#youko usami

[skyland2703]

Can you please do Hiroko ❤️💛

Here you go!!

[magnumboosttime]

Strapless Bikini Series No.21 - Arisa Komiya (Youko Usami/Yellow Buster) from Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters

[ashitomarisu]

Isn’t it obvious?

[asknarashikari]

Yoko reacts to walking in on Hiromu in only his underwear [he just arrived at the base and she was changing into his uniform and Yoko wasn't looking at where she was going :p]

[Haven't finished go busters yet XD]

She would scream her head off, while Hiromu would just nonchalantly finishes dressing up just as Ryuuji, Usada and Commander Kuroki bust in

Cue everyone's confused faces as the two of them start squabbling, Youko arguing that he should've locked the door and Hiromu pointing out that she was the one who walked into his room/the men's locker room without knocking or announcing herself. The word "siscon" may have been thrown around a few times.

[narashikari]

Fellow HiromuYoko shipper!! Haiiiii! They are my #1 otp!?

Here's a little surprise for you 🤗

https://youtu.be/rBW9MHvdNro

aaaaaaaaaah HiroYouko ToT

I hope you don't mind me tagging another fellow HiroYouko shipper... @iristial !!! Lookie lookie~

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

For the prompt thing. Number 15 with Touma from Lupat. Plus Spada. I want these two cooks to interact please.

15. “Why are you staring at me?”

This is a delightful prompt! Right, from ToQger, is also here, because I saw this prompt and couldn’t stop thinking of the cooking battle from Way of the Househusband. Actually, kind of...a lot of Sentai are here. Who can resist the lure of good cooking?

It’s a crowded room, but nevertheless Tooma knows when he’s being watched, and he turns and meets the thoughtful gaze of the man in the check pants and the cabbie hat and says, “Why are you staring at me?”

“Trying to remember where we’ve met before. Besides here, of course. You’re one of the Lupin guys, right?”

“Lupin Blue.” Tooma pauses. “You’re Spada, I remember you. From the Kyuurangers.” As he speaks, he remembers--“You’re the chef.”

“Right! Yes! And so are you! I knew I remembered you, I’d wanted to talk last time but there just wasn’t the chance. You run the cute little cafe, yes?”

Tooma shrugs. “A different one now, but yes.” A beat. “I’m curious about what the kitchen on a spaceship is like.“

“Well, we do call it the galley, but otherwise I imagine it’s a lot like yours--”

--

Forty-five minutes later, the air is split by a cry of, “Does anyone know if the kitchen in this place is free?”

--

Twenty minutes after that, Asuna wanders into the kitchen, takes in the scene that presents itself, and blinks, before turning to the young man sitting at the second prep table and saying, “Your name is Right, isn’t it?”

“That’s me!” Right beams at her. “Oh, you’re one of the new dinosaur people! Hi!”

“Hi! What’s, uh, what’s going on here? I was kind of hoping Mr. Hyou and Mr. Oiwa were still making curry.”

Right sighs dreamily. “That was really good curry.”

“Wasn’t it? Anyway, what’s Tooma doing with the space guy?”

“They’re making crepes.” Right turns back to his rapt contemplation of Spada and Tooma, neither of whom seem to have noticed that someone else has come into the kitchen. “They had some kind of fight about ingredients, so now they’re having a contest and I get to judge.”

Asuna’s eyes go wide. “Ohh. Do you think there’ll be enough for me to have some too? To help with the judging, obviously.”

“That’d be fun! Probably! Hey, Mr. Tooma? Mr. Spada?”

Neither one looks up from their furious mixing of batter, but they say, “Yes?” in tandem.

“Can Ms. Asuna try the crepes too?”

Another joint, “Of course,” followed by Spada, alone, saying, “It’ll be a bit yet, though.”

--

Slightly over an hour after that, Tooma glances up briefly from his heating crepe pan and then says to Spada, “I see we’ve picked up more company.”

“Hm?” Spada glances up as well. “Ah. Is that Yellow Buster? Good, she could probably use the calories. Who’s the cute one with the tail?”

“Zyuoh Tiger.”

“And the older gentleman whose arm she’s holding?”

Tooma frowns. “Ninja...Yellow, I think.” He pauses. “Which is good, he and Ninja Blue run a fairly successful crepe truck together.”

“Ah, then they’re men of business, they certainly use beer.”

“Don’t be absurd, if they’re not using soda water it’s likely because they have some trick of their own.”

“I really don’t see what your prejudice is against beer, mon ami.”

Tooma shrugs and grabs a ladle as the pan finally comes up to temp. “It’s fine in its place, I just don’t think that place is in crepe batter.”

“Oh, because something with as little character as soda water is better.” Which could devolve into argument again, but Spada’s pan is also warm now, and he’s already got a ladle in hand.

At the second prep table, Amu and Right both let out dreamy sighs as the first scoops of batter hit the pans.

--

There’s a palpable silence as Tooma and Spada finish folding their first crepes and bring them over to the table. Right is nearly vibrating with anticipation; Asuna’s shocked that the table isn’t shaking.

“So which one is which?” he says when they’re in front of him.

Asuna frowns. “You weren’t looking at who made which one?”

