#sorry for taking the comedy panel show too seriously. it will happen again

[grandfloridbigtallman]

⫘⫘⫘ she’s dressed in black again. ⫘⫘⫘

[silvercrane14]

Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War - two students are in love with eachother but refuse to "lose" and admit their feelings. Instead, they have increasingly convoluted plans to get the other to confess.

Okay I will admit. this Is a romance and also ive only seen the anime. So actually this would fall more under anime recs bcs the english dub voice acting is AMAZING. Anyway tho its a comedy that I really enjoy. Its about romance but like. Idk I dont read/watch romance often so I cant say "its not like the standard romance plot". But its less about them Falling In Love and more about them Overthinking Everything And Being Silly. ALSO !! tho it takes a bit, it does go into the characters a lot. Very centred on the characters relationships !! Not just romantically between the main two, but in general.

Why I think you would like it: similar in "vibe" to nozaki-kun. Funny!! But it has its moments of seriousness and it understands its characters well.

Mushishi - Eye Have Not Read This im sorry 🙏 i havent even seen the anime so I dont actually know much about it but ive been recced it so many times I figure I should pass it to you.

If u like Natsume's Book of Friends you'll enjoy this. Genuinely I think this is my strongest rec for you on this list even tho I've never seen it. I really do think u wld enjoy 👍

Insomniacs After School - IM REALLY SORRY I HAVENT READ THIS ONE EITHER. I HAVE IT KN GOOD AUTHORITY U WOULD LIKE IT I JUST CANT GUVE ANY DETAILS. BCS IDK REALLY.

"Two young teens who can't sleep find companionship with each other. They must learn to overcome any challenges and figure out what's important to them."

Why I think you would like it: Ive heard its similar to Skip to Loafer in a way!!

Girls Last Tour - Two young girls explore a post-apocolyptic wasteland. They go through abandoned buildings and old towns in their journey, battling solitude eith only eachother

This one is a little sad. More likeeee. Meloncholy, yk? I dont have much to say about it. Very good manga.

Why I think you would like it: The character relationship between the two girls seems like something you would enjoy.

Look Back - to be super honest its been over a year since I read this I dont fully remember what happens. Theres this girl wjo draws comics for her elementary school newsletter. Shes funny so every1 really likes her and her comics. at some point another comic appears, but its actually just four panels of background art. Its so beautifully drawn that the other students begin to fawn over it. Angry kver her loss of attention, the first girl goes to meet the girl making these new comics (The background girl doesnt go to school, she works at home). Thr end up becoming friends and the story shows how their friendship develops and changes, growing closer and growing further apart.

The manga is p short for. a manga but its actually just a Really Long oneshot. Its rlly good. not much else to say.

Why I think you would like it: Very similar to Blue Period. About art and how it reflects people. Also very strongly driven by the relationship between the two girls.

The Girl From The Other Side - ive been typing so much i really cant give a whole review on this. Similar to WHA. kinda. beautiful art. read it u will enjoy it

Kaguya-sama I watched the first two seasons of! Maybe I should read the manga too, I did think it was fun

Mushishi I watched maybe the first episode of, but I should definitely try again,,, I don't remember anything about it lol

I've read Insomniacs After School!!! I'm definitely not caught up though, and I've been planning on watching the anime,,,

Girls Last Tour I,,, might have seen? At least part of it a long time ago. I'll have to rewatch/read the manga

Look Back sounds really interesting,,, I'll check that one out!!!

I'm actually reading The Girl from the Other Side in Portuguese rn lol I have volumes 1-5 on my shelf

[daresplaining]

[ID: Excerpt from Zdarsky’s Daredevil run. Daredevil, backlit and in silhouette, opens Foggy’s office door. Kirsten McDuffie is there.]

Matt (caption): “What... oh no... this can’t be happening. Foggy wouldn’t. He wouldn’t dare--”

Kirsten: “There he is... Was worried you weren’t going to show up. Especially now that the legal dream team is fully assembled.”

[ID: In the office are Kirsten, Foggy, and Mike Murdock wearing sunglasses and a brown suit and tie, and holding a white cane. Kirsten motions to Mike, who is sitting in a chair next to Foggy’s desk.]

Kirsten: “Matt Murdock’s onboard.”

Mike: “Hell yeah.”

Daredevil vol. 6 #23 by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, and Marcio Menyz

CAN I GET A HELL YEAH?

(I’m sorry, I'm just very excited.)

    Mike has officially re-entered the main series, fresh from his reality rewrite in the Volume 6 Annual! And let me just say: the guy knows how to make an entrance, because I freaked out when I hit that last panel.

    Let’s talk about what exactly is going on here, because it is wild, as the best Mike Murdock stories ought to be. Matt, as Daredevil, has turned himself in for the murder he accidentally committed in the first issue of the run, and is due to stand trial. Foggy is, of course, defending him, and he has called in Kirsten McDuffie (former A.D.A., Matt’s ex-law partner/girlfriend from Volume 3 and 4-- I assume everyone knows who Kirsten is) to help. Thanks to the Purple Children’s mindwipe in Soule’s run, Kirsten-- along with 99.99% of the rest of the world-- no longer knows that Matt is Daredevil. And so when, in this issue, Kirsten asks Foggy a very reasonable question-- “Where the heck is Matt?”-- Foggy is forced to make a choice. He could disregard Matt’s wishes and restore Kirsten’s former memories by telling her that Matt is Daredevil, which is something he has wanted to do since the beginning and is, in fact, something he’s done before (while drunk, in Volume 3 #19). Or he could completely screw with Matt, lie to Kirsten, and potentially (if he takes this far enough) commit massive legal fraud and do... this. 

    Personally, I think he made the right choice. (And clearly, he does too. Look at that grin.)

    First and foremost, Mike’s timely (and, shall I say, stylish) slide into the main plot means that we’re now going to see the impact of his reality re-write in action, which is really exciting! Who is Real Boy Mike in a world in which he has always existed? What is his relationship with Matt at the moment? Is Kirsten aware that he exists? Does Foggy remember that Mike kidnapped him at gunpoint? And how did Foggy even convince Mike to do this? What did he tell him?! Like Kirsten, Mike doesn’t know that Matt is Daredevil, and so while I can absolutely imagine Mike agreeing to pretend to be Matt just for the sheer chaotic hell of it, he must also be wondering what’s going on and where his brother is.

[ID: Another panel from Zdarsky’s run. Mike is standing in a boxing ring, gripping the ropes, and his face is in shadow. Daredevil is standing in the ring behind him.]

Mike: “You didn’t even hire my brother to rep you, eh? What’s up with that? I thought you were close.”

Matt: “Mike. Whatever you’re up to-- don’t.”

Daredevil vol. 6 Annual #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Manuel Garcia, Rachelle Rosenberg, et al.

    While we know Mike has pretended to be Matt before (the Annual implied he did it pretty regularly while pulling heists with the Hood), this is different. Is he really going to be able to 1. pretend to be Matt and 2. pretend to be a lawyer in front of Kirsten? Is he going to do it in court? Kirsten and Matt have a long and emotional history, even taking the mindwipe into account. Is Mike aware of that? And-- again-- is Foggy seriously planning to bring Mike into court as Matt? (I really hope so.) I can only imagine this turning into an absolute soap opera, and I can’t freakin’ wait. It is highly reminiscent of the “Playing to the Camera” arc, in which Matt (against Foggy’s very sound ethical advice) managed to sue himself by convincing Peter Parker to appear in court as Daredevil. I respect that this run’s serious tone may prevent it from becoming an outright comedy of errors the way “Playing to the Camera” was, but regardless of whether this ends up being funny or tragic, it’s going to be very, very entertaining-- because with a setup like this, how can it not?

    Finally, of course, I am geeking out about the way it parallels the original Mike Murdock Saga. Matt walking into that room and finding his twin brother dressed up as him feels like a direct callback to Foggy and Karen walking into the office and encountering “Mike” in Daredevil volume 1 #25. We have seen Matt masquerading around pretending to be his twin, and now we’re going to get the reverse: Mike’s best(?) impression of his nerdy brother. This has to be an intentional mirroring, and I am freaking out about it. Next month can’t get here fast enough.   

[casually-inlove]

Hello. In one of your responses, you wrote: "I also have things that I don't necessarily agree with." Can you tell us about it? I am very interested in your representation of this manhua. What do you think is written well in the story, and what is not? What would you add or remove? What is missing and what is too much in history? I would very much like to know your TianShan headcanon. I have too many "wants". I'm sorry if I was rude.

Dear anon, this was not rude at all. Indeed, you have many questions, so much as I try to be concise in my posts, this one is going to be very lengthy. Let me start with a little disclaimer. Everything below is entirely subjective. It is in no way meant to undermine anyone's enjoyment of the series, nor is it supposed to be an attack against the author. I value the comic's episodic nature and light-heartedness myself, otherwise, I would not have stuck around. It is also true that for the past half a year my interest in it waxes and wanes. Besides, I am well aware that certain groups of fans grow dissatisfied with the manhua direction. That said, I must state once again, OX has every right to write the story as they please, while the fans, no matter how displeased they may be, do not have the room to make demands of the author. So then, without further ado, some of my quibblings follow below. Beware of the wall-of-text.

