#Emojis Analysis

[stylestiel]

Heidi's Emojis Analysis Thread!

According to Heidi's chart, these are the emojis used by the kids:

Main Boys:

Stan:😤

Kyle:😤😱

Kenny: 😏🌮✌🏻

Cartman: 🤔😝😬😈

Butters:  🍁🍆👫🍍

Those Guys:

Craig: 💪🏻☠️💯🙂😩

Tweek: 😱😩☕

Jimmy: 🙁🎮🙂🍕

Tolkien: 👍🏿✊🏿💁🏿‍♂️💯

Clyde: 😏🍌💥🎉

Timmy: 😬👋🏻💩👾

The Girls:

Wendy: ❤️💜🐮😽😘

Bebe: 🙂😱💋🐮

Lola: 💯🙂🍕

Red: 🍒☀️🐮

Nichole: 👎🏾🍕🍣🐮

Annie: 💜💗🌈💋🍒

Shelley: 🍁🍆👫🍍

Goth Kids:

Henrietta: 😭😔🌧️🖤

Pete:😈😤😩

Firkle: 😩🌧️☠️😭

Michael: 🌚😔😭

B-Listers:

Scott: 💯🙂🍕

Kevin: 🎉🍌💥🙋🏻‍♀️😮

Jason: 💩💪🏻☢️

[cleopatragirlie]

Led Zeppelin in 1970:

[m4rs-ex3]

"i would do anything for you"

the first time:

the second time:

the third time:

[lyntarts]

Most used Stan & Kyle emojis according to South Park Wiki: 🩷🌈

So you guys can use it as matching pfps with your best friend in a non homosexual way

[mosstrades]

been rewatching a pretty good series

[antimony-medusa]

Feeling some kind of way in my emduo feelings about Phil confirming last night that HC phil being c!phil and q!phil is a multiverse situation and not a literal timeline, which means that as it turns out, a constant across all the universes of this character is either the presence or the references to Technoblade.

[linkons-most-wanted]

Love your high school AU! How would you rank the LIs with respect to their overall academic performance and considering how much they actually care about it? (I feel like Zayne would be first place but Sylus is kinda competitive so...)

Oooh I love this question!

Smarts-wise, Sylus and Zayne are neck-and-neck. They have different kinds of genius. Sylus is intuitive and Zayne is methodical.

I think Sylus is simply too ADHD to care enough about grades to have his GPA reflect his intelligence, though. 😂 Teachers that vibe with him (by having reasonable and non-shitty policies) would be giving him A+ across the board, whereas in other classes if he thinks the homework is stupid he's just not going to do it. So he'd be the classic student where the teachers bemoan that he's "not living up to his potential". But he writes some damn good poetry.

Now Zayne, on the other hand--give him a rule and he's going to follow it. The man simply cannot do anything half way, and he's masochistic enough to do what needs to be done to get the grades (lookin' at you, med school). As a quintessential type five, he simply will not rest until he knows All The Things. The grade is secondary--if he can't ace the test, then he doesn't know All The Things and so he must study more.

Caleb's the one that's going to get really competitive. He's as ADHD as Sylus, but you think he's gonna let pipsqueak see Zayne be better at something than him without a fight? Hell no! Caleb will be casual about it at all times, of course, but as we know from Pathless Realms he was a top student at the Aerospace Academy. He's also going to subtly avoid topics he might not be as good at, packing his schedule with things that come easily to him. (Very type seven of him.)

I'm totally blanking on who made it, but I saw a lil comic about Zayne and Caleb where Zayne had no idea he was top of the class and Caleb was checking the rankings daily and trying to give Zayne a hard time, but Zayne was totally oblivious, and I just thought that was spot on. 😂

Xavier is definitely next up--he's mentioned that he got good grades in subjects he cared about, but not the others. So, he's up there, but def has a B- or a C+ floating around in there 😂 He's also maybe fallen asleep during a midterm or two...

Then we hav our dear fishie. Rafayel is as averse to being told what to do as Sylus, but completely unmotivated by status or money. Any time spent in class is time not spent on art. Any time studying is time not spent on art. Why exactly do I have to do anything that's not art? seems dumb. I'm sure he's got his teachers begging him to turn in the extra credit assignments so they don't have to fail him for the year because wow yeah his art is incredible.

It's not that Rafayel isn't smart. He picks up on more than people realize--as his teachers find when they try to call him out for doodling in the back of class and he immediately gives a complete and correct answer. But if he got really into a painting this week, yeah he's gonna skip the homework. And maybe he'll put in an effort for 70% of the test, but that's probably good enough, and he's gonna circle C for the rest of the questions and go back to doodling (probably MC) in the margins of his notebook.

Art history though? He can teach that class--and he does. Substitute teacher who? Just say something vaguely controversial and you can't stop Rafayel from talking about it. All that math stuff is for someone else to figure out. (Poor Thomas 😂)

Rafayel is also 100% going to pretend to be confused to get MC to tutor him. "I don't get it, can you explain it again?" (He already aced the homework last week.) Being doted on by her sweet, earnest, diligent efforts to explain? A million times better than getting A's.

So it's definitely Zayne > Caleb > Xavier right at the top of the class rankings.

