#the first two volumes were released on the same day for this title

[hotwaterandmilk]

Series: Tokyo§Jinrou Artist: Kumagai Kyouko Publication: 'Tokyo§Jinrou' manga volume #2 (07/2024) Details: Animate Exclusive Bonus Illustration Card Source: Scanned from my personal collection

[fullscoreshenanigans]

When and how did you get into TPN? For me I discovered TPN in 2021 through the Fandom page where I spoiled myself about Conny and some other stuff which I forgot and in 2023 I purchased the first two volumes of the manga and I fell in love. And the rest is ancient history!

Sorry about my little history lesson!

You're good! (If anyone else wants to share how they got into the series on this post I'd been down for that too)

My sister and a friend recommended the anime to me at some point (I want to say after it was on US Netflix) as something I might like. I did not pay any attention to this at all lol. They did lord this over me when it became one of my favorite series. But I managed to avoid all spoilers for it other than the orphanage being a farm, which wasn't a big deal to me since it happens so early on.

Fast forward to March 2021, within the ballpark of a day or two of the season 2 finale airing in Japan. I finished watching another series on Netflix, and it recommended TPN to me. I thought, I vaguely recognize this title, the description sounds interesting, and the thumbnail looks cute, so why not check out the first episode.

(dmotta3's blind reaction lives rent free in my head and inspired this post)

I got to the end of episode 6 and realized that my idea to just check out one episode at 1am was terrible because it was now 4am. But I had the day off from work, so after going to bed and doing everything else I needed to do that day I wrapped up the rest of season 1 because was hooked. I had to know what the fuck is up with these little babies with the mental fortitude and emotional maturity to handle this fantastical dystopia they found themselves in so well. And the final six episodes delivered and then some for me.

Me within watching the first ten minutes of S1e01: oh this kid with the black emo hair is going to be my favorite :)

Me upon watching S1e11: LKJFSDLKFLKDFJL OMFG?? OM?FG?? 🥴🙃🥴 THERAPY! THERAPY FOR A THOUSAND YEARS FOR YOU!!!

I noticed the second season wasn't on Netflix, so while avoiding as many spoilers as I could I took a peek around and discovered that a lot of people were unhappy with season 2. I asked some friends who had watched it if they liked it, and they said it was all right, but not as good as season 1. So what I ended up doing was figuring out where the first season left off in the manga, and then read a few chapters before watching the corresponding parts in the anime to see where it really diverged. By the time I got to the bunker in the anime and saw there was no dad to go in it, I dropped it entirely to focus on reading the manga. It took roughly four days from me putting on the anime on a whim to me reading the bonus chapters and epilogue, and I was initially kind of bummed about it for reasons I've discussed here.

(Chart I made to explain to a friend group my personal enjoyment of the series by arc because it's one of the silly things we do with each other, while avoiding some spoilers by removing the names of the last few arcs. I'd rank Cuvitidala and the human world arc a bit higher now and Return to Grace Field arc lower, but the rest is still largely the same.)

But even with my gripes with the series, it had nestled itself inside my heart and mind, and I was endeared to it enough to buy the blu-ray of season 1 and import the soundtrack.

Another crucial aspect for me was that @1000sunnygo was translating the mystic code book around this time as well as a plethora of other content that wasn't receiving official English releases. This kept me engaged with this silly little shounen that had endeared me so deeply, as I had new official content and information to look forward to every now and then in addition to latching on to some fanfics that proved to be foundational for my personal interpretation/enjoyment of the series. It also helped explain some of the issues I had with it, one of them being the pacing toward the end due to Shirai trying to salvage his health after being in serialized publishing for almost four years while still maintaining his sense of artistic integrity by ending the series on his own terms. I don't think this frees said choices from critique, but it helped me personally accept them more.

And then after almost ten months after first watching season 1 on a whim, I made this blog, though I didn't really start using it until February 2022. It was a first for me since I usually just keep everything on main in a random hodgepodge, but the brainrot wasn't going away, and I couldn't put my mutuals through another major interest, so here we are roughly 2.5 years later.

[baby-alien11]

Blurb: The Tortured Poets Department (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

inspired by the conversation with my girls @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo (yes, we finally have a gc)

taglist (open): @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @camiesully @ethanlandryluver @nowitsmissing @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo @itsaaliyah2

Ever since Taylor Swift anounced TTPD at the Grammys, while you were at the Saturn Awards with Jack, you along the rest of the swifties and the internet, went into a spyral of theories, specially after the song titles and the clues she left

And when the day finally came, which was also in race weekend with the Shangai Grand Prix, meaning that sleeping wasn't an option, but it was good that half of the refrigerator was full of cans of Red Bull of different flavors

While watching the practice on F1TV, you started to prepare your environment which consisted on Spotify open in your laptop with the countdown, a dictionary, a box of tissues, a can of Coconut-Berry Red Bull to survive the night

"Tatum, baby, I'm sorry for the person I'm about to become", you apologized to your cat hugging her against your chest, "Mommy is going to be okay, I promise"

"Hey, tornado", Skeet said standing at the entrance of your room, "Just checking in before the album is released, you need anything else, a snack or another Red Bull?"

"I'm good at the moment, thank you dad", you responded, "And I'm sorry in advance for my cries and screams"

"Don't worry, I have my earplugs, so scream and cry all you want, good night"

Practically running away, Skeet closed the door of your room leaving you and Tatum in there; once there was only five minutes for the album release, you turned down the volume of the TV, and turning up the volume of your laptop, all while Tatum went to her squishmallow shark bed and try to sleep

"Hey babe, this voice message is before I heard The Tortured Poests Department, because I won't be the same, and this will be the first voice message of the night, sweet dreams, love you", you said recording it before sending it to Jack

Once it was the time, you tried to press play but it wasn't possible because of all the people trying to listen to it, so closing and opening it again worked, playing it finally and hearing the melody of the first song

During the listenign of the album, you were crying and screaming because of the references and lyrics, while sending Jack audios about the songs, and also seeing the end of the free practices and seeing two of your new friends in the first three places, before returning to listen to the album

And just as you were listening it for the second time, a notif apeared on your phone that made you enter in shock

"The woman just released a second album", you exclaimed recording a voice note for Jack, "Blondie doesn't sleep"

Finishing your can of Red Bull, you pressed play on the second album listening to it, while the sprint qualy started, at the end of the second album, you were laying on your carpet with your phone in hand and used tissues close, while Tatum watched you fron your bed with judgement

"The album destroyed me, worst than I thought, I have no more tears in me", you said recording another voice note, before turning your head to your TV, that was playing the ending of the qualy, "And how the fuck is Lando on pole position?!"

The next day, after falling asleep late, the first thing you saw when you went downstairs was a PR package from Taylor Swift

[cafeinthemoon]

King - Chapter VII

Chapter 7

Wordcount 4,3k

Title The Quake

Fandom Shuumatsu no Valkyrie / Record of Ragnarok

Previous chapters

1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6

Symbols ⭕ . ➕ . 🖤

Warnings: basically the same warnings as the previous chapters; harassment against reader (from a guard); mentions of death, blood and use of weapons

Tagging @cloveradora @the-dumber-scaramouche @mikkies @sl33py-zer0 @nooneknows8976 (If you want to be tagged in any of my stories, just leave a comment on this chapter or send an ask or a message)

N. A.: So, this chapter was becoming too long and I decided to divide it in two, so the next one will be published soon and it will be a direct continuation of this one, with a return to a ~familiar scenario and a deep conversation between reader and her not so soft husband 😅

I know the time between one chapter and the next has been too long, and I'm sorry for that, but something that might explain this is that this ff in particular brings a big volume of information in each chapter, and I have to be careful to share the right amount of it each time I post an update. There are still secrets to be unveiled and challenges to overcome here, and I'm using this story to train my patience (and yours as well lol)

Hope you enjoy this one and wait for the next 👀🔥

After staring at the basket for a few more seconds, Suriah put it back on her lap and raised her eyes to you again. There was no sign of sadness or shame in them; instead, you saw a glimmer of mental peace that you’d never suppose to exist in someone who has been enduring this number of adversities.

– I understand your shock – she commented with a smile – After all, a human girl would never survive this. But you don’t need to be so worried about my well-being. Our species are stronger than yours in this sense. Usually, a woman among us would deliver half of this number of eggs a year, and I myself didn’t want to deliver a single one. Besides, in case you’re wondering, they weren’t all delivered in just one day, just like they weren’t formed in one day. It took me at least three days in a row to produce all these ones – she sighed, as if recalling the tiredness provoked by the task – It was such a labor, but after the first time, I started to believe that, if I managed to do this, nothing could be impossible to me. It was sort of liberating.

The silence among the girls persisted. Since you had nothing to say in response, you stood quiet as well. But that didn’t mean you had no feelings towards it.

Liberating? What could be liberating in such situation? And after all of this, how can she still have the guts to say he loves us? How?

Your inner debate might have shown in your face, for Suriah looked at you with sympathy, speaking specifically about this.

– You seem to be struggling to understand how I was able to endure all of this – she shrugged – But I think it was only fair. I pleaded, my husband offered me a deal, I accepted the conditions, but lost the game. I knew where I was getting into since the start, but I said yes anyway. I am the one to blame in this case, am I not?

That was just too much for you. Suddenly, your tongue was released and from your mouth leaked everything that was in your chest; you didn’t care about the possibility of your words reaching Poseidon’s ears, provoking indignation among the wives who agreed with Suriah or hurting her feelings; you just spoke.

– You said that the game was popular among the gods – you started – This can only mean that it’s unknown to most of us mortals. Besides, he gave you an incredibly short amount of time to learn all the rules before sending you to compete with an expert – you took an unconscious step closer to the table – Of course, your chances were few, and he knew it since the start! He gave you an impossible task and he was aware of this! I don’t understand how this is fair! – you lowered your tone a bit, but your rage was still felt in your words – I don’t understand how you can say this is love…

Another low voice was heard before Suriah could think of a reply.

– You see, this is one of the reasons why Poseidon-sama doesn’t like bringing humans to his domains.

It was Melian. You turned to her and saw no sign of provocation or disdain in her expression, only sadness.

– Your love and your justice are just not like the ones of the gods – she continued, serious – You’re always bringing contention and dissatisfaction with you, always trying to unveil things that are supposed to stay out of your reach. You just don’t fear the gods. This is what they used to say around here, and now that we have not only one, but two of you with us, we can say how much of this is true.

That time, the response came from Alyssa.

– We do fear the gods – she spoke with a firmness in her tone that was new to you – We just can’t accept what is unacceptable.

Melian swallowed. Apparently, she would never get used to the human way of thinking. Suriah, still maintaining her calmness, brought the attention back to herself again.

– Tell me, human, what is your name again? – she spoke to you.

– Y/n.

– So, y/n, can you satisfy our curiosity and tell us what kind of offer you’ve received from our husband?

Contrary to what you imagined, you didn’t feel that request as something intrusive: instead, you found in yourself an urge to speak about the contract you sealed, and a weight was taken off of your chest when you did it.

– I was given one year to observe his children training and learn about their most effective combat techniques. After this, I have to find ways to counteract these techniques by figuring out their weaknesses. The methods I will use to fulfill this task don’t matter, but if I’m unable to do it – you swallowed – I shall be just like you.

Suriah seemed to thought of this for a moment before replying, and a new wave of tension built across the room: the girls stared at you with a sort of compassion and fear, as well as relief for not being in your place. Besides, just like you, they were eager to hear what Suriah had to say.

And this was what she had for you:

– A task with its own difficulties – she frowned – It might be harder than mine in some aspects, but easier in others. Also, it might hide surprises, not all of them sweet. How do you feel about it?

Now that everyone knew about your mission, you had no reasons to disguise how you felt.

– I’m nervous. Even scared.

Suriah nodded.

– It’s a good sign. Only a fool would not feel like this after receiving a task from Poseidon-sama. But what exactly do you fear?

– I’m not a warrior – you shrugged – I’m a merchant, daughter of merchants. I only know how to negotiate. My knowledge cannot be applied to anything but this.

The older woman kept her composure. She took a moment adjusting the basket on her lap, then turned back to you.

– Hm… As far as I can see, every human is a warrior, and you are not different from your pairs. Just a few moments ago, you almost swore you wouldn’t have children. Such determination is rare in someone this young. Do not let it die. Take the time you have, girl, and work with all you got. You say your knowledge cannot be applied to your task, but every knowledge is necessary, and it can save us when we least expect.

You swallowed.

– I remember my parents saying something similar when I was a child and didn’t want to study certain topics.

Suriah smiled with sympathy.

– And they were right, and I wish I learned this when I did my negotiation – she pointed at you as someone who gives a mixture of alert and advice – My task was impossible, and I knew I lost since the start. But maybe you have a chance to make a difference, even with these delicate arms of yours. And, honestly, it would be fun if you succeed and entertain our husband.

***

When you left the hall in the company of Alyssa, you had more questions than answers.

– The only thing I know for sure now is that I still have many things to learn about these people – you were saying – The way they take slavery for love is something that I just cannot accept.

Your friend was taking slow steps beside you, with her arm entwined with yours.

