#that drama cd is also hilarious

[ridiasfangirlings]

I find it hilarious that most of us just live in the expectation where all k characters and figurants are gay. I haven't seen a single ask here involving side characters or simply OCs that had a "straight" shipp, especially with Saruhiko. Is he just a male magnet? What is this, does he have a monster Musk from stardew valley made for men?

Oh come on, there’s straight characters in the K cast, why there’s…um, there’s…well how about…or, um….Mishina, maybe? Yeah I got nothing, Kusanagi/Awashima is probably the closest to a ‘straight’ ship but they both give me bi vibes so it’s still not really straight. And Fushimi I honestly just have trouble seeing him with a woman, like he shows absolutely zero interest in the course of the entire series. He sees Neko naked multiple times (in Countdown and in the spa drama CD) and has basically zero reaction beyond annoyance, and his interactions with the only members of the opposite sex he knows — Awashima and Anna — feel pretty strictly platonic. Meanwhile he’s completely obsessed with Yata and constantly having Munakata in his personal space and various alphabet boys are trying to get his attention, they’ve all seen his tiny waist and realized it’s perfect for other men to grab. Even the otome game, which desperately tries to convince players that Fushimi Saruhiko could possibly love a woman, can’t quite manage to make Fushimi look more excited to see his ‘girlfriend’ than he is when he sees Yata. See below, Fushimi with a woman:

Fushimi when he sees Yata:

Fushimi probably can’t even park straight. (Also from a less tongue in cheek standpoint I do see Fushimi as more demisexual than anything else, like he has to have that connection or he just has no interest at all, and, well, the majority of the cast is made up of beautiful men so he pretty much ends up gay by default.) 

[manysmallhands]

Top Albums Of 2024: #20 - #11

The second post of my albums of the year! The first post also exists!! More will follow!!! Now read on!!!!

#20. Fred Thomas - Window In The Rhythm

Indie rock

It’s been 6 years since his last proper album and much has changed regarding how much I bother with DiY indie, but I go back a long way with Fred and so I’ll always be excited when he brings a new record out. And all told, Window In The Rhythm is really very good! Most closely resembling 2015’s All Are Saved of his many previous albums, it consists of 7 largely lengthy art rock grinds that take the minutia of relationships and picks away at them remorselessly (there are one or two softer songs in there but most of it is pretty unforgiving stuff). The appropriately titled “Hours” is a bit of a drag but everything else here sounds fantastic and works very well for drifting away to on the grim winter afternoons. Given how the songs kinda melt into each other, I tend to engage with it all as a series of classic Fred set pieces, with my current faves being the way the gentle, ringing guitar arpeggios of "Season Of Carelessness" at first gradually and then suddenly give way to its fizzing, intense electronic coda, and also the bit in opener “Embankment” where Fred does his fast talking about 90s acts party piece, singing  “I made you a tape - withthesamesquarepushersongonitfourtimes - but not in a row” and I know that my favourite indie dude is back for real.

#19. Aespa - Armageddon

K-pop

I tend to struggle to focus on k-pop - i can never remember who's who, partly a function of not being able to buy them here on CD - but mercifully Aespa did a cheap retail version of Armageddon and i've managed to give it more time than most things. And their first full length album turned out to be a game of two halves: the first five songs feature a harder, hip hop influenced sound, full of drama and flash but with a hint of Britney here and there, while the remainder takes a lighter, more girlish tone, with "Bahama" coming off like a kind of k-pop "Kokomo" (which is good, not bad like you think) while "Live My Life" goes full pop punk but with a characteristic, slightly restrained quality that makes it all the more charming. A strong debut and an entertainingly distinct calling card that'll make it easier for me to distinguish them from their peers from now on.

#18. Beabadoobee - This Is How Tomorrow Moves

Indie rock; Singer-songwriter

Bea’s third full album was recorded in LA with Rick Rubin and often seemed as in thrall to America as that would suggest, with the guitars rocked up for a 90s alt vibe and her accent set to a mid Atlantic twang. "Take A Bite" and "Beaches" were both terrific anthems that confirmed her status as burgeoning indie icon but it was her more delicate material that came off best, as "Girl Song" and "This Is How It Went" showcased her huge talent as a singer-songwriter of the old school mode.

#17. Doja Cat - Scarlet 2 CLAUDE

Rap; RnB

Last year’s Scarlet was a terrific album but one where its massive hits failed to carry it to general success. Continuing the era is a brave move but one suspects that this might be a final hurrah for Doja in the rap game before going back to paying the bills. The tone is similar on Scarlet 2 but perhaps a little more lowkey, with songs like "MASC" exuding a melancholy rarely seen on the more bravado infused OG record. But there’s still a lot of fun to be had here too, like on the poppier "OKLOSER" where Doja uses that cute, mocking voice that she does so well and takes it all to some hilariously petty places

#16. Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department

Pop/rock

“How much sad did you think I had in me?” Taylor sings after about 20 minutes here and ngl, there’s quite a lot. Her 11th album has been divisive and understandably so: there’s a sense in which the Antonoff and Dessner partnerships feel a bit played out and its often lugubrious and downbeat tone can get a bit exhausting at times, especially when you tie in the 15 (count 'em!) bonus tracks (which I have mostly tended to avoid). But once you warm to its themes a little, Taylor is still a terrific songwriter and "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart", "But Daddy I Love Him" and the sparkling title track are among her best in what’s largely a strong set, at least til the occasionally lacklustre final third. At heart, TTPD knits together an engrossing narrative which plays on the loneliness of breaking up when yr the most famous woman in the world. Whether you have much sympathy for that is yr own call but for myself, I still think it’s pretty fascinating

#15. Remi Wolf - Big Ideas

Funk pop, rock

I came to Remi Wolf’s second album for the funk bangers but stayed for the hooky indie rock tunes too, at least after I’d gotten over how much i wanted there to be more funk bangers. The most immediate material here is definitely in her sunshine RnB pop style, with "Cinderella", "Pitiful" and "Frog Rock" being some of the catchiest songs I’ve heard all year. But, given time, the rockier "Alone In Miami" became a huge favourite too, with Remi’s diaristic lyricism adding a dimension beyond the hooks and riffing. Big Ideas is comfortable reaching across the stylistic spectrum, being the first record i've heard for a long time that takes in both Prince and Daniel Johnston as notable influences. In summary: there are two Wolfs within this album and both of them are good!

