#the fact that that is all it takes for Mikado to break the bond yet he waited until the last moment to do that just blatantly show

[ezralva]

Where should I start my rambling so I can convey how much I LOVE literally every single scene and every second of our anime's finale?!

Perhaps because I haven't read vol. 10 so I can detach myself from the manga and focus solely on the flow of the anime for once without comparing anything...

The tear-jerking heart to heart talk of little Hiyakawa and Mikado. It wasn't just the setting, the heartbreaking Hiyakawa's story or the melancholic bgm but again, every single line of Mikado is so powerfully and emotionally delivered, coupled with the perfect voice acting of Nobunaga that it has successfully and efficiently dried my tear glands.

What really stole my attention is the fact that here... Mikado said it out loud that he finally understood what that hatred meant for Hiyakawa. Most of the story we and Mikado, focus on how Hiyakawa should let go of the hatred but here Mikado accepted that it was part of Hiyakawa all this time, that kept him going, and not just something he believed Hiyakawa should've ridded of since it was bad, because he now could see it from Hiyakawa's perspectives and shared the pain.

And then the beautiful face of Hiyakawa's crying 😭 the handholding scene that Mikado didn't let go of until he got Hiyakawa outside to safety, without even giving a single glance to his own biological father lying helplessly without moving, next to them.

And then the scene of everyone smiling at Hiyakawa and relieved that he was finally back. You can see that Hiyakawa was startled for a bit with the attention he suddenly got. It started to dawn on him that he really does have friends who care about him and he smiled shyly. And Mikado smiling proudly beside him.

Then we get to the dinner scene and I cannot.be.happier!! (EDIT: I have now finished reading vol. 10 and this whole scene is an adlib of the anime! So huge kudos to the anime team because they all looked so happy, relaxed, and talking about their future endeavors, the drunk Sakaki and the super cute Hiyakawa!). The conversation stayed the same for most part but in the manga, this happened right outside Sensei's house so this is such a well-received original scene of the anime to show that they get together in a different day to celebrate their new friendship, lives and plans ahead!

Seeing Mukae-Hiyakawa bonding time is so heartwarming. I'm now convinced they'd grow to be buddies in the post-canon. Hiyakawa bashfully thanking Mukae and still having difficulty absorbing the warmth of friendship, the happy laughter surrounding him. Mukae kept on teasing him and he pouted and tried to retort with that childish tone of his. I never thought he could grow much cuter, until this scene. This 31-year-old man.

And then ofc forever one of my favorite parts in the whole story, Hanzawa and Hiyakawa. Another flashback of Hiyakawa's childhood with Hanzawa. Hiyakawa finally understood and admitted how much Hanzawa's presence meant to him. That he had saved him and took care of him all this time and Hanzawa also showed how he cared about him.

Hanzawa-san calling him 'Rihito' and I feel so touched TT

One of the most distinctive aspects of Sankaku that I rarely see in other BL being positively portrayed is the importance of familial and parental love, displayed by the heartwarming bond between Mikado and his mom that isn't just mere filial piety. To some extent it's also depicted in Hanzawa-Hiyakawa relationship.

Mikado effortlessly banished the bond between him and Hiyakawa because he didn't need that to keep staying by his side. He never needed it from the start anyway since it was his choice to be with Hiyakawa. This time, Mikado is the one offering...

"If your heart fills empty then fill it with something else, take your time figuring it out because I will be by your side."

And Hiyamika's development from:

My destiny.

To

Our destiny!

It might look like it ended in a cliffhanger but remember that at the end of the day, this is a slice of life story. Everyone resolved their problems and started a new cycle in life, now with more optimism and closer to each other. For Hiyamika, without the contract between them, now they are officially partners in equal footing. Just like how the last scene conveys.

And that credit title! 2 minutes full of happy pictures of little Mikado and his parents 💕 ended perfectly with the domestic Hiyamika cleaning Hiyakawa's new apartment together!

