#starting with the katsugeki one then the hanamaru one!!

[kunoichi-of--destiny]

If I had a nickel for everytime I consumed a series based off of Japanese history with pretty boys, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't much but weird how it happened twice:

[ask-saniwas]

⚠️Announcement⚠️

Nagato!bot

Since our moderator also have engagement about Touken Ranbu Musical, Stage, Live Action and other francise such as Hanamaru, Katsugeki (hopeless for wishing the season 2, sad), Touken Kai, and Touken Musou, the staff will be arranged start from December. So, one of our staff would be no longer updating the gameplay from our moderator.

However, the gameplay from our moderator will be held by our aide. A good news for us because you can interact with the aide who probably get exchanged anytime. It depends on our moderator mood.

Prepare your question or any post on 'Asking Box'. Because

The aide exchange will be posted by picture of homescreen

There is a chance to ask anything about your favorite touken danshi. So you may ask anything there

As our moderator sometimes get confused to change, the previous aide will have a vote for next aide

For asking our aide, type 'Aide!bot'.

That's all for the announcement. I hope you guys get interested for this update. Thank you very much and keep follow up our blog for many updates.

See you next day.

[kowaindar0u]

//

I'm eeeeepy... I wish I could put hanamaru on to sleep lol but it's too loud for that, especially the opening 💀

Alas, random YouTube videos it is.

I only have one ep left of S2 anyway! Tomorrow! Then (or maybe Thursday) I'll start Katsugeki 🤔 it's been SO long since I last watched.

Also I'm stoooooked for the new anime... fudou my baby 😭 and odagumi 😭 the angst 😭

AGH ... Well. Gnight!

[thiswasmadeonawhim]

Touken Ranbu 101 (Entry Guide)

((I originally wrote this for Anilist, but I made a modified version for tumblr just for more accessibility.))

So you wanna Touken Ranbu, but have No idea where to start? Don't worry, we've all been there before. This will be a brief yet extensive guide on where to even start here. Starting first with overall world explanation, then sorting through all the different media based on 1) Adaptation and 2) Entry Level Rating (Last updated: 01/13/2024)

What is Touken Ranbu?

Touken Ranbu started as an online browser game back in 2015, and later received a mobile phone application version around 2016. It is NOT a dating sim. TKRB fits under the Joseimuke demographic, in which the main target audience is older women, but don't feel discouraged from exploring if you don't fit the targeted range.

Synopsis: (from the tkrb wiki)

Touken Ranbu (刀剣乱舞) is an online web browser game by DMM and Nitroplus. Players assume the role of a Saniwa sage (��神者) who travels into the past to defeat evil forces that are trying to change the course of history. As a sage, you have the ability to bring famous historical swords to life as touken danshi (刀剣男士). Your duty is to bring these blades to life, create an army, and defeat the enemies!

Since then, Touken Ranbu has received various types of adaptations, ranging from anime, manga, novels, stage plays, musicals and live action movies, all of which are based on the universe created by the game. An important thing to note: None of the different series are related to one another. They all take place in their own citadels meaning that one sword from one version will not be the same in another citadel, aside from their base sword personality. Their base character traits and personalities can be gathered from their in-game dialogue, and are then refined and deepened based on the writer. In addition to this, Touken Ranbu just recently celebrated its 9th anniversary, and with that, a whole slew of new media to consume.

Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

Starting with the first anime adaptation: TKRB Hanamaru (HNMR). TKRB HNMR focuses on sword life at home in the citadel and is heavy slice-of-life material. Ranging from family bonding, division of household chores, playing with animals and topics like this. It also includes some sortie and battle scenes, but nothing too heavy so it also makes it safe for people of all ages. Really the definition of "cute boys doing cute things".

Hanamaru Season 1

Hanamaru Manga

Hanamaru Season 2

Hanamaru Movie Trilogy

So far it's also the longest anime/manga adaptation with 2 seasons (12 episodes each) and a 3 movie series (a 3rd season of sorts). As well as a manga adaptation, so far only based on the first season of the anime as well as one covering the events of the 3 movies. In addition to that, there’s also a novelization of the 3 movies. This adaptation also has the largest cast of swords, currently at 86 swords, so i rate it a 7/10 on the Entry Level Rating scale.

Reasoning: HNMR is a great place to start and slowly learn about the different swords, small bits of their history as well as their relations to one another. I would just recommend coming back to rewatch HNMR more than once to pick up on things once missed, as it also makes jokes based on some other sword related things not within the anime. In addition to that, the large number of cast may be intimidating to those diving right in, that is unless you are used to learning 40+ new characters in one go.

Katsugeki/TOUKEN RANBU

The next anime adaptation would be Katsugeki (KTGK). TKRB KTGK is the more Serious(tm) TKRB anime adaptation when compared to HNMR. It’s also shorter having only a 12 episode anime, one manga adaptation and an upcoming movie (currently still in limbo, thanks ufo-table)

Katsugeki Anime

Katsugeki Manga

Katsugeki Movie

KTGK focuses on the battle and timeline protection aspects of the game, but from a perspective that can be both inviting but also confusing to new viewers. On the other hand, it features only a certain number of swords so it’s easier to learn about the characters as you watch. For this reason I rate Katsugeki a 6/10 on the Entry Level Rating scale

Reasoning: KTGK may have a smaller cast, but many fans agree that their take on one of the swords in particular is out of character. Regardless, I’d say that KTGK is a good anime to first introduce people to the Concept of the universe. To show that it’s not just pretty boys posing with swords, show how every sword has a history and something that they want to protect.

Touken Ranbu Anthologies

The TKRB Anthologies require NO background knowledge but also ALL the background knowledge at the same time. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t as accessible for those who don’t know the swords. There are a large number of them and it doesn’t matter where you start with them.

