#yukiya taruhi

[maomaojinshi]

Wakamiya’ &Yukiya

Source: Matsuzaki Natsumi-sensei's

[cadriox]

I fucking love this disaster already

[akq96618]

[katrani]

I think Hamayu did mention various nobility supporting Natsuka over the Prince, but this does re-confirm from someone in the thick of it that there's outright faction interests going on.

We haven't seen any maids or anyone go by, and they seem to be in a closed room. Who does Kiei think might be listening in, and if Yukiya hasn't been kicked out yet does he really have that much faith that Yukiya's been able to keep his mouth shut around the Prince for two whole weeks? That's the only reason I can think for him to shush there, that he's worried Yukiya's comment about the Prince just being another raven might seem... heretical? Generally disrespectful?

But Yukiya literally gives zero fucks about all this!!! At all!!! Kiei should know that! Yukyia does not care about other peoples's placements, he just wants to go back home to Taruhi and take his place as the second son. Going off about the Prince and Natsuka is only going to bring Yukiya's trauma back up, or make him feel even less incentive to find out info to help Shiratama with.

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

“You're lucky to have brothers like them, Yukiya.”

Taruhi brothers, my beloveds.

I'm gonna miss Yatagarasu so much these three weeks. Just when we thought we were back...

Source: Yatagarasu anime's official account.

[nijigasakilove]

It’s been so long since any work of fiction had a twist that I genuinely didn’t see coming. This Asebi twist is INSANE. Masterful writing man I never in a million years would’ve thought she was like this. They set her up as the quintessential victim, only to reveal her as a wolf in sheep’s clothing pulling all the strings in the ritual.

Best episode of the series by far. The Kasuke stuff was only the tip of the iceberg, I never would have thought Asebi was manipulating even the Prince’s own sister?? Fujinami being in love with her and willing to do whatever she asked, even kicking out and inadvertently killing Samomo wtf???? Takimoto covering it up I can understand, ladies in waiting are loyal to a fault as the prince said..

“The princess misunderstood me” nah this bitch is pure evil 😭 like the scary sort of pure evil. That scene of the dark raven coming out the ground next to Asebi was terrifying. She just exudes a very uncomfortable aura that I never noticed until today.

Who would’ve thought that out of everyone there it would be Hamayu that ended up winning the prince’s hand in marriage lmao. The person literally sent there to kill him. Poetic in a sense, but given her neutrality from the four houses and the prince’s desire for reform it is logical.

That “I do not find you particularly special and I do not love you either. That won’t change if you marry me” is the most insane proposal ever though 😂 that punch was well deserved. Hamayu is also a good choice because she doesn’t worship the prince or like treat him formally, they’re old friends and she isn’t afraid to say whatever is on her mind to him.

Gonna miss my boy Yukiya :/ was hoping he’d stay around, but guess he’s got unfinished business in Taruhi.. hope we see him again some day… but the set up for this next arc looks wild. The intercutting shots of girlie getting her head eaten off while the prince and yukiya say their goodbyes was haunting.

And a new waifu showing up?? Two weeks off due to the recap and new season starting, but I can’t wait!

[inahochi]

I’ve been waiting for you, Yukiya of Taruhi.

YATAGARASU: KARASU WA ARUJI WO ERABANAI (2024)

#02. the blockhead second son ⋆ ぼんくら次男

[yatagarasuhonyaku]

The Boundary and the Outside (Novel Translation)

Blog version

Context: After fulfilling King Saku's request and returning alive, Wakamiya and Yukiya arrive with the news about the cave.

The lore in this scene is a follow-up to this other one. It's recommended to read them in order.

“So you’re telling me there are monkeys inside this very mountain!”

By the time Wakamiya and Yukiya arrived back to Wakamiya’s room in Sunrise Palace, Natsuka and Rokon, who had come back earlier, were already there, waiting eagerly with Hamayuu and Sumio. Anyone could tell that Animiya(1) had plenty to say about the recent events, but he never got a chance: it all vanished when Wakamiya and Yukiya shared the information they had just obtained.

In response to Natsuka’s shout, Wakamiya nodded impassively.

“Exactly. However, from the looks of it, digging a hole in the ground doesn’t mean you’ll always find a place inhabited by monkeys.”