#14. Jessica Pratt - Here In the Pitch

Singer-songwriter; Folk pop; Retro

Her third album Quiet Signs felt a bit hazy and nebulous at times but Here In The Pitch returned to the strong melodies of Jess’s earlier material, a mid century pop record that frequently feels like a warm summer night somewhere in Latin America circa 1962. Tho it’s sometimes as minimal as its small hours vibe might suggest, Here In The Pitch contains plenty of pop energy, full of Spectorish rumble and swaying bossanovas as well as being as packed with hooks as any of this year’s big sellers. While the atmosphere does sometimes tend twds eeriness, Pratt's distinctive babyvoiced coo always feels welcoming on an album where she sounds like she's really enjoying herself.

#13. Tyler the Creator - Chromakopia

Rap; Hip Hop

I’ve never managed to connect much with Tyler before but Chromakopia really blew me away. I'm a sucker for the kind of upbeat funk and soft soul beats that he tends to use here, but his extremely in yr face, percussion heavy approach is also a big draw and the way this album comes at you right out of the gate is hugely impressive. Lyrically, there’s some of the usual bragging that I’d expect but Tyler also gets into the kind of awkward personal and moral quandaries that make up life's grey areas too. Songs like "Hey Jane" and "Take Your Mask Off" have a real depth of character to them, exploring issues like unwanted pregnancy and personal disillusionment in a thoughtful way that doesn't look for neat answers.

#12. Lizzy McAlpine - Older

Singer songwriter; Folk-rock; Retro

Lizzy’s third album, while coherent enough in its focus, finds her stylistically split between a Laura Marling type singer songwriter vein and something more obviously retro focused. In all truth Older is rarely a cheerful record - a young woman’s odyssey thru a time of change type of thing - but it is beautifully rendered, either in rich Fleetwood Mac-esque arrangements or spare, delicate solo accompaniments which reinforce the desperation at its heart. I’ve struggled a little with some of the final third, where the backing tends to drop to a bare minimum and that’s probably kept this out of the top 10 here. But the strength of the melodies and the real character and power of her delivery are getting me now to a point where I’m more consistently enjoying all of it: it’s just the kind of record where some parts of it take a little longer to come into full focus than others. This sort of folky, soul bearing singer songwriter is not always the kind of thing that i can get along with but, far more than most albums of its kind, Older is an absolute gem.

#11. Halsey - The Great Impersonator 

Pop/rock

The Great Impersonator was largely inspired by Halsey’s struggles with life threatening illness and much has been made of her “main character syndrome” by some, regarding the way she places her fears and trials at the centre of the record. In truth it can feel quite jarring at times - and occasionally exhausting - but what it actually made me think of is the way that I, as someone with long term disabling illness, often don’t bring things up, in fact make myself small and don’t talk about the basics of my life, for fear of not being heard or accommodated. So when Halsey talks about her issues here, then it really does feel genuinely moving to hear someone making that space for herself and refusing to be silent.

None of this would matter much if The Great Impersonator sucked but - lucky for us - it’s absolutely fantastic. The multi-decade concept feels a bit hard to parse but generally you can just ignore it and focus on the songs, a clash of genres to rival her masterpiece Manic but with an even greater depth of emotional turmoil to draw upon. Aside from illness, there are the usual self hating bangers like "Ego", and a mix of the two is often welcome too: “Dog Years” especially bristles with fury as Ashley growls “they say all dogs go to Heaven / well, what about a bitch?” and indeed the record is well stocked with good one liners throughout. It's fair to say that the consistently downbeat focus can make for a grim listen and also that the returning "Letter To God" songs can come off as a bit repetitive and boring. But there’s sweetness here too as well as harsh reality - especially on the glorious, featherlight title track - and I suspect a bit more time with this would have shunted it into the top 10.

And that Top 10 is coming soon! i have actually written the posts! Maybe starting tomorrow! Bye for now!

[a-certain-ontology]

my "1.5kg box containing mizuki's memories" aka the ゲ謎 deluxe blu-ray arrived and it is overwhelming. truly a must-buy for any ゲ謎 fan who can afford it. feels like i'll spend weeks/months going through it (in both senses lol)

(spoilers, esp for toco-sensei's drama CD imageboards)

- blu-rays of both the PG-12 version and R15 真生版, with two audio commentaries... it is also hilarious to me that they provided character-based supercuts

- the drama CD!!!

- booklet with character and prop designs, long interviews with many staff members, storyboards of key scenes (!)

- the afureko script is immense and includes directorial instructions copied from the storyboards (based on a brief comparison with the storyboards in the booklet)... extremely excited to read this. the note in the final scene, with mizuki trying but failing to remember... crying

- visual extras including the reproduced photographs 🥺

and of course toco-sensei's drama CD imageboards!!!!! omg. the sheer density of these... i could live off these for months!!! non-exhaustive highlights:

- bath + post-bath scene (mizuki with wet hair... precious) + actual narrative explanation for how and why gegerou obtained the sake

- so many cute drinking moments... mizuki lying down and looking at the sky 🥹🥹🥹

- mizuki as a kid 🥺🥺🥺

- osada and otome lore (!!!!!) ...the picture with young osada being shorter than her oh no

- the 修学旅行の夜感 caption was so cute

- the doodle of white-haired mizuki and medama-oyaji eating discounted bananas... thank you for this glimpse of post-movie domestic life T_T

- i did wonder if mizuki really had gone to a ginza parlour for a cream soda (or if he was just saying that since sayo was interested), but if he has a sweet tooth then that explains it..!

[coralcatsea]

Thoughts on Canon Universes: Part 4/5

Gangstalia: Super cool designs for England and Japan. I kind of wish at least some of the characters had the classic pinstripe suits and hats, though. I'm glad Italy shows a different side of himself in this AU. However, I have to admit I'm not super invested in what's going on. I think fun things can be done with the whole gangster idea, but...what Hima's doing isn't really clicking with me.

Fairy Tales: Cute! I do enjoy fairy tales. Since America is Dorothy, a tornado could take him to Oz and then all of the other fairy tale worlds! He could even bring the other characters along with him, like England as Jack, who could want to travel to find treasure to bring home to his poor family.

Hetalia Fantasia: What we see in the drama CDs is very entertaining. I love gunner America and summoner England, France and Russia are very cute in it, and Prussia being an overpowered edgelord is utterly hilarious. Since it's a generic fantasy world in a video game, you can also basically do whatever you want with it!

Previous - Next

[ecargmura]

Maho Aku Episode 12 Review + Final Thoughts - The Cutest Enemies-To-Lovers Story

Because this anime’s finale is just Byakuya and Mira being cute as heck for the final time, I’m going to just give my overall thoughts about the entire anime!

This is the cutest enemies-to-lover anime I’ve watched and now it’s over… This is a show where it’s impossible to ask for a second season because there isn’t anything else to adapt. Still, I can’t deny that this has been one of the most entertaining animes of this season…and it’s only a 12-minute long anime!