“I was looking! I was looking at the crepes.”

“The one with the chocolate hazelnut spread is mine,” Spada says cheerfully. “The strawberries and cream one is Tooma’s. Oh, don’t just use your hands, eat with a fork, who raised you--and it’s half gone already.”

“Right’s never met a plate of food he didn’t like,” Youko says, with fondness.

“That’s not true,” Right says, mouth filled with crepe, “once when we went on vacation I got food poisoning, I didn’t like that food.”

The chocolate hazelnut crepe is gone in minutes, and Right only pauses briefly to have a drink of water before demolishing the strawberry one. When he finishes he lets out a hastily-covered burp, and then says, brightly, “Those were great, can I have more, please?”

“Not until the others have had first servings,” Tooma says, sternly.

Spada glances at him. “You’re going to be a wonderful father someday.”

“Thank you, Aya and I have been talking about that. So which one was better?”

Everyone holds their breath as Right looks thoughtfully at his two empty plates. “Well, I really liked the strawberry one...”

Tooma glances at Spada.

“...but then, the chocolate one was also super good...”

Spada looks back.

“...so I think they both win!”

There’s a stunned silence before Amu says, sounding mildly scandalized, “They can’t both win, Right, that’s not how contests work.”

Right nods seriously. “That’s true, I guess. Well...maybe I need to have another serving first and then I’ll be able to decide.”

Tooma rolls his eyes, Spada snorts, and they go about preparing first servings for everyone else to try, and a second serving for Right.

When they get Seikai, Tooma pauses and then says, “What do you and Saizou use in your crepe batter? Soda water or beer?”

“Mm--oh, this whipped cream is really good.” Seikai takes another bite of crepe and brushes graying hair out of his eyes. “We just sort of use whatever we’ve got that’s carbonated. Ramune, mostly.”

Spada chokes. “You use Ramune in crepe batter?” Next to him, Tooma stands frozen, eyes wide.

“Sure. I can’t stand the stuff, I don’t like sweet drinks, but Saizou loves it, so we’ve always got tons of it around. Little unorthodox, but it works fine.” Seikai takes a bite of his other crepe. “These both have excellent texture, you two should be proud of yourselves.”

“I, ah...grazie,” Spada says weakly, echoed a moment later by Tooma’s soft, “Thank you very much.”

Youko raises an eyebrow at him as she’s cutting another section out of her hazelnut-spread crepe. “I guess you two found something you can agree on.”

Spada and Tooma glance at each other sidelong and say, simultaneously, “I guess we did.”

[allylovesall]

hi!! I wanted to ask you, what are your thoughts on Hiromu/Yoko? ^^

Thank you for asking ^^

I’m really sorry for late replying, but how can I not write some for one of my favorite couples in Super Sentai?

(To get started, so sorry if my English damages your eyes, and I haven’t watched GB for a while, so there are details that I can’t remember, and I can’t get some screenshots :( )

Their story (the 13-year-old promise) seems clear in the first arc (30 first episodes) so I will only focus on them. But, I won’t write about every single detail, just the highlighted ones because I do like GB, but it’s not the most memorable of mine.

.

Since the beginning, they shared a pain by losing their parents. Hiromu was the one who comforted Youko and made her a promise. So first, they believed in each other, one thing that I can’t not ship them (Ryuuji as well but this is about Hiromu x Youko so sorry Ryuu lol). This couple is based on the belief, which made shippers had more faith for them.

For Hiromu, his personality, well... doesn’t suit girls, including Youko. He immediately pointed out without thinking, of course, we won’t approved that. But my point is, Youko might be the one helping him to fix that. I mean, isn’t that adorable?

Despite that, he still cares about Youko in every way he can. My favorite scene has to be the scene that Hiromu handed Youko a handkerchief to clean herself. He admitted that he was trying to fix his bad habit.

For all of these lines, what I’m trying to say is... they made each other better.

Next, he tried to enjoy his day for Youko, but he’d prefer the safety of the city. Youko looked unhappy. But, let’s focus on Hiromu’s eyes when he looked at her. He realized his mistake and wanted to apologize to her, but instead, he protected her from the soundwave, which made her the victim. Hiromu felt guilty and assumed that he had responsibility for that. He cares about her every single time but failed to show that. Seems weird, but cute.

Jump into episode 20 (?) (the one that Hiromu played with his music box). They had a conversation before the battle. Youko tried her best to help Hiromu out of his concerns, she just couldn’t find a way to talk to him. And, like the bold line above: She cares about him, she just can’t find the right way.

(And she’s the one who bring him out of his illusions, and every moment makes me touched because I really love them lol)

People thought that they would bring their parents back eventually. But this is Kobayashi we’re talking about, she didn’t make them happy that easily. There was literally no way to bring their parents back, they only had one choice, they still had to do it whether they wanted it or not. The way he apologized to her because he couldn’t do anything to keep the promise anymore, we saw how devastated he was. She had lost her mom, he couldn’t reunited with his parents.

Youko might mad at him, not everyone can handle well when their hope just... gone after 13 years of waiting. But she knew that his pain was twice as much as her, and she knew there was no chance to change. I really liked the way that Hiromu decided to do what his parents and the others’ will, he knew that even if they came back to the hq, there was no other way. They had to accept that.

