#~mikazukis thread~

[novaxanomaly]

"What if they kissed?" - Mikazuki and Lilith

@co11ywobbles

Mikazuki was obviously not himself as he got off of his motorcycle and set the helmet on the seat. he was clad in full leather, black and red.

his platinum white blonde hair falling into his face a bit as he smirked, fangs showing. The vampires crimson eyes glittered as he looked up at the neon sign for 'The Dark Eden'.

Looking down at his outfit, he straightened his jacket and began to walk towards the entrance of his friend's on-again-off-again girlfriend's establishment.

[zantedeschia-praesul]

//short saniwa thing? coz i've been bingeing on old anime for some weird reason

nothing special really, just that Saseki, while he doesn't look it, uses the manly first-person "ore" (俺) instead of "boku" (僕) when he talks (tho if/when Okita talks, he would switch to "boku"), and when he refers to somebody, it's either "anta" (あんた) or "anata" (あなた). Most holy swords eg. Ishikirimaru, Taroutachi and (someone else's, not his) Kogitsunemaru, or other holy beings/those of higher status, will be refered as "-sama" (様) while the rest are the standard "-kun" (くん), even with tantou. (Even Mikazuki he calls "-kun", and for *his* Kogitsunemaru, Sase has a habit of calling him "Kogi-kun")

(Except for Nankaitarou, he calls him "Nankai sensei" too)

Does he have a voice/seiyuu claim? iunno mang but rn it's highly likely Horie Shun (Ishida Masamune & Aether seiyuu) or Yoshitsugu Matsuoka (Xiao seiyuu), and personal favorite between two legends Johnny Yong Bosch (Lelouch VA) or Yuri Lowenthal (Dainsleif VA)

THO WHAT IF I OFFER KHOI DAO TO VOICE MY SANIWA I MEAN WHY NOT //OK NO

And if the current thread at the bakery is any indication, for some reason some people in Bungou no Kuni had taken to calling Saseki "Lord Harumasa" (the equivalent being "tono" - 殿), even tho he's nowhere near daimyo level. I'd like to think they think of him as a small kind of noble, maybe :0

[qqchurch]

the potential timeline of Miorine turning into the holder of Suletta's 'leash' if the final duel ended with Suletta's win, possibly turning their relationship into some sort of insane toxic Mafia Lady x Feral Bodyguard dynamic...

but alas, you can kind of see a similar thread of it in IBO with Orga and Mikazuki so I guess having a mainline retreading the same dynamic so soon (relatively) wouldn't jive that well

(also the entire thing is locked onto the Shakespearean/Utena/Poetic Edda stuff so it's a bit too late to shift to that sort of thing, there's always fics)

[moonrisecalamityretreat]

Better to Reign in Hell | Mikazuki | MM Trial | Re: Ha! Classic Jinpachi!

Mikazuki doesn’t want Jinpachi to be right. She doesn’t want to admit that there’s anything similar between them, and yet. Hellhound that she is, she’s familiar with the feeling of a chain wrapped around the throat. She hadn’t been the spectacle that Jinpachi was–she was much more the shadow, like Juzo. 

  And that, painfully, is where Jinpachi is right again. 

  Mikazuki Soma has spent so much of her life wanting the world to burn again, but to burn the right people. Even hearing about the Otsuka family, she finds herself agreeing that they deserve to burn too for what they did. She can trace the lines of revenge back to their origin if she follows the threads and ties them together enough, and by this metric, the Otsuka family created the monster that killed Hotaru, and as such, they deserve to die just as much as Jinpachi himself does. 

  Just as much as everyone wearing those stupid masks does. 

  Just as much as her own family does. They robbed her of her happiness, robbed her of her father, robbed her of twenty-three years of being Tsuneo’s sister. She could never forgive them for the way they had taken advantage of her having nowhere else to go, for seeing her as a novel little accessory to show why they were such good people helping an orphan rebuild her life. She could never forgive her mother for being content with keeping her own child as a servant for the rest of their life. 

  Her desire to see those people burnt to the ground had taken ten years of obsession–a Pandora’s box filled with blackmail and secrets sat under her bed, waiting for her to choose to open and unleash all the evils that would rip them from the inside out. They were tearing each other apart anyway. They deserved it, worse even, after the stunt of trying to send a fucking assassin after Tsuneo. 

It was her and Tsuneo against all of them. Against the world. Everyone else can fucking die–

Oh god. 

Oh god, she’s no different than him, is she? Only three people tried to earnestly kill: Jinpachi, Maxime, and Mikazuki. Sure, she’d failed, but the desire to kill had to be some sort of sickness. Maybe she’d been sick all along in some ways. Maybe she’d spread her sickness to Tsuneo somehow and that was why he’d been taken in as a patient too. Now here she is, supposedly AEDS-free, with just as many violent and sick thoughts as someone who’d tried to recreate the apocalypse and killed his own brother. 

Take away the sickness, and what is there? Was Mikazuki Soma just born evil? Was she always meant to open the box and make everything around her succumb to that evil? 

The revelation does seem to affect her, judging by how her expression shifts to a quiet terror.

Because Jinpachi won. He’d taken away the happiness Mikazuki had thought she could build for herself, and made it so that the only thing that might make her truly happy is the same kind of violence that became the only thing to bring him joy. 

Mikazuki Soma is a creature of despair now. 

Still. She doesn’t enjoy it. Hell, she refuses to enjoy it, because it’s the only power she has left over him. If she’s soaked in the evils of the world, she at least has that small piece of hope locked in the box for herself. The hope that she isn’t fully like him, the hope she had for a future before it was taken, the hope that Tsuneo promised to take care of her. 

Tsuneo. Her twin. She’d do anything for him, but if ever she got sick enough to think killing him was the only way to save him…no, she’d die before ever letting anyone harm Tsuneo, even herself. She’d tried to get him to leave her when she worried she was too sick, to get him not to follow her through her violent impulses so he’d be safe. Even at her lowest, Mikazuki has always put Tsuneo’s well being first. That’s how she knows that she’s still human.

“I’m glad your family’s dead if they are, Patchy. They deserve it. I’ve always been a believer in revenge. So maybe that kind of violence is just who I am, with or without AEDS.”

Her voice is flat, an admission.

“Still. I’ve wanted things besides that before. Maybe I can want them again. I at least want to see before I decide to become a full-on sadomasochistic shitlord.”

If she’s just a creature of despair now because of Jinpachi, she won’t be a dog that rolls over and whimpers in the hopes of being given some sort of scraps. She’ll be the hellhound that he never should have tried to train in the first place. 

Besides, Maxime and Hanji seem to have done it despite their baggage and similarities to Jinpachi. Maybe she’s not too far gone either. There were enough people who believed in her before even at her worst countless times. Making liars of them feels like disrespecting the dead. 

So she’s going to dig her heels in and fight against her own despair as long as she can manage, at least long enough to get out of this stupid game and at least long enough not to give Jinpachi fucking Otsuka the satisfaction of seeing her give into it.

“But hey: what was with that ominous little ‘teehee~’ earlier, dickhead? I don’t think this is going to be as simple as ‘you get executed and we all get to go home and live happily ever after’ either. You’ve been a cheating bastard this entire game, why play fair now? What, are you gonna take us all with you or some shit? Or public broadcast it to give your cult extra ideas?”

[daily-rubbersoul-redux]

Around lunchtime, Touma wanders around the area… Until he sees Rizo. He makes a beeline directly for him and sits down next to him as if he were invited.

“Hey! Pretty nice day, huh?”

-Poorlydrawnmoriocs

Rizo Looked over at the boy, his eyes cold and calculating. "....You dat kid who useta pal around with ol' hawdhead, yeah? Da hell you want?"

The black haired girl sitting besides him quickly bapped him on the head.

"'Ey-! Da hell was dat for?"