It’s crazy how much Bones did to make this weekly 12-minute anime be concise with the pacing and how well they animated it! I loved the cute moments between Byakuya and Mira and how each character helped play a part for both leads, whether they be the sleaziest and the worst character (Cat Familiar), or the cutest thing ever (Fomalhaut). From the beginning, Mira fell for Byakuya, so it was nice seeing her fall for him throughout the 12 episodes. I do like that all the characters have distinct personalities, even if they don’t appear much. I personally enjoyed Hibana and loved whenever she showed up on screen to give Byakuya a chiropractic adjustment and throwing f-bombs.

I like the world building with how there are actually multiple magical girls and familiars with the introduction of Hibana and her Bird Familiar and how the familiars are actually angels. The evil organization fight against the magical girls, but I do wish that we get to learn a bit more about them—we never even saw the Evil King. I guess my only issue with the worldbuilding is that I wish there was more to it. Why do the familiars need the magical girls? Who’s the actual villain? The fact that these will never get answered does upset me slightly.

The music was great! I really loved the songs used for the magical girl transformation! Hibana’s magical girl song was clearly the highlight with the constant blurting of F*ck in the background. I also loved the opening and ending songs as they were catchy!

The voice acting was really good! The two leads reprised their roles from the drama CD and I think they did a good job! I normally associate Yuuki Ono with cool roles, so it was nice to see him do comedy! Actually, I did like his role as Hori from Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun! I feel like Ono amped up his comedy game with this anime! His outbursts were so hilarious, especially when he flips his switch from serious to down bad. Byakuya is voiced by Mai Nakahara. It’s nice to hear Nakahara not voice an anime mom for once! Two animes I’ve watched, she voiced an anime mom. It was nice to hear her go out of her usual comfort zone and voice soft-spoken and adorable Byakuya! I think she did a really good job making Byakuya sound young and convincingly young! The other cast did a splendid job with their characters! Other than Hibana and the Bird Familiar, I also enjoyed Hiro Shimono as Alcyone because I originally thought he was Natsuki Hanae, so I’m mentioning him here because he fooled me. Though, if I had to pick a stand out role, it’d be Ayako Kawasumi as Bellatrix. No one ever expected the stoic and aloof officer to be extremely perverted! I sure didn’t!

Overall, this is a quick watch but I totally recommend it if you want something cute to watch! It’s super cute! I do plan on getting the manga! What are your thoughts on the anime as a whole?

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Comte’s Drama CD: Track Three, A Date at the Mercy of an Extraordinarily Bad(?) Adult

And we are back with our third installment of this unhinged recounting translation series, to perhaps the funniest and lowkey horniest track on the whole CD. In this one, Comte takes MC to a boutique to try on dresses and select something for a party/ball later that night. Without further ado, the contents are as follows:

Comte: Come on in. This boutique is my favorite.


There is a large variety of designs, so if you see a dress you like, don’t hesitate to give it a try.

Of course, I’m going to have you wear a lot of the dresses I select, so be prepared for that.

Let’s pick a dress for the ball tonight.

From now on, it’s my pleasure to show off the most beautiful person I know.

The way he makes me so giddy, “to show off the most beautiful person I know” no you!!!!! But also like. Lmfao the way he’s so ready for this, you can just tell this is what he lives for and it’s hilarious.

What’s that? Have you found a design that you like?

I…yes, I’ve decided. I carefully selected about ten gowns because I was worried about it.

Huh? ….I didn’t think it was that many….

Well, let’s leave that discussion aside for now and examine each dress in order.

I love how he’s like “okay what did you pick, let’s compare.” MC presumably has like two and he’s like “oh yeah, here’s ten.” And not only that, the second she’s like “uhhhhh don’t you think that’s too many??” he’s like “ANYWAY--” The way he will deadass evade any questions about excess I’m. Iconic. King Shit. Nobody Doing It Like Him. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I love how the energy of their married life is like: MC: I did not grow up rich Comte: YOU GON LEARN T O D A Y--

I think one of my favorite bits about Comte is how he’s like “I’m so normal” while everyone stares at him in sheer disbelief or incredulity 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

First off, this is an evening dress.

The beaded embroidery that spreads down to the hem is intended to reflect the light that spills from the chandelier overhead when dancing.

It must be breathtakingly beautiful

It’s a sight I’d love to see….Though…there is the trouble that this dress is dazzlingly attractive. (MONSIEUR IS CONFLICTED)

I feel I have made it clear (but I must reiterate) how much I love him being the living embodiment of that meme like:

Comte: Look at MC!!!! Isn’t she the prettiest!!!!! I love my wife so much!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Anyone: Wow I like her too Comte: kill bill sirens no.

I can assure you that this exotic dress would suit you without even needing to see you try it on.

A sash belt with wide cuffs and a high waist…

It’s similar to a traditional Japanese kimono from your homeland, isn’t it?

And then…a pretty floral dress with a soft/fluffy drape.

Ah...I should probably put this dangerous looking black lace dress away. (HE SOUNDS SO TURNED ON AND LOWKEY HOARSE IM)

Ah…the more I look at it, the weaker I get…I can’t choose because I think any of them would look good on you.

I find it absolutely hysterical that he tries to hide his real taste behind all these very subtle and feminine dresses and then he’s like. LOOK AT THIS. COINCIDENTALLY BLACK AND RISQUÉ DRESS. NOW YOU SEE IT NOW YOU DON’T--

Comte just give me the dress I’m yelling 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Oh that’s right…if I get all of them, I won’t have to choose…! (EXCITE)

Oh, no…haha, I know (IMMEDIATE GIVE UP)

I’m only kidding. (ARE YOU?? I DON’T BELIEVE U SIR)

But since we’re here anyway, do you mind if we look around for a while together?

I don’t know what’s cuter, the fact that he gets so hyped and then sulks immediately, or the fact that he tries to compromise and be there together for a bit longer. I love him!!!!! Mans is trying so hard to dote on her I’m dying

Yes, leave it to me. I’ll make you the best princess in the world.

Well then, let’s go to the fitting room with the dresses we have chosen…Don’t worry if you don’t know how to wear it.

I’ll help you, okay? (DON’T WHISPER I’M FRAGILE)

---

Come now, don’t run away,

At home, you let me tie the ribbons at the back and help you with your necklaces all the time.

Well the setting is a little different, so I suppose it would make sense that you might be a bit more self-conscious.

You’re blushing all the way up to the tips of your ears…you’re so cute.

I’m telling you right now, don’t even think about asking the shop clerk to help you. (EEEEEEYYYYYY YOOOOOOO)

I don’t care who it is, I’m the only one allowed to touch you like this. (SEXY SEXY O//O)

Aight so there are so many things going on here, and the asides barely even cover it all. Fuwa fuwa about the best princess in the world, no u!!!!!!!! My face was in my hands when he said she was cute, he’s so earnestly affectionate!!!!

