#team kondou-san

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - 《Autumn Shinsengumi Sports Meet!》—— Opening Ceremony?

This translation is from 薄桜鬼 遊戯録弐 秋の新選組大運動会！which was originally published in the booklet that looks like the following image.

This is probably one of my favourite misc stories... because it shows how Saito is the best boi.

No, I will not be accept any arguments to that statement. hahaha. i shalt abuse my power as a translator and focus on Saito content if anyone dares to argue otherwise (maybe. not really. who knows hahaha. perhaps i really am that petty...)!

anyway, this is the first part of this silly story... enjoy!

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - 《Autumn Shinsengumi Sports Day!》—— Opening Ceremony?

Translation by KumoriYami

Autumn of book reading, autumn of appetite, and also ——the autumn of sports.

To express the joy of finally getting through the hottest season of the year, the trees in Kyoto became brightly coloured, and it formally became autumn soon after.

Looking at the members divided into two teams by red and white headbands, the chief of the Shinsengumi, Kondou Isami, made an announcement in a loud voice in a courtyard of Nishi Hongan-ji.

Kondou: "Good, everyone's here…. Then I announce that the start of the Shinsengumi Sports Meet is officially open!"

Hijikata: "Kondou-san is really something, all of a sudden he's talking about holding a sports meet… even if it's on a whim, it needs to be done in moderation."

Saito: "But Vice-Commander, I believe that this is a good opportunity to relax everyone's tense nerves after such a scorching summer."

Harada: "Furthermore, the winners get to make a wish, right? What sort of wish should I make…"

Hijikata, Saito, and Harada, who each had headbands on their heads that were as scarlet as red maple leaves, were discussing——

Heisuke: "How can you be talking as if you've already won, Sano-san! We're not going to lose to the red team!"

Souji: "By the way, Shinpat-san, have you already decided what prize you want if you win?"

Shinpachi" Of course it's going to be sake!"

Heisuke and Okita, who had pure white bandanas, like white clouds, on their heads, and also Shinpachi, responded.

Seeing how the two sides already seemed to have sparks colliding between them before the competition started, Kondou nodded with satisfaction.

Kondou "Hmhm, it seems that everyone's quite motivated, that's wonderful. Then, without further delay, let's start the first competition——"

Kazama: "——Hold a moment!"

Hijikata: "Hm?"

Kazama: "Are you saying the winner gets what they want? I heard that just now with my own ears."

Hijikata: "Do-Don't tell me this arrogant voice is…"

There was no one else who was this arrogant and spoke with such an egotistical tone, apart from a certain someone.

Hijikata and the others quickly looked around, and the sight of three people, standing with their backs to the sun, caught their eyes.

Kazama: "Hmph. With all these wild dogs gathering, I thought something was happening…"

Hijikata "Kazama and Amagiri, Shiranui... you bastards, what the hell are you doing here!"

Kazama: "What the hell are you doing here? This pack of wild dogs really aren't able to discern facial expressions to figure out the other party's intentions. Could it be that you aren't even able to see this?"

Saito: "I don't want to be told by you about not understanding someone's intentions from their body language…"

Souji: "I mean, you guys are being hindrances, so why don't get out of the way? You're being too much of a hindrance."

As Saito and Souji glared at him, Kazama paid them no attention, as if nothing had happened.

On the side, Amagiri and Shiranui sighed and took a step forward to translate Kazama's words, which had only been half-spoken.

Amagiri: "Actually that is the case. Simply put, we stopped by while scouting out nearby…"

Shiranui: "That guy Kazama was saying "Isn't this the best time to show off the gap in abilities between me and the Shinsengumi in front of my wife". What a pain."

Harada: "Hey. That's to say, you three want to participate in this sports meet?"

Heisuke: "What a joke! Why obligation do we have to compete with you guys!"

Harada scratched his head while Heisuke puffed up his cheeks.

Then Shiranui shook his head impatiently and spoke earnestly.

Shiranui: I got it, I got it. This should be fine, if we come in last, we will never approach Yukimura Chizuru again, what do you guys think?"

Kazama: "What!? Shiranui, you bastard, making such a statement without permission..."

Shiranui: "What? I mean, as long as we win, it'll be fine. Or are you saying that a certain leader of an oni clan isn't confident that they can win?"

Kazama: "Hmph, what a stupid thing to say. As if I could lose to some insignificant humans. There isn't even a one in ten thousand chance of that happening."

Amagiri: "….That's how it is. What do you all think? Everyone from the Shinsengumi. If this is how it will be, bloodshed can be avoided. I believe that this is beneficial to both sides."

Hijikata: "......A word once spoken cannot be taken back. If you lose, you won't go looking around for excuses, will you?

Kondou: "Ah, if Toshi agrees, the I won't disagree. In that case, I officially approve of your team now!"

With that, the members of the third team, the oni team joined in, and the Shinsengumi sports meet finally kicked off after a number of twists and turns before the games officially began——

---To be continued---

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

note to self: it's the "Hakuoki Yuugiroku Booklet story competition" in NW. (i have over 200 things in nimble writer so it's quite easy to lose track of things if they aren't labelled correctly... 😅 )

[lightmelodyva]

Two hours passed as the group of Kondou, Haruka, Okita, Nagakura, Heisuke, Takeda and 10 other members waited at Ikeda.

“There’s no way we can keep waiting right?” Heisuke said.

Haruka sighed. “And you sent word to Aizu?”

Heisuke nodded. “Yeah. But that was hours ago.”

Haruka shook her head. “Damn it. I’ll have a word with them later. Kondou-san, they are definitely having their meeting here, what do you want to do?”

Kondou thought for a moment. “We can’t keep waiting. We go in.”

“Alright! I’m ready.” Nagakura said with a grin.

“In that case, I’ll stay out here in the front.” Takeda said.

“You’re not going to join us?” Heisuke asked.

“It’s fine.” Okita said. “It’ll be dark in there, we might accidentally stab him.”

Haruka stared at him. “Souji…”

“What? It’s true.”

“Kondou-san, I’ll stay out here with Takeda. There’s a chance some may escape this way.”

Kondou nodded. “Okay. Then Heisuke, Nagakura, Souji, your with me in the front, the rest of you to the back. Understood?”

Everyone nodded. Kondou, Okita, Heisuke, and Nagakura ran inside. Kondou announced themselves and soon the fighting started inside.

As the sounds of the skirmish echoed from within, Haruka and Takeda remained on guard outside. Tension filled the air and Haruka kept an eye on the surroundings.

"Takeda, hope you're ready when they try this way." she warned, her hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of her sword.

Takeda's gaze scanned the area. "I've got it covered, Shinomi-san."

Time passed, each minute feeling longer than the last. The clash of swords and shouts inside Ikeda was a symphony of chaos. Haruka could only imagine the captains were having a great time cutting down enemies as she stayed out there.

After about an hour, someone finally tried to escape from the front. Haruka took them down before Takeda had the chance. She was tying the ronin up when Takeda came up to her.

“That was quite fast.” Takeda said.

“Uh-huh.” She said as she tied the ronin's hands.

“Still, I am more than capable of doing that myself. You shouldn’t have to do this type of work.”

Haruka could sense his jealousy but ignored it. “Really now, Takeda...” She finally looked at him and she had a very serious look.

Takeda looked surprised. He hadn’t seen that look since he insulted her months ago. In fact, it looked like her left hand was reaching for her sword. “W-Wait, Shinomi-san, I-!”

Haruka took her sword out quickly and sped at Takeda. Takeda had his eyes wide open but he felt no pain. He took a glance behind him to see Haruka had attacked a Ronin that was aiming for him. She had saved him this time.

"Shinomi-san... You saved me," Takeda uttered, a hint of gratitude in his voice.

Haruka flicked her sword to get rid of the blood, her composure returning. "We're a team out here, Takeda. No need to let personal feelings get in the way. Though, next time, ask if you would rather do the arrest than the fighting."

[canmom]

Yeah, that's a good point. in fact for Takahata the production was a disaster, and at one point when it was severely behind schedule he stopped coming to the studio and begged the producer to release it with a disclaimer saying he didn't approve of the released version...

so we would definitely expect some compromises with his grand vision. that said, Takahata was an infamously domineering director, to an even greater degree than Miyazaki - Mamoru Oshii once compared him to Stalin! - so it's hard to escape auteurism where he's concerned.

part of the context of the production is that Takahata's serious educational film was supposed to be a draw for Miyazaki's dubious proposition of a 'monster' film

so that probably has a large effect on the decisions Takahata made to change the story, remove the sexual imagery, etc. - this was supposed to be a film that could reach kids. (seems wild today that the serious war movie about starving to death was expected to appeal more to children than My Neighbour Totoro of all things!) in particular, one of the things the book portrays in the psychology of a teenager living alone with his sister in the middle of a war is incestuous feelings, which Takahata pretty much entirely cut:

though Mamoru Oshii was able to detect it anyway! from the above interview:

I have tons of things I want to say about Takahata-san, -laughs- but Grave of the fireflies attracts my attention most. That's an immoral world, since it's a story of incest. And the image of death is lined up right behind it. In that sense, it was an erotic movie, and it gave me chills.

this decision to cut makes a lot of sense since like, it's supposed to be watched by kids, not a literary novella for adults.

de Wit doesn't say a ton about the contributions of the rest of the team. he mentions that Takahata's storyboards were basically stick figures that were then fleshed out by other artists (a role that Miyazaki had famously played back on Heidi), and that there was a small argument between him and Miyazaki over which one would get Yoshifumi Kondou, who Takahata considered indispensible:

and he mentions here and there how backgrounds and colour design are particularly effective, but for the most part his account is focused on Takahata and Nosaka, particularly in the critical section at the end.

(storyboards that are basically stick figures aren't exactly uncommon in anime today lol, it's one end of a continuum with the other end being Kon whose hyperdetailed storyboards are almost layouts. but I think it's interesting that Takahata would be so uncompromising with his artists without learning to draw himself.)

it's definitely possible and even pretty common for a director to change their mind about what their film is Saying after the fact, often several times, and I guess we're lucky that Takahata never felt the urge to go back and make changes - not that he really could recreate the conditions it was made in now. both him and Miyazaki have had a growing streak of "kids these days..." and there's usually a peculiar gap between the tone of their movies and what they say about them.