1) The plot and characters get stagnant at times — these two go hand in hand. I suppose it is a prevalent gripe with 19 Days, and I am sure everyone has experienced it at least once. Some of it stems from the very way the story is told: the manhua timeline moves slowly in comparison with the readers' timeline. It works for depicting slow-burn relationships and subtle changes in the characters' outlooks. The problem is, more often than not, the latest chapters are inconsequential to either plot or character growth. They do not have the substance or the conflict to them. When OX had introduced the characters, while undoubtedly charming and loveable, they were practically walking tropes. Jian Yi, the bubbly airhead. ZZX, the stoic childhood friend. HT, Mr Popular. As time passed, OX did the clever (and the right) thing — they have subverted these stereotypes, by showing us that the characters are not who they appear to be. Thus, we learned that Jian Yi is a lonesome, affection deprived kid who on occasion dreads going back home because it's empty; his bright grin is there to hide his sadness.  We also learned that HT had a dysfunctional family and had been exposed to violence since a tender age; we also learned that he used to lead an empty life devoid of close interpersonal connections and passions, etc. I am not going to write about Mo because it is obvious and self-explanatory.

That sudden change in the perspective is what made those characters fascinating. A few of these developments co-occur with the addition of the “darker” mafia/gangster subplot. Indeed, the introduction of the criminal legacy theme (which is true for Jian Yi, He Tian, and Mo to an extent) allowed to show the wounds and troubles these characters had to face. It also dangled the prospect of an intriguing plot direction — a mafia-related story that is disguised as a school-themed slice-of-life. It was the underlying gangster plot-line that hooked me up; I kept asking myself: Are they connected (the Jian family, the He family)? Were they responsible for what happened with the Mo family restaurant? Will their backgrounds converge at some point? How does Jia Yi's kidnapping fit into all this? That sort of stuff. Alas, right now that subplot seems to be put on a backburner, which is a shame because this is the plot-line that leads to future events, such as Jian Yi's disappearance. The kidnapping is still going to happen and the threat looming over Jian Yi is still real, yet OX does very little to explain anything about it. Naturally, revealing everything at once is out of the question, but if it were me, I would have opted for unveiling bits and pieces now and then. To start with, it would have propelled the plot forward. Apart from that, it would have given the readers some food for thought and kept the intrigue fresh — they would have been cracking their heads to piece the puzzle. Finally, the characters' darker backgrounds provide the opportunity to give them development. For instance, how would Mo's view of He Tian change, if he learned that the latter had to face his warped father to save Mo (ch. 245 and further on)? Or how would Mo react, if he learned that He Tian lost his mother (presumably) due to his family shady dealings? Would it make him understand the other boy, relate to him on some level? Etc. 

The comedy and fun, light moments are precious, but I miss those moments when the manhua challenged my impression of the characters. Right now, the plot stagnates in the sense that we know that someone is threatening Jian Yi, but we aren't being given any clues or updates on the matter, as if the whole thing wasn't important. So, in response to your question “what would I have removed”, I would say that I would probably drop quite a few school-centric chapters in favour of “criminal” subplot. Just a bit: maybe show Mr Jian's messages, or Jian Yi's mother discussing the situation with him, or He Cheng receiving some reports on the situation.  

The character recent portrayal also disappoints me on occasion. They started as stereotypical manga characters, then they were given some depth, and now they are close to becoming yet another set of stereotypes. Yeah, I get that Mo is a tsundere and enamoured He Tian is an idiot in love — OX has been depicting them as such for the past year. It would be cool to take a look at other facets of their personalities now and then too. While it’s understandable that only a few weeks have passed since the beginning of the story, OX should remember that years have passed for the readers; keeping the audience engaged should be among their priorities.

I suppose I do have a bias here because as an adult I have little interest in all things school-related, and in general, I am not too fond of slice-of-life (I typically avoid reading it).19 Days attracted me because it had some universal themes, like dealing with past and legacy, finding your path, healing from the old scars, learning to handle difficult relationships within a family, and of course its low-key “mafia” subplot. It could be that OX truly doesn't have a meticulously chapter-to-chapter thought-out plot, hence why the manhua meanders at times, or it could have something to do with Mosspaca's internal agenda. Perhaps, it is the latter and the company somehow insists its artists stick with simplistic plots for the sake of keeping their target audience. Even so, there's a catch here, which was brought to the attention by @agapaic: the original reader audience has aged up already so to keep them hooked it would be wise of OX to “mature up” the comic as well. Not in the sense of 18+ content, but in the sense of introducing more mature subjects alongside the comedy and slice of life. Perhaps, they are not looking to keep the fans but to attract the new, younger ones. Who knows.

2) Drama and comedy imbalance. It is a pet peeve of mine which I consider to be one of the prominent manhua flaws: there is lots of slapstick comedy which ends up being out of place on occasion. I do realize the comic is humorous, however, there is no denying that OX introduced themes and topics that are no laughing matters. Jian Yi's and He Tian's loneliness, bullying and ostracizing, extortion racket, absentee parents, youth gangs and violence — just to name a few. There is a lot more, but you get the picture.

It is also obvious that three out of four main characters carry the remnants of childhood trauma with them, which directly affects their present selves. All the same, these topics practically fizzle out as soon as they get introduced, or get swept under the rug with comedy. Considering the humorous nature of the comic, it is given that dispersing some grimmer topics with playfulness will be used now and then. To my mind, however, OX relies on that abrupt drama-to-comedy switch too heavily, which makes the transition steep and often out of place. At times, it creates an impression that the author does not take these issues seriously. There have been numerous episodes when emotional moments were subverted and then dropped, without gaining climax and closure. For instance, the moment that sticks out to me the most is when He Tian attempted to tell Mo why he liked him. The visuals made it clear that it wasn't easy for He Tian to say out loud, yet OX never gave the intense moment the needed closure.

Mo brushed He Tian off and the latter just rolled with it, as if it never took him any courage to say those words, and then everything was swiftly engulfed by slapstick humour (the ball-slapping scene). A panel showing a glimpse of He Tian's face sinking to indicate he was somewhat let down by Mo's nonchalant response would have been appropriate — in fact, it would be natural for someone to get hurt when their confession is taken lightly. Likewise, I half-expected OX to show a bit more of He Tian's reaction towards Mo's story about his meeting with She Li. We got to see his expression darkening when he learned that She Li gave Mo the ear piercings, yet this time — mind you, when Mo suggested that She Li might have murdered someone — we never see He Tian react much. For the record, it was He Tian who asked She Li a rhetorical question about being able to take responsibility for taking a life.

Furthermore, I believe that someone romantically invested in another human being would have naturally shown more inquisitiveness upon hearing a story like that. Sure enough, some would say that Mo would not have liked talking about a traumatizing event, and that is fine as well — just show it. A single panel of He Tian being concerned and trying to inquire further and Mo refusing to talk would have been a very neat detail that could have potentially smoothed the transition into humour, while keeping our heroes in character.

3) Sometimes there is too much focus on the couples. The manhua has introduced several reoccurring supporting characters which are directly linked to our main quartet. For example, Mo had bonds before meeting our boys: his henchmen, the Buzzcut. Likewise, He Cheng was the one to raise He Tian; he shaped the boy's outlook on life.  These characters all played important roles in making our boys the people they are today, and yet we know so little of their bonds. Maybe the Buzzcut is unimportant in the larger scheme of things, He Cheng, however, is not only linked to He Tian, but he also plays a part in the underlying mafia/gangster subplot. It would have made sense if he was the one to shed some light on the situation with Jian Yi and He Tian's traumatic past. I would have loved to see our boys interact with other people as well — it would have served to show the variety of relationships out there: friendships, familial bonds, mutual respect between the leader and underlings, etc.

Anyway, I am going to stop now. I could name a few more, but this text is already more than 2000 words long. I have made some posts with my nitpicking before, so if you wish you can read them here.  

link & link 

Once again, this is all entirely subjective and it is not meant to be perceived as me saying that the manhua is poorly written and no one should enjoy it. Writing and creating compelling plots is a tough job, especially when it comes to long pieces. It also goes without saying that the author should keep their target audience and marketing goals in mind. 19 Days appeals to a great number of people of all ages and that means that OX succeeded in creating something compelling. Their writing is indeed flawed at times, but there is no way around it. It is impossible to excel both at being a great artist and a good writer. While there may be things that each of us would want to change (when comes to characters or the plot), it is still important to remember that it is not our creation. We can only decide whether to keep reading and enjoy what we get or move along. There is no point in attacking the author or generating constant pessimism.

[deltaengineering]

Fall Anime 2019 Part 4: also, he has a gun for a head

Beastars

So here’s the CG anime that everyone for some reason decided way in advance would be the best show of the season, more or less by default. I was very skeptical of this for a multitude of reasons. First of all, that is a bad name for a show and you can’t convince me otherwise. It’s actually even worse because you’re supposed to write it in all caps, but I refuse. Second, it has a terribly on the nose conceit in which all sorts of animals live together in a high school setting and it’s all metaphorical ‘n shit. The main character is a wolf but get this, he’s actually all sensitive and quiet! Yeah, this is definitely rated D for Deep. And finally it’s by Orange, the CG studio that got an inordinate amount of acclaim for making Houseki no Kuni, the show that everyone thinks looks great and finally made CG anime worthwhile (actual real fact: HnK does not look great most of the time and CG anime was worthwhile well before it). 

But enough about my preconceptions since Beastars is... pretty good, actually. If you ignore the setting, which is indeed terribly on the nose. And there’s not much else to say about the story so far besides it. However, it looks significantly better than Houseki no Kuni because it actually has really good character animation throughout instead of a one-minute action scene with flashy spinny camera tricks every other episode. The directing’s strong too, even if the show conspicuously mainly consists of obvious manga panels. I’m still not too hot on the animal stuff but the general writing seems to be sufficiently competent it would work simply on a character level. So I don’t love it, but it seems solid enough to see if it goes somewhere with its “Zootopia but also Beverly Hills 90210 but also they eat each other sometimes″ plot.