[johannepetereric]

How Tasuku Sendou Meets Buddyfight

Tasuku Sendou first found Buddyfight when he was 8 (Wikia says he is 13) He walked into this new card shop that opened up at his new school. He was wearing blue graphic t-shirt of Dragonic Overlord “The End,” denim shorts, and red-and-blue crocs. His two decks were stashed in his belt, ready at a cardfight’s notice.

Since you are wondering why he is alone, it’s because his parents, Toshiki and Aichi Sendou, are checking out Aibo Academy for his schooling. They told him--well, Dad Tou-san told him--to check out the campus. Aunt Emi and Uncle Kamui, because he can’t let his kami leave his sight, were there as chaperones. He saw the shop across the sideway, with students of various ages staining the windows with cheese sauce, on their way by, and gave his Aunt and Uncle the slip. They were too busy discussing ice cream flavors to be responsible guardians.

A ring sounded through him as he stepped through. “Ohayo.” He looked around for a cashier, but no one was up front.

“My Vern Killer, Igulu deals 2 damage. Take that, loser!” He heard a teen male in the back, a crowd of whomever cheering him on. He jogged on over.

“I discard a card and Strange Kiteman blocks your attack!” An less-than-10-year-old screamed back.

“Tch! Don’t get cocky, weakling!”

Tasuku yelled, “Oi! Stop harrassing him! That’s not cool!”

The two boys didn’t stop the cardfight. The crowd looked even on who they’re cheering for.

Once he got there, slightly winded, Tasuku saw that the board was different.

He murmured to himself, “I’ve never seen that game before.” Not to mention the few obviously-out-of-this-world creatures surrounding the two of them that nobody commented on. 

It’s probably because he inherited Psyqualia, “I gave it to them” be damned.

The dude next to him gasped, looking horrified. “Nani?! You’ve never heard of Buddyfight?!”

“E-eto...what’s Buddyfight? Is it another TCG?”

“Yeah, you dumbf**k!”

Slap!

“Don’t say that, you moron!” The red-eyed bluenet growled.

“What’s going on here?” An employee asked.

Tasuku responded, “this bozo cursed me!” pointing at the ugly moron.

The dude moves to punch him, but the employee, who is thicc (yes, Author-san means to say this. He basically looks like your stereotypical mechanic/lumberjack but without the gunk) muscles, stops it. The dude starts yelling garbage. “Language, gaki! Do you want to be banned from this shop?”

“...”

The dude stomped away in a war cry, leaving the shop.

“This skill adds plus-1 attack! I win!” The younger player cheerily announces.

“Aaaaaah! You brat, I’ll--” The employee drags away the teen, his deck left on the table. The younger had already moved off, presumably to his friends, reveling in his victory over the maybe-bully. His...unit...trailed behind him...what a tiny unit...

Tasuku studies the board as a new pair begin their own cardfight, the maybe-bully’s deck shoved onto the floor. Remembering cardfight etiquette, he picks up the cards and returns them to the cash register. “Lost and found, please.” 

Tasuku watches a few more “Buddyfights” until the thicc man pulls him over to the cash register.

“Hey, kid, you wanna Buddyfight?” Tasuku nods. “Ok. What World would you like to choose from?”

“The boys both had Dragon World flags, right?” 

“You got that right, kid. Hey, what’s your name?”

“E-Eto...Tasuku Sendou, sir.”

“Sendou, eh? Related to Toshiki Sendou?”

“Yes, sir. Tou-san is playing in Germany right now, moving to Bulgaria in a few days.”

“Gaki, he’ll have to lose eventually.”

“I watch his plays live when I can, sometimes with Kaa-san.”

“Aichi Sendou, the best Vanguard player in the world, right?”

“Hai.”

“Well, then, Dragon World would be a perfect fit!”

Tasuku bowed, sparkly-eyed. “Arigato.” 

He received a booster pack along with a starter deck, free of charge. “You probably don’t have any dough on you, after all.”

Then the employee, who introduced himself as the manager, insisted on seeing him unpack the booster. 

