#yes. this is aki's voice actor

[meownotgood]

aki moans.mp3

[littengamer909]

Fully Charged Episodes/Things I WISH We Got

(prepare for incoming YAPPING at mach 2!!)

B-Team. I want to see Bert and Ashley working together! I think that their personalities would bounce off each other really well and make some hilarious dialogue. I specifically want to see them forced to be the heroes when Aki and Suna are unavailable.

Chaotique interacting with more characters. Her sense of humor could gel really well with Ashley, Suna, or a lot of the Robot Masters. I think an episode with her and Fireman could be really interesting.

Sick Day Episode. Yeah, yeah, I've always got whump on my mind, laugh it up. But, really, this could be fun! Every American cartoon needs a sick day episode (and yes I know that most of the voice actors are Canadian).

A bigger exploration of at least one of Aki's love interests. The romance felt so forced - just kinda shoe-horned in there - but with an episode or two devoted to fleshing it out, it could really work out! Bonus points if they make it canon that Bert has a crush on Mega Man (he basically does but it would be fun to have).

More Miniblast. I did NOT see the romance between these two coming, but I do like it! I would love to see them go on a date, it would be so much fun to watch.

FIREMAN. WHERE DID HE GO??? I NEED ANSWERS!!!

Daini Redemption Arc. Yeah, it's the obvious one, but I'm not wrong!

If you have anything to add PLEASE reblog this and tell me, I'd love to see some of your concepts!

[sidworldfans]

Interview on Natalie Music 10.12.2023

In 2023, SID has been vigorously engaged in activities befitting the 20th anniversary of its formation. To close out this anniversary year, the first tribute album SID Tribute Album -Anime Songs- and a new single “Soyokaze” (Breeze) were recently released.

The tribute album is a unique project in which SID’s anime tie-up songs are covered by the voice actors who appeared in the anime. Daisuke Ono, Romi Park, Masakazu Morita, Haruka Tomatsu, Ayumu Murase, Sora Amamiya, and Jun Fukuyama are among the talented voice actors who have sung SID’s songs, and this spectacular lineup has become a topic of conversation among anime fans. “Soyokaze” released at the same time, is a ballad in which SID looks back on their journey and expresses their love for their fans in words and sound. Both works are like a gift from SID to their fans.

We asked the band members what they think as they head toward the finale of their anniversary with some stories related to these two works.

A Bad Idea Becomes Reality

In celebration of SID’s 20th anniversary, you have been holding various projects and live performances since January this year, and recently you released your first tribute album SID Tribute Album -Anime Songs-.

Mao (Vo): When we were thinking about whom to have sing our songs, I suggested to the staff: “Since SID has sung the openings and endings of many anime, why not have the voice actors who have appeared in the anime that SID has been involved with sing our songs?” However, I knew that it would be very difficult to implement this project. So, sometime later when I had forgotten about it, I was surprised when I was told they said yes!

Aki (B): The result is a premium album like no other.

Yuuya (Dr.): There aren’t many artists who release a tribute album of anime songs, and to have popular voice actors participate in it was really great. We’ve had a lot of feedback from our fans on social networking sites, and even people who are not our fans are getting excited about the album because the voice actors posted about it on X. It was a great opportunity for us to reaffirm that we are doing something valuable, and we were very excited about it.

Shinji (G): To be honest, I thought it would be impossible to make such a gorgeous album. That’s why I was just so happy to hear such amazing voice actors singing on the album

Then, please tell us what you think of the work as a whole one by one.

Mao: I am proud of the wide range of musical styles that we have created so far, and at the same time, I believe that this is SID’s weapon. I think we were able to show the results of that work in a different way here. Even though we had a variety of voice actors singing the songs this time, each song was unique. Of course, the voice actors themselves have great power, but I have a strong sense that we were able to draw out the power of the songs again at this time. The album as a whole is well put together, and you can feel the individuality of each song. It is such a work of art.

All the songs are great, so it is difficult to narrow it down, but if you had to pick one song, which would it be?

Mao: Uso sung by Romi Park (Edward Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist) was amazing. I could feel the tremendous amount of feeling she put into the song. I was surprised at how well Fullmetal Alchemist, Uso and Ms. Park’s voice came together to form a single piece. The acoustic arrangement was also unexpected and wonderful.

The arrangement is quite different from the original song, but it is not strange at all, and I could feel her respect for the song.

Mao: Yes, that’s right! I felt that she listened to the song carefully and sang it well, and more than anything, her voice matched the song.

Aki: As for my impression of the album as a whole, I don’t want to sound superior, but I genuinely felt that it was as good as I expected. Each cover is truly unique and extremely complete. I wonder if you would call it a microphone ride? It was wonderful. Everyone is a voice actor by profession, but they are all musicians in their own right. And, they didn’t sing their own songs. Even so, I could feel their love for the music and their passion for SID. I was really honored.

Of course they have a high level of singing technique, but more than that, I could feel how much they love music.

Aki: I was particularly impressed by Ayumu Murase (who voiced Mahmut in Altair; see also: SID’s Rasen no Yume), with whom I have talked before in Music Natalie. (See: SID’s “Rasen no Yume - a trio talk between Mao, Aki, and Ayumu Murase”). I know I wrote this song myself, but the melody is complicated and difficult to begin with. I was very happy to have Mr. Murase sing this song because he expressed it perfectly.

Shinji: When we were writing the song, I felt we had a good response to it, but when I hear other people play and sing it again, I can say to myself: “SID has a lot of good songs.” It is difficult to pick just one song, but I thought Ranbu no Melody was simply cool because Masakazu Morita’s voice (voicing Ichigo Kurosaki from BLEACH) really matched the song.

I had the impression that the guitar in Ranbu no Melody was played roughly. I felt that you carefully followed the same style.

Shinji: That’s right. Many of SID’s songs have a heavy guitar playing, but I remember playing this song roughly, as if it was a one-shot recording. I felt that he reproduced that atmosphere in the song. In terms of performance, Uso was also mentioned by Mao earlier. Of course, Ms. Park’s voice is great, but the guitarist playing this song is Mr. Kojun, who composed and played the guitar for “Brave”, the theme song for the fourth generation of the News Station. I have loved Kojun’s guitar playing for a long time, so much so that I bought his sheet music and copied it. I was happy to hear him play Uso and I thought it was really cool.

Yuuya: They (the voice actors) have a great understanding of SID’s music, and each arrangement shines through, making this album a great listen. If I had to choose one song, I would choose Anniversary by Haruka Tomatsu (who voices Morgiana in Magi). When a woman sings a song with such a bright atmosphere in a higher key, it makes it more gorgeous. I thought it was a nice touch, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well she got into it.

The scale of the song is further enhanced by Ms. Tomatsu’s voice, and I got the impression that the song is full of hope.

Yuuya: Yes, yes. The title of the song means “celebration” and it has a very bright and relaxed atmosphere that fits perfectly with the song. I was very drawn to it.

The word “Breeze” symbolizes all our fans

Along with the tribute album, SID released a new single “Soyokaze” (Breeze), your first single in about a year and nine months. Aki composed the music and Mao wrote the lyrics. The song has a gentle and warm melody.

Aki: I had exactly the image you just mentioned at the beginning. The song was called by that image. I wrote it with the hope that it would be a song that would gently push the audience back in time.

Was a song to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the band a key point in composing the song?

Aki: Yes, that’s right. We started from the point of: “Let’s make a new song for Budokan at the end of the year”, and we wrote the song and thought about the arrangement based on the keywords I mentioned earlier. As for the bass, it is not about technique. I wanted the arrangement to show the four of us playing together, and the groove that is unique to SID, and I hoped the song would bring those elements to the forefront.

I felt that the lyrics are appropriate for the 20th anniversary, as they reflect the many years that you have spent together. What did you have in mind when you wrote the lyrics?

Mao: First of all, I wanted the lyrics to be representative of the 20th anniversary. Looking back over the years, I wanted to write lyrics that I honestly felt and that I could write only now. The main point is that I wrote the song Binetsu when we were indies, and I wrote it with the image of the story that led up to it. The phrase “How many albums is it now?” is almost exactly the same as in the lyrics of Binetsu.

 “Blue and spring blended and fused together in a daze, from the open album slowly, slowly to the next page”, right?

Mao: I like this song very much because I think it is because we have worked hard together with our fans for 20 years to make this kind of expression possible. The title of the song “Breeze” was chosen because I thought of a word that symbolizes the fans, and for me, they are like a gentle breeze that comfortably watches over me and gently caresses my cheeks. At times they became a tailwind, cheering me on in various ways. I was happy to be able to express that in the title.

Was there a scene that came to your mind while writing the lyrics?

Mao: It reminded me of all the live performances we have done. Especially when we were standing in live houses day after day. The early days of touring with just one car are still vivid in my memory. I also experienced some bad times as a vocalist, so I wrote the lyrics in a positive way so that I could leave both the sour and the sweet in the lyrics.

I thought the lyrics of Soyokaze were very direct, even among the songs you have written.

Mao: Not that I was very conscious of that, but all the phrases came out naturally. When recording the song, I thought it would be best to sing in a straightforward manner to convey the straightforward lyrics, so I was conscious of my unadorned singing voice. I didn’t want to use any complicated techniques, but rather to use my own straightforward singing voice.

All band members can relate to it

Regarding the guitar play in Soyokaze, you have included many characteristic phrases in the intro, interludes, and other places.

Shinji: Aki said he didn’t push the technical part too much but for the guitar, there are many phrases that move around quite a bit. There are arpeggios and phrases that you have to memorize or you will be left behind. The arrangement is comfortable, and the phrases appear in between the singing, so although it is challenging, it is fun to play.

Shinji, what do you think of Soyokaze?

Shinji: It is a very good song, and the first line of the lyrics, “A Hiace that holds nothing but dreams” really grabbed my heart. It’s a phrase that all band members can relate to. I thought it was very chic to start the song with such a phrase. When I listen to this song, I picture myself carrying equipment up and down steep stairs in a cramped live music club, and at the end of the song, holding a can of coffee.

Yuuya, your singing-like drumming is also wonderful.

Yuuya: The entire song is a pop song, but it doesn’t go too far in a gentle direction. I wanted to show in the songs the attitude that we have had as a rock band for many years. We had not released a single song this year, and I think it was right to release a new song at the end of our 20th anniversary year. Among such songs, Soyokaze has a feeling that is typical of us, gentle and pleasant to the ear. I think it is very SID-like that we were able to create such a song for the people who support us.

20th anniversary blessed with good timing

This year has been a year full of topics such as the tour and the release of the complete box set SID 20th Anniversary BOX.

Mao: First of all, I was very happy to be able to work energetically as SID. We received a lot of positive feedback from our fans on tour and on social networking sites. I was especially impressed by the wonderful smiles that greeted us wherever we went on tour. 20 years of hard work has resulted in those smiles, and it was a very enjoyable year for me, too.

Aki: This year started and ended with live performances, and the members were able to enjoy the lively atmosphere that is typical of the 20th anniversary.

Is there anything in particular that has left a lasting impression on you?