Hibana Mae Touken Danshi

Uijin

Senjin

Hibana Chirase Touken Danshi

Touken Danshi Makuaigeki

Shutsujin Junbichuu

Homare

Shutsujin

Ki no Jin

SQEX no Jin

Touken Ranbu Gakuen

Story wise, these have no stories. They’re all one-shots or shorter, just drawn by sword fans for sword fans. I rate the anthology series a 9/10 for the Entry Level Rating scale due to their easy to consume length as well as how many swords they manage to cover in one go. There’s no way you can go wrong with the anthologies. Don’t like a sword? Just keep browsing til you see a 4Koma of a sword that fits your tastes more then. Much like Hanamaru, I highly recommend coming back after you’ve absorbed more sword knowledge so those jokes can hit one more time.

Touken Ranbu 4-Koma

Much like the anthologies, the 4-Koma chibi anthology series is Even Shorter and easier to consume. So far has 4 volumes.

Anthology Comic 4koma Ranbu

Entry level wise, I rate it an 8/10. Nearly up there with the rest of the anthologies, but still not high  enough standalone to cover just as much. Still a cute series nonetheless.

Touken Ranbu Side Story: Tale of Ayakashi

The Tale of Ayakashi manga series is still releasing, but it’s a good read which features many different swords in different scenarios involving Spoopy Spirits.

Touken Ranbu Gaiden Ayakashi Tan

I rate it an entry score of 6/10 as you may need to do more reading on the side regarding the swords and their connections as well as the ayakashi featured. (they come with small snippets of info, but reading in depth is also fascinating)

Touken Ranbu ~Nihongo Tsurezure Sake~

Another manga currently releasing, this one focuses on Nihongo, one of the heaviest drinkers of the citadel, cooking meals for his fellow swords in the citadel. The focus here being mostly on food that tastes great with a side of alcohol (usually sake). This one gains an entry score of __5/10__. It features other swords, yes, but the main focus is still the meals so I’d say it hits better after you get to know them all first.

Touken Ranbu Musical

The TKRB Musical is one of the 2.5D adaptations that TKRB has spawned. Not to be confused with the stage play series, which I’ll get into later. Currently TouMyu as a franchise has well over 30 productions, including unique stories, reruns, solo shows, duo shows, and live concerts, in just under 8 years. Over the years, TouMyu has grown to inspire and create more adaptations based on their individual plays, including (currently) 2 manga adaptations, and 6 official novelizations.

Atsukashiyama-Ibun

Bakumatsu Tenrouden

TouMyu manga adaptations are just 2 volumes and pretty fast reads. As for whether they can substitute for the Musicals themselves, I’d say yes. They do a fantastic job adapting the main story into an action packed manga. However, I’d also recommend the musicals themselves, at least to try the medium out but also to experience them in their original form. For this reason, I rate the Musical manga adaptations a 6/10

As some Myu samples, the latest 2 MVs featuring Tsurumaru and Ookurikara:

Touken Ranbu Stage Play

Much like TouMyu, the TKRB Stage Plays are another 2.5D project that started at the same time as TouMyu and takes place in its own universe and timeline. So far, there have been no manga adaptations, however, there is an anime series in the works to adapt the first TouSute stage play. It’s now set to release in April 2024!

Touken Ranbu Kyouden Moyuru Honnouji

Just like TouMyu, TouSute has multiple entries for the series as a whole. Running also since around 2016, the stage play adaptation features 12 unique productions as well as one pseudo live event. Rating this based on the stages themselves, I’d give TouSute a beginner level of 4/10.

Reasoning: This is not because it’s a bad adaptation, in fact it’s an amazing series ((I’m biased)), It’s just that it can all be overwhelming to take in at one time. What I recommend is trying another series or two first before diving straight into TouSute, as they require you to know a bit more about the characters when going in other than just basic facts. This really requires you to understand their history and Why they act the way they do when faced with certain obstacles and challenges. If you ever do plan to watch the stage plays though, I recommend going in release order!

Because most of Sute’s youtube videos are region locked to Japan, I have come with a BD pv video. Here, have a stage PV for Tenden:

Touken Ranbu Movie

Not to be confused with any of the other 2.5D series, the TouEiga is as well another citadel of its own. The cast is majority the same from TouSute, however, so it may confuse those just starting out. So far, only the first movie has one manga adaptation. There is a total of two movies, one from 2019 and one from 2023. Both feature a lot of the same swords, but the 2nd movie adds a few more to the roster as well as mixes in some sentai-esque elements so I feel that it may appeal to a wider audience who may not understand a lot of the sword mechanics.

Eiga Touken Ranbu

Since this movie is a one off, it and the manga adaptation both rank in at a 7/10 for entry level reasons. I’d say for this all you really need to know is who Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi are and you’re good to go. The second movie keeps the ranking still at a 7/10 since both are really a non-committal piece of media. You can go in and just vibe and decide if you wanna look into it more later.

Touken Ranbu Kabuki

Our newest live action adaptation will be a Kabuki adaptation of Touken Ranbu: TouBuki. The one and only show ran back in July in 2023. Kabuki, being a traditional theater art in Japan, may seem intimidating at first to someone who has never watched it (this is coming from personal experience), but the adaptation in general was an enjoyable watch and very engaging. Written from the perspective of: If Touken Ranbu were to receive an adaptation written back in the day, there’s a great authentic feel to the production. For a starting point, just due to the hurdle, I rate TouBuki a 5/10 for beginners.

Touken Ranbu Outdoor Ibun - Touken Camp

In this spin off, it’s a whole manga where the swords go camping with each other but also cook food. So sorta like Yuru Camp only with sword men.

Touken Ranbu Outdoor Ibun - Touken-Camp

So also like the Nihongo cooking manga, just a different artist and aesthetic. So cause it also is food based, and also camping based, I rank it a similar 5/10 for beginners. Start someplace more… Sword.

Wanpaku! Touken Ranbu

Ok, ok so this series is gonna be an anime, unknown at this time if it will be a full 23 min anime or a short 5, 10 or 15 mins each episode (my bet is on a short form but MAN imagine if they give us something like Uchitama), that is based on a plush toy line series of the Touken Danshi made in collaboration with Sanrio, which explains why they’re all just so cute!