Then, whether Sylus or Rafayel have worse grades depends a lot on whether Sylus sees an opportunity to drop out and start his own business. Why compete with other high school students for a piece of paper when you can be out there making real money, y'know?

If they both manage to graduate, they're pretty even in terms of DGAF energy 😂 But they'd also both be way higher in the class rankings than other people expect. The delinquent and the artist who never does his homework in the top 25%? What? How!

[ultimateinsomniac]

hopping up on my special interest soap box to say: i think we as a fandom should discuss the satire in danganronpa V3 more.

idk if it is just me but i have always viewed this game as a satire, if only just because of the ending. it exagerrates the formula set up by the previous games to criticize the current state of media and media consumption. i know a lot of people in the fandom don't like V3, and i think that is by design. it is ridiculous, it is over the top, the ending is a punch to the face, but it's all on purpose. you're supposed to be uncomfortable because it is a satire. (of course you don't have to like the game, i just think it is intentionally like that)

the whole theme of fiction vs reality is put in there intentionally to make fun of the fandomization of danganronpa, as well as to poke at game studios and companies that put out media in general. tsumugi, in my interpretation, is representative of danganronpa fans (hence why she's the ultimate cosplayer). she is the mastermind. you aren't supposed to like her. her insistence on the idea that "fiction doesn't affect reality" is a direct criticism of that exact idea in real life fandom. the idea that this is the "53rd" danganronpa is directly making fun of other pieces of media "jumping the shark" because fans insist upon it. this is not to say you can't like tsumugi, i think you absolutely can, i just think her character represents some key ideas relating to the satire of the game.

this is why everything in the game is SO over the top. kirumi being the prime minister, korekiyo both having DID AND being a serial killer in a reference to the first game, EVERYONE'S over the top backstories (gonta and keebo come to mind), it's all acting as an exaggeration of common tropes (albeit highly problematic in several areas, not trying to excuse those aspects by any means).

and then there's kaede. they set her up as a strong female protagonist, only to kill her chapter 1 to be replaced by a male protag. on paper this is very misogynistic, but in the context of satire it is an exaggeration of the danganronpa formula. of course we couldn't have a female protag in a main line game, of course it would have to be a man. shuichi having a secret ahoge only adds to this; it's making fun of the trope. the best part is that i truly do love both of these characters, and their role in the satire doesn't diminish the excellent writing that went into them and the story.

this entirely shapes how i view this game. it manages to tell an incredibly compelling story with very complex characters while making fun of itself at the same time (as a good satire should). i know a lot of people have said they feel like the writers of v3 must have hated danganronpa, and while i see exactly what they mean i don't think that's necessarily true. i think it was an intentional choice as a work of satire.

i can see an intense love behind the writing of this game. the characters are rich and the story is compelling. the ending just serves to send home the point they wanted to make. i think it adds a really beautiful perspective to the danganronpa series as a whole.

[kagooleo]

so with confidence I present my rarepair...fluffyriceshipping!

they were originally a joke ship (which was my last chance to get out) but they grew on me more and more throughout last year, and months later they've become my favorite pair to draw! their name was the funniest thing to make of them because i got to joke around with their jpn names

the tl:dr of them is that there's a lot of good drama to make of thirty-somethings with the weight of responsibility of their respective cultures on their shoulders, as well as their personal thoughts of the trainers of their respective regions, all this culminating together to be really compelling for me to develop, so I'll ramble a Whole lot more under the cut about them :D!!

~

ok now that the people that wanted to see more about what i'm crazy about when i'm not online are here you guys better prepare for the worddump lmao

before they meet its postgame and they’re both in their thirties (early to mid), lance post gsc/hgss still upholds his champion position and managing the dragon's den alongside any g-man/undercover rocket work on the side (in workaholic mode), riley post dppt is occasionally battling at the battleground but also holing himself up with patrols on iron island and doing egg research and training his aura (Also in workaholic mode)

i'd say all the work makes byron and roark try to get him a break from all that, convincing him at some point to take a vacation! see the sights my guy you've been workin yourself to the bone

it's canonically shown in hgss that riley does appear as a partner for the battle tower, so at some point he is in johto! the region resonates with his cultural sensibilities so maybe he revisits it again to instead actually relax there.

lance would probably catch his hat flying away when he's visiting elm's lab (a fellow egg researcher) in new bark and riley would have absolutely fell first for him (and i'm a sucker for meet-cutes,,,)

and from there they hit it off! being both skilled trainers in their own right they battle and go out to eat after and talk about their family (clair and the elders, for riley's case his family friends byron and roark), their culture (dragon clans and aura guardians), and then when they talk about their respective trainer kiddos (silver and dawn) something clicks between them (it’s a Really rough snippet but hopefully it’s decent)-

"Do you have any kids? I know the news loves to make up some kind of story about secret love affairs with a random person." the guardian says, awkwardly.

Lance smiles, "Oh, yeah! I have one but he's technically not mine." Riley chokes on his iced tea.

"I'm sorry?" A million thoughts roll through his mind as he processes his words said so matter-of-factly.

"Haha, sorry, sorry, I'm only partly joking."

"E-Elaborate..."