Youko is a wonderful character in my opinion. She doesn’t deserve to put up with events like that. She lost her mom at a young age, but she was strong enough to live and searching for her family. She stopped crying and continued to fight and believe in Hiromu, even though he had to break their promise.

They cared about each other, no one got mad if the other failed. And most of all, they believed in each other unconditionally. They had a strong bond through the promise, something more than friends, not lovers, but more than friends.

[narashikari]

Love at first sight fight

Dobutsu Sentai Go-busters - Hiromu X Yoko

Ahh my shipper heart

[atsutajuru]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters, Super Sentai Series Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Iwasaki Ryuuji & Usami Youko Characters: Usami Youko, Iwasaki Ryuuji, Kuroki Takeshi Additional Tags: Brother-Sister Relationship, Pre-Canon Summary:

In which Youko is six years old, and later seven, hates going to school, and just wants her big brother.

or, 4 times Youko gets picked up from school, and 1 time Ryuuji does it.

[englishvisualnovels]

Tackle Existential Questions and Win Your Place in Society — Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time Launches Worldwide for PC

Developer: Studio Beast Publisher: Fruitbat Factory Release Date: April 24, 2018 Platform: Windows Age Rating: 17+ Price: 

$9.99 (Original soundtrack)

$19.99 (Full game)

$29.98 (Game & soundtrack)

Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time is now on sale worldwide for PC.  Developed by Studio Beast, the story features three oddball girls who must solve the philosophical question “What makes a wonderful life?” in order to win their place in society.

To celebrate its launch, the game is currently on sale for 10% off until May 1st. Also available is the game’s original soundtrack, titled the Chuusotsu! Sound Correction. The original soundtrack contains 13 tracks, and can be purchased separately from the game or in a bundle.

Fruitbat Factory’s release of Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time includes additional features such as a new opening video, new CGs,  and dual language support with English and Japanese text options not found in the original Japanese release. The Steam release includes achievements, Cloud support, trading cards.

A free demo for Chuusotsu! 1st Graduation: Time After Time is available on the game’s official website and Steam.

Relevant Links:

Where to Buy (Digital): Fruitbat Factory, MangaGamer, Steam

Official Site (Demo available)

Synopsis:

Under the P3 law enacted under the Global People's Federation, citizens are ranked according to the Authorization Seals issued by the world government.

As spring arrives, the manga lover Marisugawa Arue, set back by a long-lasting illness, finds herself having to live her life as a "chuusotsu" - a person with no education beyond middle school.

The chuusotsu are not in possession of any Seals, and are considered to be failures at life. As such, their Authorized Power level is only 5 - young Arue's future is already looking mighty bleak.

"How will I be able to accomplish my goals now..."

In order to break free of her grim situation, and reach her true goal in life, Arue applies for a government relief program where she will...

Share a room with other chuusotsu!?

Her two roommates are overwhelmingly unique: a taciturn girl in a souvenir jacket and a crazy otaku girl.

And then the three girls are given group challenges to clear.

What makes a wonderful life?

Synchronize your minds and philosophize on this proposition.

"There's no way incompetents like us can do philosophy..."

Their time is limited, and failure means that they will immediately get kicked out of the apartment!

Will Arue manage to successfully complete the philosophical challenges and achieve a happy, steady-going life...!?

This is a philosophical story of how the three girls considered lame ducks by the society spend their unusual youth in a world where Authorization Seals decide the lives of all people.

Cast:

Arue Marisugawa Voiced by: Eruru Takeda

(Known roles: Akio Kagurazaka (Child) from East Tower, Lilia/Leea from How to Take off Your Mask, etc.)

The protagonist. A manga lover with delicate health. Arue is also mentally weak and, because of all those frailties, her academic performance was so poor that she has ended up a chuusotsu. Although she was a shy, fragile girl back in middle school, she has now leveled up into a blunt comeback maker. She seems to have signed up for the room-sharing program with an extraordinary enthusiasm for the purpose of getting the strongest job of 'Government Employee.' That's why she gets super passionate toward and aggressively tackles the challenges whose failure would put her out of the apartment. She's really crazy about manga. She can't and won't stop reading it.

Favorite Drawing Pens: Cobac, Multi-Line

"You have got to be more serious! Don't you understand if we get kicked out of here we're going to be just ordinary unemployed 15-year-old girls!?"

Koiro Hachisuka Voiced by: Ao Inukai 

(Known roles: Shano Argrey from Boukensha no Machi o Tsukurou! 2, etc.)

One of Arue's roomates, who made her first contact with her in a love hotel street. Wearing a rabbit-printed jacket as her trademark, she was well known as "Beachside White Rabbit" back in her hometown. Having left home and quitting her role as the strongest gang leader, she has become just another chuusotsu. Although her being taciturn and great at fighting scares people off, on the inside she is actually a good girl who is pure and airheaded. Koiro is a big friend of justice, and takes a firm stance against all sorts of immorality. She is starving practically all the time. You can't fight on an empty stomach. Favorite Food: Rice (any brand) "...Salted rice tastes good, you know?"