Rifle is Beautiful

Remember the whole “anime about some assorted anime girls joining a club doing an oddly specific activity” thing? This is another one of those, and now it’s about air rifle sports shooting. Except it’s not about air rifle sports shooting because that’s apparently way too violent, so they use rifles that look like exactly like air rifles but are actually based on lasers or really bright flashlights (they can’t keep their bullshit straight between scenes, sorry) instead. I just don’t think “girls doing activities” anime should blatantly misrepresent their subject matter like that, you know? With the possible exception of idol anime that is, ain’t nobody who wants to hear about that shit. Apart from that it’s nothing special, so if you are really into air rifles and wish to watch an anime that’s not about those, knock yourself out. It goes through a whole “club needs 5 members” arc in the first half of the first episode, so I really can’t say where it goes next. Nowhere much, I would guess.

Oh right, there’s one more thing: They frequently render the bodies in CG and the heads in traditional drawings, and they do it every time when they’d actually have to draw a rifle otherwise. It’s a weird effect that I think I haven’t seen anywhere else before, and it’s not great but also not terrible. And it’s the most interesting thing about the entire show.

Kabukicho Sherlock

“Let’s take a bunch of public domain characters and put them into a hip modern setting” seems to be its own genre at the moment, and not only because the BBC did that with S. Holmes, Esq. already. Obviously this show is influenced by that (besides other public domain namedroppers like Bungou Stray Dogs), mostly in Watson and his relationship with Sherlock, but Sherlock-san is rather different here; he’s neither the classic Victorian bohemian nor the abrasive sociopath of the BBC version, and tends more towards a bumbling 90s pop culture version of autism and/or general wackiness here. These two are surrounded by a bunch of campy transvestites for some reason, and I’m not quite sure whether I’m supposed to find this particular stereotype offensive or empowering this week, but it sure is annoying. And it has the same character designer as Joker Game, so if you like chiseled, angular anime men, you’re in for a treat here - even if they tend to wear a lot of makeup and dresses sometimes. I don’t know man, it seems sort of okay-ish for the most part but it’s neither as funny as they think, nor as weird as they think, nor is the murder of the week intriguing at all. Oh yeah, he’s hunting noted public domain character Jack the Ripper. Because of course he is.

 Shin Chuuka Ichiban!

I am told this is the sequel to episode 19 of a 52-episode anime TV show from 1997. Okay. I am also told to not dare watch this without the important setup therein, which makes me think I should pay less attention to what I’m told because understanding Shin Chuuka Ichiban and its backstory is not hard at all. Kid is superawesome cooking champion in ancient China and goes around clowning on lesser cooks, got it. It’s not a complicated setup and it’s not a complicated genre either: This seems to be mostly about sick shounen cooking duels. Besides the setting, the main difference between this and Shokugeki no Soma seems to be that SnS goes for ridiculous and Chuuka Ichiban goes for epic - which is to say that it fancies itself emotional as well. Apart from that it’s what you’d expect from a cooking shounen, big moves, big reactions, huge twists and so on. One notable thing is that this show looks really, really nice. Production I.G seems to be establishing a sideline in taking stuff from the 90s and updating it with smoother animation and shinier lighting, while keeping the overall look intact; They did it for Mahoujin Guru Guru, and this looks much the same. Still, I’m just fundamentally not really interested in what appears to be a very straightforward cooking shounen from the 90s.

Assassins Pride

Straight from the Department of Chuuni, we have this light novel masterpiece about a cool as fuck teenage assassin who teleports behind u and nothin personells fools all day. He then meets a princess he’s supposed to off but just kinda decides not to, probably because she seems to be smitten by his m’lady act. Now he has to use his sick skillz to keep them both alive. It’s awful and terrible and no good and also kind of adorable. This truly is the most 13 AND A HALF MOM years old anime in a while, and it’s not even isekai! The writing’s just so amateurish and corny you can’t help but smile when princesses exposit their backstory for no reason while being accosted by pumpkin monsters (without knowing that Awessassin McCooldude happens to be listening in, which is certainly convenient). Or when the episode ends with the man just reading the synopsis of the show out again, in case you were too fascinated by this plot to pay attention to what it’s about. Yeah I’m not going to watch this in a thousand years, but it sure made me chuckle. Your mileage may vary.

Mugen no Juunin - Immortal

Speaking of 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰 𝔢𝔡𝔤𝔢, another anime adaptation of Blade of the Immortal appeared! You know, the manga for the cultured and historically minded guro fan. The first episode of Blade of the Immortal runs with this and is an arthouse production that someone most definitely directed the shit out of. I don’t think I’ve seen this much directing since, well, Sarazanmai, but “Ikuhara amounts of directing” is pretty much the idea here. And most of the time it even works! The quickly edited, disorienting style gives episode 1 a feeling closer to horror than to a cool swordmen action show, and that really brings out the best in the material, which is grotesque splatter bordering on the comical - It’s somehow a better Junji Ito anime than the actual Junji Ito anime. I think it tries too hard in a few places, but at least it does try.

But then I watched the second episode and that one’s a fairly conventional splatter-comedy swordin’ anime. I am not at all pleased with this development. The third episode was better again and seemed to split the difference between 1 and 2, even if it mostly uses the tricky editing to save on effort in the action –  I would much prefer actually readable fights and the wacky mannerisms in the more psychological stuff, thank you very much. Based on episode 1 I thought we might have something special here, but as of episode 3 I’d already merely call it pretty decent. I guess I’ll still stick with it but man, that’s a real bummer.

No Guns Life

No Guns Life is a neo-noir thriller about a guy who has a gun for a head. That’s fuckin rad and exactly the kind of silliness I am totally down for. He also has a gun for a hand, and there’s also some battle nun’s who carry revolvers with two cylinders, so in short I think the title is false advertising. This sounds very wacky (and it is), but it also takes its noir very seriously, down to details more wannabe neo-noirs tend to neglect (like being set right after a big war). The look and feel is pretty excellent, with sharp design and high-contrast artwork, and the music goes all in on the moody saxophone as you’d expect. And there’s some really adorable “look mom, I’m writing” stuff about how Man With Gun For A Head really “needs someone to pull his trigger” and so on (which is, as the astute reader might remember, at the back of his head). It feels like a throwback but then I can’t really think of many 80s/90s shows like this, so it’s actually more like the sort of faux-retro idea Trigger/Imaishi would come up with on a lark. Trigger/Imaishi would, of course, make a far worse anime out of it, so it’s all good. Well, it has some pacing problems and as always it’s a fine line between amusingly camp and not so amusingly camp anymore, but No Guns Life seems to have enough real qualities that it can probably stand on its own even when its conceptual gimmick eventually doesn’t suffice anymore. I give it a two gun’s up.

Hoshiai no Sora / Stars Align

And finally, here’s an anime about middle schooler softboys playing a tennis just as soft as themselves, while being henpecked by the elites on the girl’s team. This is not an “actual” sports anime though: for starters, it’s not based on some shounen manga and is an anime original with quite some staff pedigree instead. It’s also more of a character drama that already goes to some surprisingly real places by the end of episode 1, reminiscent of the recent and quite good Run with the Wind. Furthermore, it looks delicious, with minimalist but distinctive and varied character designs and animation that’s both extremely detailed for a TV anime and also not trying to shove that fact into your face with flashy stunt cuts. In short, this show seems very simple at first glance but every aspect of it just oozes quality. If nothing else, it’s already worth watching just for the excellent ending sequence where the characters show off their “best” dance moves and the chunky student council president dunks on everyone. This one caught me by surprise and it’s an easy pick for most promising show of the season.

[roxannepolice]

But yah rey as a character is just so frustrating you know? Cause like, yeah sure she could be complex with a powerful arc where shes forced to come to terms with the fact she wasted years of her life on self-imposed delusions in a cathartic way, or she could be a flat piece of marketing cardboard which Disney is banking on vagina+superpowers=profit without having to go through that persnicty character flaw overcoming or the like. Because like you said, hearing shes a nobody (which ngl, her assuming she was a somebody wasn’t really ever supported in tfa, just that her family was coming back and she desperately wanted them to) is apparently the worst thing but it changes absolutely nothing, not her approach, not her demeanor , if vaguely sad is the absolute worse a character is gonna experience in a goddamn space opera then yeah, full offense ill take the l on Mary sue discourse but her character will definitely be a boring ass wash. We all make fun of whiny new hope Luke but him being a kinda nuisance to both the audience and those around him is what made is transformation into full blown Jedi knight so powerful. With Rey so far what weve got is badass perfect cinnamon roll finally get her due as such, which is clearly working for some people, but I fail to see how that isn’t spectacularly tone deaf to make a protag in this genre such. Operas about drama, not patting you on the back. Rey (assuming she remains as is) would’ve been fine as a protag s the only piece of Star Wars media we ever got was a new hope. But rn she a chosen one architype (and I know that bunch of ppl are gonna go but the series ‘but shes not the chosen one, Anakin still is, the new series isn’t trying to make her one!’ but lets not beat around the burning bush, if u got a character that walks on water and the reason why is because god said so, ur dealing with a chosen one trope and if a character is star wars is made ultrapowerful in lore breaking ways because force said so? Yeah were dealing with a chosen one.) when we had both the deconstruction and the reconstruction done. Shes a straight hero when the success of the ot rest on hitting the formula near perfect the first time. What exactly is Rey, the individual character, bringing to the table? What makes her story supposedly so important the a perfectly good ending had to be made invalid to tell it? A bunch of ppl will say heroines’ journey! But if that’s the case I gotta say, wheres all the feminine shit? Im serious, if the heroines journey is reintegrating the feminine and realizing ‘oh shit mom had a point’ there where is both the feminine skills/coping mechanism and the mom? I mean I saw some ppl arguing for leia in a ‘reys Persephone!’ meta (she isn’t, you can make a much better case for ben himself as Persephone to be quite frank, yall are focusing so much on the trees ((girl gets abducted by guy)) that u forgot the forest existed, the actually story ((girl winds up queen on the underworld, well gee whiz which character just took control of that after leaving the world of living and a grieving divine mother behind, it’s a mystery apparently) behind, it’s a mystery apparently) ((but seriously though even if we hope for dark rey does anyone assume its gonna be taking control of a dark/dead coded org at least partially at this point, do you, do you really??). but given the fact she had what, one line of screen dialogue that’s breaking ur arm with that stretch. As far as skills go I guess you could make an argument for scavenging, but if that’s the case dlf did a shit job of conveying that as female-coded. Everything about rey in tfa seems deliberately androgynous, and yeah, she had her hair let down/mascara moment, but that’s tied to her ‘failure’ on the supremacy thus something nw.SPEAKIGN OF FAILURES ON THE SUPERAMCY AND LACK THERE OF. I find it kind funny that bunch of reylo bnfs (you know who they are) are all ‘hur dur fanboys/antis are dumb and don’t get story structure.’ And then going, ‘why are yall asking how/assuming rey fucked up in throne room/climax of her story in the second portion/darkest point of her character arc? Why do you hate women/ur own ovaries so much?’ because it like walking into a prefurnished house and being told by the relator ‘HERES THE LIVING ROOM’ and having no damn couch. It’s a living room, I expect a couch here. And in a movie where it’s the low point of a character arc and they drag puppet yoda out to tell me the movie is about failure, I expect a damn failure in whats clearly the climax of the characters arc for this movie. As it stands now there are three possibilities imo. 1st, rey had no failure, she is the pure badass maid o light ppl want and every inch the boring cardboard she is accused of by fanbros, remains static, and is relegated to an also ran to benlo taking the most compelling character trophy this trilogy in 10 yrs2nd possibility and the one im hoping for, failure speech wasn’t just thematic explanation but also foreshadowing, rey fucks up big and dramatic in a way that makes her manage to stand out as unique with both her contemporaries and her predecessors(last part, if its ever to much lemme know pls im sorry i just gotta get it out) 3rd and most likely possibility, rey isn’t the main character, benlo is and that’s why his failure both moral in the throne room and logistic on criat take center stage for the last third or so of the movie. Rey is merely a pov character to tell the dramatic villain protag story they wanted and have their very marketable unproblematic Disney heroine cake too.

