynamic duo of hitmen who share a familial bond that goes deeper than blood. The former of the two possessing a humorous yet undeniably advantageous character quirk iconic of the film. While the latter becomes an instant fan favorite due to his relatable yet enviable personality. Both of which serve as the poster children for the film.

The Wolf, a self-made legend of the Mexican cartel who shot up the ranks of his organization with his charisma, intellect, and brutality finds himself in Japan to find the murderer of not only his beloved but his partners in crime. An impressive back story for someone who dies within ten minutes of being introduced.

Hiroyuki Sanada, a disgraced former yakuza and the father of one of the other characters also comes to find the would be assassin of his grandson only to be presented the chance to settle a grudge thats haunted him for the better part of his life.

Last but not least The Prince, the dark horse of the film whose motivations and origins tantalize the viewers the entire runtime. The character you love to hate and a secondary antagonist who far outshines the main one. My hat goes off to Joey King for her performance from this absolute menace The Prince is one of my favorite aspects of the film, the fact that the vast majority of situations she's faced with go her way which helps her be more hatable yet interesting as a character. I'm especially fond of her aesthetic as a character she's not a traditional fem fatal but she still leverages her femininity to achieve her goals falling into that gap-moe of having this adolescent schoolgirl design yet being this conniving machiavellian character.

Now after hearing that line up tell me this doesn't sound like an instant cult hit of a dark comedy. Overall I'm quite fond of the film and if you haven't seen it and didn't heed my warning at the top please watch it its quite the treat. for those who have watched the film and just wanted to read this for yucks, I suggest you read the source material Kōtarō Isaka's Maria Beetle if you can find it.

[sentofight]

ooc. so, apparently S.E.E.S members got ...blogs. [view this post for the images of the said blogs] so i looked at aki's blog ... and now i get why atlus is hang up on the protein jokes. but still. he is my oc now and i say what works for my portrayal. dont worry. i dont go butcher the character for my own enjoyment. anyway, here is the blog image and some crappy translation from uncle googleh. i feel like i saw them on the pcs in the game right?? but they were not clear so yeah.

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

iron fist huh... lmao. but yeah this sums up his story well. he uses his frustration to fuel him and move on and get better.

i actually hoped they would add something about his family name or something since Sanada is the name of the family adopted him.

this is my favorite by far. simple and straightforward like aki. the Sanda soul is just chef kiss. i love it XD i wonder if he made it himself or someone helped him hmmmm. reminds me of my space era ;;a;;

her profile picture... really ... my dude ... YOU ARE SHOWING THE EVOKER YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!

ok. never cheer during his training geez. sees protein *fixes glasses* cant seem to read well. lmao. gyudon huh. okay what is this 10 meals bro. get a life sdlkfjsdfs

akihiko writes his diary on the blog. he writes his diary on the internet!!! read the diary girls!!!!

i bet it is [Today, I ran 15 kilometers etc etc] report of his training regimen. he even posted about S.E.E.S. . . i wonder why no one asked about the club huh ..

special menu ...umiushi special? i looked to see what is this but i got stuffed toys. i highly doubt he eats plushies. but tried again and it seems it is sea urchin (Uni--something) he eats that huh.

his friends. shinji, mitsu, femc, ken????, junpei, yukari.

reminds me of the deviant art stamps things we used to have on our pages to show what we liked haha. ok...boxing ... protein huh ..and the police. at least the police thing is there because otherwise i will be smad.

idk what to say but i wish if more things like this are not region locked;; still upset about owari no kakera ... big sigh.

[honestreviewsblog]

My Cuteness is About to Expire!? (JDrama)

Just finished it and this is the best thing in the world omggg aaaaaaaaaaaa. Like damn, this series just killed me with it's cuteness.

If you're looking for something light and sweet and something to make you squeal, kicking your feet in the air, I swear this is it. As a classic romcom fan, I practically died laughing and blushing at this.