Arara Fujisaki Voiced by: Chiroru Ohyama

(Known roles: Ayumi Shinozaki and Natsumi Nakashima from Corpse Party, Kiwi Arumeru from Love-Duction! The Guide for Galactic Lovers, etc.)

A crazy little girl who is embarrassing to be around. Ever since her childhood, all Arara has been doing is yelling out that she will defeat what she calls "the Ruler of the World", which steadily led her up the stairs to becoming a chuusotsu. She is the kind of girl who talks to a stuffed animal tied up to her arm. Arara only learns the things that interest her, and often does not know about commonplace things. She's also a picky eater and hence, as you can see, is flat as a board.

Favorite Celebrity: J. Inagawa

"That steel tower is the source of the Poison Pulse, Arara detects." 

Holo Voiced by: Yamato Inuoka

A hologram interface developed by QUOLIC Co., Ltd. You can summon her from the mysterious machine known as "Soul Dispenser." She thinks and acts just like an air-headed large-busted blonde straight out of an American stereotype. Despite being an autonomous AI, she is not autonomous in the slightest. Her job is to be the adviser to the three girls.

Favorite Car: Bummer H2

"Check and promise! Holo is here!"

Kokoro Voiced by: Milk Amakawa

(Known roles: Sae Usami from Hana to Otome ni Shukufuku wo Royal Bouquet, Youko Saito from Rondo Duo -Yoake no Fortissimo- Punyu Puri ff, etc.)

The neighbor. She is a poker-faced little girl. She looks and acts childish, but is always alone. Whether it's because of her doggy-hoodie or not, Kokoro's sense of smell is quite sharp. She starts her sentences with "completely" and ends them with interrogatives. Her treasure is a tiny glass ball. She is a canned coffee lover.

Favorite Canned Coffee: Boos

"I completely want to do something for you in return, okay?"

Froit Voiced by: Nozomu Nanase

(Known roles: Sasa from Tsuki no Hana, You from Kohan no Shoujo to Giniro Fenrir, etc.)

Elite high school girl No.1. Froit is a slow-tempo, big-hearted, big-sister type of girl. She started her friendship with Yung through letter exchanges. She is currently into experimenting with her self-established psychoanalysis of other people. She touches other girls a lot.

Yung Voiced by: Ren Momoka

(Known roles: Yotsuba Asakura from Kimi no Omoi, etc.)

Elite high school girl No.2. She's the always-cheery Froit's underclassman. She viciously clamps down on any dirty scumbag who looks at her adored big sister Froit with perverted eyes. She literally bites them, which makes her a bit of a dangerous specimen. Her body is quite sensitive, and her back gives out on her from time to time.

[nightowldaylark]

[Fic] Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice [Somei/Katori]

Title: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Pairing: Somei Hana/Katori Youko

Summary: Katori learns to make chocolate. The situation is blown out of proportion.

Author’s Note: I keep forgetting to crosspost my fic here. This was originally written for Valentine’s Day, and uses a lot of cultural cues from Japanese Valentine’s Day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day#Japan

AO3 Mirror

There was a claim that nothing moves gossip faster than an academic institution, especially one populated by teenagers.

As proof, Katori Youko was witnessed sidling into the classroom of 3-A 10 minutes before homeroom - an unheard of action for a freshman, and especially unheard of for Katori who spent her time in school like she was above it all, engaging in a fervent whispered conversation with Kon Yuka - voted best cook in both her year level and 18-year-old Border members, and then leaving with a stubbornly determined look on her face.

By lunchtime, the news had trickled down to the first years and Shiki found herself surrounded by her female classmates the moment Katori waltzed out the door of Class 1-E.

Shiki stayed silent despite the expectant gazes, waiting for them to make the first move. Except the initiative was stolen by the ruckus across the room instead.

A much larger crowd was gathered around Koarai’s desk, and making enough noise that Shiki could hear every word.

“She was asking about making chocolates!!” One particularly desperate sounding boy shook Koarai by one shoulder.

“Honmei chocolates!!” Another desperate sounding boy shook Koarai by his other shoulder.

A third boy was waving a small desk calendar in Koarai’s face, as if he wasn’t aware that Valentine’s Day was a week away.

“So?” Koarai asked, obviously confused.

“You’re both Border, aren’t you?” One of the desperate sounding boys said accusingly, as if it meant something. “Who is it??”

“Is it someone in Arashiyama squad?”

“A sempai in the school?”

“Karasuma?!”

“Does our idol already have someone!?”

Shiki could have lived her life without knowing that someone viewed Katori as their idol.

One of the girls in front of Shiki smiled ruefully. “I think you know what our question is.”

Shiki sighed. “Does it matter?”

It was a different girl who answered. “Aren’t you curious? Katori-san always looks like she doesn’t care about anyone, and yet here she is, making chocolates for Valentine’s Day.”

Maybe being in Border together did mean something, because Shiki already knew Katori did care - deep, deep, down inside - and that was enough for her in a way that was clearly not enough for the rest of their classmates.

Shiki shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. “Does it matter?” she asked again, but no one was willing to budge. With no other choice left to her, Shiki threw her sempai under the bus. “Why would I know anything? If anyone knows, wouldn’t it be her teammates?”