"Stop being rude, Rizo." She smiled at Touma. "Yes, it is a pretty nice day. Now, can we help you with something?"

Rizo grumbled a bit, but quickly got over it.

[@poorlydrawnmoriocs]

[tanuki-kimono]

櫛 - kushi (Japanese combs types), handy chart by Edo lover Nadeshico Rin.

Rin doesn’t detail materials, but you can see here illustrated tsuge/boxwood (+dark woods I can’t replace for yamataka, maybe sugi/cryptomeria for tenmaru?), bekkô/turtle shell, zôge/ivory, shikki/lacquered wood, glass.

While translating this chart, I stumbled upon this overview of the Kushikanzashi museum dedicated to hair accessories. It reminds that before Edo era, women used to wear their hair down/loosely tied (垂髪 subeshigami styles = hair tied behind and hanging down/long flowing hair).

When nihongami appeared (=the trademark Japanese bun we think of when thinking about “ancient Japan”), it was first considered casual style, so a woman would in fact nor wear an updo for formal events.

When nighongami spread, demand for combs increased, leading to a flourishing craft.

Combs also varied widely during the whole period, following the fashion and styles, from big+wide during peak Edo (which loved big hairstyles) to dainty+narrow in Meiji era (where hairstyles were much more muted).

As for the combs types depicted by Rin, you can see from left to right, top to bottom:

First column:

月形 Tsuki gata (crescent shaped) - small comb like this one became popular around 1825 after a sumptuary law banned more extravagant combs. This one was made famous by actor Iwai Hanshiro for the character Mikazuki Osen.

半月形 Hantsuki gata (half crescent shaped) - a small comb like tsuki gata, with a somehow thin and even spine and long teeth, popular during Tenpô era. 

閑清形 Kansei gata (kansei shaped) - a small comb with a soft rectangular shape, popular in Tenpô era. 

新牡丹形 Shinbatan gata (”young peony” shaped) - small comb with a small spine and rounded corners, fashionable after Tenpô era.

柳川櫛 Yanagawa kushi (Yanagawa comb) - a small comb made from ivory dyed red, then carved to revealed white patterns. Such combs were popular during Kôka era.

Second column:

銀覆輪櫛 Gin fukurin gushi (silver ornemental border comb) - comb with a silver framed ridge, popular during Meiwa and An’ei eras. It is said to have been invented by famous jack of all trades Hiraga Gennai (and hence also named Gennai comb 源内��)

光輪形 Kourin gata (Kôrin shaped) - an ornated comb with openwork designs popular during Meiwa and An’ei eras. The patterns were inspired by works of famous painter Ogata Kôrin hence the name

御巻用の櫛  Kushimakiyou no kushi (hair roll comb) - a long comb, big enough to wrap the entire hair around. In Hôreki era, A kyûji onna (teahouse waitress) named Minatoya Oroku who waited a teahouse in the precincts of Sensoji Temple is said to have invented this style who soon spread among the population.

硝子製の櫛 Garasusei no kushi (glass comb) - appeared in first half of 18th century. Glass was quite rare and precious then as it was a foreign good (as shown by the names used: ビードロ/bidoro from Portugese vidro or ギヤマン/giyaman from Dutch diamant). Such combs were very fragile.

角形 Kaku gata (angle shaped) - a comb with a straight rectangular shape, popular in Tenpô era.

Third column:

天丸形 Tenmaru gata ("all round” shaped) - a straight forward name for this comb which has a very large and round “yama“ (spine part) which leave plenty of room for decorations (painted, inlaid etc)

糸鬢丸形 Itobin marugata (itobin round shaped) - “Itobin” (lit. thread like sidelocks) was a men hairstyle from early Edo era (head mostly shaved except for thread like locks on temples and nape). OP wonders if the name of this comb originated from this peculiar look? It’s true the shaft kinda looks like a balding head with the tiniest bit of hair left ;)

山高形 Yamataka gata (tall mountain shaped) - a style fashionable during Kyôhô-Genbun eras. The name is pretty straight forward as it has a pretty high (=taka) spine (=yama”), which made a nice canvas for decorations.

利休形 Rikyuugata (Rikyuu shaped) - popular during Kan’en and Hôreki eras, this comb looks like a longer yamataka comb. OP doesn’t know why it was named after the Rikyû school of tea ceremony.

鎌倉形 Kamakura gata / 政子形 Masako gata (Kamakura shaped / Masako shaped) - a comb popular during Meiwa and An’ei eras, named after the “nun shogun” Hojo Masako (wife of Minamoto no Yoritomo, the first shogun of Kamakura shogunate). Such combs were not only ornmental but also used to untangled and straighten the hair - it the go to shape when one’s think about Japanese combs.

[magicaldogtoto]

Amare Morita, the second OC I had art commissioned for, also by Twitter user uwded_207.

Technically Amare first appeared in some old RP threads some mutuals and I did on Twitter, but fanfic-wise, she first appeared in my fic Parallel Worlds Record. Amare is Yachiyo's girlfriend in an alternate universe. In this universe, the events of Magia Record's first arc played out more like the game, though some things did play out the way they did in the anime (Iroha being separated from Yachiyo, Yachiyo and Mifuyu's fight... nobody died, though). Being an alternate world, however, there are also bigger, more notable deviations, like academies or countries that don't exist in the main Magireco world.

Amare currently lives in Mikazuki, mostly lazily spending her days waiting for Yachiyo to come home. Other times she hangs out with her friend from Tokyo, Claudine Saijou. If asked where she originally was from, she usually says she was born in Australia.

That's a lie.

In actuality, Amare comes from the fairy country of Oz. The country was recently embroiled in a civil war known afterwards as the Magical Girl War. The war was fought between the Magical Girls and civilians who supported Ozma, and a faction of Magical Girls led by a Munchkin girl who wanted to usurp Ozma's throne. Magical Girls are a relatively new phenomenon in Oz, though the Incubators have been itching since before recorded history to gain access to the magical country. Amare is just one of many girls whose lives were turned upside-down by that war. If it hadn't been for Yachiyo, she would have probably already fallen to despair and become a Witch.

[mihotose]

kotobuki “notes” aka slightly edited reaction thread

HYUUGA IS SO CUTE

i literally forgot i couldn't shout after he said (”remember aruji, you cant shout during this era” “haii-”)

URASHIMA IS SO CUTE

almost cried when they bowed over how cute they were

almost cried at seeing mikazuki again, mario was so beautiful

it took me a While to even notice the face shields, im surprised

im really glad that they confirmed the ones who werent there (or horikawa at the very least) were on an expedition :-)

mutsunokami casually dropping an i love you to yasusada like SO TRUE of course he would!!!!!

ookurikara in kazaguruma was so GUTTING god damn his face.....

legit Fear when i heard the sound of those geese before yume no ato

and akashi and kotegiri and matsui in yume no ato make so much Sense

muramasa absolutely would be telling everyone to strip if he were rn yes :-)

and the way even tho muramasa wasnt there in person he was there in Spirit bc everyone was pestering ookurikara about him anyway lmaoo

its so weird when hizamaru is in a position very clearly intended for muramasa w

everyone making excuses to get out of kotegiri’s practice :(

so ig he?? just imagine buzen kuwana and matsui joining him? lol

AND THEN THEY DID

i actually cried. theyre so good together!!!

and matsui joining in bc buzen is. he would be so uncertain without buzen here :(

and buzen offering kotegiri to lie on his lap :’)

my stream dropped out but the subtitles were still running and i could tell it was urashima and my Desperation to reload was so great i started crying again

and then like Begging hachisuka to Please please please please go fishing with them.... nagasone wants to but he wouldnt if hachisuka wouldnt let him.......