– If I was you, I’d give up while I can – she laughed – This got me surprised when I arrived here too, and even now I feel uncomfortable whenever they talk about it, which, fortunately, only happens in rare occasions. But they’re not entirely wrong. For example, when Suriah said our husband doesn’t get along with rebel women, it is true for both mortals and goddesses.

The conversation you had about Amphitrite came back to your memory, but you said nothing about it. Instead, you focused on Suriah.

– I don’t understand how she knows so much about us. Did you make friends with her when you came here?

– Not exactly, but she helped me in the first days – Alyssa explained – She’s one of the oldest women here, so she does this for each new girl. There aren’t rules about experienced wives supporting the younger ones, but it’s a sort of tradition she built around herself. You know, her people are notorious for their incredible lifespan among the mortal species, and their capacity of reproduction, as she explained. She has known many people from many folks over the years and, since she’s been here for years and is one of the most fertile wives, she has some status. The other girls and the servants respect her. And as far as I could see, she sympathized with you.

– I see… – you turned to Alyssa and lowered your tone – And how does he see this?

The girl became suddenly serious. It was unnecessary to explain to whom you were referring to.

– If she has succeeded in her task, I guess it would have been a problem for him. But, since things happened differently, he doesn’t mind. He gets what he needs from her, and that’s all that matters.

Your conversation was interrupted by a voice behind you.

– Excuse me.

You both turned to the voice’s owner, and you recognized the noble girl from the Northern Waters, the same people of the priestess who ran to the waves the day you arrived. You saw her at the dining room, but she took a seat in place away from you. Given that she was a member of her species’ high society and displayed a quiet behavior, you didn’t focus your attention on her, convinced that she held the same disdain for humanity as many of the other women, but now that you had the chance to observe her from close and without the interference of a noisy and unfavorable environment, you started to think you were wrong.

And the shy manner with which she spoke to you reinforced it.

– Are you y/n, the human girl who just talked to Suriah?

You nodded.

– Yes, I am – you indicated your friend – And this is Alyssa. She’s also human.

The girls greeted themselves and the noble introduced herself.

– My name is Taulah. We arrived together with the latest carriage.

– Yes, I remember you – and, recalling the other girl’s fate, – I’m sorry for what happened to your pair that day.

Taulah gave you a sad smile.

– Her name was Doonah. She was my childhood friend. Despite being one of the most dedicated priestesses of our region, she never felt comfortable with the idea of being trapped. To her, the sea represented freedom and movement, so when she found out that she was chosen to marry the god she always loved and served, she was radiant… – the girl lowered her tone, and part of the glow in her eyes disappeared as she recalled the incident – However, after what that servant said, all the happiness and expectations died inside her… and she didn’t see any reason to keep living…

You three spent a moment in silence. Alyssa was the first to speak.

– They did the same when I arrived. There was one girl who succumbed to the guide’s provocation and did the same as your friend. Later, at night, I listened to a melody that entered through my room’s window. It was a sad song that reminded me of a flute. The morning after, I asked a maid about this and she said it was Poseidon-sama’s whistle, coming from the Main Tower.

You and Taulah looked at her at the same time.

– They explained that, every time a wife or a bride dies, he walks to the highest spot of this tower, opens the window and whistles to the outside – Alyssa continued – At the same time, he sends a sacred shell to the depths of the sea in honor of her. When they told me this, I didn’t know if I should cry or be shocked.

You held your breath. So, that was the answer for the mysterious tune, followed by that light you witnessed that night. You’ve been wanting to ask about it for days, but the opportunity never came.

– I heard when he whistled in honor of Doonah – you revealed – It was heartbreaking... and beautiful at the same time.

Taulah’s response to this was composed, as expected from someone of her position, but didn’t lack emotion.

– An appropriate way to honor a loyal, honest priestess. She would’ve loved it.

Alyssa and you agreed. Taulah changed the subject.

– Well, I came here to say that I’m impressed with your courage, y/n – she told you – The way you stood up for your friend and for yourself in the middle of so many strangers… – she smiled – That was incredible.

Your face warmed up to this compliment: getting unexpected recognition from someone you misjudged provoked a strange feeling.

– We’re kind of alone here – you glanced at Alyssa – We need to have each other’s back.

– Yes – Taulah agreed with enthusiasm – Anyways, I wish you luck with your task. And if you need anything, I’ll be here.

– Thank you, Taulah.

The girl nodded, and that marked the beginning of a new friendship, the second you conquered in that strange world, but one that made you think that, whatever the future had for you, it might not be impossible to overcome.

You said goodbye to each other like close allies.

– I’ll take Alyssa back to our room now – you said – She needs to rest.

– Go. Be safe.

You three separated right after, with the girl from the Northern Waters rushing back to the dining room and you giving your arm to Alyssa, following on a slow walk back to the lodge.

***

You helped Alyssa to get comfortable in her bed, adjusting the pillows behind her back, borrowing a cushion for her to rest her feet and covering her with a blanket: she used to take a nap for two hours or three after lunch, while you spent this period reading the books brought by the servants.

That time, however, you would try something different.

– Where are you going? – Alyssa asked with her eyes half closed.

You were preparing yourself to leave the room, changing your shoes for a more comfortable pair and wrapping the shawl you were given by your husband around your shoulders.

– I’m going to visit the Library – you explained – I found out we have permission to use it for both studying and diversion, so I’m heading there to research some things.

– Is it about your task?

– Yes – you walked to the door; and, turning the knob, – My father used to say that a good merchant is always taking opportunities to gather knowledge, and Suriah spoke about my abilities being useful in this task. I need to find something that helps me in this sense.

– I see – she whispered, adjusting her blanket – Just remember that the way to the Library is long from here. So, be careful.

You replied that this was precisely why you changed your shoes, then left the room.

***

Since the wives are previously informed about the premises of the palace they were allowed to go to, one day you took the opportunity to ask a servant how you could reach the Library, the rules for using the books and the periods of the day when it was open to visitors. Now, while recalling the information you gathered, you walked through the corridors searching for the passage between the tower that housed the women’s lodge and the one where the Library was, which, according to the servant’s explanation, was a narrow bridge that connected the two towers in the inner side of the building, at the North Wing.

You were now walking down a staircase that should lead to the place through which the bridge could be accessed, your heart racing with the perspective of approaching the desired place. You looked around and quickly recognized the servant’s description, and the bridge was almost under your sight’s reach...

When a sudden, strong quake hit the floor and spread to the walls and the stairs, reaching your spot and making you fall before you could think of grabbing the handrail.

It came fast, and left even faster. When it was over, you tried to stand up, but found out your entire body was aching, as if your fall happened from a higher place and not the few stairs you still had to walk down. You found that strange, but for now the pain wouldn’t allow you to think too much.

You breathed deep and tried to stand up again when you sensed you were ready. You adjusted your clothing and massaged your forehead on the spot that hit the floor.

You just witnessed your husband’s bad mood.

It was just like the day we arrived… With such a man ruling over it, I don’t know how this castle is still standing! Anyways, thank Heavens he’s far away from here, and I can only hope he stays like this.

It was when you realized your surroundings were no longer the same.

What you saw before the quake was the end of the stairs before you, and the connection between it and the small passage that would lead to the bridge, located at your left. Now, instead of this, you saw yourself in the middle of a long, empty corridor surrounded by high, bluish walls and a ceiling from which a soft, white light descended; you didn’t take long to see that its end was far from your spot. However, the scariest thing was that, when you turned around, you saw that the staircase just disappeared, being replaced by the other side of the same corridor, and this end was closer to you, with a wall identical to the ones on your sides to indicate it, and a parallel corridor that preceded it.

You started walking in that direction, observing this strange location.

– What kind of place is this? – you murmured unconsciously – No doors, no windows, no decoration…

You came to the conclusion that it was just a passage, where people wouldn’t stop to do anything – not even appreciate its beauty, since there was no art in there. Not only this, but the absence of doors that would lead to rooms or to other corridors indicated that this wasn’t an access many people would use.

It was when you stopped suddenly, your heart jumping inside your chest.

What if I’m in a forbidden place?

The idea came to you only when it was too late.

When you were a few meters before the end, a pair of tall, green-skinned guards wearing helmets and holding tridents similar to the one of their master appeared from the right corner and turned it to take your corridor, advancing in large steps toward you.

You took a step back, tightening the shawl around yourself; there was no way to escape, whether running back to your previous spot or trying to pass through them: their legs seemed too long, ideal for a marathon, and those tridents were too long and too sharp besides, you couldn’t tell if they would forgive an attempt to evasion even if it came from one of their Lord’s wives.

The guards were so entertained with their chatting that they almost bumped into you, not coming to this point because you jumped back with a little scream. When they finally became aware of your presence, they fell silent, and the smiles on their faces slowly faded into a suspicious expression.

The guard at the left, who seemed to be the older one, was the first to speak.

– What are you doing here? – and, since you kept quiet, – Don’t you know this area is forbidden for mortals?

You considered saying that you were looking for the Library when you fell there after the quake, but something made you think your explanation wouldn’t be accepted, so you just replied like anyone would in a situation like that.

– I didn’t know that… – you glanced beyond the men – Can you lead me to the exit?

The guard’s response was to glance at his partner, then turn back at you with a grin.

– Of course, we can – he started, taking slow steps toward you – But not without giving you the appropriate punishment.

You swallowed. You didn’t know what that man had in mind, and certainly didn’t want to find out. Before he could reach you, you stepped back and uncovered your ears, exhibiting the pearls on your lobes. The younger guard, who stood in the same place, tightened his lips in apprehension, while his companion frowned. Yes, faking a courage you weren’t feeling was risky, but it was your only chance.

– You can’t speak about punishment to me when I am one of Poseidon-sama’s wives – your voice echoed across the place, though you didn’t speak loud – Touching me the wrong way will mean a problem for you.

The two guards had opposite reactions to your words.

The younger one kept his position, not taking a single step toward you, and even tried to warn his partner.

– We should just lead her back to the women’s lodge – he was saying – We’ll be in trouble if someone sees her with us here…

The older guard, on the other hand, showed no worries for this advice and no regard for your earrings.

– These pearls don’t prove anything to me, girl – he replied in challenge – You might have faked them, just like others did before you. Besides, our Lord has taken hundreds of women as his wives. One more or one less in the counting would mean nothing to him!

– You can just take me back to the lodge and I will grant you my silence in return – you insisted – If nothing happens here, nobody needs to know about this encounter!

The guard laughed.

– Well, I think I’ll pass!

You held your breath. Your strategy worked partially, but that wasn’t enough to grant your safeness, and there wasn’t much you could do about it.

Sorry, Alyssa. But I couldn’t be as careful as you recommended.

The guard stretched his hand to grab you, and you jumped back, but you never managed to take more than two steps away from him. You thought you were going to stumble and hit the floor, at the mercy of that man…

But you actually bumped into someone who was right behind you, and who seemed to have appeared there by magic. The person held you by your arms, keeping you in place.

You raised your eyes, thinking you just got trapped by a third guard, ready to apologize and beg for help, when you recognized him and felt your words dying before passing your lips.

– This is the first time I meet you casually and you are already in danger, dragonet – were his first words; and, with a slight smile, – Why am I not surprised?

You couldn’t believe what you were seeing: how did he reach that spot so fast? And how did he do it without making the slightest noise?

Before you could say or do anything, he turned his attention to the older guard, and a transformation occurred on his face: the suggestion of smile disappeared from his lips, turning his face into an emotionless sculpture of marble, and the blue of his eyes decreased to a darker shade, close to black. You sensed the air getting cold around you, almost like the sea water during winter, and shivers started spreading through your skin.

You glanced at the guards, and the unexpected appearance of their Lord in that isolated place provoked different feelings in each of them, judging by what you saw in their faces: the younger one had his anxiety increased now that his worst fear just came true, while the older simply panicked.

– P-Poseidon-sama…!

You were surprised that he was able to say even those few words: his massive body was shaking in a way you didn’t know to be possible, his eyes were almost leaving their orbits and the green of his skin gave place to a sickly yellow that you supposed to be the equivalent of paleness in human skins.

To anyone who would look from a distance, it would seem that Poseidon showed no sign of his feelings, but to you, who were between his arms, the story was different: though no wrinkle appeared on his forehead nor his lips were twisted while he stared at the guard, the change in his eyes’ color was the clearest evidence of his wrath.

His next words, however, weren’t for the man.

– Stay here – he held your shoulders and made you turn your back on the men – Do not look back.

He took a few steps toward the guard, and you never knew exactly what happened after this. There was no scream, cry or plead from any of the men; you just heard a fast sound, as if something sharp just cut the air behind you, followed by a wet, disgusting noise, that started and ended as fast as the previous one. At your right, you saw a red stain appear on the wall, profaning the blue as it descended violently to the floor.

Poseidon’s composed voice was the next thing you heard.

– Send servants to clean this mess – he was saying – And inform your detachment’s leader about this casualty. He will designate a substitute to work with you.

The younger man’s voice mumbled a relieved “yes, my Lord”, and he left as soon as he could.

When the sound of his steps disappeared in the parallel corridor (you didn’t know in which direction), you sensed your husband approaching you again. You tried to glance behind, but before you could see anything, his hand covered the side of your face and you were forced to look ahead. He took you in his arms and started to walk, without saying a word about what just happened.