Wanpaku Touken Ranbu

Since this still has no other news out, I can’t rate it on if it’ll be a good intro to the series or not but surely it’ll be a good light watch for any saniwa out there.

Ending Statement

I hope that this guide was helpful for those trying to get into the series. As always, a great place to start as well is the game itself, which is available to download in Japanese on both mobile devices as well as straight in your browser.

[pengumi12]

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/13OwaMolT_2xqs7dkyjDhNbma_S1xgBSEn8gVk2fuHSU/edit?usp=drivesdk

Ok... I need to stop but I made this in two hours.... I might make a Kiwame version one day...

(Also, I think Onimaru is not on here.... I will add him one day when I am not lazy)

[okayto]

Mini-Review: Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru

In the year 2205, the past is threatened by the historical revisionists who seek to change it. Protecting history becomes the task of a boisterous band of swords that are brought to life, including the glamorous Kashuu Kiyomitsu and the kindly Yamatonokami Yasusada. Beyond their battles, these legendary swords from different eras lead charming daily lives.

Look, I loved this. There are currently two 12-episode seasons and I am desperately hoping for a third. But even so, this was very different than what the description led me to believe. It sounds like it’s going to have a lot of fighting, right? The concept of time-traveling history defender sounds solid. So I expected a lot of this:

I got, um, a small amount of that. But mostly what I got was:

and

Yes, the show focuses a lot on the daily life part. The time-traveling history protection is mainly there for select character development. But, like I said, I ended up loving this.

The series starts with this adorable child sword’s first day in the Citadel. See, all the characters are swords from Japan’s history, given human form by a mysterious but much beloved magical master. (Never seen by the audience, and they/them pronouns used at all times.) Since the swords live and train here when not being sent on missions, new swords get a tour and introduction to everyone. This is convenient for plot reasons, letting the audience get settled.

Hmmm, I thought, as we met the 10th character with no end in sight, I wonder if this was based on a video game? I’m getting that vibe.

Blue-guy, Yamatonokami, and Red-guy below, Kashuu, are the deuteragonists of the series, with Yama-Blue getting more focus in season 1, and Kashuu getting more in season 2. (Also, please join me in admiring Kashuu’s beautiful painted nails.)

This is really helpful, because with such a large cast, things would get lost if they tried to give everyone character development. Instead, we have these two that get more than one episode of development, a nebulous group of like, 20-ish that pop up in multiple episodes, enough that you can probably remember their names, and the rest of the cast really only pop up with lines a few times.

Oh? Didn’t I mention? There are a lot of characters. 62 swords, in fact, 40-odd of whom appear in the first season.

With so many characters, it can’t get deep. Instead, most episodes focus on a handful, whether it be “X is self-conscious about his size but helps the team on the mission by being tall” or “Kasen, who has for some reason taken on the role of Main Laundry Doer, tries to steal Yamanbagiri’s never-removed cloak for washing.” Sometimes we get familiar tropes like “two characters compete to get Position X while the regular person is gone,” or “two characters who don’t like each other are forced to work together and end up singing about it while cooking.” Or that perennial favorite, “unable to convince a loner to make friends any other way, the group puts together a host club.”

It ended up being so fun, because the show doesn’t try to overdo it. This isn’t the mess that was Miracle Train--there’s no attempt at trying to make things really dark and mysterious. This is mainly full of hijinks by a bunch of pretty dorks who live together, most of whom have personalities like “big brother” or “gym maniac” or “alcoholic” (that’s Jiroutachi, purple in the first gif) or “nice grandpa who drinks tea all day and looks 25 and can kill you” (Munechika, below) or “daddy,” who I already wrote a post about because I heard them say “SWORD DADDY” and died.

Everyone is so darn likable, even the loners and rude characters. It was pure fun--not million-laughs-a-minute comedy, but something I could sit down, know that I was going to watch characters be friendly and funny and resolve issues and get a happy ending, without getting monotonous.

Verdict

English dub? Yes, and with so many (SO MANY) voiced characters, if you’ve watched any amount of Funimation-dubbed anime you’ll probably recognize a few. Having just finished Kamisama Kiss before starting this, I was like HEY THAT’S TOMOE when one pink-haired sword starting speaking, and immediately identified Koro-sensei from Assassination Classroom in season 2. This isn’t a bad thing! It’s more of an Easter egg.

That said, I loved Kashuu’s voice, which I hadn’t heard before. There was something so captivating about his light and casual voice via Garret Storms. (my ears: this voice is friend-shaped)

Most things sounded fine in English, but my favorite thing besides Kashuu’s voice was definitely the two separate episodes where characters just break out into song while cooking together. 10/10 would watch again.

Visuals: The major thing that clued me in to this originating as a game wasn’t just the amount of characters, but their designs. These are fun, pretty, colorful designs. Characters are visually distinct so even if you can’t keep track of names, it’s easy to keep personalities separate. Plus, the show as a whole is colorful and light.

Worth watching? Hi, this is a show that explains none of its magic, but includes pretty sword-boys who paint their nails and have friendly swordfights and take daytrips to the beach and occasionally kill monsters so that history won’t change. It’s so much fun.

Important note: there is a separate show called “Katsugeki Touken Ranbu,” made by a different studio, that seems to be closer to what I initially thought I was watching: more action, more serious. I haven’t watched it yet, but be aware it’s a separate thing (although based on the same mobile game).

Where to watch (USA, as of November 2020): Funimation (dub), Crunchyroll (sub), BR/DVD

Click my “reviews” tag below or search “mini review” on my blog to find more!

[disownedbytiime]

Now that I’m free and that my iPad is about to die, I do have thoughts about the tws/t anime

Like first, I hope they’ll keep the voice actors because that’s exactly why I started the game. Itokawa Yojiro and Futaba Kaname mostly, but I appreciate a lot of them.

Now will they do the regular story or will it be like that Heartslabyul manga?? Like… the story is not finished and ngl if it takes them a year to complete a chapter, I wonder how much it’ll take for the anime to come to that point. But lol I’m not fan of that manga, so idk what I’d prefer.

