#fun monogatari things

[nadekofannumber1]

Cool fun fact, if you look up “settei” next to the anime you can find many interesting character sheets that wouldn’t be in the booklets necessarily

They even got color settei for things you don’t know about but assumed had refrence sheets

[npd-vriska]

a smidgen of oikura sodachi pwease

You didn't specify what kind of Oikura you wanted so I kinda just went with every single one. The platonic ideal of an Oikura, if you will.

Click for better quality because apparently Tumblr really doesn't like this format.

[kinokoshoujoart]

oops all rock (springtime edition)

i’ll be able to draw digitally again soon! ;w; in the meantime i’ve been scribbling a lot on paper…

could not wait for Soon, so i resorted to coloring it using the markup tool in default iphone photos app (don’t do that ever again)

[penultimate-step]

finally starting to read Sodachi Fiasco...

my very first impression in reading chapters 1 and 2 is that the narrator voice is noticeably more, theatrical? Not sure if that's the word I'm looking for exactly. And at first I wasn't sure if this was meant to be a part of Sodachi's unique character voice or just a side effect of switching from official translations to fan translations.

But then I got to c3, which starts off with a little anecdote about meringue. And it's funny, because when I first saw it I was thinking, okay, yeah, this is the kind of humorous aside monogatari loves to make, this is more what I'm used to, maybe I was overthinking things before - except then Sodachi realizes the digression she's gone on is off-topic, stops talking about it, and scolds herself for it - it feels pretty different from how Koyomi (or other narrators, like Suruga or Hanekawa) would let the joke go on in full.

So from these first few pages my impression of Sodachi as a narrator is that she is deeply self-conscious, with a constant worry about how her own actions appear to others, to the point of sometimes narrativizing her own life - because while this is her story, her perspective, she's thinking enough about how other people will perceive her that she's trying to imagine how it looks from third person, and preemptively correct things.

[wodimewoahtime]

phrases ive been really into recently (alnst edition): 1. ivans yaoi paddle 2. luka the shivering sickly victorian purebred show poodle 3. stablehand till + luka horse au 4. Heperu's pet poodle handbook (for luka) 5. ivans triple yaoi backflip (raw yaoi power) 6. fudanshi luka 7. himedanshi till 8. tills "im not gay" yaoi protag power 9. milf till couldve fixed ivantill (bingqiu style) 10. mizisua monogatari toothbrush scene

[nadenadenadeko]

what do you think of possession (by ghosts) as a story element?

no idea if this is a real person asking this and if you are why you’re asking me but:

very cool concept imo! both in horror scenarios..non-horror scenarios..

i guess it can be a little ??cheesy?? sometimes? but the idea itself is p sick . Characters being corrupted/not in control of their own body and actions is something i like in general. ghosts are so op if you think about it

also since this is a monogatari blog: it’s kinda weird nothing like that really happens in monogatari huh. i think. (I haven’t seen monogatari in like 3 years)

[ranchstoryblog]

Ranch Story Community Q&A Volume 3: Igusa Matsuyama Returns!

Igusa Matsuyama, the legendary artist behind the Story of Seasons series since the original 1996 game has once again agreed to a Q&A featuring questions from fans from around the world! A big thank you to all the members of the community who helped make this possible.

Some aspects of the text have been altered to match localization people are familiar with. (Japanese names to English names, for example: Bokujou Monogatari (牧場物語) was formerly localized as Harvest Moon and is now localized as Story of Seasons, etc). Images were not part of the original text and have been added as a visual aid. Though we translated as many questions as we could, we did not include questions involving personal information or regarding unannounced releases. Please understand.

If you would like to read our original correspondence (in Japanese), that will be provided in a separate post.

Additional cosplay photo provided by Foxface from our community Discord.

Translations: @artycharmy (correspondence, outline) Editing and Clean-up: Jerome, @artycharmy, and @regularcelery

——— Anonymous asks: What is the relationship between Jamie and the Harvest Goddess?

Igusa Matsuyama: Jamie was treated as a fairy or spirit. I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if there's any points that link them and the Goddess.

Editor's note: the term Matsuyama uses is "妖精."

Tomato asks: I would like to ask about what their inspiration was for the outfits designs in the original release of harvest moon another wonderful life. Since I got reminded of the girl clothing brand Mezzo Piano when looking at the I love Kuma/I love bears outfit.

Igusa Matsuyama: I remember the only thing I thought of was using Spring-like colours! (All designs were made with seasonal colours In mind) When I knew that Daachan, who was planned to be used in a lot of events, wouldn't actually play a big role in the game, I put him on the T-Shirt so he could at least get some attention as a mascot-like existence.

Pansy asks: If you were able to create your own game for the Story of Seasons franchise, with no rules or limitations whatsoever, what do you think it might look like?

Igusa Mastuyama: Since I love dogs, I'd like to try making a Story of Seasons that's set in a world just full of dogs. Though that dream of mine probably won't come true.

Anonymous asks: The look of Story of Seasons has changed a lot over the years! What would you say is more challenging to create - simple designs, where you have to work with very little space, or complicated designs, where you have to consider many little details?

Igusa Matsuyama: A long time ago there were a lot of things you weren't able to replicate in video games. There were constraints for things like the number of colours and patterns for hair styles and clothes. It was difficult to work around those constraints, but at the same time a lot of fun. Nowadays, it's the complete opposite. Now we can design anything with hardly any constraints. And unlike a long time ago, now I'm asked to make more complicated designs, like patterns and decorations. However, if it's a big request, sometimes I run into quite a lot of trouble when designing. They each have had their own difficulties.

