#vbs songs 2021 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

burningdaybreak · 5 months ago

Text

The Gay Akito Thesis™ — A view into Akito Shinonome's character

(Disclaimer: This post contains general spoilers for stories that involve Akito Shinonome, as well as multiple personal opinions, interpretations, and headcanons regarding his character and content. This is all my personal opinion and it's in no way canon, but it shouldn't conflict with Akito's actual character at all. If you have any interpretation about his characterization that is simply wrong, out of character, or completely ignores canon, or one regarding his sexuality that doesn't match mine or even dislike mine, I'd prefer you kept it to yourself.) I've been meaning to write about Akito and my sexuality headcanon for him for a while, and I suddenly had the urge to finally do it, so here we are. I think it's pretty fitting to post this on pride month. I am also posting this on my third anniversary since getting into Project Sekai (June 18th); this is a very special work for me, and I've put all my effort into writing it. I hope people like it as much as I do. I personally consider this essay a sort of love letter to Akito; and also Project Sekai. It's pretty much multiple essays in one, honestly, considering how much I extend myself on each part. I feel like each part could be read individually, but the main point of this essay is talking about my sexuality headcanon for Akito. Either way... In this essay, I write about Akito in general: first, I briefly talk about my story with him; then take a deep look into his character and stories he has appeared in, along with summarizing some of them (mainly his focus events); write about some of the most prevalent themes in his character, and analyze his relationship with masculinity, gender, and sexuality; and also talk a bit about my overall sexuality headcanons. In short, this will include quite a few of my opinions, headcanons, and interpretations, and isn't exclusively analysis. (By the way, this is not really a thesis; it's just the name I've jokingly called this essay I've been planning to write for a while.) So, let's get to it.

1. My story with Akito Shinonome

I'd like to start the essay by talking about how I first met Akito, and by extension my story with this game. [Note: You can skip this part if you aren't interested in my story with the game; it's not even really related to the essay's topic, I just wanna write my story down somewhere] I first learned of Akito's existence somewhere in late 2020, although it was just by passing; the "oranged-haired guy", and that's it. My ex-friend had tried to get me into Sekai back in December of that year, but I was kind of hyperfocused on something else, so I sort of didn't care at the time (sorry). Later, somewhere in February 2021, I saw people gushing over Akito and Touya's conversation in Touya's Period of NOCTURNE's card story. I saw it, and thought it was cute, but then I saw a screenshot of them together and thought "they're kind of ugly lol" (sorry, again). In June 18, 2021, my ex-friend did try once again to get me into Sekai, and since I wasn't really into anything else at the time, I was more interested in it. He showed me a bit of the content that Akito and Touya got together, and the Akito line from VBS's main story's chapter 19:

🥞 Oh, shut up already. Don't go makin' this complicated. I want to be with you, and you want to be with me as well. And after that, our dream will come true. … Isn't that enough?

I already liked Akito's design (...yes, despite calling him ugly. Don't worry about that), since I sort of have a type, but hearing about all the content he gets with Touya, and Akito's homosexual tendencies, was enough to finally make me interested in the game. And then we spent a few hours talking about the game, checking out most characters and some songs. From the beginning, I digged Akito's songs and thought his cards were nice. I fell for him pretty fast. As an extra, this was the tier list I made back in June 22, 2021 (a few days after getting into it):

(This tier list was mostly based on their designs and the bit of information I knew of all of them, don't pay it much mind; however, the upper tiers do not vary much from my taste nowadays, curiously.) From there I began reading events and catching up with Sekai content; however, I wasn't planning to play the game since I had never played a rhythm game before, and I wasn't really interested in idol games, so my intention was just to read stories. ... But then I started playing anyways in July 24, while Akito's summer festival mixed event was ongoing. I had seen leaks of the cards and I liked Akito's card, but I still wasn't planning to play; though I gave in a few days later, after all. And even though I was willing to reroll for his card, I managed to get him in my very first 10-pull; he was my first 4✰ in the game! And so, since then, I've been playing Project Sekai. And still playing. I kind of sucked at rhythm games (a lot) back then, but nowadays I'm pretty decent if I do say so myself (can now play up to MASTER 27-28 songs quite well, and recently Full Combo'd Beyond the Way (MASTER 28) and Sage (EXPERT 29), big achievements for a clumsy guy like me!)

Either way, getting into the meat of this thing: I was catching up with event stories, and (according to chat logs) I read STRAY BAD DOG back in August 8, 2021. Before then, I wasn't really sure if Akito was my favorite Sekai character (he was kind of competing against Ena, funnily; Unsatisfied Pale Color was great and I still think it's one of the best events in the game), but STRAY BAD DOG did definitely seal the deal. I absolutely fell in love with him. He was just... great. Completely betrayed all my expectations of Akito's character and any perception I had of him before then, in a good way. Akito became my favorite Sekai character in that moment. I did also later read Ringing Sounds at the Summer Festival and made me like him even more, and also set me as a Shinonomes fan lol. I can't really put well into words why I like him so much, but I just find him... fascinating. Some kind of inspiring, perhaps. He did betray all my expectations, which is quite fitting, and became a character I absolutely love. He was far from what I imagined he was. I just really liked him. Although I had already read the VBS main story and their events before STRAY BAD DOG, he only fully clicked after reading the latter. And as I read more of his content since then, I just fall more and more in love with him. I don't know if I can say he is my favorite character ever, but I also don't know what other character could be even worthy this title; I've never liked any character nearly as much as I like Akito. Anyways, so yeah, I really like Akito: I love his character and I can quite relate to him; he's very inspiring and awesome; I love his style and appearance and, while a bit embarrassing to admit, I'd like to look like him, and whenever he gets a new outfit I think "oh i need to get that asap"; and just... he's so good. I don't want to repeat myself much but yeah. I love him. [Personal story ends here] Now, onto the main topic: why do I think Akito's gay? Well, in part that's me projecting onto him; I am a homosexual man myself, so I naturally like to view my favorite characters the same way as me. Considering how much I like Akito, there's no way I'd view him as something else. However, I think Akito being gay just naturally fits so well into his character. Of course I'll get more in-depth on this later, for now I just wanted to explain the basic reasons. Finally, just to make it clear from the beginning: I personally headcanon Akito as a homosexual guy, attracted exclusively to other men, and I don't particularly like any other sexuality interpretations that conflict with this; perhaps more accurate would be demihomosexual, but Akito wouldn't really care enough to label himself this precisely lol. There is nothing wrong with viewing him as bisexual, and it doesn't really interfere with anything in this essay besides my own opinions at the end — but this is pretty much a personal preference. To me, he's a gay guy. As for his gender, I don't care as much; while I personally think of him as cisgender, him being transmasc does also fit pretty well into his character and story and I don't really mind it. I support it. He's very special to me, and so, this headcanon is very important for me. I really can't and don't want to view him as anything else. Akito Shinonome is gay. So yeah, that's it for the introduction. Now let's get into the good stuff:

2. Who is Akito Shinonome?

(A look into Akito Shinonome's character, his involvement in most VBS events and his own key stories, and his development throughout the years) [This section contains Akito's backstory and character, along with the content of his focus events and any other events he has a notable role in. If you're not interested in this section, you can skip to the Event Songs section (2.1).] [Also warning that the Akito event plot "summaries" are kind of long; especially FAWO and BMS. If you don't want to read the event plot summaries, you can skip to the Personal thoughts, which will also be in blue like these disclaimers.]

"We'll crush them with our song."

Akito Shinonome, such a wonderful and fascinating creature... Let's first see who exactly is Akito and what is his deal: Akito is a character from the unit Vivid BAD SQUAD. He first formed a duo unit with Touya Aoyagi, under the name BAD DOGS, and they later formed a team with Vivids, composed of Kohane Azusawa and An Shiraishi, and all together became Vivid BAD SQUAD. They all share the dream and goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, a legendary event in Vivid Street.

Fun fact: Akito named their duo unit BAD DOGS because it means "the best partner"... however, Akito's also canonically afraid of dogs, so it sort of has a double meaning.

Right from the first moment we see him, we see that Akito's... not exactly the nicest person. He's very serious about singing and his goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, so upon meeting An's new partner, Kohane, who says she has no music experience at all, yet plans to also surpass RAD WEEKEND with An, he gets mad. How can such a half-hearted newbie aim for the same dream as him, who has been working towards it for a few years now and is more serious than her He's sort of mean and foul-mouthed, and hates people with half-hearted feelings. He decides to invite Vivids (An and Kohane's duo unit) to a livehouse to sing, to see if they're truly worth what they claim. However, a fellow musician decided to sabotage their performance, with the intention of helping Akito; but the latter did not ask for that at all, so he was pretty mad about it. When An and Kohane find out their performance was sabotaged rather than being a regular malfunction, Akito takes the blame since he hates excuses. Following that incident, Kohane becomes determined and changes her image to show how she's actually serious about chasing An's dream with her, and they decide to do another performance, this time without any sabotages. They sing pretty well together, which surprises (and frustrates) Akito. Perhaps they're not so half-hearted after all, but he won't allow himself to be beaten. But while planning their next live, Touya tells Akito he won't sing with him anymore. Akito doesn't understand at first why Touya wants to break up, and Touya's answer is to mock Akito's dream and intentionally make him mad; Touya would rather lie and hide his feelings than disappoint his partner. And Akito, in a fit of rage due to the person he trusted most mocking his dream like most other people that didn't understand him did, punches Touya.

After going to the Street Sekai, meeting the Virtual Singers, and getting their advice, Akito runs to WEEKEND GARAGE to confront Touya. The latter admits that the one who was half-hearted about music and surpassing RAD WEEKEND all along was himself and not the girls, Akito calls him out on his bullshit; someone who was really not serious about that wouldn't practice and sing as much as Touya did. Even though Touya is still hesitant, claiming that Akito could find a better singing partner, Akito simply doesn't agree; he wants to be with Touya no matter what, and there's no better partner he could ask for. Before Touya can answer, Akito tells him to not make it complicated, they both know what they want.

🥞 Oh, shut up already. Don't go makin' this complicated. I want to be with you, and you want to be with me as well. And after that, our dream will come true. … Isn't that enough?

(Any way I summarize that scene doesn't make it justice, so I recommend either reading VBS's main story's chapter 19, or just watching the animation of it in Journey to Bloom 『RESOLVE』.) Now made up, and with higher resolve than ever, BAD DOGS and Vivids unite, forming Vivid BAD SQUAD, with the aim of chasing their shared dream together: surpassing RAD WEEKEND.

In short, the first impression Akito gives is that he's a guy who's extremely serious about singing and his dream, and hates people with half-hearted feelings that don't take stuff they do seriously, and also people who make fun of him. He's also pretty competitive and won't allow himself to be beaten. And he hates making excuses. He's a bit foul-mouthed and perhaps even mean, but he doesn't really do it in bad faith; he just has his own ideals that he follows strictly. He gives it his all for music, his partner and friends, and his dream. Akito's very serious and determined, and he won't stop at anything to accomplish his goal. So, why is Akito like that? Back in middle school, Akito used to play soccer. He considered himself pretty good at it, and often berated his teammates for not taking it as seriously as him. However, after a match with a team that was aiming to dedicate their life to the sport, Akito realized that he wasn't really all that serious about soccer; and becomes too demotivated to keep playing it. Now lost on what to do with his life, one day during summer, Akito goes to a summer festival after Ena calls him because she was injured (it was actually just her footwear hurting her feet). Complaining about being called over for such a dumb reason, Akito is planning to leave, but they overhear a music performance at the summer festival and Ena suggests they check it out.

Akito is amazed by the performance, and he keeps thinking about it afterwards. Seeing Akito in a daze, Ena suggests, why not try music? Since he looked like he was having fun for the first time in a while. Akito hesitates, unsure if he should try something if he doesn't know if he can do it seriously, but Ena says it's fine to just try it, and decide whether to do it seriously or not afterwards. Following that, Akito visited Vivid Street, witnessed RAD WEEKEND, and fell in love with music as we know it, finding a new purpose in life in music and a dream to chase after: surpassing the legendary event that was RAD WEEKEND. And so, he began singing, beginning his journey to surpass RAD WEEKEND. However, Akito has an issue: he had no experience or talent in music. He was very much a newbie, mostly singing in smaller events and still learning the basics, but being the young brat he was, he chewed more than he could bite. When some senior musicians who overheard him proclaiming he'd surpass RAD WEEKEND, provoked him into singing at a higher level venue, the one where RADDer first sang: Crawl Green, he accepts despite the difference in skill... and he utterly flops his performance. He's demoralized not just by his failure, but also by the very same senior musicians mocking him after his performance; and more than that, he's frustrated for bringing shame to the venue. Despite loving music so much, and finally finding a dream of his own, everyone just rejects him and mocks him. Akito wonders whether it's worth to keep chasing music. But then, he meets Ken Shiraishi, the man he admires, and Akito tells him about what happened at Crawl Green; after this experience, he wants to drop singing and his dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, unable to believe in himself anymore... even though he wants to keep singing, he can't forgive himself for what happened. Then Ken-san gives him advice: if you can acknowledge your limit, simply go past it. Trust your heart, and go where your body tells you to go. No matter what, no matter the situation, if your body wants to keep singing, then keep singing. And so, Akito decides to keep singing no matter what, always giving it his all, regardless of what others think or say. Afterwards, Akito meets Touya and they become partners; they sing together for a few years as BAD DOGS, until they meet An and Kohane, and then after the events of the main story, they become Vivid BAD SQUAD. For Akito, music is everything. He's extremely passionate about it. It's what got his heart moving again after he had lost himself; it's what keeps him alive. What gave him a true purpose in life, something to strive for. He won't give it up for anything; he'll keep going and achieve his dream, giving his all, and surpassing his own limits. He will go beyond the legend. And this is where an important part of Akito's character comes: his partner, Touya Aoyagi. Touya is an extremely important person for Akito; could even say the person he cares about the most. The person he trusts most, and who is always by his side. For Akito, Touya is the best partner he coul ask for. He met Touya sometime after Akito's Crawl Green incident. He had spotted him singing in Vivid Street a few times and was interested in the guy, so he approached him.

🥞 You're an interesting one. Say, won't you sing with me for a little?

After singing together, they became partners soon after, and formed a duo: BAD DOGS. Since then, they've always been together, singing together, chasing after the same dream. Even though they had that short fight during the VBS main story, they came out of it stronger and more determined to achieve their goal.

Akito truly cares about Touya. Someone who complements him, who understands him, with the same dream as him, and who loves music like him. Akito really loves his partner. Likewise, Touya loves him back; as someone who grew up with high expectations from the people around him, with no freedom of his own, Touya is so thankful that Akito loves and appreciates him for who he is, for providing him a place where he can be himself and discover new things about himself and the world around him, for sharing his dream with him and allowing him to be his partner. Touya, too, really loves his partner. Their bond as partners is very deep and special, they're inseparable. Partners seem to be a very important thing in Vivid Street. Someone you trust the most and who trusts you back, as mutual trust is very important; someone who complements you really well, and always sings by your side, giving their best in a performance; that's what a partner is. While Akito and Touya have been partners for a while now and already know each other quite well, An and Kohane have just recently become partners, and as a new relationship, they sort of struggle at first. In Someday, with Our Lyrics Joined Back-to-Back, An wants to cherish her new partner as much as possible, not wanting to let her go. She had been looking for a partner for a long time, and she's afraid of losing her; this makes her end up worrying too much about Kohane and overprotecting her, which affects VBS's performances. Noticing this, Akito gives advice to An, telling her to not protect Kohane so much, and allow her to grow by herself. She needs to believe in her partner.

As someone who is experienced in having a partner, and has gone through the same things An has, Akito can help her through this hurdle; she has to learn to trust in her partner and protect her less, believing in her skill. While a partner is a precious thing to have, and something to be cherished, you have to give them room to improve by themselves. Partners need to trust each other, and by working together and in equal terms, they can help each other grow. [STRAY BAD DOG — Event Plot (Longer Ver.)] But, despite that, Akito still has to learn how to rely on his partner (and teammates) more... in STRAY BAD DOG, Akito and Touya meet Arata, a fellow musician with the same goal as Vivid BAD SQUAD: surpassing RAD WEEKEND. Provoked by Arata's words, Akito (along with Touya) faces off against him... and they are utterly defeated. Arata is simply much better than their current level, even solo.