And Yuu… I… have low expectations about them. Probably unpopular opinion but I don’t like what they did w Yuuken. But ?? How will they manage a blank avatar?? What TR did in Hanamaru was not including them directly and the characters only spoke to the camera as if that was the saniwa. And I liked this approach but it won’t work here because Yuu is actually part of the story. What TR did in Katsugeki was making an original character for them but… I didn’t like him at all. If Yuu is included they’ll have to give them an appearance which means also a gender and honestly I don’t want to see the fandom when it comes to that.

And the last one is exactly about the fandom. I don’t wanna sound elitist nor gatekeep anything but like…. The fandom will become insufferable…. I remember all the issues when the game just came out. People calling it an otome, people making fun of the animefied characters, the discourse. I can even see shipping wars forming. It’s already hard enough as it is, more people will just make it more insufferable :’) especially since it’s Disney which brings a different kind of insufferable fans.

Now, of course I’m excited (even tho certain things will kill me again if I watch them!!) and I’ll try to watch even if I know games don’t translate well into anime, but I simply can’t have high expectations.

[blackandorange]

It’s top 10 anime of the year time!

It is, my petal! Let’s continue this yearly tradition with 

MY TOP 10 ANIME I WATCHED IN 2019

(as always, this is a list of the best anime I watched this year, not of the anime that came out this year. There’s some old stuff, some new stuff, some obscure stuff... hopefully you can discover something new!)

10. K. It’s a beautiful franchise with stunning visuals, such an interesting plot, memorable characters and an amazing voice acting cast... all of this sadly ruined by the excessive fanservice. Without it, It would have been in the top 5. 

9. Katsugeki / Hanamaru Touken Ranbu. Probably the anime you petals recced me the most, I was afraid of watching it because of the low MAL rating but, oh boy, was I wrong. I loved it so much I ended up rewatching it later in the year. I simply LOVE ALL MY SWORD SONS SO MUCH!!!

8. Cells At Work. After watching it I feel like I understand something about human biology. Finally an anime worth the hype, it was absolutely fantastic, I loved every single second of it. 

7. The Ancient Magus Bride. For a slow stories lover like me, this anime was truly beautiful. I loved the whole setting, the characters, the relationship they created between each other. It managed to be soft, even in its darkest parts. One of my favourite anime love stories for sure.

6. Psycho-Pass (Sinners of the System + Season 3). PP was originally higher in the rank but, after the ending of s3, it fell down a lot of spots. The SOTS movies were amazing, I loved them a lot, as much as I loved the beginning of s3. Too bad that, as the episodes progressed, the quality of the animation deteriorated and the plot became more and more absurd and beyond the PP logic. I was truly disappointed, especially since PP is a franchise I love so much :(

(at least Ginoza got ever hotter)

5. Tsurune. The archery anime truly didn’t disappoint. It’s a kyoani masterpiece of visuals, music, human emotions and oniric settings. It was so quiet and yet it managed to be so entertaining. A beautiful little gem. (and yes, it’s very gay)

4. Hoshiai no Sora. The anime no one planned to watch is the anime everyone ended up watching. I was so sad to hear that the season was suddenly cut in half and we couldn’t get the planned 24 episodes, but the first 12 managed to portray fucked up family relationships and friendships in a way no anime has ever done before. It’s raw, difficult and emotional, definitely worth watching.

3. Given. It’s not just the best BL of all time, it’s probably one of my favourite anime of all time. The raw emotions, the funny parts and the sad ones... everything feels so REAL in this story, I couldn’t get enough of it. I actually read the whole manga in a day and, let me tell you, I cried so much. I just... really love this story so, so, so much.

2. Daiya no Ace. When I started this 200+ episodes journey I had no idea I’d end up loving Daiya so much. What can I say, you all were right. It’s amazing, in everything. Definitely worth of being part of the holy trinity of sports anime!

1. Mob Psycho 100. A masterpiece, there’s no other way to describe it. It’s impossible to describe it because you just don’t watch MP100, you live it, you experience it, you grow in and with it. Just watch it.

And this is it, my top 10 of the 25 anime I watched last year :D

[allie-horikawa]

Hey there! Can you rant about the differencne between the manga and anime of katsugeki touken ranbu? Because I loved your rantings about every katsugeki episode! I'll try sending the link!

Hi!! sorry, I don’t know if it is too late to respond, and it’s been years since I last made a rant, but I actually have a lot to get out of may chest about this, so here we go.

First of all, even though I love both; manga and anime, if I have to choose one, I’d definitely go with the manga. Don’t get me wrong, ufitable did an incredible job when it comes to art and animation, also the seiyuu had the chance to give their respective characters a deeper acting acting compared to Hanamaru, and the story was told in a way that was easy to follow, but I find the manga to be deeper and more complete when it comes to character development and the relationship between all of them. We can do comparations all along the story in both formats:

Part 1

Anime, episode 1 vs manga, chapter 1

As we can see from the very begining, it’s pretty obvious that this two are pretty close and take care of each other but they never get to have actual physical contact.

n the other hand, the manga shows us they get along pretty well til the point Kane-san gets to be playful towards Kunihiro as an attempt of distracting  making him feel better.

Now, I would lie if I say the manga is 100% better than the anime, since that’s not the case, in my opinion. Actually, ep 1 is my favorite in all the anime all because of scenes we don’t get to have in the manga like this one:

This show us they aren’t fearless just because they were swords in the past. In fact they can have the same fears as any human, in this case, that disturbing feeling produced by quietness and darkness.

Or this one, were Kunihiro, and us as expectators, get to be conscious of their mission, and also gives some kind of explanation for  Kunihiro’s doubting. This scene gave him the notion of not being good enough even if he thought he was going pretty good fighting the enemy on his own.

But in the next part, the manga makes clear that Kunihiro is willing to not to obey Kane-san if that goes against his believings by making him the one who saves the girl from the fire

In contrast of this, in the anime, Kane-san is the one who saves her, showing that he can be flexible about all the “protect history” thing.