I feel like the more I learn about Ghibli the more my feeling has become damn what messed up little guys, I can't look away...

i read Alex Dudok de Wit's short book for 'BFI Classics' on Grave of the Fireflies. goddamn can de Wit write. it's got some very specific information about the production of the film that I hadn't known - the shenanigans needed to fund that Fireflies-Totoro double bill, the fact that it wasn't finished on release and that almost tanked Takahata's career - and an incredibly sharp scene by scene analysis of the film, particularly noting what Takahata changes from the novella and from its author's life, and the simultaneous realism and romanticism comparing to the Italian neorealists.

but especially interesting to me is de Wit's analysis of how and why the film failed to realise Takahata's ambition to not just convey 'war is sad' but convey his critique of contemporary Japan in Seita's actions (here are two excerpts I found interesting)

and how that relates to subsequent 'war anime'...

i wrote about this subject last year after I saw Fireflies, comparing it with Gen and In This Corner; my post is like, ok, but of course it doesn't get nearly as far as Dudok de Wit does. but then he has been at the animation journalism and film crit thing a lot longer than I have. (also i was totally confusing Alex Dudok de Wit with Michaël Dudok de Wit, co-director of The Red Turtle, for a while there...)

In This Corner... doesn't get a mention here, but it seems that it is perhaps more typical of a genre than I realised. I'll pull out more whenever we get around to Giovanni's Island and - if I can find a copy! - Beneath the Black Rain on Animation Night.

anyway I think it's easy to read about Takahata's intent for the movie and think like, uhhh you wot mate? you want us to judge how irresponsible this teenage orphan in the middle of a war is being? some of his decisions to sanitise and idealise Seita, which already saw Nosaka (for understandable reasons, even if he didn't forgive himself for it) editing out the ugliest parts of his actions in that time, like hitting and taking food from Setsuko, also seem to undercut that intended reading. though it seems unlikely it would be a better film if he hadn't. so no wonder his intended reading doesn't come across. it's hard to imagine what a Grave of the Fireflies which was that uncompromising would feel like.

[tsubasa-butai]

(x)

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS VERSUS SONG Bloody Night Tower Records Tokuten Drama CD ”Love and Youth and Dodgeball ~Supernatural Powers Included~”

Original title: 愛と青春のドッジボール ～異種能力と共に★～

Source: DIABOLIK LOVERS VERSUS SONG Records Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Kaji Yuki, Hirakawa Daisuke, Takashi Kondou, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Kishio Daisuke & Morikubo Shoutaro

Translator’s note: This CD was absolutely hilarious. I actually listened to it once without translating because I needed some relaxation and I laughed so much. There’s so much funny sounds in this one, especially from Laito. Hirakawa really outdid himself with the random Laito noises. Azusa is also super precious in this CD. uwu I wanted to give him a bunch of head pats at the end.

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Yuma: Ahー ...What a fuckin’ drag...Why do us Vampires have to actually participate in stupid ball competition (1)...!? Pwaah....

Azusa: It can’t...be helped. Karlheinz-sama made special arrangements to...have us attend this academy after all...

Yuma: Even so...The combination of Vampires and some ball competition just doesn’t click with me...

Kanato walks up to them.

Kanato: ...

Yuma: ...Ah? ...Heh. Yo, Kanato! Lookin’ sickly as ever, huh?

Azusa: What’s wrong?

Kanato: ...You’re in the way.

Yuma: Haah!?

Kanato: Did you not hear me? I said you’re in the way, so step aside at once.

Yuma: HAAH!? There’s plenty of other space for you to go ‘round us.

Kanato: I want to pass through here.

Azusa: Yuma. Let’s just move aside.

Azusa moves aside.

Yuma: But whyーー!?

Azusa: Don’t question it, okay? Hurry.

Yuma: Ugh...Che, fine!

Yuma moves aside as well.

Kanato: If you were going to give in this easily, you should have just done so from the very beginning. Honestly...The idea of some former humans blocking my path is simply unthinkaーー

*WOOSH*

Yuma: ...What’s this sound?

Subaru: Oi, Kanato! Move!!

Kanato: Excuse mーー Mmph!?

*THUD*

Yuma: Oi, oi, oi...You alright!? ...Azusa, did you perhaps know that ball would come flyin’ this way?

Azusa: Mmh. I spotted Subaru-san throwing the ball in the distance.

Yuma: Which means Subaru’s the one who threw this ball...

Subaru runs up to them.

Subaru: That’s why I told you to dodge!

Yuma: Don’t come cryin’ if this guy goes batshit crazy on ya for doin’ this.

Subaru: I didn’t do it on purpose or anythin’! My hand just slipped during warm-up!

Yuma: We’re not coverin’ for ya.

Subaru: ...!

Laito: Heya, everyone~! Don’t you all think it’s the perfect day for a ball competition today~? ...Oh? What’s wrong, Kanato-kun? Why are you here snoo-zing sound-ly...~

Azusa: Actually...Blah-blah-blah (2) ーー And that’s how it happened. 

Laito: Nfu~ I see. Subaru-kun threw the ball and hit Kanato-kun directly in the face, huh? I feel like that might lead to a liiiiiittle trouble.

Subaru: Oi, Laito! You’re his lil’ brother, right!? Cover up for me somehow!

Laito: No can do. Actually, aren’t you his younger brother as well?

Subaru: ...! Shut up! Don’t just turn down my offer and at least consider it!

Laito: I think you’re asking for the impossible. We’re talking about Kanato-kun here! I’m pretty sure that guy is the only person on this earth who he’d actually listen to.

Subaru: Ugh...

Laito: Well, I don’t think you have any other option but to give up and apologize.

Shin: Haah...I wonder why I have to participate in this event held by an inferior species? ーー Oh. There they are. Yo, still looking depressed as ever, huh? 

Subaru: ...Che, a pest has arrived.

Azusa: Shin-san...Do you need something?

Shin: I don’t ‘need’ anything, but I was told to team up with you guys for today’s ball competition.

Yuma: AAH!? For real!?

Shin: Yes, for real. The teams are listed on the bulletin board over there. Um...Let’s see...

*Flip*

Shin: Me, the disgusting pervert and the sickly guy who is sleeping on the floor for some reason. ーー So, the other team is made up of you three. 

Yuma: In other words, Azusa, Subaru and I...? ...So, which sport are we playin’?

Subaru: Dodgeball.

Azusa: Subaru-san...How come you know already...?

Subaru: Uh...Well...I looked it up beforehand.

Azusa: Hm....

Subaru: W-Why are you givin’ me that look!?

Azusa: I’m looking like I always do...

Subaru: ...A-Anyway! Since we know our teams now, let’s start practicing right away. If we’re gonna do this, we’re aiming for victory or else it’ll just be a bad look.

Yuma: Why are you so motivated? You were even goin’ through the trouble of warmin’ up earlier...I honestly don’t give a damn ‘bout winnin’...

Subaru: That’s...

Azusa: Is it because...Eve is the chairman of the competition’s executive committee...? 

Subaru: ーー!?

Laito: Nfu~ Now that you mention it...I mentioned this to you, didn’t I? The winners of this competition will be rewarded with a passionate embrace and kiss from the chairman - in other words - none other than our Bitch-chan~ 

*Rustle*

Kanato: ...What did you say just now!? Is that true!?

Laito: ...K-K-Kanato-kun!? You regained consciousness...!?

Subaru: ...!!

Kanato: Yes, but more important right now...Laito, were you speaking the truth just now!?

Kanato starts shaking Laito by his collar.

*Rustle rustle*

Laito: ーー W-Wait! Calm down...!! Let go...! Ugh!

*Rustle*

Laito: Haah...Why would I lie about that? She’s the one who told me directly, so it’s the truth!

Kanato: ...S-She did...? ...Unforgivable! How dare she make such promises without my permission...!? Well, in that case, our team has to be victorious.

Laito: Well, that was my intention from the very start~

Yuma: I see...No wonder ya were on cloud nine earlier.

Laito: Tut-tut! That is not the only reason! Dodgeball involves running from left to right on a narrow court as you dodge the incoming attacks, right? In~other~words...~ 

Shin: Stop! We’ve heard enough!

Laito: Eeh~? Why?

Shin: We all know what you’re going to say! I bet you’re just having obscene thoughts again about getting the opportunity to ‘accidentally’ grope some girls and such, right?

Laito: Nfu~ Exactly! I’m impressed! As to be expected of a Founder, I guess?

Azusa: But...Hold up, hold up...Our team is made up of guys only...no? Which means you probably won’t get a chance at...touching the girls’ bodies, right...? Or perhaps...You’d feel up a guy as well...?

Laito: ...!!

Yuma: Is this guy stupid or somethin’?

Kanato: My apologies, he is.

Shin: It’s almost sad.

Subaru: Yeah...

Laito: *goes through all five phases of an existential crisis in the span of 10 seconds*

Azusa: I’m sure Eve anticipated something like this might happen...So she made sure to put Laito-san in a group with only other guys...I’m sure of it...

Yuma: She probably knows that side of him best after all.

Laito: I-In that case...I’m definitely getting this victory! I can’t go on unless I secure Bitch-chan’s embrace and kiss at least!

Subaru: Geez...All of you need to get your darn minds out of the gutter...

Yuma: Can’t we say the same ‘bout you?

Subaru: Aaah!? I-Idiot! No way in hell! W-W-Who would even be interested in that...stupid girl’s kiss and hug...! Iーー!

Shin: Uwah...You were spot on. 

Yuma: Geez...You really are hopeless.

Laito: You two may say that, but aren’t you after the same thing as well?

Yuma: Aah...!?

Laito: You don’t~? In that case, I’d appeciate it if you’d just forfeit right now. The less opponents, the better, right, Kanato-kun~?

Kanato: Yes, exactly. If you aren’t interested, then please drop out at once.

Yuma: I honestly wouldn’t miーー

Subaru: Oi. I’m not allowin’ any drop-outs.