Ok, so this discourse kinda died down by now, but thanks to that it’s possible to maybe have a calmer look at it I’m totally not trying to justify my late response.

Anyway, the good result is that quite recently my brother, who’s not overly taken with Rey - or the sequels in general, for that matter - said something which really stuck with me as a possible crux of the problem: 

She’s neither comical nor tragical. Just bland. 

This neither comical nor tragical really struck me. And the more I though about it, the more it was appearing to me that this qualm really applies to the sequels as a whole. The thing is that DLF are essentially telling a straightforward story that they’re trying to make captivatingly convoluted. And not just make, but keep this appearance over four years. And this is... a narrative teeth crasher. Like, when you’re honest about the endgame (in the context of the most structural meanings of comedy and tragedy), you can maintain a decorum, though you can also play with it, of course, whereas when you don’t want to be honest about the endgame, you end up mixing the styles somewhat messily. You can’t break or discuss with the rules without acknowledging them, so to speak. Because the originals were honest about the happy/hopeful endgame (the first episode is title A New Hope ffs), they could allow themselves deeply tragic moments like Larses’ deaths, Han getting frozen, destruction of Alderaan, etc. Because the prequels were open about being a tragedy, they could allow themselves lighthearted comic relief for the sake of lighthearted comic relief. 

The sequels... badly want us to consider the possibility of FO winning and Ben dying unredeemed while simultaneously insisting we root for those things not happening, while appearing conscious we’re definitely not buying the former and the latter only somewhat. And it’s tiresome. Dishonest. And indeed, bland. If the story is a tragedy it will be a bloodcurdlingly real one, if it’s a comedy it will be a borderline grotesque one. 

But yeah, returning to Rey, I guess as the main character she’s a lens which focuses the above problems. A very bitter tragedy of what her parents did t her prevents her from being comfortably comical whereas whoohooos I like thats and prancing like a husky on red bull over idols and visions because it’s for children so it must be hopeful prevents her from being intriguingly tragical. So I guess the intentioned effect was tragicomism but, from pov of an engaged casual fan that is my bro, it’s neither. 

As far as Rey’s heroine’s journey lacking some of the usual elements, I blame it on Disney being... a bit too ambitious, maybe. I think they tried to make a heroine’s journey that isn’t ostentaciously seeped in traditional feminine/masculine traits, maintains the structure without what could be called accidentals. On the one hand, I would point out that hero’s journey has pretty much desexualised itself over time, we are rather accustomed to “shero’s” journeys, but on the other... maybe Disney set out on a too novel a territory and may crack their teeth on it, alongside trying to out-Vader Vader at redemption. To elucidate, “toxic femininity” in which a heroine is supposed to find herself in the beginning of her journey, in Rey’s case is uprooted from any of our usual concepts of feminine-masculine social roles (it’s space, duh). My interpretation is that Rey’s version of toxic femininity kind of exists in contrast with Kylo Ben’s version of toxic masculinity - and since the apparent focus of the story is the attitude towards the past/parent figures, toxic femininity would mean her clutching onto the past. Which is why I predict that some act of IX will find Rey inebriated with apparent success in masculine world, meaning she’ll be the one rejecting the old gods this time - and I would point out that panel in Poe comic where she shows herself more sceptical towards idolisation of past don’t mind me, I’m just expressingmy trash dreams for a proper sith lady Rey.

Then again, Rian Johnson said she already found perfect balance between Luke’s clinginess and Kylo’s rejection of the past, so... idk, maybe I’m giving DLF too much credit again.

As for the Persephone thing, I guess the rub is that this reylo reading focuses less on the traditional reading of the myth (where Demeter is the actual main character and Kore is a Princess Peach MacGuffin) and more of an interpretation of it as one of the eldest (at least in Europe) versions of story depicting a transition of a girl into a woman, making Persephone more of a protagonist. 

Like, y’know, this Persephone (D. G. Rosetti, source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proserpine_(Rossetti_painting))

I’m no expert, but myths can lose their original meanings because of power relations (anyone still remember about Dionysus, the god associated with excessive drinking, going through a very Christ-like death and resurrection?) and I think it’s possible that this is the case with the story of Persephone becoming a pre-scientific explanation of seasons changing over the year. So teah, that’s how I always understood the Persephone theme regarding Rey.

But yes, I must agree that I’m confused about Disney’s handling of the mother figure, which... Look, SW became a legend of a modern myth because of how epically Lucas handled the hero dealing with his very explicit father. So yes, I don’t understand what exactly is their game with Rey Nobody from Nowhere in this regard. It’s one thing that they had a cool idea with giving her no lineage, another that parent figures are an essential element of archetypal journeys and from symbolic viewpoint the case of a female character the biological relationship is even more crucial than in male’s. And I swear to all the ewoks and porgs in the galaxy, I do hope Disney’s idea of Rey healing the mother/daughter divide isn’t through her healing the divide between Leia and Ben. Again, this isn’t the idealistic sphere. Just... no. 

Anyway, I still maintain hope (this whole meta blog is built on hope) that Rey will indeed turn out to have a proper personal mistake which will make her stand out in the saga. I do have to admit, though, that I find your last theory very likely. I mean, even when I read all the reylo metas going oh, Rey is going to have such an exciting arc in IX, she has so much to deal with though of course it’s not going to compromise her morally, it will be sooo exciting, I just... f*ck’s sake, what you’re describing isn’t a dramatic character only a dramatised role model. It’s great if that’s your thing, but don’t claim it is space opera-worthy, in operas people drown themselves because of cursed sailors, kill over a break up, decapitate over a bad dream and get dragged to hell over a dinner, not persuade their fallen lovers to change their ways, let alone patienly wait for them the understand the error of their ways (and if they do it’s doomed to end in someone dying).

[maneaterwithtail]

I was answered TWICE in this Q&A

Helps also put in perspective their production, aims, and the influences

Helps as really unpacking along with @pirateshenani and @cartoonemotion the influence and differences and aims with the adaptation