But the reason why I like better how the manga managed this part is that Kane-san knows he and his partner are not the same person, they are independent from each other and so is their way of apreciating the world, yet he makes sure to let Kunihiro know that he believes in him, even if the boy doesn’t believe in himself

Anime, episode 2 vs manga, chapter 2-3

Pasing now to next episode, in the manga Mutsunokami shows his disaproval to Kane-san’s way of handling the sacrifices made by the retrogade army just after finding ‘em attacking the foreigns in the castle while in the anime this happens until episode 3

(I also have to mention I love Yagen’s desing in the manga)

Also, in this part of the manga we get to see Kunihiro and Kane-san before going out to patrol. Contrasting to chapter 1, this time is Kane-san the one who decides to go by his own, probably just to let the others have proper rest (Kunihiro included), but they seem to be impossible to be apart one from the other, at least for too long.

I guess there aren’t that much of a difference here

But what does is different is the “presentation” thing. It might seem like non-important, but I think it shows how protective Kane-san can be towards his partner

But what it does seems to be important to me, is how the wakizashi reacts to Mutsunokami shoing off his gun.

It is kinda subtle, but Kane-san notices something about the boy is a bit odd, and I get the feeling that this is an clue for us to notice about his “trauma”, since his former master died from a gunshot wound.

Anime, episode 3 vs manga, chapter 4-5

I guess there are no major diferences between formats besides these panels

1) 

2)

3)

Anime, episode 4 vs manga, chapter 6-7

As we all know, this episode starts with the crew being chased 

while chapter 6 starts with this panel, focused on showing the details of Kunihiro’s sword, just like the anime does in ep. 9

Now, this little conversation was missing in the manga

Again, it might seem like is nothing important, but i think it shows how the Hijikatagumi manages to have their “private” conversation even if they are with the other members of the unit, and also Kunihiro’s desire to have succes now that they can actually be called a team.

On the other side, in the manga we have this page where we get to see Kunihero’s “wife” side

Now, from here is where we have more marked differences between formats when it comes of “who was doing what”, like this:

Another difference is the fight with the oodachi

Although Kunihiro still gets hurt in both formats, in the manga we can see how serious it was, and also how worried Kane-san was.

also… things like this make me love the manga even more 

Note: Even though I’d love to finish the rant with all comparations, it’s 2 am, and it’s basically Xmas eve, so I’ll leave it here and try to post part 2 in the next few days :)

[rexcaliburechoes]

Katsugeki’s Dub is... (AKA, Why I Despise English Dubs In General) // Literally No One Asked

So, I was trying to work through the last bits of my classwork when the Katsugeki dub trailer popped into my recc feed again, and out of sheer “eh sure I’m bored” I watched it. I knew I was going to dislike it, but this line of dialogue left me McSh00keth:

“What’s wrong, Kunihiro? You wiped out already?“ “No way! I can do this all night!“ “Excellent, kid.“

I’m sorry. Play that again, one more time?

“Excellent, kid.“

K I D. At first, I thought “haha, very funny Izuminokami, but you’re younger than Horikawa. Respect your elders!“ and then I went into my friend’s DMs and proceeded to harass her with 9238759823745923745 messages explaining exactly why I dislike English dubs except for three in particular (Fire Emblem Awakening, Fire Emblem Echoes, and Hetalia. However, this is a story for another time). Sorry about that, lol.

But then, I realised. “Kid”... almost murders the dynamic, based on one tiny piece of dialogue. Granted, I haven’t watched anything else of the dub, so I might be wrong about how the ENG dub characterizes the two, but there was something about “KID” that really rubbed by the wrong way.

So, here are my two cents on the ENG dub and why it probably murders the character dynamic:

We know that in this workplace setting, Izuminokami's more experienced, having been summoned before Horikawa and also this is his first mission. But in the JPN dub, he and Horikawa treat each other like equals (or so it sounds that way, anyways) and I must stress this because "kid" makes it look like Izuminokami's the older one and he might not value or respect Horikawa because "kid" is often a diminutive of sorts.

Because Izuminokami is actually the younger one, he's more likely to be brash and have the emotional maturity of a five year old. Or, more accurately in most depictions of him in fanon, canon, and also some anthologies, he’s a rowdy teenager who can be mature and wise- oh wait, that’s almost like most sensible teenagers nowadays. Huh.

Well, regardless, I see this as a major problem. Yes, Horikawa does end up falling into the trap of altering history like Yamatonokami does in Hanamaru. But he's more open about "I'm upset about this. I can tell and I know you're upset about this. I'm doing this for you to ease that guilt for you". Izuminokami just shoves his feelings aside which works well enough for the mission, but comes at a detriment for his own and Horikawa’s emotional wellbeing.

His refusal of acknowledging how he really feels and being open about it (much like a teenager would) is what spurs on Horikawa’s pulling a Yamatonokami. While Horikawa’s actions might be considered childish at first glance, it’s really just as much Izuminokami’s childish/teenager-ish (lol) miscommunication.

This is where the dub fails. By having Izuminokami say “kid”, it not only starts to murder how the characters actually interact in canon (in game and in other JPN portrayals). It immediately puts Izuminokami into the wrong category in the audience’s mind: older than his partner = more mature. Yes, he’s “older” in a workplace sense. Yes, he’s perceptive. Yes, he can be mature. But he still acts more like a teenager in most, if not all depictions of him in other works and this comes back to bite him at the end of the series.

I think, if I heard him call Horikawa “kid” without any foreknowledge of how they both act in their JPN depictions, he’d be old enough to at least say “yeah, I have guilt over not being there by Hijikata’s side, but we aren’t allowed to do anything about it. I’m sorry, but that’s not our mission here” at the end of episode 10. Even a hamfisted remark would be appropriate.

But that’s not what he does. He says “it would only be painful to see Hijikata again” and “just complete the mission”, much like a teenage deflection might sound.