THE KOTETSU BROTHERS ARE SO GOOD

and urashima saying he’ll be stronger than his brothers one day and hachisuka and nagasone being proud of him!!!!!

koyoshi....

yasusada and kiyomitsu’s song made me cry even MORE

"in reality it just wants to be loved" literally made me clutch the wall for support

like theyre So much. theyre so much. just the. just THE

“theres a cat that is you / theres a cat thats you too / and he SUCKS / and HE sucks too!!! / but they just want to cuddle together”

^ Heavily heavily paraphrased but thats what i got from it :-)

like thats so insane.

mikazuki's new eyelashes make him look so sad

kurumu and mario sound so good together

hachisuka’s suit really really suits him

the past shows on the screens behind and the comparison between them now and when they first appeared made me cry again like theyve grown so much in five years!!! and as someone whos watched all the shows in order up til now (skipping bakuten20 for the moment) that really hit so hard for me

spi was SO insane

god he looked so good and then he did some breakdancing as well?? like tonbo killed me a Disproportionate number of times to how much i go out of my way to pay attention to him

additional times hisashiburi

akashi and matsui in can you guess what is SO UNFAIR. my non mihotose oshi?? in a mihotose song???

that grouping of mikazuki tsurumaru and kuwana is very strange no

like yesterday with utaawase i feel like shinsengumi + hachisuka got loads of nibu songs while i think mutsunokami and kogitsunemaru and otegine maybe were a little neglected

that being said dare no mono ga demo nai jinsei without tomoe was strange but hachisuka (who i was staring at for all of it) killed it so whatever

s in the timeline frames....

otegine and his braces.....

YARUKI GENKI KUNIYUKI!!

matsui's dialect slipped out a little i think :’)

who knew akashi’s legs can go that high jesus christ

when everyone lay down like akashi why did matsui clasp his hands together on his stomach like a dead body.

ookurikara: i can do this on my own

everyone: ok bye

ookurikara: wait what.

i was gonna say i didnt think ookurikara wouldnt suit a bowtie like the others so i was glad when i noticed he had a regular black tie like his mihotose19 nibu

ALSO i think if nikkari were here hed have one of those ribbon ones with a pin like hizamaru or just a regular tie like ookurikara

tsurumaru kashuu utsukushii higeki insane

myu at this point had five wakizashi and two tantou and somehow only two wakizashi and one tantou were here. so like hyuuga was taking over from kotegiri for wakizashi mc duty while he was with the other gous

gou danzen good

hizamaru jounetsu no symphonia jesus Christ

like i will always favour the original version of a song and jounetsu no symphonia is from tanki17 which was My First Myu so kashuu’s version really does have a special place in my heart but Jesus Christ Hizamaru

(also hizamaru joins chair-gumi)

since today was hizamaru with his version of jounetsu no symphonia i wonder what tomorrow with muramasa will be. blackout? that would be nice

yasukiyo in this were so insane.

yasusada every time he has a long stick has the urge to wrap one leg around it. (utsukushiki hibi yo, the mic stand in scarlet lips)

urashima doing horikawa replacement duty in scarlet lips too :’)

actually i quite liked what they did with the formations for the swords who were missing. like i can generally Sort Of See why they chose that sword to replace them

yeah after seeing scarlet lips i Do Understand why people kept saying they want to be a microphone bc My God.

the yari kemono lightsticks were so cool!!!

I DIDNT KNOW there would be messages from the missing swords so when monoyoshi-kun appeared i Instantly burst into tears and then cried even harder when nikkari came on after him

he looked so good too meccha meccha nikkari :sob::sob:

he Just. looked really happy.

in universe id like to think he sent that message just before he left on his journey and he was really settled and happy with his decision to request it (before all that Shit happened on the way)

out of universe of course araki was probably at tanki rehearsals

dude i genuinely do love that the ones who were missing were either on their journeys or on expeditions

mikazuki and ryo as kogitsunemaru FINALLY getting to sing that song to make up for atsukashiyama18 !!!!!!!!!

the karaoke for touken ranbu kotobuki ver? lol what

i do like the individual lines for each formation and then there was one for the starters too :’)

hizamaru going wait. is anija in the audience.

and hizamaru’s Powerful haiku

mario telling akira to come with him and then hes like no you use THAT door and akira like :T amd following him anyway

almost cried at tomoe’s message it was like he DIED

[nyxravessnow]

Toumyu – Tokyo Kokoro Oboe First Day Stage Review

Again, as always, this is not a bias free review. It is heavily opinionated and not objective.

Thank you so much to Suke, Vivi and Koursed from the Touken Ranbu discord who helped me with the story and some of my vocal assessments.

 FREE OF SPOILERS

Overall rating: 9/10

Acting – 10/10

Music – 9/10 (average of all the song scores)

Ease of understanding – 2/10

Direction – 8/10 or 4/10 I honestly dunno. It depends on the next shows and the follow through for the storyline. If it is satisfying then I think this shows direction was excellent but if it falls flat then this show was kinda the beginning of that.

 Overall Summary: Honestly, I dunno what happened rly but the music, staging and acting were excellent. The idol portion was maybe my favourite out of all the myus, and I really enjoyed all the new songs. The first half was fascinating, enthralling and a spectacle but almost completely incomprehensible as so little was clarified, and we were left with so many questions. I really recommend watching the show for yourself as no review I can write will adequately explain or demonstrate what the show was like.

 Now I’ll have to get into spoilers to go any further into what the show was like

As I normally do, I am going to give my thoughts on story, acting, songs and directing, then mention some extra stuff that I might think of at the end.

 Story: Please keep in mind that this show is complex, and I didn’t manage to catch everything, and I might be wrong about some things, but this is the best I could do, trying to get it out asap. I will only describe the first half bc the 2nd half has no story.

 So, the entire show revolves around Suishinshi and he is trying to work out what Mikazuki is doing and what his goal is.

In the first scene he is in modern Tokyo and then a HRA person shows up and everything collapses. He says that his consciousness was stolen. Red threads are pulled all over the stage. Sand pours into a pile near the back of the stage and a girl in Noh mask and traditional clothes comes onto stage and dances at the back. It is unclear if Suishinshi recognises her. The music that she was dancing to suddenly disappears and she stares at Suishinshi and then she runs off. Kiyomaro quickly runs on and tells Suishinshi that there is a battle and then they go off together.

 In the 2nd scene Kiyomaro and Suishinshi arrived in the 10th century and find two soldiers fighting HRA members. They are about to step in but Taira no Masakado arrives defeats them. The two are surprised but as the discuss that Mikazuki speaks to Suishinshi and tells him Masakado’s name then Suishinshi has flashes of the future of Tokyo/Edo and sees figures that are important to the city, the humans in this show.

 But he is broken out of this by Buzen and Kuwana. Kiyomaro describes how Suishinshi said that he saw time moving like film unwinding like a movie. And it was so disorientating that he didn’t know where he was or when it was anymore. He says he’s been like that since their last mission.

 Then Oodenta comes on and sings about being a Tenka Goken with Sohayanotsurugi. (I am mostly not going to include songs but it is their first appearance so I will here)

 The two are in Tokugawa controlled Edo, at some point in the early 17th century, and they see Tenkai, one of Ieyasu’s advisors who is a monk, chanting and is repels the HRA. They mention that he sang a very old nursery rhyme, may be the one from Mihotose, and Suishinshi comes on and says that he has heard that song before. The film of the future of Edo plays again. But is a bit shorter.

 Then it fades out and is replaced by fire and the sound of a sword being crafted. Samidare arrives on stage and sings then leaves and Murakumo does the same thing then they duet.

 They are greeted by Kuwana and Buzen who tell them that Kotegiri and Matsui aren’t there at the moment. Then they take Murakumo and Samidare on a tour of the citadel.

 Kiyomaro and Suishinshi come back on stage and Kiyomaro says it’s a good thing to have more allies. Suishinshi describes how Nikkari told him that it can be a good and bad thing. Kiyomaro then says that must be why he left on a trip. Kiyomaro then asks Suishinshi if there is anything, he can do for him and Suishinshi doesn’t answer but Kiyomaro takes that as a no and leaves the stage. Some of the film plays again then Suishinshi leaves too.