Anonymous asks: Hello, Matsuyama! Thank you for bringing the worlds of Bokujou Monogatari to life for many years. Your art has had a huge influence on me!

One of my favorite candidates is “Rock” from “A Wonderful Life.” I’d love to know any particular influences for his character design from 21 years ago, and his new design for the remake.

Igusa Matsuyama: I was told that he was a young, wannabe playboy, so I somehow ended up with that sort of design. For the remake, I made his clothes a little looser without changing his design, so he'd look even more playful. I, too, wanted to avoid changing him as much as I could as there are other people among the staff that also like the original for his “Rockness”. So, he got that makeover after everybody shared and checked their opinions with each other.

Jerome asks: On page 130 of the "Special Comic" manga there's artwork of Super Famicom characters that have never been printed anywhere else. Do you or Marvelous still have these? It would be great to see them in more detail in the future some time.

Igusa Matsuyama: They're all characters that appeared in the SNES version of "Harvest Moon." Nina's parents, Ellen's mother, Ann's father, Maria's parents (The mayor couple). I'm sorry. My SNES illustrations have gone missing...

Raven Bloom, Ryan, and Moth ask: How did you feel when your designs for the men in A Wonderful Life were repurposed to be bachelors? What do you think of the changes made to the bachelors in the remake of A Wonderful Life? I miss the “Bruce Campbell” look Matthew used to have.

Igusa Matsuyama: Matthew (マシュー) is Masshu (マッシュ) in the Japanese A Wonderful Life (Editors note: Charmy made a careless mistake when translating the questions, sorry Matsuyama san 🫣) When I first heard this name, the first thing that came to mind was Evil Dead's protagonist, Ash. You're right. I designed him after Bruce Campbell. I still love Bruce Campbell today. When Wonderful Life was under production, I had heard they weren't going to make a girl version, so I designed him not as a love interest, but as a quirky character. Knowing that he'd appear in the remake as a marriage candidate, I redesigned him as a character that would be liked by many. I hope you can enjoy the game for its nostalgia, as well as for being a shiny, brand new release.

Salmon Axe and Anonymous ask: I personally adore Doraemon x SOS game. Are you interested in working directly with or collaborating with other franchises in the future? And is there a series outside Story of Seasons you would like to work with now as a guest artist? (Could it be Pokemon?)

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved Doraemon manga since I was a kid! Working as a guest artist? Hmm, I'm happier being the main illustrator, so nothing in particular comes to mind. I enjoy a lot of games in my free time, such as Fallout, Far Cry and Border Lands.

Anonymous asks: Even though we never see his face, was there ever a concept of how Woofio would look without his costume?

Igusa Matsuyama: I designed Woofio as the being that is Woofio, so there's no design of him without his costume.

Idris asks: Your style has upgraded a lot over the time to match the trends. Do you think you will ever go for an old school look (early HM) for a SoS game again? What do you think is the secret to your art’s charm?

Igusa Matsuyama: What I'm particular about when designing for Story of Seasons is making characters with head/body proportions and an atmosphere that go well with that release. First, I listen to the client's request then think of a design according to that. These days, game visuals have gotten fancier and fancier, so there's not many opportunities for characters with short proportions to make an appearance. To me, what's important when designing is "playfulness." More so than "pretty" or "cool" and such, I get attached to the character, have fun making the character. I find joy in character creation itself.

MacGyver asks: Yasuhiro Wada has shared some interesting stories about how chaotic the original game's development was. Is there anything interesting you remember from around that time? 

Igusa Matsuyama: Now it's a memory I can look back on and laugh about, but I'm not sure how much I can talk about it so please forgive me. If Wada hadn't been there back then, then "Harvest Moon" wouldn't have become a thing.

Toyberb and Anonymous ask: There’s a lot of different cow designs now, which is your favorite to draw?

Igusa Matsuyama: I've loved drawing animals since I was a kid, so I love all of the cows. Although the easiest one to draw is the cow with the big nose.

Anonymous asks: Were there any games where you made designs for protagonists of genders that did not end up available to play as? (Like a girl protagonist for Save the Homeland/Hero of Leaf Valley or a nonbinary protagonist for any game before A Wonderful Life)

Igusa Matsuyama: There's so many designs that got scrapped, but as far as I recall, there's not really many where that character's setting itself was scrapped. (Excluding Thumbelina, mentioned below)

Koharu asks: Were there ever any character designs made for other older SNES characters like Ellen for 64? Some magazines had Marie with blue hair, like the SNES character, so it made me wonder if she (SNES Maria) was meant to also be there at some point.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm not in the position to make settings or scenarios where characters from other games appear, so I can't say, but I like the idea of older characters making an appearance!

Amina/k0iisu asks: Hello! I really love Hiro’s design specifically. Could you tell me a few facts about him/his design that might not be well known information? Thank you so much! I love your art :D

Igusa Matsuyama: Thank you very much! Hiro is a future doctor, so I tried to make them look as much like a doctor as I could. Also, to make him look friendlier, I designed him as your average everyday boy you'd see in the neighbourhood. He doesn't have a flashy face or hairstyle, but he's one of my favourite designs, too. I wrote this in the guidebook too, but what I like about him is the Asian flair I added to his clothes and the spot of colour around his feet.

Bunbun asks: I'm excited for the Nendoroid that was announced of Claire! I hope there will be ones of HM64 designs too. Since you have a lot of figures on your blog, how does it feel to be able to add one of your own characters to your collection? Are there any of your other characters you hope will get figures of?

Igusa Matsuyama: A nendoroid of Claire! I'm looking forward to it too, but when is it going to be released? If it's possible, I'd like one of Woofio.

