#thoughts on yuri’s character development (or the lack thereof)

[nettleshuttle]

not that i dislike when yuri is portrayed in a softer, more human way, but somehow even the canon “development” (can’t write that without the quote of sarcasm, so sorry) towards being friends with yuya &co feels so rushed for him. the dude was literally immersed in a hunter/colonizer mindset and he damn right enjoyed it, though he still was carrying out akaba leo’s orders — then he went to a more independent stance of “oh i’m gonna kill everyone because it’s fun and also i hate people and also i wanna prove myself the strongest and then suddenly?? i can sort of accept him swiftly urging yuya to absorb him after he lost the duel, because that’s the life-on-the-line procedure of playing he’s always followed (though i expected at least a bit more, i don’t know, shock after his first loss ever), but after zarc came and went i was literally watching with raised eyebrows because how come yuri is suddenly in such a good sync with the other three? i get that they originally were one person, but they lived separately long enough to develop separate, individualistic identities and it just doesn’t make sense, the way he had been consistently established as a malicious, bloodthirsty, stop-at-nothing sadist before.

give me yuri who’s seething because he has to share a mind (and a duel) with yuto, whom he still automatically considers an XYZ underdog. yuri who hates the fact that he has to even play under such conditions, but he can’t just back away because he’s afraid to risk another loss (it’s still somehow his body, though not his only now). yuri who’s livid when yuya prepares set up’s for other summoning methods than fusion — its so obvious that fusion, that starve venom, are simply superior to whatever else might be conjured, so why waste time and cards, why put yourself at a risk, to go for weaker strategies? yuri who forgets at times that he even lost to yuya because his mind back then was all “we will become one” to the point of barely registering anything even slightly unrelated. he’s so incredulous, so unwilling to accept this fact that he would have denied it, if all evidence wasn’t against him. yuri who longs to seclude himself at the back of their collective mind, who misses the authority and privileges he’s enjoyed for so long at the fusion academy, as he suddenly is forced to barter with some underlings instead of ordering them around or forcing out of his way. yuri who constantly bickers and trashes around with yugo, as he considers him a luck-reliant, untrustworthy idiot and who won’t even lower himself to address yuto — but when they do start talking, they won’t stop at anything to get at each other. yuri who boasts of how he kidnapped ruri and rin, but who is simultaneously flooded by the grieving rage that these words evoke in yuto and yugo (even their minds aren’t half as separate as he’d wish them to be). yuri who insists he should be the one in control of their body and yuri who’s dissatisfied with each duel because what’s that crap about smiling and making your opponent have fun even for? yuri who’s longing to grind his foes under the heel of his shoe again, to indulge in the despair he sees in their eyes, to rip them apart and hold their life in his hands, pulsating with a slow, hypnotic rhythm and have it die out with a single gesture and…

yuri who really has to learn to adapt to the new reality, for whom months pass before he even begins to makes peace with this outcome of the dimensional war. yuri who actually remains the villain he is established to be throughout the series — but a villain in the process of changing, slow, painstaking and unwilling as it may be.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #162

Tanabata has come around once again to offer a generation of high schoolers some false hope in order to distract them from the cruel reality that is life. At least, that’s what the old Tomoko might’ve thought. While the world ultimately didn’t hand everything to her on a silver platter, Tomoko’s half-hearted hope did actually manifest into something she holds dear. The question now remains...

What does she strive for now?          

Chapter 162: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Make A Wish

“I wish that Watamote would get a 2nd season!”

Ahem...moving on.

Nothing like a little friendly brooding to start the day.

In a weird, ironic way, Yuri seems to empathize with Tomoko over mutual apathy. The one constant they share is that they both like to take the path of least resistance in life. While Yuri may be a little off the mark at times, having that unspoken bond is a great point to start from.

So we knew Nemo recognized that Tomoko was a former loner, but Yuri, too? Then again, it’s been hinted at before that Tomoko is kind of an open book and that the people around Tomoko are more perceptive of her than she’d like to believe. So yeah, Yuri knew Tomoko barely had friends before she met her (a fact that likely fuels her codependency tendencies). But like any good friend, Yuri stuck around despite that history.

Still can’t get over her casually calling her Yuri-chan.

For a hardcore introvert like Yuri, doing something for the sake of being social with no practical purpose seems illogical. It makes total sense that traditions like Tanabata aren’t really her cup of tea. Just how much Yuri is aware of that is still kind of fuzzy, but no less endearing, 

Reiterating a joke I made in the previous chapter, but Tomoko really ought to take a crash course in psychological projection.

Taking a stab at Yuri’s desires, now...I’d say it would be to have someone who really understands her. Or for Minami to lose her fang. Either or.

Wow, I wouldn’t have figured that Ucchi was the type to write in all caps.

I always wondered if the sugar-sweet and dragged-out way that moe anime girls yell “Senpaaai!” was actually grating by real-life Japanese standards. Looks like I was right.

Now those school fan clubs for the ridiculously attractive girl/guy that you sometimes see in manga are starting to feel pretty legit right now. 

“Pfft, basic bitches,” thought Tomoko. 

Smooth like butter.

You know, I think that Tomoko being unable to come up with something is a solid indication that she’s relatively satisfied with her life right now. Sure, she has career goals and whatnot, but she no longer feels troubled by material desires or short-term gratification. Like Yuri, it may be that Tomoko has more intangible, emotional desires that aren’t easy to put into words. But also like Yuri, Tomoko may have recently already gained that.

Occasionally–just occasionally–a few earnestly pure-of-heart moments from a cute manga girl is all you really need.

...Especially when it’s immediately offset by Tomoko being Tomoko.

Ohhhh, boy. That last comment by Tomoko is opening up all sorts of questions regarding her sexuality. I’ve mentioned before that Tomoko may be dealing with some sort of gender dysphoria and I think that’s becoming more apparent than ever. For one, her totally normal-not-at-all-creepy desire to NTR her kouhai assumes that only a guy could do that to Hirasawa. It also implies that Tomoko would only acknowledge liking girls if she identified as male. Not once did Tomoko consider that she, as a female, could NTR another female. All in all, there’s a bit of internalized homophobia, repressed sexuality, etc. at play here, and it’s going to take a bit of soul-searching for Tomoko to sort it all out.

Once every thousand years, we get some actual chibi art out of this series.

Bless you, Nico Tanigawa.

The best part of this Hirasawa-vision is that Tomoko is drawn exactly the same, just with lighter tones. Hirasawa’s not blind, just optimistic, which makes her heroine-worship so much more earnest.