“Are you expecting us to bother the sempai with this?” One of the girls tried to look scandalised, but Shiki knew she bothered the sempai all the time, with matters much smaller than this even.

Shiki - and Koarai - were finally set free from their classmates with Katori’s re-entrance into the classroom, a sandwich dangling in one hand. Unfortunately, a glance at all the message notifications on her phone told Shiki she was far from being free of the matter itself. She wished people would stop expecting her to know everything about Katori just because they were classmates.

As further proof of the claim, the whole story had already spread to Rokueikan by the very next day, and not all of it caused by Border members gossiping amongst themselves even.

But, when it came down to it, Katori was a girl from another school, it wasn’t enough to keep the attention of a prep school focused on the upcoming exams, except among Border members.

Kodera looked over at Somei’s desk, where most of the prep school operators had gathered - including Usami, chatting cheerfully amongst themselves. Kodera turned his eyes away from Usami, forcing down the blush that burned his cheeks, and focused on Somei. She had the same blank look on her face as the one she wore when the crowd around her had been normal classmates - the few who knew enough about Border to know about Katori and cared enough to approach Somei about it. The whole situation didn’t seem to be affecting her nearly as much as it affected the people at the other high school - at least from the complaints Kodera had been aware of: from Koarai in the chat group they shared, from Wakamura that he heard from Narasaka who heard from Arafune who heard from Inukai, even Miura had been less than his usual accepting self according to the testimonials of multiple Attackers. Kodera had a lot of pride in his data collecting skills.

But there were always gaps, people who refused to participate - people like Somei. Kodera was convinced that Somei knew who Katori was planning on giving chocolates to. If anyone did, it was her. But Somei would never tell. Even if it didn’t matter, Somei kept quiet and let people make their own assumptions.

One thing Kodera was certain of was that the chocolates weren’t for Karasuma. When he had gathered up the courage to ask her about it at lunch - since Karasuma had been the most likely possibility, Somei had smiled - a small quirk of her lips - and said, “do you think so?” The look in her eyes told Kodera she didn’t think it was Karasuma, and if Somei didn’t think it was Karasuma then it wasn’t Karasuma. It was that simple.

This, unfortunately, left the question of who. He wasn’t getting any more hints from Somei, he knew that, which meant he would have to gather his intel from somewhere else. Kodera ran through his sources, who hadn’t yet commented on the occasion? Who might know something - even if they themselves didn’t know what they knew? Who was in a position to find out?

Unconsciously, Kodera started planning out the logistics like one of the strategy problems Tsukimi would set him up with. It was no longer about Katori - it never really was - instead, there was a puzzle for Kodera to solve, even if he didn’t care what the answer was.

By the time Valentine’s Day arrived, the rumour mill was in overdrive and Class 1-E’s anticipation was through the roof as everyone hoped to see the fruits of Katori’s training with Kon. And because the teachers at Mikado First Municipal High School valued a good bout of festivities just like anyone else, the Home Economics teacher turned all of her lessons on Valentine’s Day into chocolate-making tutorials. For everyone.

But Class 1-E was destined to be heavily disappointed as their Home Ec. class began with Katori sitting around and playing with some of the unused equipment while the rest of the group did the actual work, glaring at her resignedly.

Koarai might have disassociated himself from Katori and whatever she was planning for Valentine’s Day to keep the gossipers at bay, but he had fought her often enough in the rank wars to know her personality through and through. He could have told them that she wouldn’t be making honmei chocolate on the day in front of everyone else. If Katori did make chocolates, it would have been by herself, so that no one could see her mess up or expend effort on something that actually mattered to her. If Katori did make chocolates, it would already be wrapped - perfectly - and hidden in her bag for her to give when she chose before she even got to school today.

Finally fed up, the teacher walked up to Katori with a stern expression. Katori, however, merely flipped her hair lazily, clearly not taking the teacher seriously. Her voice rose sharply, clearly audible even from where Koarai was. “Well, what if I’m not giving Valentine’s Day chocolate? Are you going to force everyone to participate even if they don’t have anyone to give to? All those poor girls having to either reveal that they have no one to give chocolates to or fake making chocolate and then having to eat it themselves! It’s public humiliation!” Katori did not sound like she was feeling sorry for anyone at all.

“You always have to make a smart comeback, don’t you,” the teacher replied wearily, not at all cowed by Katori’s words. “All we are doing is making chocolate, whether you are giving them to anyone as honmei chocolate on Valentine’s Day is up to you. I don’t see anything wrong with giving it as obligation chocolate, friend chocolate, or eating it yourself, do you?” Not giving Katori a chance to reply, the teacher continued in the same tone of voice, “Now I want to see your hands moving if you don’t want to be penalised.”

Katori didn’t seem in the mood to continue the fight, grabbing baking paper and spreading it out roughly with a sharp pout on her face. It was apparently enough for the teacher though, turning away with a nod of satisfaction.

Koarai turned his attention back to the chocolate his group was supposed to be making as everyone else also stopped paying attention to Katori now that they were sure she wasn’t going to do anything interesting.