Editor's note: Preorders are open for Nendoroid Claire now!

Chickee asks: A purple-haired princess character was rumored to have existed in Harvest Moon 64, but she didn't make it to the published game. Did you create a design for this character?

Igusa Matsuyama: That's probably Princess Thumbelina. Wasn't she Incredibly small? What I designed didn't end up being used. Speaking of HM64 characters, I pushed for them to include a pet turtle, but in the end it only appeared as an ornament. For A Wonderful Life, I asked for a turtle to be included again and designed a tortoise with a scarf, but it didn't make it as a pet and appeared only as a wild turtle that walks around the pond. I'm waiting for the day they finally include a pet turtle in the game.

emery flower147 asks: omg  I saw the pics where the AWL girls are in a team and Muffy has a shotgun and stuff? Do you think any other characters would work in a cool team like that?

Igusa Matsuyama: For the Friends of Mineral Town guide book, I had the five girls, Popuri, Marie, Ran, Elly and Karen work hard as Harvest Sprites. Also, for the guide books, I drew Pete (The old male protagonist), Sarah (The GB version female protagonist), and Claire doing whatever I wanted them to. I don't know if you can call it cool or not, but it was fun being in charge of that.

Ixur asks: A lot of the PoOT character designs for the regular villagers seem more popular than the marriage candidates in my region. Is that something that's been noticed by you/Marvelous in Japan? Lars, Clemens, Beth, and Misaki for example.

Igusa Matsuyama: Marvelous doesn't really talk about that sort of thing so I'm not sure if they're aware of it or not. I don't do social media so I'm also not sure which characters are popular. I'm happy as long as the characters are liked. The design on Lars’s shirt is modeled after my beloved dog, so I’d be especially happy if you like his shirt too.

Anonymous asks: What do you think about people cosplaying your designs?

Igusa Matsuyama: It makes me very happy! I'm no good at sewing, so I really admire people who can make their own clothes. It's an honour having the designs I made be made into real clothes, and I think it's great to have fun acting out the characters.

Afro Fae asks: When creating designs for characters, how do you settle on a specific color palette? Do you take color meanings into account with a character's personality or do you go purely off of feeling?

Igusa Matsuyama: I keep in mind the overall colours the client asked for while designing. Sometimes I propose a new colour when I think there's one that fits better. I'm also careful when choosing colours and everyone's traits to make sure it's easy to tell which character is which when seen from a distance. However, in the cases of families and such, I do the opposite and give them all a common colour to give them a sense of kinship.

———

From all of us at Ranch Story, we'd like to thank Matsuyama from the bottom of our hearts for answering our questions again! Whether a fan has only just discovered the series or has grown up alongside it, so many people have loved these characters and worlds that Igusa Matsuyama brings to life, so it feels truly special to be able to have this opportunity. We'll end this article with Matsuyama's own words, as well as a parting gift.

Igusa Matsuyama: I'm so glad I could answer your questions again. I'm the one that should be saying thank you. It means the world to me knowing that everyone enjoys my illustrations! I added an illustration as thanks. I'll keep up the hard work!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - new entries upset the rankings

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Like most Thai BL pulps, this show doesn’t have much story to it. But I'm discovering that what it does have I actually really enjoy. I love that the gay boys got to play matchmaker for a change and I like how just GAY they are. It's nice. Refreshing.

We Are (Weds GMMTV iQIYI) ep 1-2 of 16 - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon. I like it. It’s old school Thai BL, but having fun with itself and its tropes. I’m not expecting much, so I don’t mind it waffling. All the couples are comfy. Chemistry is okay. Friendships are nifty. I like Pond's floppy hair. We fine. 

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - What an extremely bloody episode. And bad guy turned out to be very bad indeed. And now pretty much everyone is dead. Nice kiss. Of course. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 6 of 8 - It’s cute, they happy, not a ton happened. Random gratuitous bathing. As you do in BL. And I still think the sides should just end up in a thrupple

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Oh they very cute. Also very silly. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - No. NOT THE GUITAR. YES abandon guitar for the sniff test! Love this for them. And me. My most favorite trope defeated my least favorite trope. VICTORY!!!  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 8 of 11 - It’s just so good. Baby went away, grew up, and learned how to become a temptation... and a husband. 

Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 5 eps - SooHyuk, only just surviving, reunites with YoonDae, his (brief) younger stepbrother who feels abandoned. They end up living together. The younger brother is played by Lee Jae Bin of Choco Milk Shake. OMG. STEPBROTHERS TROPE. Lucky me! Two in one season. Yay!!!! It's Korea so great visuals too. I shallow but yeah, this is great.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake. It’s utterly charming. I am charmed. Also the framing is gorgeous (of course). Very stylish.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 6fin - I don’t know. Kind of a flat ending with the leads apart for most of it. I enjoyed this show but it never really hit with me. 

Summation

After a teen betrayal and resulting separation a reporter reunites with his first love. That love wants him back. I enjoyed the authenticity of a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scenes with this Japanese style of authenticity was oddly elegant but all in all this still fell a little flat for me. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but in total the narrative felt sluggish and the main couple were just... stiff (in the wrong way). Frankly, I'd rather just rewatch Tokyo in April is. 8/10

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 3-4 of 12 - What is going on with this show? No, I get the plot. I just don't get the show or why I’m watching it. Annoying. 

It's done, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

To Be Continued (Sat C3 Thailand grey) ep 7-8fin - I can't for the life of me find the final 2 episodes. Haven't had a real hunt, but yeah. No dice so far.

It's airing but...