Normally, super innocent girls like Hirasawa who get overly excited on trivial things tend to rub me the wrong way, mostly because I have a hard time thinking young girls are that simple-minded. But there’s something about Hirasawa that feels genuine. It may be because her excitement feels like its deriving from a sense of loneliness. Like an overreaction from latching onto any lure of female friendship. 

It’s also just cute.

Tomoko...I’m pretty sure that’s your confirmation bias talking right there.

We don’t even need to see anything above the waist, but you can tell exactly who this is based on context alone...

I was wondering how Ucchi actually manages to do that Darth Vader thing with her mouth...

...then I remembered how her face looks and it makes perfectly no sense.

Guys, I...I think Ucchi finally broke.

Actually, Miyazaki, it may not be phrased as a wish, but it definitely is a wish...

I really enjoy the little bits of characterization in everyone’s wishes. For Yuri and Tomoko, like the BFFs they are, they have the same, most basic wish since they don’t really have any other burning desires. It’s also short and sweet, and without any fluff, as they would normally be if speaking out loud. And lastly, Yuri doesn’t leave her last name, as if she doesn’t want to attach herself onto her wish that far. 

Katou, on the other hand, is all giddy and sweet, using words like “hope” and “together” when effectively making the same wish. She uses “we” without naming anyone, making it an all-inclusive wish. Just what you’d expect from the class mom.

Tomoko’s habit of “lying on reflex” actually makes a great deal of sense. She’s the type who has trouble expressing her vulnerabilities, and lying is a standard defense mechanism, just like Yuri’s noncommital attitude, Nemo’s passive aggression, and whatever Katou most certainly has.  

Oh, Yuri, you precious bean. I know jokes aren’t your forte, but your emotional responses–or lack thereof–makes for a great punchline.

Did ya’ll notice how Tomoko’s second wish is exactly what Imae wished for last year? Tomoko may not always make the best decisions when comes to carrying the torch of The Great Megumi Imae, but you can’t deny that she’s making a concerted effort.

Guess Tomoko isn’t the only one with enough nerve to turn a Tanabata wish into a dirty joke...

Damn, we all knew that Fuuka was getting an unhealthy fixation over Katou and Tomoko’s “secret” relationship, but never to the point where it was affecting her studies, and by extension, her after-high school prospects. It hints that the series may be taking this misunderstanding into a direction that’s not entirely played for gags. It’s a risky move because such a development could easily come across as contrived if taken seriously, but if they keep it character-driven a la Ucchi, it could make for some really engaging moments. 

C’mon, Fuuka. How did you think people were going to take that?

Of all of the people who’ve been “corrupted” by Tomoko, Fuuka may be taking the most damage out of all of them. Poor thing.   

Let’s see here...

Sometimes I worry about Itou’s sense of self when she always identifies herself by her relationships with others.

Yo, Komiyama doesn’t even bother mentioning the Lottes by name because “Who else of any importance could it possibly be?”. Never lose faith, Komi.

Sweet, naïve Mike. She (and her boyfriend who’s somehow still kicking) is set up to be this series’ greatest tragedy.

This is Tomoko Kuroki, everyone. The girl who can’t see the raging emoji-faced horndog right in front of her, but will misconstrue a single misunderstanding as a pervert. Selective perception, ain’t it?

Well, it is a great opportunity to anonymously judge people’s inner desires, so Tomoko’s probably right.

Here we go again...

Nice to see that Nemo has practical, but optimistic expectations for her goal. She knows that she’s in her prime and is ready to hit the ground running. 

The thing about Yoshida’s wish is that it implies that she knows she’ll be faced with resistance. Still, I gotta respect her individuality.

Okada’s wish feels like a cry for help if you look at it another way. That’s probably not the case, though. Probably.

That’s the beauty of it all, Tomoko. In the end, you really didn’t do anything. At least, not directly. What you did was make yourself into an example for Nemo to follow. One of Tomoko’s greatest attributes is that she’s unapologetically herself, which is how she eventually got noticed–and in Nemo’s case, admired–in the first place.   

Quakey legs + short people problems = cute Tomoko. 

Aw man, what I wouldn’t give for this to be a running gag. That in all those chapters where Tomoko was all alone, there was actually somebody she knows now that was in the scene, too. It (sort of) first happened with the dick-pics-in-class chapter and the three-legged race guy, after all. Poor Tomoko has all this baggage that can be used against her now.

For those with shitty memory like me...

“I want to lose my virginity in a year so I don’t lose track of my bigger goals.”

Of course, she’d forget about the part that actually mattered.

Well, you know, Tomoko, they do say that every joke/lie has a kernel of truth.

I noticed that a lot of (comedy) manga seems to like elevating the value of losing(or saving) one’s virginity to absurd levels, at least in the inexperienced minds of its teenaged male characters. Tomoko herself has perpetuated this notion in the past. But even so, the “in-universe” outside of Tomoko’s mind never really aggrandizes sex, and I find that it to be a very refreshing change that shows how, in reality, as Nemo suggests, losing your virginity isn’t really that big of a damn deal.  

Good ol’ Tomoko logic at its finest.

Nemo looks...surprisingly serious about that. Normally that kind of talk would catch her off guard a little, but she had no hesitation with that retort. I think that’s solid evidence that Nemo has done more research into the nature of the voice acting industry, especially after Tomoko unintentionally trolled her with that eroge. 

This could lead to even more intellectual (if not openly sexual) conversations between Tomoko and Nemo that go beyond their usual bantering. That’d be pretty lit. 

Well, if Tomoko is a direct reflection of the author, then she probably thinks light novels are mostly for loser otaku trying to live their perverted fantasies through self-insert literature (at least, what I gathered from Write Sisters).

Well, I’m be damned if that isn’t blatant foreshadowing for where Tomoko’s future is headed.

Even though I saw it coming a mile away, it still gives me the warm fuzzies.

As fantastic as it would be for Tomoko to be an accomplished light novelist with Nemo voicing a character in her anime adaptation, I feel like that level of success would be a little out of reach for this series’ approach to realism. 

If I were to look into the future, I’d say that Tomoko would write a light novel that’d be successful just enough to be greenlit for an ultimately mediocre anime adaptation. And Nemo, being a rookie, would either be not cast at all, or be given a bit part for a background character.

Of course, that’s all speculation. As Nemo says, the freedom to dream is the one thing we can count on. And if there’s one thing the mangaka has learned from doing this series, it’s that being realistic doesn’t mean you can’t have a happy ending. 

I guess being considerate/decent to complete strangers is still locked out of Tomoko’s comfort zone. 

I think we found a member of Rena’s family.

Man, the more we get these tidbits of Imae’s legacy affecting the school (and Tomoko), the more nostalgic I get for her. I sincerely hope we get to see her at least one last time before the series is over.