 Kuwana comes out and is farming then Suishinshi comes back on and asks about the crops and so Kuwana tells him about a patch of grass as Buzen runs off stage chasing a mole. Kuwana tells Suishinshi that he is getting the fields ready for the rain and then Suishinshi says something about the world ending, I did not get this bit. Then the film plays again

Then it cuts to Saigo Takamori and Katsu Kaishuu talking. They talk about the future and some other stuff that I didn’t quite catch. Oodenta and Sohayanotsurugi come on and discuss the end of the Tokugawa government. Oodenta says if they had more spiritual power then they would have been able to last longer. And Suishinshi asks where he went after the end of Edo and the Tokugawa government.

 Kiyomaro then comes on and asks the Saniwa about abandoned timelines and is told not to think about it as there are some things it’s better not to know.

 Then we go to 1457 and see Ota Dokan supervising the building of Edo castle. Suishinshi wonders why Dokan decided to build a castle in that specific place. Dokan talks about enjoying the flowers and having a picnic there. Suishinshi then describes how as the seasons changed Edo went on to become the centre of Japan and his birthplace.

 During Dokan and Samidare’s duet the little girl comes out again and dances then hands a big leaf she was dancing with to Dokan and leaves the stage again. Then the film plays again.

 Sohayanotsurugi comes on fighting the HRA. He is joined by Oodenta, Murakumo and Samidare, Then Tenkai comes on stage again and repels the HRA. Suishinshi says he needs to make a boarder within himself between what is him and what isn’t him.

 Buzen comes on stage and says he believes anything that can think and remember is living. Suishinshi asks him if that means that if there is no memory of a specific living thing then does it mean it didn’t live at all and Buzen says that he’s not a person who can answer that. During their discussion, the little girl in the mask returns.

 Buzen leaves the stage and a full moon is visible in the back before it fades into the film playing backwards.

 In the next scenes we are back at the building of Edo castle and Buzen is helping the workers pull a big stone along. Buzen has clearly been helping the group before as Dokan welcomes him back from his trip and says he wishes he could go on a trip too, but he’s too surrounded by war. He asks Buzen where he went and Buzen told him he visited the sea and says it would be nice if they could go together sometime.

 Samidare comes to talk to Buzen and he asks him what Dokan is like and Buzen says he’s an amazing person and he would love to show him the future of Edo.

 Suishinshi, Kiyomaro and Oodenta come on the stage and Kiyomaro seems to be asking Oodenta about Mikazuki. Oodenta wonders when they were first called the Tenka Goken. Then Suishinshi and Kiyomaro start talking about curses, sorry this bit was incomprehensible to me.

 The curse may be in relation to Taira no Masakado who is believed to be a vengeful ghost who still plagues Tokyo today.

 The next scene shows Suishinshi watching as Masakado fights off four people and then is shot in the head, killing him. As he dies Suishinshi wonders why he has to die. If they’re meant to protect history then why aren’t they protecting him. Whose history are they protecting. Many figures with the same outfit as him but bands over their eyes and long grey hair come on and surround Masakado changing him into what resembles the painting of his vengeful spirit. He then stares at Suishinshi and leaves the stage.

 Suishinshi asks if this is also a curse. He says he has to make himself normal again. Saying his name is Suishinshi Masahide. However, his name that was written on the screen at the back melts away. It is replaced by Mikazuki’s name then lots of other Touken Danshi names play across the screen and disappear like they’re being erased. He calls out that his name is Suishinshi Masahide as the names fade into letters, the red lines cross across the stage again and the child with the Noh mask appears again.

 In the next scene Dokan is about to be executed when the HRA save him and run off. Buzen sees this and waves at him. Dokan smiles and walks towards him, going to say something but Buzen jumps towards him and stabs him in the heart. He says that that is because that is what the history is. He says that he didn’t want to have to kill him even as an order then walks to him, closing his eyes. He laments that he never got to take Dokan to the quiet ocean. (A reference to Paraiso) Samidare says that he should be doing the dirty jobs and the next time Buzen should let him do it instead. Buzen says that it’s fine and that he wants Samidare to be able to just sing and dance. He asks him to perform for Dokan. The child with the Noh mask appears again and lays the leaf that she handed to Dokan earlier, on his chest.

 The next scene has Kuwana farming again. He is approached by Murakumo who asks him what he’s doing. He explains that there is nothing there, so he has to prepare it for when the sun is bright, and the rain is beautiful. Murakumo reflects that rain is important for crops and Kuwana says that clouds are important too. Clouds and rain are in a circle where clouds will become rain, rain will fall then will trickle into the ocean. The water will then leave the sea and become clouds again. He says that they are all connected in this circle. Humans, history and all the swords. Kuwana tastes the earth and says that it is good earth. Murakumo says that he would like the make the field a field of Kerria but then goes back on this saying they should grow food as flowers aren’t useful as you can’t eat them. Kuwana says you may not be able to eat them, but they are needed, even in this world. Murakumo tries to eat some of the dirt and says that Kuwana is very weird for trying to eat the earth. Kuwana just laughs along and says that maybe he is.

 We go back to Tenkai who Oodenta and Sohayanotsurugi are with. Then Masakado appears and tries to attack them. Finally, with Samidare, Murakumo, Kuwana and Kiyomaro’s help as well, they manage to defeat Masakado but apparently there are 6 more. Tenkai creates a spiritual barrier in the place where they defeated Masakado and Tenkai tells them they have to go defeat the rest. Sohayanotsurugi, Murakumo and Kuwana leave but Oodenta asks Kiyomaro if Tokyo/Edo always had that many monsters. He remarks, I think, that if a person lives for 100 years then they will become a Tsukumogami. (this is what I think I heard but it doesn’t rly make sense as a Tsukumogami is an object that becomes sentient rather than being a person hence why I am confused)

 In the next scene Mikazuki is projected onto the screen and Suishinshi demands to know what he is doing. He takes out his sword and tries to fight Mikazuki, but the image ripples and he has to take some steps back, saying he knows Mikazuki isn’t the kinda of opponent he can fight against. He attacks it again and the image disappears, reappearing to the side. Suishinshi says that he is going against the river of history. He attacks that image, and it reappears on the other side. He says Mikazuki has taken on a very sad role in the flow of history then attacks the image again. The image appears on the back again and Suishinshi asks what on earth was Mikazuki trying to protect. He says that Mikazuki is doing something horrible and this time the image of Mikazuki blocks all of his attacks. Mikazuki brings his sword up and the instrumental of Hana no Utena can be heard then as he brings it down Suishinshi sees a flash of many of the humans who have been in Toumyu so far, including people like Yoshitsune, Sadachika and Souji. Then Suishinshi starts saying the names of flowers. I don’t rly know why. But as he is saying this the girl with the mask appears again behind the screen. Suishinshi asks if all the flowers were her doing and if she was making time move along. Then he seems to realise who she is and says ‘I see, you are-’ then it cuts off. The screen and sounds statics and Suishinshi falls to the ground.

 In the next scene Kiyomaro asks the Saniwa if he can look after Suishinshi, saying he will definitely come back, making it seem like he is gone for a while. Kiyomaro says that Suishinshi is really amazing and the Saniwa agrees. Suishinshi then comes in and asks for permission to go after Mikazuki saying that his eyes looked so sad ‘at that time’. He says that with even a little time he might be able to lighten his burden. He says that history is like a big river but the small rivers coming off it can still be beautiful. The Saniwa then says he will leave it to Suishinshi. Suishinshi asks Kiyomaro to come with him and they leave together.