Aki: There was a great sense of relief that we had successfully completed two big tours, including the ones we had left to do. Despite the various restrictions, we were able to move in the right direction and finish the tour together with our fans, which might be a matter of course, but it made me very happy.

I think the fact that you were able to lift the ban on vocal expression at the live shows for the first time in three years also contributed to the sense of fulfillment during the tour.

Aki: That’s right. During the period when we couldn’t speak, our fans were cheering us on, and we were able to experience the joy of being released from that situation together with them.

Shinji: This year we were able to do our regular live tours, and we were also able to do projects that were different from our usual ones, experiences that we’ve never had before. I like to spend a year just performing live, but I feel that this year was an opportunity for me to become an asset for SID in the future.

What was particularly memorable for you?

Shinji: The acoustic live and talk-style tour (SID 20th Anniversary Premium FANMEETING TOUR 2023). We had done such live performances before, but this was the first time to do it as a tour. I remember thinking: “I want to give the same song a different expression” or something like that as we went around.

Yuuya: I also feel that the 20th anniversary was a fulfilling time for me. We were able to successfully complete the tour of “Umibe” which we had left unfinished. We started out the album tour standing in a live house, whereas most of our tours are held in halls. Looking back, I am glad that we were allowed to use our voices on stage, and that we were able to create a stage that suited the live music venue.

It seems like fate that you were allowed to speak out during the 20th anniversary year, doesn’t it?

Yuuya: That’s right. If last year or the year before had been the 20th anniversary year, there would have been many things we couldn’t have done, and we would have been left with unfinished business. I think the timing was very good. And this year was the year when we realized that there were still many things that we had not done yet. We had never done a costume exhibition before, we did a fan meeting tour for the first time, and it has been a really good year.

Toward “Our Most Favorite Place”

To conclude the 20th anniversary, SID 20th Anniversary GRAND FINAL “Our Most Favorite Place” will be held at Budokan on December 27.

Yuuya: While it feels like a last celebration, it may be conventional, but I hope to give a high-energy live performance that will convey to everyone the momentum toward the 21st year.

Shinji: This year, I have felt a lot of gratitude towards everyone. At Budokan, I want to show “cool SID” to the fans who have followed us this far. It’s a simple thing. It would be great if we could do that in a bigger venue.

Aki: From my point of view, I would like the day to be the culmination of 20 years and to give people a sense of the future. I think the title “Our Most Favorite Place”, which we have been using since the live house tour, is an important title for both us and our fans, so I hope we can deliver a passionate stage performance to each and every one of them so that they can feel as close to us as in a live house, in a good way.

Mao: Lately I have been thinking a lot about how to convey my feelings to my fans who have supported me for 20 years, and to the people who would gather at Budokan. I’ve been wondering what kind of live show they want to see. I thought that the best way to repay them would be to give them the kind of live performance they wanted to see, and I came to the conclusion that me singing happily would be the best way for them to see me. I have had a lot of difficulties along the way, and I have shown my fans that I have had a hard time, but I think it would be best if I could show them the vocalist Mao of SID who is just having fun and enjoying himself at Budokan, which marks the 20th anniversary of the band. For that reason, I will work hard and enjoy the Budokan as the culmination of my efforts. I hope we can have a good finale.

What are your thoughts about your activities after Budokan, starting from the 21st year?

Aki: I think it would be good to start with what we didn’t do during the 20th anniversary. I would like to do things that fans could enjoy, such as live performances and events that can only be done by a band with a long career, including things we couldn’t do during the 20th anniversary year.

Mao: That’s right. We know what our fans want us to do and what kind of SID they want to see, so we want to continue to do that. However, if we just meet the expectations, there will be no sense of surprise. I think we can continue to have fun together in the future if we can strike a good balance by including things about which people might think: “No way!”

Yuuya: I think we have been thinking in our own way and have carried out plans that excited everyone at key points in the past, and our special attempt for the 20th anniversary year will be completed on December 27. I am sure you will feel a sense of loneliness, just like when a trip is over. That is why I would like to start the exciting journey from the 21st year without leaving a gap in time.

Shinji: As for what the three of you said: “You’re going to do something like this!” or “That’s what I’ve been waiting for!” - I would like to do something that will surprise and delight everyone. Thank you for your continued support of SID.

The original article with images: https://natalie.mu/music/pp/sid08

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

5Ds is an enigma that has utterly fried my brain

Okay, okay, get this. 5Ds is not only the only YGO that I believe is better in dub (I’ve warmed up to the dubs recently but I still think the subs are better), it’s also the only Yugioh series that has a better first half than second half. Yes, that includes Arc V. I thought Arc V was pretty consistently enjoyable. I always see people say Arc V had a great first half but the second half/ending completely dropped the ball and ruined everything. Guess what? To me, that statement applies to 5Ds.

Disclaimer: I haven’t seen the slew of undubbed episodes in the middle of the WRGP or the final arc, Arc Cradle, because they’re sub exclusive and the 5Ds sub is a terribly boring thing that I have no interest in returning to if it’s not Jack/Carly or Aki related. Still, I’m gonna do an “overview” of... basically the 5Ds dub.

(Rest of the overview under the cut)

Okay, so first of all, I take back… some of what I said in my initial overview of part one. Not everything. My critique of the Aki’s parents plotline and everything that happened in Akiza vs Misty still stands. Also, I don’t know if I mentioned these things in my overview or not but I’ll say them here: the Devack duel and spirit world nonsense are really boring and honestly, anytime Yugioh does a prison plotline it’s boring as shit, I don’t know what it is but both the prison arcs in 5Ds and Arc V really bore me. I have nearly all the same narrative problems with that first half that I did back then. HOWEVER. What I do take back is everything I said about the story and characters not grabbing me.

Even in the sub I found the Fortune Cup to be entertaining. Leo and Luna are entertaining if somewhat annoying kids and Aki was a fascinating badass. And Dark Signers. Holy shit this arc is where 5Ds absolutely soars. This story is a fucking epic. I didn’t realise it in the sub because despite liking some of the characters and knowing there was good stuff in front of me, I couldn’t connect with the characters. I found most of them to be boring mouthpieces to a generic overly serious story. It just felt like we were going through the YGO motions without any of the personality. The dub doesn’t have this problem at all. 4Kids’ habit of making the characters and dialogue sillier actually did wonders for 5Ds. The dub is just… fun. Because it adds moments of levity that weren’t there in the sub. They allow us to see the characters just… being people which makes it so much easier to connect with them. They talk like real people, Leo and Luna argue and pick on each other like real siblings, the goddamn villains have moments where they feel like people, even if only for a few moments. Also, I genuinely really love many of the voices. Crow and Yusei have really fitting raspy voices, I love the way Carly’s voice sounds very awkward normally but becomes full of confidence when she’s a Dark Signer. 

Kalin’s actor is having the time of his life and it makes me have so much fun watching him, oh my god I’ll get to how much I love this man.

And many of the other characters have voices that I just enjoy listening to and add so much more personality to previously dry characters. Lazar is hilarious in the dub, Sayer’s voice has no right being that cool but my god he completely nails the soft calming voice, I can completely see how he was able to manipulate people and oddly enough? The thing that got me invested in the Dark Signers arc when I watched the dub (because I originally only intended to have this on in the background while I was working) wasn’t any of the duels. It was the scene where Goodwin was explaining the backstory of the Crimson Dragon and how it defeated the Earthbound Immortals:

I remember getting randomly sucked into it and to this day I’m not sure why. I think on a basic level I just liked the dub actor’s voice but also the way it’s explained in the dub just… really grabbed me. I had seen the arc in sub but I truly experienced it in dub. And what an experience it was.

Looking back on it, I honestly can’t believe I ever dissed the Yusei vs Kalin stuff because honestly? It’s just as good and emotionally investing as the Jack/Carly plot. Kalin is insanely entertaining in the dub. His over the top cackling and silly lines delivered in this delightfully gleeful crazy voice got me attached to him pretty much the moment I saw him. I absolutely love crazy sadistic villains when they’re done right and they really knocked it out of the park with this guy. He is hilarious and a good threat and my god the backstory with him and Yusei and the Enforcers is fantastic. I did not give enough credit to them for tackling the idea of extremism and showing how extremist views/actions can result from what was originally a good cause. Also, I just genuinely see where Kalin is coming from at times. Why the FUCK would you run when you’re public enemy number 1 on an island you can’t leave that’s controlled by the very people you’re running from?! No shit that didn’t work! Also, while it was completely in Yusei’s right to, he did still abandon Kalin so I totally get how Kalin believed that Yusei turned him in. Yusei betrayed his own core value of never leaving a friend which makes the moment where he does reach out to save Kalin during their duel all the more powerful. It’s honestly just as fantastic a duel/narrative as Jack/Carly (which I’ve praised excessively in the past so I won’t repeat myself here) and I’m sorry I didn’t see that sooner.

Crow vs Greiger is also fantastic, I love that both of their motivations are wanting to get revenge on behalf of their families and how this duel helped both of them overcome that desire that had consumed them- and oh my god, Dark Signers has issues for sure but the good stuff is downright fantastic.

So this first part of 5Ds is pretty good overall. It has some damming issues that hold it back from being truly amazing but the parts I loved I really really loved.

And now for part 2…

Not gonna lie, I was actually really enjoying part 2 for a good chunk of it. Yes, I hate the Carly thing. Her involvement was cut back and her and Jack’s confessions were undone not because of any real life drama like a certain rumour may have you believe but because of bad writing. Because why have two people in a healthy loving relationship when Jack can instead be oblivious to having a harem of mindless women instead?

Uuuuuuugh.

Okay, but that aside, I really enjoyed the parts leading up to the WRGP. Yes it’s much lighter and there’s a lot of filler but like the early portions of GX, the characters here are likeable enough to make the filler episodes fun and charming. I love Yusei, Jack, and Crow quipping with each other like brothers, I love the kids turbo duelling on rollerskates, I love Yusei instantly becoming attached to Bruno, I love the fact that Lazar gets distracted from important heists by the wonders of noodles. And AKIZA MY BELOVED.

I made a whole post about how much I adore the episode where she learns to turbo duel. I love how we see every step of her growth into a turbo duelist and that they allow her to make mistakes during that journey. And her friends are so supportive of her the whole way and it’s incredibly wholesome…

If only they’d done literally anything substantial with her learning to turbo duel in the next arc.

Okay, sorry, I gotta talk about negatives now. Because while I really enjoyed the stuff leading up to the WRGP, the nosedive this thing took the moment the tournament began is so sharp it astounds me. Because my one big problem with that pre-WRGP arc is Accel Synchro. Because quite frankly it makes no sense. The villains have an ability to steal Synchro monsters so you’d think the solution would be to use something other than to Synchro summon. But no. They decided the best solution to this cool roadblock would just be to synchro summon synchro monsters together, which is just a harder synchro summon that could still get your monsters stolen if you don’t do it all in one turn. But I handwaved this at first. Because I figured they just didn’t want another summoning mechanic to overshadow the one this show was made for-

OH GOD FUCKING DAMMIT.