And in tried-and-true Watamote fashion, we get a little bit of Tomoko’s wisdom to end off another thought-provoking chapter.

In retrospect, there wasn’t a whole lot of “action” in this chapter that could be built upon later. It was mostly a series of gags sprinkled with some nice conversation (at least until Nemo’s part). One of the core themes that Nico Tanigawa seems to be playing with is, “Now that Tomoko has come this far, where does she go from here?” And the answer is...

They don’t know. 

Legitimately, I don’t think the mangakas know exactly what Tomoko’s endgame will be. Sure, they have some strong ideas in terms of school and career, but nothing definitive. As s result, I think playing with the gags and jokes a bit more is their way of “stirring the pot” and seeing what comes out. All of Watamote’s greatest developments did originate from comedy, after all. The first Tanabata chapter is a prime example of this, and I have no reason to think that the stars of the second Tanabata chapter won’t shine over Tomoko once again.

[melodyrisen-a]

3 for all of the girls and a 5 for Ray

Canon Mun Questions!

3: What is something that was never addressed at all in thecanon material that you have independently developed for your muse? 

Lemme just split this into sections for ease of answering XD

Ruri: Her backstory and how she ended up with the Kurosaki family, as well as her view on being fused with Yuzu post-canon. I don’t at all think the girls are dead after the events of canon, they’re still within Yuzu just as much as the boys are inside Yuya, but all of this is my interpretation. We get some backstory with her, but… How tf did she end up with the Kurosaki family to the point even Shun thought she was born into their family and always his blood sister? What was her life like prior to meeting Yuto past those couple of flashbacks? This blog’s canon has her found by an elderly couple who loved her and realized they couldn’t care for her, and gave her to the Kurosakis with the knowledge they could. She’s a happy kid with her brother. She deserved more story than she got.

Rin: The same as Ruri’s in that I gave her a proper backstory and feelings towards the fusing. Rin was so much of a blank slate it’s not fair? We got such little info on her that as far as this blog is concerned, Rin was found by the orphanage she grew up in, but eventually started questioning why she (and the other kids) was there, just to be told her parents passed in an accident. Wondering about the ‘what if’ (What if she’d been there, could she have helped them, did they like her, if she hadn’t been there…) combined with the Tops looking down their nose at her and the others in commons gives rise to her ‘ice queen’ personality, but also results in her questioning everything by the time post-canon comes around. In actual canon she just gets like… Five minutes. Ten tops. Not enough for this girl.

Ray: She has more of a backstory with Zarc here - Namely that she’s been more involved with him for a while prior to him going bonkers. They’ve had a kind of relationship (even if she won’t call it that) and she knows him way more intimately than canon even remotely hints at. As far as I’m concerned, she also still exists within Yuzu, just differently from how the other girls do.

Serena: How she got her Lunalights, her relationship (or lack thereof) with Yuri, and growing up in Academia. We gets hints here and there of things, but they don’t really tell us anything past those hints? Blog canon has decided Serena was found by the professor and raised alongside Yuri, but kept her distance from him because there was something about him she just couldn’t stand. She recieived her Lunalights from a teacher she liked before they never came back from a mission (having been doubting Academia and got carded for it under the guise of another routine mission), and began to hate the memory probes Leo conducted on her - Part of her reason for wanting out as much as she did to prove herself. She was a solider, but if she proved herself, would the probes stop…?

Yuzu: Her Melodious deck is actually a newer archetype (not new-new, just on the newer side of things) and she picked it because she loves music. Her childhood is getting more fleshed out here, with her growing up happy and having interests and music lessons. There’s also a lot I have in mind for post-canon, with her having to learn how to live with three other voices in her head and how she came back to life- I’m still working on how much I’m looking to expand things here but there’s a lot I’m eager to work out with @pendulumrisen!

5:What is an aspect of your muse’s canon material or canonexistence that you never had the opportunity to explore but really want to?

There’s a lot I haven’t touched on for Ray yet, but I honestly want to explore her feelings towards Zarc’s possible revival and her dad’s plans to revive her. Like I mentioned above, this blog’s canon involves Ray and Zarc having had a relationship (of sorts) prior to the split, and part of her reason for stealing the En cards in my portrayal was because she knows him and wanted to try and stop him herself, on top of wanting to save her dad from a probable death if he’d tried. We know from canon she wasn’t pleased by Leo trying to revive her, but… We don’t get too deep into that? We don’t get too deep into a lot of Ray’s character and gdi I want more??

I’d also love to look more into how Ray was as a duelist. We know she’s strong and gave Zarc a run for his money but what was her deck? Did she do tournaments? Was she popular? Why the pink goggles? There’s so much to Ray I’m super eager to explore and I’m taking everyone down with me. XD

[sol1056]

Can you explain why LGBT representation is so important and why Voltron's negative portrayal of LGBT characters/rep should be scorned as harshly as it has been? I'm trying to prove a point to a friend and they don't get why representation has to be as important as we're making it.

Oh, this is a huge topic, and one I’m not sure I could do justice to, all by myself. Given that, this time I’ll let people speak for themselves. Anyone else reading (and I know a whole lot of you are out there) who’ve valued representation – regardless as to whether you relate to the character as a lived experience – feel free to add your thoughts, or links to any other articles, podcasts, or videos you’re recommend.

Fabricio Leal Cogo, Why Queer Representation Matters

I remember growing up here in Brazil and not seeing anyone like me portrayed on TV—or at least, not anyone with a similarly complex inner life. The few times I saw gays on TV, they were always a punchline in a comedy—a source of laughter. Many people, I’m sure, are probably thinking: It’s just a joke, right?

But representation matters.

It’s impossible to overstate the power of being able to identify with a public figure, particularly when that figure is actually seen in the fullest sense. As Michael Morgan, a former professor emeritus at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a researcher on media effects, told the Huffington Post earlier this year, “When you don’t see people like yourself, the message is: You’re invisible. The message is: You don’t count. And the message is: ‘There’s something wrong with me.’” He continued: “Over and over and over, week after week, month after month, year after year, it sends a very clear message, not only to members of those groups, but to members of other groups, as well.”

Uma Dodd, Queerbaiting And The Issue Of LGBT Representation In The Media:

Of the 125 movies released by major US studios in 2016, the media monitoring organisation GLAAD found that only 23 (18.4%) contained characters who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer – an increase of less than 1% from the previous year. … It’s insulting, and often quite disheartening, to be told that you’re only worth the three lines of dialogue and five minutes of screen time that the one LGBT character in a film might have, just because of your sexuality or gender.

Queerbaiting relies solely on subtext and the subsequent interpretation of it by fans, and as a result, creates the perfect paradox: writers are able to attract an LGBT audience with vague promises of representation, implied by the text and often encouraged by the writer, but will then never actually confirm or explicitly show said representation, reducing the amount of effort that has to be put in on their part.