I don’t like the ENG dub. Without even watching a few episodes, I can tell that things have gotten lost in translation more so that a sub would. The Katsugeki dub doesn’t simply assassinate the dynamic between the two characters. It murders it in broad daylight.

[jardimdeglicinias]

i'm thinking of writing a touken ranbu character, but all i've seen is the anime. also what kind kf rpc is the fandom anyway because i'm really shy & anxious about entering since i've been in other fandoms that aren't quite so kind...

Okay, fast your safety belt, anon, because it got longer than I was expecting. I’ll answer it from the easiest to the hardest (it’s actually from shorter to longer), so grab a water a bottle and tune up Kaeru Basho in the highest volume you can!

The Fandom:

Tourabu is the most welcoming fandom that I had ever came across. Some months (more than one year, by now) ago I was very, very hesitant to dive into because I was invited by my awesome friend @odigcs even before I watched the Hanamaru anime. Of course I had a good experience and I’m still amazed (and ultra glad) how this fandom in the rpc is incredibly welcoming. To be honest: I never had a bad time in this fandom.

On “all I’ve seen is the anime”:

I highly recommend you to look up some anthologies (there’s plenty of them at mangarock) if you wanna see more of a specific character. On my own experience who started with the Hanamaru anime before actually playing the game, Hanamaru isn’t so welcoming to new fans since there’s almost no explanation about the setting or the character’s backgrounds (save Okitagumi and Odagumi).

(I’m assuming you only watched the Hanamaru anime due to being more popular)

The Katsugeki anime is a bit “newcomers-friendly” on the point of explaining the setting and I also enjoyed the characterization. However, is UFOTABLE, so be prepared to fast-pacing story.

There’s the musicals and stage plays which I hadn’t the opportunity to watch (yet) as many players out there, but people said that they are good to understand the characters more in dept. However, some songs are available and they are awesome.

Playing the game isn’t necessary, the official wiki serves so much as a translator that most people that never played the game are able to grasp the idea. (Myself included, playing the game just gave me a new meaning to the word “despair” when I almost broke my Taikogane) However, the game currently has much more characters than in the anime, so it’s a good idea to look on the wiki.

Personal Tips:

I myself have no confidence to rp a canon character (in any fandom) because of the varying headcanons and stuff, but I guess that the Tourabu fandom will welcome you with open arms!

I only have ocs, but this is also a valid tip to the ones who play was canon characters: make a research about the sword’s past and their former owners, it’s a huge addition! I had seen some canon players which did their research and their portrayals are uniquely beautiful! After all, Tourabu relies A LOT on history.

And if you are interested in making an oc which isn’t a Saniwa (since the saniwa is an human being, it’s easy-peasy-lemon-squezy to make one) I’m gonna say just one thing: You’ll probably need to jump from site to site do map a sword’s story. Of course, I like to go in depth, but a small research also works. The main problem is when the sword has more than one name (Hizamaru’s sword official name in expositions is Usu Midori) or there’s two swords with the same name (A wakizashi and a tachi, both called Junkei Samonji).

On the topic of blades which are missing, burnt or broken to the point of being irreparable, thrown at the ocean and melted, some canon characters are under this category. To name a few: Hotarumaru was (possibly) thrown at the ocean, Otegine became a block of melted iron, Horikawa Kunihiro is missing (probably is also in the bottom of the ocean) Yagen Toushirou disappeared during the Honnouji Event, probably burnt completely, Kashuu Kiyomitsu broke and was discarded. So it means that using swords which doesn’t exist anymore is completely fine.

A small thing that I wasn’t gonna mention, but I decided to:

And because I know that someone will ask me it someday: “Touken Ranbu has a exclusively male cast, why do you have female tsukumogami?” Well, I’m not the only one to have this kind of ocs (usually I see a lot of naginata girls because naginata were used mostly by women) but as you may have noticed: none of my girls are swords. (With the exception of Naomasa and Ibarakinaibou which has pointy parts that can pierce skin.) They are essentially blunt weapons (and with the exception of Ibarakinaibou, concealed weapons).

人妻な刀とかいないかなぁ～。　… はぁ、いないかぁI wonder if there are any swords that are married women~! … Huh, there aren’t?

The quote above is (Kiwame) Houchou Toushirou’s smiting line. I never thought too much about it before, but since it was mentioned: he said specifically “sword” (刀) but not “weapon” (武器) as whole… And, you guys who follow me for a while might have noticed that I work with the “why not?” question a lot.

I had heard about the kanabo that Ibarakinaibou is based on, since it was considerably a “legendary” one I thought: “that’s gonna be a GOOD thing to try”. However I didn’t added her before Naomasa and Rashinbansaihai because I had NO SOLID INFORMATION about this kanabo before I came across these two war fans. And I must confess, it was A PAIN to get a BIT of information.

I did this, and until now no one seemed to be think it’s a bad idea, also no one sees nothing wrong with sword girls. After all, Houchou specified “married women”. This last section is just a thing that I wanted to share.

I hope this was helpful for you!

I know you mentioned you are shy and anxious, but I’ll be happy to help you step by step! So if yo want call me on my IM, you are 100% free to do so!

[tainbocuailnge]

You started playing Touken Ranbu? OvO It makes me happy when people speculate about the toudans interacting with the Fate versions of their original owners. Do you have a favorite toudan?

i watched the katsugeki anime and stalked the wiki a bit, i want to watch the hanamaru anime next and maybe dig up one of those stage plays but i have zero intention of playing the game

favs are mikazuki tsurumaru and kogitsunemaru

[ask-saniwas]

⚠️Announcement⚠️

Nagato!bot

Since our moderator also has engagement about Touken Ranbu Musical, Stage, Live Action and other francise such as Hanamaru, Katsugeki (hopeless for wishing the season 2, sad), Touken Kai, and Touken Musou, the staff will be arranged starting from December. So, one of our staff would be no longer updating the gameplay from our moderator.

However, the gameplay from our moderator will be held by our aide. A good news for us because you can interact with the aide who probably get exchanged anytime. It depends on our moderator mood.