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari (Japan Furritsubs) eps 1-? of 10 - I may wait and binge it.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - It’s so boring DNFed at 2.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) 6 - The problem with situational comedy BL is it must be situational, comedic and a BL. This show gets 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. Dropped at 3.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - only 4 eps, tell me if I should bother?

Next Week Looks Like This:

4/18 At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn. I think I've seen this before (joke) and also the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.

Still to Come in April

4/25 Boys Be Brave! AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - Trailer Jung Ki Sub is Kim Jin Woo's slacker friend - and secret crush. So when Ki Sub crashes at his place, his heart tingles to be near him everyday. But as the short stay turns into permanent mooch, how long can Jin Woo keep his true feelings under wraps and hold back from confessing?

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Sniff test turning into a make out sesh? Please and thank you. City of Stars

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a bother.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[jelloapocalypse]

Holy moly that was a good video!

Sorry for the long ask. I am very excited!

The List itself was so well done and cutting right before jubun wo got a good laugh out of me. So many emotions all at once and the way it was put together got me genuinely emotional enough to cry.

Number one was such a great pick too. A masterpiece. A gesamkunstwerk, even! Just like the list itself! I feel as though with this list, far more than most, I've really gotten a glimpse into your genuine sense of taste and not just a parroted repeating of what people think is popular. Even (especially) though I definitely disagreed with parts.

I have two questions, though:

1) At the very beginning, it mentions submissions for this project. Was there a submissions form somwhere that i just completly missed somehow? Or does "submissions" here just mean "the anime needed to have aired prior to this date"?

²) The whole time watching, i was wondering where any monogatari series opening would place because i was 100% confident at least one would on account of many of them being among Shaft's best works. But then seeing the final number one pick made me almost certain Renai Circulation and Mousou Express should have gotten the same treatment AND that you probably would have liked them had you been aware of them, so:

2) are you simply somehow unaware of the monogatari series, or was there something about those openings that just didnt have the jennies?

Obsessed with your numbering system here that has "square" between 1 and 2, lmao

1) "Submissions" in general just means we were done accepting new entries for consideration as of February, but we did ask literally everyone we knew for suggestions. I also did some informal asks on Patreon, Twitter, etc.

2) I would hope it's obvious we do know the Monogatari series considering it shows up in the video several times! I used clips from Hanamonogatari and Owarimonogatari. The latter was even the title card for the "Theming" overview.

This is the best Monogatari OP, by the way. I would not mind popping this one onto the 90s to replace one of the lower entrants. But almost nobody talks about this one!

Shaft is great at picking a weird, fun, artsy thing to put in almost every opening they do, but a lot of them are kind of a one-trick pony if you zoom out from that.

Staple Staple, for instance, has a strong color palette and the clicking staple trails is such a fun visual. And then you watch it and realize... Oh. This is like 90 seconds of the exact same idea with almost no iteration on it. It really is just CG staple trails over black and white footage. That's such a shame.

We didn't talk about this in depth, the biggest thing that eliminated OPs from consideration (other than credits) was the "Should this be 90 seconds long" factor. So, so many openings have enough ideas to make a great 30 second opening, but not a good 90 second one. Steins;Gate and Blue Exorcist are great examples of that. Nichijou too.

Meanwhile a lot of other famous Monogatari OPs like Renai Circulation are like... just a good song. Can you watch this muted and tell me it ticks any boxes besides "nice colors" and "this girl wants to fuck her brother"?

I'm comfy with our Shaft representatives on the list being Pretty Boy Detective Club, Maria + Holic, and Yet the Town Moves. I think all of those are holistically better than all the Monogataris, which we watched twice in desperate hope of putting one on there.

[nadekofannumber1]

Oh hey maxofdelsh finished the compiling the pdfs and epub translations of the monogatari short stories for mazemono and mijikanamono. Now they can be downloaded as a set that’s fun

[animal-moon-harvest-crossing]

Going back to the Grand Bazaar

to preface, I'm feeling very nostalgic rn cause it's spring break and over a decade ago, I spent that whole week on the couch just playing Grand Bazaar. So it's very cute that the remake got announced, while I'm on spring break again, and also playing a bokumono game nonstop while I have the time off.

Anyway, I'm just gonna talk a bit here about Grand Bazaar, the original version for the Nintendo DS, what it did, what it does, and how it just idk, fits into the grand scheme of things for that decade.

So to reiterate, Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar released in Japan in 2008 as "Bokujou Monogatari: Let's Go to the Wind Bazaar" (or something to that effect). It finally released in North America in 2010, so I was either playing it then, or I didn't play until 2011, either or. I was in high school at the time, I think that was my sophmore spring break (so 10th grade here). So uh, just to be clear; I am old and so is this game lmao.

Grand Bazaar was the 5th mainline (not counting Frantic Farming) game to come out on the DS, preceded by Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands.

Graphics: It takes the same 3D art style as Island of Happiness and Sunshine Islands, and re-used many of the same assets. It did come with a much brighter color palette, and has more of a "story book" feel. 2D character portraits are more chibi-style.

Controls: More or less the same as Sunshine Islands, with the stylus having less functionality. If anything, you use the stylus very rarely, as all the gameplay occurs on the top screen of the DS, while the bottom screen is your rucksack/storage menus and your map. You can still navigate through them using the control pad. There is now a jump feature, a double jump even, that you can employ to use shortcuts to get around the map. There are no minigames to pet your animals or collect products from them.