The champion explains the general gist of things as he's met him, Silver, his kid-by-odd-circumstance, was homeless for a while, but was training alongside some other up and coming trainers. Uncovering some Rocket related files, he learns he's the son of the boss of the entire organization, and after some on and off meetings he eventually got him a place to stay at the Dragon's Den, and soon after began living with him at his place when he warmed up to the idea of adoption.

There are times he gets overwhelmed with all that he's been through, and some nights its all too much. But Lance was there with him, stayed with him every step of the way, unlike the one who gave him that abandonment anxiety in the first place.

"He's my kid, not by blood, and maybe not by his family, either. But instead, by his own decision he chose to stay with me. I'd want him to keep the freedom he has now." Lance states, firmly. "And now he's grown up as strong as I believed he could. I'm proud of him, as much as he tends to deny that." Riley senses his draconic aura swell with pride, mixed with a humbling sincerity in his words.

"What about you? Any kids of your own?" the sudden flip of the question surprises the guardian briefly.

"N-Nothing adoptive but…I suppose it's similar, in a way to meeting them as you have."

The guardian's turn, now. Dawn was someone he met when he was training on Iron Island, and also served as a guide to get her through the caverns. When he felt something off in the aura surrounding the area, he eventually learned of Galactic causing the pokemon on the island to feel restless and agitated. With her, they were able to clear the island of their antics and even gifted her a Riolu egg on her journey. From there, he was impressed with how strong she was, and did hear from Cynthia that she raised his present up to evolving her into a Lucario. He couldn't have been happier.

That was the case, until he caught the aftermath of the events of Mt. Coronet.

What Cyrus did, the lengths he'd go to, and dragging the both of them into a mess that could have torn the world apart.

After that, Dawn stayed home for a while. Cynthia put him as a contact for her mom, who was really worried for her. With his aura and her friends, Lucas and Barry, they were a big help for her recovery. And eventually, after a lot of time and work, she became the region's champion. She messages every now and then to him, as processing any trauma is never an easy road, but he realized how lucky she was to have the people she'd met to keep her steady, and knew she'll be alright.

"I...still wish I could've done more for her," Riley says, quieter. "Cynthia told me about what happened in that other world, and it...it was a lot for Dawn, a lot of emotions to help her figure out." he finishes, sheepish.

"…I don't blame you for feeling that way, I wouldn't know what to do in a scenario like that, either." the champion says, unsure too.

"It's amazing, in a way. All these kids going through so much on their own. I'd be proud were it not so scary, realizing how young they are to go through what they have been through."

"There's only so much you really can do, as an adult. I've realized that fact a long time ago." Lance's aura felt oddly melancholic, as bright and pretty as it may appear. "It's either immediate or slow when things change for them, and sometimes you'll have to make a choice on the spot when the time comes for them to decide what they want to do." It sounds like he’s speaking from experience, but the melancholy makes it appear that he's had some regrets.

“I trust in them to find their own path, eventually. When they’re together, those kids are gonna be alright on their own.”

His reassurance helped, even if only by a small amount.

-

I should make some kind of master post about them at some point but WAH god I’m so happy I can actually put them together in pokemon masters, they’ve really grown on me and I’ve developed a lot for the both of them in my free time, but yeah this is the rarepair that’s been on my brain for ages now, a gaze into my goo brain 🤪

[weekdaysend]

So me and my bestie began our annual rewatch of MCD and after several hours of discussion (and throwing pillows at each other) we concluded my previous redesign for Zenix didn't match what we thought his character was anymore so after an hour or two of sketching we concluded with this:

(Third image is my bestie @jvicybadvssy's sketch!) I am literally obsessed with him to an unnormal degree he is literal my bestie my soulmate my little guy forever I need to pick apart his brain like a surgeon !!!!! We wanted to go for something young but clearly tired and aged. He has the physique of a teenager but the mind of a bitter adult oouhh Zenix !! ZENIX!!! (Old design below for reference):

[riding-with-the-wild-hunt]

i promise promise promise i'm not a freudian but the idea that fëanor hated fingolfin less for his character or even being indis's son and more as a conduit for his anger at finwë is so delicious to me uwugh...míriel cannot be reproached: her absence renders her perfect and inviolate, and given fëanor's intensity around protecting her memory, i think he would see it as a betrayal to be angry or resentful towards her. likewise, finwë also can't be blamed, because fëanor loves him so single-mindedly that it would seem a terrible disloyalty to consider that he could've done anything wrong. of course indis can be hated, but she's fulfilling a role both familially and societally different from finwë's, and freudian projection is neater when things line up. and fingolfin is right there! looking like finwë, acting like finwë, bearing finwë's name etc etc! and to make matters worse, he's also in fëanor's position, so we can stick some good good rival/usurper feelings in there too!

while we're told that fingolfin and fëanor are extremely dissimilar in personality, i think there's significant textual evidence, at least in some respects, to the contrary, (fingolfin's ride-or-die loyalty to fëanor, his willingness to brave an icy wasteland without any preparation, and his charge at morgoth are all actions that parallel what we know of fëanor's character--the attachment to family, the headlong impulsivity, the bitter hatred of melkor). there's very little about fingolfin to attract anger from fëanor, given that his parentage was hardly his fault. but fëanor is angry at finwë for abandoning míriel (who has the dubious honor of obliquely standing in for fëanor too in this instance), and angry at míriel for abandoning him, and fingolfin is right there!!!! and he can be blamed!!! and it's such a relief to finally blame someone that he never stops