Just as decreed by Poseidon during your wedding votes, those pearls were indeed their only warning.

Chapter 8

[maditalksmusic]

An Analysis of Jeff Buckley's Grace (1994)

I still remember vividly the first time I listened to Jeff Buckley’s “Lover, You Should've Come Over". It was a rainy winter evening in 2021, and I was in a bit of a music rut. Everything I’d been listening to on repeat for the last month or two had become annoyingly redundant, and in a rather torpid attempt to reinvigorate my consumption of music, I decided to put my Spotify-generated “Discover Weekly” playlist. A few songs went by that, weren’t bad per se, but certainly weren’t all that memorable. When that opening harmonium passage graced my ears, chills washed over me. I stopped my Pinterest scroll, turned up the volume, then laid back in bed and just listened. Six and a half minutes later, I found myself uncontrollably weeping. To this day, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” is still my favorite song ever made. 

Jeff Buckley’s charm lies in the fact that, as it was best said by Dominique Leone in her 2004 review of Grace for Pitchfork, he was “a songbird, like the kind that used to receive roses and blown kisses from the debutantes in the balcony after performances.” While technically classified under the extremely broad umbrella that is rock music, Buckley effortlessly blurs the lines of genre on Grace. He incorporates a myriad of sounds characteristic of not only rock, but also jazz, blues, and folk. He got his start in Los Angeles and then moved to New York City and joined guitarist Gary Lucas’ band, Gods & Monsters, prior to entering a record deal as a solo artist. Buckley performed at cafés at tiny venues around Lower Manhattan through 1992 and 1993, most frequently at Sin-é, which inspired the release of his debut solo EP, Live at Sin-é, in 1993. A standout from the EP is “Je N'en Connais Pas La Fin”, which translates to “I do not know the end” is a sort of cover of the original Edith Piaf song, loosely translated to English from the French lyrics. 

Released in August of 1994, Grace is Jeff Buckley’s first and only complete studio album. Since his tragic passing on May 29, 1997, songs from projects titled Sketches for My Sweetheart The Drunk and You and I were released posthumously in 1998 and 2016, respectively. The original version of Grace, distributed by Columbia Records, features ten tracks. However, in 2004, Columbia decided to re-release a “legacy edition” of the album, featuring an eleventh track, "Forget Her", that was never intended to be released. The ethics of that decision are still heavily debated, as Buckley himself stated that he despised the song and did not want it on the album, despite Columbia’s original attempts to convince him to release the track. 

Grace opens with the hauntingly fervent track "Mojo Pin", inspired by a dream of Buckley’s. It’s title is a euphemism for an almost overwhelming sort of addiction to someone, to a point where you have to have them. The term “mojo” originated in the Southern United States in the 1920s, adapted from the Gullah word “moco”, referring to magic, and came to be used as slang for heroin and other drugs in the 1960s. I don’t think this track would have functioned nearly as well anywhere else in the album - it starts off softly, reaching a desperate crescendo by the end of song as Buckley lets his vocals soar with the repetition of “Black beauty, I love you so,” in tandem with an intense snare finish, driving in the sheer emotional power that is held through the duration of the album. 

Following “Mojo Pin” is the album’s title track, "Grace", which sounds completely different, yet still manages to encapsulate the same wretched yet hopeful yearning that is interwoven throughout the whole album. “Grace” was inspired by Buckley’s experience saying goodbye to his girlfriend at the airport. It explores the interplay between the struggle with the passing of time and the ways that love can carry a person through those difficulties. As Buckley croons “it’s my time coming, I’m not afraid / Afraid to die” in the first verse, it’s easy to see death as a sort of beautiful conclusion instead of a violent end. Listening to Grace very closely resembles a religious experience, at least for me. The cover of Leonard Cohen's 1984 "Hallelujah"  featured on the album brings this sentiment to a very literal level. While it isn’t my favorite song on the album, Buckley’s cover is the most beautiful rendition I’ve heard. It remains one of his most popular songs and for many, is a gateway into his music. 

Interestingly, three covers are featured on Grace. “Hallelujah” is known by the vast majority of listeners to be a cover, however "Lilac Wine" was composed by James Shelton in 1950 for the musical Dance Me A Song and "Corpus Christi Carol" is an English hymn written in the sixteenth century. Buckley’s version of “Corpus Christi Carol” is based specifically on an arrangement by Benjamin Britten. Both “Lilac Wine” and “Corpus Christi Carol” have become closely associated with Jeff Buckley as his personal sound still shines brightly through both songs, his unmistakable voice working beautifully with any variety of instrumentation. 

The juxtaposition of “Hallelujah” and “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” immediately next to each other in the track list is a very clever sort of storytelling. Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” differs from others in that it doesn’t feel nearly as hymnal. The production is incredibly minimal, putting the width of Buckley’s vocal range on full display. It doesn’t feel like a church service so much as it is akin to finding yourself alone in a cathedral, reaching out from the depths of your soul to bathe yourself in the elusive notion of God’s love. It’s almost as if the music is trying to achieve some sort of salvation before it plunges into the heartbreaking ballad that is “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over”, a song that begs for forgiveness at the cost of mind, body, and soul. Much of Grace has its roots in Jeff Buckley’s relationship with Rebecca Moore, with some even considering her to be his muse. However, “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” is most specifically about the end of their relationship. The track holds some of Buckley’s strongest songwriting, and quite frankly some of the best in history. “All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter” and “She’s the tear that hangs inside my soul forever” are some of my favorite lyrics out there. It’s a particularly gorgeous song on the record, but live, even if only seen through a decades-old recording, is soul-crushing. The performance Buckley did for JBTV Chicago in November of 1994 is forever seared into my mind. 

The conclusion of Grace has become a rather controversial topic due to the 2004 addition of “Forget Her” with the release of the Legacy Edition by Columbia Records. I enjoy the song independently, but I never listen to it as a part of the album. If  it was added at an earlier point in the tracklist it could debatably work, either between "Last Goodbye"  and “Lilac Wine” or between "So Real" and “Hallelujah”, though I believe Jeff Buckley’s original thought process on keeping it off the album was absolutely sound. The final two tracks, "Eternal Life" and "Dream Brother" on the other hand, tie up the album perfectly. 

“Eternal Life” is the ‘heaviest’ song on the album instrumentally, more aligned with a traditional rock song than anything else on Grace. It stands out considerably from the sounds on the rest of the album, even while those sounds are so wonderfully varied, but it does so well. Departing from the more autobiographical lyrics of many of the songs on the album, “Eternal Life” is focused on the struggles of being human, written as a product of Buckley’s anger, according to Genius over world events such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, World War II, killings in Guyana, and more. It’s an expression of an anger shared by many at the time of its release, and an anger that many people today continue to feel as we see the horrendous effects of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and feel the stress of the upcoming presidential election. “Dream Brother” is an ideal conclusion to Grace. The song serves as a warning in a sense, inspired by one of Buckley’s friends who left a pregnant girlfriend, telling him not to be like “the one who made me so old”, referencing his father, Tim Buckley, who only met his own son once and died of a drug overdose at 28. “Dream Brother” can serve as a reminder to us all to be accountable for our actions and allow ourselves to fully experience our emotions. 

The constant sense of raw and unbridled emotional vulnerability is what makes Grace what it is. I always do my best creative work after listening to some Buckley, because he’s an artist that can open you up and force you to dig into the depths of your psyche by means of song. That emotional vulnerability is the driving force behind Jeff Buckley’s ability to craft such enchantingly gut-wrenching music, and ultimately that is what every listener can take away from Grace. 

[mahounomanga]

Kurumi-tic Miracle

In the early days of the genre, it was relatively common for magical girls to have more open-ended power sets. Rather than having one or a few set applications, their magic could do just about anything. Since the turn of the millennium, most magical girls have powers designed for a specific task, such as fighting evil, but today I want to take a look at a character from the early 2000s whose powers can do anything she puts her mind to.

Kurumi-tic Miracle is a 2003 manga by Chitose Yagami. It stars a run-of-the-mill schoolgirl named Kurumi Nanami, who lives with her grandfather in the oddities shop he owns, together with her pet hamster, Momo. One day, while helping clean the shop, Kurumi discovers a mysterious magic stone that affixes itself to her wrist in the form of a bracelet. With this magic bracelet, any wish she makes will instantaneously come true. Initially she uses this power to pursue her crush, Naoki, but as the two gets closer, it becomes clear the magic stone has a bit of a history, and the potential to cause problems.

Kurumi-tic Miracle was serialized in Ciao magazine from the February 2003 issue to the April 2003 issue: a three chapter run. These chapters were compiled into a single tankobon volume on June 21, 2003 by Shogakukan under their Flower Comics imprint, along with a couple of Yagami's older one-shots. A digital re-release, also by Shogakukan, was made available on July 10, 2015. Official translations were released in Indonesian and Chinese, but not English. However, a fan translation by the group Da Gurlz Translationz is available for all five chapters, including both one-shots, and can be found on various unofficial manga sites.

The series was created by Chitose Yagami, a shoujo manga author who debuted in 2001 with Magical Project, a one-shot which was later included in volume 1 of Manga Mitaina Koi Shitai! a.k.a. Fall in Love Like a Comic, one of her more popular works which was even officially printed in English by Viz under their Shojo Beat imprint. Much of Yagami's work contains elements of romantic comedy, middle/high school slice of life, magic and the paranormal, and working in the entertainment industry, be it modeling, music, or manga. She is still active to this day, both professionally and on social media. Her most recent manga, a BL series titled Shoujo Manga no Hero ni naritai no ni Heroine Atsukaisareru Ore., began serialization in 2021 and is still ongoing. None of her works would get career-definingly popular, but Kurumi-tic Miracle was successful enough to land her her first autograph session, so that's cool. It seems she didn't do much adapting of existing work, save for contributing to a shoujo Inazuma Eleven anthology in 2011. That same year, her manga Oresama Kingdom (Kings of My Love) got picked up for a direct to video anime adaptation, running for 14 episodes of 11 minutes apiece until 2013. This was the only manga of hers to get an anime adaptation, and it got a Nintendo DS game too, also in 2011. This was the second video game based on a Chitose Yagami manga, the first being Kiss x Kiss for the GBA in 2004.

Speaking of video games, this came up a lot in my research so I just want to point out that this series is unrelated to the 1997 Playstation game Kurumi Miracle, in which a young witch whose name is also Kurumi goes to an island to hone her magic by helping the local townsfolk.

Because Kurumi-tic Miracle is so short, it's difficult to recap the plot without giving spoilers, so if you'd like to go into the series blind, I advise you to do so before reading the rest of this post.

The manga starts off as a pretty straight forward slice-of-life romcom with magical hijinks, but the more we learn about the love interest Naoki, the clearer it becomes that something is amiss. He has a rather distinctive ring, and he seems very interested in Kurumi's bracelet. It turns out there is another magic stone, and the person who controls it wants them both to himself. The plot reveal is that this person is not Naoki, but his little brother, Satoru, who found the other stone by chance and became corrupted by its' power. He has bequeathed unto Naoki a fraction of that power for the purposes of collecting the other stone.

The magic systems in Kurumi-tic Miracle are really interesting to me. Because the scope of what they can do is so broad, the characters are limited only by their imagination, which gives us a stark contrast in how Kurumi and Satoru use their powers, despite those powers deriving from the same source. Kurumi's magic tends to be cuter, more harmless, and at times downright childish. Satoru's magic is scarier, emblematic of his ruthless attitude, and representative of a genuinely serious threat.

To pad out the tankobon release, two of Chitose Yagami's one-shots were included. The first, 2003's Dokitto Boys X Love (just Boys X Love in the fanslation), is sort of a comedy-of-errors in which a teenage girl accidentally switches bodies with her favorite male idol, and the two have to stick together as she learns his routine. It's not especially groundbreaking, but it's cute. The second is titled Otokomae!? Jajauma Musume, which I thiiink roughly translates to Boyish Selfish Girl. The fanslation uses the title I Love Tomboy. It was originally published in 2001 and according to Weblio was Yagami's second ever manga after Magical Project. It's a romantic comedy in which a tomboy attempts to become more feminine to win over her bully... which sucks. It sucks so bad. This one-shot is infuriatingly gender essentialist and sexist. A lot of effort goes into categorizing what separates girls from boys, all of it very stereotypical, and even though the resolution is that the protagonist is more comfortable being herself, the message is lost in all the steps it takes to get there. She does have some personal struggles with wondering if she's really a boy after all, and there's a plot twist that the elder sister figures who helped her throughout were actually crossdressers the whole time, so I'm sure you could read some queer subtext into this if you wanted to, but that is VERY clearly not what was intended. I hate it.

Taken on its' own, Kurumi-tic Miracle strikes me as a diamond in the rough. Most of the flaws I can point to in the main story could easily be alleviated if it were given more room to breathe. Three chapters just wasn't enough for me to get fully invested in these characters or their world. Despite this, the core concept shines through. This manga had some genuinely intriguing ideas about its' magic systems and how they can be applied for creative problem solving at a time when that modality of magic was becoming increasingly rare, despite the magical girl genre as a whole reaching market saturation at around this time. It's short and cute, even if it's not particularly substantial. It's very of a type, but if this is a type you tend to enjoy, I highly recommend checking it out.