There's loads to mention but I love love love how we as a society are moving on from emotionally unavailable male leads and finally embracing the ultimate male character: the love sick loser lolololol. No but I'm telling y'all Maruya Kosuke got it right, the best way to flirt with the girl you like is by not being afraid to show her how pathetic you feel, communicating your concerns, asking the right questions, looking into her eyes and telling her how cute she is, 10/10 total banger. Especially when bb girl isn't used to people calling her cute and gets flustered at the slightest compliment, 1000/10 would recommend.

Another reason why I love it so much was probably because I see myself in Sanada Izumi (the female lead), it's a difficult thing being shy and wanting to have a safe space to let out your feelings. I hope Maruya knows how amazing he is as a person for being friendly and charming but not being overwhelming esp for a person like Sanada. For all the Maruya Kosuke out there, from the bottom of my heart, I wanna say thank you. And to the Sanada Izumi out there, I just wanna tell you to have faith. Someone would come into your life, maybe a friend or a colleague, or maybe even a lover if you're extra lucky lol, and everything would fall into place and you wouldn't feel so alone anymore. It all gets better.

I haven't been exposed to a lot of Jdorama so I'm loving every experience I get from every single Jdrama I've ever watched and out of all the romcoms, I gotta admit this might just be my favorite so far. 1000/10

[johnnyraine]

The 13 Lords of the Shogun - Review

SPOILERS!!

In less than a week, far faster than I've finished any taiga drama, I have finished The 13 Lords of the Shogun. I was evidently addicted to this show, yet again, far more than any other taiga drama. Everytime an episode ended, I booted up the next. I juet couldn't stop.

Certainly there were times I paused it. But this is likely due to my short attention span, but I always came back soon after.

The actors were good; the music was great; there were emotional moments that even made me come close to actually crying.

My favorite fucking characters all died!

I don't know much of this period, so other than Kiyomori, Yoritomo, Yoshinaka, Yoshitsune, Go-Shirakawa, and Noriyori, I literally didn't know when anyone else died. I fucking LOVED Kazusa-no-Suke Hirotsune (Koichi Sato)! I fucking loved that old man, he was soo great! I was very upset when he was publicly murdered. I was heavily upset.

Then (or before) Yoshinaka (Munetaka Aoki), who I actually came to like, fucking dies. I knew he would die, but they made me like him! He was another favorite.

Then I liked Hatakeyama Shigetada because I'm a simp and liked Taishi Nakagawa as Toyotomi Hideyori in Sanada Maru. But on the subject of him, what was up with all the brow-raising he did. In almost every scene I saw him in, he had one brow raised. I don't know what that was about.

But he died too, so yeah. He has a great fight scene with Koshiro (Shun Oguri) that I really liked because... THE ARMOR WORKED! Every time that shit happens, I am happy!

Then my favorites were Wada Yoshimori (Eiji Yokota) and Minamoto no Sanetomo (Hayato Kakizawa). ...yeah they fucking died too. Obviously.

I just loved that old fool, Wada Yoshimori! He was the replacement Kazusa. Plus, my other favorite, Sanetomo, liked him. They were friends! Gods damn it all!

I also called it that Sanetomo (show-wise, as far as I know) was gay. He looked at Yasutoshi (Koshiro's son) way too fondly. Then the jealousy and the love poem. It was obvious.

I was, of course, biased toward the attractive, pathetic, gay twink. Very much so, haha!

I was very upset at Koshiro for killing them both. Even if Sanetomo's was more indirect. Wada was shot with arrows in front of Sanetomo after he, I believe, surrendered. Sanetomo was assassinated by his nephew, but Koshiro knew it would happen and did nothing. So yeah, fuck me.

Anyway, I loved how Koshiro slowly went from being upset and admonishing Yoritomo for his scheming and dark actions, to Koshiro doing the same thing so Hojo would stand on top of the samurai.

By the end, I did not support Koshiro's actions. I understood why he did them, but I did not support him, nor did I really like him by the end. I was upset to see him die, especially the way he did, but I still didn't like him anymore.

I liked Ama Midai's speech to rally the Bando samurai. I also liked when she switched from the white headdress to the purple headdress (whatever it may be called).

