#wakamiya

[fridaraph]

The ending art illustrations in Yatagarasu after each episode are so gorgeous.

Yukiya, Wakamiya, Sumio, Natsuka

[yatagarasuarchive]

I wanted to share this one for some time, but I didn't want to spoil the anime-onlies while tagging. But now I can finally share it with everyone!

I hope all Wakamiya x Hamayu shippers have a good day!

Source: Matsuzaki Natsumi-sensei's Twitter.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

“… but sorry I hate you…”

Anime vs Manga, Chapter 36 & Episode 13

I’ve been waiting to post this manga cap.

[inahochi]

What did you do there, except make enemies? - Are you worried for me?

YATAGARASU: KARASU WA ARUJI WO ERABANAI (2024)

#04. an imperial council ⋆ 御前会議

[ydotome]

So your finally here. It is an honor to meet Your Highness. I am Yukiya of Taruhi. I've been waiting for you, Yukiya of Taruhi. - Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai - Episode 2

[miyamiwu]

The Yatagarasu anime is so BL-coded, so I’m inevitably a YukiWaka shipper. As an anime-only, I wonder what the experience is like to those who read the novel/manga first...

I have no complaints about Hamayu being chosen in the end because she’s cool and I like her, but not gonna lie, it caught me off guard when her history with Wakamiya was revealed and when Wakamiya suddenly acted so familiarly with her. I did not connect her at all to the ragged kid who was with Wakamiya in Asebi’s flashback, so the whole Wakamiya-Hamayu pairing feels sudden to me.

Was the pairing perhaps built up more in the novel/manga?

[harulogue]

wakamiya

[wintermadness]

[fridaraph]

The ending art illustrations in Yatagarasu after each episode are so gorgeous.

So pretty

(Cour 2)

[yatagarasuarchive]

The Imperial Brothers!!!

Am I even exaggerating if I say that the summer episodes have the best endcards? If we can also get one with Hamayu and Masuho-no-Susuki, the I can die happily.

Source: Yatagarasu anime's official account (drawn by Natsuki-sensei).

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Those intricate illustrations from Wakamiya observing the technology, food, and the ways from the world outside.

Imagine Wakamiya as a young boy forcefully had to live among humans and observe their ways. He had a help of course in order to navigate the new situation where he was. He ate donuts and burgers, loved bananas, observed the salarymen going to work. He must have tried the different vehicles to experience them. Learned how to cook for himself. Talked to different kinds of people and interacted with them, conversed with them about their rights and pursuits. No wonder, he wanted to give the same freedom of choice to the girls at the Sakura Blossom Palace, however uncanny the formulation he used. And perhaps, some people thought that he was an eccentric artist drawing the typical, mundane objects, from his point of view.

And Yukiya absorbing them as he couldn’t fathom that there is a world outside of Yamauchi. @ynxnyx I concur, his hometown is minuscule compared to what Wakamiya has seen and experienced. So far, he seems to be open for the possibilities. (In the books, he is in denial sort of.)

In Yamauchi it seems like the time stood still. This is Japan upside down in different eras (Kamakura, Sengoku, Heian, Edo and Meiji rolled into one).

Come to think of it, it is amusing to think of new scenarios of what will these characters do outside of Yamauchi.

How will Yukiya cope going to a school outside? Will he cut his hair? How will he look in our world with loose shirts and baggy pants? Or Lord Natsuka with his haughtiness? Will he survive it? Will he be as untouchable as he is in Yamauchi? Will he survive without Rokon? What is he going to do? A traditional businessman, a trader, an upstart CEO? How about Hamayū? Will she learn a new skill to keep up with her husband? Will she go to the uni with Masuho no Susuki?

I wonder if the anime staff will give us a glimpse of that time where Wakamiya spent his life outside Yamauchi.

[inahochi]

WAKAMIYA (若宮)

YATAGARASU: KARASU WA ARUJI WO ERABANAI (2024)

#04. an imperial council ⋆ 御前会議

[webdiggerxxx]

꧁★꧂

[miyamiwu]

Now I don’t know how old Yukiya is, but he did say he hasn’t even come of age yet… Are you sure you should be trusting him this much???

[sasya00025]

[animeandfilmotaku]

烏は主を選ばない-[A Raven Does not choose its master]: Outside world through Inner lenses (Non-spoiler Free review)

“The world isn't in your books and maps, it's out there.”-J.R.R Tolkien

On the last episode I feel it’s emptiness and yet it’s beauty as we close with Yukiya acknowledging Wakamiya as his master- you may wonder why I chose the subtitle- similar to an episode in the second half of the series, while I praised the first half for its tasty court drama, the second half zooms out to the world of Yamauchi, and it’s conflicts which affect its intriguing characters which made me proclaim the best series I watched to date (well alongside Fullmetal Alchemist, Fruits Basket, Dororo and Mononoke), and since we reached its conclusion, I would love to go to an in-depth review on this hidden gem since I touched it so briefly in my previous review (And yes I get to read the manga so yes, I got a different outlook of that gorgeous series.)