Prepare your question or any post on 'Asking Box'. Because:

The aide exchange will be posted by picture of homescreen

There is a chance to ask anything about your favorite touken danshi. So you may ask anything there

As our moderator sometimes get confused to change, the previous aide will have a vote for next aide

For asking our aide, type 'Aide!bot'.

That's all for the announcement. I hope you guys get interested for this update. Thank you very much and keep follow up our blog for many updates.

See you next day.

Hello, guys! This is the bot for my saniwa. You may ask any saniwa who work in this Honmaru.

Hello, this is the blog for Touken Ranbu. Hope we do the best for making the content for saniwa, especially the newbie one.

Support this blog by donate on Ko-fi (Inter)/ Trakteer (Indonesian)

Meet our staff

-Hajime Ryuji = Your historical figure/lore investigator

Talking about historical fact such as historical figure, the moment, the background, etc, Ryuji will answer you. He is really interested on observing history. Type 'Ryuji!bot' for asking.

-Haruka Narumi = Your Touken Danshi lore investigator

Talking about anything about your beloved sword, Narumi will answer you. Careful to not tease her so much. Type 'Narumi!bot' for asking.

-Unmei = Your conselor

Talking about tips and trick also update for moderator gameplay, Unmei will answer you. You may to ask about anime, movie, musical, stage, and other game such as Touran Warrior. Type 'Unmei!bot' for asking.

-Nagato = Your daily task manager

About the gameplay, the event, campaign, or smithing, Nagato will answer you. Even he will help you guiding the event. Type 'Nagato!bot' for asking.

[lovehotelreservation]

LET’S GO LET’S GO SPRING IS HERE SO IT’S TIME TO WARM UP WITH LEWDS

E M O T I O N A L  L E W D S  T H A T  I S

Having been away on a trip, I was listening to a great deal of albums that have left me feeling extremely inspired--especially now to the point of hosting yet another fic event after having just recently returned lololol but anyhow!!! I was especially fond of Mura Masa’s self-titled debut, and while I’ve been wanting to do write something for his song “Love$ick Fuck”, I discovered a newfound love with his “Messy Love” track and decided to COMBINE THE TWO TOGETHER FOR THIS EVENT!

As the Focus implies, this event is themed on overly/extremely devoted, clingy love--taken to however extreme you wish to request~ :3c However! Rather than do this request event by the norm, I wish to change things up simply for the fun of it by bringing in some of the guidelines from my smaller mini-fill events!

Thus, when you request, please note these usual guidelines, including the ones specifically for Focus events like this one!:

Be 18+ to request lewds

Focus characters (the ones depicted in the image above) means that requests for them will either be prioritized or general requests for them may be permitted! For this event in particular however, only the former will apply~

Multiple requests are fine but only if you request for a different series per request~

As in, instead of submitting 3 requests for JJBA, you split it up between JJBA, OPM and Drifters~

Please adhere to the rules of the event~

While also including the following!:

Your husband of choice

Polyamorous/love triangles are okay~

One of the noted lyrics from either Love$ick or Messy Love

the ~extremity~ of love will be determined by what you pick, with lyrics denoted with * being the lowest and *** being the highest!

Love$ick

I need you***

I'm a lovesick fuck***

I want you*

Come on fuck me, babe**  

Messy Love

Take me*  

Break me***

Use me for your messy love**

Steal me***

Don't you think that we should be together?*

Now will (you) be my girl**/***

depends on context of prompt~

A prompt relating to the theme of the event~!

Detailed prompts are preferred over general!

Examples:

(I want you) A sleeping Summoner resting upon Laslow’s lap leaves him deep in thought over his feelings for the one he yearns for most.

(Use me for your messy love) Doppio knows that that the reader’s heart belongs to Diavolo. It doesn’t mean he is able to resist the temptation to keep the reader company and satisfied while the boss is ‘away’

(I need you) Ichimatsu has been crushing on the reader for the longest, but is too afraid to express his feelings, even though he feels more than irritated when his brothers have no issue with talking to the reader. Keeping how he feels to himself leads him to amassing all the little gifts that the reader gives, eventually ‘borrowing’ a few personal items even. And then he gets caught in the act. However, these emotions come to a head when the reader comes by to announce news of being admitted to a year-long study abroad program.

AND SINCE WE’RE BACK AT IT AGAIN FOR THE REQUESTS HERE ARE ALL THE SERIES OF WHOSE MENZ YOU CAN SELECT:

Anime:

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (Parts 1-7)

Free!

I NEED TO HAUL ASS ON TAKE YOUR MARK GKLDGJSL

Haikyuu! (anime only)

One-Punch Man (anime only)

I’ve yet to watch Extra Game~

Gintama (anime only)

Still haven’t budged from after finishing Yoshiwara in Flames arc ^^; 

Osomatsu-san

Drifters (anime only)

BRING ON THE MESSY CONMAN DAD FOR S2

Boku No Hero Academia (anime only)

FULLY CAUGHT UP NOW AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Devilman Crybaby

Touken Ranbu (anime)

HAVEN’T WATCHED S2 OF HANAMARU OR KATSUGEKI THO

Video Games:

Ace Attorney

LISTEN APOLLO IS UP THERE 4 A REASON AFTER I FINISHED SPIRIT OF JUSTICE

Overwatch

Fire Emblem

Awakening

Fates

Echoes

Heroes

Persona 3/4/5

You may submit in requests starting now up until 12 AM PST on April 3rd (4/3)! Though depending on how many prompts received, I may either close my inbox early or extend the deadline~ Either way, please send in your requests as soon as possible!

I would like to take my time with these requests this go around, so instead of having a near immediate, set date for when these prompts will be posted after fulfillment, I will announce when I’m ready to get to updating once more~ If you have any questions, as always, please let me know and I’m happy to clarify~!

That said, I am SO EXCITED FOR THIS EVENT HKLGKLJGLKSJGLJK THIS HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING LIKE FOR NEARLY 2 YEARS AT THIS POINT ; u ; I hope you all enjoy and fun with this event as you request! I look forward to what you’ve got for me to fulfill! Thanks so much again everyone!!!