The package ripped open like badly-done denim stitches. And he’s seen horrid “craftmanship,” if you could call them that. “Card 1....Grade 1 Dragon.”

“You’ll do better.”

“...Card 2--nani?!” They both gasped.

Card 2 glowed and went flying all over! Tasuku followed it out the shop, all the way to an empty parking lot out back. It manifested in blinding light, from which the eight-year-old blocked his eyes, and finally settled down into a humongous monster the size of a building. It roared.

“Eh??Who are you?!” It was green, with humongous, heavy armor, a black...thing for a head covering, and elephantous wings that could protect him from a storm. 

“Oh? First thing out of your tiny, human mouth is not ‘Are you my Buddy?’‘“

“Eto, I haven’t even played yet. I just came here not even an hour ago!”

“And yet, you drew me. What is your name, gaki?”

He stared it straight in the eyes, like he does any protester. “Tasuku Sendou. I love anything card-related!” 

“Hmmph! I am Jackknife Dragon, and I will be your Buddy!” Jackknife slipped back into the package in card form. And suddenly a skinny dude who looks like space-age Mumen Rider ran up and said, “Kid! This is the Buddy Police!” He looked tired out.

“N-nani?! I didn’t do anything,” the boy squirmed like his Kaa-san to defend himself. “Is that a Buddyfight thing?!”

“You have a new Buddy, right?”

“H-hai!” Swoosh! Mumen Rider shoved a deck right in his face. It had a

“It’s your Core Deck case! Every person who gets a Buddy recieves one. Take it!” Tasuku complies. (I’m going to copy Tasuku’s intro of Gao’s case from S1E1 onto here because it’s been years since I last saw the show.) “It can be transformed into a core gadget, which will allow you to Luminize your deck.” 

“Luminise?” (Ok, end of copy-paste. Back to Original Content!)

“Hai. Luminize. It activates your deck for a Buddyfight.”

“Like in a 3D Hologram format?”

“This is real-life, gaki. The monsters--”

“Monsters! That’s a bit mean, don’t you think?!” The Psyqualia user raged.

“Eh, the Monsters are fine with that, gaki!”

“That’s no reason to--!”

“ANYWAY, this comes from the Buddy Card Office. They’re in charge of the Core Deck cases.”

“Eh? Can I at least learn how to play, first?!”

“Whatever, gaki. I gotta go!” And with that, Mumen Rider sped away like a coward.

Tasuku sweatdropped and headed back to the shop to learn how to play.

Manager-sensei taught him how to play--with the board, thank goodness. Tasuku still had fun, even though it was a swift defeat.

After that, he thanked Manager-sensei and left with his new Buddyfight deck in hand. 

As soon as Tasuku left the shop, the dragon came back from Card form on his own into a chibi-Jackknife Dragon. 

And proceeded to pester him about his home life, to which the boy learned how to pester the other into silence.

About a dozen minutes later, he found Auntie Emi and Uncle Kamui. They greeted him back as if it was just a potty break. 

Back home, during the discussion with his parents on his schooling, he slipped in, “Kaa-san, Tou-san? There’s this new card game called Buddyfight. And--” he proceeded to tell his parents about his adventure, leaving out the part that he snuck off for it. Jackknife Dragon had already disappeared into his desk just before the three humans met up with the parents to take the half-hour bus ride home.

Tou-san said that they should make a sue list, for each time that the Buddy Police tick them off. For blackmail ‘n stuff. It’s not the first sueing list they have, and it certainly won’t be the last.

Anyway, it’s Aibo Academy, Elementary Division, for Tasuku Sendou now! As a 3rd grader!

Since then, the newbie fought many players, grew stronger at Buddyfight, bonded well with Jackknife, and became...the number 1 target of the Buddy Police. They pestered him at least once a week to join their force, child labor laws aside.

But he could never quite say the names of Buddyfight’s functions as they are. He instead replaced them with Vanguard terminology, and got booed for that. 

That is, until he met Gao Mikado. 