Nope, that god awful boring put me to sleep Team Unicorn arc that was an insult to Aki’s character and women in YGO in general had the AUDACITY to have Yusei easily and with no explanation summon a fusion monster, something that wouldn’t be targeted by the Synchro stealing effect of the main villains and proceeds to NEVER USE IT AGAIN. When he’s in a situation where he needs to counter the synchro stealing, I was SCREAMING at the screen for him to use the Fusion monster he easily summoned quite literally a few episodes ago but he proceeds to do the much harder Accel synchro bullshit that even fails him once because of how stupid it is and all my investment in this plotline died. Just like that.

This plothole, and Aki’s honestly insulting treatment, completely took me out of the story and honestly, it made me feel like I was watching those subbed episodes again. I was just… so bored and uninterested. The characters still have their moments in the following episodes but it wasn’t enough to grab me or make me feel anything toward the WRGP arc apart from feeling like I was wasting my time. To be completely fair though… The final duel isn't bad.

I enjoy the concept of Aporia and I admire the attempt 4Kids made to make this feel final since, for reasons I don’t fully understand, they weren’t able to dub the final arc. I do feel like I got an ending, unlike the GX dub ending which didn’t even try to be conclusive. There are still loose ends to the dub but that’s just kind of inevitable. I don’t feel any desire to sacrifice anymore of my life points to this show when I don’t feel like it will yield anything positive for me. 5Ds for me ended with Carly taking pictures of everyone in celebration after the floating temple in the sky disappeared.

Or better yet, it ended right here:

Yeah, I’ll admit, I just wanted to end this overview on a positive note by talking about pretty much the only part of 5Ds I’d recommend people watch after Dark Signers last. Okay, besides the Akiza motorcycle episode. But anyways, Crash Town. I love this arc. Yes, it’s out of nowhere as fuck and the wild west theme is jarring at first. But you know what? I don’t give a fuck because this arc gave us MORE KALIN. I love Kalin’s arc in these episodes. The dub barely pulls any punches here. Apparently he’s explicitly suicidal in the sub but honestly, dub!Kalin is so self deprecating and obsessed with punishing himself for everything he did that I was already getting a suicidal vibe from him so this change doesn’t bother me at all. It’s clear he feels like he has nothing to live for and just wants to be punished for how he hurt Yusei and it’s heart-wrenching. But he finds new purpose in life through essentially being like an adopted older brother to those kids and that’s wholesome.

Like I said, this is how 5Ds ended for me. Akiza learned to turbo duel, Yusei finally got closure with Kalin, who has begun to heal and become a better person, and the characters I love have found happiness in their new home in Domino City.

Overall, I’m torn. 5Ds has some of the highest highs of any Yugioh yet simultaneously the lowest lows of any Yugioh. I do think I enjoyed more episodes than I didn’t but despite initially enjoying the first part of season 2, they’re not quite good enough for me to want to go back and rewatch them. Again, aside from Crashtown and Akiza turbo duelling. So… I don’t think I can give a definitive statement on 5Ds as a whole. I really loved some parts and really hated other parts. The first half I can say is overall good, heck Dark Signers I’d go as far as to call great but the second half… fuck everything in it besides the funny moments, Akiza turbo duelling, and Crashtown.

[antiherotheantisocial]

should i watch chainsaw man ?? what do u think of it

i'm really not the best person to ask akxjsmux i have a lot of feelings but idk how to express them other than yes you should definitely watch it lmaoo plus the meme quality the csm community creates is EXQUISITE 😭😭😭

i think it's a great story of exploitation and the complexities of attempting to reconcile with existential dread and the loneliness it leaves on people. denji starts the series with such a great aimlessness almost, and he doesn't really see past futile desires until later developing more meaningful relationships with other characters who have in some ways faced the same exploitation as him. that along with the surrounding world of devils and the overall general tone of futility makes for a sharp realization of a satisfactory complacency, and along with it, the quiet animosity and grief of disengaging with the novelty of goals you plan to share with those around you presently, unbeknownst that circumstances often do change.

i reaaaaaaaally love something pochita says at the end of part 1 that really resonates as to why i like the characters in csm so much.....especially denji and makima....but refraining from posting because super spoilers 😔

the pacing is probably my biggest complaint with it as a series and i'm always quite picky in regards to action/fight scenes so while i wouldn't by any means regard it to be one of the best things i've read, it's been a really fun read for me and i've been thoroughly enjoying seeing the series animated. having read the manga, i really have so much more love for the characters now and especially kobeni, aki, and of course denji. 🫶 makima.....i love her omg i hate her soooo fucking much fr ugh i cannoooooot 🙄💕

anyways the anime has been really good tho! i don't have any significant complaints with it honestly! the voice actors have been absolutely phenomenal for each of the characters so far, each of the endings being unique and awesome, the fact that the transition of the story has been so smooth and the devils have been animated with such care....mappa has done a great job in my opinion so i'd say give it a watch!

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

aki and obie already super close getting my aki obie ship and julien best girl love of my life never did anything wrong in new life

luna really is just there for the one liners and contributes nothing to the show like I said and y’all jumped me she’s just background noise lol!

and Monet truly Blair daughter and Julien Serena daughter! Like the show so far its good the acting was actually better then expect and they are right audrey and aki are the worst actors on the show! Julien is so nice and good an this kid bitc* zoya just gonna backstab her

not these people jumping my man calling him freak and nasty because zoya freshman and defending my girl honor as they should glad to see the everyone loves and are on my girl side as they should she’s perfect!

why does luna mouth movie like that she’s lucky she’s pretty because what even was that she can’t act fine but her face and mouth just moving like that and saying the lines, her words and mouth aren’t in sync same problem with Audrey Aki + their voices so annoying too

so aki Audrey and Max was just there for the sex drugs part of the show they literally contributed nothing luna was there for the tall mean girl who just exists for no reason and everyone else the show was about them we love to see it literally my 3/4 favs + zoya cool

critics aren’t wrong but also the audience aren’t it’s actually true

what happened to I don’t see freshman luna just makes no sense so far she’s just tall pretty and mean nothing more at least monet is mean and pretty with purpose and GGR isnt as brutal as the OG, the drama isn’t as dramatic nor big as the OG it was so tame it wasnt even drama

Nate Archibald name drop 5 mins in and he the only one they remembered so true king forgot dan just like that and he did all that gg bs for him to be so forgettable lmao Nate stay winning

the teacher are so cool yes let’s bully these horrible kids they never came at my girl JC hard so it’s cool! love to see them bullying zoya more also y’all said y’all wanted bullying mess drama meanness now u got it why so mad not only teens can be allowed to be mean! as they should y’all wanted mess and meanness and y’all love seeing kids bullyin their teacher but now that the teachers stand up for themselves do just small fraction off what this ass8hole kids put them trough daily y’all mad its called  its supposed to be messy mean

why should they get fired them kids was doing all that and getting the teachers fired for not giving them the grade they wanted and now y’all mad the teacher are standing up for themselves! It’s #GossipGirl  its supposed to be messy overall just wrong so it’s great it’s on brand so the kids arent weird getting them fired calling them names and bullying them for existing but now that the teacher won’t take y’all think they are weirdos also arent y’all always saying I would bully slap kids on line idc they shouldnt try me if they cant handle it

the way they did nothing but be background noise and be the sex drugs part of the OG show so people wouldnt complain that it’s missing! at least max helped with some drama twice the other two did absolutely nothing but breathe

the Chuck and Chair name drop! everyone knows chair Blair and Chuck as individuals too is the most iconic thing that’s ever come out of TV history! #GossipGirl  the way it’s been 10+ years and people still remember all their scenes and words! can you say legendary! now I miss them I need them back as cameo fast please

the way I know y’all never watched the OG if u think the teachers posting some pics saying some words are bad when grown people were selling blackmailing and forcing the OG characters for sex then y’all wouldn’t speak on these bada88 teachers taking back their power

where’s monet is lesbian y’all was just saying that and the way she looked at max and obie she for sure most be bi! y’all said she was gonna say she’s lesbian in the show but she hasn’t and no official acc have said so I’ll keep headcanon her BI until it’s confirmed by an official acc cast

the teacher taking back their power so true of them sure it’s a little weird but it’s way better then adults blackmailing forcing teens into sex! y’all think kids can just keep pushing teachers over and they let it slide always without breaking them awful rich kids treated them bad an the teachers had their last straw I think they even went easy should be more brutal cruel

[fishylife]

Thoughts on Street Dance of China 4 episode 2

(Aka Fishy is screencapping shows again. I’m screencapping straight from Youtube so sorry for the shoddy cut off screencaps but blame Youtube for having their player bar cover the video. I’ve never understood that because it’s always in the way.)

(Also Episode 2 part 1 is really just “How many times can Han Geng and Henry hug” and the answer is “as many times as they want”)

- Not really sure why Henry chose Anissa and Tuzi for the 2 vs. 2 battle, especially since Anissa was really not confident about it :( I felt really bad for Anissa because she seemed super nervous!!!!! I just hope that she doesn’t lose enthusiasm and that she can continue to enjoy the rest of the competition v.v

- Kelo and Uwa were extremely impressive though. Like, the way they move together is so awesome and cool.

- Among the dancers, Xiao Jie is actually really good at speaking. No wonder he gets interviewed a lot, because he’s able to describe the dancers to us layfolk, but he is also very smiley and entertaining.

- How dare Yixing be this cute 😤😤😤 He’s definitely far more relaxed when he’s just a spectator, that’s for sure. He was laughing at all the jokes and awkward moments and generally so much more animated when just part of the sidelines.

- Henry covering his mouth because he was enjoying Xiaohai’s performance was pretty cute too, not gonna lie.

- I liked San’er from episode 1, so I was cheering for him when he participated in the 3 vs. 3 battle lol. But it was really interesting to hear the conversation when Wang Yibo asked his team why San’er lost the battle. Ye Yin and Liangliang told him that to the judges who are old school, they care less for explosiveness, and more for actual skill, and while San’er’s performance might’ve looked really exciting to the average viewer, that’s not what the old school judges look for.

- So apparently Lil Kev plays a lot of mind games, and we saw that during his battle against Bozi. So he’s like...the Brad Marchand of breaking lol.

- Are...are we gonna comment on this hug between Poppin’C and Xiaohai? Lmao

- What are they being so cute for. (Also don’t @ me but Bunta is....really cute)

- Is it just me, or did we get fewer behind-the-scenes practice clips this time for Han Geng vs. Henry compared to Yixing vs. Yibo? Particularly for the 5 vs. 5 battle.

- Dimple alert. (Sorry I know this is a Han Geng vs. Henry battle but Yixing just looks so freaking cute today)

- Han Geng.....has a really soft and gentle voice (it is simping hours up in the fishy house okay). He speaks particularly quietly during his one-person interviews and his voice is so pleasant to listen to in those clips.

- Henry was talking about how he wanted to do that move with Poppin’C where they’d lean back on each other’s knees and do a wave with their arms. For some reason that move struck me as something that was very Henry like. He just strikes me as the kind of guy who uses a lot of waves and smooth-looking moves in his dances.

