#yatagarasu q&a

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Sexual minorities and Yamauchi

Been on the lookout for everything “Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master” info ever since the last episode aired. And I keep finding new ones. Not recent but stuff from years ago when past book events from Chisato Abe were held. It is also nice that mangaka Natsumi Matsuzaki keeps on releasing old-new illustrations, especially the ones dealing with “The Empty Coffin,” she has done to celebrate the latest paperback release explaining that there’s no use keeping them for herself.

Anyway, this post caught my eye. The poster hasn’t watched the anime but only read the books and was there when Chisato and Natsumi held an event tagged as “spoilers.”

A reader sent in this question:

Are there any sexual minorities in Yamauchi?

It exists just like in the real world. It's just that it hasn't been highlighted yet, but it's there normally, and it might have already appeared in the story. It's just not written about because it's not the theme at the moment. When the time comes to write about it, it will be written normally.

When depicting that person, there's no need to say "This character is homosexual" (because that's not all there is to that person).

In Yamauchi, understanding of this is overwhelmingly less advanced (compared to the real world). Many people don't want to say it, they hide it, and revealing it would, in today's terms, infringe on human rights.

Since the second part, the focus has been on human rights and individual happiness. (The reversal of women’s [roles], who had a low status, has begun.) So if it's going to be written about, it will be from now on. The turning point in Yamauchi's values has finally come. I have worked hard to create a beautifully traditional and old-fashioned Yamauchi throughout the first part.

The current world does not completely link with it, and I do not intend to clearly link it. Yamauchi has its own values, and they live by them. As a result, I would be happy if you feel it as a current issue, but I have no intention of doing it in a showy way. I am just writing my own Yamauchi.

So, as an answer to the question, "They are just normally there."

—Chisato Abe

Source: 2021/11/03 17:00 - “Commemorating the Publication of The Crow of Remembrance—Chisato Abe × Natsumi Matsuzaki Spoiler OK! Online Talk Event" (From a Twitter post, 2021/11/03)

Akeru and Chihaya

Yukiya and Shigemaru, years in between

[canadianlucifer]

OKAY MORE TURNABOUT GHOUL THOUGHTS LETS GO

So I was thinking about aai1 case 4, the flashback case, and how things might have been different there. If Kay hadn't told Edgeworth to dodge, Yew would have shot him, so what if she did? I don't see any reason why she would have q-bullets so Edgeworth would be fine, but detective Badd would have seen this kid get shot in the head and then just. Pluck it off his forehead without a scratch. I think detective Badd would keep the kids' secret, he'd be kind to ghouls, but why?

My first thought was that Byrne was a ghoul and since they were so close he came to understand, but then that immediately fell apart when I remembered he was stabbed with a knife that had no reason to be made out of quinque steel and the whole thing with swiss rolls would be impossible.

My next thought though, and please bear with me if I make a mistake bc I never actually played thorough the last case, was that one of the Yatagarasu's targets was the CCG. They stole the truth, information on how the CCG treated both their employees and incarcerated ghouls, shady business practices, all the ways the CCG sucks they stole evidence of it and released it to the press, but it never went anywhere. The CCG had complete control over their image. That's when Badd started to develop a deep hatred for the CCG, and began feeling pity for ghouls. Through all the horrible reports he read he thought that even if ghouls were bad and had to be controlled, the CCG was going about it all wrong.

Then, when these two terrified kids look up at him, begging for him not to report them, it clicks. Ghouls are just people who get happy and sad and scared and angry all the same as humans. And he couldn't had them over to such a terrible company like the CCG, so he relents and swears to never say a word about them.

[jaytsujimura]

Looks nice as Leica colors? Beautiful Japanese traditional hand braiding silk strap "Red Zebra" by @ninjageisha And custom black feather hot shoe cover "Yatagarasu" on Leica Q. I love Red and Black combo ٩( ᐛ )و (JAY TSUJIMURA) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChEl9YxuPuN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[chilly-territory]

K Fan Clan: GoRA answer fans’ questions

From time to time, GoRA answer questions about the setting and the world of K on their K fan clan site. Thanks to  blueseraphima providing the original text, these should be up to date.

Q. How many spare glasses does Captain Munakata have? A. He has a stock of them enough to fill one drawer to the brim.

Q. Since when has Munakata-san been wearing glasses? A. He's been wearing them for as long as he can remember.

Q. Does Munakata smoke? A. Normally, no. But on rare occasions when he feels like breathing in poison, he does smoke on a whim.