[soggy-fishsticks]

rare soggy-fishsticks ff7 opinion post 🔥(with proper grammar 😱)

(also i have not directly played crisis core reunion BUT!!!! i have seen play throughs of what im talking about + general game knowledge :P)

I think the way Crisis Core has you experience Zack's death is so incredibly interesting, and I don't think I've ever seen a game execute a character death in that sort of way. The rest of this post is gonna be me narrating and giving some of my opinions/observations about it and what ive seen through watching it play out hehe

I think part of the reason why Zack's death hits so hard in Crisis Core is because of the way the game takes YOU, the player, through it. Up until this point in this game, there's been a few constants in the fights/fighting mechanics that you have been depending on, as the game intentioned.

1 . The ability to access the GUI in the bottom corner of your screen to use special abilities and materia.

2. The slot machine-like GUI at the top corner of your screen that allows you to use your limit breaks.

Besides the game's fighting mechanics, there's also the fact that throughout the entire game, every fight you've had has been accompanied by some sort of music—typically metal, or (usually) something that's otherwise upbeat and energetic.

When you're in the wasteland and are fighting all those waves of Shinra grunts, all of that is there. And what's more, is that the atmosphere itself is still bright and Zack, you, are still moving and acting as normal. The Shinra Infantrymen are shooting at you, but that's typical. Nothing here has fundamentally changed, and you aren't given any reason to suspect otherwise.

After a brief cutscene, the game immediately cuts to you being thrown into even more fighting. The fighting mechanics and presence of music are still the same, but the atmosphere is visibly a bit darker, and you can feel the tension. As you fight the Infantrymen, you are of course still being shot at, but so what? You'll kill them and finish the fight—it's what you've been doing the whole time, afterall. So again, you keep attacking them, and you are briefly thrown into another cutscene, which then cuts to more fighting once it's finished.

But this time, the atmosphere has completely changed. Everything is much, much darker and de-saturated. The music that has been present throughout the entire game is suddenly gone. The only thing left in its place is the sounds of wind, gunshots, and your painful grunts. You, Zack, look visibly worn down and wounded, and you can only move by very slowly limping forwards and slowly swinging your sword.

And the fighting mechanics? That's all changed, too. The screen GUI that previously allowed you to use special attacks/materia has completely disappeared, and there's no health bar in sight. At the top of screen, the GUI is still there, but it's glitching, so you can't use any limit breaks. This means that you are effectively trapped. The Infantrymen around you are moving really slowly, but YOU are extremely slow, too. The time it takes for you to make Zack himself drag to one of them and try to get a few hits in is all too much time for the other two Infantrymen to keep continuously shooting at you.

Because the health bar is gone, the only signs you have of you TRULY losing health is by a.) the countless damage points surrounding you, and b.) the eventual red hue that fills the sides of your screen. Once you are downed, your screen switches to the POV of Zack, and you watch as you look up from the ground to the Infantry man before you, who then takes his rifle, aims, and shoots you in the head.

Afterwards, one of the next few cutscenes is of Zack—scared, bloody, dirty, and riddled with wounds—and you watch as he dies alone with Cloud, out in the middle of nowhere.

First of all: holy shit.

Second of all: I think the importance of the final fight isn't that it's just, you know, the final fight, but also that it's specifically designed for the player to lose. It is impossible to win, because winning was never going to be a possibility to begin with. Aka, once you notice all of the missing GUI and the state Zack is in, you immediately know that it's over. That final fight and the way it was designed was intentionally done to make You, the player, feel helpless. And boy is it effective.

You are no longer a passive observer in Zack's end—you yourself are experiencing it through this fight. The game drags the player into that experience. And I'd imagine that it makes it a lot harder to feel distant from what's going on when the game is forcing you through the stress of trying to survive and realize that you aren't allowed to. Incredible!!!!!!

Anyways, all of that is to say that I think games should mess with their players like that more, hehe. It feels pretty unique, and I haven't seen anyone talk about it yet!! Sorry that this post is SO DIFFERENT from the posts I usually make, I've just really been wanting to talk about this dhdhdhhhjh. If anyone else has any insights, lmk!!! <3

also I made this meme which basically sums up my entire rant

ASADAGAGHHJKH HAHA SORRY

[st4rstudent]

drew them over an anime base because i thought it'd be funny

[yallwildinrn]

(Falls out of the rafters) The American Psycho hyperfixation has arrived, and I love analysis so here I am. Idgaf if anyone reads this, I need this OUT of my brain.

I’m fascinated by how Patrick Bateman is constantly desperately clawing for any kind of real self fulfillment or actualization or even just acknowledgement that he is a person, but because he’s trapped in the eternal corporate hell of vapid materialism and self-obsession, it’s all but guaranteed he will never get it. He will never truly be known, be seen, but that doesn’t stop him because despite his claims, he is still human. He claws for whatever he can get because he’s a fucking void deep inside, so deprived and detached from any semblance his true self, and now all he has is his image. His appearance. His fancy home, expensive wardrobe, detailed routines. Materialism. A facade of perfection.