[annimator]

Looking back, October really felt like a great month for me fandom-wise and by the looks of it, November’s gonna be just a great :D

So, what happened that made October really great for me?

Well…

(I put it all under the cut cuz I’ll be spoiling some stuff for Disventure Camp, Inanimate Insanity, Heartstopper, and Whitepine. They’re all pretty great imo and I don’t wanna spoil stuff that happens in these shows/series for people that seem interested in them :p)

• i LOVED Heartstopper S3. I was rlly excited to see how they’d adapt Volumes 4 & 5 for the show and it delivered because NICK AND CHARLIE SAYING THEIR FIRST “I LOVE YOU”S TO EACHOTHER WAS SMTH THAT I WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE IN LIVE ACTION AND IT IS GENUINELY MY FAVOURITE MOMENT FROM THE WEBCOMIC. JOE AND KIT WERE SO INCREDIBLE ALL SEASON TOO

• I also rlly loved Darcy’s plotline for the season as someone that’s Nonbinary. Same thing with Isaac’s

• I was genuinely so fucking happy over Sahar and Imogen’s relationship getting more and more romantic. I cant wait to see what’ll happen to them in S4

• I STILL HAVENT FUCKING RECOVERED FROM INANIMATE INSANITY S2 EP 17. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT

• FAN’S LAST WORDS BEFORE HIS “DEATH” STILL FUCKS ME UP. AND DONT GET ME STARTED ON PAINTBRUSH BURSTING INTO TEARS AFTER SEEING LIGHTBULB FUCKING DIE IN FRONT OF THEM.

• THE ENDING SCENE. KNIFE AND SUITCASE BASICALLY ACCEPTED THEIR DEATHS AND THIS ONE PIECE OF FANART I SAW ON TWT ISNT HELPING

• but on a lighter note, I still can’t believe the II fandom managed to complete an ARG that took 3 days to be made within less than an hour lmao.

• OMG DC’S TOMJAKE SPIN-OFF WAS SO FUCKING AMAZING I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

• I like to think that the series as a whole is just ONC’s apology for making TomJake shippers wait MORE THAN A YEAR for them to actually become canon /j

• the cuteness aggression I get from these two are rivalling the ones I get from spiderbit and fitpac, and I’m saying this in the kindest way possible

• Those scenes from Ep 2 with Jake and Tom in domestic bliss genuinely added a decade to my lifespan. Their kiss at the end of the episode was great too. And what Gabby and Ellie said to each other immediately afterwards might genuinely be my favourite lines from the both of them

• The spinoff’s first season ending with Jake proposing to Tom genuinely got me (internally) screaming out of pure joy. I genuinely didn’t expect to get this obsessed with them when I got into DC since they weren’t even the ship that got me into watch in the series. (*cough* gabellie) Also ik this episode was released last Saturday but idgaf lmao

• a lot of double greetings were posted during October too! Literally most of the tomjake double greetings had them kissing and that implies that people paid extra for that to happen lol.

• Speaking of, the first Jaiden double greeting came out on my birthday >:D I haven’t really mentioned them much in my Disventure Camp posts, but they share the title of being my favourite DC ships alongside tomjake and gabellie! Their dynamic’s pretty cute and James’ confession to Aiden during the S2 finale is genuinely one of my favourite scenes of the entire series

• also Disventure Camp: Staff Stories’ last episode was released during October lol. I prefer Ep 3 more, but Derek and Trevor’s backstory was pretty interesting! Still can’t believed the episode ended like THAT lol

• S4’s contestants were also introduced, and it’s making me SO EXCITED! I’m personally rooting for Hannah, Benji, Marissa, Zaid, Tristian, Jade, Natalia, Alessio, and Isabel! So I will be very sad if one of them ends up being first boot :D

��� WAIT I ALMOST FORGOT- New Whitepine episode came out and I really liked it a lot! Ivory and Serapter’s friendship is rlly sweet. Wonder why Clown wants Ivory to not bring up the whole murderer thing…

• oh yeah I also had a dsmp relapse because of Jack’s stream lol

[nadziejastar]

When did Kh go to complete shit in your opinion

The short answer is that the series experienced a gradual decline after the release of BBS. I think it officially went to shit with Union X, particularly the story arc that started after the Keyblade War. The longer answer will be under the cut.

KH2FM/Days/BBS (2007-2010)

Since Birth by Sleep is the first part of the Kingdom Hearts storyline, I'd like if you considered it as Kingdom Hearts, "Episode 0". This title isn't placed as a side story, with its storyline and battle system, it is substantial like that of a numbered title.

During this time, the series was extremely healthy and at its peak of popularity, with a bright future. KH2 was a beloved JRPG classic (and still is). The Final Mix introduced interesting new mysteries surrounding Xemnas and solid gameplay extras like the Lingering Will. Days was a side game, but it gave more development to fan favorites Roxas and Axel. The PSP wasn't the most popular system in the West, but BBS still sold quite well. It was a bit of a downgrade from KH2 due to the lesser hardware, but it was still a true mainline numbered sequel in the spirit of KH2 and was well received by fans. Tbh, I'd consider BBS the last truly great game in the series.

Re:Coded (2010)

After BBS the next new installment was...a filler game in the spirit of CoM. Recycled Disney plots, and an even more nonsense story with the datascape stuff. But it was just a DS port of a Japanese flip-phone game. It was a title that you could completely ignore and not really lose out on anything. Still, it is a low-quality title that didn't need to exist and wasn't doing the reputation of the series any favors.

Birth By Sleep Final Mix+ (2011)

[D]uring that movie there were the words ‘A fragmentary passage’, weren’t there? That means a ‘bits and pieces of something whole’. In short, a story for ‘Volume Two’ exists that ought to be told, but the story cuts off with those scenes. Because of that, I won’t say there is absolutely no chance that we will produce a title to follow KHBBS, but there are no plans as of now.

This game had an interesting playable secret ending and video. Volume 2 was supposed to be a numbered game (KH0.5), a mainline title that would fill in important gaps from across the timeline. But BBSFM didn't sell well in Japan. Which isn't surprising. Final mixes made sense in the PS2 era. But the extra content for BBS could have been released as DLC. Not many people want to buy the same game again for some new content.

Dream, Drop, Distance (2012)

KH3D was put together relatively quickly, I was still concepting the story when I brought it to the table.

This is when the series started going to shit. It started gaining quite a bad reputation and articles like this began to pop up. Re:Coded could easily be dismissed as filler, but 3D was advertised as more of a mainline game. People were eager for KH3, or at least a game with the same quality as BBS. DDD isn't terrible or anything. But you could tell that it didn't have as much thought put into it as BBS.

It was originally just the beginning part of KH3 that got stretched out into a full game and it shows. The Disney worlds don't fit into the normal timeline, there's fewer of them, Disney party members were replaced with animals, and the drop gimmick was controversial. There's weird time travel stuff that is convoluted and not explained very well. This didn't help with the story's reputation.

I originally planned to make that [a mystery KH title] after KHBBS, but we ended up making KH3D and the project was stopped. It’s a shame, but we won’t be starting that project again.

BBSV2 was planned after BBS. Production stopped to make DDD. The secret ending of DDD showed Young Xehanort on the beach of Destiny Islands, which was one of the events shown during "A Fragmentary Passage". There may have still been plans to start production of BBSV2 again after KH3D finished. But Square changed their minds. I suspect the reason for that has to do with Versus XIII.

Versus was being developed by the Tokyo team which made KH2. BBS was made by the Osaka team, which also made DDD. The original plan was for the Tokyo team to finish Versus and then make KH3. But things were a mess with Versus and eventually it was decided that the Osaka team would make KH3. So, if the Osaka team was busy on KH3, then they wouldn't be able to make BBSV2.

X (2013)

To tell the story about the Keyblade War we need the capacity of hi-spec hardware and we need to accumulate all of our knowledge on this hardware. And in telling this story, we will need to tell it in separate episodes, and how specifically to tell it has yet to be figured out.

There is evidence that X was probably intended to be an MMO on high-spec hardware. Square had a lot of trouble with the transition to HD consoles, so it was downgraded to a minor release on browser. It's an okay title. Interesting lore that expands on the fairy tale of Kairi's grandma. But it's got the typical recycled Disney plots and low-budget gameplay. Not exactly lighting the world on fire for the core audience.

If you do know, then you will enjoy the world of KH all the more, make no mistake. However, you don't have to know everything. The protagonist himself, Sora, doesn't know everything. That said, I'd be happiest if you did play it (laughs). If you do give it a try, I think you'll be surprised at what a rich experience you get for free.

But X was not meant to be a title with an emphasis on story. It was a spin-off, totally separate from the main plot thread. It was written alongside KH3 and the two were intimately related. If you played X, it would enhance your enjoyment (Ephemer cameo), but it was not essential.

X was rebranded as Unchained X and rereleased for mobile in 2015. X was also remade into Back Cover, which was included in the 2.8 HD Remaster collection. People would naturally assume that Back Cover told you everything you needed to know about the X story in preparation for KH3. And maybe at one point, that was the plan...

0.2 A Fragmentary Passage (2017)

As far as content goes, we can’t include a full volume of content to play with like the second chapter of KHBbS, so it’s just a “fragment,” and we left that part of the subtitle. 0.5 is one of the letters and numbers that appeared in the secret episode of KHBbS FM, and that meant full volume, so we decided on 0.2 this time, to indicate that there will be more content to come.

IMO, this is the first high-quality release since BBS. But it's still just a 3-hour prologue instead of a complete game. The events with Aqua are interesting, but they are just one "fragment" of the whole 0.5.

Actually, this was what I worried about the most. We showed this for a bit in the secret episode of [KHBbS FM], but the concept for two chapters of [BbS] is something we've had for a while, and because of problems with time, it's become just a morceau.

Releasing it as a full game on consoles would have delayed progress of KH3. And after nearly a decade of nothing but remasters and low-quality spin-offs, that was the last thing Square wanted. Despite how important 0.5 was, fans would be upset if the next mainline game wasn't KH3.

Union X (2017)

As a gacha with a worldwide audience, X was extremely profitable, so its storyline was extended past its natural ending. Even though X was a complete story that was meant to lead directly into KH3, Nomura retconned the ending, allowing the story of Ephemer and friends to continue in a new story arc called Union X which began in 2017. UX was...strange. It took place in the afterlife? Or the datascape? It had tons of filler, very infrequent story updates that barely progressed anything, and weird retcons, like character backstories that felt like they were in the wrong game (Why tf are Ventus and Marluxia here???).

Unlike X, the story of UX felt like it was being made up on the fly. Also, UX did not directly tie in with KH3 anymore. Its run actually continued past KH3. It was as if Nomura knew there were going to be too many plot holes for KH3 to properly resolve. So, he began using UX to set up the plot of KH4. People who only played the remasters were going to be completely blindsided when they played KH3. It wouldn't conclude anything that was set up in Back Cover, like the black box. KH3 would actually just be one big "to be continued" for KH4 with UX acting a band-aid. IMO, this is the point when the series had officially gone to shit.

KH3 (2019)

I had quite a tough time writing the story this time around. So many characters appear in this game, with each of them having their own set of problems and needing to choose their own fate. [...] I believe that KINGDOM HEARTS III is truly completed when the two thoughts - whatever you feel from playing the game, and my thoughts that I’ve secretly placed in the game - match up together. I hope that everyone playing the game will complete the game for us.

The long-awaited big budget mainline title on home console was a decent game, but it just wasn't a complete experience like KH2 was. 0.5 should have properly developed the relationships of Lea/Isa, Ansem the Wise/Ienzo, and Xehanort/Eraqus. Instead, these backstories only get lightly touched on in the Secret Reports and then one cutscene was given to "resolve" their problems. The new original world that was shown off in a private trailer in 2014 dubbed "Cable Town" was completely absent from the final game, except as the final battle stage.

KH3 had beautiful production values, solid gameplay, and vastly improved level design. But it didn't capture people's hearts like KH2 did. More incomprehensible time travel, rushed unsatisfying reunions for the trios, plot holes galore, and a cliffhanger ending only made things worse for the reputation of the series. The story is infamous in the gaming community now. A meme. KH4 doesn't have anywhere near as much hype as KH3 did.

Fans all have different favorite characters, so I thought I should give each of them their own time to shine, but because the amount of things needed to be explained was too large, I had to find a way to have Sora move forward, at the very least. Actually, when the scenarios were being written, the Keyblade Graveyard part was the most difficult. If I focused on each character at a time, the progression of events would be quite slow, and the battles involving Sora were necessary to be shown, so making allowances for everything was difficult. The way I imagined it, all of the characters tied to each other should fight in order and put an end to everything [themselves], but if I did that, the explanations would end up being too long.

Re:Mind was content that should have been in the main game, but was removed due to time constraints. For instance, the Final Fantasy characters from RG. Also, being able to play as the various guardians of light in their respective battles, rather than just Sora. Roxas and Xion weren't even supposed to be revived in the middle of Lea and Kairi's fight, but were included to please fans. The focus of the DLC is on Yozora, a new OC reminiscent of Noctis, showing that KH4 will be an attempt to revive the cancelled Versus XIII. The series is just...a hot mess at this point.