You may say that I’m blowing this issue out of proportion, but that too, is a part of the problem. Because queerbaiting is based on purely subtextual hints, any evidence of it, no matter how blatant it might seem to the viewer/reader, is often insubstantial and difficult to quantify. This allows writers and cast members to dismiss the anger of LGBT fans as simple overreaction and, as a result, makes any legitimate pleas for better representation easier to ignore.

Another by-product that has resulted out of increasing calls for better LGBT representation is implied representation. This is where writers will claim that a character is LGBT but never explicitly show this within the TV show, film, or novel.  This is a method which has been employed by many creators of famous franchises, and it allows them to insert that token bit of representation which makes them look good, without ever actually providing said representation explicitly … Not only does this result in LGBT characters, once again, being shoved into the background – and often killed off for shock value – it raises the question: is this kind of representation good enough?

…Whilst any representation of non-heteronormative characters is a good start, this way of representing us can’t be allowed to become the norm – we deserve to be explicitly shown in the media as much as anyone else does. We need better representation and we need to be shown that not all LGBT characters have to remain in the closet, because what kind of a message is that sending to those young people out there who are currently questioning their sexuality?

B. Whiteside, 6 Reasons It’s Important to Have LGBT Characters on Children’s TV Shows:

A recent study by the Williams Institute at UCLA revealed that nearly 6 million adults and children have an LGBT parent. There are more than 125,000 same-sex couple households with nearly 220,000 children under the age 18. These children go to school and are active members of their communities. Their identities and home life deserve to be portrayed and represented just as much as anyone else’s.

Being a child can be tough, especially when one can’t identify with anyone around them. There are children and young adults alike who identify as LGBT or have parents who do so. Having content that mirrors their lives can, in fact, save their own. It isn’t always easy for children to articulate what’s wrong or what they need. So it can be a tremendous help to see their favorite character in their same predicament live out their life and truth.

Aristeaus Sizer, We Need To Talk About LGBT Representation, Apparently:

…since Cinderella, there have been 11 Disney princesses. All of which have been heterosexual, and the majority of them married by the end of their film. There is no shortage of straight princesses in this world, so why would it be such a crime for one of them to be LGBTQ? If anyone is forcing any agenda down anybody’s throats, Mary, it is you and your heteronormative agenda.

As a heterosexual, and I don’t mean to patronise here it’s simply the truth, you cannot understand in full capacity how important representation is. Seeing yourself on screen in a genuine, non-caricature form is hugely validating. When I was a kid I thought being gay was like doing drugs, it was a fun choice you made when you wanted to spice things up, and that all came from the films I had seen and how sordid LGBTQ people were portrayed as being. Then, later on into my teenage years, I thought I’d never be able to show public displays of affection without violent repercussion. Again, this was because of the media I had consumed telling me this. Films and media may not dictate our personalities, but they tell us how much of it we should hide, and the implicit message when you have an entire franchise of heterosexuals is that anything other should be kept underground, out of sight.

…we’ve been everywhere for so long you’ve just never noticed. Primarily because every movie and every advert and every t.v show and every animated cartoon is packed to the brim with straight people. LGBTQ people deserve representation because there’s far more of us than you think. … To you, it’s just a gay Disney princess where there could have been another straight one, but to someone that princess is the validation they needed that they aren’t some abomination or sinful mistake. They’re valid, they’re wonderful, and they have every right to love and be loved.

Danielle Cox, The Importance of LGBT Representation in Media:

[In 2016, GLAAD’s annual] shows the highest percentage of LGBT characters on our televisions … [but] when more than twenty-five of those characters are killed off in the same year, we know there is still a lot of work to be done. In fact, GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis released a statement saying, “When the most repeated ending for a queer woman is violent death, producers must do better to question the reason for a character’s demise and what they are really communicating to the audience.” When this ending is repeated in show after show and character after character, we can’t help but think the message they are sending is about the worth of our LGBT characters or rather lack thereof. 

James Dawson, The importance of LGBT visibility in children’s books:

I was unaware gay people even existed and, when puberty hit, found myself more than a little lost. I so dearly wish there had been just one book with a character who was a bit like me – just a normal teenage guy who happened to be gay. I would have especially loved one whose sexuality did not define him.

I just know that had there been a diverse range of people like me in books when I was growing up, I wouldn’t have felt abnormal for all those years, which I see now, overwhelmingly, I am not. In 2014, it’s my hope that all young LGBT people can see themselves in fiction and recognise there is a place for them in the world.

Palmer Haasch, “Yuri!!! On Ice” and the importance of positive LGBTQ representation:

Despite my resigned certainty that I was about to be drawn in by the potential of a queer relationship only to be disappointed for the umpteenth time, Yuri!!! On Ice managed to exceed all of my expectations. In the end, the show delivered a thoughtful portrayal of two men developing a deep and trusting romantic relationship that provides LGBTQ viewers with representation of queer individuals being happy together above all else, which is something that we desperately need.

For me, it was the first piece of entertainment media I had seen that didn’t present queer individuals as “other,” but allowed them to simply freely love and exist. While watching, I didn’t have to worry about whether Yuuri or Victor would be outed in an unsafe environment or if Yuuri was going to be unfairly judged on the ice because of his sexuality like so many real life figure skaters have feared in the past. Rather, I fretted over when they were finally going to kiss (because really, it was a long time coming) and if I was ever going to get to see the wedding that was hinted at by their matching gold rings.

Although it is true that the discrimination-free world of Yuri!!! On Ice isn’t realistic (yet), it can help reassure queer individuals like me that they can experience love in the same way as anyone else. At the same time, it provides a glimpse of a future where being queer doesn’t mean being “other”. And that notion is something that I will always work towards and protect.

Additional reading:

Why Visibility Matters

Make Them Gay: Why Queer Representation Matters

Why LGBT Representation Is Important In Media

We Need More Than Visibility

Why It’s Important To Make More Diverse LGBT Films

Queer Representation in the Media

Why Television Needs More LGBT Characters

Importance of LGBT Representation

[thejpfdude-blog]

The Upcoming Winter 2018 Shows I’ll Be Watching

HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody! What better time than now to talk about the new season’s shows in the annual pre-seasonal post where I describe the shows I’ll be watching/giving a chance from the coming Winter 2018 season! Always a fun time, and fun to look back at and see how wrong/right I was about a show.

A reminder of the usual thing I say in these posts:

I might watch some other shows that are good or drop some shows if they aren’t good, but that’s for the future.