- Also lol @ Henry being “non fatigue!” That Ontario French curriculum at work.

- Han Geng and Henry trash talking each other except it just turns into a walk down memory lane about how Han Geng used to take care of Henry.

- Don’t even act surprised, y’all knew I was going to screenshot this.

- Kitty is amused.

- Of course Han Geng would end his routine with a big ol’ hug. What a huge softie.

- I did think that Han Geng and Xiaohai were kind of a rough duo because even if they were in sync, it was hard to tell because of the height difference. Actually, I spent a lot more time focusing on Han Geng, especially towards the end when the rest of the team crowded around them and he was visibly one of the taller ones.

- Henry’s move where he stood on Poppin’C’s thighs was super cool!! His performance was just super fun to watch. I felt like I was having a good time along with them haha.

- Please sir, may I have more hugs?

- I think Han Geng and Xiaohai’s second performance was better because it relied less on being in sync performing the same actions. However, at this point, Poppin’C and Henry have kind of created a specific brand (TM) for themselves, like they are so uniquely charming to watch, so they have firmly won me over Han Geng and Xiaohai’s team.

- Running into a hug? Are you kidding me, Lau Hin-wah???

- More

- Not only is this show cashing in on the Suju/Suju M fans, it is definitely going to pull in new fans with the Han Geng/Henry ship lol.

- Yixing spinning to get up.

- It is just so goddamn natural for them to be so close to each other. Also Han Geng said that his waist is feeling iffy from that popping ^^;; Old man joints

- Lifting Han Geng’s shirt to look at his patch...

- One of the dancers on Han Geng’s team was crying because he made a mistake in the 5 vs. 5 battle and Han Geng is like why are you crying? And gave him a playful slap on the shoulder.

- Why is that the ads done by the dancer contestants are so much more entertaining than the professional ads (the ads with mainstream celebrities or with professional actors).

- Henry’s written the pinyin on top of the Chinese names of his team members. Better safe than sorry, you know?

- Lmao how dare they bully Tengzai and Shitou by making them talk XD

- I think that when Henry assigns his team members to certain battles, he is thinking more about the combination of styles, rather than the skill level or  synchronization. When he assigned Anissa and Tuzi to the 2 vs. 2 battle, he wanted to try out the East vs. West approach, but the opposing duo of Kelo and Uwa had a lot more history together and were obviously better as a collective unit. When it came to Chen Mo and Waiwai, he was interested in seeing a waacking duo. In theory I think I know what Henry was trying to imagine, but I think it is difficult to have a really intense waacking duo because it’d be hard to synchronize very high speed arm movements. In the end, they went with some moves that were simpler, and I think that’s why they lost out to Tengzai and Shitou. That being said, Henry did win his first battle against Han Geng. I think it’s just the 2 vs 2 battles that are his weakness. The 3 vs. 3 battles are really just individual battles, and the 5 vs. 5 battles are usually made up of dancers who are used to routine group dances as opposed to solo or duo dancers.

- A quick word about the judge Icee. His name in Chinese is 王冰冰. The 冰冰 part is self explanatory enough (冰 means ice), so where does the 王 come from? I read somewhere (I forgot where), but apparently his wife’s surname is 王, so he just took on her surname for his Chinese name. Don’t know how true that is, but I think that’s cute.

- So often I see Bunta and Ibuki having fun and cheering on other people, whether it’s their own team members or dancers on other teams.

- Less than a second flashback of Zitao from a previous season v.v Please producers...let us have a LayTao reunion....please....I beg....

- The 5 vs. 5 battle between Yixing and Henry’s teams was pretty fun to watch, probably because the song was so hype lol.

- The leader battles between Yixing and Henry were really entertaining too though.

- The first piece of music for Henry and Yixing’s leader battles was very very cool. Like, it was just a nice piece of music to listen to, and I think that the kind of music it was gave way to rather creative interpretations. Henry and Han Yu went for a more story-based approach, whereas Yixing and MT Pop focused more on an aesthetic. I preferred Yixing and MT Pop’s performance here.

- Henry and Han Yu also had a pretty solid performance for the second song. As for Mingming and Gumball, they didn’t really perform “together,” because they were both doing their own thing, but their individual performances were interesting. (Also let us acknowledge, nothing gets Yixing turnt like KRUMP XD He was so into the performance haha)

- I was so caught up in the euphoria of Henry/Han Geng that I forgot that Henry and Yixing also had a past history, but I think their friendship probably mostly existed off screen. They were from different groups after all, but we also know how low key Yixing has always been. Even if they were bffs we never would’ve known. I also remember on Back to Field, Yixing said that Henry helped him install and set up his music software, so they probably have some kind of rapport on the music side. But yeah, it just seemed like Yixing was rather formal about it all, calling Henry his 哥哥/前輩. And Henry seemed to look at Yixing like his son lol. He was like oh look at Yixing and how far he’s come, etc.

- Xiao Jie said that he’d battled Hilty & Bosch 14 years ago, which means that Xiao Jie isn’t that young, which may be why he’s so chill lmao. Anyway, Xiao Jie is a very entertaining dancer to watch, and he worked well with Shen Zihao. But of course, HB are formidable themselves as well and their chemistry is just too too good. And they’re just incredibly clean dancers.

- Yibo went over to Han Geng to scope out who he was going to send out for their battle. Xiao Jie tried to warn Han Geng about this but he was too late and Yibo already made his attack. But the entire interaction between Yibo and Han Geng was so lols because it was so strange lmao. Yibo was straight up like “who are you going to send out during the battle?” And Han Geng kept thinking that Yibo was trying to play mind games and use that to gleam other information from him. So Han Geng’s answer ended up being really confusing too, he was like “if that’s what you’ve decided I’ll follow your lead.” The thing about Han Geng is that he is too senior for Yibo to clown on, so he is actually being serious, and Han Geng is trying to keep things light haha. (I think Yibo would totally be his normal gremlin self to Yixing and Henry, but Han Geng is like the next tier up from them both.)

- LMAO Aki-san calling out Tony-san for being older than him XD And Tony Gogo was like what have I ever done to you??? I love Aki-san hahahaha.

- Okay Aki-san vs. Nelson was pretty awesome, but SO WAS BORIS vs. ZYKO???? Holy crap that was sooo much fun to watch because like....human bodies can bend that way? And Boris and Zyko aren’t small guys, so it was insanely awesome to watch.

- Side note, Boris’ Mandarin is pretty good. I looked him up and on his Instagram he says he lives in Shanghai, so it makes sense that his Chinese is good enough for everyday communication. In one part of the show he was instruction Yibo on dancing and like, he was not stuttering at all.

- Wait, Han Geng says that he’s known Yibo for 10 years :o So I just looked him up and it turns out Han Geng has been with Yuehua Entertainment since 2010, so I think the math makes sense. Wow, how time flies. He always such a dad though, he’s always like, the top priority is fun and happiness!!! And honestly, he’s right. Like, what is this show if not just a huge dance showcase more than an actual competition?

- Physically impossible for Han Geng not to hug his didis.

- I love that in a dance party full of dancers, some will still choose to slow dance like this.

- Of course Henry will come and praise his gege. (ft. Nelson in the right lol)

- Yo I love Rochka. He’s one of the chillest guys there.

- The kids’ performance was cute :3 Their little jumpsuits uwu

- Also one of the kids was Shitou’s daughter and it was absolutely hilarious how he still introduces her in the most monotonous and neutral voice and he was like “please give her some encouragement” in the most low energy voice ever XD The b-boying kids were super legit though. Oh and apparently Xiao Jie’s son was one of the dancers too :3 Somebody was like “yo Xiao Jie isn’t that your son?” and he was like “lol yeah.” XD Aren’t they cute?

[meownotgood]

aki giving you the princess treatment.. nails, hair, new clothes everything he loves spoiling you </3

i have a lot to say so i think i’ll brand myself as 🐈‍⬛ anon if that’s okay? :3

aki spoiling you...... aki spoiling you.........

he learns how to do nails so he can do them for you himself. his face looks so focused as he delicately holds your hand and carefully applies nail polish and nail stickers. aki picked out everything he needed at the store earlier, so he tells you to keep your eyes closed until he's done so you can be surprised by your new look.

he does your hair for you, too. aki gives you a little trim, he brushes and styles your hair to make it nice and pretty. if you want him to braid it, curl it, whatever you'd like, he'll learn how to do it so he can make you look beautiful.

and once you're ready to go, he takes you out to buy new clothes. the cost is all on him, of course. he'll drive you to the mall, or whatever store you've been dying to check out. he pays close attention while you pick out the clothes you like, he takes note of what sizes you wear, so he knows what to buy for you in the future. he also loves to sit outside the dressing room and have you step out to show him how you look, or to ask him what his opinion is (although he's always gonna say you look beautiful in everything).

[juanitasupreme]

GGRB characters ranking:

Monet and Luna: prettiest, funniest, meanest, best delivery, best dressed... yeah I had to stan. All of this and they barely have screentime can y’all imagine. I honestly wouldn’t watch this show without them and they aren’t getting shit 😔. The writers better realise who the people want to see! But I have hope since *wendy williams’ voice* once upon a time there was a little girl named Wendy who watched glee and saw background characters rise from the doom of no storyline’s to prosperity.

Aki : my poor meow meow, my little silly rabbit. He deserves the world and better than Audrey or Max (I don't care about the trouple).

Julien: they couldn't make me hate my sister! She is truly a good woman

Zoya: honestly she makes me laugh and is quick on her feet. Perhaps she is annoying sometimes but people are truly extra in hating on her.

Max: now this man is on time out because I saw too much of him and he also outed Aki. I want to know what the hairstylist got against the actor to make him look this old.

Audrey: now I don’t even dislike this yt girl because I do find her funny and enjoy her to a certain extent, but I honestly don’t care about her. Idc about her going broke, idc about her mama and idc about that trouple.

Obie: yes this privileged man is annoying. Dating sisters, having weird mommies issues, thinking that he is woke when he could give his money. I do hope the writers will at least give him one quality

The teachers: do I like them being gg ? Yes lol. Are they losers ? Yes. Do they deserve jail time ? Yes.

Rafa: JAIIIIIIILLLLL. Why this man is getting that much screentime too ? I’ve had enough

[medea10]

My Review of Little Witch Academia

Atsuko Kagari (nicknamed Akko) has always had a fascination with witches. Or should I say one particular witch! When she was a child, she saw a magic performance done by a famous witch named Shiny Chariot. After that, Akko decided then and there that she was going to become a witch just like Shiny Chariot. So when she became a teenager, she got the opportunity to enroll at Luna Nova Magical Academy. While this school has primarily been a place for witch’s only to hone on their skills, due to financial issues they opened the school up to non-magic users. And Akko has no magic in her whatsoever!