Because honestly, it’s the only way Patrick can connect with the people around him who are just as vapid and shallow as he is, as he’s become. He’s both the victim and the perpetrator of the disgusting standards of what’s considered acceptable, and he doesn’t care because even though this is all he knows, he still carves acceptance. He still tries so hard to fit in, begging for everyone to see him as normal and accept him, and the sickest joke of all is that these vapid, shallow losers see through all of his attempts to fit in, and they know he’s even more of a shallow loser than they are.

That is to say, none of them really see how hollow and empty he is. They don’t truly see he has no substance (honestly, none of them do.) That requires these self-obsessed pricks surrounding him to look past their own damn nose, but the fact everyone knows he’s a loser and a dork, that THESE people see that he’s a loser and a dork despite everything, is almost heartbreaking. Almost.

Patrick Bateman tries over and over to be accepted. To fit the mold. To cling to the standard. Even his interest in music is watered down to pop culture analysis he reserves only for his victims because they have no choice but to listen - everyone else doesn’t care because even THAT doesn’t fit their mold of acceptability. He just wants to be seen and heard and accepted, have his true self be known at the very least, but it’ll never happen. At this point, after all these years, the closest thing to a “true self” Patrick Bateman has is a molded, rotten, withered away core of hatred and violence. Maybe at one point he did, but it’s gone after all this time trapped in the materialistic rat race he knows far too well.

He’s a hollow shell, like every other person around him. He craves to be seen, but there’s nothing left to see. He’s just a broken, violent, twisted man, and that makes the people around him too uncomfortable; no one wants to look at that. Look at him. It’s much easier to overlook the real horror that is Patrick Bateman and instead focus on his attempts to fit in so desperately and so shallowly. To them, he’s not a human and not a monster and not even worth thinking of beyond idle gossip - he’s just a dorky loser unknowingly among a sea of other moderately less dorky losers.

[mothstiel]

throwback to last night when i started sobbing at 14.19 jack in the box because it reminded me of “i am gods favorite sacrifice” so then i wrote poetry about it

“and they don’t cry as they

lower me into my grave

their own sickly hand

in mine

and their canine teeth smile sharp

as they get off to my ignorance

all i know is all i am

do i even

know that?

my eyes are graced by the lamb

maws shut

who watches the slaughter

and they don’t cry as they

lower me into my grave”

[chojiwithahat]

secret hat talk #2: various ways metaphors are presented in windbre + afterthoughts

There's a massively rich presence of metaphors in wind breaker that I'd say is inseparable to its narrative/writing style, and can even be taken to account when considering some writing choices (ex. like a possible answer to the missing teacher question!!)

And so!!!!!!! I tried sorting a few ways the story presents these metaphors, along with some examples of how the anime adapts them. The first half will mainly focus on Shishitoren Arc (for manga and anime comparisons; the categories follow how the source material manga does things), and I will be skipping stuff like character, place names and the fights/fighting styles.

⚠️the second half will have manga spoilers up to chapter 168⚠️

characters talking about the metaphor + non-diegetic visuals

example 1) the color of coffee fruit and assumptions Chapter 2: The Hero of My Dreams || Episode 2: The Hero of My Dreams The anime adds a few more insert shots on the coffee drink, emphasizing on its brown color. Showing a cut of the brown coffee as Kotoha says "it's red" creates a juxtaposition that aides in understanding on where she is coming from. Also a good utilization of color, a quality that the anime has over the manga.

Another example of this is Umemiya's "Fighting is still a type of conversation" quote where he smugly holds a cup of water and points at Sakura-kun. In the manga a panel with two fists doing a fist bump is shown, while in the anime they have two imaginary guys doing said fist bump while getting microwaved (Chapter 9: Eve of the Fight || Episode 4: Clash)

example 2) the starving lion and the state of shishitoren Chapter 20: Wake up || Episode 8: Succeeding the Past For this scene, the anime completely omits the manga's non-diegetic visual of a starving lion and instead has a cut linger on Togame's back (shishitoren jacket) throughout his internal monologue. This match cuts to Choji's back in a flashback, leading to an anime-only presentation of how Togame approached Choji about the clash with Bofurin.

example 3) choji's heart In the anime, the barren dessert and glass breaking metaphor is combined and expanded into an imaginary space characters can interact in. The rain is omitted from this space and only exists as a metaphor in real life. The crayon drawing imagery also has this treatment, with the treasure box existing both in the crayon and desert space. Chapter 25: Roar, Chapter 26: Good Old Days || Episode 9: Umemiya's Style

characters talking about something that is supplemented by something diegetic acting as a metaphor (plus points for interactivity)

example 1) togame's appearance/outfit and playing a role The moment when Togame braids his hair and puts on sunglasses are mostly the same between the manga and anime; but I note that the anime forgo showing younger Togame with shorter hair. Perhaps it's to emphasize his appearance with longer, not braided hair when he returns to that look, fighting Sakura. For the manga, Togame's visually apparent younger appearance with gradually growing hair can be interpreted as a way to show how long he and Choji been hanging out in shishitoren. The anime conveys something similar by showing how they first met + more montage, something the manga doesn't have.