Now, Koshiro's fight with Hatakeyama. There was a moment where, if he wanted to, Hatakeyama could have killed Koshiro. There was a too-long pause during the fight. That's a no-no.

Yet again, not all humor landed with me. But the one with Yoshimori and Koshiro, where Yoshimori cuts off his eyebrow, was hilarious.

But anyway, despite all this, I personally give it a 6/10.

Now, do I think it deserves higher? Yes. This is why I changed it to 7/10.

7/10

Currently, my Taiga Drama ranking list has this show at either 3 or 4. Being above or below, Hideyoshi (1996).

I forgot! I loved Hatta (Hayato Ichihara) as well.

Also, they seemed to make the Minamoto bitches. Like Yoritomo: reprehensible actions and spoiled (at least in the beginning); Yoshitsune: impatient, dishonorable, bloodthirsty. He got better after the Genpei War, but not much; Yoriie: almost immediately he takes after his father and is a womanizer. He tries to take a gokenin's wife, and then when that doesn't work, he wants to execute the guy! What the fuck! The only good thing I can say about him is that he tried to rebuild his relatio ship with his concubine and died fighting. That's it; Sanetomo: I love him, but he's weak, way too weak. Being fair, he was always a puppet and hardly had the chance to take power. He also, fairly, sided with the Court in the West. But that is fair considering it was either them or Koshiro (who was reprehensible at this point). He also made the right decision for the wrong reason: Not making Tsurumaru (Koshiro's not "adopted son) a gokenin. Not because he hadn't done anything deserving of it, but because he hugged Yasutoki, whom Sanetomo had a crush on.

The only Minamoto I fully liked was Yoshinaka and his son, Yoshitaka. Perhaps I had nothing against Noriyori.

But yeah, that was it.

[then3xusgamer]

Akihiko Sanada!! he seems like a v cool character and i just. augh. my friend told me a lot about him and his tragic backstory (i said i was ok with spoilers, i was already too far gone in the hole since i didn't think i was gonna watch/play it) and he just seems so neat, he has so many good character traits n' i love that for him :] Mitsuru also looks very cool!! and theres a dog that i've seen in fanart for Akechi, and Akechi is my favorite character in all of fiction /srs, so legally i need to see more of this certified good boi

so after seeing a bunch of P2 stuff here, i wanted to ask if you would recommend P2? i'm gonna watch P3R but after i might watch P2,,, also i love your art sm :] your Royal Trio art has me gnawing on the bars of my own enclosure, i love how Sumi's earrings compliment the color of her hair!!

OMGGG HII yesyeseysdjfw i love p2.... i would recommend highly :3 at least for me personally, the themes are SO up my alley and i love the characters so much!!!! everyones personalities, backstories, and charagrowth all feel super unique to me??? its so cool.... i think notably, a diff frm new-gen persona games, since there's no social links/confidants the character growth happens slowly throughout the main plotline which i find super fun to watch and follow along!!!

BUT YESSS OMG enjoy p3r as well:333 i havent seen reload yet myself... i have to hop on...

AND THANK U SOOO MUCH UWEHEHE im so glad u enjoy my royal trio stuff ;-; they are my comforts rn..... my littlest guys.. AND THANKY OUU AUWHWH earrings sumi my fav headcanon!!!! (i think its just part of how i draw her now.... i dont think i can draw her w/o them..) THANKYOU AGAIN FOR THE ASK!!! ;w;

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Bullet Train

You know when a film's trailer delivers a glimpse of the entire thing in a fun way? Its rare for a trailer to deliver the exact tone of a film so accurately isn't it? Well the team that designed the trailer to this film should win an Oscar for it because this film was everything it said it was gonna be and so much more. It is truly rare for a film to be this much fun and engaging from the opening montage to the closing credits. The action film genre can be a variety of things whether it be an action film that has a thin layered story with great set pieces or a great story that informs the set pieces and they work in tandem together. This film was the latter and I loved the story and all of its moving parts. It does take some influences from films like Snatch and Smokin’ Aces with the plot being centered around a person and object and it was great. There were multiple slivers of a family drama, dark comedy and revenge tale all mixed into this perfect storm of circumstance and luck. The characters themselves push the story and take you on a fun ride that you'll never forget. This film definitely features my favorite collection of characters this year so far.