Q. I'd like to broaden my repertory of midnight snacks for keeping late hours. What doesn’t Captain Munakata snack on when he's hungry? Please tell me one thing from his menu. A. Ready-made boil-in-the-bag foods work better for him than cooking himself because you can order pretty delicious things online. He's into foods like frozen pasta these days.

Q. Who among the Scepter 4 members has the biggest sweet tooth after Awashima? A. That'd be Hidaka.

Q. How are the sabers of the Scepter 4 members managed outside of working hours? A. The procedure is similar to the police regulations applied to firearms: when clocking out, the members leave their weapons for safekeeping in a reinforced locker with a lock, and when reporting for work, they unlock it and equip it.

Q. What is Saruhiko and Totsuka's preferred type of girl? A. Totsuka doesn't have a specific type, so a girl he has fun being with. Fushimi didn't give a thought to things like types of women, but he'll stay away from annoying women and women with weird palate. [T/N: that last one must be the effect of Awashima and her anko... what have you done, Lieutenant? XD]

Q. What do Saruhiko and Misaki do when they hang out after their reconciliation? A. Sometimes they go for a drink, other times they play video games.

Q. Is Yata-chan's room on the clean and orderly side? Or disorderly, with things lying all around? A. We believe it looks like a guy's room, with things scattered all around.

Q. Does Yata-chan normally settle for a shower? Or is he one for soaking in a bath? A. He does both, but if he had to choose one, he'd pick a quick bath, crow-style. Since he's Yatagarasu. [T/N: karasu (garasu) means crow]

Q. Does Totsuka-san normally work? A. He's jumping from one occupation to another. His income is relatively decent.

Q. What is Totsuka's specialty dish? A. If one had to be named, it would be tom yum goong. However, he can make pretty much anything.

Q. What cocktail is Izumo-san's favorite? if possible, I also want to know what snacks go with that cocktail! A. Dry martini with salted nuts.

Q. Did Yukari attend Miwa Ichigen's funeral? A. We believe that out of consideration for Kuroh, he didn't, only observing the funeral procession from afar. He vanished immediately after laying flowers on the grave.

Q. What was Weissmann's favorite dish when he was still Weissmann? A. Sauerkraut.

Q. Hisui Nagare takes frequent naps, is it because he doesn't sleep at night? Or he just gets sleepy easily despite sleeping at night? This question's been bothering me. A. Hisui is the type to go sleep when he wants to sleep and stay awake when he feels like it, so his sleeping schedule isn't dependent on the time of day.

Q. Please tell me what Hisui Nagare's preferred type is! A. Someone quick to make decisions and quick to act.

Q. What is Iwa-san's preferred type of woman? A. Someone who can make delicious miso soup.

Q. What does Douhan-chan do on her days off? A. She holes up at home and plays single player online games (like shogi). As a rule, she mostly lazes about.

Q. Did the Minato brothers find jobs after what happened to them? A. The older brother, Hayato, entered college. And the younger brother, Akito, got a job as a police officer. It appears that Hayato, too, plans to join the police after graduating from college.

Q. If a Strain becomes a clansman, like the case with Anna and Neko, can they still use their strain power? It's been on my mind forever. A. The strain power and clansman power can coexist. It is possible to use both of them.

Q. Did foreign countries know about the existence of the Slate? A. Some of the top leaders knew. In America, among other countries, there even was a Slate research team.

Q. What character did you create first? A. Shiro and Kuroh. Munakata and Suoh were also created at the beginning. That is, the protagonists.

Q. How did you decide on characters' birthdays? A. We decided based on their zodiac sign. First, we determined their zodiac sign through fortune-telling, and from there gleaned the general image of their personality and such, choosing a suitable birthday then.

Q. I heard the reason behind your group's name, GoRA, is that you wanted to go to Goura hot springs all together in case of K project's success, so now that K even has a big fan clan, I wanted to know: have you done what you had wanted and gone there? Please tell us. A. No, we haven't (lol). But we've visited the Izumo Grand Shrine. And we decided we'd go to Goura hot springs when we disband. But that's even farther away.