Like always, I’m organizing these shows into three categories: Full Chance are shows I’m giving the whole season towards, Short Leash are shows I’m giving three or so episodes towards, and One Shot are shows I’m giving one episode towards. As we progress towards categories, expect less words for each anime as I lose interest in writing. Also a reminder that MAL links to the shows are on the titles for those interested.

Some words about next season: I know everybody is hyping up Spring 2018 to be THE season for anime (just look at that lineup), but I think the Winter 2018 season has some potential gems. With each passing season I’m getting more and more picky with the shows I keep, let alone give a chance. Even with that, there are 20 anime below, and that doesn’t even include a few I’m sort of interested in but decided to not watch because I already have a lot on my plate. Plus the fact that I’m pretty dang excited for a few of these shows, which might end up backfiring on me in the end because Sturgeon’s Law. Oh well, that’s life.

All right, let’s get this show on the road, starting with...

Full Chance Shows

Dagashi Kashi 2: I legit can’t believe this got a second season. The first season of this show was way back 2 years ago during the first season I started watching seasonal shows, and even then I knew this show wasn’t really that special. Basically the problem with the show was that it was a candy infomercial at its core: the characters and their stories/development were overshadowed by “lol look it’s candy”. The only great thing the show had going for it was the character design, which got nullified for this season since a whole different studio is handling it (Tezuka Productions instead of feel).

But there’s good reason to hope that this installment of the show will be better than the first season. The biggest reason for that is that this time around, Dagashi Kashi is a short anime. Not one of those 3-minute blazers, but a 15-minute half-length short. After hearing that, I had some hope for this show: the first season at times felt like it dragged on with its skits. Hopefully cutting the length will help immensely with that. Plus, there’s a new character which might potentially add more spice to the mix. So you never know, this second season might be pretty good. Or it could be bad. Either way, I have no expectations given how the first season went.

Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san: A bit of (unrelated) backstory: I know this only because the anime club I’m in had the manga as one of the readings for the manga social. Otherwise known as Skilled Teaser Takagi-san, the show is basically about a middle schooler named Nishikata who gets teased by Takagi, a girl who sits next to him in class. In revenge Nishikata tries to tease Takagi himself, but it always ends up backfiring, resulting in Nishikata being teased yet again. From the little snippets I’ve seen/heard about, the show should mostly be comedic with the cute moments and max smug. I’ve seen complaints that it’s very repetitive and that there is no romantic progression, but the second point seems kinda null when you realize there’s a spinoff of the original manga, which is about something I won’t mention explicitly here (go look it up if you’re curious). With that in mind, I’m not expecting too much, just some occasional cute and funny moments that may or may not be repetitive.

Mitsuboshi Colors: Uhh... yeah. Now before you call me a lolicon, let me tell you what this show is about. Basically just three kids living their daily lives exploring the town and all that.

...Wow that doesn’t make it better does it. Well, whatever. The show’s looks to be a relaxing slice-of-life, and that’s something I’m about (as long as it has something else to it like comedy). Fun fact: the manga shares the same author as Hitoribocchi no ○○ Seikatsu, a manga I’m reading right now that I’m really enjoying. Just a random fact, but it’s a good sign that the source at least has good roots.

From the comments I read about it, Mitsuboshi Colors looks to be wholesome, with similarities to Ichigo Marshmallow. Also apparently the kids are savage af, which is both realistic (kids that age are too real) and right up my alley. Overall sounds like a good time, and though I’m trying not too expect too much, I’m wouldn’t lie if I said this was a show I’m excited for.

...So yeah. Pls don’t call the FBI. Yet.

Poputepipikku: I have nothing to say about this show. Seriously, go read the MAL description (or lack thereof) and watch the PVs, and tell me you know what this show is about.

The only basis I have is the 4-koma this is based off of, which has translations somewhere in the web as well as video adaptation things here. I guess if you want a sense of what this show is about the videos are the best way to figure that out. Basically what I get is that this show is one huge meme.

So yeah I’m super down for it. Bring it on. Absolutely no clue what it is, but sure. I like memes. The danker the better.

Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan 2: I’m probably less excited for this show than I should be, I admit. Towards the end of the first season, the show felt a bit stale since they added more and more new characters which made it feel like a “too many cooks” situation where it felt like they were running out of ideas with the old characters. I’m a tad worried about this second season because they’re adding even more new characters, as if we didn’t have enough in the first place. Though if there’s anything to be hopeful about, it’s that they’re keeping the format of 5 shorts a week. Definitely the better format than just a compilation episode at the end of the week.

At the end of the day though, this show made me laugh almost every episode, and that’s a rare thing nowadays (DAE sadbois). So yeah, I’m still pretty excited this got a second season and hopeful that the new characters add more depth to the show. Guess we’ll see.

Violet Evergarden: OOOH. It’s time. It’s time to be hyped, but then tell myself to keep that hype down. Because it’s here, ladies and gents. The one I’ve been waiting for ever since May 27, 2016, the day the CM came out (this one). Now is the animation going to be as good as in the CM? Hell no. But man, I’m not gonna lie: I’m super excited for this one. Like SUPER excited.

There’s a bunch of reasons for that: the biggest reason is the involvement of Kyoto Animation. I admit I’m a KyoAni fanboy: I’ve watched most of their shows and with the exception of Musaigen no Phantom World, I’ve liked all of them (and even Musaigen started getting good towards the end). Of course the animation in Violet Evergarden is going to be high quality (that’s a given), but the story is apparently top-notch as well, something a bit unprecedented with works adapted by KyoAni. Most of the LNs/manga that KyoAni adapt are... a bit lacking. From K-On to Chuunibyou to Free, all of them weren’t the best source material. Though most of them were good enough to win Honorable Mention in KyoAni’s annual light novel competition, none won the Grand Prize. And that was the case for the first few years the competition ran: no Grand Prize winners. Until Violet Evergarden won the Grand Prize. Sure says something about the LN’s story. Combine that with KyoAni’s ability to fit a source material to an anime format well, and you get the biggest hype train since One Punch Man.

But what about the plot itself? That was a mystery to me until now, and after doing some research into the story it looks like it’s about a robot/cyborg who formerly was fighting in the battlefield who now works as a “Auto Memories Doll” who “carries peoples’ thoughts and memories and converts them into words“. Apparently it’s similar to Kino’s Journey only with more drama/interesting characters (so most likely episodic). Which I’m down for since I enjoyed Kino’s Journey (well at least the old one). Also small side note: minimal romance until the end, which is fine since I think a romance subplot would distract from the main storyline.