We follow the antics of Akko as she tries to survive in a witch academy. During her time she’s managed to snag a wand that was once owned by Shiny Chariot (which she plans to return to), meet friends like Lotte and Sucy, start a rival with the school star Diana Cavendish, get one-on-one training from Professor Ursula (who has her own kind of past), and learn everything there is to know about becoming a great witch. But Akko is going to have a tough time because like I said, she has no magic in her whatsoever! BETWEEN THE SUB AND THE DUB: As I mentioned at the beginning, this series is under the thumb of Netflix (in every country). I haven’t had the opportunity to check out the subtitled version. As for the dub…boy, Erica Mendez is getting the choice roles in Netflix exclusive animes. I can’t complain, the lady does fine work. Plus Netflix gives me a chance to hear other new voice actors and seiyuus. Some were big misses with me, but others (like Sucy’s voice) won me over. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from. JAPANESE CAST: *Akko is played by Megumi Han (known for Yamato on Ore Monogatari, Momiji on Fruits Basket 2019, Kagari on Steins;Gate 0, Rio on YGO Zexal, and Chie on Tokyo Ghoul) *Sucy is played by Michiyo Murase *Lotte is played by Fumiko Orikase (known for Dianthe on Pokemon XY, Kyubei on Gintama, Riza on FMA: Brotherhood, Seras Victoria on Hellsing, Shirley on Code Geass, Rukia on Bleach, and Aki on Inazuma Elven) ENGLISH CAST: *Akko is played by Erica Mendez (known for Ryuko on Kill la Kill, Haruka/Uranus on Sailor Moon redub, Emma on The Promised Neverland, Nico on Love Live, Yuuki on SAO II, Retsuko on Aggretsuko, and Tsubaki on Your Lie in April) *Sucy is played by Rachelle Heger *Lotte is played by Stephanie Sheh (known for Mikuru on Haruhi Suzumiya, Kuro on Blue Exorcist, Nui on Kill la Kill, Hinata on Naruto, Orihime on Bleach, Illiya on Fate/stay night, Yui on K-ON, and Usagi/Sailor Moon on Sailor Moon) FAVORITE CHARACTER: I know in stories like these I always root for the underdog and they end up my favorite character…buuuuuuut…

I like Sucy! Yeah, I like the little mischevious, mushroom-loving witch. And yes, I love the episode where Akko goes inside Sucy's subconscious and we see all the Sucy's inside Sucy.

DISLIKED CHARACTER: I knew I couldn’t really hate Diana! I think most of the hatred I shared at her direction for the majority of the season was because of those two cronies that hung around her. Those two were catty bitches and I just hate those kinds of characters. But nothing could compare to Diana’s bitch aunt.

God, fuck this woman! She literally tries to usurp Diana from taking over as head of the Cavendish family line. Just so she can give it to one of her bitch daughters! She’s seriously giving me Lady Tremaine vibes, it’s not even funny. You know it’s bad that I was rooting for them to die when they got into trouble. But Diana wasn’t going to let her bitch aunt and bitch cousins die so I should stop hoping for severe payback. SHIPPING: Hmm…the shipping category is going to be fun! I think it’s only because of that one episode that involves a bee sting and the person is smitten with the next person they see. And boy did Akko get her fill when not only Andrew falls for her, but Diana as well!

Actually, I have thoughts of Andrew really taking a shine to Akko. I honestly thought there would only be two interactions at the most between him and Akko during the show. But surprisingly, there were more. I’m not really a fan of this ship, but I still find it cute. Hell, even Lotte found a boy that was interested in her at one point. She turns him down, but he still holds out hope. Also a cute moment! Hmm…at the moment I’m an open multishipper for this series. If Akko ends up with Diana, cool man! If she ends up with Andrew, whatever, I can dig it! If Akko ends up with Amanda, more power to you (and I can totally see that because Amanda is giving me total lesbo-vibes). What do you expect, this is like an all-girls school!

You know what, I’m now leaning towards Akko x Amanda more than all the others. Don’t fight me on this, I just know I like it! ENDING: Up until the halfway point, a lot of the episodes are about Akko trying to make it as a witch. Did she surpass everyone’s doubts? While Akko was able to improve her magic a bit (I give it 5%), it’s not at the level as many of her classmates. I mean by episode 20, Akko still cannot fly a broom! That should tell you something. But what’s the one thing that seems to be missing from this series?

An antagonist? Yeah, in comes Professor Croix! And to many of the students, she feels like she’s able to bring witchcraft into today’s era with her technology driven methods. And Akko certainly has taken a shine to her. However, Professor Ursula can smell this woman’s bullshit a mile away. Ursula was once the classmate of Croix. But back then Ursula was known as… Oh come on, it was so bloody obvious the moment Ursula met Akko.

Ursula is really Shiny Chariot! Meanwhile, Akko ends up trying to speak these seven secret words that’ll unlock the wand she obtained in the first episode. You know, the wand that belonged to Shiny Chariot?! And Akko has managed to obtain six out of the seven secret words. She could be the one to get the seventh word, which was something Chariot was unable to do as a student. But this positivity ends with a looming war (over a soccer match) on the rise. In actuality, there’s a force around the town as well as certain moments at the school that have caused chaos. Yes, it’s Professor Croix exploiting people’s anger for her own research. Not only that, but she used Akko for her own selfish ambitions and as a result ended up injuring Shiny Chariot to a point of altering her magic (possibly permanently). That’s one thing. Then we get quite a big bombshell!

AKKO’S MAGIC: Ever wonder why Akko has like zero magic ability?! When she saw Shiny Chariot’s performance as a child, her dreams and potential magic were taken by Chariot in order to make her performances more magical (due to audience members becoming disinterested in Chariot’s magic). Akko’s magic was taken away from her before she could even realize a thing. Damn! And you can just imagine Akko’s heartache finding out that her professor was really Chariot and that Chariot did that to not just Akko, but other children! After Chariot found out what her magic shows were doing, she immediately fell off the map.

BACK TO THE CONCLUSION: One of Croix’s inventions went rogue and is officially threatening the world. And it’s up to Akko, Sucy, Lotte, Diana, Amanda, Constance, and Jasminka to catch up to this rogue missile invention. Now that Akko was able to obtain the seventh word, there’s a good chance they can take out Croix’s out of control missile. Croix thankfully realized the errors of her way and understood the pain she’s caused to her students and her former classmate. Croix and Chariot decide to give their all to help the girls as well. While five of the seven girls were able to give a big boost, it was Akko and Diana who took out the looming threat. That’s right, witches saved the world! Yeah, during the series a lot of people were kinda mean to or looked down upon Luna Nova and the witch race in general. Especially, those dickheads at Andrew’s prep school! With this act, I’m sure Luna Nova and the witches will finally get the respect they deserve. In the aftermath, yes Luna Nova is now receiving more respect from those that have been quite cruel to them throughout the series run. Croix is going away to do some research. One of her biggest plans was to restore Ursula/Chariot’s magic that was lost due to her own recklessness with Akko. The students go back to their lessons and…

Akko (after 25 episodes) was able to float a few inches off the ground using her broom. She flew…sort of. I’ll let it count as a victory! THE TWO SPECIALS: A few years prior to the television series run, Little Witch Academia had two movies air. Now this is a different telling of the story. In the first special (which is 25 minutes), it has Akko come upon Chariot’s rod during a class assignment (instead of coming upon it in a forest like the first episode).

And here’s a real kicker, while Akko is still the class screw-up and has the least amount of magic, here she actually has SOME magic. In the second special (which is 55 minutes), Akko ends up in trouble (like normal) and ends up having to do a punishment assignment. She has to help orchestrate a ritual which ends up turning into a parade. So Akko, Sucy, Lotte, Amanda, Constance, and Jasminka all end up working together to do this. But Akko wants to turn this into something for people to remember and always cherish. Like her experiences with the Shiny Chariot performances she saw as a child! But there’s always blow-back because at Luna Nova, Shiny Chariot is seen as a disgrace to traditional witches. And of course there was bound to be some disagreements when working with a big group. And despite a few hiccups, everyone was able to come together to put on a convincing parade for the crowd. Little Witch Academia was quite the enjoyable little story. Yes, it’s a root for the underdog kind of story and even though the television series seems to give Akko the short-end of the stick on the magic matter, it’s full-filling to see her accomplish quite a bit. Even if it took her until the final seconds to learn how to fly! I know it’s been about 2-3 years since the ending of the TV series and am wondering if this is it for the franchise. I know there are novels and games out for this, so maybe one day.

But I do give a recommendation for those into witches, magic, and all that good stuff! It's full of fun characters, there's no harm in that. Currently, Netflix is the only outlet for this series (in just about every country). But Netflix does carry both the sub and dub (and several other languages). Now then, what’s my next Amazon/Netflix exclusive anime? Nope. You’re watching this.

Rising of the Shield Hero? But isn’t that Crunchyroll or FUNimation? Don’t care. You’re watching this now. But I have a big list of other animes to wat… Tough shit. You’re watching this. You have no choice but to watch a modern Isekai!

[lonelypond]

Idol House: Rooftop Run-In

NicoMaki, Love Live, 1K, 1/1

Summary: Nishikino Maki's debut on Idol House draws attention and Nico finds herself having to rescue Rin.

Rooftop Run-In

A year ago. Only a year ago, Yazawa Nico was doing her final tour of Otonokizaka High in her uniform, a freshly graduated, triumphant, Love Live champion member of  𝝁’s, the Number One Idol group in every universe, her friends and fellow champions gathered around on this rooftop. Strange to be back here, not in uniform, on this rooftop, a mic in her hand, smiling at a camera and her small crew as she did a quick recap of 𝝁’s highlights for a piece on how Idol House began. 

Nico had partly chosen Otonokizaka for this segment so she could sneak a visit with her fiancée, composer and second year student Nishikino Maki into her busy schedule. Right now everyone was in class, and Nico could focus on her job, so when the door to the roof banged open and a familiar ginger blur raced through, the surprise left Nico no time to brace herself before Hoshizora Rin tacklehugged her in a desperate panic.

“Nico Nico Nico, you’ve got to save me from Maki!”

“Why?” Nico and Hanayo both had a strict non intervention in Rin and Maki tussling policy.

“Kayochin made me take her phone.” Rin was panting.

“Huh?” Rin crouched, watching the door warily. Green eyes wide with worry, she held Maki’s phone out to Nico.

Why did Rin have Maki’s phone? It buzzed, as did Nico’s, and Nico had a flash of the media alerts she’d been getting since dawn after last night’s airing of Maki’s first appearance in the Idol House, the temperamental redhead spending a couple of hours glaring at aspiring idol Kawano Aki while they both waited for Nico, who Kawano had recently announced an attraction to. 

“Oh.” Nico groaned.

“Maki’s furious. She won’t stop reading them. We don’t know what to do.”

“Gimme the phone.”  Nico ordered.

Rin handed it over, still watching the door.

“Is she following you?” As Rin nodded, there was a roar Nico recognized rising from the stairs, “RIN!”

Nico pocketed Maki’s phone, gave RIn’s head a brief pat, hissed “Be sneaky,” and turned to the production assistant who’d been shadowing her, “I’m going to need five minutes.” “I’ll let the producer know.”

“Thank you.”

Maki rushed onto the roof as Rin ducked out the door. Nico bounced up, her brightest smile as she went into her signature routine, “Nico Nico Ni! Nico is always glad to see her number one fan.”