example 2) let's eat anpan together Chapter 29: The Sun Rises Again || Episode 10: Dialogue In the manga, "I need all of you" is framed with the Ori behind Choji and the anpan in the same panel. The Ori can be associated with "all of you," while having anpan's presence is a little smaller, being at the bottom of the panel. However on the panels placed beside that one, the anpan's presence is then highlighted with Togame grabbing it. The anime omits the Ori background and shows a close up to Choji's face instead, which is later cut to the anpan, Choji's hands animated to be shaking as he holds the anpan bread. While the manga doesn't show Togame's face until the "we'll search for the answer together" panel on the next page, the anime shows his expression as he talks about his own feelings ("... Same goes for me") after taking the anpan and prior that dialogue.

example 3) out of choji's reach (For this one, the first depiction of Choji's hands are diegetic but the others are more imagined; I decided to put them all in one for continuity sake.) In the manga, Choji is constantly depicted reaching out with both hands and to the left, trying to grasp something he felt as unreachable. As the reading direction is from right to left, and how these panels are always placed on the left page (of a spread), he is literally reaching to the next yet-to-be-seen pages rather than the present moment.

The anime changed the first hand reach scene so that when Choji says "Ume-chan and Furin," it cuts to Ume before cutting to Sakura and company at the audience seats. Chapter 23: The Top VS The Top || Episode 8: Succeeding the Past For the second scene, a cut lingers at Choji's back before it is cut to his hands but bloody, perhaps to describe his desperation (or to connect with Togame's hands later on, in the metaphorical space). Chapter 25: Roar || Episode 9: Umemiya's Style For the third scene, the hands are omitted as the panels where Choji is desperately walking is adapted into a wide shot of him walking in the dark, barren dessert space with silhouettes of people fighting overlayed. He stops walking eventually. Chapter 26: Good Old Days || Episode 9: Umemiya's Style

Back to the first scene, the show further emphasizes the stage light (diagetic), which is something as intangible as what he is trying to reach for, by using Choji's hands to frame it before panning out as his arms spread apart to "everything." Chapter 23: The Top VS The Top || Episode 8: Succeeding the Past

diegetic imagery hanging out in the background

example 1) tiger and dragon drawings on the blackboard and sakura and sugishita!!!!!!!!! Chapter 3: Fanatic || Episode 2: The Hero of my Dreams (+ Episode 3: The Man Who Stands on the Top) This chapter is split between EP 2 and 3, so the beginning of EP 3 added insert shots of the tiger and dragon chalk art to really hammer in the point.

example 2) the faded shishitoren emblem Chapter 20: Wake Up || Episode 8: Succeeding the Past (Unlike the previous example, the character acknowledges the imagery's presence.)

The anime added a moment where Togame is shoved against the emblem. Then, he is framed standing in front of the emblem to have his fight conversation with Sakura, compared to the different background in the manga.

environment as a metaphor

example 1) shishitoren arc set on a movie theater stage Connecting this to the "Let's wrap this up... Sakura" scene: Manga Togame feels like you are put into Sakura's shoes as a fellow actor on this stage, evoking the sense that you are part of this (since as an audience member, you wouldn't be able to see the side/exit of the stage like that). As anime Togame faces the audience seats, it gives off a different feeling (ex. you as a watcher is secured in your position as the audience, or Sakura as one of the audience. It can connect with how Sakura functions as an outside POV character).

example 2) the weather🌦️ The anime added several more cuts showing the weather outside during the matches; the sky gradually turning cloudier in anticipation of the Ume vs Choji fight. Left || Beginning of Episode 6: Vow to Follow (post-Suo fight) Right || Episode 8: Succeeding the Past (part 2 of Sakura vs Togame)

character casually talking about a metaphor that the characters wouldn't know is a metaphor because it's like, for the readers to connect the dots or overthink it [thumbs up]

example 1) "You guys better enjoy your youth!! That's right, YOUTH!! [...] Go to the beach!! Or the mountains!!!" Umemiya says he's a beach guy, and Togame wants to go to the mountains. I interpreted this as a way to subtly describe or highlight the differences between the two, like with what kinda people they are, their beliefs perhaps, both being in a leadership position, too. Their core; simply what makes them who they are.

Chapter 4: The Man Who Stands at the Top || Episode 3: The Man Who Stands on the Top The anime visually highlights the "youth" term non-diegetically via text, similar to how Tsuge's "virtue" is visually presented in Chapter 31: A New Classmate and its anime counterpart.

Chapter 20: Wake up || Episode 8: Succeeding the Past Cinematic, emotional lingering shots on Togame having a moment tm (probably a flashback) are added before he says "I wanna go to the mountains."

whatever tf that is, umemiya???!!!!!!!