In the process of traversing that case, Yukiya and Wakamiya had crossed the barrier that protected Yamauchi. There was no question the monkeys lived beyond Yamauchi itself.

“Then,” Hamayuu, who had been listening in silence so far, sought to confirm, “should we conclude that the cave you two went through is the ‘Third Gate’ and that it is the monkeys' invasion route?”

“I don’t think so. I find it unlikely that the path we went through is either the ‘Third Gate’ or the monkeys’ present invasion route.” Wakamiya had been constantly mulling over what they saw there on their way back to the Palace. “And, if we also consider the words of King Saku, I’m leaning towards thinking that place exists within a ‘boundary’ of sorts between Yamauchi and the Outside.”

“A boundary?”

“A place that’s neither here nor there. A boundary, gap, or crack. Whatever you call it, I’m thinking this place in between connecting the two worlds is where they have built their nest.” Wakamiya had once traversed the Suzaku Gate to go to study abroad. Back then, too, he had to go through a very similar cave to cross from Yamauchi to the Outside. “Although the tunnel back at Suzaku Gate was one tidy straight line, I’m inclined to think the one we went today is fundamentally the same thing, just without any work done to make it easier to traverse. If we hadn’t met up with the monkeys midway, I’m certain we would have gotten to the Outside.”

There was one piece of irrefutable proof: the very item they had recovered from the cave. With one look from Wakamiya, Yukiya pulled the bone out and placed it where everyone could see it. What had once been a part of someone’s body sat on top of the tatami and dimly reflected the surrounding light.

“But, isn’t this just the bone of a Yatagarasu who died in human form?” Yukiya asked.

The bones in that pile he had found at the end of the cave had looked about the same as the remains he had seen before during funerals back in Taruhi. He had been convinced that they were from all the Yatagarasu victims so far.

“That’s an easy mistake to make. It’s not something that someone who spent their entire life within Yamauchi would recognize.” After all, the bone didn’t belong to any creature that existed within its boundaries. “But there is no mistaking it, this is a human bone.”

“Human? How is that any different from Yatagarasu?” From Yukiya’s expression, it was clear he truly had no idea what Wakamiya meant.

In Yamauchi, those Yatagarasu who took human shape were referred to as ‘humans’ from time to time. The Tengu, their trading partners, also took human shape; so the general population treated it as a simple word for those living beings capable of transforming into such a form. However, that was a massive mistake.

“For starters, have you ever considered why we call this shape of ours ‘human form’? What is the kanji for ‘human’ supposed to represent?”

Unusual for such a bright boy, Yukiya found himself stumped, struggling to find an answer to the question.

“It’s……… a word to distinguish between horses and Yatagarasu?”

“No, that’s incorrect,” Wakamiya said, “humans are the race who rules the Outside. The Tengu aren’t a common race out there. Quite the opposite, in fact: they spend their lives holding their breath in hope they aren’t found out. If a Yatagarasu’s true nature is that of a ‘bird,’ then you could say a human’s true nature is ‘human.’ They are born and die just like that without ever transforming. The reason we even talk about ‘human forms’ also lies in them, but…”

As Wakamiya kept talking, he found himself struggling to find the words to explain it all. Yatagarasu were born from eggs, they were creatures who learned to take human form as they became old enough to remember. They were not ‘humans’ at a fundamental level, but ‘birds’. And so, he had felt sheer shock when he first stepped into the Outside.

Language, religion, customs, culture, science.

According to Yamauchi’s legends, the Yatagarasu first arrived on this mountain accompanying Yamagami(2). And yet everything in this place felt like it was a mere recreation of the Outside to the very detail, just refitted and reshaped to better suit its inhabitants’ needs. The more he learned about the Outside’s workings, the more his confusion grew and the more he came to believe that maybe his ancestors had truly sought to remake what was beyond within Yamauchi.

And if that were the truth of the matter, then Yamauchi would be no more than a miniature garden, a simple replica of the Outside, the human-shaped Yatagarasu living within it a mere replacement for actual humans. Wakamiya had a strong suspicion that, perhaps, the true reason Yatagarasu spent their lives mostly in human form, opposite to their fundamental nature, was somehow related to this fact.

However, it was too bizarre a topic to bring up at the current situation.