“Not now, Nico-chan,” Maki snarled, refusing to step into Nico’s waiting arms. “Where is she?”

“Maki.” Nico’s voice dropped half an octave. Maki recognized the seriousness of that tone and grumped, “This is my business.” “Our business.”

“Rin can’t just steal…”

“Nico knows this isn’t about Rin.” 

Maki was pacing, nostrils flared, amethyst eyes flaming, Nico still wasn’t used to Maki in a red second year tie, even after nearly a year. “You’ve seen them, right? All the comments? BELOVED Idol Nico Ni stolen by selfish spoiled heiress? Has Nico Ni’s career been ruined by her rude clingy girlfriend? Cute Idol Terrified Of Crush’s Cruel GF?”

Not much imagination in the initial attacks and Nico was surprised to find herself out of the hot zone, with most aimed at Maki. Yes, Nico was sympathetic, but Maki had handled this poorly so Nico just shrugged, “Nico warned you.”

They were not having THAT discussion again, Maki decided. “When are you moving out?” 

“Not soon enough. And we have to get the audience to know you.” Then they’ll like you better than Aki, and realize Nico couldn’t help falling in love, Nico thought to herself as she switched to soothing mode.

“I don’t care what they think.” Maki crossed her arms over her chest.

“Then stop looking at social media.” Nico couldn’t keep her voice from squeaking with frustration.

Maki, of course, ignored Nico’s useful suggestion, as she’d ignored Nico’s steer clear of Idol House cameras suggestion.  Nico had studied Maki’s blushes and this one was a pure 50-50 combo of rage and embarrassment, “And then what that...comedian said…” Nico chuckled as Maki referred to the most outspoken of the 5 studio commentators, comic actor Okada Daiki , “He hates 𝝁’s. He was never going to say anything nice about either of us. Of course, he’s going to make up terrible things about you as a performer. None of them are true, You’re an amazing singer and dance well enough to keep up with Nico when you practice. Okada-san is just being rude; it’s his brand.

“Why did you even hire him?”

Nico’s pose relaxed as Maki seemed calmer, “Nico has never been afraid of criticism.” Maki refused not to be in the mood for a fight, and remembering Nico’s days harassing Honoka fueled her discontent so she snapped a reply, “No, you were too good at giving it.” 

Nico was now directly in front of Maki, her palms on Maki’s cheeks, her fingers sneaking into Maki’s hair, pulling Maki closer, deciding not to play fair at all. But Maki wanted to be angry right now, not tempted into a temporary oblivion of bliss. But it had been too many days since the scent of Nico’s shampoo had been an invitation to giggle through soft, tickling hair. Nico’s eyes were lustrous, illuminated by a fierce spirit, their depths highlighted by eyeliner, their ruby glint by rose gold eyeshadow, and Nico’s lips…

The next thing Maki was aware of was a deep voice announcing, “We have to continue Yazawa-san.” “Of course,” Nico stepped back, winking before she whirled into full professional mode, “See you tonight, Maki-chan.”

Maki nodded, once again knocked sideways by Nico-charm. As she reached for a twirl of hair and Nico bounced behind a windscreen, Maki realized her deviously darling fiancée had kept Maki’s cellphone.

“Nishikino-san?” The production assistant appeared at Maki’s elbow.

“What?” 

“Yazawa-san suggests you wait for her in the Idol Study Club room. There’s a Switch in her bag and she says you'd better practice Smash Brothers so she doesn’t beat you so easily next time.”

Maki snorted. If Nico-chan thought she was going to keep winning like this at everything, Maki was certainly ready to prove her wrong. Maybe Rin was up for a few practice rounds. Maki needed some new moves. Nico was obviously too familiar with her current ones.

A/N: And this is back. I was wondering what to write for Maki's birthday, realized I'd started the Idol House series last year as her birthday present, and that there are still Idol House stories to tell.

I've also been working on Apocalypse Midnight Dance Party, Tiger By The Tail, and Can't Get Started chapters right now and trying to figure out the flow of quarantine time. Pandemic Spring is a strange thing. Please take care.

[artemis-maia]

I have always loved how Ryoji's mole actually has a meaning for his character design.

Not only does it parallel Maki, it also has a tragic meaning.

Maki's kid forms Mai and Aki shared the same mole as Maki for plot reasons just like Pharos and Ryoji share the same mole.

The P3P fanbook mentions that Ryoji's mole is a 泣きボクロ/泣きぼくろ naki bokuro (tragic/tear mole). It's usually portrayed under the left eye in manga/anime and is based on the superstition that the person who has it is bound to cry a lot, have a harsh life, to be sentimental and to have a tragic love life. It's supposed to portray him kinda perpetually crying on the inside and he mentions that he is about cry several times in his s-link to Hamuko (also both his Japanese and English voice actors seem to have been instructed to voice Ryoji like this.) Thus yes his mole is another hint that this relationship just blows up in Ryoji's face just like his Fortune arcana.

Interestingly while Ryoji's character is based on Kaworu from Eva his name seems to derive from Kaji Ryoji who interestingly mentions that superstition once (in connection to Ritsuko).

Also notice that all the early concept artworks from Ryoji do already include the mole. It's actually pretty consistent that they kept the meaning of an unhappy life for him.

Maybe one of the reasons why I like him a lot is since I also have a naki bokuro lol.

[natsspammityspamspamham]

Congrats to Kenta Miyake for Winning Best Actor in a Supporting Role at this year’s Seiyuu Awards + BNHA Cast Achievements

I couldn’t have been happier with this result. His One for All vs All for One fight was so epic, emotional, and amazing that I was nearly shaking with excitement. 

I’m still waiting for this series to win the award for Synergy. This year it went to Pop Team Epic.

I also just found out that in order to be elligible for the “Rookie” award your debut has to be within the past five years.

You can see his additional roles here (he’s mainly known for playing villains, ironically), but he won for All Might. 

Live Voice Acting

Yes, he’s sweating that hard after acting for one minute. Now, imagine recording that whole scene while doing retakes and with other people (sound director and other voice actors) watching.

Behind the Scenes

Okay, but let’s pray that he doesn’t die in the process. 

Additional Video: Jump Festa Event

Other BNHA Seiyuu Who’ve Also Won [BELOW]

Disclaimer: I might’ve missed a few, but I’m only focussing on those who have had somewhat major roles in the “My Hero Academia” Series.

Junichi Suwabe

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Fate/Stay Night as Archer Nomination: Best Musical Performance for Jet Drive from Prince of Tennis

Sixth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Musical Performance for ST☆RISH

Seventh Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Natsume Yuujinchou as Seiji Matoba

Twelfth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Yuri on Ice as Viktor Nikiforov

Hiroyuki Yoshino

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role for KIBA as Zedd

Rikiya Koyama

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Utawarerumono as Hakuoro Nomination: Best Radio Personality for Utawarerumono Radio 

Fifth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Kei Tomiyama Memorial Award 

Wataru Hatano

First Seiyuu Awards

Nomination: Best Rookie Actor for Honey and Clover II as Shinsan

Second Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Toward the Ferra as Sam Houston  and Saint Beast as Tenshi Yuri

Nobuhiko Okamoto

Third Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for PERSONA -trinity soul- as Shin Kanzato, Kure-nai as Ryuji Kuhoin, and Toaru Majutsu no Index for Accelerator.

Fifth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kaichou wa Maid-sama! as Takumi Usui, Bakuman as Eiji Niizuma, and Toaru Majutsu no Index II for Accelerator

* = he deserves the awards. A lot of these roles are Bakugou-like in that they strain vocal cords just listening to it.

Yuuki Kaji

Third Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Yozakura Quartet as Akina Hiizumu and Kuroshitsuji as Finnian*

Seventh Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role for High School DxD as Issei Hyoudou**

Eighth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Attack on Titan as Eren Yeager

* = This role inspired Daiki Yamashita (Deku) to become a voice actor! He felt insecure about his high-pitched voice at the time. His friend let him know that a man voiced Finnian. He was inspired from that moment on.

** = Out of all his roles, why High School DxD man?

Kouki Uchiyama

Fifth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Mobile Suit Gundam UC as Banagher LInks and Shiki as Natsuno Yuuki

* Yeah, realistically speaking, it’s one of the youngest male cast members of this show. 

Aoi Yuuki

Sixth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Madoka Magica as Madoka Kaname, Gosick as Victorique de Blois, and A-Channel as Tooru Ichii

Ryouhei Kimura

* He only plays younger David Shields. He also played Romero Fujimi in the BNHA OVA.

Sixth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Kamisama Dolls as Kuga Aki, Haganai as Hasegawa, and Natsume Yuujinchou San as Satoru Nishimura

Yoshimasa Hosoya

Seventh Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Brothers Conflict as Yusuke Asahina

Tenth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans as Orga Itsuka and Death Parade as Ginti 

Kaito Ishikawa

Eighth Seiyuu Awards 

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Tokyo Ravens as Harutora Tsuchimikado   

Daiki Yamashita

Eighth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for Yowamushi Pedal as Sakamichi Onoda 

Akio Ootsuka

Ninth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Kei Tomiyama Memorial Award

Ayane Sakura

Twelfth Seiyuu Awards

WINNER: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for My Hero Academia as Ochako Uraraka

WINNER: Personality Award

Kouhei Amasaki

WINNER: Best Rookie Actor for High Score Girl as Haruo Yaguchi  

Nomination: Best Musical Performance for Hypnosis Mic  

[inazuma-eleven-translations]

Inazuma Eleven Revival Festival - Review!

WARNING - I will mark SPOILERS for Reloaded and the 2 Ares episodes below!! 

Personal Reflection: I’ve been an Inazuma fan since roughly 2010, but TRULY became obsessive from 2013+ when I saw Kirino and fell in love. Inazuma has a special place in my heart because it’s one of my strongest connections to Japan. I learnt Japanese through watching, reading about, listening to and eventually translating for this anime. To actually get to go to an event which marks the start of a new Inazuma series was a dream come true. Being SURROUNDED by a sea of fans wearing cosplays, badges, scarves, uniforms… To know what we have in common is a love for this dumb sakka series - it felt amazing. It would be an even bigger dream come true to make friends with EVERYONE who also loves this series. I hope IE EXPLODES over the next 3 years and I 100% believe IT WILL. And I will do whatever I can to help the JPN-ENG translators!!

Apologies if I’ve forgotten anything important.

Okay! Let’s go!!

Attendees: There was about 2,000 people at the live event. 

Before the Event: The merch went on sale from 10am, and you didn’t need a ticket to the event to queue to buy it. I arrived at 12ish and the queue looked to be about 2 hours long, so I decided I wasn’t interested in buying anything for once in my life. I’ll post a list of the merch later.

There was an area to trade merch and take photos with the cosplayers.

The doors opened at 2pm and the event began at 3pm.

START

It began with Endou explaining the rules: no filming, photography etc… during the event.