Unique Features: -Your farm has a wooden board on it that you can write on via the bottom DS screen with your stylus. It's just a cute fun thing for just you, and has no effect on gameplay. -One of this game's key features is using windmills to create products, like grinding crops into seeds, or turning milk into cheese, for example. While standing outside next to a windmill, you could blow into the DS's microphone to make the windmill spin faster. Additionally, wind speed is a huge factor in this game as well. The faster the windmill blows, the faster your products will finish processing. So normally, on hurricane/typhoon days when you can't accomplish much outside, it's actually the perfect day to load up your windmills with products because they will process much, MUCH faster. Tool upgrades are also done through the windmills as well. -And of course, the eponymous bazaar. The game lacks a traditional shipping bin, and instead you sell all your goods at the weekly bazaar. You will spend the week, Sun-Fri, gathering everything you can, processing it, and getting it ready for sale. Come Saturday (or Sunday depending), you bring all your goods to the bazaar to hopefully sell out and make a tidy profit. This is the main "Story" and objective for the game; to make money and continuously the bazaar to greater and greater proportions. Most of your shopping will be done through the bazaar as well. Here is where you buy farm animals, pets, more seeds, cooking materials, home and farm upgrades, and furniture.

Introduced & Axed Features: -Pets now have actual functions! Dogs will herd cows and sheep in and out of the barn, while Cats will do the same for chickens.

-One of the few games to have voice "acting", aka everyone makes a grunt, giggle, or some sort of sound at you when you interact with them. Interestingly, more fully realized voice acting will be included in the SoS remake.

-The perishable items freshness system. This really makes this game a fight with inventory management, as a majority of goods in the game have a freshness rating that determines how much they sell for. The game even went on to have these items expire faster in the summer season due to the heat. You also have very limited storage in this game that you can only upgrade a few times before it maxes out. Your personal rucksack inventory is also very limited, and perishable items in your rucksack will expire faster if you have them with you than they would in your storage. This feature carried on to Tale of Two Towns, but was slightly improved. It is set to return for the Story of Seasons remake, and I can only hope at the very least, we can get better storage and refrigeration to manage it. (please, oh god, I am begging.)

-Rivals romances returned but marriages did not. You'd only get a handful of rival cutscenes that ultimately lead nowhere, and you never have to worry about the apple of your eye getting swept up by someone else. As we all know, this would continue on to the present day, and as of this writing, there is no indication that rival marriages will at all, ever return. They were NOT present in the DS game to begin with, so I doubt they will suddenly be added to the SoS remake (but never say never, ya know???)

-Bug (or critter) catching makes it debut here! Now, not many of the villagers enjoy these as presents, and really they're just useful for making small bits of cash of the course of the week while you're waiting for the bazaar (you can sell items to Raul at his shop for half the price they would at the bazaar). You can sell them at the bazaar, but only little kids and old men will sometimes buy them, but you if you're really desperate to sell SOMETHING, then here's your option.

-The Harvest Goddess and her sprites are NOT present for this game, despite how prominent she was in past titles and would be in future ones. This isn't a big deal or anything, but just worth mentioning in case you were wondering. The trailer for the SoS remake does show that we get a new cast of Harvest Sprites, but still no word as to whether or not the Goddess will be added as well (as of this writing).

Some Negatives: -The writing for the NPC is fairly barebones at best, more so than the usual bokumono game. You get a generic dialogue from them depending on where they are and what season, but you only get truly unique dialogue related to their affection for you when they're standing in their bedrooms. Dialogue overall is fairly simple and not very in depth. And as mentioned previous, there are no rival marriages.

-There is no mine. At all. Instead "mining" is done through finding "ore rocks" that irregularly spawn, but have a higher chance to in winter. Later on, you can unlock a bazaar stall that sells ore and gems, but if you really wanna upgrade your tools or make high priced jewelry, you will have to save up and get lucky for many in-game years.

-Which, this may be a negative to some, but game is all about long-term planning and investments. You will not get through this game at a speedy pace, everything takes a long time to do; whether it's processing windmill products, saving up money, or even trying to beat the game's story. This game also does unfortunately continues on the mechanic of waiting several in-game years for your child to grow from an infant into a toddler.

-Farming IS required. "Well yeah it's a farming game??" but I know some people do not enjoy raising crops. But I am sorry to say, that you DO need to grow something, at the very least, tea bushes and grape trees. These are required for participation in the Tea Festival in spring, and the Wine Festival in fall. But also, you very much want these because teas and wines sell for a lot at the bazaar. Processed tea and wine also don't expire, so you def wanna horde these for the big bucks.

-The windmill system can be very tedious, and you can't upgrade any of them. You can use wonderfuls for small boosts in the functionality, but you can only use one at a time. So you have to be very diligent about your process times.

-The bazaar system itself can get very complicated very fast for those unprepared. A secondary mechanic of the bazaar is reputation. You earn rep by selling items to customers quickly, but sometimes the customer will engage you in a dialogue that can determine how much rep you gain, but also whether or not you sell that item (or the whole stack of items). The more positive reputation you have, the easier it is to attract customers. But get too much negative rep, and you'll be struggling to clear your counter. You need as much positive rep as possible to sell out quickly and efficiently, as well as upgrade the bazaar and beat the story. As you can imagine, there's a reason why this whole system did not return as is in future games, but how the SoS remake will handle it is yet to be seen.

-The game is arguably very slow paced in the beginning. Once things start picking up though, you'll find yourself swamped with how much work needs to get done in a single day. While it is possible to water all your crops, take care of your animals, go through windmills, forage/fish, AND talk to NPCs in a single day, you'll find that even with carefully planned time management that it still might not be possible to do it all. If anything, this game wants you to prioritize your farm work in preparation for the bazaar over anything else.