Azusa: Subaru-san...He looks serious...

Subaru: Can you blame me!? The more members on your team, the higher your chance at victory, right!?

Yuma: Hah! You heard him. Sucks for ya guys.

Shin: Seems like the challenge is on then.

Azusa: You will compete as well, Shin-san?

Shin: Well, I’m not exactly thrilled about it. However, it’d be pretty lame to lose by default from not participating, right? You guys give it your best shot as well, okay? It seems like you guys are in a different bracket from us, so if you make it through the preliminaries, you’ll eventually fight us in the finals.

Subaru: You talk big like that, but better be careful not to embarrass yourself and lose your first game.

Shin: Hah! Good grief...Do you have any idea who you’re talking to?

Subaru: You take the words straight out of my mouth.

Both teams glare at each other.

*TIMESKIP*

Azusa: ( ーー And so, the battle between the two opposing teams began.

However, I could not help but wonder...If Eve would really offer her own hug and kiss as a prize like that? Something did not feel right about it. )

*Tweeeet*

Subaru: Hell yeah! We made it through the preliminaries!

Yuma: Haah...Geez...

Azusa: Now we can finally proceed...to the play-offs...Right?

The other team approaches them.

Laito: Nfu~ Seems like you guys fought your way up~

Yuma: Could say the same ‘bout you.

Kanato: You seem rather exhausted, so we’ll be so kind to make quick work of you. Fufu...Fufufu...Victory will be ours. That should be a given.

Subaru: We watched some of your games and I’m very skeptical ‘bout that statement.

Shin: Hah! Don’t make me laugh. I’ve been giving our opponents a handicap this whole time by playing with my non-dominant hand after all~

Azusa: Hm...

Laito: Is something wrong, Azusa-kun?

Azusa: Ah...No...You see...I just think it’s kind of strange...

Yuma: Haah? What is? 

Azusa: Well...I just can’t imagine she would actually offer her own hug and kiss as a prize for this competition...

Kanato: But Laito and Subaru confirmed it, right?

Subaru: I was only told through Laito.

Laito: Nfu~ I heard it directly from her. Well, we all know that Azusa-kun is Bitch-chan’s number one fanboy (3) so I’m sure you’re having a hard time believing this...However, she is far from the kind of girl you think she is~ Sorry to break it to you, but she really is a ‘Bitch-chan’ (4) like her nickname implies~

Azusa: Is that...so...?

Shin: Getting cold feet, perhaps? Feel free to run at any time.

Azusa: That’s not it...I’m good at handling the pain after all...No, if anything, I want to be hit and hurt.

*Tweet tweet*

Shin: Ah, seems like the time has finally come. Well then, let’s get straight to business. Laito. Kanato. Let’s go with the same positions as before.

Laito: Roger~!

Kanato: Understood.

They all get in position.

Yuma: ...Aah? So Shin is their outfielder? ...Oi, Subaru! I’m gonna be our outfielder again!

Subaru: Yeah, I’m countin’ on you.

Yuma: Anyway, Azusa! I don’t care how badly ya wanna get hit, ya better don’t jump at the ball like ya did before! Understood?

Azusa: Mmh...

They get to their positions as well.

*Tweet*

Laito: We start by fighting over at the ball at the center line...Kanato-kun. I’m going.

Kanato: Okay.

Subaru: Oi, Azusa! I’m goin’ for our team!

Azusa: Sure.

Laito: Please go easy on me, Subaru-kun~

Subaru: You’re a hundred years too early to try and take the ball from me.

Laito: Tsk...

They glare at each other.

*Tweet*

*Rustle*

Laito: The key to dodgeball is to successfully secure the ball at the start of the game! ...Haah!

Subaru: This ball is mine. Oryaaaah!

They both leap into the air.

Yuma: ...!! Both of them jumped hella high!

Kanato: They’re utilizing their Vampire powers to their fullest potential!

Laito & Subaru: Haaaaaah!!

Laito: Bitch-chan’s lips belong to me!

Subaru: You’re not the one who gets to decide that, you damn pervert!!

Subaru grabs the ball.

Laito: Kuh!!

Subaru: Gotcha!

Kanato: Laito! He’ll target you! Run!

Laito: Ughー I won’t be able to get back to my position in time!

Subaru: You’re done for!!

Subaru throws the ball.

*WOOSH*

Laito: ...Heh. Honestly, you are so easy, Subaru-kun.

Subaru: ...!? Why does he seem so calm!?

Laito: ...Yoーhoh~~~!!

Laito bends his body to avoid being hit.

Yuma & Subaru: ...!!?

Subaru: ...The fuck was that!?

Yuma: I think I’m gonna puke...

Laito: Leave it up to Sakamaki Laito-kun to bend in the weirdest angles~

Kanato-kun, the ball went your way!

Kanato: I’ve got you covered!

Yuma: Che...That loose ball is mine!

Kanato and Yuma both run towards the ball.

Kanato: Kuh...I won’t give up...!!

He speeds up.

Yuma: He’s fast...!?

Azusa: Kanato-san’s...so fast...

Kanato grabs the ball.

Kanato: Well, let’s just say that this is what I’m capable of when I actually try~

Yuma: Darn! I was convinced I had that ball!

Kanato: Fufufu~ Please do not underestimate me. Well then...Let me go straight on the offensive...Ugh!!

*WOOSH*

Azusa: Ah...Leave this ball to me!

Subaru: ...!? O-Oi, that throw! ...Azusa, dodge!

Azusa: Ah!

Kanato: Ahahaha! Seems like you did not even fathom I would pull off that kind of move!

*WOOSH*

Yuma: Azusa! You’ve go to grab it!

Kanato: I’d like to see you try! Hahahaha!

Azusa: ...Okay. I just have to grab it, right? ...Just...grab it! Aaah...Uwaaah!! 

Shin: Wow...The ball’s still rotating in his hand!

Kanato: Come on, just give up and throw it back onto our side of the couー Wha!?

Azusa: Ugh...Uu...Haah, haah, haah...

Laito: He...stopped it!?

Azusa: B-But...

Subaru: Oi, Azusa! Hang in there!

Azusa: ...Amazing...

Subaru: ...Hah? What did you say...?

Azusa: The ball Kanato-san threw...feels amazing...Haah, haah...Hehe~

Subaru: ...!? Haah...Oi, Azusa! If you’re feelin’ fine, then throw the ball already! Right now you might be able toーー

Azusa: Ah.

Subaru: What’s wrong?

Azusa: Oh...The ball...

Subaru: No way!? It deflated...

Kanato: Fufu...Perhaps I went a little overboard~

Yuma: Fuck...That guy’s better than I expected.

*Tweet*

Shin: ーー Okay. Time for the outfielders to attack next. Hehehe...Well then, guess it’s about time I demonstrate my full power as well!

*HOOOOOWL*

Subaru: ...!? What was that!? A wolf showed up...!?

Shin: Oh no, you haven’t seen everything yet!

Multiple fake copies of the wolf appear.

*HOOOOOWL*

Subaru: ...!? They’ve multiplied!?

Shin: Don’t underestimate a Founders’ powers! Now go, my mirage wolves!

*HOOOOOWL*

Shin: Uwaaaah!!!

Azusa: Subaru-san! They’re coming for you!

Subaru: I can see that!!

Subaru runs away from the wolves.

Subaru: Ah! Fuck this shit! I can’t tell which wolf is the real one! ...Fuck...In that case...

He speeds up his movements.

Subaru: I should just dodge them all right!?

Azusa: Subaru-kun...! Ah...How fast...!

Laito: ...!! He’s moving so fast, I can see an afterimage!

Subaru: ...!! Found you! ...You’re the real one!

Shin: What...!? 

*THUD*

Azusa: Oh no...! The ball will end up in the opponent’s side of the court as well!

*WOOSH*

Azusa: ...Ah! A cloud of dust!

Kanato: ...!! I can’t see what’s happening!

Shin: Did I win!?

Subaru: Haah, haah...That was close...

Laito: ...Shoot! He stopped right in front of the line!

Yuma: For real?

Subaru: Haah...

Yuma: I can’t believe this...

Subaru: ...I’ll give this back to you guys now. Take this ball!! ...Taaaaah!!! 

Azusa: ( After that...Our mortal combat continued onwards for several more hours...At the overwhelming power and techniques displayed in front of them, the crowd could not help but shed tears. I am sure they must have felt similar to a sense of fear in regards to the divine. And then, at lastーー )

*Tweet tweet*

Subaru: Haah, haah...It’s...over...?

Kanato: Haah...Excuse me!? A tie!?

Laito: You’ve got to be...kidding me...Ahaha...Hahaha...

Yuma: I can’t...I’m at my limit...

Shin: I didn’t think...You guys would last this long..

Azusa: Everyone...Ah...

They all collapse simultaneously.

*Thud*

Azusa: ( The result was an indecisive draw. We were unable to decide which team was superior. All of us competing on that court that day were out cold for three days and two nights. )

*Rustle*

Laito: What is this, Bitch-chan!?

Kanato: ...Our prize!? ...What is this?

You explain.

Subaru: A stationary set for children... (5) Wait, huh!?

Yuma: Oi, oi, oi, oi...!? The fuck’s goin’ on over here!?

Laito: Bitch-chan...You told us we’d get a hug and a kiss, remember?

Subaru: Exactly! Explain what’s goin’ on!

You tell them that Laito forced you to say that.

Laito: Nfu~ ...Is that so? Huuuuh...~~~? 

Subaru: You bastard...!

*Thud*

Azusa: Thank god. I knew it...Eve isn’t the type of girl who would do that after all.

You ask the guys if they tried so hard because they wanted a kiss.

Subaru: I-I-I didn’t get all serious ‘cause I wanted a kiss from you or anythin’...!

Laito: But even if I forced it out of you, you still said those exact words, didn’t you? So don’t you think you should keep said promise...~?

You tell them they already got their prize.

Laito: No, no, no. That won’t do, Bitch-chan. Some stationary set which only children would be happy about doesn’t count as a proper reward. You have to take responsibility for what you said...~ Come on, just give up and shower me with your hugs and kisses...Oh and while you’re at it, everything which comes after that as well...!