Chapter 7: Umemiya Hajime || Episode 4: Clash The anime omitted Sakura being in the same frame (his reaction is shown as a cut afterwards, so during this scene in the anime, the audience's attention is fully on Ume's fire thing). The more symbolic form of Ume's fire is also forgone (think like, Hiragi when he is associated with Bishamonten), but the blue color choice is pretty neat because [more after the manga spoiler cut]

(this section includes manga spoilers!!)

whatever tf that is, umemiya???!!!!!!! continued

Ume's blue fire complements Takiishi's red/yellow colors👍 Another example of this kinda visual thing would be Kaji's lightning/sparks!

characters in a metaphorical space

Much like what the anime did with Choji's mindscape, the manga has this with Sakura and a few other important characters; to note, the manga did this first, just not starting with Choji. With this in mind, I feel that the anime's choice to have Choji have a mindscape moment is neat!!! It makes for more continuity especially coming from the first major arc!! The same goes for the tightrope scene added in EP 1. Chapter 60: A Place I Belong || Chapter 42: Salvation || Chapter 143: Heat

afterthoughts:

A thing about writing I think, is that whatever works as long the story's aware of its own unique rules, be it to continue them or to consciously break them. It's also important to note that one story's rules won't necessarily work with a different story (ex. in Haikyuu, grades has stakes because if you fail the exams, you go to remedy class, meaning you can't go to the volleyball training camp. For Windbre, grades' not a problem because it's established that the school has the worst grades to begin with; it's simply not their priority).

And so, I feel that Wind Breaker's rich presence of metaphors can even be taken account to when considering some writing choices!! For example, how Shishitoren Arc is written, and a possible answer to that one question: “where are the teachers?”

So first, Shishitoren Arc's writing:

While it serves as a strong introduction for Wind Breaker’s core themes, my first impression on this first arc was “rushed.” I felt that there was not enough build up to fully immerse in Sako and Hiragi’s fight, resulting in a sense of cheesiness from the dramatic situation and dialogue. There's also that thing where upon taking a step back, having all this emotional stuff happen within one afternoon and at Sakura's third day at Furin/Makochi might feel kinda ridiculous! But after a couple rereads, I was thinking, like..... this cheesiness can also be very fitting.

The Shishitoren Arc is set in a movie theater. With that in mind, the five matches can be likened to watching a dramatic, emotional roller coaster of a two-hour film. This is even truer when totalling the anime episodes for this arc—not to forget the musical adaptation, too!

Like actors of a play, the characters are physically on the stage for their fights. They're on the stage as backstories get shown to the audience, and that said, Togame exiting the stage mid-fight also has a sense of breaking the forth wall.

So in my case at least, understanding this arc as if it’s a two-hour stage play *waggles eyebrows* allowed me some suspension of disbelief. For those sitting in the audience’s seats, some might resonate strongly with the film, and others might not!

Chapter 21: At the End of the Battle || Chapter 22: Inherited Thoughts

Going into the missing teacher question, I can see why people might get thrown off by the lack of faculty in Furin. After all, the setting looks realistic, grounded in a way that's like a real life town! There's normal townspeople walking around Makochi!! If the story looked something more like Madoka Magica, perhaps the missing teachers wouldn't be that big of a question.

Of course, the author’s intention is a different story. Nii sensei confirmed that there are regular classes in the character book, but the reason why they weren’t physically drawn into the story (like, we don't even get to see them hanging out in the background) wasn’t exactly clarified—nor do I think it has to be. Regardless, there can be many interpretations on the reader’s side!

Maybe the classroom activities are conveniently written out so we can directly jump into the fist fights! Maybe it’s a visual metaphor to show how Sakura doesn’t think much about school work, so on and so forth!

In a way, it's a bit similar to how the weather conveniently changes for Choji, but since that's a metaphor used often across media, it's probably familiar enough that it doesn't feel "weird." The difference between the weather and the missing teachers though is that the story addresses the weather metaphor, unlike the teachers. But even as the missing faculty aren't explicitly addressed by the characters in the story........

Here's a few patterns I noticed in with the story so far, in regards to teachers and adult-presence!!!!!

1. Aside from the lack of Furin faculty, we do meet "teachers" in the story, just so far only in flashbacks.

Chapter 35: Kaji Ren || Chapter 164: Ties The framing with Sugishita's panel, as this is a moment where the spiral of annoyances started for him, highlights how Sugishita is separated from the "normal." It's similar to how "no one really knew how to handle [Kaji]," creating a sense of alienation.

Chapter 65: Repaying the Favor Even a significant “Sensei” is from a backstory, along with a certain elderly man—who while we get to meet in present time, the heartfelt life lesson he passed down with his wife was told in the past. In the present time, the youths gathered to help him.

2. The story is consistent in that "teachers" never visually appear in classroom settings.

Chapter 142: Revelation || Chapter 164: Ties Aside from the occasional speech bubble, we still don't actually see them at the hallways and classrooms (also see: Tsubaki and Shizuka's flashbacks at school settings).

3. The only places where we see adults is outside of school grounds. This is especially the case for named adults like Ito and Yui, Shitara Yuki, and most recently Sugishita's grandparents.

Chapter 142: Revelation || Chapter 164: Ties Schools in flashbacks are often highlighted as a source of bad memories (ex. Sako, Tsubaki, Shizuka). And so, I feel that this pattern highlights how some of the cast as kids were able to find/have a place of belonging outside of school. There is the exception of Sunaba district, where school's the only place where the kids could eat a proper meal; however, it's not enough.