Thanks to all the Toonzone Forum Members for submitting questions to the Fangbone! Fan Q&A! Your questions were awesome and so were the creators’ answers! We hope you enjoy reading through the answers as much as we did. Participating in the Answers portion of the Fangbone! Q&A were the creator and book series writer, Michael Rex and the tv showrunners Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott. (Editor’s Note: Questions asked were edited for brevity and clarity.) Will Fangbone! be renewed for Season 2? (superkeegan9100 and SparkleMan) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: By Grom’s bottomless dimples, it shall be so! (we hope) Michael Rex: Fingers crossed! --- Will Fangbone! air on any additional countries, networks and in other languages? (Ryan, RandomMe, NeoplanDan, I.R. Shokew) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: Absolutely. Fangbone! will appear across the world in a multitude of tongues in a multitude of places – that are too numerous for us to list (or remember). Perhaps one of our many traveling salespeople who criss-cross the world with a suitcase full of Fangbone! might chime in here… In all seriousness, Fangbone! Distributor DHX Media, has currently sold the series into Disney XD US, South East Asia, Taiwan, and Latin America. Hope to announce additional countries in the near future. Stay posted. Will the books be translated into other languages? In what other languages/regions can we expect to see the books published? (RandomMe) Michael Rex:Right now, there are no plans for translating the books. I’m hoping as the show starts playing in different countries, the publisher, Putnam, will solicit the books to foreign markets. --- If you could be one of the characters on the show, who would you be? (D-nice is the man) Simon Racioppa: Drool’s giant badger monster. He’s clearly just misunderstood and trying his best every day for an unappreciative master… Richard Elliott: I would definitely be a Shadowstepper – skulking in the shadows and outwitting barbarians sounds like a good time to me. Michael Rex:I’ve always thought of myself as Bill. At the end of 3rd grade, my school closed down, and I was sent to a new school. Literally all of my closest friends went to another school. So, when 4th grade started, I was very lonely and desperate for a best friend. Eventually, a boy named Mark moved into my hometown in New Jersey, and we became great friends. He was fun, and a bit wild, and had long black hair. We’re still friends today. Will Fangbone! have Christmas and Halloween episodes? (Ryan) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: Skullbanians don’t celebrate Christmas or Halloween. But they do have many other holidays – like Troll-smasher’s Eve and The Feast of Stoneback’s Feast. Endless possibilities for fun and adventure as you look at, compare and try to understand how Skullbanian’s celebrate versus how we do things here on Earth. What would Fangbone! think of Halloween? What would a Holiday Tree look like in Skullbania? Stay tuned. --- Does Fangbone! have parents? (Eggy) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: He has the mightiest of parents! But they are away in far off lands on an epic quest. However, those of you with the eyes of a blood-eagle may catch a glimpse of them in an upcoming episode. If you do not have the eyes of a blood-eagle, they nest on sharp mountain peaks. But be careful – they peck! Michael Rex:Yes. They’re on a great quest somewhere in Skullbania. Also, how did Venomous Drool become Fangbone! and Bill's worst enemy? (Eggy) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: If someone was keeping your detached big toe from you and wouldn’t give it back, you probably wouldn’t be pals with them either… Michael Rex:They’ve got his toe, and he needs it back. And, they keep beating him, and they’re only kids. It drives him nuts. --- How do you take an episode from concept to it airing? (martikhoras) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: Let us explain… No, there is too much. Let us sum up. First, five or six NERDS gather in a small room and try to imagine what insanity could happen to Fangbone! this week. They argue and fight and cry and hiss at each other until the showrunners (that’s us!) are satisfied they’ve worked their butts off to come up with the best of all possible stories in the universe and beyond. They’re sent away to dank dark holes to write their scripts, which are then torn apart by the rest of the nerds and reassembled until they’re so full of adventure and comedy that they leak all over the floor. Then trumpets are sounded and ACTORS assembled in a recording studio – where they ACT with such passion it drives everyone to tears (of joy). At the same time, ARTISTS design all the new locations, characters, and props that the writers say they desperately need (liars!) to make their script work. Then trumpets are sounded again and the finished script, designs, and recorded actors are handed over to a story-bored artist… Sorry, story BOARD artist – who listens to the writers explain how amazing their script is, then drinks enormous amounts of coffee and draws PANELS from the script one by one, matching the recorded actors and making that ‘amazing’ ‘script’ and ‘amazing’ ‘acting’ even better. Those panels go to the DIRECTOR, who along with an EDITOR, assemble it into an animated and voiced storyboard that we call a LEICA on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and an ANIMATIC on Tuesdays, Fridays, and the weekend. When the animatic/leica makes everyone giddy with excitement, it moves onto ANIMATION, where thousands (twenty-five) animators fight each other to animate the most exiting scenes – matching the animatic as closely as possible. The episode gets a few more passes to make it even better (fix all the mistakes) and then moves on to the real stars of the show – sound effects and music – who make everything approximately one million and a half times better. Then it’s a final pass for last minute mistakes and TA-DA! One finished Fangbone! episode ready for people to share for free on the Internet (please don’t share it for free on the Internet). What are your favorite parts of the show’s creative process? (Harley) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: Seeing a goofy idea that started in the writers’ room as a “what if…” become a real finished episode. Also, the creative process of deciding what to order for lunch. Then the creative process of regretting what we ordered for lunch. --- As a fan of the tv show, how familiar will jumping into the book series feel? (jfoley85) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott: As familiar as traveling to an alternate reality where everything’s kinda the same but your parents are snakes. So mostly familiar with some specific differences. Michael Rex:They’re actually pretty close. One of the things that I am most happy with about the show is that it IS the books. While the stories in the books are a bit more involved than an 11-minute episode, the entirety of season 1 goes much deeper than the books. On the down side, the books don’t have a cool song at the beginning. Every adaptation is a challenge from visuals, to performers depictions, and direction and framing. I'm noticing some changes from the two GNs (1st and 3rd) I've read to the episodes I've seen (pretty much up to Back of Stone). What would you say has been added, changed, or dropped and what is the purpose of these changes? (martikhoras) Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott:While the books are wonderful gateways into imagination, there’s only three of them. The television series is a hungry monster that requires more. Always more... MORE characters. MORE stories. MORE episodes. MORE human sacrifices to GROM! Michael Rex:Everything that has been added was done to open up the show, and allow for more varied stories. Skullbania doesn’t get much time in the books, but the creative team felt that it needed to be a big part of the show. Twinklestick was created as a way for Fangbone! to stay a bit more connected to his home world. Drool was greatly expanded on as well. He only lurks in the background in the books. Even though his actions are constantly felt, he doesn’t really get to do much. --- What did you read and watch as a kid? What were the inspirations for Fangbone! and Skullbania?(martikhoras) Michael Rex:Growing up the early 70’s, “Planet of the Apes” was everywhere. 5 movies, a TV show, and an action figure line made it easy to get wrapped up in. “Star Wars” came out in 1977 and it affected me deeply. Like many others in my generation, it felt like my 9 year-old imagination had been transported directly to the screen. I started reading about movie making, and I tried to understand the mythology Lucas was using in his films. (As a 10 year old, Joseph Campbell was a tough slog, but I tried.) Fangbone! is directly inspired by the 1982 film, “Conan The Barbarian,” which I saw in 8th grade. It was funny, gritty, violent, and exciting and I just loved it. Conan had always been around when I was younger, I’d see his comics and cheap paperbacks in drugstores, but I didn’t know much about him until the film came out. When I was older, I eventually got around to reading the Conan books by Robert E. Howard. As I was gearing up to write the first Fangbone! book, I devoured a huge pile of Marvel’s “Savage Sword of Conan.” Oddly, now that I think about it, Skullbania’s vast deserts and rocky vistas are probably inspired by “Planet of the Apes.” It’s hard to escape those early influences.

[midotakaism]

okay, it took me a while to write everything down, but here are my thoughts and reactions to the last 19 days chapter!! (an alternative title for this could be 'how to make people regret asking about your thoughts')

anyway, it's been pretty hard for me to put some order to my thoughts, because im just!!!!!!! so in love with this chapter!!!!!!!! it’s been a whole day and im still such a mess, there are noises coming out of my mouth but they’re not human, and i can’t find the right words to express how i feel because this update wAS TOO MUCH FOR MY POOR HEART

i think this might be my favorite tianshan chapter, tho it’s a very close tie with chapter 185, and im afraid i've been kinda all over the place, but hopefully it makes sense!! (putting this under a cut because it's really long and there are some pictures)

i already mentioned this here, but let me just say it again because guan shan looks SO GOOD and so comfortable in that tank top, i really love how the black&white combination creates such a nice contrast with his red hair!! and not to look too much into things, but i like how old xian makes sure to give him a spot of yellow/orange in his outfit most of the time (either his shirt, or his bag, or his bracelet [rip, you will always be missed], or in this case his underwear). also for some reason i really like guan shan’s arms?? so this is probably my favourite outfit for him!!

this is me reading too much into stuff as usual, but it’s interesting to me how in these past few chapters guan shan has no problem holding he tian’s gaze when they’re having a sort of confrontation, but the second he says things like ‘go away’ or ‘don’t look for me in the future’, suddenly he can’t look at he tian anymore, as if he wouldn’t be able to tell he tian those things if he looked at him, or as if he is afraid that he tian will realise he is lying and that he actually doesn’t mind having he tian around

VS

IS HE TIAN TRYING TO PUT HIS HAND ON GUAN SHAN’S HEAD OR PINCH HIS HAIR (or something like that) EITHER WAY IM SHOOK (i get overwhelmed by the smallest things, yes)

i have to be honest, im a bit sad we didn’t get to see the family dinner, mostly because i think it would have been a great opportunity to learn more about the characters while also having the chance to add some comedy stuff in the middle of it (plus, i really wanted to see he tian and guan shan’s mom interact), but i really can’t complain about how things turned out because this chapter is just so perfect and beautiful AND THE TWO OF THEM PLAYING BASKETBALL TOGETHER IS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE SO THANK YOU OLD XIAN

it makes me laugh how he tian is so eager to go play basketball with guan shan that he was about to drag guan shan to the court without having a ball and with guan shan wearing flip flops THAT’S SO ADORABLE AND HE TIAN LOOKED SO HAPPY BOY STOP MAKING ME CRY PLS

also i love how guan shan didn’t want to play at first, but when he decided to do it he took that very seriously, so much so that he clearly must have went back inside to change into sneakers and probably retrieve the damn ball, and then rolled up his pants so they wouldn’t get in the way

IM PRETTY SURE IT WASN’T NECESSARY FOR HE TIAN TO BE SHIRTLESS TO PLAY BASKETBALL THO @ old xian pls give us a break, we just had guan shan being shirtless for three chapter, this can’t be good for our health (jk i love it, even if it’s terribly distracting)

i forgot to mention this, but i LOVE that in this chapter we're starting to see how well he tian is slowly coming to know guan shan, at least on some aspects: back in chapter 155 guan shan told him that he was going to contemplate the idea of doing as he tian said only if he tian rolled down that small slope, and it looks like he tian remembered it and found the right thing to say to make guan shan actually consider to play basketball with him

on that point, it's pretty obvious that in the end he tian offered to do whatever guan shan wanted if guan shan won because he was confident in his own ability to win, and with good reason since it seems like they played more than one round and he tian won them all, but still, i wonder what guan shan would have asked if he had managed to defeat he tian, especially since im sure that in the end he wouldn't have asked he tian to stay away from him (see the second point!!), but probably something a bit more….on the line of rolling down a small slope, apparently!!

i can't believe he tian actually looked guan shan in the eyes and said 'this exaggerated expression isn't bad', jesus christ, like not to be that person but he tian is definitely into dirty talks and describing to his partner how good they look while he fucks them IM SORRY BUT IM JUST STATING FACTS HERE

my reaction upon seeing this panel......