Melody of Memory (2020)

Another budget side game nobody wanted. Only has a tiny bit of story at the very end. Similar to Re:Mind, the plot felt like cut content from KH3. Stuff like Kairi's childhood flashbacks of Apprentice Xehanort, her arrival in the Final World to look for Sora's soul, then having a confrontation with old man Xehanort. All stuff that should have been in KH3. Ya know, when Xehanort was still alive...

Dark Road (2020)

I know what you're probably thinking: the Dark Seeker Saga, which depicted the battle against Xehanort, finished with KINGDOM HEARTS III, didn't it? Well, it's a grey area, but I wouldn't call this title part of the Dark Seeker Saga. Why? Because this isn't about battling against Xehanort—it's about the battles of Xehanort. And maybe you're thinking that's a bit of a reach, but… okay, maybe it's a bit of a reach. However, I had the concept in my head for many years. It got shelved because it never really fitted what our team wanted. But around then, I heard from the Union X team that they'd like to do a parallel title with a new protagonist. And, since it seemed there was an unexpected number of Xehanort fans out there, it all came together like it was destined to be.

This story was no doubt one of the missing "fragments" of 0.5. Unlike many KH games, DR has a very solid premise and an interesting storyline. It's just a story that should have been told in a mainline game before the Xehanort saga ended. Because it was rebranded as part of the X series, there were weird retcons like Xehanort being the reincarnation of the UX Player. However, the main problem was the VERY low budget. The chibi pop-up book graphics fit the childish fairy tale story of X, but don't fit this story. Story updates were slow and gameplay was trash. Didn't even last a year. The scenario was truncated, and we got an abrupt ending that didn't even delve into Master Odin, how Xehanort fell to darkness, or how he and Eraqus grew apart. At this point, the state of the series is just pitiful.

Missing Link (2024)

"Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link" is a work that fills in the blanks between the two arcs and acts as a bridge, so it doesn't belong to either the "Dark Seeker" or "Lost Masters" arcs.

When UX finally ended, the Player, who was already dead, dies again. Only, instead of going to the Final World (X's ending) it's implied that they're reborn. This is because Square wanted to make a new UX with a parallel protagonist. But DR flopped. So, they retconned things yet again. No, no. Xehanort wasn't the reincarnation of Player-kun. Rather, it's this new robed person and Xehanort just absorbed their memories. ML is the REAL mobile follow-up to UX.

Honestly, ML doesn't look too bad. Unlike UX, it will be able to deliver a console-like experience (yay controller support!) and the story seems like it will be closer to a mainline game. I imagine most of the unused "fragments" from 0.5 will be included as "missing links" this time around. Better late than never. But fans are definitely burned out from the vast amount of side games and most just want KH4. Fortunately, mobile games only need a few dedicated whales to stay funded. ML won't delay progress of KH4 and it can dole out its story gradually, and it won't have to be rushed or shortened like KH0.2.

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

A Whovian Watches Star Trek for the First Time: Part 050 - Archer Captured and T'Pol Down Bad

Star Trek: Enterprise - Season 2 Episode 25 - Bounty

Getting close to the end of Season 2, meaning I'm more or less halfway through Enterprise.

The episode begins with a visitor desperate to talk to Archer. Specifically, someone who belongs to a new species called the Tellarites. He seems pleasant enough, but that's soon revealed to be a ruse, even still in the cold open, as a stuns Trip and then kidnaps Archer.

This episode is a follow up to Judgement! The Tellarite has been hired to return Archer after his prison break. Unfortunately it doesn't follow up on the Kolos stuff, but it does touch on a few of the issues of the Klingon justice system. Archer does a good job trying to play on the Tellarite's emotions to let him go, but it doesn't work. The action in Archer's half of the episode is good, especially his escape from the Klingon ship, and I like that Archer found a solution that works for both him and the Tellarite.

Trip is left in command of Enterprise as T'Pol is stuck in Decon with Phlox. We've had a few of these weird scenes in Decon, and they've all been really awkward, but this one is a new level. Weird leg shots aside, T'Pol is starting to show signs of paranoia, aggression and later horniness. At first I thought it might have been symptom of whatever pathogen is infecting her and phlox, but apparently it's part of the Vulcan mating cycle, and if she doesn't mate, she'll die. If you asked me to pick which members of the crew would be the first two to end up sleeping together, T'Pol and Phlox would not have been my first guess at any point in the series. The Vulcan 7 year mating cycle had been mentioned a few times before, I really wasn't expecting this. T'Pol is an attractive woman, and she does make my bisexual brain do things, but I really do have to question the motives behind the writer's choice to have an episode that is essentially dedicated Sweaty T'Pol running around Enterprise in her underwear while Horny out of her mind.

I feel like this one could have done with a couple redrafts particularly around it's B-Plot, but it was well put together. It just felt bizarre to watch.

Comparing my Enjoyment of this Episode with a Doctor Who Universe Story of the Same Title

Doctor Who - Tales From the TARDIS Volume 2 - Bounty

It's an audio story without it's own cover art, I don't have an image to put here, so I'm just throwing in a random image of the Eighth Doctor

So, Bounty exists in a weird place it's a short audio original story, that's the only original story on a release that mostly consists of adaptations of other Doctor Who works.

It's set early on in the Sam era of the Eighth Doctor Adventure novels, specifically immediately after the first book in that range. The thing with narrated audio books like this is, you've only got one actor to sell the whole story, and Paul McGann, who is normally a brilliant Actor, really doesn't sound enthusiastic about this one. Whether or not it was that or the absolute lack of plot in the short story, getting through this one felt like a chore. Basically, an Alien steals the TARDIS Key, and a not very interesting chase across a beach happens. Not much to chew on, really. No interesting character work, because a random side audio story can't really do anything with the EDA characters, those books were still being written at the time. Not much world building, not much insightful commentary. This one was definitely a dud, and I think Paul McGann Narrating it agrees.

As weird as Enterprise's Bounty was, it at least made me feel something, it at least was entertaining. I can't say the same about Tales from the TARDIS's Bounty.

Some day, I'll get a Star Trek episode that shares a title with a good Doctor Who story.

[kokiafans]

Website update

An update regarding the KOKIAfans blog: I have updated the discography page after KOKIA's announcement of digital releases for vol. 3 and 4 of her animal CDs. The physical releases are now sorted under the 'Special releases' category, as I had done with the first two volumes. The digital releases are listed as albums, with the original release date mentioned.

KOKIA previously announced the animal CDs would likely not return as physical releases after running out of stock, but they did return at least for the moment, so I'm not sure what her current stance is. That was the reason for my earlier decision to move them to the special releases category. If anyone has different ideas on how to handle this, feel free to let me know!

I have also updated the title translations, as it turns out the full track titles of volume 3 were slightly different in some cases than initially listed. There were no full track titles for volume 4 online at all, so I only had the animal names for those. However, I now have the physical releases myself after purchasing both albums via her official webshop, making use of the service Worldshopping (banner automatically added for international visitors). My review of the service is under the read more link (overall positive).

I hope this means I can start translating some new songs in the not so distant future, but unfortunately, I still cannot make any promises.

My experience after two orders is that the Worldshopping service is fast and the packaging is well done. The animal CDs are not in plastic cases, but rather cardboard, but no harm came to them in shipping, and the box was clearly marked as having fragile content.

Worldshopping does ask for a fee to place the order for you, and the additional international shipping from Japan can get rather expensive. Service wise it gets my recommendation, but I would still like to warn you for those additional costs. I've seen negative reviews based solely on those costs, as people were unaware they'd have to pay for shipping twice (domestic and international). Worldshopping does tell you this, but apparently it's not always clear to everyone.

The process went as follows, with the timeline of my latest order between parentheses:

I place my order via the 'Add to cart' banner under each product. I pay Worldshopping a combined fee for the products, domestic shipping and service fee upon checkout;

Worldshopping then places the order on the webshop and sends me a confirmation of having done so (almost immediate, same day). Without an account, you receive a link by mail to a page from which you can keep track of your order;

Worldshopping receives the order and prepares it for overseas shipping (3 business days for the order to arrive at their warehouse);

Worldshopping sends a bill for overseas shipping, giving me a storage deadline of one full business week;

I pay Worldshopping for overseas shipping and Worldshopping sends the package to my address (I paid after business hours in Japan, my order was shipped the following business day);

Worldshopping ships the package overseas (arrival at customs in the Netherlands after 3 business days);

I have to pay customs to get the packaging shipped to my address, although that is no longer within Worldshopping's domain. It is still an additional cost to be aware of.

And there you have it! I'm by no means an expert, but if you have any questions about the service not answered above, I might be able to help you now.

[mydetheturk]

What order should I watch/read trigun? Like anime first before maximum? Or does it matter or not? I really do want to get into maximum because I heard nothing but good things about it!

oh! um. Hi? I don't think i'm an expert or anything but i can do my best?

you. You probably don't wanna do what i did, which was: only just get into trigun when stampede came out, watch the first three episodes, think to yourself "damn this is cool. three episode rule really kicked in hard. this is a compliment," watch weekly until episode 6, find out hulu has the original anime dubbed and proceed to watch that in about 3 days, continue watching tristamp for another couple weeks, find the overhaul project of the manga, read a volume or two a night until you've started volume 8, at which point you read the rest of volumes 8-14 in a blur (pausing for a cry at volume 10), at which point the last two episodes of season one of tristamp have yet to come out; your roommate makes you watch badlands rumble with them the same night you watch the season finale, JUST so they can watch you watch wolfwood say the gayest sentence you've ever heard with your own two ears.

follow all of this up with the trigun book club (started by @trigunbookclub) to actually figure out what the fuck you were reading in the first place.

um.

if you want to start with one of the anime, you can either start with tristamp or trigun 98 first - tristamp season one is 12 episodes and its set up as a prequel series. trigun 98 is mostly vibes, but its really fun - in its defense, the only thing out of trigun the manga at the time was the two volumes of trigun and maybe the first volume or two of trimax? tristamp is working with the whole of trimax, and if you read trimax before watching tristamp you'll catch stuff! there's also stuff in trimax that reference the 98 anime! its a very self-referential series. (complimentary)

or you can jump right into trimax! i recommend the translation done by @trigun-manga-overhaul - they've done a really good job of translating it and keeping things consistent. dark horse has the official release, and i can't say anything for or against it atm because i am still working my way through it. i don't have all the volumes and i haven't just gotten the digital version yet. i keep forgetting

it's fairly heavy in tone though - themes such as bodily autonomy come up, assault of various kinds, body horrors, mental illnesses, just a whole host of things. Nightow does a really good job handling them, imo. plus the art is insane! in a genuinely good way! i love how nightow lets us sit with things sometimes!

Nightow also has really lovely pieces of perspective art and there are so many times while reading (and rereading) the manga I've just left the image open if I've got the overhaul translation up or sat my physical dark horse copy (the single volumes are hard to get (prohibitively expensive in the used manga market, even for someone with a 50% discount thanks to work) but dark horse is putting out a deluxe edition starting this fall (oct '23)) down and just. soaked it in. i know I've got posts in my book club tag talking about how nightow's art Works Thematically

(despite the "goofy" part in my title, there aren't a ton of goofs in trimax or tristamp, but the ones that are there genuinely make it hurt more. this is a compliment. it's a little Pratchett-esque in this way.)

(trigun is a fucked up scifi western, and it changed my brain chemistry. this is important for you to know. it will change your brain chemistry. are you prepared for the consequences?)

(i did pose this to some peeps & they suggest 98/trimax/tristamp, just because 98 prepares you for the art style in trimax where tristamp has so many references to trimax. they did concede that i while i might have had the weirdest way of getting into trigun, it might have actually been the most well rounded. jury's out getting peer-reviewed)

Genuinely sorry about the wall of text, and I hope it makes sense! Enjoy Trigun! have fun getting your brain rewired!

[hotwaterandmilk]

Another thing that arrived in the mail while I was away was my copy of the first Futari wa SxS volume. I keep vague track of magazines like Ciao and when I saw Kumaki Eri launch this series last year I knew I'd have to invest in the print edition when it was released.

If you're not already familiar with the series, Futari wa SxS (which is short for Futari wa Super Secret, the English language title on the back cover being We are Super-Secret) is an original magical girl series by Kumaki Eri with a hint of sci-fi.

Although the title and the character designs immediately call to mind the OG Futari wa Precure, I'd liken the actual work more to something like Akimoto Nami's 90s classic, Miracle☆Girls.

Asai Reo and Yoruno Michiru aren't exactly twins like Mikage & Tomomi from Akimoto's work, but they were born on the exact same day, at the exact same time, in the exact same hospital.

Due to this connection, Reo & Michiru can unlock psy abilities like telekinesis when they hold hands. This is a "super secret" between the two of them until they save a bullied kid's school bag using their abilities and put this secret at serious risk. Enter a boy named Takarada who threatens to put a wedge between these oddly matched childhood friends!

This is a total kids comic and that's awesome? I can think of several young family members who would love to give this a read! The focus in Futari wa SxS is the friendship between Reo and Michiru above all else, which is great to see. Reo is athletic and happy-go-lucky while Michiru is a glamorous on the surface but actually a die-hard otaku at heart. Although Michiru can get frustrated with Reo's desire to jump in and use their powers to help people, ultimately she can't say no to her energetic BFF.