Q. Is engaging in romantic relationships forbidden in the world of Idol K? Or does each agency have their own policy regarding that? Please answer! A. The stance on the issue depends on the agency. But only Promotion Scepter 4 advocates the ban on romantic relationships for the greater cause.

Q. It may be sudden, but I have a question! Are characters like Kurayama Mitsuha or Tsurumi active as idols in the world of Idol K? I'm so haunted by this question I can only sleep at night. A. It is unclear if they're active as idols or not, but we believe they probably work as managers or trouble shooters.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Yukiya, Wakamiya and the candied kumquats throughout the first season (a compilation)

Yukiya, are you able to eat properly while working? / What else do you eat besides kumquats?

Is this a story about Yukiya from the time of “The Crows Do Not Choose Their Master”? Learning from the lesson of missing out on food on the first day, he started to properly procure food from the next day! There were also times when we went down to the castle town together to eat noodle soup.

From Chisato Abe’s Q&A, 2021

Bonus:

A video of Wakamiya/Nazukihiko boiling his kumquats from the first episode. (This transition is nifty, from the simplicity and homeliness of Wakamiya’s abode to the Sakura Blossom Palace’s grandeur.)

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Natsumi Matsuzaki Wave q&a

Not sure if you guys are aware of it, but mangaka Natsumi Matsuzaki is holding a q&a from the readers until the end of the manga serialisation, and beyond.

I get overwhelmed when things get mixed up, so for now, I'm just responding to relevant questions! Once it's finished, I'll reply or resume accepting questions, so... please go ahead...

The questions are varied and it is very cool to see her replies. I am very curious what goes into the artist’s mind when they create things so I am glad that she entertains questions and tells us her POV when drawing manga panels and her decisions to do so.

In Volume 4 of the "A Raven for All Seasons" series, there is a scene where Shiratama vomits, which wasn't in the original story. What was the intention behind adding this scene? Personally, I found it quite endearing, so I'm curious...! 💛

Chapter 27: A Raven for All Seasons

Natsumi: [85%] When considering the entire Winter/Shiratama Chapter, this scene represents the stress of having deceived her heart for a long time, the all-nighter she pulled just before, and finally being dealt the final blow of “losing what she wanted to protect by choosing actions that killed her own feelings.” It was an expression to clearly depict in visuals the disconnect between her will to act like an innocent girl who knows nothing and the internal turmoil of fully understanding everything that happened.

[15%] Kink (<— 🤔)

Concerning empathy toward a character

As an illustrator, I do not waver at all! Since I am the one who intentionally instills emotions in the readers’, there is no room to move my own emotions at the plot or name stages (e.g., because there is a psychological depiction A here, you need to depict B as groundwork for it at a certain level, but for that [to work out], you need another depiction C and foundation △△ by episode □□, so you incorporate depiction D... etc. It's very calculated and structured, so it's tough). When I actually draw on paper with a pencil, if it feels right, I might draw while empathizing with the expressions and feelings of the character I'm depicting at that moment.

Designs, motifs….

As with the "Flying Carriage," (those palanquins driven by “horses”) how were the crests of each family decided upon through consultations? 💛

Chapter 36: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master

Since I needed to draw family crests in the manga, I refined the designs by confirming the motifs to be used for the four family crests and the original author's images in advance.

Some of the questions and replies are a bit spoiler-ish especially if you haven’t touched the rest of the novels in the first and second arcs. Please tread carefully.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Sumio, he’s small but terrible, Manga vs Anime

When Sumio made his first appearance at the gates of Shoyo Palace, I was startled. I thought to myself, “I've designed quite a crazy character.” Takumo Norita, character designer of “Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master”

Among them was a powerful big man, and the already small Sumio next to him seemed just a child. However, the servant moved frighteningly fast and unpredictably. Only blood splashed somewhere, and Sumio had already jumped over the opponents' heads, and now the scream was heard from the other side. He seemed to dance, easily dodging enemy swords. The master acted unexpectedly, like the swaying of leaves in the wind, and the enemies fell one by one, like magic. Finally realising that the enemy was not up to their teeth, with desperate screams, dragging the bodies of the losers, the bandits cleaned up like beaten dogs. Chisato Abe, “The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master”

Q. Was Nazukihiko’s return also meant to coincide with Sumio's graduation from the Keisouin Academy?

A: Yes, it did! (From the q&a with Chisato Abe)

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Something tells me that if ever they decide to animate “The Crow of Paradise/The Paradise of a Crow”, this could be made into a film.