Being told by Arata that he's the least interesting out of everyone in Vivid BAD SQUAD and how he lacks any skill, and that he can't see him standing with them when the time to surpass RAD WEEKEND comes, triggers a response in Akito. While he's aware better than anyone else of his lack of talent and skill, he starts to overwork himself, practicing by himself and even participating in lives solo along with all his regular practice with Vivid BAD SQUAD. Akito is exhausted and overworking himself, and everyone in his team is worried about his health, but he didn't even listen to Ken-san's words and keeps pushing himself. But then, when they hear that Arata's planning to join a live that Akito's participating in, they rush over. Akito sings really well, showing his recent improvement, but Arata sings seriously, unlike their previous match, and completely overpowers Akito once again. He's devastated, wondering what he worked so hard for, on the brink of giving up... but when all seems lost, his team arrives, coming to his help. They tell him that he does not have to go ahead by himself and do everything alone. They're a team, and they'll always be there to help him whenever he's stuck. They will all practice and grow and improve together. It's okay to rely on them. They have the same dream, and they will surpass their goal — together.

☕ So, in those times where you've hit a wall… rely on me more!

And they all then sing together, giving a performance that matches Arata's — individually they may not match up to him, but together, they can beat anything. Although the event ends in a draw, Akito admits to Arata that he has lost. However, he says he'll reach even higher, along with his teammates, which Arata looks forward to. He also apologizes to his team for getting impatient and overworking himself, but he still believes that, in order to surpass RAD WEEKEND, he needs to get better; so, to achieve that, he'll rely on his teammates more. And so, Akito learns that he should rely on his team. While he needs to work hard to improve enough to achieve his dream - their dream, he can't do it by himself. By relying on others more, they can help each other grow and improve. His team will always be there for him, to help him through any rough patch he's going through, since they're a team and they are aiming for the same goal, together. This is... the power of unity. [Personal thoughts] A pretty old event by now, but still very good. It was the true introduction to Akito's character, and showed how complex he really is. He learns to rely on his team more, rather than going ahead all by himself and overworking himself... it's not just his dream, but rather, everyone's... they all share the same dream. They all walk together. It's a great event with a good message, and it teaches Akito a valuable lesson. I liked it a lot, and it's what truly made me fall in love with his character.

Some time later, Akito helps An out once again. In Bout for Beside You, she begins feeling uneasy about Kohane, after showing how fast she's improving and her great performance during Awakening Beat, and Taiga from RADder offering to train Kohane. Noticing something's off about her, Akito meets up with An to find out what's wrong. An talks to him, and later Miku too, about what's worrying her: she realized it may be because she's afraid of being left behind by Kohane; worried about Kohane improving so much, and surpassing An, that she won't want to sing with her anymore. Akito understands her situation; she had been looking for a partner for a long time, it's normal she'd feel anxious about losing her. While he doesn't think Kohane would abandon An, it's inevitable to consider that possibility. Following that, he gives her some advice:

🥞 In that case, you just need to keep up with her. You have to improve, and relentlessly grow until you're equals.

As expected of someone who is always pushing himself forward and working hard to improve himself, Akito's advice is that she should keep improving and growing to reach Kohane's level, so she doesn't leave her behind. Despite his rough appearance and personality, Akito is pretty perceptive about when something's wrong with those close to him, and cares about them.

Following that, Vivid BAD SQUAD goes on a camping trip during Same Dream, Same Colors, since Touya had never gone to one due to his secluded life when he was younger, and so was unable to visualize what the rest of his team meant when talking about what a forest was like. They use that trip as a learning and bonding experience, experiencing new things, and they grow and learn as a team. By working together and singing with the same image, feelings, and goal, they can become an even better team; and how important common feelings are becomes even more clear later. During Legend still vivid, Vivid BAD SQUAD visits COL, the livehouse where RAD WEEKEND took place, and they also discover that footage of RAD WEEKEND still exists, and they all watch it together. [THE POWER OF UNITY — Event Plot (Longer Ver.)] Following that, in THE POWER OF UNITY, Akito begins thinking about RAD WEEKEND and how great it was. It was on a whole different scale, so perhaps just their ability isn't enough to surpass it. He thinks about the passion behind it, the atmosphere created by the teams and how they all wanted to surpass each other. While visiting MEIKO's café in the Street Sekai, they find the Virtual Singers organizing their own event, inspired by the RAD WEEKEND footage. They suggest Vivid BAD SQUAD to also host their own event, and they end up agreeing, with Akito thinking it'd be a good idea so they can find a hint of what made RAD WEEKEND's atmosphere so great. When they begin discussing the details of the event, they think that the participants are a pretty important part, and they have to be people that are serious about singing and about the event, otherwise they won’t be able to reach the atmosphere that RAD WEEKEND had; and of course, it has to be people that also want to surpass that night. However, the only person that comes to mind that meets that criteria is Arata, and they think they'd need at least two more teams to match RAD WEEKEND's atmosphere. But for now, they go looking for Arata to ask him. To their surprise, Arata finds them first, and asks himself to join their event. Akito's a bit suspicious, but they have no reason to refuse him. Arata also suggests, since they're looking for other people that want to surpass RAD WEEKEND and are serious about singing and the event, to ask EVER — a team that Vivid BAD SQUAD previously faced. EVER ends up agreeing to join the event, and shortly after, they also get Kotaro in tow, who expressed interest in joining it after being motivated to surpass RAD WEEKEND; and admiring his determination, Akito chooses to believe in him, and agrees to let him join. And so, they now have four teams for their first event. All the teams gather to practice for the event, but Arata seems a bit distracted. When they all sing, the atmosphere isn't really what they wanted it to be, but Arata's phone rings and he excuses himself; and upon coming back, his performance is even more off, unable to concentrate in it, so he keeps worrying about him. With their first gathering not producing much result, Vivid BAD SQUAD meets up the next day at the Street Sekai. After talking with KAITO, they figure that perhaps Arata's got a lot on his plate, and they should talk with him.

Conveniently, Akito and Touya spot Arata afterwards, and when talking to him, they learn that his partner has recently transferred to a hospital in the town, and was about to visit him. The pair accompanies Arata, and meet his partner — Souma. They chat a bit and learn more about him. After the visit, they talk with Arata, who still seems kinda down. Akito tells him that they're teammates, and it's okay to talk and rely on each other. After a short talk with him, they feel like they understand Arata a bit better; if they're teammates who share feelings, then they can make a great event together. The next day, everyone meets up again, and Arata seems to feel better now. After telling everyone what was bothering him and apologizing, they all talk to each other, learning about their individual purposes and reasons to surpass RAD WEEKEND, and they get to know each other more; the atmosphere between them is changing, with their feelings building up, and uniting them more. The day of their event arrives. The event is about to start, and some of them are nervous, unsure about being able to get closer to RAD WEEKEND. However, Akito tells them to not give up before they’ve even started, giving them a motivational speech:

🥞 I think everyone here is completely serious. 🥞 No matter what happens, we wanna surpass RAD WEEKEND; we’re gathered here because we share those feelings, right? 🥞 Then we’ve gotta treat this event like a step towards that goal. That’s why we’ve done everything we can until now.

They’re all serious about their dream, and they share the same feelings; even if they struggle, if they struggle together, they’ll learn something from it. It’s not about whether if they can or can’t — for the sake of their dream, they have to put the event event they possibly can. And then, their first event, 「Break」, begins, which results in a great success.

After their performance, Akito asks everyone if they felt how great the atmosphere was. While they’re still far away from surpassing RAD WEEKEND, it was still a step forward for them all. The story then ends with everyone agreeing on keeping making events together, moving forward. If they get to know each other even more, they can make even more amazing events. And with that, their first arc ends. Go beyond the legend!! [Personal thoughts] This event was good, as it once again shows how perceptive Akito is, worrying about his teammate, and wanting to figure out what's wrong. Moreover, the message of this event is that getting to know each other is key in a team; by communicating and understanding the people you're working with, you can learn about your similarities, and with your feelings uniting you, you can make great things together. Also the way they incorporated STRAY BAD DOG's lesson of "relying on your team more" was nice. It also showed the bond they have with their partners, and how they want to carry on with their dreams and making them proud. Truly, the love for your partner is so special. Some time later, during Walk on and on, Vivid BAD SQUAD and the rest of teams decide that for their next event, they'll create songs with the same theme. Touya is concerned about the burden imposed on Akito and An, who were in charge of making Vivid BAD SQUAD's tracks until now, and wishes he could write songs, too. Learning from Arata that he and Souma used to make tracks together, and listening to one Souma couldn't finish, Touya grows interested in writing music; and after Kohane also expresses a desire to try making music, he decides he should do something, too. The next day, he happens to be nearby Souma's hospital, so Touya decides to pay him a visit. They talk a bit, and Touya asks Souma how he made music; but Souma says he can't really teach him much, as Arata did most of the work. However, Souma can at least give him some advice on sampling. And on his next visit, Touya begins learning about track-making from Souma. Later, Touya manages to make his own track, which he shows to the rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD; he made this track wanting to convey his feelings of gratefulness to Akito and his teammates, for remaining by his side all this time, and for supporting him and allowing him to be himself. While he doesn't think it's that good, everyone else really likes it, with Akito praising his partner for his good work, and says really wants to sing this song. Touya says he's especially thankful to Akito; for finding him after he had left classical music, and telling him it's okay to sing by his side. Thanks to Akito, he didn't quit music, and expresses how lucky he is to be able to sing next to his partner; he wants to continue being Akito's partner for a long time to come, and that's why he was able to make this track.

☕ Akito, you're the best partner I could ever ask for.

The event then ends with Akito deciding to add this track to their setlist for their next event, even though it means changing it last minute, since they all share Akito's sentiment of wanting to sing the track that their teammate made. [FIND A WAY OUT — Event Plot (Longer Ver.)] (Warning: This part's very long; it's pretty hard to summarize this event as it's quite long, and there's a lot of important information.) Following that, Find A Way Out begins with everyone celebrating their second event, 「JET」, which was a huge success. During the celebration, they all discuss the event and its reception; it's the current talk of the town. Arata, who arrives late, has a suggestion for their next event: hosting it at Crawl Green. It's the livehouse where RADder made their debut, and one that everyone dreams of performing in, but it'll be difficult to get the owner to agree to let them host their event there. Everyone seems to be on board with the idea, but Akito seems a bit troubled by the idea. After the celebration and with everyone gone, An and Kohane remain at the café, while Touya goes back to his house for a christmas party. On the other hand, Akito plans to go training, despite the late hour, to make up for the time they spent celebrating. While jogging, Akito thinks about Crawl Green, and his past experience with it. However, he’s determined, and this time he won’t bring shame to the venue again. With his team, he’ll make their next event a success; and to make that happen, he won’t waste any second. Meanwhile, Luka goes check on An and Kohane, then Touya, and finally Akito. Akito doesn't seem to notice her, as he's too focused on his running. Suddenly, Kotaro spots Akito and calls out to him. He’s surprised that Akito’s been training since they all left Weekend Garage earlier, and tells him that he should go home and take it easy for the day. However, Akito says that this is what he must do if they plan to surpass RAD WEEKEND. Furthermore, if they’re performing at Crawl Green, this is necessary for their performance to be the best possible. He has to do everything he can. Inspired by his words, Kotaro asks Akito to let him join his jogging session — but Kotaro runs out of breath pretty quickly, and they take a break. As they take a break, Kotaro talks about Akito before he met Touya — how he used to be very reckless, and he thought he’d finally learn to calm down after teaming up with him. Akito then reminisces about the days where he was alone; when he had just started singing in this town. He tells his story, back on the night RAD WEEKEND took place. He spent hours listening to one of RADder's song on loop, a level of focus he had never felt regarding soccer. He believes he’s approaching music in the same half-assed way; but even though he may not be fully dedicated, he thinks that, if he were able to put on an event similar to RAD WEEKEND, it’d feel amazing. Although he doesn’t know yet if he’ll be able to take it seriously enough to put his whole life on the line… he at least wants to try. One week later, he practices his singing, but it sounds awful. He wonders how he can make it so that he can sing as well as RADder does, and so begins studying them. The next day, he checks out Vivid Street, with the plan of listening to RADder once again. However, when he goes to check out COL, where RAD WEEKEND took place, he finds out that RADder’s gone on hiatus, and that COL will soon close, too.

Leaving the venue dejected, he spots people singing all around; finding it awesome how they’re all competing out on the street, enjoying music like they want. Seeing everyone having fun with music, and their determination, Akito thinks how he can't half-ass it. He has to find the determination, giving it his all, to the point of giving up everything, and do it. Even if he has to use all his time, he’ll surpass everyone in this town. He then immediately begins singing, right where he was standing; he’s pretty off pitch, but loud as hell. One year later, a grown-up Akito is waiting to sing at an event. A bunch of senior musicians pick on him, making fun of his dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, and bullying him. Kotaro happens to step in during it, thinking about how Akito should fix his attitude a bit… Back in the current day, Kotaro feels nostalgic, mentioning how Akito used to be so cocky (although it’s not like he has changed much), and how all their seniors often glared at him. Afterwards, he mentions how he had heard a rumor about Akito really messing up during an event; although he brushes it off, thinking it couldn’t possibly be true, Akito tells him that it did happen… and it happened at Crawl Green. After an event, Akito is approached by some senior musicians again, who mess with him as usual. Akito, kind of provoking them back, gets challenged by them to join an event that is taking place at Crawl Green. Although he knows knows his skill level better than anyone, and he is definitely not good enough to stand in that venue yet, he decides to join anyways; since he decided to dedicate his life to singing, he doesn’t want to run anymore. The day of the event arrives. Akito did not run away, as the seniors expected him to. As if he’d do that. He practiced a lot for this; he’ll be standing at the place he’s always wanted to sing at, so he can’t half-ass it. While waiting for his turn to sing, Akito checks out the stage. Everyone in the audience is really amped. He thinks the singer on stage is really good, but the audience is just calling him average… he realizes that everyone there is on a different level. His turn’s coming soon. He’s feeling nervous. He knew from the start that he’s not worthy of being there, but he’ll still give everything he’s got into his performance, and giving it his best shot. When it’s his turn to sing, his fingers are trembling, and he can’t even hold the mic right; but, he has to do this. He doesn’t have a choice. This is the place where he’s always wanted to stand, and he’s been practicing endlessly for this day, so he’s gonna get the audience hyped. Due to being an unknown face around there, the audience has high expectations for him, looking forward to his performance. Despite being nervous as hell, Akito is gonna give it his all, so that he doesn’t bring shame to the place he admires, and so that he doesn’t regret it. However, the audience wasn’t interested in his performance at all. He did not run away, and he sang right to the end, but it was an absolute flop.

Then, the senior musicians make fun of him when they enter the stage, and the public immediately gets hyped again when they start singing. Akito finds it amazing, and then gets discouraged. How much more does he have to practice to be able to sing like that…? Stepping out of the venue, Akito spots lots of people singing around. They’re all better than him. Why can’t he sing like them? Even though he said he would take it seriously, and that he would put his whole life on the line, and all the time he spent practicing… he couldn’t do anything. And even worse, he brought shame to the place he admired. He cries, frustrated; but then a certain someone reaches out to him: Ken Shiraishi, from RADder. Ken sits next to him, to talk with him a bit. The older man mentions how he’d seen Akito sing around there a few times — and heard his loud voice, too. But it was a good song, and it sounded like he was singing it with his head held high, so he remembers it well. If someone with that much energy is sitting around with a shadow over his face, of course he’d call out to him. Hearing that makes Akito happy, but he also feels pretty pathetic; he didn't want the person he admires to see him looking like that. Ken then gives him some advice:

🕶 I dunno what's go you down, but if it's not something you can solve alone, you can always try talking to people. 🕶 If you're stuck in a rut, sometimes all you can do is put it into words, and spit it out. That goes for songs, and worries.

Akito does not really want to do that, though; it'd be like crying all over him, and he can't something that lame... however, if it's Ken, he may be able to teach him something, as he can sing such amazing songs. Despite his fear of being told by the person he admires that he should just quit music, in the end, Akito opens up, telling Ken what happened at Crawl Green earlier. After hearing out his story, Ken asks Akito if he's frustrated that he got beat. Of course, that's part of it, but Akito's more ashamed about bringing shame to the venue than anything else. He can't forgive himself for that. He thought that, even if he lost, even if he wasn't good enough now... if he kept putting in effort, that would be enough. However, this all happened because he thought that. When asked by Ken what's his plan now, Akito says he does not want to give up... but, he can't believe in himself. Deep down he feels that, no matter how much effort he puts in, he has his limits. Ken understands what he means; if Akito himself is acknowledging his limits, then maybe that's where his limits are. But then he says:

🕶 But — if that's the case, all you have to do is surpass those limits. 🕶 The mind is something that wavers so easily. "This is as far as I can go, there's nothing beyond this point." 🕶 That's why, when the time comes, you have to trust your heart over your mind. You have to keep moving forward to the rhythm of your heartbeat, and let your body follow.