Laito jumps at you.

*Rustle*

Subaru: Uwah! Laito! You jerk! Don’t try and run away with the prize all by yourself!

Azusa: Ah...Eve! Come here! Let’s run away!

Azusa grabs your hand as he brings you into safety.

Laito & Subaru: HOLD IT!!!

They chase after the two of you.

Kanato: Uu...I’m totally exhausted for some reason...Hic...

Shin: I’m never participating in a ball competition again.

Yuma: Argh...God! I messed up big time! ...Haah. I’m outta here. 

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) 球技大会 or ‘kyuugi taikai’ is a fairly common sports event at Japanese schools, centered around ball sports such as soccer, basketball, dodgeball, etc. 

(2) かくかくじかじか or ‘kaku kaku jika jika’ is the Japanese equivalent of ‘blah-blah-blah’, indicating that Azusa fills in Laito on the details here, without them actually having to repeat all of it.

(3) Literally he calls Azusa a ‘passionate devotee of Bitch-chan’. 

(4) I have mentioned this a few times in my translation before, but ビッチ or ‘Bitch’ in Japanese is mostly commonly used to refer to a slutty girl/a girl with loose morals, rather than a mean-spirited or rude female.

(5) よいこの文房具セット or ‘yoiko no bunbougu set’ is something which actually does exist in Japan if you google it! ‘Yoiko’ means ‘good child’ literally and they’re just cutesy stationary sets, very obviously marketed towards young children. 

[nekotetsuchan]

 ─ the mirrors surrounding you did as they were meant to, reflecting back a spitting image of KONDOU SHOURI - but it’s clear something is wrong from the moment that a vision of LOSING TO KARASUNO AT NATIONALS strikes you. perhaps it was a passing daydream in the frenzy of the funhouse. you reassure yourself - you’re KUROO TETSUROU, a TWENTY-SEVEN YEAR OLD  TEACHER whose virtue lies in your + INTELLIGENCE & + PERCEPTION, although you’ve been told that you tend to be quite - PURPOSELY PROVOCATIVE & - CHILDISH, and you’re associated with CHEMISTRY PUNS, BLACK CATS KNOCKING EVERYTHING OFF YOUR DESK BEFORE RUNNING AWAY NEVER TO BE FOUND AGAIN, & A CACKLING LAUGH by those around you. suddenly, however, you’ve found THE NEKOMA CAPTAIN'S JERSEY on your person - was that always there? from the moment you leave the funhouse, memories from your life in HAIKYUU have begun to return - leaving whoever you had been before in the mirror’s reflection behind you. you can almost hear BAIL ME OUT by ALL TIME LOW following in your wake. ( he/him & cis male )

— IN ALUCARD.

kuroo tetsurou would tell you he had an unremarkable childhood. he grew up in a small commuter town in new york about an hour and a half from the city, he liked science and volleyball, and he LOVED getting sushi from the japanese restaurant a few towns over. 

what he won’t tell you is that growing up, his name was theodore ‘ted/teddy’ pesci.

adopted from japan before he was a year old, kuroo grew up in a very white town, largely disconnected from his birth culture. as far as he was concerned, he thought he was white too, but he didn’t understand why everyone said he looked different. 

after years of feeling not quite right, when he was 14, he finally decided to commit to being, as he thought of it, ‘an actual japanese person.’ he studied japanese, becoming fluent before he graduated, he got into j-rock, he learned how to cook a few japanese dishes, and he started reading shonen jump. he went back to using his birth name of kuroo tetsurou (and he ordered it the way it’s meant to be — family name, then given name. only a handful of people got to call him tetsurou.) it wasn’t much, but it was a way for him to feel more connected. 

he went to college in the city, double-majoring in biochemistry and education and minoring in japanese. he joined some asian student groups where finally, he was around people who looked like him. it was here where kuroo met his first serious girlfriend; they met in, of all places, a kpop dance club and started dating soon after. she got a job in philadelphia after graduation, so kuroo moved with her. young as they were, he was thinking about proposing. he found a job teaching at a middle school in the city, and things were good.

but it wasn’t to last. they broke up less than four months later, having differing views on a future together, and though they agreed to remain friends, they didn’t. kuroo moved out to alucard after they broke up, and he’s been here ever since. 

now 27 (nearing 28), kuroo has settled into this town and his job, teaching japanese and science and coaching the boys’ volleyball team. he has a small apartment to himself, stray cats that come and visit, and a job he likes; he can be content. 

that is, until the day a strange volleyball jersey shows up in his closet. nekoma, it says, and it has the number 1. and that’s when he starts to see things, to have flashes of memories in places and with people he doesn’t recognize. 

— IN ANOTHER LIFE.

somewhere, in a parallel universe, lives another kuroo tetsurou. this other kuroo tetsurou would be born and raised not in new york, but in tokyo, japan. he would meet his best friend at the age of eight and learn to play volleyball, and he’d become captain and take his team to nationals. they’d call him rooster head because of his untameable bedhead, the scheming captain for his sharp wit on the court, pain-in-the-ass kuroo-san. he’d have a friendly rivalry with a crow captain from a school way in the north and tease him about being a country boy, and he’d have a best bro who’s a captain at another tokyo school and get into all sorts of mischief with him. he’d take a first-year middle blocker under his wing and help him find his love for volleyball. he’d play his heart out until he couldn’t anymore, but loath to walk away from the game, he’d become a promoter for the japan volleyball association. his friends would come and go, moving around the country and even around the world, and he’d get to travel too, seeing places he’s only dreamed of. and he’d be content.

\\ playlist // \\ pinterest //

[shinsengumi-archives]

Souma Kazue: Last Shinsengumi Commander

Written by Kizu  

Thursday, 27 July 2006

A lot of us think of Hijikata as the last Commander in the Shinsengumi, it’s probably more appropriate to say that Hijikata-san was the last Shinsengumi Commander to die in the battlefield as four days after his death, Souma Kazue was appointed as the Commander of the Shinsengumi troop that had surrendered in Benten Daiba and Goryokaku along with the Hakodate army. He was appointed as the commander of the Shinsengumi by the Hakodate magistrate “Nagai” most probably because of the concern that confusion would happen after the surrender and they needed a familiar person in charge. Souma is described to have a been quite an Aide to the former commander Hijikata.

For the most part Souma Kazue was a common member of the Shinsengumi, he was the son of Heihachirou who was a Hitachi Kasama feudal soldier who joined around 1863. There is no record of “remarkable” work in either Toba-Fushimi, Edo nor Kyoto. When Kondo was captured, Hijikata instructed Souma to deliver a letter to Kondou in Itabashi and he went there under the name “Hajime Souma” but was caught. Since he was considered as an unimportant person by the enemy, they released him when Kondou was executed. After this Souma joined several troops including those in Sendai but after Sendai’s defeat he fled on one of Enomoto’s ship and sailed to Ezo to continue the fight there. It’s there that Hijikata who was now an army magistrate, saw him and took him into his team and Souma proved to be a matchless aide to Hijikata and thus Souma became a natural pick to succeed Hijikata to organize the surrender of the Shinsengumi under the Hakodate army.

However this appointment would affect him adversely and he is sent to Tokyo along with Enomoto, Arai and Matsudaira Taro to be investigated as the masterminds of the Hakodate war that June. He is banished to Niijima, Izu Nanashima in 1870 where he changed his name to either Tsukasa or Tonomo (apologies, I can’t make out the proper name, it’s one of those two. *sad*). There he married Uemura lived there for two years until he was pardoned in 1872 and re-appears in Tokyo. According to Akama’s interview with Matsuno, a descendant of Uemura he died in the following manner… Souma Kazue asked the others to do minor errands and when they left he commited seppuku. When the others returned the room was filled with a sea of blood and the shoji had been dyed red like the evening glow. However it is unknown why he had committed suicide nor the place he was buried and what date.

The details about Souma Kazue came from Suzuki Tooru who cited works of Kiichi Sato’s “Shinsengumi Taishi Retsuden” and Akama’s “Rekishi Tabi”.

[bags-under-doppos-eyes]

List 10 songs you’ve been listening to the most and tag ten people

I was tagged by @kanda-the-butterfly and thank you so much for it! I adore these little tag games and I love adding a bit of “myself” to my otherwise monothematic tumblr accounts!  Also, you could not possibly tag me at a better time. Regarding the current circumstances, this tag will beautifuly showcase my most recent object of unhealthy obsession. Since I’m talkative annoying, let me add a bit of commentary to some ot the songs listed below. 

1. TRIGGER - Secret Night  bOI, am I head over heels for this whole concept! Don’t know whose idea it was to take 3 of one of my literally top favourite seiyuus, and without a shadow of doubt not only mine, team them up, give them IRESSISTIBLE designs and make them sing suggestive, to say the least, songs but may gOD guide your steps. TRIGGER is a dream come true.  PS: Souma’s voice is the embodiment of velvet, you can’t change my mind

2. TRIGGER - Heavenly Visitor 

3.  ŹOOĻ  - LOOK AT This IS a OBLIGATORY thing for any Kimura Subaru fan! ! And for anyone who has good taste in music tbh! I seriously pray there will be a HypMic song with Ichiro actually singing!  I don’t really know Yuuya Hirose-san who voices the main vocalist but his voice is absolutely a d d i c t i v e and, what more, unique. Have to look up more of his works! I haven’t gotten to the part in the game where  ŹOOĻ is actually introduced yet, so I’m extremely excited to hear his voice-acting in the game in general! 

4. ŹOOĻ - Poisonous Gangster What more to add omg, Kimura Subaru, Yuuya Hirose, whom I’m in love with already, and on top of that Nishiyama Koutaro AND Takashi Kondou??? I’m at a loss for words here.  

5. ŹOOĻ - ZONE OF OVERLAP 

Alright thEN, moving right pass the Idolish7 territory (even though I still have a lot of checking out to do when it comes to the songs and units and sub-units and individual tracks aAAAA) 

6. Ben Howard - Black Flies  I’m a total sucker for angst stories both reading them and writing them and this simply is such a fitting song! It sets the atmosphere just right, and, when writing, is incredibly inspirational.  I actually recently finished the book A little life, which I highly recommend, if you are in a good place mentally!, and found this song in one of the many playlists made for the book! 