In another move that reminds me of Miracle☆Girls, our heroines here may have psy talents but they don't have any magical ability to transform (unless you count cosplay). There's no magical compact or toy to sell to kids here (which isn't great from a marketing perspective), these girls just hold hands and use their powers.

That's another thing I quite like, it's well defined from the first chapter that although Reo & Michiru have some pretty cool powers, they do need to touch their hands together to unlock them. This means we're shown a firm limit to their talents from the get-go so (at this point anyway) nobody is powering up every chapter or maxxing out their abilities. I like that and while it does lean towards the SF side of things more than the magical power-wise, I think that the tropes at play overall tend towards Futari wa SxS being a magical girl title at heart.

Kumaki's artwork is quite playful and childish with firm clear lines, big eyes, and lots of chibis for conveying comedy. I think it works nicely for a kid's comic, but it might not be for everyone. While Kumaki's previous series have overwhelmingly been romances, the fantasy at play in Futari wa SxS is primarily based on the close friendship between the leads. The whole "Wouldn't it be amazing to have a best friend you could do anything with? Even if you and the friend were polar opposites?" (although with all the hand-holding you're welcome to read more into Reo & Michiru's relationship too I imagine).

Takarada throws a spanner into the works here with his interest in Reo and his online success threatening to expose the girls, so it will be curious to see where his part of the story goes. Right now it seems as if the heroines have an unbreakable bond so good luck with winning anyone's heart, bro (though this is shoujo manga so I don't doubt romance will factor in eventually).

Overall a cute little series, nothing too serious or ground-breaking but it's rare to have magical girl series that aren't part of a media mix or an adaptation of an existing property so in that sense Futari wa SxS is a welcome change. I get the feeling it won't run too long or shake the foundations of the genre, but I'd love to be wrong about that. There really aren't many original magical girl titles these days and this one is perfect for youngsters who also enjoy things like Precure or PriPara (and have never read Miracle☆Girls because lol they're v e r y similar).

Edit: Presently this series is not available in English. The first Japanese volume was released on March 29th 2023 and it is currently ongoing in Ciao magazine.

[frozenmikan]

Love Live! Days x Nikkei Entertainment - Liella! ON Volume 1

Check out the original interview in Nikkei Entertainment June 2023, available for purchase on Amazon JP here.

Yuigaoka Girls' High School School Idol Club's Monthly Report

What she really wanted to say during the MC of the final leg of the tour

In this column held in collaboration with Love Live! Days, we follow the activities of Liella!, the school idol group from Love Live! Superstar!!. In this volume, Date Sayuri, the voice of Shibuya Kanon, shares what the group has achieved in March and April 2023.

Summary of This Month Final leg of the tour, new album, and new first-years

March 4-5 Final leg of the 3rd Live Tour at Belluna Dome

Now that I think about it, (the Saitama leg at) Belluna Dome felt really special. The setlist was different from the other legs, and we even performed Second Sparkle for the first time on Day 2. It was also special since I approached both days with very different states of mind. On Day 1, it just didn’t feel real, and my head was in the clouds from the rehearsal to the end of the performance. It felt like my memories of that performance went missing, like, did I even perform on that day?

Day 2 was also the final performance of the live tour, so I remember telling myself to make sure to commit the performance into memory. But, I ended up getting too excited and didn’t manage to say what I really wanted to say during my final MC… What I really wanted to convey back then was the frustration and disappointment I felt upon the realization that although Kanon-chan managed to overcome her worries and take the next step forward, I myself didn’t manage to hold my head high and grow when faced with the same worries.

I’ve received many encouraging words in response to what I said back then. There were people who said something like “You’re two different people, so it’s understandable that seeing Kanon-chan’s good points would make you realize your own weaknesses. You don’t need to try too hard to become Kanon-chan”. That made me think that perhaps I would be able to enjoy myself more and look towards the future if I didn’t fixate over becoming one and the same as Kanon-chan. I have nothing but gratitude for everyone who wrote those comments as they were the ones who brought me to this realization.

March 15 Release of 2nd Album, Second Sparkle

The title song of the album, Second Sparkle, was a song that the group really wanted everyone to listen to in full as soon as possible, so we were all ecstatic when it was finally released. Thoughts like “You’re all so cool!” and “I could go on all day about this song!” were ones that we could totally relate to (laughs). I think we managed to show off a new side of us in the music video as well.

On the other hand, the recording of my solo, Free Flight, came and went without me coming to an interpretation that I felt satisfied with… So, if I have the opportunity to perform the song in the future, I do hope that I’d be able to perform it in a way that I’d be satisfied with. Hopefully I’d be able to look back at this moment with some optimism in the future, and look back fondly at the time when I wasn’t quite sure how to approach the song.

We’ll be having a meet-and-greet event in May for the release of Second Sparkle as well. It’s my first time doing an event like this as the voice of Shibuya Kanon, so I’m really looking forward to it!

April 1 Release of April Fool’s video

A video titled Onifessional - Their Way of Work was released for a limited time on the official YouTube channel, in which the nine of us acted as employees of a fictional events company. I was definitely shocked that we’d be doing a live-action video when I first heard about it, but all of us loved projects that went all out on the ridiculousness, so I left behind any sense of embarrassment I had and dove straight in (laughs). When we received the script, we were told that basically, most of it would be ad-libbed. Both participating in a live-action production and ad-libbing were things that I’ve never done before, so I had a lot of fun.

Each of us had a character setting in the script that we received, and what I got was three phrases: “Has been in the company for three years”, “A moodmaker that’s always cheerful”, and “Loves using quotes whenever she can”. I therefore decided to look up people I could use as a reference, as well as quotes that virtually everyone would know. There was a part when I said something like “there’s no ‘I’ in ‘team’”, and the only instructions the script had was “act like something or someone”. I’m sure many of you have already noticed, but I did use that famous actor as a reference!

There was one thing I felt was quite difficult though. Even though I tried my best to put on an act, I received many comments that went “that’s basically just Date Sayuri”. That was somewhat frustrating (laughs). But, in the making-of video that’s currently available on Liella! Club, Emori (Aya)-chan said, “You’re going back to being Sayuri!”, and I responded by telling myself to get into character, so do check that out as well!

April 28 Announcement of new first-years and unit groupings

On this day, it was announced that Wien Margarete and Onitsuka Tomari would be joining Liella! as new first-years, and the group would be split into three units. Joining Kanon-chan’s unit would be Heanna Sumire (voiced by Payton Naomi) and Yoneme Mei (voiced by Yabushima Akane).

First of all, about the new first-years, I expected Kanon-chan’s younger sister, Aria-chan to join, given their age gap, but instead, we got Oninatsu’s younger sister instead, which was quite unexpected. I was quite surprised to learn that she even had a sister (laughs). I have yet to meet the voice of Tomari-chan, but since everyone in Liella! is very kind, I hope she has an enjoyable time here. As for the voice of Wien (Margarete), Yuina-chan, she has already gone on an entire tour with us, so I am really excited about the new first-years.

We heard about who would be in which unit after Day 2 at Belluna Dome, and I remembered being quite surprised at the size of the units, as well as the fact that Kanon, Sumire, and Mei would be in the same unit. Personally, I have the feeling that we were split into units based on our singing voices. I don’t know the concepts of each unit yet, so that’s something that I’m quite excited about (laughs).

Agenda for Next Month The theme song of SIF2

May 17 Release of new single, MIRACLE NEW STORY

Liella! was picked to perform the theme song of SIF2 [1], and it’s a song that makes me want to carry the weight of SIF2 when we perform it live in the future. There are a lot of lines that relate to “singing out loud together”, so not only is it a perfect fit for SIF2’s theme song, it’s also a perfect fit for Liella! now that we’re now able to hold performances where cheers are allowed. The coupling song for the single is also a song that’s quite conducive to cheers, so I’m hoping that it’ll become a song that’ll feel complete when the fans are performing it with us, and that it’ll help shape the new Liella!.

Also, I personally love the SIF game, and being able to listen to all kinds of songs from the Love Live! franchise is definitely one of its strengths. I’d be glad if it gave people who haven’t heard Liella!’s songs an opportunity to listen to our songs, to develop an interest in them, and to eventually fall in love with our songs.

May 27 BUSHIROAD ROCK FESTIVAL 2023

We participated in MEGA VEGAS 2023 on March 11, and we could tell that there’ll be a lot of rock fans in attendance just from what the venue looked like. Because of that, we thought we couldn’t lose to everyone else performing, and that sweating is part and parcel of the rock experience, so we definitely did sweat a lot more than we usually do on that day (laughs). It was quite liberating, in a way. I had a lot of fun imagining what a rock-inspired Kanon-chan would be like, which made me really grateful to receive the opportunity to perform at BUSHIROAD ROCK FESTIVAL 2023. The first time we participated in a music festival held outdoors was Bannam Fest last year, so this is our second time doing this. There was a moment when I felt infinitely small compared to the vast venue that we performed at last time, so I hope I’ll be able to overcome that feeling this time! It was also announced that we’ll be performing in this summer’s Animelo Summer Live 2023 -AXEL- on March 19, so I hope we’ll be able to show what it means to be Liella! at the various music festivals as well. 

[1] The official name of the game is Love Live! School Idol Festival 2 MIRACLE LIVE!, a smartphone rhythm game released on April 15 as the successor to Love Live! School Idol Festival, which had been in operation for ten years.

Translator: xIceArcher Quality Check: Yujacha (@yujachachacha)

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Before I started collecting Disney VHS tapes and home media...

Growing up in the mid-to-late 1990s, most of my Disney VHS tapes were post-1994 titles. My sister and I only had a few of the Classics releases, the majority of what we had were from the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. That included titles that were previously in the Classics line.

And as a kid, roughly 5, 6, whatever, I noticed the differences. I saw some cases had that shiny black diamond logo saying "The Classics", and others the glitzy castle and the "Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection" text underneath.

The only Classics tapes we had until I was about 10, and started sorta soft-collecting these things... Were the 1992 releases of 101 DALMATIANS and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the 1993 releases of PINOCCHIO (which I count, for various reasons despite the diamond being nowhere on the packaging/tape label) and ALADDIN, the final title THE FOX AND THE HOUND, and...

This release of DUMBO.

As you can tell, this copy has seen better days. I probably mangled that protective plastic as a kid, lol.

That's the 1989 cover of DUMBO, but with the 1991 tape master inside. It opens with the 1989 Walt Disney Classics logo, a restored Buena Vista title card with the opening music intact, and it has the white ink-on-shell label. The copy was printed in May 1993:

While not our oldest Disney feature tape, technically, it was our oldest release. DUMBO was one of those titles that did not go on moratorium, so that cover was available from 1989 to 1994. Then the Masterpiece Collection cover, which re-uses the same artwork and slightly modifies it, replaced it. Someone must've gotten this Classics version of DUMBO for the two of us sometime in mid-to-late 1993, maybe it was a Christmas gift.

But this, visually, felt like the oldest tape of a Disney feature film in our collection.

For starters, as you see in the vid above, it had no previews. Every other Classics tape we had, had previews: 101 DALMATIANS, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, PINOCCHIO, ALADDIN, and THE FOX AND THE HOUND all had at least one preview, and a Feature Presentation logo preceding the Classics motion graphic intro.

Second, the FBI and anti-piracy warnings were red-orange, not green like on the other Classics tapes.

Something seemed "older" about this release because of that. I also want to make a weird-ass sidenote, and say that as a kid - the logo for DUMBO on this cover (in pretty much in the movie, proper) always looked like the Marshmallow Fluff logo to me. Those big, tall, blue serif letters... Something about the two registered and connected in my little autistic brain as a toddler. DUMBO and Fluff.

Our oldest Disney tapes, period, were all Winnie The Pooh. We had the Walt Disney Mini-Classics releases of the four theatrical Pooh featurettes, all of those VHSes came out in fall 1989, but our printings were from mid-1990 onwards. We also had the second grab-bag compilation volume of THE NEW ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH, that tape also came out around the same time. What else? We also had the Disney Sing Along Songs volume UNDER THE SEA, an August 1990 release that also opened with the red-orange FBI warnings and had no previews on it. And another NEW ADVENTURES tape, Volume 6, which came out in 1991. There's actually a photo of me, roughly a year old, holding that tape - sitting around somewhere, lol.

So that DUMBO one seemed the oldest, and it also helps that the film itself was the second oldest out of all the ones we had in the Classics line. PINOCCHIO first came out in 1940, DUMBO in 1941, it just added to the vintage-ness. This was waaaaay before I looked up the order of Disney films, what their release dates were, etc. That would become a thing for me when I was around 8. I'll also add that those FBI warnings use the font Exotica Bold, which gives Golden Age of Hollywood aesthetics. Yep, it all ties together.

Whenever I was at someone else's place, I'd notice that their Disney VHSes were... Ones I didn't have, ones I didn't even know existed. I'd also notice these at my local video rental stores.

And that, there were "Classics" versions of titles that I associated with the Masterpiece Collection: CINDERELLA, BAMBI, THE JUNGLE BOOK, like wow! They all had different cover artworks, that looked older than the ones I was familiar with. And they all opened with that Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse introduction! These actually existed! That *blew* my mind at age 8-ish!