He tells him that, even if you're feeling down, no matter how painful things get, if your body says it wants to keep singing — then don't give up singing. If you want to surpass your limits, that's your only option. Ken then praises Akito, for singing all the way to the end; though he recommends to pull back from showing up to events for a while. He needs to rest, as his voice sounds hoarse. Keep your body safe, so that you can keep singing. Following that, Ken leaves, and Akito thanks him, saying he'll keep singing. Back in the current day, Akito tells Kotaro that it was thanks to what Ken-san said that he was able to keep singing, and decided afterwards that, no matter what anybody said to him, he'd never quit. He admits that, when he sings with his team, he realizes that he's still got a long way to go — but that until he surpasses RAD WEEKEND, no matter how rough it gets, he'll never stop singing. That's what he decided. Kotaro, motivated by Akito's story, wants to go running again, but then they end up meeting the same senior musicians that messed with Akito during the Crawl Green incident — who turn out to be Shepherd, a team that had a major debut and left the town. They end up provoking Akito, and getting mad at his confident response, they challenge him to a fight. Luka, who was still in Akito's pocket and overheard the exchange, rushes off to Touya to ask for help, telling him Akito's in trouble. He contacts An and Kohane and they go to help Akito. Back to Akito and Shepherd, they face off, with the senior musicians singing first. Listening to them, Akito thinks about how they've gotten even better since the Crawl Green incident; while he was catching up, they also kept getting better. However, he's not anxious, like he was back then. The audience underestimates Akito, but when he starts singing, everyone is shocked, especially the senior musicians. While singing, he thinks of how he has kept running too, all this time; with his team, aiming for RAD WEEKEND. He remembers their words from STRAY BAD DOG and Walk on and on. If he runs into a wall and almost burn out, they'll pull him back up; they'll tell him that they'll do this together, and push him higher and higher. It's thanks to them that he was able to keep running faster than ever before — he's not the same person he used to be. The audience's all pumped up, while Shepherd seethes at Akito's improvement. He keeps thinking, about how, in the past, he felt that no matter how hard he tried, he'd never reach RAD WEEKEND; but now, he's able to go toe to toe with the people he thought were so amazing. He's able to surpass the limits he felt back then. He's determined to keep this up, to the end. And so, Akito wins. Even though in the past he thought it was impossible. Akito thinks about how he was able to take back even a little bit of the mud he smeared on the place he admired, and able to grow from the kid who got beat up back then. He feels... relieved? He laughs, but then, he thinks that he can't settle here. This is far from enough. He can't let himself feel satisfied for even a second in a place like this. What they're aiming for is something far beyond this moment, and he can't let himself be satisfied at this level. Then, he suddenly leaves.

Akito starts running again. Although he's getting tired, he can't let himself stop. But, suddenly, he's stopped by Taiga, which surprises him. Taiga asks Akito why he's so gloomy after his victory; Akito is surprised that Taiga saw that, and he responds that he happened to watch it while taking a walk, and praises Akito for winning. He then just remains silent. Thinking how Taiga's got a strong gaze, like he's seeing right through him, Akito begins talking about today's opponents: how he had lost to them in the past, but he won today. Despite the clean sweep, Akito is dissatisfied because he let himself relax for a bit, and he can't forgive himself for that. Asked why, he responds that although he can say that the reason he was able to beat those guys this time was because of his hard work, if he lets himself feel satisfied with this, he can't move forward. The songs he heard at RAD WEEKEND were so awesome that his body still gets lit on fire thinking about it. He aims to be able to do that, too, and so can't allow himself to feel satisfied for even a second from something as lame as this. Their dream is much than this, which is why— But then, he's interrupted by Taiga, who tells Akito he's a bit like Ken. Taiga talks about how Ken used to be: he was the type to put a stupid amount of effort into everything, just like Akito; probably because he wanted to catch up to Taiga. He may look like he's taking it easy, but he's crazy about music. At the start, back in middle school, Taiga found him incredibly boring. He managed to make everything look easy, but he always looked detached, like he was the only mature one there, and he didn't care for anything going on around him. He couldn't stand him. However, in the town, Taiga always had his eye on him. He saw him often. He says how music was the only thing he could beat Ken at, but was sort of afraid that if Ken pursued that, he might lose that, too. But then, when he was singing on the street, and Ken passed by him with his usual bored look, it pissed him off. He sang with all his might, which seemed to ignite a fire in Ken's eyes.

🐯 It seems like unless you take something totally seriously, you won't be able to resonate with a person's heart.

Following that, Ken started singing in the town, too. Taiga mentions how Ken was always looking so far ahead, even while singing day and night; even when he sang so much that his voice died out, he'd look frustrated and keep singing. It surprises Akito that Ken-san used to practice like that. Taiga says that Ken must've not known what to do when he finally found that passion for the first time; he didn't know what to do with it, but the flame had been lit, so he didn't have a choice but to keep running. No matter what opponent he beat, he wouldn't be happy. It wasn't enough, he still had to do more, so he kept singing. Seeing him like that, it inspired Taiga, too — the overwhelming focus on aiming higher, even if it meant shaving himself down; he found it a little a comforting. And then, they started working together. Afterwards, Taiga tells Akito that his eyes look like Ken's, especially during the performance from earlier — he looked like the Ken from back then. Eyes that are set so far beyond the horizon that it hurts to look at. Ones belonging to someone so clumsy that they don't know how to live any other way. Finally, he tells him that he may become someone like Ken, someday. He then apologizes for talking so long, about the old days, but Akito is really thankful for allowing him to listen to such a valuable story. Getting up, Taiga mentions that he heard they're all planning to do an event at Crawl Green, but Akito says they're still in the middle of negotation. Hearing Akito talk about how they're putting in serious effort to try and surpass RAD WEEKEND, Taiga says he may take a look at their event, to see their conviction for himself. Akito then proclaims they'll make it the best event ever, and Taiga leaves. Now by himself, Akito thinks about what Taiga said about Ken-san, and how Ken-san used to be like him, too.

🥞 So that he could get to where he wanted to, he put in so much effort— 🥞 I decided that was the only thing I could do, so I kept running. But—

He thinks back on how Taiga said he may become someone like Ken-san someday, and then Ken's words back after the Crawl Green incident; telling Akito to trust his heart over his mind. To not give up singing. To keep singing, no matter what.

Akito gets it now. That's why Ken-san said all that stuff to him, back then. He, too, sang through the pain, and that was how his singing voice as born; he wasn't born with talent. He is... just like Akito. With this, Akito can believe in everything he has done so far, and keep moving forward. He's so glad. Afterwards, while drinking some water, not having realized how dehydrated he was, the rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD arrive. Akito's confused as to why they're there, and An says it's because they were worried about him. Luka then appears, she was hiding in Akito's pocket the whole time, but couldn't find a good time to talk to him — and then he started beefing with those guys, so she freaked out and went to let Touya and the rest know. Hearing what happened, Akito apologizes to everyone, and also thanks them for coming. When asked if he was alright on his own, Akito says it was no problem for him; if they're seriously gonna surpass RAD WEEKEND, he can't let himself lose to any opponent. There's no way he'd stumble at a place like this. Following that, he retells his story with Crawl Green to everyone. Touya talks about how, back when he first teamed up with Akito, there were often people who would approach them with very harsh attitudes, and thinks about how Akito must've been dealing with people like that even before they met. Akito says he had a hell of an attitude back then, though, so it's not like he's holding any grudges. Akito knows his own abilities, and he has no intention of hiding it. He then says that if they end up singing at Crawl Green next, he won't put on a shameful display, and will get their audience pumped; and the rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD tell him that they'll fight alongside him, and make up for the day together. Then, Kotaro rushes over, finally finding Akito, and the latter apologizes for leaving him behind. Following that, Akito tells everyone that Taiga may go watch their event, but only if they're able to perform at Crawl Green. The event ends with Kotaro surprised that Akito plans to keep on training, and Akito says that he still hasn't finished his training routine. With the warm up done, he'll start with the vocalisations now. The rest of Vivid BAD SQUAD and Kotaro say they want to join him, and An suggests they sing over at Weekend Garage. She then races everyone to the café. Akito watches them run off, and begins thinking about how they're still far away from surpassing RAD WEEKEND; but someday, if that person is there, beyond the giant wall — he'll definitely surpass it. Seeing him still there, they all call out to him, and he goes running after them.

[Personal thoughts] (First of all, sorry for the long "summary"; this event is pretty long and has a lot of important info. It was hard to cut things.) This event was great. If STRAY BAD DOG is the event that lays the foundation of Akito's character, this one is the one that fully develops his character. It goes quite in-depth on what motivated Akito, what then made him nearly give up, and what inspired him to keep trying; the theme of wanting to keep trying despite also wanting to give up is really good. He loves music, and even though everyone around him mocked him for his dream and doesn't believe in him, he does not want to give up. And Ken-san's words motivated him to keep trying, and surpassing his own limits. The talk with Taiga was very good too, as finding that Ken-san was like him too actually allows him to believe in everything he has done so far. Not to mention how he's now relying on his team more, and believing in them and in their shared goal and feelings. It was a very good event for Akito's characterization and a very essential story to truly understand him. I really like it. Afterwards, in Kick it up a notch, it's decided their next event will be at Crawl Green. In their third event, 「RISE」, Kohane sings solo as the opening act, an amazing performance that shocks everyone (especially An, whose abandonment issues grow even stronger), which results in a really hyped audience and the rest of performances afterwards being much hotter than usual, and this event being their best so far. Perhaps, like this, they can actually surpass RAD WEEKEND...!

However, after that, in Light Up the Fire, Taiga confronts everyone, telling them that they don't have what it takes to surpass RAD WEEKEND, revealing how Nagi has been dead all along, and he beats all of them in a battle, leaving them defeated and lost, and their whole group disbanded. Vivid BAD SQUAD then hears the whole truth and motivations behind RAD WEEKEND: it being Nagi's final performance to the town that she loved so dearly and supported her all the way to the end. Despite not having long left to live, she wants to do what she loves most right before her life ends. And with one final, selfish request: to lie about her death, pretending she's still alive and singing elsewhere, carrying out her dream; especially from An, who admired her the most. This all so she can live on in the town, always being connected to everyone, even after her death. With her life on the line, Nagi puts everything she has into the last performance of her life, conveying all her feelings of gratefulness to the town and everyone who supported her, in hopes of inspiring others to follow their dreams, and do what she couldn't do. That is the truth behind the legend — RAD WEEKEND. This is all devastating news to everyone... but they also hear about Nagi's dream of "taking over the world", and her final wish of inspiring the next generation to walk the path of their dreams — to go beyond what they achieved, and carry out her dream. Despite everything that happened, Vivid BAD SQUAD plans on surpassing RAD WEEKEND, with Nagi's wish on their backs. Also, FES Akito's card stories take place shortly after Light Up the Fire. Upon entering a fragment of feelings, Akito hits his head and forgets who he is. Despite not remembering anything about himself, he knows there is something he has to do, and begins walking; although he doesn't know where he's going or what he has to do, he'll keep walking, no matter what. Because there's something he must do. Even though there's a sandstorm raging, Akito keeps going, with nothing stopping him to reach what he wants to achieve... even if he doesn't remember it. But then he remembers his teammates' words during STRAY BAD DOG, Touya telling him to not do anything reckless by himself, and to rely on him more; and Kohane and An's words that this is all their dream and to not go ahead by himself. And with that, he finally remembers, himself and the dream that he was working towards, and how he was not trying to achieve it alone, but with people that love and support him and his goal. He does not have to rush ahead by himself anymore. [Personal thoughts] This is a great FES card story, since it really shows the way Akito is and how it's an ingrained part of his person; even if he forgot who he was, he'd never give up on what he's trying to achieve, always working his hardest and going against anything (even a literal sandstorm). And it also shows how important the people close to him are, as his teammates' words remind him who he is and what he's working towards, and how meaningful it is to him that they're supporting him and working together to achieve the same goal. (It also gave us the best Akito card in the game) In short, very good FES card. I really recommend reading the stories to understand Akito's character. And in On Your Feet, Vivid BAD SQUAD are still chasing the dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND; however, the rest of the group is not up to it. Kotaro avoids them, EVER has given up on it, and Arata has already left the town, so they're now by themselves. During the event, they make up their mind once again, chasing the goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, but this time, they'll create their own legend; Kohane and the others confront Taiga at the airport before he leaves, thanking him for his support, but declaring that they'll surpass RAD WEEKEND no matter what; and Ken-san deciding to close Weekend Garage to support and help Vivid BAD SQUAD achieve their goal. And so, their second arc ends. Now the real thing begins!

Now with Vivid BAD SQUAD as second years, BURN MY SOUL begins; the story takes place a few months after On Your Feet, well after Taiga defeated everyone. Kotaro happens to visit the town again, after his friends dragged him out. He didn't dare to show his face around since he ran away like that, and doesn't want to participate in any lives for a while. While looking around, he overhears some people talking about Weekend Garage, and then Vivid BAD SQUAD — saying that they've disbanded. Shortly after, Crawl Green's owner approaches him, and they catch up a bit. When Kotaro asks him about the Vivid BAD SQUAD rumor, he says that he doesn't think they disbanded — last time he saw them, they gave off the impression they still sang, but it seems like they've gone to another town, or even decided to be active somewhere else. Kotaro thinks there's no way they could've given up on the dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, although it doesn't matter, since he ran away, he has no right to say anything about it. It's got nothing to do with him anymore... But then — Akito appears. Everyone is surprised to see him, but they also wonder why he is by himself, thinking that the break up rumors must be true. Akito expected this reaction; however, the fact that things are this cold means there's all the more reason to heat it up. Then, there's a flashback to a few months prior. Vivid BAD SQUAD and Ken-san are holding a strategy meeting at (the now closed) Weekend Garage, discussing the specifics of how they're gonna surpass RAD WEEKEND. Ken-san begins by asking them what they think needs to happen for them to say they've surpassed RAD WEEKEND. An replies that, if they can surpass the passion from that night with everyone, she thinks she'd be able to say they surpassed RAD WEEKEND — but she doesn't really know what she has to do to make that happen. Now that they know the other side of RAD WEEKEND, they aren't sure of how to accomplish their goal. Ken-san says there's only one way he knows for them to surpass the passion that was born at RAD WEEKEND: they will have to write over the town's feelings with something new, something that is their own.

🕶 That day — I told you the truth. You said it yourselves, didn't you? 🕶 That you'd definitely surpass RAD WEEKEND — that you would prove that you could go beyond RADder's dream. 🕶 You turn those feelings into music… turn them into your own event, and show everyone.

Nagi wished for the next generation to go beyond her dream; and Ken-san, along with some of the older faces in the town, wanted to see that scenery for themselves. Even though Vivid BAD SQUAD's audience and the younger folks around the town might've cooled down, they must be thinking, deep down, that they want to see the moment guys like them surpass that legend — everyone's got their own selfish feelings, after all. But when everything finally ties together, when everyone knows for certain that they'll be able to go beyond that dream: the passion that will surpass RAD WEEKEND will be born. They all agree, and think it'd be nice if it could happen. However, Akito thinks that the problem is that, currently, they don't have that power — not just raw skill; they don't have any teammates, and the town has completely cooled off. It may be a difficult road ahead of them, but Ken-san believes in them. He wishes for them to go beyond the dream. Deep down, the town wishes for that to happen, so if they reawaken those feelings and respond to them, the path will open for them. Then, Ken-san talks about their plan in general — they can split up the things they need to do from here into two categories: the first is to gain skill, while the other is to take their new feelings and bring them to town — putting them on display for everyone. For improving their skills, Ken-san will take them to livehouses where only high level performers gather, and have them take part in competitive events. They'll do this alongside their regular practice, almost every day. After school, Ken-san will come pick them up in his car, and head straight to livehouses outside of town. They'll be fighting against the cream of the crop from now on. A few weeks later, Ken-san has been taking Vivid BAD SQUAD around to different livehouses, and they fight to improve their skills. That's their daily lives now. Akito then thinks back on the other things Ken-san wanted them to do: Ken-san talks about how it'll be tough for them to carry on doing events the same way they've been doing up until now — it's difficult to reignite a flame that has been put out once; they won't have many chances. And so, they'll split up their roles. He says it's vital preparation that they'll need to do in order to surpass RAD WEEKEND. First off, Akito's task — he needs to light a fire in the audience. Because of the thing with Taiga, the people have had their hopes extinguished. It will be tough to heat up a crowd that has already lost hope in them once, but he has to light that fire in them. No matter what kind of hopeless situation Akito's in, he'll never break; he'll cling on desperately, covered in mud, and crawl his way back up. And those people should've been watching him, just like how everyone in town watched RADder. If he stands back up in a situation like that — if he has gained enough skill that it'll blow them away, that sight will definitely reignite their audience. But An asks, in that case, wouldn't it be better if they all did it together? However, Akito refuses, saying to let him do it on his own — there aren't many chances left for them in this town, that's why, doing it together should only happen when they've finished all their preparations, for when it'll hit the hardest.