7. Daughter - Smother  Exactly the same case as with Black Flies! 

8. /cover/ Mitsuki Akika (CV: Kenji Nojima) - Koshitantan (Waiting for a Chance to Pounce) Kenji Nojima is my no. 1 favourite seiyuu and Koshitantan is among my top 10 Vocaloid songs, so what I’m trying to say is: this is heaven itself.  ((I have to check out the anime omg))

9. Mad Trigger Crew - Shinogi (Dead Pools)  No explanation needed here. Still not over this and will never be. ♥ (Also! Let’s open a discussion here: do you think that super gentle s o f t voice that joins Samatoki’s at 0:39 is also Asanuma-san just in his regular range?? Because if that is the case, then oOF♥

10. /cover/ Aho no Sakata - Autophagy  THIS! I love songs like these! Reminds me a lot of syuudo’s, which I consider to be my favourite vocaloid composer, pieces so much. I’ll have to make sure to check out other songs produced by Hiiragi Kirai.  Plus, of course, I love Sakata! 

So, there’s that, thank you very much to those of you who managed to finish this unnecessarily lengthy contribution!

I would like to tag: @missydea ; @cat-zura ; @thechillicount ; @bayside-smoking-blues ; @glossluty ; @realm-of-spells ; @enkogirl ; @viktuurionice ; @eternallyindespair ; @doppppooochi  and anyone else who feels like doing this, I want to hear about your favourite songs at the moment!  Of couse, if you have already fiiled the tag, or been tagged by someone else, or simply don’t feel like answering, don’t have the time or any other reason, feel free to ignore this post and stick to what makes you the most comfortable!  

[kawaiikatanabushi]

Hakuouki/Tourabu Family AU Headcanon 1

If Okita Souji was the father of Yamatonokami and Kashuu:

He would be strict when it matters, but more playful and lenient the majority of the time. Ex: "Okay. One more bedtime story after the one more we just had. Whatever. You guys have to learn to read kanji somehow."

To me, they have to be half brothers. Especially, if going by looks. They have enough features similar to Souji, but are dissimilar to each other. Hence, half-sibs.

Souji has an open door policy to his bedroom. If someone has a nightmare, stomach ache, can't sleep or just misses daddy, his futon was made to share.

Supports Kashuu's fascination with nail polish. Wears green or maroon himself, on occasion. Dares the other guys to make fun of him.

Tickle fights, wrestling and snuggles are prevalent in the Okita household. Pillow fights are on Friday nights.

Has to aid Yamatonokami in hygienic procedures: teeth brushing, bathing and hair brushing. The little guy hates being clean. Kashuu can't stand being unclean. However, if daddy takes a bath, both boys will be joining him. Even if he is seeking alone time, he turns to find them at the door.

Either son checks on his whereabouts, continuosly throughout the day at him. "Dad, are you in the bathroom?" Sighs. "Yes." "Oh, okay. Just checking."

Daddy hugs cure every knee scrape. He spends extra money on character bandaids. Popsicles are for fever. Makes a game out of splinter pulling. Surprisingly adept at nursing them, but isn't afraid to take them to the doctor. Any emergency room visit frightens him to no end.

Both sons picked up on sarcasm at an early age. Can't imagine why.

If one son is on daddy's lap, soon the other is.

Correcting his sons in public comes in the form of taking a knee, talking to them in a hushed tone and the behavior dissipates soon after that. Avoids spanking them more avidly than green onions. For serious grievances, time-out, taking privileges away or sitting them both down for a lecture is preferred. He hates seeing them cry. Not an "I'll give you something to cry about parent." His boys mean everything to him.

Feels so guilty if he hurts them while playing around. They are so tiny. He will spoil them with dango if he is the one getting too rough.

The man cannot cook. They survive off of street food, restaurants and ramen noodles. Maybe plain rice for breakfast. The boys let everyone know that daddy can't cook.

For an AU idea in collaboration with @kakkoiikatana, Yamatonokami's mother was Souji's high school sweetheart; a cute, spunky, bubbly and excitable little lady. She tragically died when Yami was a baby. Due to grief and a chance acquaintance, he met Kashuu's mother; she a mix of demure, feist, coy, kindness and compassion with marked fashion sense. Kashuu is born before they decide to get married. She leaves for a time, making Souji a single father. Thus, both boys have their abandonment issues. Yes, it is a bit soap opera.

On lonely feeling nights filled with tragic memories, Souji will slip in and tote the boys to his room. Daddy needs snuggles, too.

On the infrequent occasion that daddy needs a break to be with the guys, Kondou-san, Saito and Hijikata-san are the go-to sitters. Sano is runner up. Shinpachi and Heisuke are no-gos after the test run. He came back to utter chaos each time. When Chizuru arrives, it takes her a while to gain his trust to watch his babies.

He is highly protective of his babies. If anyone bullies his children, even another child, he does not refrain from making his distaste and anger known. Don't mess with daddy. If the boys weren't so afraid of his hostility, they would use it to their advantage. Thankfully, it puts enough respectful fear into them.

He supports both sons equally, but he knows Kashuu is the smarter of the two. As far as schooling goes, it creates an issue, because Yami's grades are average and Kashuu is expected to excel. Having Saito to visit and help tutor is a well-appreciated blessing.

He hates the thought of them growing up and moving on with adult lives, so he takes every moment that he can to be with them. He loves being a dad. He jokes they cannot move out unless they get married and give him grandchildren. Kashuu pushes the notion and Yami obeys. Even when Souji assures them it's a joke, Yami still is happy to stay at home and keep an eye on dad when he is older. Kashuu comes back after learning keeping up an apartment is a lot of work.

They take a few family vacations. He and Hijikata-san double team with their kids. They have a (mostly) rowdy bunch. Horikawa is the biggest blessing when it comes to keeping the peace. Kashuu and Yami go at each other's throats or Izumi picks a fight with Kashuu. If Hori wasn't there to keep the peace and color with the victimized party, Souji and Hijikata-san would throw in the towel.

Having a close-knit family with his Shiei hall friends is vital to the boys' rearing. There is always someone to walk them to the dojo after school and each guy has plenty of advice for the little ones. There is always an open lap at the dojo.

Souji looks to Kondou-san for parenting advice. The man is a master father. The greatest lesson he taught Souji was to love his kids unconditionally and to respect the unique individuals they are. He will always be grateful for that advice.

Still, he does have a tendency to look them level in the eye and say, "No. Not doing that, that's stupid. " It usually involves them manipulating him into a new toy or expensive food. It makes Kashuu mad and Yami disheartened, but a tender hair fluffing usually eases their disappointment.

Daddy is their greatest comfort blanket. Sometimes, wallowing on his chest while dad watches a late night show or movie is the best way to fall asleep.

If either one is crying, they are up in daddy's arms, no questions asked. He'll kill whoever did it later. Even if it was gravity tripping them.

They have no point buying a jungle gym. Daddy is a great climbing tree.

He is fully aware his sons are just as sensitive as he is. He has a limit to pushing their buttons.

In all honesty, he finds it cute when they naturally mimic him. Even their battle craze is cute to him. He may be a dad, but he is still Souji. They will shout "die!" at a video game, too. He just tries to cover it up at an arcade.

They can always ask him anything. He will defer it to one of the Shinsengumi if he is too tired, doesn't know or would rather avoid it.

He has told them never to be afraid of taking a nap in the nurses station.

They are spoiled in many ways and tattle tale on each other, but develope into good adults.

One if the greatest feelings he ever has is when they lace their little hand into his, just " 'cuz."

Souji shows more open affection for them when they are at home and even tells them he loves them before bed. In public, he may receive the affection but reciprocate less. The boys aren't too bothered, so long as they can love on him.

He never knew how much healing having children would be, until he had them himself. He is 1000% against them having the childhood he did.

To them, he is super dad.

If anyone has asks for some other specifics, I can give more! I have so many ideas for this. Next up would be Hijikata-san!

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - 《Autumn Shinsengumi Sports Day!》——Closing Ceremony?

I apparently have bad allergies of some sort that causes irritation in my eyes according to my optometrist... also Toronto Fan Expo's this week so expect me to not respond to messages in a timely manner.

Anyway, here's the last part of this story! I mention what I'll probably translate next in the notes.

Hakuoki Yuugiroku 2 - 《Autumn Shinsengumi Sports Day!》——Closing Ceremony?

Translation by KumoriYami

The quiet fall of night gradually erased the traces of the fierce fighting from the day.

After the matches were over, Chizuru, who had finished tallying the scores, turned towards Kondou and spoke.

Yukimura: "Kondou-san, please look at this. Although the results has been decided, this…"

Kondou: "……Oh." It appears that each team has the same score? This is completely unexpected."

As a result of the competition, the three teams of red, white and oni, had all tied. Kondou, who was serving as the referee, crossed his arms and contemplated for a moment before slapping his palms.

Kondou: "Oh, since the competition ended in a tie, there's no way around it. There's no need to distribute prizes…!"

Heisuke: "Wa-Wait a sec, Kondou-san! How can there we not get prizes after working so hard!"

Shinpachi: "That's right, that's right, we put in a lot of sweat!"

Heisuke and Nagakura made a noisy argument in protest. Seeing this, Kondou had an embarrassed at this breakdown, and finally shook his head gently and compromised.

Kondou: "Oh, I'm a man too! Even if I have to pay out of my own pocket, I have fill everyone's wishes! Yukimura-kun, help me collect everyone's wishes!"

After a while——

Chizuru was putting a brush to paper, and one by one, wrote down their wishes. The first object of inquiry was Hijikata.

Yukimura: "Then I'll ask you first, Hijikata-san of the read team, what is your wish?"

Hijikata: "Me? I don't have much desire. Unlike those reckless guys, how could I possibly put more of a burden on Kondou-san?"

Yukimura: "Pfft, that's really like HIjikata-san's style of handling things. Then what about oni team's Shiranui-san?"