Brad Pitt was excellent and having the time of his life as the "unlucky" character Ladybug. You want the guy to succeed and get off the train, but there's always something or someone pulling him right back on. He was charming and hilarious as he tries to stay so Zen throughout the mayhem. Sandra Bullock was fun and witty as his handler Maria Beetle. The two of them have such great chemistry and I love their heart to hearts after and sometimes during the action. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Bryan Tyree Henry were truly my favorite characters of the film Tangerine and Lemon. Their chemistry was electric the moment they were on screen together. Their banter was the funniest, insightful, quick and you truly feel their brotherly love toward one another. Tangerine was the perfect bruiser and Lemon was truly the brains and I loved every second. I kind of want a spinoff with those characters. Joey King was perfectly sadistic and cunning as The Prince. She has such command on screen and you love her even though she is so evil. Andrew Koji was endearing and wonderful as Yuichi Kimura and his story was one of the strongest pillars of the film. The great Hiroyuki Sanada was as awesome and elegant as his father The Elder. There isn't a role he's played where he doesn't bring such gravitas to each scene. Their chemistry was strong and I loved their strained relationship. Michael Shannon was awesome and a pure rockstar as the Russian crime boss The White Death. Once he's on screen, you just love every villainous moment of him chewing the scenery. The way his story is tied to everyone is wonderfully weaved throughout and its one hell of a payoff in the end.

The soundtrack in this film was excellent as we here the Japanese version of classic hits and they're all perfectly placed and compliment the tone of the story and emotional beats. The action in this film is perfectly choreographed to tell the story and deliver some great comedic moments and shocking twists. You have to appreciate when a director that comes from a stunt background, really shows how to shoot action the correct way. Visually the film is stunning and each train car has its own personality. Director David Leitch has made not only one of my favorite action films, but one of the best dark comedies of the year. I loved this film and I can't recommend it enough. Do stick around for one of the best story buttons in the mid credit scene that made myself and the entire theater cheer. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[takadanobaba]

Takahashi Minato’s Birthday PriZoom 8/21/2021

TABETAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII~!

Reminder that PriZooms are accessible to everyone regardless of region!! If you’re interested in attending, please go and support King of Prism!!! 

I’ve written a guide for participating in PriZooms   👉 here 👈 !

This time I went for the showings with just the Masashi Igarashi talk show bonuses, so the second and third showing (SSS part 2 and Best Ten’s Over the Rainbow route)!

MINATO’S PRIZOOM WAS THE LOUDEST I’VE EVER HEARD SOUNDBOARD HELL!! IT WAS SO FUN!!! There were a lot of people attending too!! I’m so glad!! Especially since Masashi Igarashi (the voice actor of Minato) was there as a guest star and he deserves all the support he gets!!

For reference, I went back and checked my recordings to collect the participant numbers for every prizoom I’ve attended so far:

86 in Jin’s text-only

30 in Rei’s text-only

142 in Minato’s regular cheering for the 3rd showing

105 in Minato’s text-only for the 4th showing,154 in cheering according to Luna! *EDIT: It ended up being over 160?*

You can really hear the difference! Rei’s prizoom was fun but definitely not as wild as Jin’s and Minato’s. I’d say that even though Minato’s cheering was more full-sounding, Jin’s birthday is still my favorite event because there were more participants going all-out with their camera/screens to show their love (almost every Jin fan went text-only). Also Jin’s prizoom holds a special place in my heart since Jin already does and it was my first prizoom, I don’t think anything will top Jin’s for me (though Joji’s is next month...... so.....)  Seems like there’s a pretty even spread of participants between both rooms?

It also seems like the same soundboard link is used for not only all of the showings, but shared between both cheering and text-only rooms? Nice to know that if I choose cheering then I won’t miss out on the soundboard activity!