It started off a regular day. The day before, he defeated someone targeted by the Buddy Police. The hooker (he looks like a hooker) challenged him for being “the boy wonder cop,” even though he clearly isn’t a cop, and got obliterated in a Buddyfight.

Of course, that was taken on camera, and the fangirls wouldn’t stop chasing him if it wasn’t for the fact that he lived out of town. 

Another addition to The Buddy Police Sue(ing) List. At least Tou-san wouldn’t leave until the morning.

The next day, the Buddy Police blackmailed him into helping them with something during school--again. It turned out to be just another kid getting their Core Deck case, this one also being a giant dragon--although only about half as big as Jackknife.

He ran onto the courtyard from class, ready with the red case, as soon as he saw the flying, glowing card along with some other classmates, and bumped into Gao Mikado. He let Drumbunker and Gao have their speech before butting in with the damn mission. Meanwhile, the whole school took the time to run out to see the “dreamy Tasuku Ryuenji.”

“Cool, cool. Anyway, the Buddy Police have forced me to give you this.” He handed Gao the red Core Deck case.

By this time, practically everyone at school is be watching, even ones as young as his sister. And Paruko Nanana, Her Walking Horniness. 

Nanana shouted something about “Buddy Police business” or “for me, Paruko Nanana” from her UFO.

Tasuku turned to her and said, “I’m sorry to disappoint, Nanana, but I’m gay.”

“NANI?!”

“You look conventionally attractive, a depiction of cute, but I’m only attracted to guys.”

“This just in! Tasuku Ryuenji is not interested in girls!”

“Excuse me! The name is Tasuku Sendou, you dimwits! Also, the school has known this since I was eight! My parents signed me up for Aibo Academy for 3rd grade, and it was as Tasuku Sendou! My debut in the papers was as a gay child!”

Nanana cried, and about half the crowds. The rest sounded like conspiratorial whispers. Some must be the some of the few Vanguard players the school has. They were forced to take on a Buddyfight deck, or they’d be isolated and marked as the wirdos losers who should be avoided.

“Anyway, Gao-kun. It’s your Core Deck case, which all persons with a Buddy have. It’ll allow you to Luminize to Buddyfight anywhere, at anytime, kinda like a holo-system. It’s magic stuff. It also makes you an official Buddyfighter and stuff. Now that I’ve said my piece, I really must get back to class.”

“Oi! Ryu--”Sendou glared! “I-I MEAN Sendou-senpai, “Gao stuttered. “You can’t just leave me like that! What if I challenge you to a Buddyfight to help train me?” Gao shouted, restored back to his previous confidence. Tasuku felt a little queasy.  

The whole school gasped. “Oh?” Tasuku smiled. “You want to challenge me? Tasuku Sendou? The strongest cardfighter in all of the Aibo Academy student cast?”

“Cardfighter?”

“Yeah, cardfighter. I mainly play Vanguard. It’s my affinity. I also play Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh, Hearthstone, and various other card-related games, but to a much lesser extent. Don’t worry, I’m almost the strongest in the student cast in Buddyfight, too.” He beamed, truly excited for a good match. Gao looks hot enough for a “stiffy.” Drumbunker sniffed the air, surprisingly being able to detect this “foreign fluid,” as people called it.

“Sugoi! That all sounds so cool,” Gao had his eyes furrowed as he asked this, the smile looking fake. “How is it, liking guys?”

Tasuku shrugged. “I find it hard to explain to a cisgender straight male under the age of eighteen.”

Gao looked a vaguely stoned (yes, druggie-stoned, too) for like a second before snapping back. “A-anyway! Do you accept my challenge?”

“Sure!” Tasuku extended his deck outward, attempting to officiate the deal. “I accept your challenge to a Buddyfight!”

Gao responded by pointing his own deck, now in the Core Deck case, outward, sealing the deal.

The adults then reminded them that they still have class. They all agree to do it after school. 

Tasuku informed Kaa-san about this during lunch before drifting off to nap on a bench. This time, an elementary schooler woke him up 5 minutes before the bell.

At the match, (Tasuku does the same speech as in the anime), Tasuku goes first.