Shiranui: "Huh? I don't have any expectations for humans. I just got dragged into this, that's all."

Yukimura: "Oh, Shiranui-san doesn't have a wish…. next is the white team's Nagakura-san…."

Nagakura: "I said it at the start, of course it's sake! I don't want the cheap ones that I normally drink, I want to drink good sake!"

Yukimura: "Okay, then we'll prepare some good sake for you to drink later! Um, then Amagiri-san..."

Amagiri: "I also have no desires. If insisted upon, then I hope that Kazama can become a bit more calm."

Yukimura: "That's not something that I can accomplish….. Next, um, is Kazama-san's turn…"

With a face full of worry/horror, Chizuru looked at Kazama.

Kazama revealed a wicked expression that was difficult to describe in words, and spoke with a crooked mouth.

Kazama: "Then allow my wife to spare a day for a tryst with me. I originally wanted you to hand her back over, so you should thank me for being so magnanimous."

Yukimura: "Tryst……. uh, ehh!?"

Souji: "Put your hands up——Chizuru-chan. My wish is to have that oni's babbling nonsense made into a scroll then thrown away."

Yuimura: "Th-Thrown away...?"

Saito: "Then give me the right to be Yukimura's bodyguard for a day."

Yukimura: Saito-san is going to be my bodyguard....?"

Heisuke: "Ah, you're too cunning, Hajime-kun! I was just about to say that!"

Yukimura: "He-Heisuke-kun, you too!?"

Harada: "Then let's just go take turns. That is to say, schedule Saito for the morning, Heisuke in the afternoon, and my turn in the evening. Please arrange it like this, Chizuru."

………………………………

And so and so forth.

Kazama: "You bastards........ to go as far as demanding a mile after giving you an inch.......!"

Hijikata: "It's all your fault for saying all of those outrageous things!"

The angry tongue-lashing of Kazama and Hijikata overlapped one another.

As the party involved, Chizuru was panicking while Sannan and Yamazaki, who were watching from side, sighed softly.

Sanan: "......Yamazaki-kun. Let's take Yukimura-kun and retreat first?"

Yamazaki: "Yes. Seeing how things are right now, Yukimura-kun's personal safety will be threatened..."

The fight between this group of people continued and they refused to stop until they noticed that Chizuru had disappeared.——

【END】

--------

heheh. Saito's quite honest... anyway, I think I'll be translating the Animate Tenun no Shou booklet next since I found tl of it and it's in two parts.... or at least I think it's the Animate one. I'll check later but it's the one with Saito, Souji and Chizuru on the cover.

[lightmelodyva]

Haruka’s gaze fell to the ground. This was around the time when her younger brother Minato died protecting her from her own execution, having done something wrong while training. Of course, when asked about where her younger brother was if they knew him, she always lied about how he died.

Saito had caught on to her quiet thoughts. “Something wrong, Shinomi-san?”

Haruka then stood up. “I’m just a bit tired..I’ll be returning to my room.” And walked in the direction of her room in Yagi, near the entrance. In reality, she wanted to go to a shrine.

Making her way towards the shrine, a mix of emotions was swirling inside her. The memories of her brother, Minato, weighed on her heart, especially during this snowy day that reminded her of their shared moments as children.

Haruka then lit up an incense stick and prayed. “It’s been a while..hasn’t it Minato..” The soft scent of incense filled the air, her thoughts to drift back to the past. Memories of playing in the snow with her brother, their laughter echoing through the cold air, flashed vividly in her mind.

"I bet we both never expected I'd run into them again. But, maybe you knew, from where you are, you can see farther ahead than I. Knowing a surprise like that was waiting for me must have made you happy. Seeing Souji and Kondou-san again...I'm not sure what it means...But the winds are changing for sure."

At a distance, among the trees, Okita had followed her secretly, feeling something was wrong with her sudden change in demeanor. Her saying she was going to her room but end up at a temple just didn't sit right with him. Something clearly happened before they met again to cause her to act like this, to light an incense stick, and pray.

"Haruka," Okita whispered to himself. "What happened to you back then?"

Haruka's prayer ended as she took a deep breath, the surroundings of the small shrine quiet as the snow continued to fall. She knew she couldn't falter now, but the wounds of those she lost will continue to remind her of the pain as it slowly heals. She turned around and started walking away from the shrine.

Okita saw Haruka heading his way, not sure if he should reveal himself, but he stepped out from the shadows. "Haruka," he said gently, using her name as he always did. "Not like you to sneak off like that. Something wrong?"

Haruka looked up to see Okita standing there, concern in his eyes. She appreciated his presence, knowing that he was someone she could trust. She offered him a small smile.

"Souji..." she said softly. "I was just remembering my brother, Minato. The snow reminded me of the times we spent together."

Okita nodded slightly. "It must be tough... losing a loved one." He looked to the side for a second before looking back at her. "...If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

Haruka appreciated Okita's offer, feeling grateful for his support. "I know. And I appreciate that, Souji. It's just that... sometimes, it's hard to open up about these things."

"I get it.." Okita replied, stepping closer to her. "But now that we've met up again, we're a team, and we look out for each other, right?"

Haruka smiled, touched by Okita's words. "Right," she said, feeling a sense of comfort in their shared bond. "Thanks, Souji. I'm glad to have you as a friend."

"Same here, Ka-san." He grinned using the new nickname Heisuke gave her. "Now, how about we head back? It's getting colder, and I don't want you to catch a cold. You're still recovering from that attack from Serizawa-san after all."

Haruka nodded, feeling a warmth in her heart as she walked back with Okita by her side. Even amidst the snow and the memories, she knew that she had friends she could rely on, and that thought brought her a sense of peace. As they returned to the Shinsengumi headquarters, Haruka felt a renewed sense of strength as 1864 was fast approaching.

-Hakuoki Alter: Haruka's Okita Route-

[razberryyum]

A Gintama episode a day keeps the ending away…Episode 160

Episode Title: From A Foreigner's Perspective, You're The Foreigner. From An Alien's Perspective, You're The Alien

MY 15 FAVORITE MOMENT IN EPISODE 160 (manga chap 242):

I love this episode...except for the ending!

1) Honestly, that’s exactly my reaction to the whole Tamo-san Hour Smile segment that has been running at the beginning of each episode in this arc. So glad this would be the last ep with it.

2) Omggg lol

3) Just cuz it’s a close-up of Hijikata’s abs.

4) He was never shown but I’m certain that was Sadaharu’s contribution to the team.

5) He’s so adorable!!!

6) Gin-chan looked like a total creeper behind Hijikata and of course I loved it so much.

7) He was saying this to Hijikata. I mean, come on do I even need to explain why?

8) These two shame-faced, adorable dorks.

9) Their matching expressions at their cheating teammates.

10) I just loved how miserable Yamazaki looked because of his hairstyle, which is even more funny now since we know how he looked when he first joined the Shinsengumi. 

11) Sougo asking Yamazaki that just makes me laugh every time for some reason.

12) Just cuz.

13) Just cuz again. How can you blame me???

14) I’m not a fan of Takatin but I did think it was cute how Gin-chan kept on trying to high five him.

15) Ok and this is why I don’t like the ending of this episode or Takatin: he SOILED his ugly yellow briefs and then was dropped into the pool, and poor Gintoki and Kagura followed in. So they’re like IN the water where his SHIT is and as if that’s not enough the anime team had to make sure we saw that they were FACE DOWN in that cesspool. Omg I want to vomit. My poor babies. Forever unclean.

SHIPS TALLY:

Gintoki x Hijikata: I literally did not even know Hijikata had his hand on Gintoki’s mouth until I watched this episode for the first time. In the manga, it wasn’t as obvious and I think I just assumed it was Gintoki covering his own mouth cuz he was trying not to laugh at the fact that Tsusengumi were cheaters as well. On top of that, their interaction was just so freaking adorable in this episode over all. 

Hijikata x Yamazaki: omg Yamazaki was acting like he was in one of those afternoon dramas Zura likes to watch: like he was some housewife who was molested by Gintoki and Takatin and was begging his angry husband Hijikata to let it go because he doesn’t want any more trouble.  

Kondou x Hijikata: Kondou was being so supportive of Toshi as usual.

Hijikata Tosshi x Otsuu: I could almost believe that’s actually Tosshi coming through based on that silly look on his face. 

Kondou x Otsuu: considering she spared him from the pool, I think Kondou had more of a shot with Otsuu than he ever did with Tae-chan. 

Shinpachi x Takatin: seriously, what���s with the romantic, dream-bubble graphics???

6/9/2019

[impracticaldemon]

Hi!!! I have a question that you might be able to help with. And if you can’t that’s okay! But I love your writing and you always have a solid take on the storyline and interpretation. If I wanted to write a modern Hakuoki AU or a modern saichi AU how do you think that would go? Like in your opinion what would carry over or be different? How would the characters change in a modern environment? Since SSL isn’t translated it’s kinda hard to get a read so I would appreciate any feedback!

Hi Anon-san! [I’m sorry! I thought I’d posted this; just found it in my drafts!]

First, thank you for your kind words about my writing (flattery may not get you everywhere, but it’ll get you an awfully long way with most writers I know ♥).

Second, wow, that’s quite a question.  Meaning, it’s a very interesting question, but not easy to answer.  Still… I couldn’t resist thinking about it, so here are some of my ideas on similarities and differences between canon/quasi-canon settings and modern AU settings.

[More below the cut]

Things that would carry over (and I know some of this is obvious, or overlaps):

- basic character traits (extroverted, introverted, ambitious, thoughtful, honest, deceitful, kind, malicious, assertive, passive, etc.)[Note:  people won’t always agree on a particular character’s basic traits, but you should have a clear picture in your mind of your concept of the canon character; it makes it much easier to “translate” the character into 2019 (or whatever)]

- setting aside how social politeness is shown, the character’s tendency to be formal or informal (extends beyond speech patterns to things like how clothes are worn, and basic attitudes in the workplace/school/at home)

- the basic relationships between the characters (e.g., Shinpachi and Sano are good friends; Souji and Hijikata don’t get along; Souji adores Kondou)[Note: the relationships may be different because of something specific to your story, but let readers know somehow that you aren’t just wilfully ignoring a relationship that is part of the usual fabric of Hakuouki]

- something that unifies the characters, or brings them together in one place (e.g., work setting, business enterprise, band, team, etc.)