Then a ‘memory reel’ where they showed screens of all previous characters. Endou CHEER Gouenj CHEER Kidou CHEER Kazemaru HUGE CHEER Atsuya and Shirou HUGE CHEER Reize HUGE CHEER Go Raimon HUGE CHEER (and Araceli cries) Kirino and Kariya ENORMOUS CHEER Shindou CHEER Torb SILENCE… then laughter… Alpha, Beta, Gamma CHEER Fei CHEER Galaxy HALF ASS CHEER

Opening Songs 

Preformed by pugcats and King Cream Soda. During the song, the characters came to the audience to dance. There was Endou, Gouenji, Kidou, Fudou, Fubuki, Hiroto, Kabeyama, Asuto and Kazemaru. Unfortunately they never went on the stage so we couldn’t see all of them. Endou high-fived a few people.

Introduction

Hino and Mo appeared. Hino said he’s so happy to see so many people gathered here to celebrate Inazuma Eleven, and the huge crowd is proof Inazuma is Avery loved series. Mo adds it’s been 4 years with nothing yet still so many people are here or watching the live-viewing. They introduce themselves formally - Hino as president of Level 5 and Mo as an employee - and Mo said she will do her best with Japanese today too (Mo, PLEASE your Japanese is AMAZING)…

Hino says this event marks the start of a new Inazuma series.

All-Star Cast Line Up

Guest stars were Nojima Hirofumi (Gouenji Shuuya), Terasaki Yuka (Matsukaze Tenma), Tomatsu Haruka (Nishizono Shinsuke/ Kudou Fuyuka, Hattori Handa) and Kamiya Hiroshi (Haizaki Ryouhei).

Tomatsu’s outfit was really pretty, like a long white dress-shirt and blue jeans. Kamiya wore a black and red jacket that looked really cool. By the way, he seems like a very funny person, so I was surprised he’s playing so many last boss characters.

Before Reloaded, there’s a recap of the story so far. Reize’s opening monologue. Fans went wild.

Hino says this will be the first time the voice actors (minus Nojima) see the completed episode, so they will watch it together on stage with everyone. The sit around their own TV. Tomatsu says it feels like being in a living room. Nojima comments there’s no drinks. Mo and Hino sit with them too. Hino says the reason they made Reloaded is because they had to have a reason to connect the original series to Ares.

WARNING! BELOW HERE CONTAINS SPOILERS! 

Inazuma Reloaded Opening: Remastered Stand Up Tachi Agariyo

Raimon return after the FF. The whole school is so happy to see them. They’re crowded by fans. There’s a scene of Miyasaka hugging Kazemaru and the audience went nuts. Endou is so overwhelmed he runs to the toilet as an excuse. Kidou and Gouenji call him into the clubhouse.

Comment - Their body language is WONDERFUL! It’s so realistic the way Endou can’t sit still, or Kidou leans forward to speak.

Gouenji/ Kidou say next is the world as Endou gets excited over the idea of playing new opponents.

Hibiki arranges an exhibition match against Barcelona Orb - the team came from Spain to Japan for this match. The match starts and Gouenji tries Fire Tornado right away. It fails when the goalkeeper stops it with his finger then throws the ball back to Gouenji. They next try the Inazuma Break, which also fails. Kazemaru, Gouenji and Ichinose perform the Phoenix, but that doesn’t work either. 

It’s shown Hakuren, Zeus, Sun Garden, Teikoku etc are watching the match. This got a huge reaction from the crowd.

Barcelona’s captain the rest f the team start to attack. The captain scores without using special moves. The score becomes over 8 (to zero) and Barcelona’s teammates tell the Captain to give them a taste of their real level. The Captain uses his special move - Diamond (don’t remember the second word, possibly ball) where he carves the ball into a diamond. It’s very beautiful. He scores before Endou can even react. Endou seems reluctant to pick up the ball after that shot, like he’s almost in fear - but that doesn’t last for long.

Raimon lose, exhausted, as Endou lies back and laughs to himself, reflecting on how great soccer is.

Raimon are called into an office to talk. I didn’t catch the guy’s name, but an official looking person tells them that Raimon vs Barcelona proves that Japan’s soccer is not at world level. He wants them to join soccer teams around Japan and strengthen Japan’s soccer as member of the strengthening committee. Endou agrees to it.

Raimon are gathered outside their club house, seemingly worrying. They don’t want to split up. Kurimatsu says it’s okay for the Captain and the others but some f the weaker members don’t feel they have what it takes. Kidou says no matter what happens they will all be connected by their hearts.

Domon and Ichinose are going to America, and the managers see them off at the airport. Aki’s wearing a cute pink hoodie. She’s mad that they’re going to America and tells Ichinose that he should represent Japan. Ichinose says he needs to gather strength in US before returning. He doesn’t know yet if he’ll play for a Japanese team or an American one.

Natsumi, along with the managers, are also given roles as members of the strengthening committee but it’s not revealed what they are. Natsumi has her laptop in any case.

Final scene - Break Trio are on top of the hill talking. Endou still doesn’t fully understand what a strengthening committee member is, and Kidou asks if he was can listening at all. Endou seems to have just heard the word soccer and agreed to it.

They say the next time they meet on the pitch they’ll be rivals. None of the 3 plan on losing. They part ways.

Closing theme: 

Remastered Seishuu Oden showing scenes from the Raimon kids’ school life. E.g., Kazemaru and Makksu in class, the kids eating lunch, Kabeyama doing science, the team playing soccer…

There’s a chat session with the voice actors - their thoughts about the episode. Pretty predictable - it was very interesting and great and the animation and remastered moves were great. It’s commented that the leg movement for Fire Tornado is very different, because Gouenji is longer.

They talk a bit about the Captain of Barcelona Orb and the rest of the team. He’s not good-looking but still kind of cool - that’s the kind of character Hino wanted to make. Mo comments on his ‘bear eyes’.

It’s the new characters’ turn to be introduced. The voice actors Ayumu Murase (Inamori Asuto), Michinari Tatsumi (Kimura Ryouhei) and Hanae Natsuki (Okuiri Hiro) come to the stage.

A picture is shown of Baddap, Haizaki and a character from another anime he plays. They all have grey hair and tanned skin and are Last Boss type roles. Kamiya says Baddap was his first villain role and then his second Inazuma role is Haizaki. He wonders just how does Hino see him since he keeps getting villain roles?

Since the topic of villains comes up, a pic of all previous enemies is shown. Terasaki points to each GO character and says alien (Ozrock), future boy (Saru), ghost (Shuu) and human (Hakuryuu). There’s only one human, compared to the original series.

They go through the new 11 members. Some notable comments were:

Michinari -  Hino says Michinari is a Captain like Shindou from GO with many worries.

Okuiri - He wears glasses like Megane’s but he’s a much more serious character.

Iwate - He and his voice actor look alike to the point it’s scary.

Mo and Hino say they feel like something is missing from this voice actor chat session - oh yes, Endou! Junko has left fans a message that will be played on the screen.

A word from Junko: She really wanted to come but couldn’t. She says she assumes Hino is talking and talking and talking. She gave her own proverb: everyone, please enjoy today’s event!

There’s a break for 30 mins where they showed Outer Code eps Hakuren, Teikoku and Sun Garden. Fans screamed for Shirou, Atsuya, Someoka, Hiroto, Midorikawa, the group of Sun Garden kids, Sakuma, Genda, Fudou and Kazmaru.

Inazuma Ares 1 (note - some scenes may be out of order)

Opening Theme: Teppen Mezasou! It was epic! The start focused on Inakuni Raimon, we see Haizaki’s GORGEOUS school uniform!!! Like a blue blazer ~ Sakuma, Aphrodi, Hiroto etc appear~

It opens with the Inakuni kids playing soccer. Goujin makes a shoot but Norika saves it. She said he’s getting better. Sasuke is watching them. They take a break. Norika says soccer is great: it can let you forget about all your worries. I think it’s Hattori who is surprised that Norika has worries. Asuto and Michinari decide to ask the principal if they can play a practice match against another team. The principal (Fuyukai) says instead the soccer club will be demolished because they have no sponsor)

Workers are demolishing the pitch. Asuto runs to stop them but they forcefully push him away. Eventually Michinari had to hold him back. Later Norika is bandaging him up. She said she understands his worries but he was too reckless. Asuto asks her is she okay with not being able to play soccer? She says, of course not. Kirina runs over saying there’s bad news about Asuto’s Mom.

Asuto runs to hospital. His Mom apologizes and says she can’t stay with him. Asuto is upset to lose not just soccer but his Mom too. His Mom assures him he won’t lose soccer - soccer will be there as long as he needs it.

Kirina wonders if Asuto will be okay as he runs off. They guess he is going to the highest point in the island. Asuto reaches the top of the hill and screams.

The next day the Inakuni kids are called into the office where they ware told if they can win one match they can get a sponsor if they transfer to Raimon. That means leaving the island and moving to Tokyo.

It’s revealed Sasuke is a recent transfer student.

The kids are shown wondering about their decision to go to Tokyo.

Hiura tells his Grandma he’s going and she comments things will get lonely around there. By the way, she calls him Ki-chan.

Hattori rides on top of Iwate’s back as he rides a bike. Hattori wonders if the food will be good in Tokyo. 

Michinari is walking with his father. He feels like his Mom will protest if he goes to Tokyo, but his Dad assures him he’ll talk to her.

Mansaku is at his Dad’s sushi restaurant. His Dad gives him his specialty sushi, and tells him to eat. He says he won’t lose to the food over in Tokyo.

Norika, Hiyori and Okuiri are together that evening. They comment going to Tokyo would be Norika’s first time to ever leave the island.

Raimon vs Seishou. Sasuke makes the First Goal with Fire Tornado. This wakes up the Devil of the Field, Haizaki. He goes wild, scoring again and again. Their are 2 special moves - Overhead Penguin and the Death Zone. Kidou does not appear in this match.

Proverb: Soccer will be there as long as you need it!

Inazuma Ares 2

Haizaki and Seishou are beating Raimon. Agirls are watching the match from a box, making fun of Raimon being from the countryside. Anna tells them to be quiet.

Flashback to 1 week before Raimon vs Seishou.

Inakuni Raimon at outside the clubhouse. Norika tries opening the door but it won’t budge. They comment that Raimon/ Tokyo is very different to their island.

The group of girls come over (perhaps members of the student council? Managers?) with Mikado Anna, who introduces herself as president of the student council. The girls are dismissive of Raimon winning their match against Seishou, but Asuto says they will.

Next the kids meet Ootani Tsukushi (do you remember her? A game only character!) who is very bubbly and friendly. She shows them around the school.

The team get their uniforms and are very excited. Ootani is so excited she’s about to cry. They also get the Inazuma Band - a wristband that measures their exercise levels. It’s also a communication device - the coach can use it to contact them. He does so immediately, summoning them to the field.

They are surprised their Coach is from China. He said he prefers Kung Fu to soccer. He made them a crazy training schedule (think: worse than Kidou from GO). Like 100 laps, 100 push ups etc. He asks them what they have to do? Goujin/ Asuto say train and win their next match. Coach says no - they have to NOT LOSE.

The start with laps through Inazuma Town. 

Back to the match. Haizaki’s still demolishing them.