“I call my dragon army. Dragonic Force, Luminize!” His Core Gadget takes the shape of a red Flogal with yellow hair. It was decently sized. 

Tasuku again feels queasy listening to Gao, his sun symbolism and his protector’s spirit. 

At the same time as that’s happening, Aichi Sendou is recording his son. Toshiki-kun has to see this! Tasuku spies his mother at the same time that Gao spies his sister. Mother and son wave to each other. Tasuku holds up to two fingers with a closed-eye grin.

Too-dles! It doesn’t matter whether he wins or loses. He’s going to have fun, anyway.

When they see the center being empty, they think that Gao Mikado must have a plan. 

They weren’t disappointed. 

Tasuku sighs in resignation, and thinks to himself that that was fun.

At the sign-out with Gao, he says, “Good match, Gao-kun. You are certainly worthy of being my rival.”

“Eh?!”

“Yeah. Here. I give you Gargantua Punisher.” He does.

“Nani?! But that’s--” 

Gao sees a darkness overcome him, dragon-like eyes forcing him into shock. His vision goes hazy, an image of the picture on Gargantua Punisher change from Tasuku-senpai’s visage to his own in a blurry takeover. As soon as that happens, this paralyzing feelings goes away and he snaps back to reality. 

“Oh, and Gao-kun?” Nani? 

And suddenly he feels his heart skip a beat. Tasuku-senpai is right up in his ear! “About me being gay,” he whispers, deep and husky and Gao suddenly can’tbreathe! One needle-sharp red eye is dominating his. He feels an extreme heat pooling in his cheeks faster than a judo-slam. “I think you’re incredibly cute.” He can feel Tasuku-senpai-oh-my-gosh-he’s-so-hot! dragon-breath at his ear. The older runs off in a direction, his Buddy flying right behind him. 

Gao runs over to the other. “W-wait!” Gao practically squeals, though he would forever deny it.

Tasuku-hottie--wait, what?!--stops and pivots at him, flashing a different grin that has Gao in a stuttering, queasy-all-over mess. What am I feeling? Gao stops at the halfway mark. He hears someone gasp. “Hai, Gao-kun.” 

Oh my gosh, say it again! Gao feels like vomiting, noican’timustn’tgivein! He stands up straighter, trying to keep his cool. “I-I mean, I fe-f-f-feel I-uh-mm-ust give ya-you suh-something!”

“Oh? What ever could it be?” Why is he in my face?? It’s not even two inches!

“So-so, I-I can give you my-my Dragob-br-brave! I-It’s what h-helped me w-win, after a-all!” OhmygoshthisissoembarrassingTasuku-senpaihasacreepylookthat’ssendingmynervesallcray-crayandIjustwannacrawldownonmykneesandbegfor mercy--mercyforwhat? Gao shoves it at the older, thankfully distancing them-whatwashedoing?

“That doesn’t even come near to a fair trade!” The girl protests. 

Tasuku-senpai flashes her a different smile--OMGJUSTLOOKATMENOTHER! “It’s perfectly fine, Nanana.” The UFO girl looks dizzy, too andGaowantstofaintbuthecan’tcuz--

“Whatever you say, Ryuenji-senpai.” And faints. The UFO goes away and she falls. He doesn’t have the heart to try to save her.

Tasuku-senpai looks real mad again. He takes Dragobrave, but their fingers brush, and he still looks at Gao, and he says finally, “Oh, my. Can you say my name, Gao-kun?” Gao’s already-persistent blush is flooding to the rest of his body, and it’shappeningdownthereagainohmygoshpleasestoplookatmesenpai!

Then Tasuku-senpai leaves. Everything is a blur from then on, a wet nightmare of red stuff that leaves Gao defenseless and queasy and he feels about to vomit but he can’t cuz thats’swrong! He can vaguely recall hearing Tasuku-senpai greet a male he calls and looks his “Kaa-san,” and Gao can’t takeitanymore and his consciousness faints and doesn’t wake up to awareness until morn.