 In the next scene Oodenta and Sohayanotsurugi are listening to gunfire and canons and talking about how Edo is ending (as it will soon be named Tokyo instead). Kiyomaro and Suishinshi walk on and Kiyomaro asks why they have come to the Bakumatsu time (the end of the Tokugawa government). Suishinshi says there is something that needs to be fixed in that time. Kiyomaro says that he will believe Suishinshi and follow him. Sohayanotsurugi and Oodenta come and join them and Suishinshi tells them about his plan. He takes out a map and indicates all the places in which Tenkai made kekkai and what the effect of those was, I couldn’t catch that bit. I couldn’t really understand the rest of the bit when it’s just the four swords.

 Then Katsu Kaishuu comes on and is surrounded by HRA. He keeps spitting at them for some reason. The swords defeat the HRA and Kaishuu thanks them. Suishinshi asks him if he is trying to protect the Tokugawa government and he seems insulted by that. He says that it isn’t anything that small. He is trying to protect the world and says that it is his dream to go on a trip somewhere. Even if everyone he wanted to go with is dead. Suishinshi gets incredibly excited and happy and says that Kaishuu is really an amazing person. He then runs off but quickly runs on again and says that Kaishuu has a wonderful sword. (which is probably him as he was one of Kaishuu’s swords)

 Kuwana and Murakumo come back on with Tenkai, fighting more HRA. Another Masakado comes on and they have to fight him. The four from the previous scene then join them as well. Tenkai then makes the final kekkai. Suishinshi asks him why he wanted to protect the land. He says that’s just his thing and he thanks them saying he was able to protect Edo because of them. Then he dies.

 The next scene has Dokan with Samidare and Buzen as they look at the newly completed Edo castle, obviously earlier in Dokan’s timeline. Dokan asks if Samidare knows why it’s beautiful and Buzen says because of the people. Dokan agrees. A place that is built by people and lived in by people is beautiful. Samidare then asks if he thinks that then does he not find nature beautiful. Dokan says that he does because of the heart of that thing. Samidare then barks at Dokan and apologises, saying it is because he was so moved. When Dokan laughs he hides his face in his scarf which is literally the cutest thing ever. Suishinshi then suddenly appears and says that he has something to ask Dokan. He asks him why he decided to build Edo castle. Was it as a home or for battle? Dokan says maybe a little bit of both then recites a poem about Kerria and says that Suishinshi will understand what he means one day. Suishinshi and Kiyomaro leave. Buzen asks Samidare if he understands the poem and Samidare explains it – I didn’t understand the explanation though.

 In the next scene Masakado is fighting off HRA and Suishinshi and Kiyomaro appear to help him. Suishinshi asks Masakado why he started the uprising and Masakado asks him why he’s asking him that. He then says there was another person who asked him that and a crescent moon is projected onto the back. He says Mikazuki called him a friend. Suishinshi tells him Mikazuki has taken a heart-breaking role upon himself and Masakado says that he knows. History is nothing but winners and losers. History is just things and people that are left over. Things like Suishinshi and Kiyomaro. The smell of flowers and the tone of songs. He wonders whether things that aren’t there anymore were ever there at all. He confirms with Suishinshi that he is going to lose the battle. He wants to leave behind the trace that he was there so no one can think that he wasn’t. He says Mikazuki is too kind. He then says some stuff I couldn’t get. He then goes to leave but Suishinshi asks him again why he started the uprising. He says it was all for a woman.

 He starts singing and all the other humans join him.

 In the next scene Suishinshi tells Kiyomaro that wherever he goes he can only see a crescent moon, never a full moon. He says history is just what the winners say happened, no one can ever know truly what happened, no matter how sad this may be. (As he says this the girl appears again, she is dancing in a circle of Kerria flowers). Even if his memories aren’t completely there, he knows that all of history is connected.

 Then all the Gous walk on and the crescent moon appears. Mikazuki says as expected of Suishinshi. Mikazuki says Suishinshi doesn’t have to say out loud what he has worked out, his feelings are enough. Suishinshi was able to lighten his load. Suishinshi shouldn’t be sad for him because this is Mikazuki’s role. But there are things he cannot do so he needs help. Suishinshi and Kiyomaro have to become the link between the past and the future. The Gous have to be the ones to connect to people. Buzen is about the asks Mikazuki something when all the Gous double over as if they have a flash of memory like the film that Suishinshi has been seeing. Buzen looks horrified and asks Mikazuki if it could mean- but he is cut off by Mikazuki. Mikazuki laughs and remarks how beautiful the moon is and then leaves. Suishinshi and Kiyomaro say they have to fulfil their role then leave. The Gous then start saying confusing things. Murakumo says ‘a little, just a little’, Samidare says ‘Yes, the memory’, And then Buzen says ‘It seems like we Gou are-g’ then he is cut off.

 The next scene begins the same as the first scene, with Suishinshi in modern Tokyo. And he says he finally knows who someone is, most probably the girl. The full moon is visible behind him and the dirt is falling from the ceiling again. He says, ‘So, you came here? But if this hadn’t happened and you could have chosen would you have come here at all? The curse, the kekkai. You must be frustrated. I don’t know why you did this, but I respect your determination. The people who were here and the people who weren’t, the people who came and the people who chose not to come, it’s not fun for them. Your feelings have reached me. Thank you. And I have a request, please don’t hurt this time, reality, or the things that you chose. It’s gotten across to me. It would be nice if it could be understood. Barriers aren’t just in people’s hearts. We will definitely meet again. So, don’t close off or hurt things. To achieve that goal, we will do everything’.

As he is speaking the HRA are pulling the red ribbons across the stage again and on his very last sentence all of the other swords join him.

 In the next scene different swords come on and just small talk a little.

Kiyomaro and Suishinshi come on. Suishinshi says his mission is to make sure everyone is smiling. Kiyomaro then asks him about the girl and Suishinshi says he doesn’t know her name. The wonder what type of person she could be. Suishinshi says he thinks she is a person doing her best.

 And that is the end of the first half.

 Acting: I am not going to go person by person because honestly, [I have 0 criticisms for any of the actors. I cannot believe that this was the first show. The singing and acting was amazing.] I am leaving what I initially wrote as it was my first impression but as I dove into the songs a little more I realise there is a lot of room for improvement in the singing department.

The standouts for me were Samidare, Dokan and Masakado. I loved all three actors and thought they were excellent even among this incredible cast. I will also give a shoutout to Nagata Seiichirou, Murakumo’s actor, as I have seen him a lot in Prince of tennis where personally I really did not enjoy his acting or singing and was so pleasantly surprised to see how much he has improved. He obviously practiced so hard for this show.

 Songs:

Obviously, I don’t know the song titles, so I am just gonna to refer to who is singing the song. (except for Touken Ranbu) I do have singing experience, but I do not know all the technical terms so please bear with me for what I am trying to express. This will be less in depth than my Kuromyu song review because I spent so much time on the story already and I really want to get this out soon.

 Touken Ranbu – 10/10

I love the new accompaniment. While personally I was not getting bored of the previous Touken Ranbu I know people who were but I also now that I would not have been happy if they changed the song, so I am really happy with what they did. It feels nostalgic but also fresh.

 Taira no Masakado solo – 7/10

I think the song is good and very well sung but Bishin wavers on the notes at the beginning a bit hence why it is only 7/10. It might change depending on the final performance. This song is really good but because of the way it is written it sounds pretty difficult to sing as it isn’t in lines that flow to get but more short phrases that, while being sung not spoken, sound pretty harsh to get out.

 Kiyomaro and Suishinshi duet – 10/10

This song is beautiful and so well sung. Nobunaga and Seiya’s voices really compliment each other well. The gentle music and gentle singing works, really well with emphasizing how worried Kiyomaro is for Suishinshi. When I was watching it with people it was fun to see literally everyone be like ‘Well I guess I stan Tenpou now’ immediately.