Then one day, I saw an earlier version of DUMBO. The 1985 cover artwork, with the pink spine... Though it was a later issue from late 1986.

So there was *another* Classics version of DUMBO? That also blew my mind!

Then a few years later, in around mid-2005, I came across a fan page dedicated to these releases. Back when information wasn't as commonplace as it is now. The person who made up the page thought the line began in 1988 and ended in 1993 with ALADDIN, that's how outdated it is now. And there I saw... That cover of DUMBO, again. That's right, that thing existed! That older pink DUMBO cover...

I wanted to get it.

And I got it shortly thereafter. This was around, I want to say June-August ish of 2005? I was like 12 and 3/4... and from that summer onward, I became a full-fledged Disney VHS collector.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Princess Seonwha and Sonogong (1968) 선화공주와 손오공

Director: Park Young-il Genre: Animation Country/Region of Manufacture: South Korea Language: Korean Duration: 67 minutes Also known as: Seonhwagongjuwa Son-ogong / 善花公主与孙悟空 Type: Retelling

Summary:

While on their way to Tianchuk, Master Samjang and Son Oh- gong hear that there is a demon that freezes the village in a village they arrive at. They are captured by the dragon woman and she turned Samjang into a skeleton. After coming to his senses, Son Oh-gong goes to the Bone Palace where the dragon woman is, rescues the three masters, Sao-jeong, and Jeo Ba-gye, who have turned into skeletons, and defeats the dragon woman. When her dragon dies, she turns into a goldfish, but her dragon friend was the goldfish that came down after committing her sins. Son Oh-gong and his party, who were on their way again, faced a crisis that almost got crushed by a pile of stones. While Son Oh-gong goes to scout the surroundings, Samjang is caught by the sea and a gale and is taken away by King Demon Wind. In response, Son Oh-gong created numerous Son Oh-gongs and defeated King Demon Wind. Then, one day, Son Oh-gong and Samjang Xuan, and company, arrive at Tianchuk and succeed in obtaining the Buddha's sutras.

In 1967, a particularly productive year for South Korean animation, as many as three films were released. The first three in the country: A Story of Hong Gil-dong (1967), directed by Dong-heon Shin; Heungbuwa Nolbu, directed by Gang Tae-ung in stop motion; and Hopi and Chadol Bawi, second part of the opening, also directed by Dong-heon Shin.

After this extraordinary boost to the country's animated industry, in 1968 two other feature films were released that, yes, are less well known: Golden Iron Man and the one in question, both signed by Park Yeong-il -and not by Bak Young- il, as it erroneously appears in some sources-. The one that stars in this review was his debut as a feature film director and is such a rarity that it does not have a file on IMDb. On the other hand, it does appear in the Korean Movie Database, which incidentally allows me to discover that it was produced in 1967 and that Park Yeong-il had already directed at least a couple of animated shorts before embarking on this project.

In fact, in the second volume of his history of world animation, Giannalbeto Bendazzi mentions Park Yeong-il as one of the three authors of what he calls "the first real animation," an independent short titled The Ant and the Grasshopper. (Gaemi Wa Bechangi), based on Aesop's fable, which he made together with Jeong Do-bin and Han Seong-hak. In that same work, by the way, the Italian refers to this film as Journey to the West (Sonogong).

Son Oh-gong -손오공-, which also is translated into English as Princess Seonhwa and Sonogong, is the fourth animated feature film to adapt Pilgrimage to the West, the 1590 Chinese literature classic. It is preceded by two Chinese films, Tie shan gong zhu (1941), directed by the Guchan brothers and Wan Laiming, and The Rebellion of King Kun fu sun (1964), Wan Laiming's second attempt, this time with Cheng Tang; and a Japanese one, Alakazam the Great (1959), produced by Tôei Dôga and directed by Daisaku Shirakawa and Taiji Yabushita based on the manga The Legend of Son Goku (Boku no Songoku), by the great Osamu Tezuka.

Narratively, it is not wonderful and the shortcomings of the Korean animation industry are noticeable in the most technically complex scenes, but the design of the characters is achieved, especially that of the fearsome woman faced by the monkey protagonist that gives the title to the movie. film. The expressive character design, along with Jeon Jong-kun's inspired soundtrack make it a rarity worth seeking out, even if it's far from an essential work of South Korean animation.

Source: https://animacionparaadultos.es/1968-sun-wukong/

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrMCvzj7nvI&ab_channel=AnonymousPp

[tsukiyadori]

Reading (+Watching) Log 2023.09-11 - September to November

Trying this out, not sure if a continuation is feasible, this took a bit to collect...

Reading languages: German, English, Japanese, not listing which was what

Titles are as I've read them either first or most and thus remember it for that title mostly

Not going to bother putting in the original titles of translated reads

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SEPTEMBER

Tried starting reading some of that little stack of doujins and failed to continue right after the first

Still in the middle of an Anime watching slump, but there's an actual tiny titbit watched. Somehow it was only now that I realized Puella Magi Madoka Magica apparently gets counted as a GL?

Anime:

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Walpurgisnacht Rising Trailer

Doujinshi:

Gusari (Natsuki Kizu) - Kuroko no Basketball Fanbook 2: Ashita no Tenki

Light Novel:

By the Grace of the Gods V2-5

Manga:

Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai ch38-39 Ane no Shinyuu, Watashi no Koibito ch20-21.1 Boku no Diamond Star ch11-12.2 Buta no Liver wa Kanetsushiro ch29 By the Grace of the Gods Ch35.3-4 Cinderella Closet v6ch24 Deep Scar v2ch14 Die rachsüchtige weiße Katze und der Drachenkönig ch1Leseprobe Eikyuukei ch5 Girl Crush Ch46-52 Hari to Hitsuji no Fune ch7.2-8.1 I'm a Maid, but I've Pulled Out the Holy Sword?! Ch21-24 Juuban-sama no Enmusubi: Kamiari Hanayome Kitan ch2.2-3 Kakegurui Ch103 Kemutai Hanashi ch7-10 Kimi ni wa Todokanai ch40.1 Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata bangai-wink Komorebi Shoutengai no Changing Wonder ch14 Leaving Our Truths to the Shooting Star ch1-4.3 Love is an Illusion - The Queen Intro ch1 Midnight Clubbing Sex V1 Midnight Delivery Sex v1 Miryou no Otome to Katabutsu Hittou Majutsushi no Hatsukoi Kiroku ch13.3-4 Moteki v1-3ch15 Motokare ga Fudanshi ni natte Orimashite v2 Mr. Mallow Blue ch27 My Regret ch9final.2 Noragami ch106.2-107.2 Oshi no Ko interlude 1-4 Oshi no Ko ch126 Phantom Seer v1 Prinz Freya v2-v6ch18 Promise Cinderella Ch119 Re:Zero the Mansion v1ch4 Seraph of the End ch117-129 Shuumatsu Touring ch32 Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch55-56 Taberare Usa ch67-70 Tenmaku Cinema Ch1-21 The Case Files of Jeweler Richard Masago Nasu Part 2-3 The Devil is a Part-Timer! v18ch90-94 The Villainess's Guide to (Not) Falling in Love Ch7-12.1 Unnamed Memory ch30.1-2 Verliebt in die Nacht v5-9 Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi ch32.1-3 What did you eat yesterday? v20 Yoshios Jugend ch1?

Notes:

Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata - Excellent as usual, but only a special there

What did you eat yesterday? - Excellent as usual, but it was a wee bit weaker than the last one or two volumes

Oshi no Ko - I keep going back every week

Seraph of the End - What are they even doing now. This smelled like something inbetween queerplatonic to the edge of romance (? - albeit a not exactly healthy one) for a helluva long stretch, but then it just has to come around the corner of, hey, look, they weren't even humans. Well, ok, they weren't really all that "human" right of the beginning. But anyway, can we go back to having some more Mahiro? Thanks.

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OCTOBER:

End of the month, at the same 27th October it was supposed to be a Jeweler Richard day as both the new English and Japanese volume were coming out. Things that went wrong: Seven Seas botched up v6's English release by leaving out the second half the Sinhalite extra case and the afterword. I also went out of my way to take a few days off to read the 13th's volume in Japanese in any sense of a safely time planed healthy manner right upon release, but entirely forgot, that ebooks have a delay in release date, so that one came out a week later. I was positively furious about my own stupidity and misplanning.

Light Novel:

Bottom Tier Character Tomozaki-kun v6.5 By the Grace of the Gods LN v6-9 The Case Files of Jeweler Richard Masago Nasu Part 4 The Case Files of Jeweler Richard v2.Garnet Reread The Case Files of Jeweler Richard きらきら星たちのパーティ

Manga:

100-nengo ni Tenseishita Watashi, Zense no Juukishi ni Kyuukonsaremashita: Heika wa Watashi ga Moto Oujo da to Okizukidenai you desu ch12.1-2 Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai ch40-41 Ane no Shinyuu, Watashi no Koibito ch21.2 Ane no Shinyuu, Watashi no Koibito tokubetsuhen.1-2 Ano Natsu ga Houwa suru. ch11-12.1 Arte v13ch64-v16ch79 BL Game no Shujinkou no Otouto de aru Koto ni Ki ga Tsukimashita ch17 Boruto: Two Blue Vortex ch2-3 Buta no Liver wa Kanetsushiro ch30.1 By the Grace of the Gods c36 Dead Company v1-3 Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu ch100 Deliquent Daddy & Tender Teacher v1 Detektiv Conan v101 Flüster mir ein Liebeslied v1 Girl Crush Ch53-55 Harebare Biyori ch20.2 Hatsu * Haru v1ch4, v3-6 I've become an Omega Today v1 Isekai de Ane ni Namae wo Ubawaremashita ch12.2-14.1 Kemutai Hanashi ch11 Kimi ni wa Todokanai ch40.2 Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata Ch71-72 Kuni Watari no Renkinjutsushi: Ouji ni Damasare Oukyuu wo Oidasareta Watashi wa, Aru Tabi no Ichidan to Deaimashita ch6.3-7.2 Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsusuru ch26-27 Love is an Illusion - The Queen ch2 Miryou no Otome to Katabutsu Hittou Majutsushi no Hatsukoi Kiroku ch13.5-14.3-4 Motokare ga Fudanshi ni natte Orimashite v2-v3ch18 My Dear Agent v1ch4 My Regret ch9final.3 Noragami ch108 Okazari Ouhi ni Nattanode, Kossori Hataraki ni deru koto ni Shimashita ~Usagi ga Iru node Hitorine mo Sabishiku Arimasen!~ ch20-21.4 Oshi no Ko ch127-130 Rental Girlfriend v17-v18ch157 Seraph of the End ch130 Shinde Miro to Iwareta no de Shinimashita. ch5.1-2 Sonna Kazoku nara Sutechaeba? ch57-58 Taberare Usa Ch74-75 Motokare ga Fudanshi ni natte Orimashite v3ch17 The Lady Likes a Nerd over Princes Ch1-7 The Saint's Magic Power is Omipotent ch36-37.2 The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent: The Other Saint ch1-4.4, ch21.1-4 The Valiant Must Fall v1-v2ch18 Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi ch33.1 Yomei Ichinen to Senkokusareta Boku ga, Yomei Hantoshi no Kimi to Deatta Hanashi ch6-7.1 Your Tears are Mine Ch1-25 今日からここで暮らシマす!? ch1

Notes:

Arte turned into out to be surprisingly good after all. Both characterization and artstyle (especially on Arte herself) have gone quite a long way compared to the beginning. Irene is posively an awesome character and the covet yet devoted and subtly beautiful one sided GL-side plot was a surprise addition I hadn't expected at all.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex - Sarada your earrings are actually pretty, but do you know some space time jutsu to freeze your coat in space like that without ever falling off despite all sorts of moves and jumps?

By the Grace of the Gods - The MC is technically this super overpowered character stereotype that is quite prevalent, but there's something about this character just going methodically step by step and just conquering everything that somehow never makes him come off as boringly OP. Also it has quite some iyashikei effect properties to it. It kinda feels... healthy. (Well it is a story about healing.)

Dead Company - This was kinda trash that had me confused if I missed out on some prequel (I didn't, there's only Doubt and Judge otherwise), and while it goes and explains the foundation mechanics of those two, it effectively is just a short version of Btooom.

Deliquent Daddy & Tender Teacher - Soft cheese, it kinda is predictable, but there is nothing offensive about it and propagates a healthy relationship, so worth a mention especially in the BL department. Obligatory spicy extra chapters remain cursed, but this was at least inerweaved with the characters and their relationship progression.

Girl Crush - This series has been excellent before, but with chapter 54 it has become a marvel that positively floored me. The climax of that chapter was nothing short of awesome. It's also such a great culmation of the main character's, Tenka's, character development progression in a nutshell. She was that character, which she is employed to depict in a music video, she met someone, showered her with irritation and jealousy, couldn't stand herself so resolved to leave it all behind and pursue getting that one thing she was so jealous of by going into the same career. But she also can't have in the same way, so grinds to the place in her own meticulous way. Gets this acting job where she's playing a role very like her past self and she pulls it out with this beautiful scene reel while thinking of what she almost became and then throws the papers for the scene but also at her past self. It's such a picturesque showing of how you can still be ashamed of what you were and did in the past, but still look back at it and use the experience to forward yourself instead of just desperately trying to bury it. I'm cursing and crying: Why does this series not have a print version. Neither in English nor Japanese or anywhere. 😭

Hatsu * Haru - I've read some vols of Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon Kyoudai from the author and that one was pretty good, but this this one is a patience wrecking piece of Highschool-Shoujo-Cheese. It does have some fairly interesting paneling here and there. But darn it, it's just exhausting.