He explains that, right now, everyone must be thinking of Vivid BAD SQUAD as the guys who ran away with their tails between their legs, gaining just a bit of skill, and coming back won't be enough to blow them away. But, if he can put on a solo performance that'll get the crowd as hyped as they were when they all performed together, he should be able to get things moving. Touya understands. If Akito is capable of doing that much alone, they'll be able to stir up their expectations, and make them wonder what the four of them can do together. And so, to do that, Akito will need to gain overwhelming strength. Back to reality, Akito thinks how he still doesn't have enough power to reignite them... he has to gain more strength. Ken-san then arrives to pick Akito, Touya, and An up after shcool, having gone to pick Kohane up first. The old man explains the livehouse they're visiting today is Rodin, a very high level livehouse that RADder had a tough battle in back in the day — considering their current skill level, it's too soon to go there; but for Vivid BAD SQUAD, it's best to go against common sense, and challenge an opponent that's beyond them. Akito thinks how the livehouses up until then were pretty impressive, but it looks like their next battle will be tougher than usual. That's just what he wants, though — the bigger the wall he runs into, the stronger he will be when he gets over it. He will bite on like his life depends on it. While performing, Vivid BAD SQUAD are singing, and struggling to build an atmosphere. Akito, frustrated, thinks he can't let it end like this — he'll light a fire in the audience, hype all of them up, and prove that he can. He sings with more power, and the audience grows more interested. Seeing them, Ken-san thinks that Akito's grown quite a bit thanks to the intensive training, but it looks like he's being shackled. After the event, at the livehouse dressing room, they talk about how they've won, somehow; however, one of the regular teams was absent, so who knows what the outcome could have been if they had been present. An and Kohane are pretty worn out, so they take a short rest before Ken-san comes back with the car, falling asleep pretty quickly. Akito tells Touya he should rest a bit too, noticing his partner hasn't slept too much because of his task. Touya concedes, and sleeps for a bit.

Now awake by himself, Akito thinks about how the exhaustion's getting to everyone. Between the intensive training, and their individual responsibilities, it's no wonder they're using all their strength every day. While they managed to win today, it's still not good enough. But then, Ken-san arrives, surprised to see everyone but Akito asleep. Seeing he's back, Akito is about to wake his team up, but Ken-san says it's fine, they have some time before they close. He tells Akito he can sleep a bit too, but Akito says he's fine and still has plenty of energy. So, Ken-san asks Akito how he's doing. He responds that he's not doing bad; they've faced off against some pretty tough teams recently, and he feels like they've gotten stronger... however, it's not enough. Ken-san tells him to not get too tense, and gives him some advice:

🕶 You've gained a lot of strength to become who you are today. It's all thanks to how desperately you've worked until now. 🕶 But because all you're thinking about is going higher and higher… you're not able to put out your body's full strength. You're hitting a ceiling you created for yourself. 🕶 That's why, right now, you should stand still, loosen up, and sing as your heart tells you to.

Thinking about Ken-san's words, Akito agrees he may be a bit tense; it's not his best habit. However, he wonders what he means by "as your heart tells you to" — is that separate from putting his feelings into it? Then, Ken-san suggests they sing together, man to man — and offers to give some personal instruction to him. Akito, enthusiastically, and raising his voice more than he should, replies he'd like very much to sing with Ken-san. He thinks in amazement about how Ken-san, one of the people who gave him his dream, and the person he looks up to, will be training him directly, one on one. There's no way he could turn an offer like that down! That same night, at Weekend Garage, Touya, An, and Kohane are reunited. They talk about their tasks a bit. An then says it's about time everybody heads home, to which Touya replies they should contact Akito, but then he remembers that Akito's doing intensive training with Ken-san, starting that day. An expresses surprise that Akito and Ken-san made a promise like that while everyone slept, but it makes sense — it must be why her dad's been singing so often recently. Meanwhile, at the café's live space, they begin their training. Ken-san didn't imagine Akito would ask him to start training him immediately, and Akito replies that he figured that sooner would be better. Ken-san asks Akito if he remembers what he told him at Rodin; to loosen up, and sing as his heart told him. Ken-san then says that loosening up doesn't mean he shouldn't give it his all, and to make sure he sings with his whole chest behind it. And so, their training method is pretty simple: they will take turns singing. It's Akito's turn first — he's used to seeing Ken-san, but he seems bigger than usual when facing him like this. However, he can't chicken out; Ken-san's going out of his way to look over him, so he has to take this lesson seriously. And he begins singing. While singing, he thinks about how his voice feels good, and he's doing better than at the event earlier. But it's still not good enough. When he's done, Ken-san tells him it wasn't bad, but he's still too tense. And then, it's Ken-san's turn. Watching him sing, Akito thinks how, in the past, all he would've been able to think is how amazing he is; but now, he understands, since he's been singing this whole time — Ken-san's singing style is not the overwhelming type like Taiga, but rather, he's shockingly calm while singing. He thinks this must be strength he has gained through hard work. Every day, he practiced like crazy. This is power he got by dragging himself through the dust. And the proof of that is — the unbelievable heat Akito feels. Ken-san's calm, but it's so hot, he could burn himself. He's seriously incredible. When Ken-san's done singing, he asks Akito what he's seeing in him as they face off; he is sure that, inside him, Akito sees RAD WEEKEND. He tells Akito he has to sing without thinking about anything difficult, and put in everything he has, while facing that. Akito accepts it as it is. He'll loosen up, and do what his heart tells him to — so he can sing while facing RAD WEEKEND. They keep singing. Once Akito's reached his limit, they call it day, and Ken-san tells Akito to prepare himself for the next day. However, Akito curses himself, saying it's no good. He doesn't get it at all. No matter how much he sings, nothing changes, neither do Ken-san's reactions. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do. A few more weeks later, Akito's still training with Ken-san, and he's still tense. It's been many hours since they started practicing, and Akito's feeling lightheaded and reaching his limit, so they stop for the day. Akito curses himself, thinking he's pathetic. Ken-san's been looking after him, yet he still can't stop being tense. Meanwhile, Ken-san thinks how Akito's shackles are proving to be a pain — but there's no helping that, since it's what's helped Akito grow this far. And so, he suggests they go out for a drive.

One hour later, they stop to take a break. Akito wonders if Ken-san went out of his way to cheer him up, since he hasn't been able to focus. Taking a drink, he thinks how it's been a while since he was able to take it easy like this — he has had a pretty busy schedule lately, and hasn't had much time to calm down. However, he wonders, does he really have time to be doing stuff like this? Seeing him still so tense, Ken-san reminisces of when they first met on Vivid Street (after the Crawl Green incident). Akito's surprised Ken-san remembers that, and he teases Akito mentioning how he was really trying not to cry. Ken-san mentions how Akito has changed a lot since then, and says it's impressive how he has climbed up this far by believing in his own heart. Asking for Akito's thoughts after having run full-speed all the way to this point, Akito thinks about everyone he has met and everything he has experienced. He responds that there's so much, he can't really put it into words. And Ken-san, flicking him on the forehead, tells Akito he's talking about that feeling — and to put that feeling behind his singing. He wonders what he means, to which Ken-san responds:

🕶 Don't worry about it. You've already got everything you need. 🕶 All that's left is for you to realize that, and sing.

Following that, they head home. Ken-san drops Akito at the station, and Akito thanks him before he leaves. Now by himself, he remembers Ken-san's words, and feels like the answer's right in front of him. It's just one more step... Then, he thinks, there's no point in thinking about it by himself, and heads over to the Street Sekai. At crase cafe, he's greeted by Luka, Len, and MEIKO. they all talk a bit, with Luka asking about their intensive training and all the tough people they're facing. Akito retells their daily routine. They're holding up their own against them, but then, Akito asks them for advice. He talks about how he's not making much progress with his training with Ken-san, despite having been doing it for a few weeks now. Even though he gets what Ken-san's saying logically, he can't figure out what he's supposed to do. MEIKO says, although loosening up, singing as your hear tells you to, and putting your feelings into song is easy to say in words, putting it into practice is a bit more difficult. Luka begins thinking about it, and she asks Akito to sing for them — it'll be easier to give him advice if she hears Akito's singing. Looking for their advice and thinking he may be able to figure something out with that, he'll put what he felt into his music. And so, he sings. When he's done, they say it was intense and Akito has gotten better, but Luka thinks, while the singing was incredible, he should pour more "SPLOOOOOSH" into it. Akito is confused by her vague advice, and she explains that she thinks there's more inside of Akito.

🐟 Like that he's happy to be able to practice with Ken-san! Or that it makes him excited, or that he's nervous about fulfilling those expectations… 🐟 If he pours all of that out with a "splaaash!", then I'm sure that could —

He's still confused about it, though, thinking that she means that his feelings aren't in it properly. Not getting to him, Luka suggests they sing against each other, so Akito can pour everything out.

Akito agrees, and Luka goes first. Akito thinks about how high level she is, then realizes that the song she's singing is the song she sang when they went camping in Same Dreams, Same Colors. Akito then sings, wondering what Luka wanted to convey. Then it's Luka's turn again, and this time she sings the song Akito sang when he faced Shepherd in Find A Way Out. He reminisces about that time; how he had managed to get over a wall that he had run into in the past, and how there was no way he could let himself be satisfied with that much. And afterwards, Taiga said he was a little similar to Ken-san, and he managed to let go of some of the weight on his shoulders. And once again, it's Akito's turn. She tells him to throw more of his feelings at her, everything he's got — everything he has felt up until now. And Akito finally realizes what she meant. While he sings, MEIKO explains it to Len: Luka set Akito's feelings free.

🍷 When Akito sings, I think it's pretty common for him to sing with his sights set somewhere higher — with the idea of "surpassing" in mind. 🍷 There's nothing wrong with that way of doing things. The reason Akito was able to grow this far was because he was stoic like that. 🍷 But I'm sure he suppressed a lot of feelings in the shadow of that. 🍷 He'd give up things he enjoyed so he could surpass it. He'd stifle and ignore any sadness or anxiety he felt. 🍷 Shackles like that — self-control like that is necessary to move forward, but Akito-kun's done enough of that already.

She then says that Akito's ready for the next stage; he can unleash all of the emotions that he has suppressed inside of himself in order to grow, and put them into his singing with all his strength — that's what Luka's trying to teach him. She's trying to make him realise the importance of everything Akito's felt. Ken-san likely thought the same thing, but Akito tensed up around him since he's a special person to him. Akito finally realizes it: if he puts everything that's bubbling up inside him (the fun, the heat, the frustration...) and pours it into his singing– but suddenly, Luka stops him. She says he should leave the rest of it for when he faces Ken-san. The next night, Akito and Ken-san begin another training session. Ken-san notices how Akito seems pretty calm, meaning he must've figured something out. He then goes ahead and begins singing first. Akito focuses on Ken-san's singing, and how he feels when he listens to him. Focusing on his song even more, Akito thinks about Ken-san's singing, and how it was responsible for litting a fire in him that can never be extinguished. The person that got his heart moving couldn't have been anybody other than Ken-san. Because he was there, Akito's standing where he is now. He thinks how it wasn't right to suppress all his feelings: the excitement he feels facing Ken-san, the anxiety, the thrill, the joy... which is why he has to feel everything Ken-san gave him with his whole body, and then — with Ken-san's turn over, Akito sings, turning all his feelings into power. To surpass Ken-san. Watching Akito sing, Ken-san notices that he finally got it. Akito has a habit of thinking about things too hard, and the solution's usually simpler than he thinks. Everything he has felt– his joy, his sadness, his anger; it can all be turned into fuel. And it'll become his song. Akito finishes singing, Ken-san praising it — but then Ken-san sings once again, singing a song that Akito recognizes from RAD WEEKEND. Ken-san's seriously trying to crush him, which makes him insecure once again, doubting his abilities and if he can really do it, after all. However, he quickly brushes those thoughts off. He can't think that. He has to burn brighter, with everything inside of him. He thinks of Ken-san; how since he saw RAD WEEKEND, he has gained more than he count. At first, it was only pain, and he came close to breaking so many times, but his partner and teammates were there with him, while he ran so desperately. And even though they've been beaten to hell and back, the reason they're still moving forward — is because that night is burned into the core of his heart. And Akito sings once more, giving an even more powerful performance.

🥞 —Hey, Ken-san. 🥞 The fire you lit in me that night is still burning on. 🥞 I couldn't ever thank you enough for that. 🥞 And that's why— that's why I'll surpass you. 🥞 ... That's right. In the end, that's what's left. This feeling that pushed me all the way here.

While singing, Akito declares he'll surpass Ken-san — surpass RAD WEEKEND, and go even further beyond that, putting everything he has into his song. Exhausted from his performance, Ken-san praises Akito, telling him he did a good job. After witnessing that, he genuinely thought he wanted to see it — the sight of all them, going beyond RAD WEEKEND. Akito thanks him from the bottom of his heart, shedding a tear. Following that, a few weeks later, they've all done their best, and the time to strike has come; and Akito's ready for it. Even though his teammates won't sing with him this time, they all believe in him, wishing him luck. Then the story goes back to the current time, when Akito has appeared in front of everyone in the town. As he's about to get started, Akito notices Kotaro, telling him to watch closely. Akito gives a speech, saying he knows there've been rumors about them floating around, but he denies them, declaring they haven't given up on anything, and that they will surpass RAD WEEKEND. And today, he came to light a signal fire. He thinks, despite being an important role, and one that they won't recover from if he messes up, he's not nervous at all, itching to start singing already. And he immediately starts singing, shocking everyone watching him by how intense it is and how much he has improved. Watching him perform, Kotaro thinks about how far Akito has gone while he wasn't looking — or rather, it's been that way from the start. In the beginning, everyone made fun of him because all Akito had going for him was a very loud voice. He was nothing special; just some ordinary guy with no talent. But since he put in so much effort all the time, he surpassed the guys who made fun of him in no time at all. And before he realized it, Kotaro started loving his singing. As Akito keeps singing, with everyone in town reacts in amazement to his performance, Kotaro begins wondering what's the different between him and Akito — but he already knows the answer. He thinks, it's because he has no guts, giving up so fast and running away, not facing his music until the end. Which is why he can't be like Akito. He wishes he could sing like him. Kotaro doesn't want to give up; he wants to be like Akito, someday, even if he sucks right now. And then, they could go back to how it was on the day of their first event together, he thinks. And then, Akito finishes his performance. He asks everyone if they can see it now — Vivid BAD SQUAD's resolve. And he tells everyone how this is nothing compared to the four of them together, declaring he'll show everyone something even crazier. At their next event, at COL, they'll surpass RAD WEEKEND. He explains, RAD WEEKEND isn't just a legendary event. They're aware of all of the feelings and wishes that were poured into it; however, they'll shoulder those feelings, and surpass it. And they'll show everyone a new legend. And so, he asks to follow them; everyone who wants to surpass it with them, to follow their lead. Kotaro wants to do it, but he tells himself that he can't. There's no way he could just go back to them so easily, not after he gave up and ran away once already. He's afraid. Crawl Green's owner asks him if he's not gonna go, to which Kotaro says he doesn't want to drag them down anymore. But then he thinks, is he gonna end up running away again, and remaining like this, living with a bunch of regrets forever? He doesn't want that. He doesn't want to give up anymore. He wants to face his music, just like Akito. As Akito's leaving, Kotaro runs up to him, calling his name, begging Akito to let him go with him, once again. Kotaro wants to sing like him; he wants to surpass RAD WEEKEND, with everyone. But Akito replies that feelings of that level aren't gonna cut it, which surprises Kotaro... and he follows by asking him if he can find the resolve.