- the way the characters react to romance (if romance is part of your story) at a fundamental level:  is it embarrassing? interesting? to be avoided? to be hoped for? how important is it to the character? this might be a little different in a modern setting, but the canon character’s reactions would still be similar, unless you had specific reasons for changing them

Things that would (or could) change:

- age gaps and roles (there’s a reason that the baka trio doesn’t exist the same way in Hakuouki SSL: Heisuke’s clearly a kid in modern terms, while fifteen or sixteen was effectively the age of majority for boys (and girls) in 1864 Japan (at least from a “supposedly independent / marriageable” perspective)

- gender roles (although Japan still lags far behind when it comes to gender equality, to be honest, so this one’s going to depend a lot on what you want to portray in the way of modern gender stereotypes, and the struggles that still exist; and that’s not even touching LGBT+ issues)

- location/culture: are your modern Shinsengumi (and Oni) heroes in Japan, in a different country, or in a wholly fictional place?  If they’re in Japan, make sure that you’re at least a little familiar with modern Japanese culture; if they’re in your own country, decide if they’re visitors, or residents who grew up there (a familiar environment is easier to write about, but may make writing the characters more difficult, since now you’re changing both the time and place of the story

- okay, a big one for me:  reactions to violence, illness, death; yes, there’s still tons of violence in the world, but in a “modern” (i.e., what we’ve come to call “first world”) society, violence, illness, and death aren’t nearly as much part of the fabric of everyday life.  While 1864 isn’t the same as 1164 (i.e., medieval times), Japan was in an extremely turbulent period, just as the US was during their civil war.  How does this affect the characters?  Well, it’s probably going to soften things a little, unless your modern AU has an unusually violent setting (e.g., gangs, drugs, something closer to “third world” dictatorships / social structures).  Even within a Police AU, the level of acceptance of violence just *can’t* be the same (assuming a “coffee shop AU” type of modern setting).  Even the “nicer” Shinsengumi guys weren’t especially shocked over killing, in canon.  In a modern AU, that changes.

- last thing (tied into the last one), at least for now: the culture shift in Japan, because of WWII, was huge; so if your setting is Japan, you’ve got to keep that in mind.  For a long time, the Allied Forces (in Japan’s case, basically the Americans) weren’t even going to allow any form of martial arts school to remain open.  The entire military was all but disbanded.  Plus, with the results of atomic warfare right there for all to see, Japan’s heavily military-influenced culture did a bit of a 180.  The “no swords or guns” law became part of the way of thinking (Japan has the lowest rate of violent crime, especially gun-related death, by a HUGE margin, btw).  How do the Shinsengumi - the canon characters - fit into this?  Well, Japan did a “good job” of replacing the samurai upper class with the corporate upper class (right back to immediately post-Shinsengumi), so you can still have your family dynasties etc. for your Oni, or in terms of who might be “pulling the strings”.  But you have to consider how this affects characters like Okita or Saito, in both plot and character terms.

Basic modern AU:  less formality, but only in terms of setting - the characters would still be consistent; less day-to-day brutality - the characters would be different, less callous, because of this; less emphasis on physical skills - how does this affect Shinsengumi characters?  For Saitou and Chizuru, I’m not sure there is a huge shift in character or approach, to be honest.  I see bigger differences in ships like OkiChi and KazaChi.

Final conclusion:  in a lot of ways, the modern setting doesn’t have to change much for characters/ships; however, be mindful of the way that what is “ordinary” might influence your character(s).

~ Imp

PS  I’m dissatisfied with this response - I feel like it’s both too complicated, and misses too much.  That’s probably why it got buried in my drafts.  If anything here is helpful, I’ll be glad!

[kondo-hijikata]

Hey, I have a confession to make. You really made me appreciate Kondou-san and now I really ship them with Hijikata. I always knew he was one of those wonderful team dads, but I never really cared as much. But now he's a warm spot next to my heart and I just wanted you to know that. Fun fact: In the latest chapter of "Wreath", the kids come back from Okita's "Happy-Singles-No-Couples-Welcome-Christmas-Luncheon-Party" and Kondou gave the cake he baked with them because he knows Shinpachi likes it

AAAAAAAAAAAAA THIS MADE ME SO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY, THANK YOU!!!

i gotta catch up on wreath!! =D first of all, i love that he even made a cake with them to begin with and that he gave it to shin? 200000/10, QUALITY, A VERY GREAT DAD

[kaysutcliff-michaelis]

My thoughts on Saito-hen

I think this is the Hakumyu I like the least out of the four? I’ve watched up to this date. You can really tell it was the first one, mainly in terms of how some of the actors sing and the quality of the songs and the music, though as with Okita-hen, there are some aspects I like that aren’t present in other productions. Now that this has been said, let’s go into detail

The songs with lyrics in English. Why? Why was it necessary? Like “Don’t forget my style”. I don’t think I need to say anything else about that, I’m sure everyone understands what I mean XD

I love the stage divided in three different areas with movable floors and panels. It helps make the production more dynamic in terms of how the characters enter and leave the stage.

I don’t really like this Chizuru... I don’t know why, but I just don’t see Hitomi Yoshida as Chizuru, sorry.

WHERE ARE SANNAN AND KONDOU? ;__; There are SO MANY changes in the story just because Sannan isn’t even mentioned, it’s as if the whole concept of the Fury Corps and the Wate4r of Life investigation weren’t relevant at all to the overall plot.

Hirokazu Amano is not a bad Yamazaki, but I prefer Shota Takasaki :( At least Yamazaki appears in this production... And the same goes for Junji Shimizu, he’s a good Amagiri but he’s not my favourite. HOWEVER, the way he bows during curtain call is the most appropriate for the character out of them all.

I noticed that the choreography during Yaisa! Yaisa! Yaisa! is quite different than in more recent musicals. I was re-watching Harada-hen recently and I feel like you can divide the musicals in “periods” just based on some elements present in this song. While on the subject of this song, why don’t Kazama and Amagiri sing? :(

YUUSUKE KASHIWAGI. OMG. THIS MAN. Can someone write a route for Shiranui, turn it into a musical and have this man as the lead????

Oni no Matsuei reminds me SO FREAKING MUCH to the Team Rocket’s Battle Theme and you can’t change my mind. So now Kazama is Jessie, Amagiri is James and Shiranui is Meowth.

Going back to the choreography, I find it so funny, the choreographer was having so much fun when he was preparing for this production.

Okita is a diva. Period. He steals the spotlight SO. MANY. TIMES. during Saito-hen that sometimes you don’t know which musical you are watching.

On a related note, the pacing and storytelling are really off?? A lot of characters appear way more than Saito and Chizuru and we don't really get to see their relationship developing??? This is something I really disliked, but as it was the first Hakuoki musical maybe they didn’t know if the would be able to do more and they tried to include as many things as they could just in case. Though I find some scenes really unnecessary and think that time could have been used in a different way. For example, even though this is Saito-hen, we don’t know that he was a spy for the Shinsengumi in the Guardians of the Imperial Tomb until he comes back, and the scene where Saito comes back to HQ in the middle of the night, finds out that Chizuru is sick, and takes care of her is nowhere to be found. 

Props to the person in charge of changing Heisuke's wig. Really. Great job. AND WHY IS KODO’S FAKE BALD A THOUSAND TIMES BETTER THAN IN HEISUKE-HEN?? How is it possible for it to look way worse with the passing of the years? XDD Poor Manji Edogawa

Gen-san is so funny. I wish they brought him back for more Hakumyus, he’s a great comic relief. The only thing that throws me off is that he looks so young XD

Can we talk about Yamazaki's death?? He’s like “I’m done with this, bye, bitches!”

Saito's transformation was awesome! I think it may be my favourite Fury transformation, I found it so realistic as opposed to the other transformations with lots of running around and jumping and smoke.

And speaking of Saito... Poor Ryo Matsuda was dripping with sweat almost the whole time. But like, the poor man was so drenched in sweat he must have been dehydrating??? GET THAT MAN AN ENORMOUS GLASS OF WATER, A FAN, AND A COSTUME MADE WITH A LIGHTER FABRIC. I felt so bad for him :( But he deserves the world for giving it his all in that situation.

Summarizing, not my favourite but I wish some things were included in other Hakumyus. One of those things being the subtitles? titles? Idk? in Japanese in the Extras. Bring that back!!

[engekihaikyuu]

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu – The Battle of the Trash Heap

What’s In Tokyo Interview Translation  With Daigo Kotarou, Akana Ryuunosuke, Nagata Takato, and Kondou Shouri

=====

To begin, I’d like to ask you about your impressions of one another during your first meeting. Daigo: When was our first meeting? Takato: It was when we went to visit rehearsals for “Fly High” in 2019. But all we did then were casual greetings, so our first proper chance to talk was during an interview after that.

=====

Full interview and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my translations

=====

Daigo: That’s right! During that interview, Takato-kun treated me like an equal even though I’m younger, and so my first impression was, “What a nice person.” For Shouri-kun, I thought, “He's like a very mischievous older brother.”

Akana: They didn’t just come to visit rehearsals, they came to see our tour too. I remember thinking how much the both of them must love Engeki Haikyuu, and I felt how precious it was to them, so I was really happy. Now that rehearsals have started for this, I feel like we’ve become able to talk about all sorts of things, but Takato-kun feels especially like a rival. He’ll give me a lot of suggestions like, “Wouldn’t it be better for Kageyama to move like this?” “If you move like this, I feel like it would better show the relationship between you two.” Shouri-kun... gives off a vibe of, “Follow me!” so he’s this senpai overflowing with chivalry.   Shouri: Eh?! I don’t really think of myself that way though. (laughs) Daigo: No, Shouri-kun is... chivalrous... or manly! (laughs) Akana: For sure. He’s the sort of person that lifts everyone’s morale just by being there.  