This. mf. going into the changing room with her. Without hesitation. Sir that is not how any reputable place of business operates!!!!! I laugh even more because he sincerely sounds a bit put out trying to chase her around to let him help her 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Okay but that last bit when he’s telling her only he gets to do that stuff. Bruh. He goes lowkey savage and it’s HOT AF. Sultry and possessive inject that straight into my veins h e l l o--

…Don’t worry. No one knows what’s going on behind the curtain unless you make noise. (THAT’S NOT ALL I’M CONCERNED ABOUT SIR)

Now then…turn around and I’ll help you take off the dress you’re wearing right now. (SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP)

…You are beautiful no matter what you wear, but there’s no match for the breathtaking sight of you with nothing at all on… (STOP BEING HORNY IN PUBLIC)

I won’t do anything...If only you were quiet?

Hm? The sound of footsteps approaching…is that a clerk I hear? [audible footsteps in the background]

I’m so torn because like. There’s the half of me that’s like “go on” and the other half of me that’s like slaps his little pizza hands. Being a Comte stan is just being torn between scolding him and/or enabling him constantly LMFAO

Shh…forget other people noticing me, are you all right?

(STOP LAUGHING WHY IS IT ADORABLE) It can’t be helped. If you’re so worried, I’ll cover your lips for you. Mn…

Well…I think he’s gone…[chuckle] I didn’t mean to kiss you in a place like this.

Hm? You’re such a naughty woman…to look so love drunk with a single kiss.

We can continue this tonight…tonight we’ll have our fill. Do you like the sound of that?

I gotta wonder what MC looked like to make him be like “bro, you good?” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Behold the consequences of your actions, Comte, you keep wooing and charming her and she’s going to be incoherent by the end omllll. But also him finding any excuse to kiss her eyyyyyyyyyyyy (I will forgive his relentless desire for her because it’s sweet and v sexy, gold star ⭐️)

Also why does that last bit lowkey sound more like he’s trying to bargain with himself than her 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 “just be patient Abel. Bide ya time”

----

…Yes, I think this dress looks the best/most attractive on you.

(HIS LAUGHTER SEND HELP THE DELIGHT) I just knew it would look stunning on you.

Ah but I can’t help but pester you a little. Every dress looks so lovely on you.

No, it’s not just flattery…do you mind if I see you in just one more?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard a man who loves to play dress up as much as he does, should I be concerned??

Sir you are under arrest for being beyond silly goofy cute LOCK THE DOORS FETCH THE CONSTABLE--

Everyone at home says it's just a deranged aristocratic hobby or that I’m turning you into a dress up doll…

The loveliness and beauty of my lover, I can’t help that there’s no end to my desire to see you shine even more.

Thank you…I’m glad you at least understand/don’t feel put upon.

Oh dear, it’s about time for the carriage to pick us up. Since we’ve tried a few things on, I think we should start heading over to the ball.

…But before that, I must offer you one piece of advice.

…Don’t show the defenseless face that I see now in front of any other man. (SO SERIOUS HEART FLUTTERY VISION GROWING DIM)

Understand? …Yes, that’s a very good answer.

Well then, let’s go, my princess.

Honestly I do feel that--while it’s hilarious and somewhat fair the mansion men rib him about dressing her up--Comte does have positive intentions regarding the whole endeavor. It was recently brought to my attention by a friend (I can take little to no credit for this idea) that part of being lovers with someone is sharing what you have. Now this obviously doesn’t mean an exacting 50/50 type of thing, rather that part of showing proper care and affiliation can involve gifts/money depending on the situation.

In the case of Comte who is a man of considerable wealth and social standing, it would potentially appear negligent if MC were to appear at a ball with a dress she’s worn before. Part of being a responsible spouse in his context, then, would be to provide her with nothing less than the most stunning jewelry and top class new dresses. While I don’t necessarily think he’s interested in his/their image in a vain way or even all that obsessed with what others think, I do think he’s concerned about being a good husband and lover. And by extension, he wants MC to enjoy nice clothing and accessories and be able to present herself at his side with confident pride.

Another dimension that’s important to consider, I think, is the fact of his upbringing. It is very likely that in his household growing up, that might have been what he was taught. I won’t spoil the next Drama CD track, but there is evidence to believe he has a number of preconceived notions about what it means to be an adequate partner to someone. Granted I don’t think he’s incapable of seeing things any other way, but I think those lessons from when he was a kid do color his perception. He was likely taught that, as a person of status, he had to be exquisitely mannered, exceptionally talented in some form of the arts, a captivating dancer, a sharp and witty conversationalist, and many more expectations that he had no choice but to meet. And most importantly, he had to be able to convey that to and lead the woman he chose for himself. We have already explored the fact that pureblood vampires are a bit extreme and inhumane in their beliefs about many things. Given how weirdly obsessed they are with breeding more of them, it really wouldn’t surprise me if they have absolute ideas about gender roles.

It almost seems like for him to feel worthy of a relationship, he feels the need to meet those expectations. On some level, it’s like he forgets MC is just happy to be beside him; she’s not necessarily all that interested in him fitting the cookie cutter perfect aristocrat spouse. And in truth, I find that whenever she reminds him of what truly matters at the core, it always seems to give him a jolt. Not that he had considered it irrelevant, but that he gets so caught up in his instinctive/learned behavior that it’s a soothing reminder that he’s more than enough to be loved as he is. I think its particularly fascinating because it really doesn’t feel superficial or naive as much as it does a product of his habits/lifestyle. Yes it allows him to stay informed and busy (beating the bad thoughts away with a broom, mood) but he also loses that depth of connection that he yearns for. (Which he also fears, of course, because of everyone he’s lost. Man Comte tough break being allergic to your own feelings fr, spamming F in the chat--)

And God like. I know I’ve said it before but. The way this man does possessiveness/jealousy????? Unmatched. Enormously attractive. Yessir I wasn’t particularly interested in looking at anyone else, but wow does it set me on fire to be reminded sternly 👀

All right well that’s it for track three, on to the next!

[vallitemaiden]

on mikoto's powers

Canon ways Mikoto uses her powers

The barrier that protects Hoshido from (living) soldiers

Chapter 3: Hoshido Ryoma: They're known as the Faceless. Creature with no will of their own. Created by Nohrian mages. Hinoka: I call 'em dead meat. But they're the only thing Nohr can throw at us right now. Our mother, Queen Mikoto, put up a magical barrier around our kingdom. Regular enemy soldiers find themselves without the will to fight upon crossing it. So long as Mother is able to keep the barrier up, Nohr can't invade Hoshido. Ryoma: That's why Nohr sends those…things. They have no souls-no will of their own. That's why they are able to penetrate the barrier and terrorize our borders.