Around him, Koarai could hear the disappointment of his classmates that, whatever she had been up to with Kon, it didn’t seem to be actually making Valentine’s Day chocolates. Koarai ignored them. He had been receiving obligation chocolates from Hitomi for the last ten years, and this time he was going to give her something in return. And to do that he had to make sure these chocolates were edible. There was no time to wonder about what Katori was or wasn’t doing.

Meanwhile, in contrast, matters have quieted down to almost nothing on the prep school side. Somei had been privy to the same complaints as the rest of Border from those who attended the other high school on the ridiculous heights the grapevine was reaching on the simple matter of Valentine’s Day chocolates. But Katori was enjoying all the attention, and that was good enough for her.

Feeling eyes on her from the front of the classroom, Somei turned that way, keeping her face blank. Kodera looked back at her undaunted. He was the only one in prep school who was still paying attention, though it was obvious by this point that he didn’t really care about who Katori was giving chocolates to - Kodera would probably be more interested in knowing who Usami was giving chocolates to, if she hadn’t already announced to everyone days ago that she’s giving obligation chocolates to every official Border member at the school. It was the puzzle for him, the thrill of solving the mystery.

Not that it was much of a mystery. Katori had been unusually silent on the matter even to Somei, when usually Somei would have been the first to know - and maybe even roped into helping Katori make the chocolates. But this time, not only did Katori not come to her, she hadn’t even told Somei about them. It had been a bit of a rude awakening to learn along with everyone else at prep school that Katori was planning on making chocolates after the fact. But that was also how Somei realised who Katori must be making them for.

Somei did not believe in false modesty, she knew she was intelligent in her ability to see patterns and make connections, it was obvious that if Katori was changing her habits just to hide this from Somei, then the chocolates were probably for-

“Somei-san,” the girl who sat next to Somei said, pointing to the window beside her, “I think you have a visitor.”

Somei peered out the window. Class was already over for the day, dotting the school grounds with students leaving, but as a prep school the number of students who remained to catch up on work, to prepare for the next day, or to participate in club activities far outnumbered those who left. Even Somei’s own classroom was still half full of students even excluding her and Kodera. This was why Katori’s lone figure at the front gates stood out even at a glance. Some early cherry trees were blooming already, a stunning backdrop that lent a story-like quality to the scene, as if Katori was the protagonist of a movie. Katori was very suited to be the protagonist of a movie.

The sky was starting to darken as Katori led Somei to a small park near the Forbidden Zone. It was a sad little park, with just a single rusted slide, two rocking horses that no longer moved, and an abandoned air that betrayed its neglect. That and the location meant it was empty at all times, and the sunset gave the surroundings a romantic flair that Katori had made a lot of effort to ensure. Effort that was going to go to nothing if she messed this up. Katori gulped.

Somei, who always knew Katori better than she knew herself, turned expectantly when Katori stopped in her tracks, her usual blank look on her face.

Sick of her own anxiety and uncomfortable with the unfamiliarity of it, Katori plunged a hand unceremoniously into her bag and said, “Here. For you.”

Somei received the well-wrapped package solemnly, not a hint of surprise on her face. “Thank you.”

Katori kicked lightly at a small rock between them. “You’re welcome, I guess,” she mumbled, feeling weirdly disheartened. She had known Somei wouldn’t react, she knew her that well, but it still felt discouraging.

Katori could feel Somei’s gaze on her, but something inside her didn’t want to look up. Katori's cheeks were shamefully hot. She wasn’t sure she liked the feeling.

There was a light crinkling of wrapping paper and the quiet crunch of chocolate being bitten into. “It tastes very good.”

It was as if a weight that Katori didn’t know had been stuck in her chest had suddenly fell away. She looked up. “Of course! I made it!” Everyday after school at Suzunari branch, she didn’t say, until it was perfect.

Somei smiled. “Of course,” she repeated, and placed another chocolate in her mouth.

Katori smiled too, feeling like she was floating off the ground, like everything was right in the world again. She didn’t know why she was so worried. As if there was ever any possibility of it going wrong. She made those chocolates herself after all. Katori looked Somei straight in the eyes. “You’re supposed to return three times as much on White Day, you know.”

Somei blinked slowly, and nodded. “I see,” she said seriously. “Understood.”

The setting sun was lined up perfectly behind her, casting a hazy glow over Somei’s features and dazzling Katori’s eyes. It made her look ethereal, as if she was out of Katori’s reach. But Somei always had lived in a different world, one that contemplated difficult matters and planned for a future Katori didn’t understand. It didn’t matter. They didn’t need to live in the same world, not as long as Somei was willing to meet her halfway.

Katori leaned forward, her eyes open, watching as Somei did the same. Their faces were close enough that Katori could see every imperfection in her skin, every hue of colour in her eyes; undeniable proof that Somei existed right there in front of her. Their lips met in the middle. It tasted of melted chocolate.

[narashikari]

Busters... ready, go!

I’m so glad that whenever I think about toku cast reunions, the Go-busters gang prove me wrong by showing these lovely pictures

[asknarashikari]

A minific for Gobusters’s 10th anniversary please? (Doing this before you go on a break)

GoBusters 10 Years Later V Cinema when, Toei?