So yeah, I’m on the hype train. But with this big of a hype train, anything less than a 9/10 would be disappointing. So to prevent that from happening, I’m trying to keep myself in check by thinking about the last time I got onto a hype train, which was Mahoutsukai no Yome. And look how well that turned out... “on hold” (though I may pick it up... 5% chance). AKA anything can happen, and because of that expectations are “low” -- but let’s be honest I’m hyped for this. Let’s go.

Yuru Camp△: Let me get the joke out of the way now: LOL DAE READ AS “YURI CAMP”?????

I’m sorry.

Anyway, if there’s one word to describe this, it’s COMFY. The best way I’ve seen this described is a combination of Non Non Biyori and Yama no Susume. And having seen both shows, I can see the maximum comfy this will provide. The plot is simple: cute girls doing cute camping. Slice-of-life + comfy + CGDCT = good stuff for this guy.

Though doing further research, there were some things that turned me off a bit. One is the following words: yuri undertones/subtext. Those two (three?) words have the potential to ruin the show, though it depends on how strong they are. If we’re talking Hibike Euphonium levels, we’re doomed. If we’re talking Love Live levels, we’re fine. Though I wish CGDCTs nowadays shouldn’t feel like they need yuri undertones, if it’s not too overbearing I can just brush it off.

Another thing that concerns me a bit is the studio handling this: C-Station, which doesn’t have the most inspiring list of shows made. Now they’ve done a few full-length shows, but I’ve never heard of them before, so it’s... unknown how they’ll be able to handle Yuru Camp.

A final, nitpicky thing is past experiences. Watching the PV made me feel comfy, something I didn’t feel since... Flying Witch. Which, while comfy, was also boring. Who knows, maybe Yuru Camp will actually have humor to it so I don’t fall asleep while watching it. But generally comfy = boring for me (with an exception being Non Non Biyori), so it’s something to be wary about for me personallly.

Though negatives aside, this show has great potential and it’s one of the handful of shows I’m excited for. Let’s get comfy.

Short Leash Shows

Citrus: Hoo boy... if I have to be honest, I’ll be super surprised if I end up finishing this show. This is one of the few times where I read the source material beforehand, so I can share my experiences and tell y’all what to expect. And let me tell you... expect this show to be bad. I know it’s being really hyped because it’s yuri, but holy melodrama Batman. Now I admit I’m not the biggest fan of yuri, and I haven’t read much works in the genre. But still... even I know there’s a lot of better works out there with the yuri, most of which haven’t gotten an anime adaptation.

There are two main problems with this show. The first is the characters. Specifically one character, the student council pres/stepsister. Her actions make absolutely no sense, and are the driving force of the questionable moments in the manga. Which brings me to the second problem: the drama, which stems from some of the weirdest problems that shouldn’t even be problems. I’d state an example, but that’s spoilers that I kinda want to avoid. This image sums up the manga well in my opinion (thanks to /r/animemes). Add the fact that the yuri isn’t even that good, and you got a dropped manga, one of the few I dropped (my manga list for reference). 

With that in mind, I feel kinda bad for the people really hyped for this show. Then again, most of them are hyped for the yuri, which... I don’t blame them to be honest given the lack of good yuri anime out there. Still... have some standards y’all. Expect this show to be one of the “most disappointing” shows out there.

Darling in the FranXX: Basic facts about this anime: Trigger and A-1 Pictures are collaborating on it and it’s a mecha show. In terms of actual plot, the MAL summary is a pretty good idea of what we should expect. Because otherwise, nobody knows since this is an anime original. Looks interesting enough though, so might as well give it a few episodes and see what’s up.

Gakuen Babysitters: So this looks pretty cute. Basically we got a guy and his brother who gets taken in by a chairman of a school, later becoming the school daycare’s new babysitter. Tragic backstory aside (the guy loses both his parents), the manga is apparently diabetes-level of adorable, which I’m down for. Cute things are cute.

Hakumei to Mikochi: Small girls (9 cm tall) living small lives. That’s basically it. Such a small anime deserves a small description. So I’ll say this: looks to be comfy and laid-back. I’m about that.

Koi wa Ameagari no You ni: And here’s the winner of the “Questionable Plotline of the Season”. We got high school girl who falls in love with her 45-year old manager. AKA the problem I had with Blend S taken to the next level... you would think. But I think if the show does it tastefully, it won’t be too bad. And apparently that’s what it is: a feel good slice-of-life/romance with interesting characters. Plus the fact that it’s not the older guy being all lovey-dovey this time, which helps a lot. This should be an interesting one to keep an eye on, both in terms of the anime itself and the reception towards it.

Random side note: I honestly think it’s kinda sad when the top comments of /r/anime’s thread for the PV of this all talk about Aimer and how they’ll watch the show because of her only. Seriously... that’s some weak reasoning for watching an anime, when only a minute and a half out of 23 minutes is the thing you’re watching for. You don’t see me watching Eromanga-sensei because ClariS did the OP. Just a bit of a personal gripe.

Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san: As you can kinda tell from the title, the show’s about a girl named Koizumi who really likes ramen, and goes to various places to eat their ramen. I have no idea what to expect given there isn’t much info out there about this, but I guess I’ll expect lots of ramen to be eaten. The way this is laid out, I’m hoping it’s a short, because otherwise it’ll drag on for way too long.

Sora yori mo Tooi Basho: Next to the obvious shows like Violet Evergarden, this is the one show I’m seeing /r/anime announce as a dark horse AOTS candidate. But doing further information, I’m kinda confused as to why. It doesn’t really fit the standards of the typical show that /r/anime really loves (Made in Abyss, Houseki no Kuni, etc.) considering it looks like it’s just a CGDCT about girls going to the South Pole. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a dark turn that happens given the setting of Antarctica, nobody really knows given this is another anime original. But hey, I’m not complaining. I like CGDCTs. And this season’s got a bunch of them, like...

Slow Start: This one. Plot doesn’t reveal anything special, just about a girl who started school a year late. That’s it.

Background-wise, though, this show has good potential. Same director as GochiUsa, same magazine as a lot of CGDCT anime, etc. I’m not expecting much from this show, but there are points for it to be good.

Takunomi.: Like Osake something something from this season, we have another show about adults drinking. A 15-minute short, has potential but like the shows above I’m not expecting much.

One Shot Shows

Death March kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyousoukyoku: Holy moly, I had the biggest case of deja vu while watching the PV for this show. Just look at the MC for this show: the most generic MC I’ve seen, so generic it literally looks like the MC for that isekai smartphone show that came out a few seasons ago. Heysus Christos, what is this baloney. Seriously, compare these two: here and here. I’m honestly more impressed than anything.

Anyway, the show looks to be your standard generic isekai. Yay. My favorite.

Märchen Mädchen: It’s kind of an isekai... I don’t know, at this point I’m tired, just read the summary. I like the eyes. That’s all I really have to say about the show.