Perhaps related to this, if you squint and tilt your head, is that one of Mikoto's cipher cards has a similar ability.

Miracle Emblem: Until the end of this battle, your opponent's attacking unit cannot perform a Critical Hit.

The infamous letters (If Takumi, Hinoka, or Sakura are S-supported, Mikoto leaves them letters explaining that Corrin is not blood related, and they all mention Mikoto was known to have prophetic powers so she must have foreseen them falling in love)

Foreseeing her own death. This differs between the game and the audio drama. It could also be that she knew the exact moment but didn't let on that she knew.

Chapter 5: Mother Yukimura: I hate to deliver this news, but… Queen Mikoto foresaw her own death. This isn't your fault, Corrin. King Garon set these events in motion. And the queen speculated that there may be an even darker force at work. She didn't know when or how death would strike, only that it was certain. And there's one other thing. Please take a look at that statue.

Hoshido Drama CD, Track 8 Mikoto: Takumi, you really have wonderful retainers. Hinata, Oboro, please continue to support him. And Kaze, please watch over everyone. Because soon.. you will have to do it in my stead. *she sighs deeply* From today’s waning moon.. to that day at the square.. There is not much time left.

These are all the references I know of. In summary, she can affect morale of living humans and has prophetic visions not only of herself but also of others.

I also like the idea that the reason Mikoto could act so oddly at times was because of her visions draining her. Orochi speaks of it a bit.

Orochi C Support Orochi: Oh, she was endlessly hilarious. One time, I recall catching her swimming— with her slippers on! She'd forget she had two chopsticks in hand—and eat with four! Some might say she was absentminded. Not I. She was a dreamer of dreams. So what if Lady Mikoto had her silly mishaps. We loved her for it. Avatar: Please, go on. Orochi: Once she sat cross-legged for so long, her legs went to sleep. And I am talking a DEEP sleep! She stood up before the court—and careened right into a fountain! Avatar: I wish I could have been there. Er, at least to help her out of the water. Orochi: Your mother was truly unique, like a wise sage and an accidental jester. She had the sweetest voice, but the things she would say… Honestly, that dear woman—she really was a hoot.

I do think some of this is simply her personality, that she tried to face life with a smile and making others happy, but the more absent-minded type moments I like to think were actually her recovering from having a vision and trying to not worry anyone.

The one thing they don't really touch on is how Mikoto holds that barrier. Azura uses her songs to do similar things to Mikoto's powers, but it takes a larger toll on her. To maintain a barrier around Hoshido and for 10 years or so is a wild amount of power. I assume it has something to do with Mikoto being raised in Valla and being older, so she's more practiced.

My best guess is that the barrier is something Mikoto needs to maintain by performing the rite pretty frequently and that she's also familiar with dance and singing the same way Arete and Azura are. We just see her for such a short pocket of time that it doesn't really come up, but Orochi does say that she has a lovely voice.

One way I expand her powers in TOA is that she can also see events leading up to this point if the person is from fateslandia (any route) because of her powers coming from the First Dragon (Anankos), who affected the land pretty deeply. Of course, I only do this if the other mun agrees. For people like the Awakening trio, it's more limited cause they're not from Fates but spent time there. Otherwise, she can see the future of anyone (again, barring the other mun's permission).

She can also use her song power to quell enemies or bolster allies, which can mean different things with out-of-combat flavor text depending on how we wanna write it (inspiring them to fight, to feel elated, or conversely to feel sedated or a kind of peaceful calm that saps the will to fight). When she's using this type of magic, her focus is solely on that, so she can't fight in those moments.

Her powers are actually something I'd love to explore much more, especially the implication of changing someone's emotions even if only temporarily.

[magicalgirlagency]

Ever heard of Corrector Yui? Have you ever watched it?

I don't have many impactful memories of it, truth be told, but yes I have. That anime is the evidence that your Magical Girl series CAN be heavy on the sci-fi aspect WITHOUT losing its charm and playfulness (this shade was aimed specifically at Seinen Magical Girls).

I'm impressed at how this anime unknowingly predates Winx Club's Tecna by having an Internet Fairy as its heroine. I find it hilarious that if it weren't for a computer-illiterate girl, we most likely wouldn't have one of the most formative characters of our youth.

Also, did you know that Kasuga Yui was voiced by Makiko Ohmoto, who voices none other than Kirby*? You've read that right.

*Except for the Drama CD, though; that was Kawata Taeko (seiyuu for Amy Rose, Cinnamoroll, Shizuka Joestar and Chypre) playing the role instead.

[digitalgate02]

Hi! I hope your month has been proceeding well. About your Xros Wars Legends AU, I find it ironic and hilarious that Daisuke, who's super sus about shady people, became a shady person himself in it, like, he just became what he is wary of. Also, I'd like to know your personal thoughts on Gulusgammamon, his role in the GG series, his relationship with Hiro and Gammamon too. Based on his angry disgusted look directed at Canoweissmon after they separated, I don't think he thinks highly of his white counterpart before the latter turned his philosophy against him. After that, it was a different tune. Do you think the Endbringer thread will be picked up in some future GG continuation? Was there even any foreshadowing for that plot drop? Eat fruits and sleep early!

Oh boy there's multiple questions there... I'll do my best to answer them all (^・ω・^ )

"I find it ironic and hilarious that Daisuke, who's super sus about shady people, became a shady person himself in it, like, he just became what he is wary of."

Well, that's something I didn't think of before, lol

Though in this AU setting he's being forced to be shady and sus. It's not something he enjoys or is proud of. Because he’s being hunted by the villains and mean spirited digimon who might want to sell him in the black market… And The Watchmaker kinda forced him to pull this shady role (except he only did that because he couldn’t turn his back on Taiki-Tagiru-Yuu at all)

About Gulus & my opinion on him and his role in GG:

I think I’ve talked about it before? Possibly in my post trying to explain what I got from the final episode. I don’t think Gulus was entirely vile, but more rather a creature who gained a twisted view of the world thanks to a traumatic experience. He lost his home planet and this set him into this idea of the world being a dog eat dog scenario. And then you have the sweet side of Gammamon, which is so naive and gentle… I prefer to not treat Gulus and Gammamon as a separate being – the episode showed a duality between both personalities in a more visual style, but might remind you that all of that battle and talk of “inner universes” are mostly in poetic and figurative way to express an inner battle happening inside Gammamon’s mind. In which yes, the kids and BloomLordmon managed to get inside Gammamon for a moment – and this is why you get Canowissmon and Regulusmon getting separated: it’s because it happens inside Gammamon’s mind.