4. The only adults we interact with in the story so far are those who are received positively by the young cast. Like Yama-jii, Granny Sato, the granny with Risa-chan, the monja restaurant lady, bakery people, townspeople and more.

5. Adults are often more involved during transitional arcs/scenes, rather than the main plot conflicts.

5. Lastly, only the adults who’ve left a positive impact has their faces shown clearly during flashbacks. While there haven't been an adult as an "active" player in the story, their past harm and help do hold significant weight in the narrative. On that note, considering this and the face/name motif in windbre, the missing furin faculty could even be read as the students not even acknowledging their existence hjhsjkgakjd

Chapter 60: A Place I Belong || Chapter 96: Umemiya Hajime's Ambition Arc Given the subject matters in Ume's backstory, I appreciate that Yuki's presence as an adult caretaker is there. The fact that he is a former Furin student is also nice, proving a possible future for these delinquents—and creating a bridge between the cast and adulthood. There is still life after their three years at Furin.

With how Makochi’s setting was formerly unsafe and violent, and that Sakura arrived at the town when it has already changed into the safer and kinder community it is now, perhaps the “present” story is purposefully structured so that these youths, after living their respective pasts, get to exist on a stage (ex. Bofurin) where they can do the things they want to do.

Chapter 96: Umemiya Hajime's Ambition Arc

“These youths” extends to the antagonists, for as of the current story, they are all of the same age group as the protagonists—and with no older authority above them (for example, I imagine that it would be even harder for Nagato to get out of the KEEL situation had adult gangsters been involved). Having the conflicting parties around the same age group, especially as they are all youths, leads to a more balanced dynamic during conflicts. While "staged," evokes a sense of realism as to why the story’s main means of resolving these conflicts—conversations via badass fistfights in that pure and earnest way—works.

The fight conversations functions as peer to peer talks, rather than lectures with obvious power differences.... like a friend or rival calling another out rather than a parent/teacher's lecture, stuff like that!! (Since the teams are established by the youths, Ume isn't intruding into this space as a lecturing adult, but as a fellow delinquent kid. ume voice: hello my fellow young people....)

Chapter 96: Umemiya Hajime's Ambition Arc

In a world where "no one in this town had the luxury to save anyone else" (Chapter 80: Ideals and Reality), windbre is a story where all these different teams—rising up for the betterment of their own or other's lives, or to their own or other's detriment, or with no other purpose but to kill time—clashes at intersecting points. At least that's the case from Shishitoren to Noroshi Arc!!

Chapter 81: Rise to Action

AND SO THE MAIN POINT!!!!!!

While the “school” setting made the lack of faculty presence louder, and with how there's adults out at town but not in school grounds, I find that the visual lack of faculty in Furin further emphasizes the youth/students' actions and their identity as Bofurin (protectors of the town).

With that in mind... having the teachers (and classes) just visually not there all this time can elevate the jarring feeling when the story does make a nod to the reality that "oh damn, we are in a school," too!!! I find it very fitting that Sugishita, the one most motivated by his Bofurin identity, is faced with that reality:

Chapter 168: To Show Color

In a way, it's kind of like having a really good dream, and dreams and reality has been a theme in windbre as well.

Chapter 76: A Girl's Plea

Just as the current Furin environment feels safe and empowering, it's probably very easy to forget about the real-life school stuff, especially for those who are wrapped up with their identity as Bofurin—and if grades aren't a priority at all, for both the student and narrative. The way the story presents itself visually can add to that feeling for the audience.... which also opens to many possible writing directions.

Will this pattern continue? Will this pattern be broken, forcing the cast into a reality that was overshadowed by this sparkly, empowering stage? And if it does get broken, how far would it go, to what extent? Will Sakura get to accomplish the miracle Kanji talks about in Chapter 84: Naïveté? Will he have to face a finality of a reality in which he can't—or perhaps, find an alternative?

I've found the beginning of Ume's backstory strikingly powerful in that regard, because for a moment, that dream-like quality of the present-day Bofurin completely vanished. No matter the what-ifs, Ume couldn't have done anything about the accident. It's something that is very real and could happen to anyone, and the image of the man who stands at the top disappeared. We watch him as a child desperately try to get some semblance of agency back, and it was not something that could be solved by the familiar fistfight.

It's during this seemingly hopeless moment that an adult, Shitara Yuki, is physically and visibly by the young character's side, that there is no questioning his presence as someone there to help.

Since this also is from the past, the fight conversation does not lose its weight in present time—the history adding to that weight instead.

In conclusion!!!!!!!

Think like, games, one where there's zones and stuff and you'd be conveniently turned away from a location if you haven't done xyz? I suppose like, depending on the medium, some writing choices just become easier to accept, like understanding a cardboard cutout of a sun as the real sun in a stage play. That said I've always felt that windbre's writing style is very suitable for a game and stage play/musical *waggle eyebrows again* THOUGH THAT'S SOMETHING FOR ANOTHER TIME I have a lot of thoughts /POS for the stage play!!!!!!!

In a story, there are things implied, explicitly stated, or seemingly not acknowledged. I think some unanswered elements can be decoded based on how the story is constructed retrospectively—in this case, wind breaker and its presence of metaphors.

*eats the metaphors* THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!!!