.....literally was to say OH MY GOD out loud and walk away from my computer for a while before coming back and being like SON PUT THAT TONGUE BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM OR SO HELP ME i know you want to taste him so badly BUT PLS CONTAIN YOURSELF

again, not to be that person but he tian has an oral fixation #confirmed 

HE TIAN CALLED GUAN SHAN 'LITTLE MO' AND IT EMOTIONALLY DEVASTATED ME i don't think i will ever get over this, it's just so playful and affectionate aND THIS BOY IS JUST SO IN LOVE I CANNOT DEAL (it also sounds like he tian is acknowledging that guan shan is shorter than him and this messes me up)

it's​ interesting tho that he tian is still not calling guan shan by his name, we are closer to it compared to 'don't close mountain', but he is still using a nickname, so i can't help but wonder when he will say guan shan's name (he did ask 'your name is mo guan shan?' when he first learned it, but you know, it's kinda different than using it in a normal situation)

LISTEN

THEIR FUCKING SIZE DIFFERENCE IM SCREAMING like, i wish i was exaggerating when i say this, but no, i literally buried my face into a pillow and screamed for a while when i first saw this, because i take my size differences very seriously, and tianshan is not particularly prominent, but it's perfect in all the right places, like in the way he tian is slightly taller than guan shan and has broader chest and shoulders, but a smaller waist AND I KNOW IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE BUT THIS MAKES ME EMOTIONAL

i mentioned chapter 155 before, and thinking about it again, the panel where they fall down in this last update reminds me a lot of the one where he tian grabbed guan shan and they rolled down that small slope together back then, except that this time he tian is keeping guan shan close and not letting him go, and it probably wasn't meant to be a parallel, but looking at these two moments you can actually see how much has changed between them in such a short time, and it really leaves me in awe

[takes a deep breath] i know i reached the point where im supposed to talk about the last panel, but like………..HOW!!!!!!! because real talk, i look at that panel and i lose any ability i've ever had to do words, i just IM SPEECHLESS THAT PANEL IS SO BEAUTIFUL I WANT TO HANG IT IN A MUSEUM THAT'S WHERE IT BELONGS!!!!!!!! seriously, i am so in love with it, i love their position, i love the way he tian is burying​ his face into guan shan's shoulder/chest, i love guan shan's expression, i love how their hands are placed, i love he tian's balled fists as if he's trying to keep himself from touching guan shan, from hugging him, i love how he tian is asking to stay like that just for a moment, I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!!!!!!! 

i actually wish it didn't mess me up so badly, because there are so many things to talk about, but i can't put down the right words. there's such an incredible softness and vulnerability in he tian in those last few panels that ends up permeating the entire chapter, and it's so touching and heartbreaking at the same time to see he tian asking for that moment of closeness, of comfort, to realize just how much he wants to close that gap that divides them and how deeply he feels for guan shan. i also find beautiful and very significant that guan shan allows him to have that, because to me it just confirms that he is slowly figuring out that he tian is sincere in his intentions, that he doesn't have an ulterior motive, maybe even that he tian has feelings for him, and the way he reacts to this side of he tian, to these emotions, is very different from the way he normally does, which just shows how he is slowly starting to fall for he tian too

(i wasn't sure about adding these last two things, but oh well, in for a penny.......)

this is just a personal feeling i had, but in the light of this update i went back to reread the past three chapters and……..there's been a sort of…….desperation in he tian's actions throughout these chapters, like……showing up at guan shan's house uninvited, giving him the earring, asking guan shan on a date (more or less), lingering a bit more by playing basketball with him, burying his face into guan shan's shoulder and staying close to him.........and i mean, he is in love with guan shan and wants to be with him, but-- idk how to explain it, it feels like he tian has been trying to buy himself as much time as he can, committing guan shan to his memory and giving guan shan something to remember him by……..and before someone says anything, no, im NOT saying that something terrible is going to happen and that they're going to be separated, i just find it interesting that all this happened after jian yi was kidnapped and he tian saw how devastated zheng xi was. again, im not saying he tian is going to leave, or that he wouldn't normally do those sort of things with guan shan, because he would, but maybe what happened to jian yi made him look at guan shan and  think something like 'what if he disappeared? what if i left now taking for granted i will see him tomorrow and ended up not seeing him ever again? would i remember him ten years from now? would he remember me?', and he just needs a moment to reassure himself that guan shan is warm and solid and real and that he's​ not going anywhere

listen i suck at predicting what old xian will do next, i just accepted the idea that i will always be wrong (tho that doesn't stop me from theorizing), but i would honestly pay old xian to continue this moment and not to drop it like they usually do, but even more i would pay FOR IT TO BE A PARALLEL TO ZHENG XI AND JIAN YI IN CHAPTER 164 with he tian asking guan shan if he really finds him disgusting because i need some sort of talk between them and that would be amazing (just give me a different ending and no assault pls;;;;;;;;)

ANYWAY HE TIAN IS IN LOVE WITH GUAN SHAN OKAY BYE

[veecherry96-blog]

NALU IN CHAPTER 545 (thoughts)