I've become an Omega Today - Certainly wins a price in the "if you only talked (but then we'd have no plot)" category. Noteworthy tho for especially being Omegaaverse and not abusive or dubiously coercive. (How sad that this is something noteworthy.) Also interestingly this is the third in the set now that shares the same visual character design and personality template as I Hear the Sunspot and Summer with You.

Isekai de Ane ni Namae wo Ubawaremashita - Cute, nice dresses and just gimme those hairdoes, too.

Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata - Very good as usual, this now has a sort of Aishiteru Game wo Owasetai arc atm, but it's a helluva better one.

Speaking of Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai, sigh, I'm really not liking how it introduces some kinks, depicts the courage it needs to confess to it to your crush, only for the narrative to keep using it for gags that ultimately imo are based on shaming on it.

Motokare ga Fudanshi ni natte Orimashite - I previously had read the first few free chapters and then the end of the series on pixiv as it ran. I thought they were all just kind dense adorkable adults or a bit of late bloomers, but then it turns out that of the four main characters 3 are looking very demi aro/ace, and furthermore it gets revealed that two of them are about as officially aroace as you can possibly be without using the label.

My Regret - Finished. Excellent series that I had started at around the same time as My Diamond Star which both had me confused if it was supposed to be BL or not. The latter turned out to be one, this one pleasantly did not and was just about two very different people, whose lives get connected though an old man dying and leaving behind a legacy of grief, self reflection and self betterment. The climax would have been a perfect stopping point, but then it throws in the epilogue that comes along with a complete curveball of looking like something that smells queerplatonic and seems even more interesting. Which makes the series now just mean for stopping right there. D:

Taberare Usa - Flashback arc, so there is a break of the buns-as-sweets doom main plot. Instead lots, lots of bun cheese.

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard: Masago Nasu - I wrote about that one a bit before. But Seigi, Seigi, what are you doing with just hanging up on Richard after splurting off something like that?

The Valiant Must Fall: I thought Gunslinger Girl was a pretty good series. But this series from the same author is kinda on the nose about how much it has researched the history of that epoch. Sadly this is also the only thing really interesting about it. There's a few pages of essays by a historian at the end of the volumes and probably I may stick to it simply for those.

Yomei Ichinen to Senkokusareta Boku ga, Yomei Hantoshi no Kimi to Deatta Hanashi - This guy totally is gonna live in the end, while the girl dies, it just screams that trope. And woe and behold: Surprise surprise there is actually a possibility of an operation for this terminal death doomed heart disease teen. (And silly boy refuses to do it as of yet, are you serious?)

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

NOVEMBER:

I noticed Comikey's "free" and "free with ads" per day isn't globally counted (like Manga Up! for example), rather than per title.

That caused a reading spree there, which saw the advent of a good bunch of webtoons.

There was a regular classic novel read inbetween (gasp)

Reading actually good series remains a health hazard of reading everything too quick with too little breaks and sleep (Unnamed Memory, Goddess of Healing)

I still have not even started Jeweler Richard v13 and don't dare to for health and stamina safety reasons...

Light Novels:

By the Grace of the Gods V9-V11 Unnamed Memory v3-6

Novels:

The Old Man in the Corner

Manga:

A Side Character's Love Story Ch1-14 After God Ch1-27 Aishiteru Game wo Owarasetai ch40-41 Alabaster Ch1-4 Ano Natsu ga Houwa suru. ch12.2 Arte Ch81-83 Asobi Asobase Ch1-20 Barbara Ch1-14 Beauty as the Beast Ch1-15 Brutal ch1-8.1 Buta no Liver wa Kanetsushiro ch30.1-4 By the Grace of the Gods Ch34-V8Ch40.3-4 Color of Happiness v9-v11 Crime and Punishment ch1-4 Dekiru Neko wa Kyou mo Yuuutsu ch100 Dienerin des verfluchten Kindes v6ch29-ch38 Eikyuukei ch7 Fesseln der Liebe v6 Girl Crush ch56-57 Grimoire Heilkunde magischer Wesen v4-5 Hari to Hitsuji no Fune ch8.2 I'm cute enough to get away with it Ch1-19 Isekai de Ane ni Namae wo Ubawaremashita ch14.2-ch14.4 Kakan no Oukoku no Hanagirai Hime ch7.1-8.2-3 Kemutai Hanashi ch12 Killer in Love Ch1-30 Kimi ni wa Todokanai ch41 Kindergarten Wars ch1-25 Knitter's High ch23-24.3 Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata ch73-74 Komorebi Shoutengai no Changing Wonder ch15 Loop 7-kaime no Akuyaku Reijou wa, Moto Tekikoku de Jiyuu Kimama na Hanayome Seikatsu wo Mankitsusuru ch26-27 Lost Youth Ch1-2.2 Mein geliebter Gaming-Freund ist mein fieser Boss?! v1ch20 Miryou no Otome to Katabutsu Hittou Majutsushi no Hatsukoi Kiroku ch15.1-2 Monster 8 ch70-97 Mr. Mallow Blue ch28 Noragami ch108.2 Okazari Ouhi ni Nattanode, Kossori Hataraki ni deru koto ni Shimashita ~Usagi ga Iru node Hitorine mo Sabishiku Arimasen!~ ch22.1-2 Oshi no Ko ch131-132 Phantom Seer v2-v3ch25 Repeating Your End Together ch1-5.1 Shibatarian Ch2-16 The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins ch1-48 The Lady Likes a Nerd over Princes Ch8-16 Together Forever Ch1-16 Unnamed Memory ch31.1-32.2 Verliebt in mehr als dein Gesicht v1-4 Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi ch33.1-3 Witch Enforcer ch1-3 Yomei Ichinen to Senkokusareta Boku ga, Yomei Hantoshi no Kimi to Deatta Hanashi ch7.2-8.1-2 Your Tears are Mine Ch26-31 Zombie 100 v7-9ch34

Webtoons:

A Royal Princess With Black Hair ch1-47 A Spoonful of your Love ch1-20 Blind Passion Ch1-3 Breed my Dear Enemy Ch1-43 Conspiracy of Love Ch1-9 Corridor of Mirs Ch1-19 Dawn the Teen Witch Ch1-65 Fall in the Night with you Ch0-40 Flowers for the Outcast ch1-23 Flowers in the Secret Place Ch0-2 For Stella Ch1-33 If Future Ch1-49 Night Crying Crow v4ch35 Phoenix in the Imperial Palace ch1-7 Sand Castle ch1-35 She Had You at Hello ch1-7 She is also cute today ch0-47 Spirit of Peach Blossom Ch1-27 Taberare Usa ch75-79 The Blue Snake and the Red Moon Ch0-32 The Giantess wants Love Ch0-60.5 The Goddess of Healing Ch0-159 The Mermaid Wears a Dress ch1-25 To be Winner Ch0-49 To be or not to be Ch5-11 Scroll of the White Silk Cloud ch4-31.4

Notes:

By the Grace of the Gods - Things are progressing more actual plot wise and it has had a few twists in there. The healing bit of this tale has even more strongly become a center piece and it just works. Does that count as an iyashikei? I'm inclined to count it. Also gimme some of these slimes. They seem like such a life enrichment.

Unnamed Memory - Positively excellent series, tho the ending had me a bit "somehow this is too easy, why didn't they just do this from the start". Anyway, it's not actually the end there, but Yen Press still has no announcement for the After the End sequel. Booo.

The Old Man in the Corner - read because it was mentioned in The Case Files of Jeweler Richard v5. *cough*. Granted it is very good classic orthodox mystery.

After God - This is weird and trashy, and sometimes just, uuuh, okay.... but also some of these monsters' designs and drawings are quite the eyecatcher.

Barbara - Read because Tezuka and being one of his gekigas. Same boat as MW. It was rather "what the...."

Beauty as the Beast - I've read Arcana from the author before. There is something sad about knowing how the art looked like in classic print b/w-style and then to see how it looks after moving on to webtoon, and this one is one that clearly downgraded, especially on the backgrounds and coloring. The narrative is still starting off straight forward and moving on to become about as convoluted and confusing as Arcana was. Funny also the main character is called Ines yet again.

Color of Happiness - I think I do not like that ending at all. It feels a bit like it took the easiest way to dodge the a cheese-cheese route (which would have come off as questionable given she is so young) and took the only one that was going to be safe from even any implications. And the way it went about it is a bit too deus ex machina convenient, while making hardly any sense. Do think it's kinda too bad, that it also ruins the side plot about the mother and grandmother, that wasn't so uninteresting about how toxicity gets inherited. How to break the chain could have been a nice focal theme and it's also kinda there, but completely drowned by that nonsense pulled, which ultimately renders the mother right with her telling Sachi it wasn't "going to go her way" after all.

Kemutai Hanashi - Chapter 12 is absolutely great, a generally important conversation to be had and breathtakingly beautifully depicted. I exploded in word count and basically translating most of the whole thing over here.

Killer in Love - I'm not sure what this is, it looks very toxic, but also seems to be a bit of.... I don't know why something about these two's relationship reminds me a little bit of Azure & Claude. Maybe it's this flair of this is absolutely going to be doomed, they are definitely doomed bit?

Kimi ni wa Todokanai - After a long detour from going from a shoujo-style that happens to be a BL to feeling very BL-genre BL, I finally got some shoujo feels back from it. Specifically it reminded me of A Condition Called Love, as far as I read that one. As in that talk about a sort of desperate to obsessive desire vs. someone who is on track of developing desires, but not quite so quick vs. boundaries. Considering that the talk about that in v4 was something I thought was great, if it comes back to what happens between v5-7 with all the bad dubCon glory and discussed that, maybe I'll come to like those bits in hindsight or when revisiting, too. (Personally I am inclined to suspect the drama adaption may have had a hand in this detour of tonal style.)

Kindergarten Wars - This was surprisingly way better than expected, too bad, that the art is a little bit unpolished. (Imagine that, but with, like, Spy x Family levels of art? Actually they have kinda similar vibes, just no Anya there.)

Shibatarian - It is creepy, it is horror, it's doing it's job right, but it is also just so creepy. The scenes in the aquarium were definitely quite a beautiful mood. Despite or maybe right because of all the snarling creepiness looming.

The Ichinose Family's Deadly Sins - Does its mystery box mystery very well, especially in the first half, but can't say I really have re-read urges. If there is, it probably would be about the art in the beginning - It is a bit on the cruder side of things, but manages to cement it right as its own signature style (kinda Shin Chan-wise), but then also has these panels and double spreads with an absurd amount of detail levels. Unfortunately all that experimental bit about the art vanishes after a while. (Would not surprise me, if it just was to taxing to draw.)

Together Forever - I think the girl is actually pretty creepy. But this is essentially a female Seme character and the older guy is a sort of uke. Female Semes are ludicrously rare, so I'm somehow still on it...

Witch Enforcer - This has some really good looking art, especially in the color pages.

Your Tears are Mine - Starts decently enough with centering around a little kink of the protagonist girl and goes steady with that and the relationship. Unfortunately just feels axed by the end.

A Royal Princess With Black Hair - The main is a strong female lead and perfectly cool and entertaining to follow. Also consistently solid art despite being a full color webtoon.

Blind Passion - The art is pretty good looking, also historic setting GL, Arte kinda appetized me a bit on that. Will probably take a good while until the free bonus coins on Leizhin will have collected it up.

Breed my Dear Enemy - The title is eyebrow raising as is the premise that has an isekai into a book, where the main doesn't even read the book, but just gets to have it magically downloaded into her brain, while isekai'd. But anyhow, some very digital looking, but still pretty art, especially in terms of the customes of that historic china epoch. And the female lead is a strong and wry one, that's always good.

Dawn the Teen Witch - Cute and good looking art and colors and actually shadings and all, also solid characters and good worldbuilding and weavings of a intruiguing wide spanning mystery plot next to a coming of age + romance plot. And then it just ends. Feels very like an axed series, and while it kinda ends with a finish line, it feels more like just a season end than anything else.

The Goddess of Healing - The complete suprise hit of the month out of blue nowhere. Very pretty dawings. Lots, lots of hairdoes, hair ornaments and jewelery, a huge wide wardrobe of outfits from that ~16h century China epoch. A huge display of varied pouts. The female lead is great. The whole plot is a multi layered mystery/thriller plot. It has a little bit of plot armor, but then it's also a reincarnation story with tinges of fate implied, so kinda excused. The lead is very determined and just so badass, clever, determined, who can stand her own ground, but also knows how to rely to compensate her own weaknesses. Her romance with the male lead is build over mostly intellectual attraction. There's even a little side romance of another pair, adult, mature, cute and chiefly over emotional attraction. Both have integrity at their foundational centerpiece. I quite like all of that.

(3h 50m: 1.5h of which data extraction)