🥞 "I'll do anything to surpass it." Do you have that feeling– do you have the guts?

Kotaro says he does, and declares he'll never run away again. He'll surpass RAD WEEKEND, with everyone. Akito chuckles, telling him it took Kotaro long enough to find his resolve; and tells him they'll do it. Together. And Kotaro thanks him for it.

🥞 We need your singing. So... let's surpass RAD WEEKEND, together.

Finally, the event ends with Kotaro meeting everyone again, and they all welcome him back. They're glad he's back. Ken-san then follows by telling Akito to look outside. Everyone is now talking about their upcoming event, and looking forward to it. That's the fire Akito lit. But, it was just the first shot; Akito will make that fire burn even brighter — next time, with everyone. Thanks to Akito, a fire has been lit in the audience, and now it's everyone else's turn.Now it's when the real battle begins. They'll shake this town to its core. [Personal thoughts] Extremely good event. This event is like, a culmination of Akito's character. Everything led to this event. I really like it a lot. How Akito finally learns that he should trust his feelings and emotions, and repressing them wasn't the way to go, and how he pours everything he feels into his singing, making it even better. He has come so far, and experienced so much, and he should put all of that into his songs. I also like how he now becomes a source of inspiration to everyone in town. Even though, at first, everyone mocked him, and he was just an ordinary guy with no talent. But he worked so hard, and now everyone admires him and finds him amazing. Where he is now is proof of all his effort. He's a lot more confident now; on himself, on his singing, and how he feels and his emotions. I'm so happy to see how much he has grown. He has had a great development, and it's such a difference to compare him to how he was at the beginning of the game. Ugh. Such a good event. Akito's such a great character. I really love him, honestly.

Finally, we have Akito's chapter from Vivid BAD SQUAD's World Link event: BREAK DOWN THE WALL. A new place has suddenly appeared at the Street Sekai: a plaza that connects to many streets reminiscent of different countries, and a big wall surrounding everything, created by Vivid BAD SQUAD's changes in feelings. Akito goes to check out one of those streets along with the Kagamine twins. The street they go through reminds Akito of Argentina, which he saw once on TV when he was little. Upon walking a bit, they reach the end of the street — which is blocked by a wall. Suddenly, a soccer ball appears, rolling. The twins theorize that the ball was made from Akito's feelings, since it doesn't belong to Len and Akito used to play soccer. Furthermore, there's no one else it could belong to, since the rest don't seem like they've played soccer much. However, Akito wonders what feelings it was made out of. Rin, instead of answering his question, suggests they all play soccer, saying that they may figure something out if they play with the ball (plus, she has always wanted to try soccer). WIth Len agreeing with the idea, Rin passes the ball to Akito. Akito thinks it'd be a better idea to check other streets rather than playing, but he gives in in the end. After Len accidentally sends the ball flying, Akito goes to pick it up, and he spots a flyer on a nearby wall, which turns out to be a flyer from many years ago, when the Crawl Green incident happened. Rin and Len come running over to where he is, and he shows them the flyer, explaining it's from way before Vivid BAD SQUAD — the event where he dragged Crawl Green's name through the mud. He guesses that it's the Sekai's reflection of what he was going through when he was dealing with a lot of stuff — the soccer ball, which he played before he started singing, and then a flyer for an event that was a total disaster. He then thinks, thinking about it like that, he has fallen short many times now:

🥞 First, it was soccer. It made me realize just how little resolve I had. 🥞 Even after I saw RAD WEEKEND and decided to start singing, nothing ever went like I thought it would. Thanks to some stupid drama, I ended up dragging the name of somewhere important to me through the mud. 🥞 I met Touya, and even after practicing like my life depended on it, it wasn't enough, and the audience still wouldn't take me seriously– 🥞 I've finally started getting stronger now, but... so many things just didn't work out.

Suddenly, Len says that, when he thinks about it, Akito's really amazing. He says that, despite struggling so much, he kept doing his best the whole time — and now, he can sing songs that light a fire in the whole town. Rin then agrees with him, saying she would've quit halfway through if she'd gone through everything Akito has. Akito has always been carving his own path forward, just like that. They call him amazing and cool, which gets Akito thinking.

🥞 ... Cool, huh? 🥞 I've never thought about it that way. I just kept going 'cause that was the only option. 🥞 If I pulled out something half-assed after finding my resolve, I wouldn't have been able to forgive myself. That's why... I couldn't just stand still. 🥞 And even if he says that now, I can't think of myself as "cool" — after all... I'm only halfway there. Even if I've grown compared to how I used to be, it's not like I've made my dream come true. But... (He thinks back on BURN MY SOUL) 🥞 Back then, I... I found a song I could put every bit of myself into. Thanks to that, I was able to light a fire in the people in town... and I'm able to stand shoulder to shoulder with those guys, too. That's how it feels. 🥞 Which means... maybe what Len's saying isn't wrong.

As he thinks, Len tells Akito to look at the wall — a white frame suddenly appeared on it. Rin then mentions how it kind of looks like a soccer goal post. Akito agrees with her, saying it's about the same size as an actual one. He wonders why it's drawn on the wall, instead of an actual goal appearing. With the way it looks, it's almost like it's telling him to "kick it right here"– Realizing something, Akito tells Len to pass the ball over. He thought the ball and the flyers were made from painful past experiences — but that might be wrong.

🥞 While I was suffering, I kept carving a path forward. 🥞 "Turn that pain into fuel to keep moving forward." That's how I've lived my life up till now. 🥞 What's reflected here– it's probably that feeling. 🥞 That's why there's a goal on that wall — take my failures and pain, and turn it all into fuel to break down that wall... that's what it's telling me.

🥞 –I'm sure there'll be even more massive walls waiting for me in the future. 🥞 But no matter how much I fall, as long as I keep moving, a path will eventually open up. 🥞 That's why– I thought I'd get fired up, so I could try tearing it open with all I've got.

Declaring that out loud, Len passes him the ball, and he kicks it, hitting the goal on the wall. Suddenly, they hear a crack, and see that there's now a crack in the wall. And Akito's World Link chapter ends. Afterwards, the whole event ends with Vivid BAD SQUAD realizing that the new area represents "a place where we can connect with music from all across the globe, and take the world", and why it's shaped like it is. They also realize that the weird, empty spot surrounded by graffiti of various events on one of the buildings at the central plaza is probably because it's a place for teams that take the world.

🥞 In this place where music from all over the world comes together — we'll carve our event's name into the heart of it. 🥞 "Take the world", huh...

Vivid BAD SQUAD are now carrying on Nagi's will, and they'll carve their event's name into the wall, the way Nagi couldn't before she left this world. And to make that happen... first, they have to break down the wall. [Personal thoughts] Even though it wasn't a particularly lengthy World Link, Akito's chapter was really good. It was quite introspective for Akito, who finally accepts that he has worked very hard so far, to reach the point where he is at. Despite facing so many setbacks, and suffering a lot, Akito pushed through. All this time, he carved a path forward, turning his pain into his fuel. He is very amazing. Beyond that, Akito hasn't really had any major role in the following Vivid BAD SQUAD unit events; The first concerto mostly focuses on Touya, while Whip the wimp girl!! is mainly about An and Kohane's conflict, with Touya having a supportive role. Akito was mostly in the background in both. (I did talk about both events in different essays, if you're interested; briefly here for The first concerto, and a full length essay for Whip the wimp girl!! here) Right in between both of the aforementioned events, however, Akito did get his second mixed event focus: Rise As ONE!, but it's not a key story for his character. Instead, it's a fun event about Akito and his fear of dogs, showing where his fear originated from, and him participating in a disc dog competition with a dog from a boy that injured himself, because Akito related to their partnerisms (it's as silly as it sounds). Despite the silly nature of the event, it shows Akito doing all of it seriously, even though it's new and strange to him — continuing the concept of Akito not half-assing anything he does. He gives everything his all, even if it's new to him, and it involves something he fears. Akito doesn't get over his fear of dogs by the end, but it's probably a step forward, and he experienced something new. It was a funny event. And with that, we've caught up to all the event content that featured Akito; so now it's time to talk about his event songs!

2.1. Akito Shinonome's Event Songs

(A look into Akito Shinonome's event songs and what they represent for his character)

youtube

Cinema (シネマ) is a song by Ayase commissioned for the STRAY BAD DOG event. Cinema is a song that doesn't have much mystery to it; I believe it represents Akito and his relationship and journey with music. These lyrics pretty much describe Akito's story:

Suddenly everyone started up onto a nonsense scenario. This is just like a movie, exactly like a movie. No matter where you go there’s a story.

The way he suddenly fell in love with music, marking the beginning of his journey...

This path I’m traveling is riddled with countless mistakes.

How he started music from scratch and therefore messed up often since he has no talent or experience...

This can't be right, right. This is a bad fit for me I’m not suited for it I could quit now but Every time I've tried it's turned out the same I just keep hoping for tomorrow.

The amount of times he wanted to quit because he thought he wasn't fit for it, or because nobody took him seriously or made fun of him, yet he didn't give up...

It’s not enough… We’re not here yet, yet This can’t be the end, so If you’re not suited for the role Then just rewrite the script! See, from the very start It's always been me, I'm sure The leading star will only be me!

And then, these lyrics represent two things: one, how he doesn't give up and is always aiming higher (It’s not enough… // We’re not here yet, yet // This can’t be the end, so–), regardless of what people tell him, keeping on trying and surpassing his limits even if he doesn't have the talent or skill for it (If you’re not suited for the role // Then just rewrite the script!); and two, how he's aiming on surpassing everyone (See, from the very start // It's always been me, I'm sure // The leading star will only be me!), becoming the strongest.

I made it here, all the way from the bottom. Just like a movie, this is my story.

And finally, the end of his journey: how he managed to reach the top despite starting with no experience. A tale of dedication and hard work. There's more lyrics I haven't touched on, but they're more or less like that. It's pretty clear the lyrics represent Akito's story I believe this song being his story from start to finish is quite fitting, especially because (probably subjective) I think it sounds like an ending or outro song, along with the movie (or rather, cinema) theme. Of course, the lyrics can be more or less associated to everyone in Vivid BAD SQUAD, but since STRAY BAD DOG is an Akito focused event, this song is mainly about him. He's... the leading star. Moreover, the song can be read as a mirror of the event story: when looking at the line distribution, in the first two choruses, Akito sings solo, while in the last he sings with everyone. In addition, there's Akito and Touya's call-and-response "It wasn't supposed to end up like this" -> "What was it supposed to be like, anyway?" and "What are you playing at? Who are you trying to be?" and "There's no way you could be like that"; it holds the same progression and emotional beats as the story itself, down to who sings what lines... Touya pulling Akito up before the last chorus so they can all sing together... (credits to artemis for this paragraph!) In short, Cinema is a song about a journey; starting from the bottom and reaching the top. It represents Akito really well and his path of dedication to music and how hard-working he is, despite all the obstacles.

Random fun fact: This line in the song, "A delusion of dawn", references Akito's last name: Shinonome, which means "dawn".

Another fun fact: In a producer interview, Ayase stated that Yuurei Tokyo and Cinema's MCs from the original music videos are connected, and Touya and Akito are the characters that got Another Vocal alts for those songs, respectively. Furthermore, a line in Cinema is a reference to Yuurei Tokyo's first verse: "The lights of the brilliant shining city", further drawing the connection.

youtube

Gekkou (月光, Moonlight) is a song by Kitani Tatsuya and Harumaki Gohan commissioned for the THE POWER OF UNITY event. Gekkou is an interesting song. Usually, event songs are mainly related to the event, but Gekkou is sort of... not completely related? Or rather, represents the event in a more abstract way, rather than the usual expression of an event's story from other event songs. THE POWER OF UNITY is about, well, the power of unity, and how communicating with and getting to know each other can lead to making better stuff together; but Gekkou, instead, is mainly themed around copycats and subconsciously imitating someone or something you admire. However, while thinking about it in the unity point of view, the song is quite fitting for the event: how the two creators worked together and, with similar feelings and ideals, made a song that represented them, which is similar to the events of the story, with Vivid BAD SQUAD and the other groups working together, with the same feelings and the united goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND. So, the composers focused more on the relationships between the character rather than a specific storyline, and made something that could be relatable. Gekkou is mainly about the confusion of one's own identity as they chase a goal, thinking they're just copying what other people previously did and not being their own person; which can be seen in lyrics such as "Another rehash of someone else's work?" and "Is even your identity a trick?". The "moonlight", which gives the song its name, would represent the ideal and what they're trying to reach, always chasing after it but never reaching it, which leaves them unsatisfied:

Like chasing that moon My thirsty heart remains unsatisfied

The song then ends with them singing that, even if they're a copy of someone else, they'll find their own light. Rather than on keeping chasing that moonlight, they'll become their own person:

Even being junks, even a piece of rag After following the never ending dream I’ll find my own light, all over

This is fitting for Vivid BAD SQUAD because, in their storyline, they've always chased after their dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND, without thinking too much about the specifics of what they had to do to surpass it, but after Light Up the Fire and On Your Feet, learning the truth behind RAD WEEKEND, the decide that they'd make their own legend. So, the moonlight they were chasing would be RAD WEEKEND, and now that they've figured out themselves, they're finding their own light. Another theme present in the song is the concept of imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is the condition when someone downplays their skills, talents, or accomplishments, doubting them and feeling like they don't deserve their goals; "My thirsty heart remains unsatisfied".

This is very fitting for Akito's character, who is always downplaying his skills and accomplishments, always aiming higher and thinking he's not good enough yet, not allowing himself to feel satisfied at his current level. Something interesting to mention is the majority of Akito's lines are sung solo; he only shares two lines with MEIKO near the end of the song, who acts as a support vocal in one and a background vocal in the other, and then a line in the middle of the song with An:

🎧🥞♪ Hugging a sword of a free gift

This would be the official translation of the lyric; in a more understandable translation (in my opinion), it'd be akin to Holding (or Embracing/Hugging) the sword I received. I feel like this line represents how they were the ones that witnessed RAD WEEKEND themselves in Vivid BAD SQUAD, and so were the ones that received the dream of surpassing it — and with "sword" they received, they're fighting for their dream. It can also represent how Nagi and Ken motivated An and Akito (respectively) to keep chasing their dream, giving them power to keep going. Meanwhile, the fact that Akito's lines are mostly solo could represent how he used to rush ahead by himself and not relying on others, always aiming higher alone; although as of STRAY BAD DOG, he tries to rely on his team more, and this point is even more moot after THE POWER OF UNITY, where Vivid BAD SQUAD starts working with other teams to host an event of their own and chasing their common goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND all together. Perhaps, in another point of view, it represents him wanting to be the best, aiming for the top, and surpassing everyone else; "The leading star will only be me!", as he sung in Cinema? The last thing I want to talk about is love as a theme in this song. I will talk about this later, but I think one of Akito's main themes as a character is love; and love appears a few times in the song's lyrics, such as:

The irony of being a waste I'm trying to get out of the cliché, but "Another rehash of someone else's work?" Numerous stardust Sinking and fading by eustacy Ruthless moonlight "Is even your identity a trick?" "Do you want love even if you have to steal it?"

In the end there must be nothing left Love, spun sounds, and the name will one day decay

In this song, love is depicted in a more negative light; in the former line, it refers to the fact of gaining something (love or otherwise) even if it's a copy of something else and/or something not gained by your own merits or true to yourself, therefore asking if you want love even if it's stolen. In the second line, it talks about how love will eventually vanish; possibly in relation to the fact that, if they copy what they're chasing after, it'll end up being meaningless in the end. So, in a way, love represents something bad in this song; love being the attention, fame, or whatever else that they'd gain from imitating someone's work, which leaves them unsatisfied. Hearts thematically also appear a few times in the lyrics: "My thirsty heart remains unsatisfied" and "In the blood pumped from its heart // There was my own anger". Something to note is that Akito sings both of the lines that mention the heart. Heart as a concept is closely associated to Akito's character; which can be associated to love, too. I will talk about the heart as a theme to Akito later, but it's a very important aspect to his character. So, hearts appear in the following lines:

I'll never be like you Like chasing that moon My thirsty heart remains unsatisfied

The first line, which has been brought up a few times by now, would be the same conclusion I drew to the love theme: dissatisfaction from the fact they're chasing after something they're imitating, wanting to aim for more. Or in relation to Akito's character, how he's always aiming higher and is never satisfied with his current skill or accomplishments. His heart wants more.