Ryuuou no Oshigoto!: Yeah the summary says it best. A moe Sangatsu no Lion, though I’m sure the only similarities it has with the show is the theme of shogi.

Sanrio Danshi: One big commercial for Sanrio characters. At least that’s the vibe I’m getting. Also shades of shounen-ai. Eh.

And that’s all for this really long post! Thanks for reading! Quick announcement: the newest version of The Week in Anime is probably gonna be delayed a few hours since I’ve been busy being on vacation (yes I’m busy even now). Apologies for that, but it should be a short post anyway since there were only three shows to watch.

Anyways, thanks again for reading, and I’ll see you in the next post very soon!

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #141

The first half of Golden Week is over, and Tomoko has found herself the object of “platonic" affection for four different suitors. And as our intrepid heroine muses over the which of them to pursue, out of nowhere comes the dark horse. Once thought to be missing in action, this little girl, having been there since the very beginning, threatens to overtake the competition in one psychotic swoop. 

Chapter 141: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Go to School with Kii-chan

The things that Stuffed Yuu-chan and Pals have seen...

Ah, the classic Introvert Burnout. I had a feeling Tomoko would be drained after having what may have been the most socially stressful time of her life. Not simply for being social, but for how much she had to navigate as a fish out of water. Each “date” involved a new experience for Tomoko to address, and that much effort at once can be really exhausting for a layabout like her.

That my friend is what we in the TvTropes community call, “Tempting Fate”.

Heeeeeere’s Kii-chan!

Can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this entrance. We all know who Kii-chan is. But even those outside of the loop would get a feel for who she is. Adorable and sweet-natured, but disturbing due to an apparent lack of negative emotions (even when appropriate). Ah, Kii-chan, it’s been far too long. 

Nothing to say here, really. Just think it’s a particularly lovely picture of Tomoko. 

Because the popularity of a manga series is largely dependent on real-time reception, it’s very common for mangakas to add new, “popular” characters, or give the spotlight to characters who’ve been out of focus. Watamote is no exception. It may seem contrived to bring Kii-chan back after being gone for a while, but it works here because it relies on Kii-chan’s character to it, instead of a series of implausible plot developments. Kii-chan is just considerate of her cousin’s schedule–that’s all we need.

The first hint of Tomoko’s reawakening as the role model onee-chan. 

One of the perks of being a sporadically-appearing character is that you can really see just much the art style has evolved since the character’s last appearance. For Kii-chan, she hasn’t really changed much design-wise other than being a little taller. But even then, the linework is much cleaner and consistent this time around, which compliments the more “everyday slice-of-life” approach Watamote’s been embracing. 

If only she could grow a nose.  

The best thing about this type of censorship is that you don’t necessarily have to understand what's being censored. All you really need is a bit of context to put the pieces together. The outlines are detailed enough that we can see the characters as some kind of humanoids with animal features. And given what we know about Kii-chan, it makes perfect sense.   

Y-Yeah, I...I’ve totally heard of that show.

Other than the whole Ucchi situation (which is slowly becoming an unintentional blessing), this is the last of the misunderstandings that still needs resolving. It’ll be hard, though, since this particular issue isn’t that troublesome. For now...

Look at that platonic sibling bonding.

Perhaps I’ve been conditioned by manga/anime, but I find it refreshing how Watamote has managed to develop the Kuroki siblings’ relationship while avoiding any incestual subtext. Lots of series oversell the sibling relationship by having them be overly affectionate and clingy. With Watamote, their bond feels organic because they don’t have to be touchy-feely. An unspoken quality time is all there is to it.

It’s hard to get a read on Tomoko’s emotions here, but at the very least, she seems troubled. It could very well be that Tomoko just realized that she’s changing in regards to the media she consumes. The former her would’ve probably jumped on the Kemono Friends bandwagon, but the reality is, Tomoko’s otaku interests are being compromised by the mainstream, at least as mainstream as rap battles get. 

But the kicker is...she realizes this change isn’t all that bad.

Of course, nothing beats watching anime with your psychotic cousin. 

The whole “pet-sitting” relationship they have here is a tricky one since each side is trying to accommodate the other based on “flaws” that don’t exist (or no longer exist). This usually results in an endless cycle of misunderstandings that lead to nowhere, but this confusion has transcended that cycle to develop into a progression of sorts. Similar to the Ucchi situation, the absurdity became so frequent that it just became reality. One that each side has been influenced greatly from.

With her constantly adorable face, you forget that Kii-chan is a middle-schooler and is therefore old enough to know about things like sex and perversion. Like Yuu-chan, she may look innocent, and while she was aware of such things as a kid, she didn’t really get it until they approached high-school age.  

You know, I read this really good manga called Kaguya-sama: Love is War (shameless plug, I know), and they actually had a chapter about a rap battle a while back. Given that both series tend to be up-to-date on contemporary trends, it makes me wonder...has rap suddenly become a hot thing in Japan? Or has it always had its niche audience?

I’m sure many fans knew that this was going to be an inevitable development whenever Kii-chan showed up again. Unlike Tomoko’s school friends, Kii-chan wasn’t there to see the slow, gradual growth of Tomoko’s character, so it must have hit her like a ton of bricks to see her precious onee-chan go from helpless loner to mature teen in the blink of an eye. 

Sometimes I wonder just how pitiful Kii-chan thought Tomoko really was...

Why would you censor Disneyland now of all times?

Those of us who were clamoring to get close-ups of the photos taken in the Disneyland arc finally get their wish.

The Kowarith photo is my favorite, even though two-thirds of the people in it are faking their asses off. While that may be my personal bias towards the Tomoko-Yoshida-Yuri trio, I think it reflects a better sense of kinship between the girls. The effort is there, phony as it is, to support each other in an awkward situation, which is fundamentally what the series is all about.

The assumedly Fireworks photo is also pleasing, make no mistake. You can definitely feel more genuine emotions (or lack thereof) being expressed than in the other photo. But this focuses more on the individual than how they work as a collective group, despite there being more people. The girls ultimately look like six different colored Skittles–part of the same package, but each unique.    

Could this be the start of Kii-chan revitalizing her perception of Tomoko as a super popular girl? I sure hope so.

How ironic. Kii-chan’s perspective of Tomoko is starting to grow ever so gradually on the upside, whereas Tomoko’s perspective of Kii-chan grows more and more negative.

Hang on, is that supposed to be some fake Dragonite shirt? Neat.

At this point, people assuming that Yoshida as some kind of punk based on her looks is a dead horse of an issue. Some stereotypes exist for a reason, I suppose.