“Anyway, given that we found human bones, there is no doubt whatsoever: that cave we found connects to the Outside.” And, in that place, the race that reigned supreme was the humans. This was also the first time Wakamiya had heard of human-eating Monkeys. Something had always felt off whenever anyone proposed they had come from the Outside. “The Monkeys’ nest is most likely in this boundary space, we Yatagarasu had just been unaware of until now. We may not be able to know how long they have been there, but here they are, and they’ve used it to sneak Outside, kidnap humans and devour them.”

These monkeys must have been living in this Boundary for a long time with humanity as their main source of food. However, by some chance, they ended up finding a ‘passage’ that connected them to Yamauchi. Through it, they found and took up human-shaped Yatagarasu as a replacement for their usual meals.

“Now that you mention it, the Monkeys didn’t try to eat any of the horses, not even in Sazaki(3). So I guess only human-shaped creatures even register as food to them.” Having listened to Wakamiya’s theory, Sumio muttered with a groan.

There had to be another ‘passage’ that, much like the cavern King Saku sealed, connected the Outside with Yamauchi.

Rokon, who had stood in silence with his back against the entrance door until then, spoke out all of a sudden in a languid tone. “Given all the talk so far, it may be safe to assume this ‘passage’ is found here in the Central Area.”

“What do you mean?” Natsuka turned around as fast as he could. In contrast, Rokon’s attitude was one of indifference, as if all of this had nothing to do with him.

“I mean, that’s how it all works, right? Both the ‘Gates’ we control and the spot where we found the Monkeys can be found here, in caverns across the Central Area.” And, if the paths leading to the Outside all lead inwards, towards the heart of the mountain, it would also explain how the folks of the Undercity had gotten their hands on their own ‘Third Gate’. “At present, the Imperial Court and the Undercity are the two only organizations in possession of ‘Gates’ that we know of. Whether they find themselves in higher or lower ground, both have built most of their infrastructure within the mountain itself.”

Back when the Court Ravens first sought to build the Imperial Court in the Mountain’s surroundings, they found two ‘Gates’ during the digging process: the ‘Forbidden Gate’ and the ‘Suzaku Gate’. Afterwards, it became tradition for the residences of Court Ravens to be built hanging from the Mountain’s walls instead, hence why they never came upon any other path to the Outside.

On the other hand, the people of the Ravine took it upon themselves to keep on developing the lower part of the Mountain, which had gone ignored by the Court Ravens. It was perfectly possible for them to have found both the ‘Third Gate’ and that cavern with the pile of bones during the process of developing the Undercity as their castle.

When Yukiya and Wakamiya returned from that very cave, King Saku had some words of advice for them. What Rokon had just suggested was, in fact, implicit in one of them.

“King Saku told us two things: that the Undercity and its ‘Third Gate’ are unrelated to the Monkeys and that, if they had invaded us, it had to be through somewhere else in the Central Area."

-----------------------------------------

1: Much like Nazukihiko is referred to as Wakamiya (若宮, or ‘young imperial’), his siblings have similar titles. Natsuka’s is Animiya, 兄宮, or the ‘elder brother imperial’. For consistency sake, I’ll be keeping all -miya titles.

2: Yamagami (山神) is the Mountain God and is the title of the Kami/God that’s said to inhabit the peak of Yamauchi’s Central Mountain. For similar reasons to titles like Wakamiya or Animiya, I’ll be keeping it as is.

3: Sazaki, a little settlement at the end of one of the old general roads, was the first village attacked by the monkeys. They explicitly went after one house that was substantially far away from the rest.

[ydotome]

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

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

Yukiya of Taruhi

I think it would have been innovative and interesting if the story had ended with the main character, Yukiya, leaving while cursing Nazukihiko, ending with “The End” (laughs). However, the anime version of Yukiya is relatively kind and has a somewhat gentle demeanor, so that kind of ending might not align with his character. In the original work, Yukiya is a character who, for better or worse, remains unchanged while everyone else grows, experiences hardships, or undergoes some kind of transformation. I aim to depict both his good and bad sides. Even if it seems like he is changing, it's only because the people around him are changing, giving that impression. As depicted in the second episode of the anime, he is the kind of person who lets himself get hit to trap the other person and then sticks his tongue out later. I believe he continues to do the same things. His position and the people around him make him appear like a kid who is trying hard despite being manipulated by Nazukihiko, but if you look at his character alone, he has a pretty bad personality and carries a lot of issues.