And by contrast, Nagata-san, Kondou-san, what were your impressions of these two? Takato: To be frank, at the very very beginning, there was a part of me that couldn’t honestly accept them. Or I didn’t want to. We spent so much time with the first cast, and I felt like it was such a different Engeki Haikyuu... (bitter smile) Now I don’t feel that way at all, and when I looked into Kota’s (Daigo Kotarou) eyes at rehearsals while he was performing, I felt that he was the real deal. And from that moment on, I just lost my entire complex about the current Karasuno cast. Honestly, I had goosebumps in that moment!   Shouri: Hm? Exactly how much did you get goosebumps? All the way down to your butt? (laughs)   Takato: Why do you always say things like that?! (laughs) Everyone: (laughs)

(laughs) And Kondou-san? Shouri: They’re really straightforward people. Before rehearsals, it felt like they were just expecting us with this attitude of, “What you got, Nekoma?! We’re the main characters here!”   Daigo: You probably thought we were a bunch of really cheeky kids. (laughs) Shouri: They were all so upfront, that we somehow felt like we were let-downs. They said to us, smiling, “Let’s all do our best as a company!” The Karasuno cast before us now are all a noisy bunch, but they’ve come together as one cohesive Karasuno for this, and I feel like they’ve really come into their own.  

It’s been about a year since Nekoma’s last appearance in Engeki Haikyuu. Shouri: It’s already been a year and a half since “The Tokyo Battle!” It almost feels like it was just the other day.   Takato: Whenever Shouri has time, he watches the “Tokyo Battle” DVD and cries. Isn't it crazy that he cries for a show that he appears in? (laughs) Shouri: Even when I read the script for this play, it felt like it was playing in front of me and I cried.  

What does it feel like to have the full force of Nekoma back together again at rehearsals?   Shouri: It’s so heartening! We have a comeback for Nakamura Tarou, who plays Inuoka Sou, and we have our new Haiba Lev, played by Tahori Leo, so in the world of people who are 11.5 heads* tall, we’ve got the most stylish newbies. (laughs) And we finally have our high respected Coach Nekomata Yasufumi played by Ohtaka Hiroo-san, so Nekoma’s gotten even stronger and I’m really excited.   Takato: It’s the best! I’m so happy that we get to make a production together with these incredible, irreplaceable people that I’m sure I can somehow overcome our daily muscle pain and soreness.  

*T/N: An average person is 7.5 heads tall proportionally; Shouri is probably making a Captain Tsubasa reference, who was drawn proportionally 11 heads tall and became a meme.

In a previous interview, you had said that the Engeki Haikyuu muscle pain means that things have really kicked off.   Takato: I had muscle pain immediately after we started rehearsals this time. At this point, it’s just my age. (wry smile) Shouri: But I think the level of intensity has gone up since we first started back in 2016 with “Karasuno Revival.” It’s absolutely more difficult than those rehearsals, I think. I mean, these two young ‘uns are probably just fine though.   Daigo: No no, we feel it too. That’s why after rehearsals, I’m always doing a lot of aftercare.  

What’s the atmosphere like at rehearsals when it’s that difficult? Daigo: Well this is our third production now for Karasuno, so we prep our physiques to endure these rehearsals, and then we proceed pretty smoothly. Because if you slack off even just a little bit, accidents happen, so we’re always talking about how to brace and focus so that nobody gets hurt. It’s a great atmosphere and always such a lively place.   Akana: When I look at the Nekoma cast, I feel such a sense of unity from them, even when we’re not acting. It makes me wonder if Karasuno’s doing enough, so I want to follow their example.   Takato: For example, how? Akana: Like how organized you are, like this person teaches everyone the dance, that person does the count, how some people just naturally pull others along. When you think, “Well let’s talk about this all together” regarding the play, you gather together so quickly... there’s just a lot that I’ve learned watching your team dynamic. We’re pretty settled as a team too, but it sort of feels more planned. When I look at everyone Nekoma, it feels like every person is more balanced and could be the center of the team. I wonder if that’s just a difference in experience.   Daigo: I thought the same thing. That’s why I was thinking that we have to talk things out with everyone on Karasuno all together at least once. From now on we’re going to brush up on that and keep improving!  

This year, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the Strongest Challengers tour was unfortunately cut short after 4 performances. Following that, how did you feel, and how did you spend your day-to-day? Daigo: Of course I was sad that we had to cut off the tour and not perform all that we had scheduled, but nothing is for certain, and it wasn’t just us. Around the world, everyone was having a difficult time, and there was also just a sense of, well this just can't be helped. During lockdown, I did have some anxiety as to whether or not I’d ever be able to work for the rest of my life, but I was so encouraged by the support of all these people who love theater. And now thanks to everyone on the staff who clean and disinfect our rehearsals everyday, and thanks to all the people who continue to support us, we can make a new production and go to rehearsals again, so right now I just feel nothing but gratitude.

Akana: We had to cancel all of our live events for VOYZ BOY, the group I’m in, and I was really depressed and anxious about not doing anything, so I started cooking everyday and streamed that.  

You streamed on Instagram, “Akana Cooks.”   Akana: Oh did you watch? Thank you. I get depressed when I don’t get to do anything, so I did a lot of cooking and training at home. Since I wasn’t going out in public, at one point I looked in the mirror and I was shocked because I was starting to look so uncool. So everyday I wanted to at least be able to look in the mirror and say I looked good.   Shouri: Wait, you think about how cool you are while looking in the mirror?! That’s incredible. (laughs) Everyone: (laughs) Daigo: But you did that and took the initiative to start streaming, and you stayed active, and that’s the important thing.  

And if the fans are able to see your face, they also feel relieved knowing that you’re doing okay. Akana: I was aware of that, so I was updating my social media everyday.   Takato: I was also thinking that I might get fat if I wasn’t going out, so I was trying to be careful about my meals, but I kept eating things that basically had no calories and then I just got skinnier and skinnier instead. (wry smile) But recently I’ve gotten my body weight back to where it was.  

Did you watch a lot of movies or dramas while spending time at home? Takato: Everyday I was watching about 3-4 things. That’s about all I did that was fun. I was also able to think about a lot of things, and thought it would be good if I could take the knowledge I accumulated in that time and put it to use the next time I was able to work.  

Kondou-san, did you spend the time doing anything new? Shouri: Mmm......... Daigo & Akana: I’m expecting him to say something really funny. (laughs) Shouri: What was I doing... I was eating. Takato: What kind of answer is that?! (laughs)

Kondou-san, you were also doing insta-lives, weren’t you? Shouri: Oh yeah. I tried a “I’m going to make Tiramisu!” video and failed really hard... Everyone: (explosive laughter)

The fan comments were pretty lively for that one. (laughs) The merengue wasn’t foaming at all, but you kept trying to force other ingredients in, so there was a flood of comments screaming, “NOT YET!” (laughs) Shouri: About an hour before that stream, I’d managed to make a really yummy cheesecake, so I thought I’d challenge myself. I was thinking, “I have a good sense for this, maybe I can be a pâtissier,” but then that one was just a complete loss. But for a moment I had thought, “Maybe I’ll become a YouTuber.” (laughs) Takato: Ahahha! Why do you immediately jump to that?! (laughs) Shouri: Well I don’t have any specialties to bring to this work like singing or dancing. So I sort of thought I needed to develop a new skill and I thought about it a lot... I wanted to learn something new, so I was even thinking about starting ballpoint pen calligraphy.   Takato: Hm? Does that have anything to do with work? Shouri: Well, once I realized it wouldn’t, I just watched an old drama and cried by myself.   Everyone: (explosive laughter)

Well we’re all worked up now, but we’ve reached the end of our time, so lastly if you could all give a message to highlight this play. Takato: I’m confident that we’re going to make this the most fun play out of all ten in the Engeki Haikyuu series, so please come to see us!   Shouri: There are going to be a lot of scenes that are going to make fans of the manga go, “Ah, it’s that scene!” It’s going to be something that longtime fans of Engeki Haikyuu will really enjoy. But even for people who will be seeing Engeki Haikyuu for the first time, as a stand-alone production, they’ll be able to enjoy themselves plenty. For me right now, “The Tokyo Battle” production is the one that’s etched into my mind as the best, but we’re going to go beyond that and make it so that we’ll wrap up our final show feeling like “The Battle of the Trash Heap” is the absolute best. We’re going to tackle this with everything we’ve got, so please look forward to it.  

And then once the “Battle of the Trash Heap” DVD is out, you’ll watch it and cry. (laughs) Takato: I mean in the scene where he’s crying, he’s the only one crying, isn’t it a bit creepy? Shouri: No no! I’m not just crying because I see myself crying on-screen, it’s because I start remembering my emotions from that time and then I start crying! Daigo: I sort of understand that feeling. Shouri: In “The Tokyo Battle,” it was a scene where I said that I definitely wouldn’t cry, but then I saw Noah (who played Lev) get teary-eyed, and then I started crying. I was really planning on pushing through it, but then I saw the DVD and I was really crying a lot, so I’m super embarrassed. (laughs) Takato: Because everyone calls that scene the “Shouri cries scene.” Because Shouri’s tears just wash everything away. (laughs)   Everyone: (laughs)

And moving on, Akana-san, if you would. Akana: The Battle of the Trash Heap is the most popular match of the series, so we’re all worked up more than usual. We definitely want to make something that surpasses everyone’s expectations, so please look forward to it. It’s precisely because we’re so frustrated that the previous tour, “The Strongest Challengers” ended after 4 performances that we’re going to make sure this production makes it safely to the last show. Everyone in the company is going to do our best to that end!  

And lastly, Daigo-san, if you would.   Daigo: First I would say that a highlight of this play is going to be its freshness. We can’t let down our guard in the current situation, but it’s because we had this time where we couldn’t perform that everyone on the cast is so grateful that we’re able to return to rehearsals and face opening night. We’re approaching this play sincerely and with renewed spirit, and I can just feel it in my skin. Everyone has been waiting to be able to just simply enjoy working on a play, so I think it’s going to be an exciting production with a lot of emotions mixed in. I’m personally very excited. Please look forward to it and come to see us at the theater!  

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