@iristial Look I wrote something for our rarepair XD

"I keep telling you to keep an eye on your calorie level... I even set an alarm on your phone and everything, how can you still forget to eat when you need to?"

"Ugh, I'm not hungry I told you! You're being too obstinate again! I know my own limits just fine, so just leave me be already! I have work to do!"

Ryuuji had to smother a laugh as he listened to the pair bicker once more. Hiromu and Youko's arguments were so repetitive that it was almost routine, and it was a little ridiculous that they fought over the same things so often. It often made for an amusing sight, especially when Youko would get huffy and Hiromu would have to try placating her somehow, in his own clumsy way.

In spite of it all, the pair of them never actually seemed to be mad or upset at each other. It was almost like this was an everyday, normal conversation for the two of them. It would make sense if they were teenagers who had no idea how to handle having a crush on each other, and not two young adults who were engaged to be married.

In truth, Ryuuji was still a little baffled they were together at all. On the surface level, they seemed horribly matched for each other, unstoppable force meeting immovable object, and all that. To anyone who didn't know them well, it would seem like stubbornness was the only thing they had in common.

On the other hand, Ryuuji was one of a handful of people in the world who knew them deeper than surface level. He had seen what these two had been through, the pain and loss they shared, the bond they forged as they fought together and poured blood, sweat and tears into their dreams of a peaceful future. A bond that not even he, their fellow GoBuster, nor their beloved Buddyroids, could share in.

And, a lot of things changed, these past ten years. Subtle things, that no one but he could see, just because he knew them that well.

Little things, like how Hiromu would have stashes of snacks hidden everywhere, just in case Youko did need an energy boost. Or how Youko would pinch his side just hard enough to snap him out if his alektorophobia acted up again.

And, sure enough, even as they continued to bicker like a pair of fools, their hands were linked together under the table, Hiromu playing with the ring on Youko's finger, Youko munching on the snack Hiromu had made her.

Ryuuji turned away, shaking his head. These two were really something, weren't they.

[narashikari]

22 for Hiromu and Yoko

22. Where does their first kiss happen?

Outside of Youko’s room at the EMC. Hiromu was aiming for a good night kiss on the cheek/forehead but Youko moved her head at the last minute and it became an actual kiss. Both were very embarrassed and awkward afterward but also secretly quite pleased and giddy about it.

But of course knowing their luck someone would see it because there are cameras everywhere in the facility... Luckily it would be Morishita Toru, who is sensible enough not to say a single word of what he witnessed to anyone, especially Youko’s three overprotective guardians.

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

A for Hiromu and Yoko

A is for aurora.

According to the clock it’s 2:38 in the morning, which is definitely an unacceptable time to be awake. Despite this, Hiromu is awake, and after a moment of accusatory staring at the ceiling he rolls out of bed and pads out to the bathroom in his boxers and tank top.

When he comes back out of the bathroom, a flicker of light catches his eye, and he realizes after a moment that the television in the common area is on. It’s probably just Ryuuji, up late reading with a science show on in the background. But, then again--he had once found Jin in there, watching reruns of some mecha cartoon from the 80s and looking at a can of soda like he wished he could drink it. His shows are always fun to watch, and Hiromu knows just from the feel that sleep’s not going to be happening any time soon.

He only sees a few seconds of whatever Youko’s watching before she pauses it and turns off the television, turning an accusatory frown on him. “What are you doing awake?”

“I woke up. What are you doing up? And what are you watching, was that a Disney movie?”

“No.” She scowls at him. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“Can I watch with you?”

“...why?”

“I don’t think I can get back to sleep right now, when I saw the light in here I was kinda hoping it was Jin watching cartoons.” She’s still looking suspicious, her eyebrows drawn down, her knees pulled up to her chest inside her long nightshirt, and he forces himself to stop and think for a moment before saying, “I think there’s some microwave popcorn? I could make it?”

Her scowl doesn’t quite go away so much as it lightens, and after a moment she says, “Sure. Popcorn’s good.”

Hiromu heads over to their little kitchen space and rummages for the popcorn, stops the microwave one second before it goes off so the beeping doesn’t wake up Ryuuji, and dumps the whole bag into a bowl that he brings back to the couch. “So what movie is it?”

“...Sleeping Beauty.” Youko shifts over on the couch a little and turns the television back on. “I used to watch it with my mom when I was little. She’d cover my eyes during the scary parts.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“You better not.” She shoves a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Hiromu grabs a handful of popcorn himself and resists the urge to comment on her bunny slippers as the movie starts up again--hopefully she’ll do him the same courtesy and not mention his cheetah-print boxers. “Does this movie actually have scary parts?”

She shrugs. “I’unnow. I hafen--” swallows her mouthful of popcorn, “I haven’t watched it since...since I was three. Maybe it isn’t actually scary.”

“That’d be nice.” He reaches for more popcorn. “Not having to deal with a scary thing for once.”

[narashikari]

OMG YES SAME @iris-14cheonsa

By god was GoBusters good. Better than Gokaiger, dare I say! For all the reasons above and more!