Chisato Abe

Straight from the author’s depiction of one of her main characters.

[miyamiwu]

I’m a bit lost on details

Yukiya’s biological father is Yukimasa, Lord of Taruhi, right?

But his birth mother is the second daughter of the Northern Lord (do we know her name?). What was she to Yukimasa? A principal wife? A concubine? The latter seems unlikely because of her high status...

And what happened to her? She’s dead, right? Did she die soon after giving birth to Yukiya? (Why else would Yukiya call Azusa “mother”? Does he have no affection for his birth mother?)

Also, how did Yukimasa even score such a highborn lady in the first place???

And if the North wanted Yukiya (since they tried to take him away from Azusa before), why was Yukiya not even with them in the beginning? Or, why didn’t they try to take him right after he was born? Why did they wait until Yukiya was old enough to want to stay with Azusa and his father instead?

It’s not like the Northern Lord/Yukiya’s grandfather hates Yukiya and/or Yukimasa too...

Wait, now that I think about it...

Are Yukiya and Shiratama actually cousins???

Help, I am so confused

Note: I am anime-only. If my questions will be answered later on in the anime, then please don’t spoil me!

[animeandfilmotaku]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[cadriox]

The anime vs manga difference is hilarious LOLLL

Anime yukiya is adorable but ngl manga yukiya has a favorite spot in my heart. He’s a literal baby crow giving people bombastic side eyes 😭😭😭 (I love the curly light brown hair as well ugh)

[shiawasekai]

I see... (so many spoilers you have no idea)

I think I didn't really get it when I watched the anime version because the anime barely touches (if at all) how much of an asshole Yukiya's father is and the fact Yukiya very blatantly resents him. He has done the most of a bad situation, but it was never Yukiya's job to do so. He was 5-6 years old when it all blew in their faces, for fuck's sake. The fact this situation happened at all is because his dad is an insensitive idiot to say the least.

But the anime completely ignores Yukiya's mother's backstory and how the Taruhi family drama even came to be, focusing only on the end result. In other words, you cannot know how truly strained the relationship is.

In the novel, Yukima compares their family, and specifically their father, with a prison for Yukiya for a damn good reason. They felt relief when he went to the capital because they thought Yukiya was finally free and were legitimately upset to see him return because they care for him.

Enter Koume, who has a troubled relationship with a neglectful spineless asshole of a dad of her own (more so if my suspicions about the prologue are confirmed), and they obviously clash. Yukiya put those chains back on and returned to his own personal prison willingly from sheer love towards his family, meanwhile Koume is so detached from her father she can barely bring herself to truly care even if some small amount of love for him remains.

Yukiya cannot understand her, because he just put up with his own circumstances and made the most out of it so why cannot she too, and Koume cannot understand that abusive shitty families can exist anywhere and sometimes abuse is a lot more subtle that... what most likely happened to her.

And now he doesn't trust her not only because of PTSD but because her viewpoint is so antithetical to his own. This is so ending badly.

Which you cannot understand if you don't know how deep Yukiya's family issues go. I'm kinda annoyed tbh.

[katrani]

We don't need to spend a lot of time on these characters, they're not major players, but I am so happy for how much care they do get.

Yukima loses, but is gracious about it. Ichiryu is a sore loser and gets beaned by a water bottle (?) from some of Yukima's fans, while Yukima just has this look of "well shucks, what could I do about this?" It's very cute.

He's somehow even charmed Ichiryu's friends(?)! But more importantly, they can... watch a kid like 3-5 years younger than them have a fight? I don't recall if we establish how well Ichiryu and his crew knows Yukiya, but I do feel like it's an odd choice unless their hate-on for the Taruhi family is just that strong.

(More brief important world-building! Even among other Northern families that aren't the main one, Taruhi is considered backwater!)

Not quite the halfway point of the episode, but the rest of this has momentum all throughout so I'll cut it here and catch ya'll in a couple of days!

[maomaojinshi]

Danger looms over Yukiya, who lives a carefree life in Taruhi. The saviour who appears there is Wakamiya, who has the crisis-sensing skills of a goldfinch.

烏は主を選ばない #yatagarasu