 Oodenta and Sohayanotsurugi duet – 9/10

This song is really amazing, and I like how different it is to the previous duet. It starts of with a beat that makes it sound like Oodenta is going to rap. Raita has one of the best voices in this show and he really showcases it in this song. He goes from singing higher to lower and nails both of them. The only reason why this is a 9 and not a 10 is that Masaki’s voice is definitely not as strong and he doesn’t sound great on some of the notes, hoping he can improve for the final show. The song is still 9 though because his solo bit is much shorter and his harmony with Raita sounds really good.

 Samidare and Murakumo duet – 8/10

I know I haven’t given it 10/10 but this is my favourite song in the show. (I am very biased towards Gous and Yamazaki Shogo) This song is again, hugely difficult. It goes from quite low to very high and honestly it is no surprise that Shogo and Seiichan didn’t nail every single note on the first night. I am so excited to hear this on the album and on the final night. Shogo has some tension in his voice, probably from nerves, and this is not his best performance, but I know he will improve as the show goes on. Honestly, this song isn’t sad at all, but I started to tear up during this song. I was not a fan of Seiichan in Prince of tennis. I did not think much of his acting and singing and I have not re-watched any of his casts shows more than once. So, I was so happy here to hear how much he has improved. Not only his acting but his singing is world’s apart from a few years ago. It is abundantly clear how hard he worked to improve his singing and it has obviously paid off as he nailed this song despite it being rather difficult. Can’t wait for this song to become a 10/10 when Shogo can nail all of his notes on final night.

 Kuwana solo – 8/10

This song is so adorable and sweet, and I love it but Tomoya sounds so nervous during the song. He misses quite a few notes and when he does sing it well his voice has a lot of tension in it. His high notes and transitions are a bit flat. I hope as the show goes on he can relax and sing this song to the best of his ability, taking it up to a 10.

 Ota Dokan solo – 7/10

This song is really fun and is about the workers moving the rocks for Edo castle around. The chorus is really fun. I don’t think Dokan’s actor has the best voice ever but the song is written in a more traditional style which I think compliments his voice and brings out the best from him. Very solid song that I liked.

 Samidare Dokan duet – 5/10

I honestly don’t know if it’s the song writer not exactly getting it for this song or if it’s the singers but for most of this song it really does not sound great. Their voices do not harmonise well for the most part, except one harmony that was quite nice. Dokan’s actor really doesn’t sound good in this song and I think the main reason it made it to even 5/10 was because Shogo managed to hit some of hit notes very well. I really really hope this song improves for the final show.

 Tenkai solo – 7/10

I really really enjoy the Buddhist chanting. I think it sounds really good with the song. Tenkai’s actor does not have a very good voice but he doesn’t sing too much in the song and the chanting covers for him a little.

 Buzen Dokan duet – 4/10

This is a reprise of Dokan’s solo but with Buzen singing the first half of the song. I really don’t think Yuta sounds good singing in this style. I didn’t hear much tension from either of their voices for this song so I honestly don’t know if this song will improve, the song style just doesn’t seem to fit Yuta’s voice. While I still really enjoy the chorus, I don’t think either actor sang this well at all and I am just glad there weren’t any harmonies in this song.

 Buzen solo – 8/10

Yuta really redeems himself in this song. His voice sounds really great and the emotion is definitely there. While not every note is perfect, it is worlds better than the previous song. He really nails the bits that require more projecting of his voice, mostly, and he has a nice contrast between rough and soft.

 Kuwana solo reprise – 9/10

This song is much shorter, so he basically gets +2 for every line that he nails. His voice wavers a little on the first line hence why it is a 9/10 but definitely getting there for this song.

 Kuwana Murakumo duet – 7/10

I do like this song, but it’s not terribly well sung by Tomoya and Seiichan has his moments as well. I really hope this is just due to it being the first night as I see a lot of promise in the song and am very excited to hear it with a little more hitting the notes.

 Taira no Masakado solo reprise – 6/10

I think they wrote this song as a little too aggressive as with the shouting he has to do as part of this song his voice suffers a lot. While I get it has to be aggressive because he is attacking them and is now cursed/vengeful spirit/HRA but I feel like they could have managed the aggressiveness with the song actually sounding good a bit better.

 Oodenta Sohayanotsurugi duet – 7/10

Pretty good song. Pretty solid singing from both of them. It’s very short so I don’t really have many notes.

 Sohayanotsurugi Oodenta duet – 7/10

This was pretty difficult to rate. Masaki’s voice is not amazing in this song, but he carries the emotion it is meant to have, really well. Raita is doing amazingly as always, and their harmonies are good I just didn’t feel like I could put it above 7 because of Masaki’s voice.

 Full cast song – 8/10

The song starts off with just Masakado and then the other humans join in then the swords too.

I think the beginning solo bit from Bishin is his best singing in the show, he manages to do the shouting but still sound really good and I love his voice in this song.

I think Tenkai and Dokan’s actors also sound incredible in this song for the most part.

There is a little bit in the middle where some of the humans and swords sing individually and like everyone missed their notes and harmonies which brought this song down from a 10 because it starts and ends beautifully with incredible singing and harmonies. They just need to tighten the bit in the middle and make sure everyone is nailing their parts.

At the very end of the song Suishinshi has a solo bit and I wasn’t quite sure if it was the same song or a different song, but I included it with this one for now. Seiya sounds really good and it ties up the song well with well sung solo parts at the beginning and end.

 Suishinshi solo – 10/10

Sung beautifully. Pretty short but there are not faults with it.

 All sword song/End of first half song – 7/10

This song is beautifully written. The vocals are very hit and miss though. When they hit the notes, they sound amazing, but when they don’t it is pretty dire. For the most part the harmonies are good and I hope they can just perfect the solo lines.

 INTERVAL

 (I’m guessing the song title) Revolution – 10/10

Very solid start to the idol section. The music and dancing slap so hard. This song is really fun and just so great.

 Sohaya Oodenta idol duet – 10/10

Masaki sounds so much better and way more confident here. This song is really really good and just sounds amazing.

 Kiyomaro and Suishinshi duet – 7/10

It kinda seems like Masaki and these two have reversed. Masaki sounds much better in the idol songs and these two sound worse. Their slightly off-pitch for a couple of notes. The chorus, which is so adorable, is absolutely perfect but some of their solo bits aren’t the best.

 Gou4 song – 8/10

The beginning doesn’t have the strongest vocals and I don’t really like the way it seems to be meant to sound at the beginning, but I quite like the rest of the song. Again, Yuta gets the wrong pitch occasionally when he sings but does seem like he’s working on it and getting better.

 1st 2nd layer song – 10/10

They have a dance break section at the beginning and the music slaps as does the music for the entire song. It has a very modern feel to it but then it adds some jazz instruments and then Raita, who is a professional beatboxer, does some beatboxing and it just sounds so good. This song is more spoken than sung but no complaints about the singing.

 2nd 2nd layer song – 10/10

Another really fun song. Pretty solid singing from everyone. I can’t really fault anything.

 3rd layer song – 9/10

I do really like this song and it is a really different 3rd layer song to most of the ones we’ve had before. For the dance thing in the performance. (previous shows have had like ribbons, blankets and spinning lights) They had all of the swords playing the taiko drums. I would have liked maybe something that he hadn’t seen before as we have taiko drums in every 3rd layer song normally, but it was very well done. Not every note was perfect, hence why it isn’t a 10 but once they can nail that it will be.

Touken Ranbu reprise – 10/10

Just as good as the first one. Still loving the new arrangement.

 Direction: All the blocking and choreography stuff was very well done. I am a bit nervous about that this show is indicating for the future of Toumyu and if the story doesn’t follow through this show is gonna seem much worse in retrospect so I think the director should be very careful as he continues with the next few shows.