Even being junks, even a piece of rag In the blood pumped from its heart There was my own anger

Meanwhile, this line talks about the "copy" and its heart; or in other words, what it represents? And how the person feels anger towards it for being an imitation. Just like before, when related to Akito's character, it can refer how he's angry at himself, for not being where he wants to be, unsatisfied for not being better. The hearts in these lines are kind of different, with the first one being someone's own heart, while the latter is the "creation"'s heart; but both lines can be related to Akito and his character, representing him quite well. In short, Gekkou is a song that represents the event it was released in a bit more abstractly than the usual event song, and rather focuses more on the characters and their relationships. I feel like it represents Akito very well and how he feels about himself and his music, which is pretty similar to how the composers of the song felt and what they wanted to represent in their song. It's a pretty good song.

youtube

Kashika (仮死化, Suspended Animation) is a song by Haruka Ryo commissioned for the Find A Way Out event. Kashika is a very special song. I want to begin this by saying that I used to dislike this song, back when it came out. Honestly, I didn't really dig how it sounded like, and I didn't check the lyrics (big mistake, really). Even though I knew it was a song that a lot of love was poured into, and despite Akito being my favorite character, I just... didn't like it. And I felt bad about it. But months later, I decided to check the lyrics and — they were very good. So good, that it quickly turned my opinion on the song. I just really liked them, and the song went from one I dislike to one I really like. While I still feel some parts of the song aren't exactly my taste sound-wise, I think learning what the song is really about and what it represents made me feel a deeper connection with it, so now I can say I genuinely like it. So yeah, let's get into the song itself: It is a song about the contradiction between hope for life and death, and the contradictory state of being oneself. Honestly, it's a really emotional song, with a really nice message. Wanting to live, despite also wanting to die... a pretty contradictory message, but a very relatable one. It's very human. Before I get into Akito, I want to mention that this is also a very important song for the creator of the song, Haruka Ryo. From what I've heard, Haruka Ryo wasn't very successful as a producer. He loved what he did, but he wasn't very motivated to keep on doing it, so he was planning to give up on it. However, he got commissioned to write a song for Project Sekai, and poured all of his effort into this song, and what he felt: wanting to live, despite also wanting to die... or in other words, wanting to keep on making music, despite also wanting to give up. And this is, exactly, what the song means for Akito's character: wanting to keep singing, even though he also wants to give up on it. Even though he fell in love with music, and wants to give it his all to it, everyone makes fun of him, nothing ever goes right. He wonders if he should stop singing, even though he loves it so much. It represents Akito's relationship with music so well. It's really good. We see it in the event story itself, how Akito fell in love with music, and tried really hard to sing, because he had a dream. However, nobody took him seriously, and even made fun of both him and his dream. He wanted to give up so badly... despite wanting to keep singing. But then, he met the person he admired: Ken-san, who motivated him to keep singing. Even if it hurts, just sing through the pain; follow what your heart says. If you heart wants you to keep singing, then do it. In a way, Ken-san is what got Akito's heart to keep moving again. Or in other words, he's what brought him back to life, and made him want to keep living. As I've mentioned a few times so far already in this essay, the heart is a pretty important theme to Akito's character. After he had lost himself and didn't know what to do with his life after dropping soccer, music got his heart moving again. For Akito, music is his life. And then, as Ken-san told him when he was considering giving up, he should listen to his heart over his mind; if his heart wants him to keep singing, then he should keep doing it. The heart is very important. Hearts are also often related to love, and love is also an important theme for Akito's character... but I'm planning to talk about that later.

The heart is also the main theme of both Kashika and Find A Way Out's card set, and the gacha set, Break the Chain. Kashika, with its theme of life and death, and the contradiction wanting to keep on living despite also wanting to die, being themed around the heart makes so much sense. Our heart is what keeps us alive, what gives us life. Trusting your heart is important. I also want to mention Kashika's alternate title, Suspended Animation, which means "the temporary slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved". Basically, following the theme of keeping something alive. Keeping your heart alive. As for Find A Way Out's card set, it is also themed after hearts: the characters are wearing red and blue outfits, colors that correspond to an anatomical heart. This is made even more clear in Kashika's 2DMV (linked above), where the characters are inside a ribcage and positioned in a way that their outfits and their colors correspond with an anatomical heart's parts.

Akito's card from the Find A Way Out. It encompasses the theme so well... how he's clutching his chest, where his heart is; the way he's stopped mid-air, yet still smiling and happy; the microphone cord, colored orange, which you could associate with a vein or simply something giving him life, grabbing it and holding it close to his chest. Music gives him life. He wants to sing, despite also wanting to give up. It's just... really good. A really good card. I really like it. However, I got a bit off-track, as I'm supposed to talk about the song. So, let's get into the lyrics:

I want to breathe, so I release my first cry unto this world. But it’s so hard to live, so again, I cry tears and scream. Do I want to live? Do I want to die? I really don’t get it, this contradiction.

Beat, beat, o heart of mine! It might be unsteady, but even so, this is my pulse.

I won't analyze every single line this time because they're all pretty much the same, representing the theme of wanting to live despite also wanting to die, and how the singer will put those feelings into their music. Which, once again, fits Akito's character extremely well when you relate the life and death theme to his relationship with music. Even though he wanted to give up, he'll keep singing, because he loves music. No matter what anyone says, or what stands in his way, Akito will keep on singing, and show everyone how he really feels. Something interesting to mention is how this song represents love. In this song, living is something painful, but also something you want to keep doing. Doing what you love is painful, yet you want to keep trying. It's a contradictory theme, after all, but it's also depicted in a positive light. I think this contrasts with Gekkou, where love is depicted in a more negative light; in Kashika, love is directed towards what you want to keep doing, and even if it's painful, you want to keep loving. Meanwhile, in Gekkou, love is what you receive, but it's not true love; it's love that comes from something you imitated, therefore something you don't really want. Continuing with the parallels, Kashika is about staying true to yourself and believing in your heart, while Gekkou is mainly about copying something you admire. While these themes aren't fully contrasting each other, considering Gekkou's conclusion is about finding yourself, so both songs have in common the theme of being your own person. Finally, another interesting contrast between both songs is how in Gekkou, most of Akito's lines were solo, while in Kashika, many of Akito's lines are shared with others, and he also acts as the support / background vocal a few times. In conclusion, Kashika is a very good song, with a lot of emotion and love put into it. The song represents Akito's character and story really well. Haruka Ryo did a very good job, and he should be proud of his work. Keep on doing what you love; even if you want to give up, listen to what your heart really wants to do... (I tried not to extend or repeat myself too much on this one; I'm pretty passionate about Kashika and its themes and would end up writing a lot and going in circles.)

youtube

CRaZY (CR詠ZY, CReiZY) is a song by Umetora commissioned for the BURN MY SOUL event. CRaZY is a generally more unserious and for fun song than Akito's previous event songs. I think this is fitting since in BURN MY SOUL, Akito learns to stop suppressing his feelings and putting them into his music to improve his singing even more; in other words, he learns to let loose and have more fun when singing, putting all he feels into his music. You can make a connection to Kashika and the life and death theme Akito has. Kashika is like he's "fighting to stay alive", in a "I'm still here and my heart is still beating", proof of how hard he has worked and his drive to not give up; while CRaZY is him reclaiming the whole concept of life and death and fully owning it. Going from "a guy who wants to live even having wanted to die" to "a guy who lives every day like it's his last, who is willing to give everything of himself, to his dying breath, for what he loves". The event story itself is about Akito's stoic/crazy dichotomy, and him learning to break free from that self-imposed stoicism so he can just feel his emotions as he puts them into music. Furthermore, the kanji in CR詠ZY, 詠, can be read as "singing / a song", so you could say that's what the song is about... a crazy song; Akito letting loose and finding his own tune:

You see, in that place There's the trick of an audible heartbeat What roars out is my own tune My own tune - not someone else's

The song I play is my own tune: My one of a kind tune

Furthermore, I believe both "my own tune" and "my one kind of a tune" can be seen as contrasts of Gekkou's copycat theme, and the fear being an imitation of what you admire, while CRaZY talks about finding your own tune, representing how Akito (and Vivid BAD SQUAD) are now chasing their goal of surpassing RAD WEEKEND by making their own legend, and therefore becoming their own and unique selves.

So ride on, ride on, ride on, ride on this fleeting emotion

Ah, I'm sick of waiting around The clock hand ushers the midnight city Come on, fiercely raise your voice

We also have these lines, which are meant to be emblematic of Akito's task in the story — to individually light up that fire, to spur along the fleeting emotion and bring it back; representing the events of the story. Overall, CRaZY is a fairly simple and fun song — or a crazy song, if you prefer. It fits Akito's newfound knowledge of letting loose and focusing more on his feelings, and pouring them into his music, over trying so hard and not being satisfied with his current skill. He has gone through a lot and improved so much, and has finally accepted it, and with his unique feelings and experiences, he can make a kind of tune that only belongs to him. To finish off the song analyses, we can talk about a theme that is present in Akito and all his event songs: individualism and identity. Going from doubting himself; to feeling like he's copying others; then living with contradictions and acknowledging them; and finally, completely accepting it, that this is something only he can do, because of his feelings and experiences that led him to this point. In a way, Akito's event songs are about his journey with music and finding himself, his own identity, and how unique he is. His story, his heart, his pulse, his tune... music is his life. (credits to artemis and dainn for their contributions to the CRaZY section and the conclusion!)

2.2. So, to finally answer the question: Who is Akito Shinonome?

Akito Shinonome is a guy who is extremely passionate about music and his dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND. He shares this goal with his one and only partner, Touya Aoyagi, and his teammates, Kohane Azusawa and An Shiraishi, with all of them together forming Vivid BAD SQUAD. He's blunt and can be a bit foul-mouthed, although nowadays he's less rude, but he cares about his friends and those close to him. He hates half-assing things and always gives everything he does his all. He used to play soccer when he was younger, thinking he was serious about it, but when he met people that were actually resolved to dedicating their life to it, he couldn't play anymore. Lost on what to do with his life, he happened to watch a live at a summer festival with his sister, and began to gain interest in music. Scared to try something again without knowing if he'll actually have the resolve to dedicate himself to it seriously, he decided to give it a chance; and then he witnessed RAD WEEKEND and truly fell in love with music. He began singing, but he had a pretty rough start. Despite giving all his love and passion to music, nobody took him seriously, and he was often mocked for it. After a particularly embarrassing event, he considered dropping singing, but then he met Ken-san, the man he admires, who made him realize that if he wants to keep singing, he shouldn't give up, and listen to what his heart wants to do. And so, Akito kept singing, deciding to give it his all, and never giving up on his dream. Shortly after, he met Touya, with who he'd partner up and become BAD DOGS.

🥞 You're not half-hearted. You're the only one who thinks that. You're the best partner I could ask for.

Touya would become Akito's one and only partner, the one he trusts most, and with who he would sing forever with, both of them chasing the dream of surpassing RAD WEEKEND together. After singing together for a few years, they'd one day meet Kohane, An's new partner, with whom she formed her own duo with: Vivids. Kohane claiming that she wants to surpass RAD WEEKEND would test the boys' relationship, but they'd ultimately make up and become a stronger pair than before. With all four together, they'd become Vivid BAD SQUAD, all of them chasing the same dream together. Akito is extremely serious about his singing, always aiming higher and not settling for his current power level. However, with his team, he'd learn he doesn't have rush ahead by himself, and relying on them when he hits a wall. With teammates that share your feelings and ideal, you can make great things together. He later learns that the man he admires, Ken-san, was actually similar to him: beginning as a singer with no talent or experience, always working his hardest, and not giving up on what he loves, using all the pain as his fuel. Finding this out, Akito can now believe in his everything he has done so far, allowing him to move forward. Following that, he learns that, while setting your sights higher and aiming to get better is good, it's important to step back a bit and focus on your feelings and experiences, pouring them into your music. Having found this new power, Akito now lights a fire into people's hearts and becomes a source of inspiration, proving how hard he has worked. Finally, Akito at last allows himself to feel satisfied with how far he has come, how much he has worked and everything he has gone through; he's strong and he has endured all kinds of obstacles, always carving a path forward despite all the suffering. He's proof of the reward that comes from hard work. There'll be even more walls waiting for him in the future, but he'll keep moving forward, no matter how much he falls. He will never give up. Akito has had a great character development, going from a talentless boy who finally found something he was passionate about, to a guy who works extremely hard to surpass himself and reach his goals, all the way to inspiring others to sing again thanks to all his hard work. Akito is awesome, and he should be proud of everything he has done. You did great, Akito. ... Now with the... intro done, we can get into the meat of the essay, starting with a topic I've already talked about before:

3. Partners, and Love

(The meaning and importance of a partner; love as a theme in Vivid BAD SQUAD, and most especially Akito; and how both of them are linked + Some extra talk about other Akito themes)

(I've actually already talked about this topic before, in my essay "Aibou, but like, romantically?", mainly focusing on how the partner pairs' relationships in Vivid BAD SQUAD can be interpreted romantically; but I think it's worth talking a bit about it again here. I won't go into as much detail here, and will mainly focus on Akito and what these mean for his character, so for a deeper look into the topic, I'd recommend checking my other essay.) Partners are a pretty central part of Vivid BAD SQUAD and its characters. These parts from my previous essay on this topic summarizes it really well:

[...] the way it’s presented in their stories, it’s someone the characters have a deeper connection with than a regular friend. Someone that they know really well and absolutely trust, with a common goal and mindset, and who they strive to grow and improve together with. They’re very important people to each other, and they would never replace them with someone else. There’s an extremely deep bond between them, and it’d be silly to think they can be separated.

Being partners is all about discovering who you are, and learning to be yourself, together; having your partner reveal things about you that you didn’t even know were there.

Vivid BAD SQUAD's characters are really attached to their partners, trusting them more than anybody else. There's a very deep bond between them, and they're the most important person to each other. They work together, support each other, and improve together to become better versions of themselves and find themselves — together. They're truly inseparable. But talking about Akito especifically, what does his partner mean to him? For Akito, Touya is the best partner he could ask for. Akito met Touya shortly after the Crawl Green incident, spotting him singing by himself a few times, and finding him a pretty interesting guy. After singing together for a short while, they decided to form a team together, becoming BAD DOGS. And they've been inseparable since — mostly; there was that little incident during the Vivid BAD SQUAD main story, but they came out of it stronger and more resolved to remain together. From the beginning, they've had a pretty close bond, only growing stronger as they remained together. They complement each other very well, both in singing and as friends. They've been singing together for over two years now, so they're extremely inseparable by this point. And they spend most of their time together, and do most things together. Have I made my point clear yet? They're best friends, and always remain together.

Fun fact: In Vivid BAD SQUAD's relationship charts, Akito's arrow towards Touya has always had the same line: the best partner. It started out as "The best partner I trust completely", but as of STRAY BAD DOG, it has changed to "The best partner I can rely on" and has remained this way since. Akito's love has been steady and faithful since the start, always considering Touya the best partner he could have. There's no one else he'd have as his partner. Also, Touya's arrow towards Akito in the latest relationship chart is "I want to be relied on as your partner", matching Akito's "The best partner I can rely on". Their feelings are mutual. (unfortunately, no pictures because of the image limit)

In Touya, Akito found someone that he can share his dream with and that won't mock him for it, someone who he can sing with, complementing him really well, and who he can attain his goal with. Someone who will support him all the way and help him grow and improve. His partner is so important to him, he would do stuff he wouldn't normally do when it involves him, even if completely indirectly — like, he participated in a disc dog competition, despite his immense fear of dogs, because he related to the bond the dog's injured owner and the dog himself had as partners and their dream together. He explicitly wouldn't have done this if it weren't for his partner. Yeah... he may not be the brightest guy, but he has a big heart. He really cares for his partner. Likewise, for Touya, Akito is, in a way, the person who saved him. He met Akito after he fled from an oppressive lifestyle with classical music, and he showed Touya that he still loves music. Akito provided him a space where Touya is accepted for who he is, where he can be himself, where he can find and learn who he truly is. Even after Touya tried to separate himself from him, believing he wasn't good enough for him, Akito showed him that there's nobody else he would do this with — he's the best partner he could ask for. He wants to be with Touya, and nobody else. Touya is really thankful for everything Akito has done for him; all the support, all the kindness, and all the love he has been given. He's constantly trying to repay him back for everything, showing how grateful he is that he can be Akito's partner — in other words, Touya's learning to love Akito back. They trust and love each other the most, always by each other's side; forever together. Love is a pretty common theme in Vivid BAD SQUAD, present in much of its content in some form, ranging from small stuff like a heart-shaped earring or a little heart makeup, to a whole event whose main point is loving something so much that you want to keep doing it despite wanting to give it up. Love also appears in many forms, such as love for music, love for your friends, love for your family, love for your partner, love for the town... and while there's no explicit romantic love between the Vivid BAD SQUAD characters, the partner pairs are so close to each other and have such an incredibly deep bond that they can sometimes feel like actual couples (although, of course, this part is subjective). When thinking about Akito especifically, love is a pretty important part of his character. He's always serious about what he does, giving it his all — putting all his love into it, basically. Many of his actions and much of his character can be reduced back to "love" and "heart", both of which are quite connected.