In Conclusion: I'm a sicko crazy person who loves this game despite everything LOL I've played this game extensively over a handful of files for hours upon HOURS of game time. I wish the standard DS tracked playtime because I'm sure it'd be some ludicrous amount that I've spent. Like sometimes I just play for pure funsies and I am bored. But it's so easy to get sucked into this game if you're really into it like I am. Naturally, the Fogu guide is my very best friend while I play. Even after more than a decade, I still keep it open on my phone or my laptop to consistently reference back to. Cher, if you're reading this, I love you and thank you for all your hardwork <3

I still recommend this game, whether it be the DS version, or an emulated version because I just... Idk man, it's just one of those games that changed my brain chemistry at a formative age. I can't begin to explain just how excited I am for the SoS remake just because it's the last thing I ever expected, from anyone. I very excited for a whole new generation of farmers to experience it, and perhaps some old foagies will give it a second chance with new and improved features.

Thanks for reading and happy farming! :)

[lemon-dokuro]

Continuing to watch Black Butler and... Reapers are really funny. They're just japanese salarymen and office ladies. In the shinigami OVA (Shinigami Will no Monogatari) they show how they operate and it's through this huge bureaucratic office organisation thing. Really funny, especially consideting the setting. They also all wear glasses. Because they're all near-sighted. Because their eyes are magic or something. Their bureaucratic organisation has a whole Glasses Department. Their glasses are all custom-made by one old guy, who's been doing this for at least a hundred years. They get their custom glasses after passing their trainee exam. It's a status symbol. This is moe, in a neutral sense. They're reaping souls with gardening tools as well, no less. Utterly shamelessly anachronistic modern gardening tools in this Victorian England-set show. I dare not ask where they get them. The logic here is understandable (the traditional reaper's scythe is a gardening tool => why not give them different gardening tools to spice it up), but it's really funny. But that's not even it. Very often, they mod their gardening tools. For fun and fashion, probably? They have to get it approved with the scythe approving department (which exists), but apparently it's common to customize them. Having to get it approved first implies an imposed set of restrictions, right? What in the world are they? There's apparently this guy with a modded lawn mower which is 100% rule-compliant. But Grelle's standard regular chainsaw isn't? According to William in his first appearance, it's not. Though, judging by the phrasing (使用許可申請書を提出していない死神の鎌), maybe she just didn't do the paperwork for it and it's a bureaucratic issue.

Toboso Yana. Release the grim reaper death scythe approval criteria list. And the application form too, please. (unless she already did ages ago)

[thesimfulbuilder]

Alright we're back for just enough time to post this build then we'll see what kind of shenanigans EA gets up to this week lol.

Here are my two cute little Kyoto style apartments with a small Boba tea shop as well. Full disclosure, I am not Japanese and have never even attempted a build like this before. I used lots of picture inspiration and had two of my favorite anime characters in mind when making these units. If you watch anime and know of the Monogatari Series (yes I know some of it is icky, but I'm hooked lol show me an anime that's not) the units were made for Hitagi Senjougahara and Tsubasa Hanekawa. One unit is cute and girly for a girl who is learning to let her shield down and soften her spikes, the other is plain but slowly being added to for a girl learning to take the mask off and let herself be who she is even if it's painful. That's one of the things I liked about that anime is it's basically the same lesson but in different ways, almost could be the same girls but different situations, it explores the context of life and self and they are probably my favorite anime girls of all time, so this is for them. It was fun using their personalities as a base for the interior, I could really explore their character while playing.

^^^ One of my absolute favorite episodes!

Also the tea shop is very cute, but idk if I should keep it this way... I feel like a book store might have been a better idea. Let me know what you think?

NO CC

as usual, find this on my gallery @ thesimfulbuilder ✌

[idleminds]

this season jdrama first impressions?

Are these the same anon? I’m so sorry for taking so long to reply. I got few things going on, so I needed some time to collect my thoughts. Hope you don’t mind. Anyway, to answer your questions:

- Ano Kuzu wo Nagutte Yaritainda: Kind of average and tbh I’m a bit tired of the bad guy with traumatic past trope.

- Danchi no Futari: Instant favorite, my drama of the year. Matsumoto Kana and Kobayashi Satomi combo is always a win for me (still hoping Cote d’Azur No. 10 will get subbed someday eventually). That, plus the slice-of-life genre, I just knew I’d love it and I was right. Cozy, endearing, light-hearted. I could watch it forever.

- Hokago Karte: Three eps in and I'm still not sure how I feel about this drama. Contrived in a subtle way, but definitely has its charms.

- Lion no Kakurega: Well-paced, captivating, and visually appealing. Amazing performance by all involved, especially Bando Ryota.

- Mirai no Watashi ni Bukka Masareru!?: Feels cheap with weak plot. I’m having a hard time enjoying it.

- Monster: The first two eps were very straightforward and we have yet to learn about the FL’s backstory, so I’m looking forward to that.

- Muno no Taka: hilarious, very campy.

- My Diary: The first ep was a bit dull but it has potential.

- Octo S02: Slightly better writing than the previous one. Wish they didn’t add unnecessary characters though.

- Okura: Idk this show is just weird so far. The writing and character dynamics feel forced. Not sure it’ll get better.

- Sennyu Kyodai: Another one of NTV crime thriller dramas with low production values, lousy writing, and exaggerated acting. I have nothing against the actress who plays the younger sister, actually haven't seen much of her work, but her acting is terrible in this. Well, that could also be because of the bad script.

- Sora Wataru Kyoshitsu: Sincere, heartwarming, poignant. And somehow geeky with all the science stuff.