 Other things:

 This really feels like the start of the Toumyu story arc. Of course, we had already got hints of it in shows like Tsuwamono and Kishou Hongi, but this has really kicked it off in a big way. I think what they have done is quite dangerous and may possibly alienate some people from Toumyu as this show was very complicated and a lot of Japanese fans were also extremely confused. I really hope people stick with Toumyu and that this arc is handled well and that confusing shows like this don’t become the norm. I am positively apprehensive.

 Honestly, I did really like this show and I thought it was interesting, but I wouldn’t like to see any other Toumyu shows quite as complicated as this. I think it was good as a once off but I think I would be a bit put off Toumyu if they kept doing shows like this.

 I will say I did not see the point in Oodenta and Sohayanotsurugi in this show. While both actors did very well, and their songs were for the most very enjoyable they played almost no part in the story. The only important role they had was one scene where Kiyomaro asks him about Mikazuki because they are both Tenka Goken but even if that he doesn’t really answer. I wouldn’t normally bring this up but since they had 8 people instead of 6, I felt like I should say this. I do think it was a bit of a mistake to go up to 8 for this show, especially as it was so complicated and so I think other things didn’t quite get the time they deserved because of Oodenta and Sohayanotsurugi being there.

 Overall: Very good but also depends on where Toumyu goes from here.

[daily-rubbersoul-redux]

Jacian is already standing again, and has wiped any dirt off of himself. Well, he assumedly wiped it off. Anyways.

"No, not at all; I was simply minding my own business one moment, and here the next. Ah, but do you need a hand getting up?" He offered his gloved hand out to the boy.

Ya summon anythin lately, Touma?

“I’m just about to, man! Watch!”

Touma opens up Seventh Element.

…

[68]

There’s a burst of light and white flower petals from the box as it releases what it has called forth.

…

Huh. That’s a new one.

[daily-rubbersoul-redux]

“BRO! BRO! BRO!!!” Touma runs at Laurence, waving his arms around wildly. “YOU WANNA WATCH ME JUMP OF A ROOF?!”

-Poorlydrawnmoriocs

"OF COURSE BRO, I'LL CHEER FOR YOU!

AND IF YOU GET HURT, I'LL PATCH YOU UP!" He doesn't know why he's screaming now that they're like 3 feet away from each other. Just copying his bro :).

[@poorlydrawnmoriocs ]

[pseudofaux]

Not crucial but VERY IMPORTANT TO ME PERSONALLY: I love Nightshade and I love these 2D men. Finished Goemon and Hanzo’s paths, onto Chojiro today!

I’ve been warned.

(´∩｀。)

But it’s Kohsuke Toriumi and I am REALLY loving him lately (hello, Nobuyuki, hello Mikazuki Munechika!), and it will be interesting to see a path that has one of Enju’s long-term relationships as the relationship.

My path threads are on twitter if you wanna squee along. I don’t post major spoilers.

[novaxanomaly]

Enkai looked at his sister and then at Tsuki, "no no... not you... I heard that guys voice in my head and i got scared i was going to hurt you.."

Mika hummed, getting into Caspian's room and setting him down on the bed. "Shall I go check?"

Mission: Rescue Enkai || Closed Starter

@co11ywobbles

Enkai didn't know anything, as he lay passed out on the floor of a wooden shed somewhere.