Gulus in general was one of the things I was waiting for the Digimon franchise to do a long time ago: A kid with a villainous digimon. And no, by that I meant something different from Tailmon’s case in both classic & reboot Digimon Adventure – I mean one where the kid is basically a human Wormmon and the digimon a Kaiser-mon. Well, I guess this is what we got~ But at the same time, you can notice there’s times that showed maybe Gulus wasn’t entirely evil. Because in his debut episode he screams to Hiro to get out of the way when trying to attack Angoramon and Jellymon, but since Hiro stayed there he just canceled his attack and reverted back to Gammamon. And every time the enemy had some evil behavior that could end with the trio and the mons dead, Gulus would butt in and save them all. So for a villain – or rather, anti-villain – he was showing signals of him starting to change for a little.

Or this is what I thought until ep 66, lol.

Note that I’m not saying he didn’t do anything wrong, because he did and oh he did. It’s times that maybe he was slowly getting changed by Hiro & co., hence the good Gamma’s personality.

By the way, I'm still keeping my stance on the finale and how relieved I am that Gulus wasn't destroyed and yes was shown that he's still Gammamon despite everything -- More like "accept your flaws instead of getting rid of them" message, I think.

Now I think this Endbringer thing could be an open opportunity for a sequel in format of a drama CD or manga, or a standalone movie idk. But I’d rather prefer none of those (I have personal reasons, please do not ask for details) and that they could just move on and work on something brand new with no ties to GG or any other series at all. I’d rather prefer to make my own particular and delusional sequel, without demanding or asking Bandai & Toei to make it real.

[belle-of-a-time]

A list of pretty good actually teen/YA supernatural shows that I have personally seen and think are not That bad.

If I think of more I’ll add them to the list.

Pretty Please give me Campy Supernatural recommendations.

Zombies (I’m actually terrified of zombies so a lot are too scary for me)

Z nation (very campy the middle seasons are my favorite)

iZombie (only the first season)

Vampires (i wanted to be one when I was ten)

The vampire diaries (i don’t really recommend ALL of TVD it gets super frustratingly boring for me at least)

The Originals (the edgier spin off I did not like it but it’s worth mentioning)

Legacies (the only one of the three I actually recommend wholeheartedly. It’s campy it’s stupid and it’s fun also there’s a musical episode!)

My babysitter is a vampire (absolute classic but not as classic as-)

Buffy the vampire slayer (it had an awkward implied sex scene that made me laugh also has a musical episode)

What we do in the shadows (older skewed but absolutely hilarious)

True blood (be warned if you haven’t seen it. Confederate vampires abound 🤢, other than that though it’s pretty alright)

Werewolves (give me recommendations please)

Wolf Blood (absolute favorite of all time,its on Amazon prime and peacock and I Highly recommend)

Teen wolf (classic)

TVD and it’s spin-offs also count but If you want Werewolf content The Originals is probably your best bet tbh

Wolf pack (buffy cameo in the first episode, im hooked)

Miscellaneous (witches, ghosts, otherwise spooky)

Wednesday

Julie and the phantoms (girl accidentally summons ghosts by playing an old cd in her garage. Drama ensues. every episode has at least one song)

Binny and the ghost ( girl meets ghost boy and they fall in love, very cute. German Disney channel, is not on Disney plus the only way I know to watch it is piracy)

H2O: just add water (mermaids… need i say more)

Cursed (Arthurian but with a twist)

The imperfects (a group of 20somethings underwent experimental treatment for a condition that eventually causes them to develop supernatural powers that turn them into “monsters” lovingly called a “coming of rage” by its fans)

Dirk gently’s holistic detective agency (Elijah wood and Samuel Barnett are very lucky at solving crimes. Contains my poor meow meow Bart (love her) and also my girl crush Amanda. It’s weird and campy and I wish it had gotten more seasons)

The Witcher (I really liked season one and two!)

Charmed (the original AND the reboot are both very fun, it’s about witches)

Once upon a time (long and not paced very well but it’s fun at times, I had a crush on Peter Pan when I was a kid and his season is the best so there’s that.)

The 100 (Technically sci-fi but I’ve heard it gets supernatural at some point so when I get there I’ll probably move it, it’s kinda stupid but it’s campy and FULL absolutely brimming with hot men and lesbians and it Still got probably too many seasons)

Dead Boy Detectives (if you can’t tell I like mystery shows. GHOSTS! Ghost boys solve mysteries with their psychic friend! Has a lot of queer rep and tbh I think it’s handled better than a lot of stuff recently Especially Edwin, Jenny was a little less so but i did love that there were No homophobes I mean a few were implied but they don’t get any platform. VERY cute and very emotional at times I would rank it up there with The Imperfects as one of my Favorite modern supernatural shows. It’s a Netflix original as well so its chances of getting a second season are low but I adored it, it’s set up for at least one more season but you know how Netflix is.)

[lilithrebellion]

Mind sharing your thoughts about Krul and Mika’s dynamic? It’s so complicated and muddied thanks to her treatment of him, you can’t help but be intrigued. I also can’t help but notice that she’s a lot nicer to Amaya compared to everyone else but maybe that’s just cause she’s her best solider?

Sure!

Overall, I think Krul has a sort of "tough love" approach to "parenting" Mika. I see her as being strict, but very supportive. In fact, I think the strictness comes from her being supportive, in that she's pushing Mika to succeed in his goals.

In the early flashbacks, Krul's treatment of him does seem questionable since she did force him to become a vampire and talks about how Mika drinking her blood instead of from humans makes him reliant on her like a "dog". But, I also see it as her offering Mika that choice while also being very upfront about the caveats. Because she could have shoved the blood down his throat like when she turned him. But for this scene, she waits until Mika bites her on his own. In a way, she let Mika have what could be considered an informed choice. She's just phrasing it in a vampire-like way.

And while in the beginning, it does seem like Krul is only helping Mika because she needs him for his Seraph gene, I do feel that Krul cares about Mika more than just conveniently using him for her goals. In fact, I think it was made really clear in chapter 96. First, there's a flashback of her training baby Mika. Which, on one hand, does look like she's just one-sidedly beating him up. But you also see that Mika isn't shown as distressed, but determined instead. So much that Krul sounds somewhat impressed at what he's willing to do to save Yuu. And then Mika says he can handle it and asks her to keep going, you get this proud Mama Krul smile.

Plus, the harsh training does make sense. Mika would have understood that he needs to be strong if he wants to save Yuu, and he knows he's not going to get that if he's coddled. Although it's rough, Krul's giving Mika what he wants here.

Same chapter, she comments about how Yuu and gang are dumb (lol) and that if she had raised them, they would have turned out smarter, like how Mika is. Another proud mama moment, in my eyes.