Is it canon? I don't think it officially is yet but I don't think she was friendzoned either. I actually think it is still in development and it is implied that something may happen off panel or after the "end". In all due respect it crossed my mind that there wouldn't be a huge moment between them in the final chapter and I was worried that it may feel forced if there was because Nalu never got their big angsty moment like other ships did in previous chapters. That worried me and I actually thought to myself that as much as I loved this ship, it might not even happen because let's face it, there wasn't much development especially on Natsu's side of things. I feel like there WAS development from the very beginning but then it stopped and stayed at the same level for some time and never really progressed. We never got that moment where they really had to confront their relationship and because it was nearing the end and still nothing, I took that as a bad sign but still I had hope that Mashima would write something. A part of me is furious because I feel as though it was teased so much but a part of me expected it to some extent. What Natsu was getting embarrassed about in the silent chapter with Gildarts wasn't about a girl after all but the 100 Year Quest which fits with the context now that you think about it but the fact that it was deliberately silent shows Mashima wanted to play with his fans (at least to me) and knew people would get the wrong idea and expect more from Nalu. To me this is a really shitty thing to do to your fans. I'm sorry there's no reason why the 100 Years Quest had to be kept secret for so long. It was obviously to play with his fans' heads. It makes me question whether every Natsu and Lucy scene was just for shits and giggles and wasn't there to show any true development. Does this mean everything in Dragon Cry was total bullshit and we should all just forget about it? Or is it the case that Mashima is saving Nalu for a later project and that's why he hasn't made anything concrete? That could be a possibility. Perhaps we as fans need to accept what we got with Nalu because Natsu just wasn't there yet. I feel as though in the last chapters building up to the end, Lucy's feelings for Natsu were quite apparent. Yes she did things for her "friends" but there were a lot of moments where she just had Natsu in mind. She blushed like a fool how many times, she offered to keep him warm with her body when anyone else could have done it, she carried him and fiercely shielded him from harm, she wanted to fight Brandish one on one in order to keep him safe even though there was a high chance of her losing, she risked her life by tampering with dark magic and the way she cried when she thought she lost him again was absolutely devastating. The way she relates meeting him to the beginning of her life and her adventures with Fairy tail, if that's not love I don't know what it is. For Mashima to have her go through all that for Natsu and just let her be friendzoned is damn right cruel and if it ends up being the case and there is no extra chapter or sequel to fix it then he has a lot to answer to. But you know what? I refuse to believe he would do that to Lucy after such a roller coaster ride of emotions which is why I think he's saving them for later. I still have high hopes that it's not going to end there and there will come a time where both of them will be ready to take their relationship to the next step. Since we didn't get a whole lot of development from Natsu's side of things in the final chapters it makes sense for Natsu to react in the way he did. Wouldn't it be too random and really out of the blue if he just suddenly went down on one knee and proposed to Lucy when there hasn't really been a moment in the final chapters of him distinctly thinking about her? He was too busy fighting Zeref and Acnologia and what not. He might have acknowledged her now and then but is that really enough for a grand moment? I personally think that if the series wasn't so rushed to get to the ending and didn't end on the chapter that it did, there would've been room to develop and address their relationship a bit better. But it was too rushed and Mashima chose not to prioritise Nalu scenes so ending with Nalu in such a grand way would have appeared out of place probably. I personally believe that he had opportunities to take advantage of and develop Nalu but he didn't. I don't know whether it's because he didn't want to or time constraints. Perhaps he never will develop Nalu and he was making a statement by ending it the way he did or perhaps he plans to but prefers to surprise us later. Of course like many Nalu shippers, I am hoping for the latter. Perhaps he planned to but never got around to develop Nalu with the time constraints and needing to focus on concluding other areas of the story. Maybe he purposefully made it ambiguous for now so he can write their development and conclusion properly later on. He didn't want to give them something forced and cheesy so then he brought back Zervis for a little bit to kill a little time. That's me being optimistic though because it's highly possible that he was making a statement that he likes Zervis more by giving them 2 conclusions whereas Nalu don't get anything concrete. If you plan to surprise us later Mashima then thank you, I will appreciate it but if you teased and teased just to give us nothing in the end then fuck you. The moments you drew in Dragon Cry to hype them up as a couple were totally unnecessary and it doesn't make you anything other than a jerk, I'm sorry that's the truth. And fuck you for playing with Lucy's feelings, even she was expecting Natsu to do something more in the end. If I look at it from the point of view that Mashima just tried to make it look as natural as possible considering Natsu as a character and where he was in his development, it does make sense in a way. And there was a little scene thrown in there to imply that Natsu may be attracted to Lucy by comparing her to Anna. Sure it was indirect and not a huge declaration or anything but I don't think the scene was just put in there for nothing. It was used to convey that Natsu has been drawn to Lucy and not only because she looked and smelled familiar. It was added in there that Natsu had a crush on Anna and he just admitts it blatantly. Would it be that hard to believe that Natsu is drawn to Lucy because she is actually his type? I think Mashima was trying to say that by Gajeel's teasing and Natsu's confirmation. So even if he is not there "emotionally " he has potential to get there eventually because he is already there "physically" when it comes to Lucy. I believe he is already physically attracted to her and it doesn't matter that he doesn't get all shy and blushy than say Gray or Gajeel because it's not in his character to do so. He doesn't even get embarrassed when Gajeel teases him about Anna, Natsu just admitts it matter of factly. Also it is important to see the level of comittment in their friendship that isn't parallelled by others. For example when Lucy gets drunk at her party, it is Natsu along with Happy that take her home and make sure she's okay. They change her clothes, sleep with her and pack her bags for her. Natsu obviously cares about Lucy a hell of a lot to do that for her. Really he didn't have to and another girlfriend say Levi or Mirajane or Cana could have done that as girlfriends would do that for each other but no it's Natsu and Happy. It's almost reminiscent of how a husband or boyfriend would take their drunk wives or girlfriends home without her being conscious of it. It's actually a trope used in a lot of romantic comedies and when Lucy realises after the fact she even comments that's she'll "never be a bride" which may be forshadowing that she will be a bride to someone someday and he's right there (Natsu). It's meant to be an ironic twist by her stating the negative. He starts to say something along the lines of "but you'll have work to do" or "a job to go on " and that takes her back to their memories of first going on jobs together and becoming a team which is symbolic to the story and how Natsu and Lucy came about in the first place. It's only natural to think about those aspects. She says something heartfelt along the lines of she wouldn't be the person she is today without meeting Natsu and Happy and truly thanked them in tears taking them by suprise and I notice that they start sweating a little bit? Are they just worried that Lucy is crying and they don't want to see her cry or is Natsu getting nervous and feeling pressure to say something? He actually takes her by the arms and starts to say seriously that there is something he wants to tell her too. She starts to blush, get all flustered and even closes her eyes but Natsu runs off in typical Natsu fashion pulling her behind him reminiscent of their first encounter saying something along the lines of " who cares about that stuff, we need to get to work" . There are different translations and one suggests that what he wanted to tell her was about the job while others seperate going on a job and what he was going to say. By saying "who cares about that stuff" or " I don't care about that " means that there was actually something he wanted to tell her in response to what she said. But he decides to dismiss it in that moment because they have to go on a job and meet the others. What he wanted to say could have been the confirmation of the ship but instead Mashima leaves it unanswered or unfinished. Why is this so? For trolling purposes? Because it's in Natsu's character? For comical effect? To pay tribute to when Natsu first does that to Lucy and all those times in the series? To give us something to look forward to in future Fairytail projects? He could have been showing blatant rejection of Lucy's feelings and expectations and I can see why people would think that's the case. Maybe that's what it was, an actual "friendzoning " but there are reasons to believe that wasn't the case either if you look at it in perspective. It could have been the case that rejection of Lucy isn't Natsu's intention AT ALL given his density when it comes to romance and how to word things tactfully. Lucy then complains that he's the worst for ruining an emotional moment and he acknowledges that and says "it's okay, we'll always be together from now on" which would be his way of saying that disrupting one little moment where he could have poured his heart out is nothing compared to always being together. Being together is more important therefore she shouldn't worry about that. Natsu has never been the one to say romantic words and shows his feelings via actions so it does make sense for his character to behave this way. Of course I, like anyone would have loved to hear the verbal confirmation of Natsu's feelings but I don't think he was developed enough emotionally at that point to deliver it. I think he could have still been unaware of his feelings at that point. If he was unaware, he is yet to recognise his attraction and intense bond with Lucy as love but it's still there regardless and will likely be more apparent to him in the future when he becomes more mature. If he was aware then a part of him is still immature and clueless in how to deliver his feelings. He recognised there was something to say but he was still too exciteable about the job that he impulsively cut himself off from the topic. It may have come across as insensitive but I don't think it's because he doesn't care about Lucy, to him they had more pressing duties now and it's not like he didn't reassure her later. And I think people have different love languages and Natsu's is including people. He is including Lucy in this huge quest that he needed permission for so in Natsu's eyes he can't think about an adventure without her, she's an essential part of his team. That being said though I still think that we should be able to identify a couple in an easily recognizable way which isn't explicitly done with Natsu and Lucy which means they can be interpreted as either way. I do think that Mashima did this on purpose and it could be hinting at further development in future projects or maybe thats just how he always wanted Nalu to be. Since this "canonization" is not explicit enough for me, I would say that it isn't really canon or canon yet. I think their feelings and attraction have definitely been demonstrated but Natsu's maturity and emotional awareness needs to develop in order to meet with Lucy's. He might actually need a push from someone or someone to tell him what's up in order to start that chapter in his life or he might just develop with age and experience to see that having a family of your own takes two if you know what I mean ;) . I don't believe that Natsu just sees Lucy as a friend contrary to many others. He's just oblivious to his feelings or he's aware but fails to communicate them tactfully. After all I've seen I stand by my opinion that she's more important to him than any other female in the series. He's fiercely protective, loyal and has shown to be supportive and thoughtful of her to an extent that no one else has been. His actions don't hide his feelings even though he may not realise his feelings on a conscious level. I'm really hoping that this ship won't be the troll of the century because that would really suck. Let's hope that we'll be pleasantly surprised by some development after the "end" which may be really a beginning.

[honeybuddhachats]

Headcanon on how the RFA members met MC if she had never joined...

Yoosung: • Two words: Gaming. Convention. • Yoosung (dressed up as his LOLOL character) had decided to spend a few days at one of the largest conventions the country had to offer • HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of people (possibly even thousands, yoosung couldn’t possibly count ALL of the cool cosplayers, artists, and fellow gamers. like wowowow how is he not lost already?) • Haha... actually he does get lost on his search for a convention panel involving some creators of LOLOL he is not missing this for the world where is the map??? • He’s asking directions, trying to find out where it is, seriously there’s SO MANY PEOPLE AND THIS PLACE IS SO BIG AND- • Is.. is that a LOLOL duelist mage cosplayer??? The armor looks so realistic • He totally forgets about the panel, and is totally stunned by this cosplay. It must’ve cost a FORTUNE! • Yoosung has to get an autograph... no no a picture would be a better so he can show off this really cool cosplay • “Hi! I’m Yoosung!” • The cosplayer looks up at him with a smile. “I’m player Cosmic Blade...” with an even sheepish look “But today I’m just MC” • WoooOOAH! Yoosung is totally impressed. Not only a talented cosplayer, but a gamer too! Is this what love at first sight is??? Heart eyes!!! • MC smiles making a comment about how nice his own cosplay is • Double heart eyes!!! • “Let’s head over to the LOLOL panel, they’re starting soon, and if we’re lucky we could get an autograph from the producer!” • Yoosung’s heart is thumping so fast he’s on the verge of fainting. How cool is MC??? Pretty cool!!

Zen: • It was no surprise that once the weather had turned nice, Zen went out for a jog at a nearby park • While jogging around the pond, everyone could see the couple STRUGGLING on the swan boat. It was super hard to miss them  • Gawking, stifling laughs from fellow park goers “WOW OH WOW do you know how to peddle or what?” • It was so distracting that he didn’t even realize the collision that was about to happen on land • SMACK! • Zen had run headfirst into another jogger • Due to his size, the other jogger had fallen flat on their ass, a little dizzy and confused. While he was fine trying to quickly recollect his thoughts • Oh zen, you done it now. What kind of an actor knocks over a... girl??  • He’s startled to find out he's knocked over a girl • OH BOY ZEN • He starts to panic a bit, apologizing profusely and helping her up. and then continues to apologize once again.  • what kind of actor just pushes down a cute girl you should be ashamed of yourself • “I’m okay. I’m okay!” she responds • sigh of relief • Okay still, Zen feels horrible about the entire situation there has to be something he can do • LIGHTBULB • “The least I can do is give you a free ticket to one of my performances. I’m Zen. An actor.” • She looks interested... sayyessayyes anndddd there’s the head nod we are good to go “That sounds like fun, Zen. I’m MC~!”