I liked how realistic GoBus was in showing how the Busters dealt with their losses. And how different they are in doing so! Hiromu, Ryuuji, Youko and even Jin all had their own ways of coping (or not) with the tragedy, but if you think about it hard enough, they all still made sense for the specific character.

Also, as crazy as this sounds, but I liked how Hiromu- a Sentai lead, the Red Ranger no less- was so psychologically compromised that he actually tried to commit suicide by proxy. ONSCREEN. Sentai rarely shows how Rangers deal with their trauma, let alone how they deal with it terribly, supposedly because it’s targeted to younger kids. But GoBus dared to be different in this regard. And I LOVE that.

It’s almost Kamen Rider-ish with how dark it went... unsurprisingly, Kobayashi also wrote OOO, and Eiji also has one of the worst coping mechanisms of all (being empty to the point of wanting nothing for himself). It’s also comparable to how Muto wrote Sento coping with his many, many issues in Build.

All in all GoBusters is still my favorite Sentai and Hiromu my favorite Red Sentai hero. And I really cannot get why people- including the friend who introduced me to Sentai- think this season is not good at all.

Thoughts on Go-Busters?

Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters is one of the most criminally underrated Sentai series of the last 20 years.

Even in Japan the toy sales were poor, the ratings weren’t great and the series is generally not remembered as fondly as it should be.  That’s probably because it followed one of the most beloved Sentai series in recent memory, Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger and was followed by one of the most toyetic, dynamic and fun series, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. By comparison, Go-Busters seems a little lackluster at first glance but I still love it.

Why?

First of all are the main characters. 

Hiromu, Ryuji and Yoko are fantastic protagonists with very engaging backstories.  They all share a defining tragedy (the loss of their parents on Christmas in a teleportation accident that went horribly awry) and are the only ones capable of defeating the threat that caused the accident. Their powers also come with some pretty harsh limitations which range from understandable (Yoko’s need for snacks due to a higher metabolism) to the ridiculous (Hiromu’s paralyzing fear of chickens) which gives them weaknesses and keep them from becoming overpowered.

Each of them also has a robotic partner called a Buddyroid that helps them out and become the control device for their mecha in combat. These three have their own unique personalities as well, giving us an automatic six members of the team (though these buddyroids are not built for combat).

As for combat members, we start with three to begin with and then have two more join.  There is precedence for this as it was done in Choujuu Sentai Liveman so adding two new members and not having a sixth, though rare and VERY rare for a modern Sentai is nothing really new.

The fact that these two addition as Jin Masato and Beet J, Stag a.k.a. Beet Buster and Stag Buster only makes it better.  Beet J. Stag is the only combat equipped buddyroid and when he and Jin transform, he become a Go-Buster himself.  Jin is also the mastermind behind the mecha of bother the heroes AND the villains, as his plans were stolen to make the evil Megazords (and yes, that is what the villainous giant robots are called).

That brings me to the villains, the Vaglass.  They are represented on Earth by their field commander, Enter, who is later joined by his counterpart/rival Escape.

I have ALWAYS had a preference for human main villains in Sentai.  Don’t get me wrong, I adore the suited monsters of a week but I always like my evil masterminds to have human faces.  It makes them more identifiable and the range of expressions they give can really convey how serious a situation is or how much they HATE the heroes when their plans are thwarted.

You really can’t get much better than Enter and Escape for both of those things.

The actual MAIN villain in an evil computer program known as Messiah, who commands Enter to gather the valuable energy source Enertron with which to plot his invasion from another dimension.

Each week, the forced of the Vaglass create a monster on Earth using a Metavirus on an eartly machine. This monster is known as a Metaroid and causes havoc while also serving as a homing beacon for the giant robots sent by Messiah, the aforementioned Megazords. The heroes have a time limit to defeat the small monster before the Megazord shows up and they have to fight the giant robot using their own mecha.  

 Now, the idea of having a small monster and then a big one and not the usual monster that starts small and grows big is also not without precendent, though it has been a VERY long time since we’ve seen it. The first time that was used was in Battle Fever J and has not been seen since the early 1980s.

Speaking of the mecha, Go-Busters had an entire maintenance crew to maintain their giant robots.  As part of a Government organization (something we also haven’t seen in a long time) the Go-Busters got to have an entire support staff and worked as part of a hierarchy with commanders above them.

There was a LOT of stuff in Go-Busters that was either a departure from the norm or a throwback to the earlier days of Super Sentai.  It tooks risks and tried to be a different show from what came before or what came after. That may have been one of the reasons it didn’t do so well, it was just TOO different from the Sentai norm people had become used to. 

What puzzled me more is that it was never brought over for adaptation into Power Rangers.  They Go-Busters transformation devices were an homage to the American version as when activated, the devices proclaimed “It’s Morphin’ Time!” in English.  They wouldn’t have had to make any changes to market them in the US.  Yet, they chose to skip this series (probably because of the poor performance in Japan) and go for the follow-up instead.

So, do I recommend Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters?  Heck yes!  It’s a nice throwback to earlier times, has a good story, great villains and compelling character drama.  This is one you should check out, especially if you like human-ish villains, intrigue and a heavy emphasis on story and character development.  It can be silly at times but then, name a Sentai that isn’t?