For starters, there's the love and passion for what he does. At first, when he was younger, he used to play soccer. He was a pretty good player, and he thought he was serious about it — that he loved it. But upon seeing others that were truly serious about playing soccer and dedicating their life to it, Akito realized he didn't truly love it. Lost on what to do, he gained an interest in music, but he was afraid of trying something out if he wasn't gonna seriously love it; but he got convinced that giving it a try, and upon witnessing RAD WEEKEND, he fell in love with music, feeling a passion that he never felt for soccer. When he began singing, he was pretty bad at it, but seeing everyone in the town, singing in the street, putting all their love and passion into it, motivated him to have that level of conviction for it, too. However, despite giving all his love to music and to his dream, the people of the town didn't accept his love at first, mocking him and making fun of him. Despite loving music so much, nobody took him seriously and he had brought shame to a special place to him, so he started considering if he should give up on it. But a meeting with the man he admires, Ken-san, brought him back on his feet. If you truly love something, if your heart tells you to keep doing it, then keep doing it. Use your pain as your fuel, never give up and overcome any obstacles — for what you love. And ever since, Akito has been fully serious about music, always giving it his all (perhaps a bit too much, sometimes?), and not stopping at anything. Akito truly loves music; music is his life, and as long as his heart beats, he'll keep singing. Hearts are often associated with love, and this is no exception for Akito. Hearts are a pretty common theme for him: from the more physical representations, such as him doing a finger heart in his initial 3✰ card's Trained illustration, or the heart-shaped earring he wears in his THE POWER OF UNITY's 4✰'s Trained illustration; to metaphorical expressions about his heart or heart-related terms (like his heartrate, heartbeat, etc.) that often appear in his stories and songs; and also Find A Way Out's card set and Kashika's literal heart themes. The heart is often brought up when it comes to Akito, stuff in his stories such as listening to what his heart wants and doing what he truly loves, or how his heart started beating again after finding something he loves music. The heart also gets brought up in his event songs, most notably Kashika, although Gekkou and CRaZY also have a few heart references. (I talked about these in the song analyses section, so I recommend checking that part if you haven't) Something interesting, too, is another theme that is pretty common for Akito, and also Vivid BAD SQUAD in general: life and death. If I had to say what are the main themes for Vivid BAD SQUAD, besides the obvious main ones, I'd say it's love, and life and death. So how does life and death relate to love? In a sense, if your heart is beating, it means you're alive; and if you love something, you're also alive. Loving something means you have something to live for. Something that keeps you alive. This is pretty much the main theme in Kashika and how it uses a life and death analogy to represent the main character's love for music: the contradiction of wanting to live despite also wanting to die; and the contradiction of loving music and wanting to keep singing, despite also wanting to give up on it. In Kashika at least, love and life and death are connected. Another case is Akito himself. He often uses pretty extreme expressions related to living and dying, stuff like "It was so lame I could die" or "Dedicating my whole life to music". These are not exact quotes, but they're pretty similar to what he usually says, and he uses this kind of expression quite often. There's also CRaZY, with its "Ready to die" line, and pretty much the entirety of Kashika.

Akito's usage of extreme expressions about life and death show how truly dedicated he is to what he does (or perhaps he's just dramatic). He's giving everything he's got for what he loves; his whole life, dedicated to music, up until death. He lives life like it's his last day alive. But, going back to the main topic: Akito also expresses his love for others, although often in a more subtle manner; while it's mainly Touya who receives his love, he does also care about other people that are close to him, being quite perceptive when something's wrong. He's not really the type of person to talk about his feelings, and rather shows his love through actions �� and singing, of course. He spends most of his time hanging out with Touya, doing most stuff with him, including singing. This, too, is a form of affection and love language. But in music; his love is loud when he's singing, and he only sings with Touya — his best partner. Their feelings intertwine in music, while in their daily lives it's more subtle. On the topic of love, there's one particular cover that I feel represents Akito and Touya, and their relationship, pretty well, which is: Aun no Beats. Aun no Beats is a song about a relationship where both parties understand each other without the need for words, but they'd still like to hear those words; however, it feels like a tragic relationship with a bad ending, with the "We were going to be together forever" in the lyrics. The main interpretation I've seen for it is that this represents Akito and Touya in the main story, and the rough patch they went through due to the lack of communication. Or a least, I prefer that interpretation over thinking they're gonna leave each other eventually... but I suppose death would be that, however I don't want to talk about that kind of grim topic. As I was saying, Aun no Beats does represent them pretty well, due to the close bond they have and how they understand each other without needing to communicate their feelings (although they'd like to hear them out); the bad ending in the song would be, as I mentioned earlier, the miscommunication issue they had in the Vivid BAD SQUAD main story, and then they resolve it by talking about how they really felt. But besides that, I also feel like it represents how they feel about love:

🥞♪ Why do I want to be loved? ☕️♪ Why do I want to love?

Starting with Touya, as this essay is not about him (but I still want to talk about him a bit): growing up in a household without much love, neither received or given, Touya didn't really receive love from his family, and due to his secluded lifestyle dedicated to pretty much only playing classical music, Touya didn't experience anything a regular child would. The only real kind of love he received was the occasional praise from his father, who had high expecations for Touya, and he actively tried to meet those expectations... but that led to frustration and anxiety about not meeting them, and ultimately fled from classical music. He had a pretty loveless relationship with classical music, and paired with the lack of affection from his family, Touya did not really experience love from his family. But upon meeting Akito, who actively cared for him and supported him, and later An, Kohane, and the people from Vivid Street, Touya is now loved and accepted for who he is, and he wants to love them back, too, now learning how to love. I believe his line, "Why do I want to love?" represents how he wants to repay everyone's kindness, and give back Akito's love, for accepting him and allowing him to grow and be himself in a place and around people that care for him. On the other hand, there's Akito, and his line, "Why do I want to be loved?". Opposite to Touya, people have never really had expectations for Akito; growing up in an emotionally neglectful household, his parents likely did not give him much love, mostly focusing on his older sister, so Akito has always mostly been by himself, and has had to toughen up due to it, being pretty mature for his age. Furthermore, despite how serious and passionate he was about what he loves, people did not recognize him, and even mocked him for it. There was a big lack of love reciprocation in Akito's life. He always gives his all in what he does, to fulfill a sense of acknowledgement, to prove himself, to show his love for what he does. He wants to prove himself to others... and himself. But eventually, Akito found people that do reciprocate his love: his partner, Touya, who's really thankful for all his care and support, and is actively trying to give back the love he has received, and his teammates, Kohane and An, who appreciate him and his hard work to achieve his dream. And through his hard work to improve himself and show everyone how much love he has, the town started loving back, and even the person he admires, Ken-san, acknowledged how far he had come. Akito is now loved back, and serves as an inspiration to others, proof of all his hard work. Basically, I believe Akito's desire to be loved comes from a lack of love reciprocation during his life; however, now with his partner and teammates by his side, along with the town and the people he admires, appreciating him and his hard work, Akito is now loved back by those that noticed how much he has worked to reach where he is now. To summarize, I think Aun no Beats represents pretty well Akito and Touya's relationship with each other, and their respective relationships with love. It's a good cover.

And to finish off this section, there is one last thing worth noting: despite all the love Akito gives, there is one thing that he didn't love too much: himself. Akito has never been satisfied with his own skill level, always aiming higher, all to reach his ultimate goal. While it's not a bad thing to always aim to surpass yourself, Akito has always neglected his progress and feelings, brushing off any sense of accomplishment and even getting frustrated by it. He's still not done, there's more he could do, he's not good enough yet... and so on. In short, while Akito was always passionate about what he does, he was never happy with his progress. Fortunately, as of BURN MY SOUL, Akito has learned to let loose and accept his own feelings more, in order to truly be able to put all he feels into his music; and in BREAK DOWN THE WALL, Akito has acknowledged how hard he has worked, and how he should be proud of how far he has come, and everything he has experienced. All these experiences have shaped him into the unique person he is nowadays, and he can now appreciate how amazing he is, and how well he did. In conclusion, Akito has a lot of love to give and he expresses it often, though mostly through actions rather than through words. He's extremely passionate about music and he shows it often, and he loves his partner more than anybody else. He also really cares about those close to him, even though he doesn't show it often. Although there was one person he had neglected (himself, and his own feelings), Akito has learned to step back and appreciate how far he has come. Being done with this topic, I believe it's time to take a deeper look into Akito and his psyche, before finally getting to the main part of the essay:

4. Akito Shinonome — Masculinity and Gender

(A look into Akito's relationship with masculinity and, by extension, gender; talking about how he presents himself and why he acts like he does)

Perhaps a controversial topic, but one pretty essential to understand Akito's personality and inner thinkings, is talking about his perception of masculinity and, by extension, gender. This topic would have come up in the last section anyways, so I feel elaborating on it beforehand and explaining it is a good idea. Akito's writing is pretty gendered. He's a very outwardly masculine character, exhibiting many traits of traditional masculinity, such as his avoidance to cry and being ashamed of it, avoiding showing his weaknesses and insecurities, his tendency to express his emotions as aggressiveness and anger, his unwillingness to be seen as weak or not strong, and not being submissive (unwilling to give up and accept defeat), along with occasionally saying things that would make him look what is socially regarded as masculine, or not look feminine, trying to present himself as tough and "manly". He's not really the type to do things that may look cute, and finds that type of thing embarrassing. However, there is other things about him that don't meet the common traits of traditional masculinity. For example, he's considerate of others, although he doesn't really show it, being perceptive of their feelings and worrying about them. Although, at the same time, he's a bit of a little shit and picks on people. Also he does make assumptions about others often. And, most importantly, he's quite self-conscious and kind of insecure, which would be the opposite of typical masculinity and their confidence and self-affirmation. Of course, as time passed, he became more confident in himself, but he's never quite satisfied with his singing and skill level, always aiming higher and thinking he could do better. I'd say that it's due to this self-consciousness and insecurity why he has this set of self-imposed rules, with the intention of looking tough and manly, and not wanting to be seen as weak or others mocking him.

Akito's a pretty reserved guy in general, but especially about his feelings and emotions. If there's something he doesn't want others to know, he'll do everything he can to hide it (however, he's also honest and hates lying and excuses, so if someone figures out what's up, he won't really avoid the topic). He's pretty mindful of what he says and what others think of him, not wanting to expose anything that would give way to him being seen the way he doesn't want to. He especially represses his own feelings and emotions, not really letting them out, and instead focusing on aiming higher; but he learns in BURN MY SOUL to let loose and that it's fine to feel these feelings, embracing them and using them to enhance his singing, so he's improved in this aspect, too. When he does let out his emotions, they're often expressed as anger and frustration, and even aggressiveness. The main example of this is when he punched Touya back in the Vivid BAD SQUAD main story, after Touya intentionally made him mad and Akito lost his cool; or him reacting physically by kicking the fence and yelling out after Taiga's crushing duel, and the rest of the extended Vivid BAD SQUAD gang leaving. Anger and aggressiveness is a more acceptable feeling for men to feel in society, as crying and sadness are mostly perceived as "weak" and even "girly"; and Akito does not really want to show off his weaknesses. On the topic of crying and sadness, Akito's also not really fond of crying, being pretty ashamed of it. In Find A Way Out, in the Crawl Green incident flashback, we see how he does try pretty hard not to cry, and is also ashamed of the idea of crying in front of Ken-san. And even after his talk with Taiga, in the same event, where it was textually stated in his card story that he cried because of his red eyes; despite likely being happy tears, Akito actively tries to avoid crying. Ena has mentioned how, when Akito cries, he rubs his eyes a lot, until they turn red. The fact the only person who's seen Akito properly cry, enough to know his habits, is just his own sister should be enough to tell that Akito really does not want to cry, as he believes it's a sign of weakness and something he doesn't want others to see. However, in BURN MY SOUL, after singing while pouring all his feelings into his performance, Ken-san praises him, telling him he did a good job, to which Akito notably sheds a single tear. This is one of the few times we see Akito cry, and perhaps the only time we see he allows himself to cry. In a way, this single tear could be considered part of the "release of emotions" theme the event had; Akito now allows himself to listen to his feelings and emotions, and expressing them. In general (before BURN MY SOUL), Akito's not really good at expressing his sadness, and doesn't really wallow in it; his sadness, and most emotions in general, are often expressed with anger, frustration, and aggressiveness, as he does not want to look lame, uncool, weak, etc. He downplays himself and his feelings; just like I talked about earlier, Akito doesn't love himself as much as he loves others.

Another topic that could be considered when thinking of gender roles and masculinity is Akito's relationship with his family; or more especifically, his relationship with Ena as siblings, and then both of their relationships with their parents. While Ena has had a rocky relationship with her father for years, with many of her issues stemming from him, we've barely seen Akito interact with his father (both of the siblings have a regular relationship with their mom, but she doesn't have much of a role in the story). Considering their father is both emotionally distant and doesn't really communicate well with them, Ena's relationship with him hasn't been good (until Knowing the Unseen, her most recent focus event), and we don't even see Akito talking with his father much in any stories. Because of everything his sister was going through, Akito was often looking out for Ena, and being strong for her, despite being the younger one. With a father that doesn't really do his job as a father, allowing his daughter to suffer like that, and not communicating with her correctly, therefore with a lack of a father figure in her life; Akito maybe felt he had to step up as a male role model and look after his sister himself, contributing even more to his ideas of masculinity. Back to Akito's relationship with his father: we can only assume what Akito's relationship with his father is, as they haven't interacted much; from the few times they've interacted, such as in Unsatisfied Pale Color, Akito refers to him as 親父 (pretty much calling him "old man"), a pretty informal and not polite way to refer to your own father, so we can assume there isn't much respect coming from Akito, likely due to his father's lack of a role as an actual father. Furthermore, their father is a famous artist, likely spending most of his time on his job, so he may not have been a huge presence in their daily lives. This possibly means that Akito had never received much love and attention from him — therefore, no expectations for him. So basically, having a father who's emotionally distant, bad at communicating, and likely not very present in their lives warped both of the siblings' personalities, with Akito feeling the need to protect his sister and looking after her, stepping up as their missing male role model, despite being the younger sibling and therefore the norm being the other way around. Having had to act mature from so young, and with a lack of a "manly" figure in his life, along with not many expectations, likely warped Akito's perception of masculinity and himself. On another topic related to masculinity, we also have how Akito used to say things that would commonly be considered toxic or even homophobic, such as the most commonly known "Two guys going to a theme park together? That's..."; or more indirect stuff like "Dude, did you really go around carrying those plushies?", as plushies are likely considered cute and "girly" by Akito. Considering society's views on sexuality outside the norm, or at least what Akito believes they are, he does try to not be seen in that light. He's pretty self-conscious about how he's seen. (Although I think nobody cares as much as he himself does about going to a theme park with another guy, or being seen in the street carrying plushies.) I don't think nowadays he says that kind of thing often, at least not that I remember, and he even acts more confident and less worried about what others think (for example, an area conversation after BURN MY SOUL where Akito offers to fix Touya's bed hair; unusually bold for Akito), but I believe it still worries him a bit and habits can be hard to change. But he allows himself to listen to his feelings and emotions more now, after the event.