The screening of SSS part 2 was also my first time trying out a regular cheering room, it seems like soundboard hell is becoming the main cheering style there too? WHICH IS GREAT FOR ME because I was worried about being annoying as one of the few soundboard spammers....... There were only about a handful of people on mic (special thanks to Luna and everyone tried to do regular cheering!! it seems like it’d be difficult with everyone using the soundboard haha)

The cheering for Kakeru’s episode is relatively tame and mostly consists of going “そうだ ！ そうだ！/ RIGHT! RIGHT!” and “そうなことないよ！/ That’s not true!” when there’s arguments about business and stuff. Wh.... who was the other person shouting “大好き” at Sanada..........wwhy......

The cheering for Joji’s episode is CRAZY.... pretty much the whole episode is basically inaudible because everyone’s just going KIIIITAAAAAA and KAKKOIIIIIIIII over EVERYTHING. Which is understandable because Joji’s episode has a lot going on and is the best episode of anything ever. I might be a bit biased. Anyways I love rewatching Joji’s episode even more now (THAT MEANS A LOT... JOJI’S EPISODE MEANS A LITTLE TOO MUCH TO ME.... longest I’ve gone without revisiting it is a week). It also had the most regular cheering out of every episode in part 2 which is cool! There wasn’t much since the cheering was mostly soundboard hell but hearing the “Joji! Joji!” cheers in Joker Kiss was just really nice.... it’s just like in the recording of Shiny Rose Stars/the sss stageplay!! There’s no soundboard substitute for that so the voice cheers had a chance to really shine. The “Joji! Joji!” cheers for that part makes the song so much more emotional to me (especially since Joji’s name has so much significance to him.....he’d appreciate the affirmation a lot;;;;.....okay I’m getting sidetracked so I’m just gonna shut up now and wait to gush about Joji’s episode on the right birthday) SO YEAH I LIKED THE CHEERING ROOM JUST BECAUSE OF THAT PART!!! I’m actually going to die from joy at Joji’s prizoom next month.

Minato’s episode mostly consisted of spamming “食べたーい！/ I wanna eat it!” whenever food showed up, that happened for everything though (like the ramen in Joji’s episode), but Minato’s episode was more food-centric so there were more opportunities. “TABETAIIIIIIII” isn’t usually used that much (m... much less for the Shin/Louis kisses...??)! I guess everyone tried to use it as much as possible in celebration of Minato, seeing as he is the food character and all? Really cool!

I was in the text-only room for the 4th showing so it was strictly soundboard hell for Best 10. Its cheering is great as expected! Just a whole showing dedicated to the YO button. For the language lessons part everyone just spams YO along with the karaoke-cues since nobody can actually voice along! I LOVE IT

It’s fun getting an idea of who’s a regular prizoom attender! Notable participants for me this event were Luna and the Kouji cosplayer preparing food the whole time??

Bonuses:

These took SO LONG to process because they’re over 20 minutes long each. And youtube just hates me so it kept messing up the blur so I had to keep going back to set them again and wait for that to process and repeat. I wanted to post this as soon as possible!! but youtube wouldn’t let me. Anyways!!!!!!!!!!!

The bonuses were supposed to be 10 minutes but Masashi Igarashi just had so much fun interacting with the participants and gushing about kinpri aaa.... HE’S JUST SO HAPPY TO BE MINATO;;;;;;;;;............... I like Minato just because of him. I hope my super simple and also in English text contributions made him feel appreciated ;; 

(Also that was the most I’ve ever seen people use the actual text function......... c... can we do that more.... kinda awkward calling it the text-only room when it’s really just soundboard-only....)

First bonus is here!

Second bonus is here!

I actually messed up recording Minato’s birthday letter so I wont be posting that, but thankfully Luna had it screenshotted and plans to translate it so it’s not lost forever ^^;;; 

You can read Luna’s translation of the bonus PrismChat and letter here!

Anyways, reminder that Luna and I aren’t exactly the most reliable source of prizoom coverage (seeing as we skip showings + just have mishaps when it comes to archiving), so if there’s a screening you want to attend, please go and see it yourself! I wrote a guide to help with buying tickets and everything!! It’s also just more fun experiencing the event firsthand than just through tumblr posts!!

And with that....... I wait for Joji’s prizoom.......