Flashback to a new scene.

Haizaki is showering. Another boy comes in. You see the infamous goggles and Haizaki calls him by his name, so we know it’s Kidou. We only see the bottom half of his face and legs by the way.

Back to the match. Seishou win. Raimon are disappointed but Asuto says while they’re in Tokyo they should do something fun like go to Sky Tree.

Inakuni Raimon are at Tokyo Sky Tree. Suddenly Asuto starts crying. He wanted to play soccer more. The others start crying too, except for Sasuke who is annoyed they are crying in public.

A man walks over and introduces himself as a member of Island Travel - a famous travel agency. He says he he would like to sponsor Raimon. Asuto is surprised because they lost. The man says that the fact they were able to score even one goal against Seishou and the way they fought their hardest to the very end of the match moved him emotionally. There’s more than just winning and losing. 

Asuto reflects. They may have lost but in the week before the match they trained all over Inazuma Machi, getting to know the local community.

So Raimon get a sponsor. The kids are so happy they start dancing and hugging each other.

Proverb: I can’t fully remember but I THINK it was something like, you’ll make your own future out of the path you choose to walk??

Closing Theme: All of Inakuni Raimon jump out of a scales in different poses. Then we see everyone’s ‘battle’ suits. Asuto - knight Nosaka - mage Hattori - Robin Hood/ Cupid Okuiri - Some kind of wizard Sasuke - Shirtless gladiator (by the way everyone laughed)

2 Questions from fans

Boy: Is it relevant that in the ending theme all of the players are divided into 3 'sets’ to showcase their battle armor? Hino says it might be.

Girl: She was very excited. First she said she loves Mo. Her question is - what’s up with Kudou’s redesign/ why is he coach for Seishou? Hino said, history has changed!

Voice Actor Talk: The VAs were asked to draw their most memorable scene.

Nojima Hirofumi: Gouenji didn’t appear! He is literally like… So… Gouenji didn’t appear??? Why am I here again?? I was looking forward to seeing him! He does add the episodes were very exciting, with no boring parts.

Kamiya Hiroshi: OVERHEAD PENGUIN and Sasuke. He said he wants to know what the balance of Ares is.

Kimura Ryouhei: Sasuke’s Fire Tornado. Mo comments Sasuke shoots Fire Tornado with his right leg but Gouenji used his left.

Hanae Natsuki: The ending theme where Okuiri jumps out of the scales, he makes a cute pose like 'kyaa’ waving his arms and legs. His VA is surprised because it seemed unlike him.

Murase Ayumu: Hattori riding on Iwato’s back

Terasaki Yuuka: Kogarashi Manor is brand new!

Tomatsu Haruka: The scene where everyone cries together! OR ~shower scene~ she drew a questionable picture of Haizaki showering. The way she drew his legs were awkward and looked like something… else lmao.

Mo comments that the pose Haizaki makes while he showers is very strange (head down, hands against the wall)

Terasaki comments that it’s strange Kidou took his goggles off in the shower of all places. She thinks they would be useful to keep shampoo out of his eyes.

Apparently Hino argued with staff over whether or not the shower scene was necessary. Hino felt it was.

Kamiya comments that he was watching the fans react to that scene, he’s like - I heard you! I saw your reaction to that! I know you liked that!

Hino reveals that since Ares is a parallel world he wants to redo the whole series up to FF International. He says he really wants Inazuma to run for a very long time.

Terasaki asks Hino to please make a new GO. Hino said he wants to. But this not an official statement, more like ‘if possible I’d like to do that’. Personal opinion - if IE becomes very popular I would say there’s a 40/60 chance of a new GO.

Future of Anime Preview:

Two picture were shown that showed future plans for the anime. One was young Hiroto and Tatsuya. It’s implied there will be an episode with them as children (personal speculation - possibly all the Sun Garden as kids??). Second was Haizaki getting very worked up over trying to win a stuffed bear from an arcade game (personal speculation - it’s not actually for him, but the girl in the flashback).

Game Info: It will be released on Switch, PS4, IOS and Android.

The showed gameplay: Inakuni Island, Raimon Chuugakkou, Match vs Seishou, Kidou running and tackling, Sasuke’s Fire Tornado. Quality was very high, like Breath of the Wild.

Mo made a comment that the story mode map looked very big and it seemed it would take ages for the character to run far distances. Hino said they are working on that.

Next Walker: March 10th 8PM

Closing Words (that I remember):

Nojima: He said he can’t wait for Gouenji to appear. Why does Gouenji always keep us waiting?

Terasaki said she’s so happy to stand on the stage and play an Inazuma character again.

Mo said it’s an honor to stand on the same stage as Hino as a foreign Inazuma Eleven fan (Mo is from China).

Ending Live: Ryuusei Boy by a two girl idol group (name??). Then pugcats and King Cream Soda joined them to sing Saikyou de Saigo and Maji de Kansha. The voice actors joined in and the character suits too. Confetti exploded. Fans waved their glow sticks and cheered.

[janeaddamspeace]

Faith Ringgold's Art Frees Absent and Buried Voices #JACBA Newsletter

Special Announcement

April 30th: Video announcement and press release made public Watch this space for a special announcement regarding the announcement of this year's Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winners and Honorees!

Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold's famous 'story quilts' come to the Crocker

Artist, activist and author Faith Ringgold works in many media - painting, drawing, prints, sculpture, masks and Tankas (painted fabrics inspired by Tibetan textiles) - but she is best known for her vibrant "story quilts" that deal with family life, jazz music, relationships, race and slavery in America.

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POWER IN THE PAINTING: FAITH RINGGOLD AND HER STORY QUILTS

Through this didactic retelling of history, Faith Ringgold uses her quilts to reframe the past, freeing absent and buried voices while offering new and stronger voices to future generations.

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Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold 1993 Awardee

Five questions for Winifred Conkling

Like it or not, the women's movement was divided by racism in the nineteenth century. The issue needs to be openly discussed because it happened. It's also important that young readers learn to appreciate their heroines as flawed and complex human beings.

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Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling 2012 Awardee

Picture Books to Help Kids Weather Our Age of Anxiety

New York Times Article by Linda Sue Parks

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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park 2011 Awardee

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park 2003 Awardee

The Book That Helps Me Survive In A Racist World

Virginia Hamilton and illustrators retold The People Could Fly in a collection of black vernacular stories published in 1985, and when my mother read those stories to me as a child, the words burrowed deep.

The best children's books make the most vulnerable among us feel proud. Strong. It's a forever gift, like a parent's unconditional love. Yes, Hamilton sets out to portray the realities of slavery, but in doing so, she carefully guards the humanity of her audience.

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Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia Hamilton 1989 Awardee

Naomi Shihab Nye

Painting poetry portraits of influential people

Themes of "Voices in the Air" include the act of listening, political and civil unrest, cultural differences and the wonder in everyday living - themes Nye has addressed throughout her work.

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Poets Nye, Sotelo and Tartt to headline April 15 fundraiser for Laura Riding Jackson Foundation

Nye, a self-described "wandering poet," has traveled the world, leading writing workshops and inspiring students of all ages for 40 years. Born to a Palestinian father and American mother of German and Swiss descent, Nye spent her adolescence in Jerusalem and San Antonio, Texas.

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Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye 1998 Awardee

Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter 1995 Awardee

American Students Have Simple Demands

On May 2, 1963, thousands of students walked out of their schools in Birmingham, Alabama, to protest the racially segregated society in which they were meant to live. By the end of the day, over 1,000 of them were in jail. More of them walked out the next day. Some of them were blown down the concrete sidewalk with fire hoses, blown like trash into the gutters of the city. One of them was a nine-year-old named Audrey Faye Hendricks. In Cynthia Levinson's excellent account of those days, there is a conversation that Audrey Faye Hendricks had with her mother:

But, before she could be free, there was something important she had to do. "I want to go to jail," Audrey had told her mother.

So, when tens of thousands of schoolchildren walked out of class all over America on Wednesday, they weren't merely acting in a brave and proud tradition.

Depending on how rigid their principals and school boards are, they also were taking a considerable chance.

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We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson 2013 Awardee

How former Michigan autoworker Christopher Paul Curtis became a beloved chronicler of Canadian History

In January, Scholastic published the third book in what it is calling Curtis's Buxton Chronicles, The Journey of Little Charlie.

When we first meet Charlie in 1858, he's a product of his environment, who has never had a reason to question the ways of the South. Things change once he makes his first journey away from home, accompanying a local plantation overseer north to retrieve a family of runaway slaves. Witnessing the ignorance and vileness of his travelling companion - a self proclaimed "slave catcher" - and faced with the task of shackling the former slaves in the streets of Detroit, Charlie's conscience is awakened and he becomes a character today's readers can get behind.

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Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis 2008 Awardee

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis 1996 Awardee

Underground Railroad Heritage Center

Storytelling will be enhanced by engaging digital media, graphics and other programming, as well as animated watercolors from award-winning illustrator E.B. Lewis and voice-over work by Emmy Award-winning actor Keith David.

"Our goal is to help visitors recognize that some modern injustices have direct roots in slavery, while other contemporary struggles parallel those of nineteenth century freedom seekers,"

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First Step: How One Girl Put Segregation on Trial, written by Susan E. Goodman, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, 2017 Awardee

Each Kindness written by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis 2013 Awardee

Night Boat to Freedom, written by Margot Theis Raven with pictures by E. B. Lewis 2007 Awardee

Students learn life lessons from Battle of the Books

"Wolf Hollow" by Lauren Wolk, set in a rural Pennsylvania community during World War II, was mentioned more than once as a favored book this year. "It taught me that when things are hard to do, what's good is to do the right thing," said Waynesville Middle's Mariel Ottinger. Her teammate Scarlett Strickland added that it taught her about "how to deal with bullies and be responsible."

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Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk 2017 Awardee

Don't burn the opportunity to participate in, support Big Read

Joseph Bruchac, renowned writer of Native American heritage and traditions, will be present to lead families along the trail and give out free copies of his book "How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes."

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The Heart of a Chief by Joseph Bruchac 1999 Awardee

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The Jane Addams Children's Book Award annually recognizes children's books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

Read more about the 2017 Awards.

[meownotgood]

I know I’m not crazy but I remember some years back you posted some Aki audios and when I tell you they ATE DOWN but I lost the links. Care to assist (for scientific purposes of course🧬) ALSOOOO I remember u saying something about the voice actor making more???!!! But I’m telling you I suddenly thought about it and remembered how happy it made me AHHH

yes!!! I made a couple, I'll drop the links to them for you and others to enjoy hehe

aki cleans your ears asmr

cuddling with aki asmr

surprising aki with a kiss

aki moans

aki moans in your ear for 100 seconds straight

aki whimpering

aki says, "I love you"

pov: aki fucks u softly (THE TRULY UNHINGED ONE LMAO)

also, all of these audios I made from a drama tape made by aki's va. it's a few hours long, it's an audio where he plays your coworker and takes you home after you're too drunk. you can purchase the audio here, it has versions with english subtitles now!! he sounds a lot like aki and there's many relaxing moments so I'd say it's worth it 💫