Sort of related to that, there's something I really want to talk about, which I've been thinking of ever since the event came out, is Akito's 4✰ card's Trained illustration from BURN MY SOUL. Warning that this leans a lot into headcanon territory. As I've mentioned a few times, in that event, Akito lets loose of trying so hard and starts trusting his feelings and emotions more. Not just with his singing and pouring his feelings more into it, but he also seems to be more confident in himself, as I mentioned earlier regarding his area conversation with Touya. Something to note is how, before this card, a majority of Akito's cards have him looking cool, tough, masculine, handsome, and whatever else you wanna call them. Akito not only has a tough personality, but he also tries to present himself and how he dresses in a masculine way. While the card is also cool, handsome, and masculine, there is something that stands out about it: it's the first time Akito has his nails painted in a card, and less importantly, the first time he wears platform boots. This might not be remarkable for other characters, but for someone like Akito who tries to adhere to typical masculinity, and considering the themes of BURN MY SOUL and how it's all about listening to your feelings and emotions and expressing yourself, I think him getting a card where he has nails painted is nice. It can be considered as a first step to Akito expressing himself more, which is a good thing. He feels more comfortable and tries new things. The platform boots would be more or less the same, as most of his footwear prior to this card was regular footwear, and I think it could be seen as Akito expressing himself and trying out new things, too. With the outfit consisting exclusively of black and a pretty bright and flashy orange, this card and the card set in general feels like Akito's expression of himself, his "own" and "one of a kind" style. He embraces himself and his feelings more, and acknowledges how unique he is, showing it to everyone. I really like this card, to be honest...

On the other hand, we have... this card. This is the Trained illustration of his 4✰ card from his second mixed focus event, Rise as ONE! While this card does not really challenge any gendered views, it depicts Akito in a more cutesy way. Although he still looks a bit cool, because he always does, I believe this is the cutest Akito has ever looked, with the faint blush, the fang, the dog ears, and just... everything in general, really. It's peak gap moe material. However, this card is more like Akito being put in this situation against his will (he's afraid of dogs, for starters), and not something he could've done willingly, but still; it's the first time Akito is depicted so cutely, and the artists really went all out in making it as cute as possible. (This event was an anomaly in general honestly.) But, following on the topic above: even though Akito tries pretty hard to look tough and manly, he still has aspects of himself that are considered gap moe; for example, his favorite foods are pancakes and cheesecakes, with the former giving him his signature emoji in the fandom (🥞), and he doesn't really like carrots. Furthermore, he's scared of dogs, although that's a more unintentional thing from him. Despite actively trying to look tough and manly, Akito has parts of him that are cute, breaking the masculine persona for a bit. Just like his masculine persona, this is part of him, too, and I believe ignoring one or the other isn't really admiring Akito for all he is. While he's cool and tough, he can also be cute sometimes. In summary, Akito has pretty gendered writing. Most of his character and personality can be associated to self-imposed rules that make him act and present himself as traditionally masculine. He tries to look tough, not showing off his weaknesses and feelings, often expressing them with anger and aggressiveness, and he can even say things that could be considered toxic, all for the purpose of being seen as masculine. While there's aspects to him that can be cute, he still tries pretty hard to be manly. However, as of BURN MY SOUL, he indulges in his feelings and emotions more, expressing them better, and allowing himself to accept them more. He's learning to let loose, and be less harsh on himself. And with this topic done, we finally get to the most important part of this essay:

5. Akito Shinonome — Sexuality

(A look into Akito Shinonome's sexuality, and my headcanon)

This is it; the main reason I wrote this essay. This is where the real Gay Akito Thesis™ begins. First, I want to say that: pretty much all of this section has interpretations, opinions, and headcanons. As I mentioned at the beginning of the essay, I fully and genuinely view Akito as a homosexual man; and I'm going to mainly talk about that here. If you have a different view, that's alright (depends, actually), but this is what I think. I'm not really interested in hearing other interpretations of his sexuality, as I am not comfortable with them. So, for starters: I believe there's no correct or wrong answer about his sexuality. He has no canon sexuality, and there likely will never be, as gacha games normally don't confirm sexualities for their characters so they can appeal to and sell to as many people as possible. While there's no wrong headcanon about it, I think that there's choices that just miss the whole picture or don't fully care about and/or understand his character, such as considering him heterosexual. Honestly, pretty much the whole Sekai cast has homosexual tendencies to some extent, so I feel like viewing of some of them as purely heterosexual is silly. There's worse cases than Akito, as I can unfortunately see the reason why people'd think that for him, but I believe they just don't fully understand him. It's definitely not that serious, and people can enjoy things however they want and do whatever they want, as long as it's not weird, gross, or harmful; I am definitely not stopping anybody. But I don't agree with them, and I'll curate my spaces so I do not see that kind of thing. The last thing to say is, as I said at the beginning of the essay, viewing him as bisexual is fine, and thinking that way does not really conflict with any of my headcanons; however, by personal preference, I view him as exclusively attracted to other men, that is, a purely homosexual man. The main reason for that is that I, too, am exclusively homosexual, and Akito is a very special character to me, who has many similarities to me, so I want him to share my sexuality, too; for that reason, headcanons of any kind that view him as attracted to the opposite sex make me uncomfortable.

So yeah, let's get into this: I think Akito Shinonome is gay. While pretty much the main reason is because I am gay and I want him to be, too, because he's special to me, I think this sexuality ties into his character really well. One of the main reasons I wrote all the previous sections was to showcase my points. 1. He has an extremely close bond with his partner, Touya Like, they're really close. They're inseparable. They've been together for years and, other than the VBS main story, there hasn't been any points where they've left the other's side. "The best partner I could ask for", as they constantly say. They're a great team, complimenting each other really well, knowing each other so well that there isn't much need for words. It's a very deep bond. Aibou (partner in JP) does not have the same connotations as the western partner word can have, where it could be viewed as a romantic partner; but that doesn't matter, as even without that, they do feel like a romantic couple pretty often. Associating their partner relationship to how a romantic couple would be (as I did in one of my previous essays), Akito and Touya are like an old and established couple, while An and Kohane are a newly formed couple. 2. Love as a main theme for Akito While this part does not really have anything to do directly with his sexuality, I think that, as a character who has a lot of love to give, there's also romantic love to consider; and as the person who has been with Akito the longest, who Akito trusts more than anybody else, and the most special person to Akito, viewing Touya as the recipient of Akito's romantic love makes the most sense. Akito loves Touya a lot, and consistently gives him love. While canonically it's not anything more than platonic, viewing it as romantic just fits right in. They have a very deep bond. As a friend put very well: "Aibous is about learning to be yourself with each other; having your partners reveal things about you that you didn't even know were there." Touya loves Akito back as much as Akito loves him, so when viewed in a romantic sense, I think that this love he receives from his partner makes Akito more confident in his own feelings. Which brings us to the third point: 3. Masculinity and gender Akito is unconfident and self-conscious about how others see him, therefore he actively tries to make himself look masculine and tough; and we also know that he sort of had that era where he said some dubious stuff that could seem toxic or even homophobic, so that others wouldn't view him in a certain way. The way I see it, Akito avoided showing his homosexuality, insecure about others mocking him and/or using it against him, therefore viewing it as a possible weakness. Considering he lives in a society where heterosexuality is the norm, it'd make sense for Akito to be self-conscious about his sexuality. We know that Akito goes to great lengths to hide stuff if he doesn't want others to find out, so saying some possibly-homophobic stuff seems about right for that goal. 4. Identity Not exactly a point I elaborated on, but his songs' overall theme seems to be about individualism and identity, and I feel like that, too, can be associated to his sexuality. As I wrote earlier at the end of my song analyses:

Going from doubting himself; to feeling like he's copying others; then living with contradictions and acknowledging them; and finally, completely accepting it, that this is something only he can do, because of his feelings and experiences that led him to this point.

It's easy to associate this part with his sexuality: with him doubting himself at first, but he grows more confident with time. And this culminates with BURN MY SOUL, where he learns to let loose and listen to his feelings and emotions, and expressing them, so associating that with him becoming more comfortable with his sexuality and himself makes a lot of sense to me. Akito's story is one of introspection and finding himself, with his partner and his team. This is his own and unique journey, which has shaped him the way he is now. His own tune, as he puts it. I think that should all the points I made summarizes, so let's begin with the real thing: the specifics of my own headcanon. For starters, I don't think Akito's in denial of being gay, or worse, him being homophobic (whether straight or "homophobic & homosexual"). I know there's people out there that think of him like that and then Touya comes and Akito suddenly likes men. I view him as actually gay from the start, and he's not really displeased with it; this is me and I am fine with it, he probably thinks. But, with Akito's insecurity and self-consciousness, and the society he lives in, he views it as a weakness and a target for being mocked and/or bullied, so he does try to hide it, both for that, and to not ruin his relationship with Touya (although Touya is like, confidently gay and doesn't really care lol). Also need to mention that, while I think Akito was already gay, I don't think Akito chose Touya as his partner because he was attracted to him; I believe Akito only realized he liked Touya romantically / truly fell in love with him later. My reasoning as to how that works is that, perhaps, Touya wasn't even Akito's type. I have a jokey headcanon that he likes muscular men (a young Akito looking up "masculine men" and "how to be masculine" and then having an epiphany upon seeing the big, muscular, and shirtless guys is a very funny thought, and very in brand for Akito, in my opinion); but he later falls for Touya because of their bond, which is where the more specific demihomosexual headcanon comes into play. He didn't view Touya as unattractive by any means, but he wasn't really his type at first, and he was mainly interested in his singing when he approached him. Easy. While this is not really about him, my headcanon for Touya is that he actually wasn't gay from the start, which is likely a controversial opinion, as often people view Touya as "the gay one" and Akito as "the straight one". I'm not saying Touya's straight (you've gotta be blind to not see how gay he is, tbh), but he didn't really know much about himself, as he lived a pretty isolated life until he fled classical music and couldn't really figure himself out. But upon meeting Akito, as time passed and they spent time together, and Touya experiencing new things and meeting new kinds of people, Touya realized he likes guys and, by extension, eventually fell for his partner (too). Putting it in fandom terms, "Akito fell first, but Touya fell harder"; I believe this makes more sense than the other way around as Touya is a lot more forward with his affection towards Akito, and Akito's a bit more reserved.

Back to Akito: the only mildly straight headcanon I have about him is that maybe Akito and An tried dating in middle school (An to confirm if she liked boys... and Akito to confirm if he liked girls, but An didn't know he was gay and just tried dating some guy she knew). They didn't even last a day; she probably broke up with him over text. "srry akito i only like girls after all lol!" Akito didn't even really care, so An started suspecting he was gay (too); but Akito denies it, so An wouldn't mock him for it... except by denying it, she mocks him anyways. And that's where their history of bickering and teasing each other began. (Once again, while not about her, An feels like she knew she liked girls from a young age; her and Haruka, who are childhood friends and went to elementary school together, give off ex-girlfriends vibes, but they still have a good relationship.) So, laying out everything, here is how I think it goes: Akito figures out he's gay at around age 11-12; probably somewhere between before quitting soccer, and shortly after witnessing RAD WEEKEND, to put a specific timeframe. He's not really ashamed of it, but he hides it because people are mean to him and he wants to be seen as tough and masculine, and they could use this fact to bully him and mock him even further. Some time later, he meets Touya. While he acknowledges Touya is attractive, he's not really his type and Akito's mainly interested in his singing and why he's always singing by himself. And as we know, they team up after singing together a few times, due to their compatibility. Also somewhere during that, the Akito and An dating thing happens. Then, they sing together for two years as BAD DOGS, as we already know. Their bond as partner grows stronger during all that time; I feel like Akito would realize his feelings for Touya somewhere during that, but he brushes them off because he doesn't want to ruin his relationship with his partner. On the other hand, Touya also realizes he may feel something for Akito (and also that he likes men) beyond admiration and thinking he's cool and how hardworking he is and all that stuff, but Touya brushes it off, too, and mainly focuses on their singing together. I'd say the turning point for Touya's feelings was after the VBS main story. After what happens during it, Touya realizes, Yeah, I actually like Akito, and from there, his affection towards his partner increases a lot, which perhaps feels a bit overwhelming for Akito at first. There's no way his partner would like him back. Perhaps Akito's homophobic-like comments come from him thinking "Hey, we're already always together, you wouldn't want people to think you're gay (too), right?"... but Touya doesn't care much. He's now confident about who he is and how he feels. Anyways, as events pass, their bond keeps growing and becoming deeper, their feelings for each other increasing even more, and Touya's affection and giving back the love he received from Akito makes the latter slowly become more confident about his feelings. Akito's more open with his affection, but he's still not really sure if this is fine. I believe that, even though they didn't ask each other directly, they more or less know how the other feels. They don't really need words to know how inseparable they are. After BURN MY SOUL and learning to trust his feelings and emotions, Akito's like, Actually, this is fine, and becomes more forward and confident in loving Touya (look at: shared area convo post-event).

In short, Akito knew he liked Touya from a while ago, but as a pretty reserved guy, plus not wanting to be seen as weak and all that jazz, he mostly hid it; as time passed, Akito became more confident in his feelings, thanks to Touya being so open and genuine with his affection towards Akito, and Akito slowly began giving back affection, too. And after BMS, he fully realizes these feelings are fine, and how he truly loves Touya. Despite this, though, I do not think they're dating. They're simply friends; or best friends, rather. But they haven't really confessed to each other, nor do they explicitly know the other is gay; however, I don't think they need to. They already know how the other feels. Their relationship goes beyond words. They have a very deep bond from their years being together, singing, growing and learning together. They're the best partner they could ask for. This is... 𝓐𝓲𝓫𝓸𝓾𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮. To finish off, there's one last thing I didn't talk about: his gender. While I personally view him as cisgender, for no particular reason (well, I am cisgender, so it's probably that), I think there's merit to transmasc Akito, and I absolutely have nothing against this headcanon. It fits really well into his character, too, the same way being gay does; how much he tries to be masculine and tough can be interpreted as him being transmasc and trying to act like a typical guy so others don't look down on him for his gender. Since I'm not a trans person (anymore), it's not really my place to talk in length about this headcanon; I just wanna say I think it's fine, and I'm totally fine with him being viewed as transmasc. Akito is lovely always! So yeah. That's it. That's why I think Akito Shinonome is gay. (By the way here's the link to a Twitter thread I wrote about this here, which was one of the main sparks to write this whole essay. It was written in a fit of rage at ~6am, having just woken up from an awful night (lmao). Surprisingly, it's pretty coherent, and could be considered a summary of the Sexuality section.)

6. Conclusion

Happy pride month, everyone! Especially to Akito Shinonome. 🧡 So, that's all, folks! Regardless of how much or how far you've read, if you enjoyed it, I'm glad : ) I put a lot of time and effort into this, and I'm pretty proud of most of it (perhaps I extended myself too much on the summaries tbh), so I hope others like it as much as I do. I already mentioned it at the beginning, but I mainly wrote this because I had wanted to write about my Akito sexuality headcanon for a while, and considering my third anniversary since getting into Sekai is on June 18th (which should be the day this is posted), I suddenly got the urge to do this. While writing it, I kept feeling like I wouldn't be able to finish it by that date, because this is very long and it was a lot of work... but I ended up finishing it on June 7th. lmao So, yeah. Akito's a very special character to me, and I thought doing this was a good idea; not just for my third Sekai anni, but also for pride month!! This essay is pretty much multiple essays in one: talking about my story with Sekai and Akito; summaries of his events and other notable roles and important stuff; analyzing his themes a bit; and talking about his sexuality and my headcanon... all together forming a huge essay! There isn't much else to add now, I just want to give some special thanks to various people: - To artemis, my gay Akito bestie (just made that up). I've been following you on Twitter for a long while, and I've always enjoyed your analyses and how you understand Akito so well. I finally mustered the courage to talk with you at the start of May, and you've been so kind to me. Even though I'm so overwhelming and my messages kilometric, and I also sort of force you to proofread most of my essays (sorry), you often reply with the same enthusiasm as mine to me, which makes me pretty happy. I don't wanna get too sappy here lol, but you've been a big inspiration to me and very helpful, and I'm very thankful to you!! Lots of love. - I've also met other people through artemis, who are also enthusiastic about Sekai and very nice to me; all of you seem to like my content, which makes me happy! You made me realize that not everyone in this fandom is bad, and it makes me want to interact with more people. Thank you to y'all, too. Especially to my followers; I hope you enjoy my insanity? - And also to people who have proofread this: artemis (sorry for making you proofread nearly everything I write, but I really value your thoughts and opinions!!), dainn (they actually read through everything, even the long af summaries... they're so powerful. thanks a lot for your help!! i really appreciate it), and pingu (my #1 fan. (probably) thank you so much for proofreading it too!! i appreciate your kind words, and the interesting thoughts you gave about the aibous' feelings). Thanks a lot everyone!!! Lots of love (again). That's really everything. Thank you for reading, and see you in my next essay! Bye bye.

#prsk analysis #pjsekai #project sekai #akito shinonome #aibou #aiboulove #aibouyaoi #gay akito #akito yaoi #that last one is a joke sorry

144 notes · View notes