I see your game, Nico Tanigawa, using a deliberately vague line about “two girls” to make your readers overanalyze a single panel. All I have to say to that is that I am completely and utterly guilty.

One of the girls is probably Yuri, if only because she’s the only girl to appear in both photos. As for the second girl, your guess is as good as mine. I’m inclined to say Ucchi because if Kii-chan only has their appearances to go on, then Ucchi and her emoji-face make quite the impression.   

I’m getting Yuu-chan vibes here with the way Kii-chan phrases half-insults with a friendly demeanor. 

+ 1 TO THE HAREM.

Kii-chan is definitely that relative you leave a self-imposed boundary on. Fine in small doses, like at parties and family gatherings, but long-term exposure is unhealthy for the brain. This isn’t even a wholly exaggerated fantasy on Tomoko’s part. Okay, the eating bit is a little much, but given that Kii-chan allegedly dreams about treating Tomoko like a pet, the latter is right to be a little concerned.

There needs to be an AU one-shot of Tomoko, Tomoki, and Kii all going to the same school at the same time. Right. Now. 

I do appreciate that despite Kii-chan’s deteriorating sanity, Tomoko doesn’t view her as a lost cause and even tries to put a positive spin on it. Reconciliation Arc is a-go! 

Did Kii-chan really have that big of a growth spurt, or has Tomoko just reached her peak in height? Not sure how far the genetics will go, but Kii-chan becoming taller than Tomoko is only going to make her even more intimidating. 

This little scheme of hers is definitely reflective of the “old” Tomoko, but there’s a nice reversal going on here. Instead of Tomoko trying to make things sound cooler than they actually are, she’s trying to make things seem worse. Of course, Murphy’s Tomoko’s Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Especially if Tomoko wants it to go right. 

Ah, Ogino. The only character whose relationship with Tomoko has remained relatively unchanged despite indirectly having the most impact on Tomoko’s life.

Better update her Wiki page now. 

It’s pretty telling how it’s these two who cause Tomoko the most grief. It’s not the delinquent who routinely bashes her face in, not the pervert(s) lusting after her little brother, and not the otaku who passive-aggressively teases her. As for why, I think it boils down to the fact that Ogino and Kii-chan challenge her comfort zone the most. It also doesn’t help that Tomoko doesn’t interact with them as often as the others, so she hasn’t really had the time to get desensitized by them.

This freakin’ teacher, man.

The second worst part of Ogino’s “help” is that she never actually lies. Sure, she exaggerates to hell and back, but it’s always loosely based in reality, like some cheap movie adaptation of a best-selling novel. 

But the worst part of it is...you can’t hate Ogino for it. Her personal assessment may be founded on largely suspect reasons, but it’s still an honest assessment. I have no doubts that Ogino really is proud of Tomoko, and that’s exactly why she’s the best worst teacher.

That’s true. If Ogino gave that spiel to people like Hijirisawa or Hatsushiba–y’know, people who don’t know her as well–they might actually buy that crap. But people who know Tomoko like Yuri or Nemo, people like us, can tell that Ogino’s sugarcoating the whole thing. Kii-chan, with her terrifying skill for knowing too much, is no exception.  

Ah, I see. This is one of those put-all-the-secondary-characters-who-we-haven’t-seen-in-a-while-into-one-chapter chapters. 

Can’t complain, though. I like Itou. 

“Or something” can also be translated as “lust after Tomoki”. 

We don’t really have much to go on for how Itou views Tomoko, but I think it’s reasonable to think that she may not see her in that good of a light. Not only did Tomoko give off a weird impression when she played off the whole fist bump thing, but Itou’s “powers of perception” probably made her aware of Tomoko and Komiyama’s frenemy-ship, hence her “warning” that Komiyama was around.

The Inherent Awkwardness of Second-hand Relationships: The Life of Tomoko.

Betcha’ no one saw this interaction coming. Whether it’ll lead to anything more remains to be seen. Itou’s still got the whole “friendship potential” going on with Futaki, but given that she has the tolerance to BFF Komiyama, I see no reason why she can’t befriend a psycho like Kii-chan. 

That desire to “loudly blow” is Kii-chan’s inner demons screeching out in desperation for release. I pity the fool who unleashes the beast.

That does sound like your typical amateur definition of a psychopath, doesn’t it?

For the record, I don’t actually believe Kii-chan is a psychopath, despite the jokes I made. There are way too many moments that discredit such a claim. Now, if you were to accuse Kii-chan as being some sort of deviant (sexual or otherwise) I might see that. But ultimately, I think Kii-chan was just a victim of having her innocence shattered too fast and too soon, which made her more, uh, crafty than Tomoko could handle. 

Man, it’s been a long time while since we last saw Dicky-chan, hasn’t it? Hope we get to see more of her (and Sayaka, for that matter) after this chapter.

I love how even when she’s collecting masturbation material, Komiyama has to hold her camera phone all lady-like. If the term “purevert” ever needed a concrete definition, this girl would be it.

Main Character privileges, that’s why. 

Get. The. FUCK. Out. Of. Here.

With each subsequent appearance, Komiyama’s standard for what constitutes a bitch primed to steal away her Tomoki-kun falls hilariously lower. It’s not enough that a girl in their class makes two seconds of eye contact with him, nosiree. Any girl with an inkling of a relationship with Tomoko is not immune, even if it’s his own damn cousin. Granted, I don’t think Komiyama would be so pathetically scummy as to confront Kii-chan about it like she did to Yoshida.

...I hope.

“Best friends” may be stretching it now that we’ve gotten this far in the series. However, there is one aspect of Tomoko and Komiyama’s relationship that triumphs over all the others:

Absolute candidness. Even now, the only one who gets to see the complete, raw package that is Tomoko Kuroki is Komi-something. While Tomoko has made substantial friendships with the likes of Yuri, Nemo, and Katou, Tomoko still restrains herself just a tad lest she pushes them away. It’s only with Komi that Tomoko bears her full ugliness, which I think has developed into some freakish level of respect/understanding that none of the others can claim.

Damn, even the bishounen dude gets to make an appearance. All we need know is Lethal Chef Girl to make a cameo and I’m set. 

Nope. Any game is an away game when your “harem” shows up to cheer you on.

A few people have expressed discontent with how the chapter seems to end so abruptly, and it’s a fair criticism. It may be the lack of a “Next time...” tagline throwing people off, but while this chapter indeed ends at an odd point, it’s not that unprecedented. Some of the previous chapters ended this way, like that time Komi was all “Oi!” at Yoshida at the cafeteria, which indicates that this chapter is likely one of those series-of-vignettes that also doubles as a build-up chapter. 

On a positive note, while the chapter does feel prematurely ended, how the next chapter plays out if it is connected to this one is sure to be a surprise.