Or a live action?

I am on the first pages and I am seeing à la Wong Kar Wai scenes on my head with a young-ish Takuya Kimura as Hajime Yasuhara. (Okay, probably i am still holding on to his Howl voice, but he’s not only that.)

When it comes to manga adaptation, however, Natsumi Matsuzaki admitted that adapting it to manga is a challenge.

Matsuzaki : "The Crow of Paradise" came out right after we started the comic version of "Master"... I didn't know anything about the content of (Paradise), so after reading it, I thought, "I've gotten myself into something serious."

[Note: "The Crow of Paradise" is the first book in the second part of the Yatagarasu series, released in September 2020.]

… I was reading it at a café in Ikebukuro, and as soon as I finished reading it, I called (Abe-san) over... Abe was like, "Oh no, I've been called out!" (laughs). So, when I went to meet her, she looked at me with sparkling eyes as if to complain, and I thought, "Oh, good. It seems like 'The Crow of Paradise' will be okay..." (laughs).

Matsuzaki: But after that came out, and then the next one, 'The Crows of Remembrance,' I started to think, "This is getting difficult to adapt into a comic..." Is that so...?

…

Abe: From the perspective of the original author, this work is part of a series, so there is an overarching theme for the entire series. However, if you focus solely on that, each individual work might end up being incomplete.

Matsuzaki : That's right. It becomes blurred... The theme is too large.

Abe: That's why I create "major themes," "medium themes," and "minor themes." For a standalone piece, I focus only within that piece. For a main work, I focus only within that main work, and I resolve the "minor themes." But when you connect them all, a larger theme emerges... It's like creating a "mosaic picture."

Matsuzaki: But I haven't been told what the picture will look like. I try not to ask about the theme of a standalone piece, the theme of a main work, or the themes going forward. Instead, I interpret the words and events written in the current original work myself and try to create a coherent narrative.

(This q&a talk is included on the fourth volume of the manga.)

[jaytsujimura]

Japanese Crow "Yatagarasu" Feather hot shoe cover on Leica Q. With Traditional Japanese Silk Braiding Strap by Keiko @ninjageisha Anybody curious about Black and Red combination? Of course you're（＾Ｏ＾☆♪ (JAY TSUJIMURA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CY5U4rjrK7y/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jaytsujimura]

My "八咫烏-Yatagarasu" Leica Q meets "寅-Tiger" @ninjageisha strap (=^ェ^=)〜 What do you think this Crow & Tiger combination? (JAY TSUJIMURA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXDeW-dLie0/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jaytsujimura]

Yatagarasu Black Feather Leica Q with "Tokyo Night Camouflage" strap at da Massimo Bottura GUCCI OSTERIA TOKYO *\(^o^)/* (Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXAbfc9vXIt/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jaytsujimura]

Tokyo style YATAGARASU Q (^_−)−☆ The custom "Yatagarasu Black Feather" hot shoe on Leica Q. And with the most comfy lambskin leather wrist strap by @vi_vante_designs (Tokyo, Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWXIbHJF6rL/?utm_medium=tumblr

[jaytsujimura]

Yatagarasu "Black Feather" for Leica Q with @vi_vante_designs strap *\(^o^)/* (JAY TSUJIMURA) https://www.instagram.com/p/CH1s5sanU-f/?igshid=14qyc2gly82tf

[jaytsujimura]

Leica Q "Ninja" Yatagarasu-Crow Feather with Matador strap @vi_vante_designs (JAY TSUJIMURA) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3oG6FzHWSN/?igshid=1gqto7g5zfosz

[jaytsujimura]

My daily "Black beauty" style by @vi_vante_designs Leica Q with Yatagarasu hot shoe and my favorite comfy lambskin wrist strap. Of course, Handwoven leather camera bag (^_^)v (JAY TSUJIMURA) https://www.instagram.com/p/B1X8HYvHCy-/?igshid=1ovuno7zzdxj7

[jaytsujimura]

Look at this（╹◡╹） I took "Daibutsu Buddha" today!! It's Black Yatagarasu Feather Leica Q with soft and comfy @vi_vante_designs Matador strap (^_^)v I love this cool black combination Q so much!! (Yanaka The old town Tokyo) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwWpLSFgjpe/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=79onx5ay0hrg