After recalling this, she asks Yuu to prove how serious he is about wanting to save Mika. I'll put the panel again, because it speaks for itself.

Krul is doing this because the idiocy Yuu's been showing has made her doubt his intentions and she wants to know that Mika's care for Yuu isn't one-sided, that he actually cares about Mika in return. She wants to know that Yuu was worth all the suffering Mika went through. Which is, the most blatant protective parent behavior ever. And I don't think she would have bothered with saying this if Mika was just a tool to her.

And besides this, I find that despite the harsh things Krul says to Mika (especially in the earlier chapters), she is surprisingly lenient towards him. Again, with not forcing him to drink human blood. And also with how she encourages Mika's desire to save Yuu. Which makes me think that the harsh statements early on that he "can't defy her since she's his owner" shouldn't be taken literally and actually means "be smart and think this through. I'm not your enemy". In chapter 22 where this takes place, it happened because Mika got mad at Krul for keeping her plans from him. But after saying the above, she ends up whispering it to him anyway. Which, I don't think she'd have done if she actually cared about Mika being obedient. Also I do find it mildly hilarious that Mika goes "I want to run away with Yuu-chan" and Krul's response is essentially "Yes, do it. Go run away with him. That works for me too.👍"

And sidenote. Not sure how canon we want to consider this, but I find this bit from the Shitsuji no Seraph drama cd where Krul is going full mama mode doting on Mika to be adorable.

Now getting into Krul and Amaya in comparison. I also used the "strict but supportive" idea when conceptualizing their dynamic. (Although less "mom-like" with Amaya since she wasn't as young and also already has a mom) Similar to the human blood thing with Mika, Krul is upfront with Amaya about what becoming a vampire means and let her make the decision herself. Plus, when Krul tells Amaya that she should leave after the Ashina battle, it is to protect her from experiencing the pain of being shunned as a monster by the people she wanted to protect if they found out. Of course, she does experience this anyway later on. Krul's intention here is something like "I'm telling you this for your own good, but if you need to find out the hard way then so be it." And when Krul finds Amaya afterwards, I wanted to make sure that her words of comfort didn't come off as too gentle. With how I saw her interactions with Mika, I think she's the type to give the honest truth, even if it's hard to hear and won't sugar coat things. I also find that she values independent thought (from how she's proud of Mika for being smart), which is why I had her tell Amaya to decide for herself what it means to be a vampire.

And mirroring Krul's encouragement of Mika to run away with Yuu, Krul so far has been encouraging of Amaya wanting to protect Yui. However, Krul's support of Mika was partially due to their goals aligning. And without giving too much away, this will also hold true for Amaya and Yui. For now, just know that Krul also has her goal of taking down Karlheinz since she finds him to be an annoyance, and that Amaya helping Yui is currently in line with that goal.

So while yes, Krul is nice to Amaya. And yes, it is partially because she has been a loyal and dependable soldier for about 500 years now. But the main point is that same with Mika, Krul is allowing Amaya's actions because it is also what she wants for one reason or another. As for what that reason is, you'll just have to wait and see.😉

(Low key though, Krul does totally ship it lol)

[magodangretsus]

YOU KNOW ABOUT MILGRAM TOO??????

I know about twewy and Milgram yes!! I played twewy on the original DS in middle school and have loved it deeply ever since (I also played neo twewy but have some bitter feelings towards it).

Milgram is sick as hell, though I haven't listened to most of the drama CDs because free time and an attention span are fake, I'm mostly consuming via the music videos and reading theories in the YouTube comments. My favorite character is Futa, I think Haruka is a meow-meow and I am very intrigued by Kazui, and while the decision to play the personality disorder for Mikoto straight is Not Appreciated, everything that went down with his voting round is hilarious.

Both these franchises are things I very enthusiastically recommend people regularly, very cool very good. Also I love music so much and both these things have such good music.

[vote-gaara]

Have you heard/seen The Host: Naruto CD Drama? Pierrot should have made an OVA of that, it would have been hilarious XD

PS: The little voice that Gaara makes is so… there are no words to describe it XD

Yes, I have heard it! Quite a few times, actually.

It will never not be funny to me how Gaara walks into the situation and states in his stoic, calm way "oh I'm not good with such things... I'm poor at talking to women...But for the protection of the Shinobi world, I shall do my best."

Then he just goes absolutely bananas in his role, and I imagine everyone there was thinking "damn Gaara, this is a little too real to be just for "the protection of the Shinobi world."

Like he just goes HAM.

I mean, that must have felt therapeutic to him in some way. My god.

Also, to see that on animation as an OVA? That would be like winning the lottery.

Thank you for having me think about this this morning :') good start to my day.

[evaofkonoha]

Like seemingly everything in my life, there's a story to this one. Feeling kind of strange, so maybe I'll delete this later. Unfortunately I'm also insanely impulsive, which is winning at the moment. This is a long one, and if no one ever reads this that's honestly okay. I think I just need to get it out there for my own reasons.

To start, this song was written and recorded as my final senior project at my arts high school, so this recording is old. I performed it and provided the guitar (and tambourine!) on the track. My friend did the drums, mixed, and produced it. Another person provided piano. Okay, all credits out of the way!

I don't think I have ever honestly shared what this song is about. I didn't feel comfortable sharing it at school, so I came up with some silly, vague answer for them to read off at the final showcase and put in the Senior CD.

It's actually about my best friend in high school and I growing apart after I had moved to the arts high school. She was probably one of the best friends I have ever had. We were tight as could be. We did everything together. We even created our own fake religion (much to our parent's chagrin, I'm from the south). We called each other "fave" and even had a handshake type thing we would do. A rumor even spread that we were dating, we were that close (we thought it was hilarious, it was also not true). There were countless inside jokes. We traveled, went to any and all concerts we could afford, hung out all the time way past curfew, had sleepovers, went thrifting and vinyl hunting, almost anything and everything together.

So when I switched schools and we began to grow apart, it broke my heart. There wasn't a big blowout, no massive event. We just, grew apart. Admittedly, there was drama brewing for a while in the friend group around us (which is also sad, as I lost many close friends because of that drama as well) that I think influenced it as well.

I was doing some not-so-spring cleaning today with some stuff I picked up from my mom's house, which had a bunch of papers and notebooks and yearbooks from high school. In the box was a file folder labeled "Top Secret." There is actually nothing scandalous the file, it was just a bunch of stuff we had created and notes from when we were friends. I found a letter that this friend had written for me, and because I am so emotional, I of course cried reading it.

"Anyway, I hope you realize how talented you are. I know we tend to bash ourselves (it's our weird sarcastic behavior) but honestly speaking you have such an inspiring passion for music. Maybe this is crazy thinking, but I just know you will be successful in your music; you are so talented when you perform and the songs you write give me chills."