Before this, he was lounging in the back yard of his childhood home, and dozed off waiting for his girlfriend to show up. He is a deep sleeper, so he didn't notice anything when he was kidnapped.

~~~

Ayaka walked into the backyard with Mira, after giving her a ride home on her bike. "Remember, shush about what I said about your brother... I kinda like making him wonder if I like him or not... his faces are so cute.." She said and dropped her bag on the ground next to the lounge chair Enkai would have been in if he was there.

[littlepurinsesu]

V Watches MagiReco - Episode 12 Review

*Spoilers for Magia Record Anime Episode 12*

I have been waiting for so long to see this chapter animated, and at long last!!! This week’s episode finally touches upon the secret truth of magical girls and reveals Yachiyo’s mysterious past!

There are, of course, some parts I wish were handled a little better, but overall, I wouldn’t say it was too shabby ^^ I have a lot to say about this episode, both the good and the meh, so let’s go~ (Tumblr, please don’t eat my post again I IMPORE YOU.)

(Oh, for clarification, I’m still using the name “Meru” instead of “Mel”, since that’s what her name was before the game was localised in English. Both are acceptable, but I guess I’m more used to this spelling xD)

I personally really liked how they began the episode with Kanae and Meru at Mikazuki Villa. The rain and dark lighting and overall silence of the scene was really well-done. It’s a nice way to “tease” their characters before properly introducing them and their roles in Yachiyo’s story. I really don’t have much else to say, but I just really, really liked that opening scene hehe

Speaking of openings, the anime continues to come up with creative ways to bring in the OP, and this week’s was another really interesting idea that I enjoyed a lot! I was just beginning to wonder if they were going to skip the OP this week because there was so much to cover, but I really liked what they came up with, so hats-off for the creativity and originality! ^^

Touka’s lecture really did seem even more lecture-like in the anime, with the lecture hall and screen and her pointer. She’s like a tiny, overly-enthusiastic professor trying to force a reluctant group of students to listen to her haha x) That being said, all the special effects were done very creatively in a way that is true to the PMMM style. It’s not only some impressive artwork, but it also prevents the lecture from becoming boring, since it’s literally just “info dumping” and a whole lot of exposition (most of it essentially being stuff that most of the audience already knows, too).

As for Touka herself, I’m really liking the anime’s portrayal of her. She’s extremely cute, but in a strange way that almost seems suspicious, and with just the right amount of “annoying-ness” that keeps her antagonistic role without making her so obnoxious that you can’t even bear to watch her. Each of her moves seems calculated in some way, and the way she leaps around and twirls her umbrella really does make her seem like a tiny fairy or pixie, and I love that contrast between her supposedly innocent image and the immoral deeds the Magius (and the Feathers) have been committing. A+ portrayal so far, and I hope they keep that up!

I was a bit confused at first when Touka addressed Kanae as “A” (since we know that in the game, “A” is Yachiyo, and Kanae is actually “C”), but I guess they weren’t planning on going ahead with the A-F naming of all 6 characters and this was just a one-off, so fair enough. However, I was a little annoyed that they showed the first secret in “lecture form” and then repeated it once more in “flashback form” once they got on the car thingy. I really felt that they could have skipped that first part and just focused on the flashbacks, because they’re essentially wasting time by telling one of the secrets twice in an episode that already has a lot to cover.

And this brings me to possibly my main issue with this episode: too fast. There was a lot of emotion in these flashbacks, and while the anime did bring them out decently, I just feel that they could have been even better if they had just managed the pacing a little more ideally. The tragedy and feels were definitely there, but it could have been even better. Another problem with this fast pacing is that we barely got to know Kanae and Meru before they met their respective downfalls, with the only clues to their individuality being Kanae’s guitar and Meru’s Tarot Cards. It tells us something, but it’s not enough. The result is that it becomes a lot harder for the audience to feel anything for these characters’ deaths, and Kanae and Meru ultimately become plot devices that serve to move Yachiyo and the others along on their journey. Granted, they were always kind of plot devices even in the game, but at least we got to know them a little better before their deaths, and this isn’t even counting their personal Magical Girl Stories.

But aside from these issues, the rest of the flashbacks were very well, in my opinion :) We as an audience may not have felt much for Kanae’s death because we barely knew her, but Yachiyo’s trembling hand as she tries in vain to purify her friend’s broken Soul Gem, the terrific voice acting, that tragic yet beautifully drawn shot of Kanae lying soulless (literally) on the ground... That was some impressive stuff that actually made me tear up.

The battle scenes also saw a huge improvement this week! Still could be better, but they’re a lot more action-packed and exciting than the quick and easy battles we’ve been seeing so far. I also really appreciate the show of teamwork between the old Team Mikazuki, not to mention that Meru’s use of magic looked absolutely amazing!!! But I would have liked it if she spoke a bit more before Witching out, and I was especially disappointed that she didn’t get to say that line about how today was her lucky day because she got to protect Yachiyo. That line says a lot about her as a character to me, and it was a shame that they only gave her an extremely shortened/simplified (and almost unfinished) version of it here. But I guess this is only because I’ve played the game and have expectations of what I want to see and what I think should be done. Maybe someone who hasn’t played the game at all wouldn’t have an issue with this minor detail haha :)

(By the way, I totally called it and guessed that they were going to release Meru’s Doppel Uncap with the debut of her Witch form in the anime mwahaha >:D Pretty good timing, though, and I like that attention to detail!)

Kyubey is a little sh*t in any and every timeline, and I did enjoy seeing Momoko yelling at him, even though obviously he gives no effs. Another nice nod to the original anime by having Kyubey using the same line about young girls and Witches, too (or maybe he’s had to defend himself so many times that he has the perfect justification memorised to use when needed? xD).

The scene with Mifuyu and Momoko was also a really nice way to show the difference in their personalities, through just the way they respond to and take in all the tragedy and shocking information. I loved the way they animated Mifuyu’s Witch/Doppel moment, and it’s always nice to see a Doppel shown in the anime! Another thing I liked was the way Touka seems to “control” the scene as she pleases, rewinding it like an actual video and pausing on particular frames. It was too easy to forget that these are scenes shown in the Memory Museum, and little details like this remind you that these aren’t just ordinary flashbacks shown in anime and movies.

Yachiyo was as cool ever in the very few (present) scenes she got. I especially loved her confrontation with Touka and how she literally just thrusts her weapon in her face haha. And the way she just ignores Touka talking and smashes open a path and just goes in there herself on foot? BADASS. I LOVE YACHIYO.

And finally, about Team Momoko... A bit funny how Momoko was the one gearing up for the Big Talk but mostly just ended up standing there for the whole thing xD But anyway, I really, really loved Rena in this scene. It’s probably the first time we’ve seen her being so honest with her feelings by hugging Kaede and straight-up telling her how worried she was. It’s these small moments that really make me love Rena so much, no matter how harsh and prickly she can be most of the time. I really liked the scene in the game where she goes to Kaede’s place to comfort her (even if they ended up slapping each other lmao), because it really did show how much Rena cares for her friends. But this anime version was quite nice too and also does some good for Rena’s characterisation, so I’ll take it :)

As for Kaede... what happened to my sweet sunshine child? I’m not liking the dead look in her eyes and how she sounds like a zombie... almost like she’s in a trance? And also... what was with that line at the end? Did Kaede join the Wings of Magius? Is she brainwashed? Would that explain her strange behaviour and way of speech? If any of this is true, then this will probably be the biggest deviation the anime has done, and I’d be both scared and interested to see how they handle it lol.

So yeah, an interesting episode that could have been super impressive if it weren’t for some of the issues I discussed, but overall, still enjoyable and decently good :) I really think the majority of the MagiReco anime’s issues comes from the pacing. Which is understandable, because they’re pressed for time and there’s a lot to squeeze in. It’s just a bit of a shame that so many important scenes and moments don’t translate as amazingly as they could have due to time constraints :(

Next week’s episode will be the final one, right? I know nothing’s been confirmed, but I’m almost certain that there’s going to be another season/cour after this. (They wouldn’t just leave it hanging like that... right? O___O) My guess is that we’ll see Tsuruno, Felicia, and Sana join the Wings of Magius, Yachiyo split up the team, and possibly Iroha going up against the Rumour herself and declaring herself the leader. These are all really important plot points, and adding to the fact that next week will be the (season) finale, hopefully we can end it with a huge BANG! Will we see Holy Mami? Will we see Sayaka? Or will we perhaps see Kuroe, rounding up the season by going full circle and bringing us back to the hanging threads left from all the way back in Episode 1?

It’s almost surreal to think that we only have one more episode left of this season!!! Let’s hope that it’ll end in the best way possible (even if that means leaving us on a cliffhanger lololol) ٩(^ᴗ^)۶

[hameru-is-cool]

honestly... each episode of magia record makes me even more confused that the last one... rumors? witches? who knows

Unfortunately it will likely continue being that way for a few more episodes. Many concrete answers don’t start being given until the entire Mikazuki Villa family is together. Chapter 6 is when some explanations start getting thrown around and the anime just finished up Chapter 3. They still gotta pick up Felicia and Snaa in the adaptation of the next two chapters.

I’m confused but impressed sometimes too.The anime is setting up some intriguing new original plot threads tho with Kaede unleashing Zola. I can tell you she never does that in the main game story.

Maybe Inu Curry will give us the story behind the seemingly random shots in the game’s OP that never actually applied to what happens in-game.

[mayday-phanade]

JULY 7, 2019 / A TRANSLATION OF ARAMAKI YOSHIHIKO'S TANABATA WISH AS YAMANBAGIRI KUNIHIRO

Alright, since he mentioned it across different platforms and I found a report as well I'm translating those! For context, today is Tanabata, a Japanese event where they make wishes for a da

So first he mentioned this on his tweet,

千秋楽の挨拶、途中で頭が働かなくなってしまって上手く纏められなかったけれど 今日お願いした願い事を持って、残る32公演駆け抜けたいと思います。

For today's last show's [in Osaka] curtain call, my head suddenly stopped working along the way so I wasn't able to end my greeting properly. My wish for today is to safely conquer and run through the remaining 32 performances for this play.

Next, he mentioned the incident again on his FC blog/e-mail, which I'm not allowed to explicitly put here so this is merely a rundown of what he said:

-He said he wrote it on twitter already, but his Tanabata wish for today is that may they be able to safely finish all remaining performances safely. And then he said that he has said this during the last show's [in Osaka] curtain call already, but he carries a second wish with him today. "May I meet Mikazuki again someday." For that wish to come true, he said he would like to run through the remaining performances. And then he explained that in the end of his greeting in the curtain call, he lost energy and his head literally stopped working and that he started spacing out, and confirmed that he has to sleep properly tonight (please).-

Then lastly, I read what actually went down during the infamous curtain call from a report thread on twitter:

Tousute Osaka Last Show Curtain Call/Stage Greeting: Yamanbagiri Kunihiro "I'm Aramaki Yoshihiko, who plays Yamanbagiri Kunihiro. Today is Tanabata, so I made two wishes. The first one which I have already written on my SNS: For not a single person within this company to get hurt until the last performance. And then, my other wish: May I meet Mikazuki Munechika again in this citadel. I don't think it's a wish that can come true by just wishing, but if I don't wish for it, it can't come true either. Within this continuous battle I have inherited [from him], I hope to welcome him back here someday. So everyone, please wish for it too! Wish for it with your heart, wait- you can't! (he means literally lol, it's kinda hard to translate and contextualize from now on cause I assume this is where he starts losing it HAHAHA) You can spend your days wishing for it, right? Wouldn't that be nice? (the tweet explicitly states "chaos" from here on so I assume the entire cast and audience is just laughing at him rambling at this point) I think that'll be good!"

To which Wada Masanari interjects, "And you've been doing so well too! But halfway through your cuteness just has to come through, huh?"

And Makki continues speaking, "I wanted them to spend the day [tanabata]! Naya Takeru, Kitagawa Naoya, have connected the baton properly Until Hyogo and Tokyo's remaining 22 performances are finished, I am looking forward to your continued support!"

And then OP adds "Let's all welcome Mikazuki back." in reference to Makki's wish LOL

And basically that's it! Makki said he wished for Manba to meet Mikazuki again, and then his brain cells suddenly stopped working (which I interpreted as Manba gay panicking when he realized he said he wanted to meet Mikazuki again LOL) and then it's just chaos from there. Hopefully this gets included in the BD/DVD extra contents because I can't wait to watch it unfold!

All sources here:

(x), (x)