[konnosukedaily]

Mod Mikazuki’s Pastime

One of my favourite things to do idly is to find dumb screenshots from Hanamaru and Katsugeki and use them reaction images;

The one which started them all ^

And my personal favourite;

-Mod Mikazuki

[yuexuan]

Katsugeki Touken Ranbu Review

Disclaimer: The entire review is reflective of my own opinions towards the Katsugeki series with some references to the game. I am neither a player nor have been exposed to the Tourabu world prior to Katsugeki.

Premiering on summer 2017, Katsugeki Is the second animation adaptation from the popular game series Touken Ranbu. The general idea of the game revolves around anthropomorphized historical blades summoned by the Saniwa to battle the Time Retrograde Army and preserve the flow of history. In this particular series, the story largely follows the development of the Second Unit and their numerous excursions to stop the enemy, with particular focus on the Unit’s leader - Izumi no Kami Kanesada - and his partner Horikawa Kunihiro.

Some of the highlights of the anime were instantly evident from the first scene as the two main protagonists cruised across the screen on their rudimentary wagon. As with many Ufotable productions, the animation and graphics were stunning. Within that short approximately 2-minute chase sequence, we have multiple angles portrayed, a blend of 2D and 3D techniques, flowing backgrounds, paneling cameras and a fluid fight choreography. They made for an impactful beginning that engaged my curiosity right away, despite my prior reservations for what I thought to be a purely fan-service franchise. What’s more, the characters’ appearance adhered strictly to the game, which was an impressive feat considering the level of details each design came with. Throughout the rest of the series, I was pretty awed by how the studio upheld their animation quality. Certainly, in the animation and graphics department, Katsugeki was top-notched.

The animation would not have been as thrilling without the support of the OSTs. I’ve read some dissent about the soundtrack from other reviewers, but not everyone shares the same taste, and I’m all for the OSTs. In particular, how multiple tracks were blended in a short scene delivered a nice punch. For example, from the Saniwa’s summoning to Tonbokiri’s and Yagen’s entrance, the character OSTs have switched seamlessly (it was not until later when I listened to individual tracks that I realized they were, in fact, multiple tracks). Besides, the ED was composed by Yuki Kajiura and performed by Kalafina, what more can I say? I have a nostalgic attachment to the composer and group.

The next point that I want to arrive at is the whole concept, which I attribute to a 50-50 collaboration: 50% contributed by the original game and 50% introduced by the studio. There is a lot of potential to the concept of historical blades summoned back in time to protect history, so all kudos goes to DMM for championing the idea. Ufotable, on the other hand, added another layer with discussions regarding the consequences of failing a mission to explorations of what ‘history’ actually meant and how they were supposedly protected. While many die-hard fans of the game have bemoaned the overly somber mood and out-of-character-ness, I would gladly choose Katsugeki any day over its counterpart: Hanamaru (apologies Hanamaru fans, but I find that anime too fan-servicey and - for a lack of better word - simple for my darker, complexity-slash-conspiracy-philic self).

But this is where I have to unfortunately draw the line between the highlights of the series and its shortfalls, not least of which had to do with the plot.

In defense of the studio, the game itself didn’t have a strong plot to begin with (perhaps to encourage players to imagine their own storyline and relationships with the characters?). It is at least commendable on the part of the producer to bring up potential conflicts and dilemmas - i.e. the swords meeting their former masters, questioning the meaning of history, different approaches to historical events and characters etc.

That said, all of these ideas were merely touched upon and not addressed in full or given closure. There were so much to untangle regarding Izumi no Kami’s and Horikawa’s dispute over Hijikata’s fate, or Mutsunokami’s interactions with Ryouma, or even how the First and Second Unit differed in their approach to dealing with history, all of which could have made for exciting plots and character developments. It was a pity that these potentials were quickly sacrificed in place of long-winded (and oft pointless) conversations and unnecessary character appearances. Don’t get me wrong - I am in love with many of the First Unit’s character designs, but really, do we have to dedicate airtime to them when the Second Unit demands more development and first-time viewers like me demand a lot more explanations? Why was the Time Retrograde Army trying to interfere with history? What would happen if they did? Who was the Saniwa working for? And the list of questions goes on, but you get the gist.

Character developments were non-existential. The portrayal of Izumi no Kami and Horikawa started out great, but quickly disappoints when there was no eventful moment before they changed their resolves. One moment Izumi no Kami was upset about their purpose and the next he was ready to go to the frontlines again. This was echoed in other characters as well with various moments where they got worked up for dramatic purposes but quickly brushed aside in lieu of jumping into another glorious fight. It was disconcerting to see them change their emotions so abruptly.

Now, I don’t know whether this was an oversight or if it was just an inherent property of Izumi no Kami’s frustrating character, but there were many contradictory points that he made. For one, he was obtuse to the amount of people allowed per expedition, making the sweeping claim that only two can depart at a time. This was quickly overruled by the Saniwa post-appearance (it turns out that in game mechanics, six people are allowed per Unit). Likewise our youngest sword was adamant about preserving the pristine course of history, only to backtrack on his words in a few minutes as he played hero.

But hey, who would care about the lives of a few insignificant bystanders, right? After all, they do not constitute part of the dogma of ‘Rekishi mamoru’. Oh yeah, ‘protecting history’, which was repeated 60 times in various forms across 13 episodes. Makes one wonder if the script writers were trying to beat some sort of Guinness Record of how many times they can pop the same phrase in an anime. We get it. History is important, but can we please go beyond the superficial catchphrase?

So, my final verdict on the series. For all my complains about the plot and character development, I’ll say it is a pretty good adaptation for what material - or lack thereof - that the studio has to work off of. I surprised myself by how intrigued I am with the concept and potential character interactions based off historical attributes, so much so that I did actually look up several of the characters and their design explanations. For now, Katsugeki has not drawn me into playing the game or completing the counterpart anime, but I will definitely be browsing through the fan works to settle more of my intrigue.