"I swear we have the same minds; it's so great to have someone to talk about annoying people, the government, school, relationships, music and tea :)"

God, there's more, and it all hits like a fucking truck.

So, that's what this song is actually about. Reading this made me go down memory lane, looking through old pictures with so much teenage dirtbag energy from that time (I wish I could share, but it's obvious why I'm not going to). We got up to all kinds of mischief, but it was so much fun. And it was authentic. Having someone who you can truly be yourself with and spill any and all secrets to is hard to come by.

We very occasionally chat. I actually only reached back out to her recently. We didn't communicate through all of college. Our friendship will never be the same as it was, but it's nice to not be radio silent. We have both moved on and met new people and all of that. I now live so far away from where I grew up anyway. And that's all okay because that's just life!

So, sorry if this is all oversharing, but I do really love this song. It's probably one of my best, if not my best. I wrote in during a meltdown in the shower all in one go, so a true moment of inspiration. Right now, it doesn't feel right to share it and not share the story, since sharing silly stories of my life seems to be what I do on here now I guess.

Again, I obviously can't share all of the photos and stuff that this song stirs up, except for the one I put as the song cover. I usually don't give away feet pics for free ;), but since these are socked feet in socks that we got as a symbol of our friendship (lol, yikes, haha!), I'll make an exception this once. We weren't totally bad kids I promise! Well...

ily, eva <3

[zealsoughtsequesterustanxiedemon]

Remembered the ancient discourse of Yoko TTGL's age and, like, it's v silly. For transparency of my own thoughts, Yoko being the same age as Simon is wrong to me, I don't think it's intentional, or, if it is, I don't think they meaningfully conveyed it in the material.

But like, the way some people argue it is hilarious, as if it's important to the narrative. If them being the same age was important to the narrative then the show would just... say that. It would actually say their ages in the show. I know there's no accounting for individual interpretations, but like Yoko being older seemed v implied to me. Like body-wise, even through animation variance she's both significantly taller than him and closer to Kamina in height. Also, beyond just body differences she and Kamina treat him like a kid together. Simon's attraction to her feels like it's supposed to be a kid's unobtainable crush on someone older. In this way, I always thought she was significantly older than Simon and probs a little younger than Kamina (how shows lean to doing M/F ships in general).

Anyways, funny thing I found today looking at old-ass threads about this stuff was people bringing up Otoko Ippiki Gurren Lagann, the modern high school AU drama CD that got bundled with the anime dvds where she's in the same class as Kamina. Even saw some screenshots for the manga adaptation of it that says Yoko is 17 and Simon is 14. And this ain't concrete proof, but, like, it's the same writer. It's an AU, but it fits the character dynamics of the OG series and the rest of those seem about the same. It's not a far stretch to think that this reflects the age difference in the show.

The only solid proof I've seen people actually point to yoko being Simon's age is a news article from the time the anime was airing that says 14, but, like, nothing in the show. Even if this info was Gainax given, I'm just willing for them to be wrong lel. Like they seemingly weren't attached enough to it to put in the show or keep it consistent with the high school AU.

[ecargmura]

Cherry Magic Episode 4 Review - You're A Wizard, Tsuge

As the first half of the episode has shown, Tsuge has become a wizard now. Like Adachi, he has gained the power to listen to people’s hearts. How will Tsuge use this to find a love interest? Well, he found one already. That was darn freaking fast. Who does he fall in love with? The cute deliveryman Minato.

I think their ship name is called Tsugemina. Anyways, Tsugemina’s portrayal in the live action is a bit exaggerated compared to the manga and anime (which are pretty much identical). In the live action, Tsuge is very dramatic when he falls for Minato and when he realized he’s in love, he actually bashes his head against a bookshelf. When I watched the live action, I thought that Tsuge was a bit of a weirdo, but reading the manga and watching the anime made me realize that the way Tsuge is portrayed here is more faithful as he is a stoic man by nature. While the Tsugemina section seems short, that’s because the Tsuge chapters are pretty short in comparison to the main couple; there aren’t a lot too, so who knows when we’ll get another segment of them in future episodes.

I do like the Tsuge and Adachi scene. As Tsuge is a novice wizard, he’s unsure how to make use of the power, but for Adachi, the power has brought good things into his life; Tsuge even notices this too as Adachi has become a bit more talkative, especially when the topic revolves around Kurosawa. In the manga, this scene actually takes some time after the second Tsugemina scene as Adachi had mentioned that he read Tsuge’s new book and noticed the change in his usual heroine types as he added in a heroine with the exact same description as Minato, showcasing how down bad he is for this guy he barely knows (heck, he doesn’t even know his name until later on). Despite the changes, I do like the scene but I dislike the fact that Tsuge gets blocked from the chances he gets to talk to Adachi about the magic.

After Tsuge and Adachi meet up, the episode then shifts to Adachi being the focus character, which I think is a rather good way to transition. Adachi gets jealous for the first time when he sees a pretty lady talking with Kurosawa and starts getting insecure about himself. Despite his jealousy, he does realize that if he did get jealous of that woman, that means he does like Kurosawa in that way. I do like how he was fast to process that and accepted it right away. It sort of shows that even if he doesn’t have romantic experiences, he’s still mature enough to understand what love is.

It’s kind of sad to see why Adachi’s so hesitant towards romance. I sort of get it. If I heard someone say that it’s impossible to date me because of the lack of experience, I’d get insecure too. I’m glad that Kurosawa exists to show that Adachi can be loved no matter how much he adverses romance. The part where Kurosawa comes over to his house was sweet; however, how the heck did he know his address? The way Kurosawa thought about how he’d cherish all of Adachi’s first was heartwarming. I legit stomped my feet in a giddy mood. Why is this anime so cute? Why are they so cute?

No worries, though. The pretty lady happens to be Kurosawa’s sister, Mari. She’s hilarious as she feels like a typical older sibling trying to pester her brother to get what she wants: to stay at Kurosawa’s place until her boyfriend apologizes to her. She even followed him to Adachi’s house via GPS. I do like how Kurosawa feels like a bullied little brother here. She is also good with words as she managed to convince Kurosawa to stay at Adachi’s house, to which his simp self accepts after fantasizing a domestic AU he conjured up in his mind. Haha, he’s such a simp.

Oh and uh, the voice actor trivia of the week is that Gen Sato, Minato’s VA, only has done BL recently. Like out of the four main cast, he has the least amount of experience in BL media but I’m sure that’ll change. In the drama CD, he was voiced by Kouhei Amasaki.

What are your thoughts on the birth of the side couple? How about Mari as a character? What about the whole Kurodachi segment? What did you think about the episode as a whole?