(FYI I am hiding this behind, in case you do not like to get spoiled by the plot points)

The 1st half is painted on the inside world of the Yamauchi-the court; ministers conspiring on court affairs, 4 consorts in their ‘bird-cage’ Sakura palace, fighting with one another to win the Kin’u’s hand. And those close to these noble court feeling the tidal wave of its affections, similar to every court intrigue drama which I thought of The Tale of Genji in my head.

We see two persons that are entwined to the ‘court’ world- Asebi (The Eastern consort); naive and kind- entering a glided world where she unfortunately holding little straws to the cut-throat inner world of Sakura Palace; and Yukiya-a ‘blockhead’ from Taruhi Village- a prominent point in the North prefecture; whom by unusual circumstances is called to serve Nazukihiko (I.E Wakamiya), a true Golden Raven (I.E the Kin’u), which it is emphasised through interactions between the clever Yukiya and the mysterious Wakamiya.

I would say navigating through a complex maze of court intrigue proves to be tantalising to me, because no one expect any moment of each character’s intakes whenever it was the stern Lord Natsuka, the strong-willed nature of Hamayuu or Atsufusa- one of Natsuka’s followers. You are introduced to backthroat court world, at a flip of a coin, he could either be a great ally or a cunning enemy that is willing to stuff a chicken in your robes to pretend you are stabbed by a burly bodyguard (Looking at you Atsufusa), having the two anchors which are Asebi-a kind-hearted consort with no allies holding this line out from Tennesse Williams -'A Streetcar Named Desire' (I will always depend on the kindness of strangers) energy, a moth intrigued by the bright blinding lights.

and Yukiya whose battle with his own conflicts of identity and purpose, both plunged into a world where facades are not what it seems and one must keep its toes up in order to survive.

You may wonder about who shall be his consort, well- it was an unexpected choice. Neverthless that twist of Aesbi on the end of the consort selection contest haunted our minds, which I am still reeling over- a beautiful flower that hid rot within her core (I need to mention that I wish to see the Empress' reaction on knowing Asebi's evil intentions to be animated because when I read the manga, it would be delightful but I see why it is edited out due to pacing purposes)

With the choice of the consort out of our mind, we pave for the second half, which Yukiya went home for a brief moment after a year in service in court. If the 1st half of Raven is about the inner politics; the 2nd half sees a world beyond the confines of Yamauchi- which make the selection ceremony a minor ripple in the pond , as always you are always keep up to your toes with our characters and its motives- expect it is no longer inner conflicts of ladies who desire Wakamiya’s hand with their courtly backstories. Instead we follow a young girl Koume who survived a village massacre and the rumours of a drug that cause its residents to go berserk.

You may think that we, like Yukiya can rest on our laurels on this case- however it went much deeper like the medicine that circulate the veins, this second half is when I fell truly in love with its series- because the real meat is here, a sheltered bubble threatened to burst. It is never what it seen, we explored the seedier areas only briefly explored on the 1st half, where the threat rippled at every crevice, which we hold our suspicions on Koume's truth if she is the carrier of the drug. As always- it is not a simple incident that concidently built up overnight, akin to a full course meal, with intriguing flavours, each moment enchant a truth or hide a lie, and Yukiya despite being jaded from witnessing the court’s cruel acts especially on Asebi, changing from a stubborn boy who desired to protect his small village, to a loyal and steadfast ally to Wakamiya, carrying the burden to protect his folk, his change proves to be gradual which made the last episode which he call himself a 'lowly servant' impactful.

I would say the Wisteria Arrows scenes are my favourite because the choice of music and animation made these scenes haunting, and tangible that someday that bubble could break anytime.

In the end, we no longer see Yukiya as charming “blockhand”, but as a young man with his eyes open upon the world that is beyond, it is a cyclical change for all characters, and in the end, akin to that Tolkien quote; the world is not simply written in books or whispered by scheming court officials but expanded through different lenses, neither good or evil, but layers of grey that one must journey.

If there is a flaw- is that the court intrigue drags a little longer and it may pull people off, which I can guarantee- it is not,it is a pity that it really flew under the radar among the packed anime season (BTW I did not follow much), because the plot and characters proves to be intriguing with unexpected twists and all.

I really hope for a Season 2, with that post-credit scene; I would love to dive to the world of Yamauchi again following Yukiya's devotion to the Prince, in the meantime I am going to try to catch up the manga with the translated scans, as much as I can (I actually finished A Raven of All Seasons Manga which dealt the 1st half of the series, and I tell you, it is soooo good)