Jumin: • He still doesn’t understand why he needs to go to the store when he already has a tailor • well Jumin, your tailor needs you to come into the store so he can make sure the measurements are correct since the last suit he sent you was a little too short • *sigh okay* • as he walks into the expensive shop, he’s prepared to see his tailor waiting but what catches his eye is the girl wearing the cat sweater • oh where on god’s green earth did she acquire that?? • he simply must have it!! • she catches him staring and is embarrassed for staring so intently at the suits “ah hello. welcome. how can i help?” she meshes her words together at a rapid pace • ah yes, ask her about the tailor maybe she knows where he went “where did you buy that sweater?” wrong question try again “cats are such lovely creatures.” still incorrect • “they definitely are!” it seems she’s more relaxed “I bought it from the thrift store” • “thrift... store?” jumin han is not aware of a thrifty store • “yes....” change the subject remember you are in an overpriced suit shop “do you have a cat?” • and here comes the long, yet delightful conversation about cats that lasts for a quite a while • Such a while that jumin doesn’t realize his tailor has returned from the back of the store “Mr. Han, I see you’ve met MC. She watches the store when I’m away from the desk” • jumin nods, perhaps he should get fitted for suits more often, if only to spend some more time with the person who loves cats just as much 

Jaehee: • Jaehee was not expecting to be running amok due to Jumin scheduling a meeting last minute • It’s a Saturday who talked Jumin into another idea?? • She is such a carful planner how did this happen so suddenly??? One second it was work next second it was BAM MORE WORK, LESS TIME TO DO SAID WORK • SO as soon as she got the news Jaehee leaves the coffee shop she was spending a nice Saturday morning at • Uh oh, the papers she’s carrying accidently get knocked down when a passing stranger bumps into her • ah shoot, now the papers all on the ground • ah... even better, someone else trips and their drink spilled • A+ day here people... everything is going splendidly great • “Oops! Really sorry about that!” it’s the first stranger who had knocked the papers down, and now she was picking them up carefully and handing them back to Jaehee “I can be so distracted sometimes with all the sights that go on around here.” • The frustrating feeling Jaehee had is starting to wither away a bit... • okay... but there’s still the issue of her soggy and soda-colored notes • “Ah, it looks like you’ll have to retype these,” the stranger frowns. “Let’s go to the library and I can help you.” • Jaehee tries to decline, but the stranger persists because after all, she was the one who caused the notes to drop which resulted in the current messy situation • *sigh* stranger wins this round, after all it’s just the library, and Jaehee can give her some “unimportant” stuff to type up • By the time the two of them were done, all the notes were typed up and a presentation created, Jaehee seemed to have a little more sunlight left than she is used to • “I’m MC! If I ever see you around the cafe again, I’ll have to buy you a drink!” • “I’m Jaehee, and I think I’ll take up the offer one of these days”

Seven: • It was an odd situation, this mission • Apparently some black market sellers were going to be at a karaoke bar tonight, and Seven’s company had requested he stop them • stand up comedy perhaps? • no no, that wouldn’t work he had to be in incognito mode for this • perhaps a distraction?? this is a karaoke bar after all, the person singing just had to be REALLY good or REALLY bad why isn’t zen here when he needs him • oh look! a group of friends walk in one of them should be perfect for the job! • “Could one of you go up there and sing beautifully... or horribly. Eh you can choose one” • immediately the friends turn to one girl in particular “MC. MC. MC” they start to chant her name, and even seven finds he’s chanting her name too despite the fact they’ve never met • “fine! i’ll do it!” and MC is off to sing in front of a large crowd • this is perfect! now seven can do his mission and no one gets hurt! • the music starts to play and seven gets into position and is this ... .. is this ‘baby got back’?? he looks over to see the friends laughing their heads but what makes seven burst out into laughter is MC’s disgruntled expression • but he’s SHOCKED to see see her singing her heart out in an exaggerated manner and in no time the entire bar notices and begins to chuckle and laugh • oh god maybe this wasn’t the best plan • now the song’s ended and everyone is screaming for MC to sing another song the same way, and seven swears his heart stops for a moment when MC lock eyes with him and smiles in that small millisecond of time before she goes to choose another song • omgomgomgomg he’s imagining things he has to be • she goes through four more songs before her friends have to drag her off the stage • by then, seven has gained all the information he needed and he’s just about to leave before he feels a tap on his shoulder oh no did someone catch him • nope, it’s just MC “are you going to sing?” • he gives her a sheepish smile “maybe. go ahead and choose one” and when she turns around to go choose, he slips away • by the time MC notices she’s a little disappointed, but internally knows that this won’t be the last time she sees him and is sure they’ll meet somewhere again

[casually-inlove]

(I hope your computer issues are getting better btw) I have seen a lot of posts about how tragic it will be for xixi when Jian xi disappears. But in the initial chapters before the flashbacks, that really doesn’t transpire. Do you have any theories on how that is going to work? I mean there is that hint in the first panel where going to the same uni is mentioned but

Hello there! I’m sorry for being so late with my response — I’ve been physically overwhelmed with stuff IRL. Also, thank you for asking. Yes, it’s much better now, and I got off easy (nothing work-related lost) but it was a close call.

Truthfully, I’ve been thinking about writing about it on my own, so your question happens to have excellent timing. No doubt some of it was spurred by the latest official illustration of Zhan Zheng Xi. 

I've seen quite a few people (on and off Tumblr) discuss the possibility of the picture itself being linked to Jian Yi's disappearance, so it's no wonder we ended up thinking about the earlier chapters. 

I have a few thoughts on the matter, but I'll try to be as brief here as possible here. Is Jian Yi's disappearance going to be tragic for Zhan Zheng Xi? 

In theory? Absolutely yes. 

Imagine someone you're seeing disappears one day without prior notice and keeps radio silence for years, only to appear one day at your doorstep and act like nothing truly happened. Or even worse, attempts to feed you an unlikely story of being stranded on an island after being kidnapped by a parent they allegedly never had. Imagine how you'd feel. Tricked? Yeah. Betrayed? Surely. Angry? Quite possibly. Kept in the dark and essentially swindled? Without a doubt. It's not a situation you'd take lightly, particularly if you had been romantically involved the said person. That's what they call "ghosting someone". What is Zhan Zheng Xi to think during Jian Yi's absence? In the best-case scenario that the latter decided to cut ties with him. In the worst-case scenario that he's come to physical harm. 

You see, there's a particular leitmotif going on for Zhanyi. XiXi has always taken it upon himself to be Jian Yi's knight in shining armour, the one who saves him from whatever trouble he gets into. During elementary school, XiXi would protect JY from the bullies. During middle school, he tried to protect him from Mo's gang and He Cheng's men. Failing to do so caused XiXi visible distress to the point where even Jian Yi noticed and commented on it. So being the shield that protects Jian Yi from harm is directly linked to ZZX's image of himself. His self-worth, if you will. Failing to do so would inevitably tell on his self-esteem even if ZZX won't show it to the outside world due to his stoic nature.

There's also a matter "emotional hurdles", something that thematically unites all the other characters in the manhua save for ZZX. JY, MGS, HT have faced traumatic events in their past which shaped them into who they are now. ZZX had none of that (yet). Perhaps OX plans to keep it that way, although it's also possible OX plans to have ZZX face personal hell later on. It's not too unthinkable, and I believe that's the reason why many people believe that JY's disappearance will be "tragic" — to fit in with the running subtheme.

Naturally, the initial chapters don't show us any of that simply because those take place three or four years after Jian Yi's disappearance. It figures the bulk of the emotional turmoil ZZX's must have gone through is well in the past. Time heals, as they say. By time JY comes back, ZZX has been living without him for years; deep inside he might have embraced the idea that he'll never see him again. That's why his reaction may seem a lot tamer than one could imagine.

Still, if you pay attention to their future interactions, it becomes clear that their bond took considerable damage. Within the present canon storyline, they have essentially admitted mutual feelings for each other and even shared a bed several times (nothing sexual of course). In other words, they do share a great deal of intimacy. In future-set issues, when they are attending the same college, XiXi appears to have reservations about as little as letting drunk JY lean on him. Naturally, a huge chunk of it could be attributed to the comedic nature of the episodes (OX needed to make it funny), but it’s still something to ponder on. 

Regarding the illustration OX posted -- I don't believe it hints at Jian Yi being presumed to be dead during his MIA period; I don't believe it's directly linked to JY at all for that matter. Had Jian Yi been presumed to be dead, you'd think ZZX would have shown a stronger reaction upon seeing him "alive", but that's not the case. Then again, OX may yet change it when we get to that point.

Lastly, if you recall, I did say that Jian Yi's disappearance is tragic "in theory". The reason why I say that resides in the very manner of OX's writing. If you peel away layers of slapstick comedy and occasional crude humour, you'd find that many things OX touches upon are no laughing matters. Absentee parents, alienation, peer pressure, social isolation, ostracism, street gangs, youth cruelty, dysfunctional families, criminal legacy, emotional abuse, neglect, being impoverished, having to deal with family debts, being threatened with prostitution, etc... You wouldn't be laughing at any of that had you been watching it on TV or reading in a newspaper. Many authors would find it to be an elephant in the room, yet more often than not OX doesn't address those issues directly. Instead, those get glossed over and covered up with situational comedy. While I absolutely appreciate the necessity of humour, I still believe there are topics out there making the light of which is simply unethical, regardless of comedic genre. Kidnapping someone for whatever reason and having to deal with someone's disappearance/loss is one such thing. That said, there's no guarantee that OX will make any of ZZX's internal struggle obvious and explicit. It might stay between the lines as something that we all know should be there — simply because we can put ourselves in ZZX's shoes. While I wouldn't want OX to play Jian Yi's kidnapping completely for the laughs, I still don't exclude a comedic outcome. 

Now, I truly wouldn't want to be making any grand guesses regarding HOW exactly it might transpire. It's peculiar that Jian Yi ostensibly didn't recognize the men who kidnapped him. What's so odd about it is that we know that Qiu and He Cheng are assigned to the duty of looking after Jian Yi. It's mostly Qiu who picks him up and drives around. Could that mean that things shifted and Qiu & Cheng are no longer trusted with his life or are absent for some reason? Or, perhaps, those men lied and, in fact, weren't working for Mr Jian after all? Instead, might they be the ones Mr Jian tried to protect his son from? It could truly be a fascinating plot-twist.

All in all, I'd say that the tragedy of Jian Yi's disappearance is something implicit. Whether OX would go into detail here is uncertain though; likewise, it's uncertain whether they would address the matter seriously. I would love to see ZZX go through something that would break his perpetual pokerface (as harsh as it might sound), but I also realize that's not everyone's cup of tea and may be completely irrelevant to OX's grand plans.