- Sorezore no Kodoku no Gurume: Any new project of KodoGuru is always welcome. 😆 A nice change of pace, since we get a fairly different format from usual. Also can’t wait for the movie next year! The trailer looks exciting!

- Tengu no Daidokoro S02: Just as calming and aesthetically pleasing as the first season.

- Umi ni Nemuru Diamond: Superb production quality with stellar cast. The first ep wasn’t too impressive to me, although the set-up was promising. In Nogi Akiko I trust.

- Usotoki Rhetoric: Such a fun drama with a dynamic duo. Love the Showa vibe and peculiar cases.

- Wakakusa Monogatari: Very watchable. Need more sister bonding moments though.

- Zen Ryoiki Ijo Kaiketsu Shitsu: Love the way supernatural elements incorporated into the story. It gives the show an edge.

[365days365movies]

Japanuary: Introduction

Well, holy shit, what year is it? It's been 4 years since I tried this whole Tumblr thing, and...eh, it wasn't the most successful endeavor ever, but fuck it! It was a fun ride in 2021! I tried to do the whole one-film-per-day thing, stuck with it for a while, and eventually failed that challenge. And I'm not gonna pretend that watching a movie a day and writing a blog post about it is possible with my current schedule, BUT! Even then, I have enjoyed the whole endeavor. So, why not give this shindig another spin? And how do I plan to do that? Easy: with a monthly themed challenge once again.

This time, though, let's not do Action in January. In fact, why be bound to genre at all this time? Theme, sure, but let's stretch the genre limit a bit here. So, with that, let's start a brand new month and a brand new year with a brand new theme...and a very-little touched country on this blog: 日本国.

Japan, sometimes known as the Sun's Origin (a direct translation of the country's name; "the Land of the Rising Sun" is a Western epithet), is one of the biggest movie-producing countries on the planet, since almost the beginning of cinema. However, the Golden Age of Japanese cinema began in the 1940s and 1950s, when prominent directors rose in the fallout of World War II. Pun...technically not intended, but valid all the same. Storytelling and tradition are treasured practices in Japanese culture, which is strong to this day. However, years of self-imposed isolation, followed by rapid acceptance of Western influence, definitely made film an interesting development in those storytelling traditions. While originally Western-influenced, Japan definitely injected itself into 35mm camera tape starting in the 1910s. And that continued, often through propaganda film, until...uh...well...

If you know, you unfortunately know, if terms of the above GIF. But, yeah, World War II happened, and Japan was involved and affected in...various ways. In any case, its civilian population was heavily traumatized, and that showed itself through the film industry especially. While wartime film really was a lot of propaganda about the Empire of Japan, it also came with a lot of restrictions, especially when Western influence was suspected. So, after the war ended with Japan surrendering, and the heavy boot of America made itself known in Japanese everyday life, the film industry was affected positively and negatively. On one hand, much of Japan's film history was literally burned for fear of its potentially offensive nature. Plus, jidaigeki, or samurai films, became incredibly difficult to make. Not impossible, but that's a point for later.

It's during this time that a number of prominent Japanese directors start popping up, or coming back into significance. Of note are Akira Kurosawa (MUCH more on him soon) and Yasujirō Ozu, amongst several others. Film stars like Toshiro Mifune also begin to appear. Japanese films also began their international spread, and suddenly, they also began to become popular in the United States and the Western world. By the time the 1950s came, Japan's film industry had entered its new, golden age, and that decade saw some of the most famous films in the country's history.

I've previously talked about Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon, which came out in 1950, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Seven Samurai, Tokyo Story, Ikuru, The Burmese Harp, The Human Condition, Ugetsu Monogatari (which I've also talked about), Sansho the Bailiff, Floating Weeds, amongst several others. All in the 1950s. Badass. I feel like there's a major one I'm missing, too, but I can't list every Japanese film ever made. You get the idea: Japanese film is sort of a big deal.

Despite this, though, when television spread throughout the succeeding decades, the film industry died back a tiny bit. CHina began their own blockbuster film industry with the boom of wuxia, and Japanese filmmakers became more experimental in their work, appealing less to the masses as a result. The two studio giants in Japan, then and now, were Toho Co., Ltd. and Toei Company, Ltd. Even then, neither company did great during the 60s and 70s. Toei would eventually find its footing in the world of anime, while Toho found its footing in...OH RIGHT

Sorry, Godzilla, almost forgot about you. This science-fiction horror (and yes, it is a horror film in an existential sense) would put an indelible stamp on the industry for DECADES, and would also color people's perception of Japanese films in the west for a while. That, combined with the resurgance in jidaigeki, would prove a bit of a downfall in terms of Western popularity. But even then, the film industry kept chugging along, and Japan did eventually find a new way to appeal to the Western world. Now, I'm skipping over a HELL of a lot of history (basically the entire '80s and the mini-theatre craze), but there's good reason for that.

See, once we get to the '80s and '90s, new directors suddenly step into the limelight. Takeshi Miike shocks people with Audition, which also becomes part of a new horror tradition in Japanese cinema that gets a LOT of attention. Hirokazu Kore-eda moves from documentaries in the '60s, and makes several films over the years up through the '90s, like Maborosi and After Life. And then, in the late 1980s, a new animated film based on the Lupin the Third franchise brings a new director into the public consciousness...and EVERYBODY starts paying attention again.

Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli come into prominence, and film is back, baby! And I mean that; Porco Rosso, that one Miyazaki movie with humanoid pigs, was more popular than E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, for one example. Satoshi Kon and Isao Takahata come into the fray, and large movie theatres also become more prevalent after their decline decades later. And now, Toei is making anime for Japan and the Western world, where it's EXPLODING. Suddenly, Japanese media is popular worldwide, and they never go back. The anime industry exponentially expands, and more films can be made and distributed. Hell, Toei also gets rich from the trend of sentai shows, which the Western world will most closely associate with Power Rangers! Seriously, shit starts to blow up.

Today, most people associate Japanese media with either anime or Godzilla, which is...simplistic. But, hey, there's a FUCKTON of Japanese media out there, and I've personally explored precious little of it. So when I was settling on watching more films this coming year, I was looking for ideas. And then I stumbled on one: Japanuary. Not an original idea on my part, and you can check out other lists for it (like this one, this one, and this one, for starters), but I'm into it! Of course...there is one caveat.

I, uh...I didn't watch all of these in January. I actually started in November.

NOVEMBER WAS A DIFFICULT MONTH!!! And not even for all the reasons you'd expect. But, honestly, I missed updating this blog. And I knew that, to do so in a timely fashion, I'd need a lot of extra time. So, to get that extra time, I started real early. And in truth, I'm writing this post from the past (specifically November 8. YES IT HAS ALREADY BEEN A DIFFICULT MONTH). Still, I'll be putting out the full list of films I'll talk about this month in this post! And, if this came out on December 30th as planned, that means I actually did it! Otherwise, this post would be left in the drafts, to die a slow and unfulfilled death. So, fingers crossed that you're reading this right now!

And so, with that said, here is my list for Japanuary 2025! Feel free to watch along if you can (so will I, believe me), and happy New Year!

Ikiru (1952; dir. Akira Kurosawa)

Throne of Blood (1957; dir. Akira Kurosawa)

Yojimbo (1961; dir. Akira Kurosawa)

High and Low (1963; dir. Akira Kurosawa)

Ran (1985; dir. Akira Kurosawa)

Late Spring (1949; dir. Yasuijirō Ozu)

Tokyo Story (1953; dir. Yasuijirō Ozu)

The 47 Ronin (1941; dir. Kenji Mizoguchi)

Sansho the Bailiff (1954; dir. Kenji Mizoguchi)

Harakiri (1962; dir. Masaki Kobayashi)

The Ballad of Narayama (1983; dir. Shōhei Imamura)

Fireworks (1997; dir. Takeshi Kitano)

Audition (1999; dir. Takeshi Miike)

Sukiyaki Western Django (2007; dir. Takashi Miike)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984; dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

Castle in the Sky (1986; dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

Porco Rosso (1992; dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

The Secret World of Arrietty (2010; dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

The Boy and the Heron (2023; dir. Hayao Miyazaki)

Perfect Blue (1997; dir. Satoshi Kon)

Tokyo Godfathers (2003; dir. Satoshi Kon)

Wolf Children (2012; dir. Mamoru Hosoda)

Mirai (2018; dir. Mamoru Hosoda)

Nobody Knows (2004; dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda)

Shoplifters (2018; dir. Hirokazy Kore-eda)

Godzilla (1954; dir. Ishirō Honda)

Godzilla Minus One (2023; dir. Takashi Yamazaki)

Tampopo (1985; dir. Jūzō Itami)

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985; dir. Paul Schrader)

Drive My Car (2021; dir. Ryūsuke Hamaguchi)

Tokyo Gore Police (2008; dir. Yoshihiro Nishimura)

[detcobookclub]

Another week down!

Got a slightly shorter write-up this week, since my schedule wasn't entirely conducive to something more involved. But there were a couple fun things going on this week I definitely wanted to touch on, so here we are!

1) Names!

Shinichi's elusive parents have finally appeared, so let's take a look at them.

Yusaku Kudo (工藤優作): Like with Shinichi, his name is inspired by Shunsaku Kudo, the main character of TV show Tantei Monogatari… except Yusaku takes that a step further by being named after the character’s actor, Yusaku Matsuda. It’s also a liiittle bit of a joke that 優作 - a very normal name, mind - can be very lightly read as “great work,” which falls in line with his profession as a writer.

Yukiko Kudo (工藤有紀子)/Yukiko Fujimine (藤峰有紀子): Yukiko’s full maiden name comes from a combination of Fujiko Mine (Lupin the 3rd) and her original voice actress, Yukiko Nikaido. The alias she uses, Fumiyo Edogawa, comes from Kogoro Akechi’s wife, Fumiyo.

2) Japanese Culture

The last case of the week takes place in a fairly traditional Japanese house. One part that stands out is the separated room the murder itself takes place in: the hanare (離れ), from the verb "to be separated." You can think of it as a sort of detached annex.

As seen in a number of the establishing shots, the building is fully separate from the main building. Nowadays, these buildings can have a number of uses, from an at-home office space to a little hobby corner. Traditionally, though, they were often used for welcoming guests or for traditional tea ceremonies, due to the quiet and privacy its separation from the main building afforded. You can see echoes of this today at more traditional Japanese inns or eateries, where some establishments that have these hanare on their grounds may use them for more extravagant service. Denjiro acts in line with this more traditional use of the room, escorting his extra guest to the hanare after they've arrived.

As per this traditional atmosphere, the tatami room within this building also has a tokonoma (床の間), or an alcove! Tokonoma are slightly raised areas of a traditional Japanese room that are meant for simple, minimalist decoration. As a space, it’s somewhat venerated; as the spot furthest from the door, the most important guests should be sat beside it. Dirty items should not be placed on it, and it should not be used in lieu of a chair.

Common decorations include hanging scrolls on the wall, and perhaps no more than a few items like prized pottery or ikebana on the floor. It’s also a common location for the display of swords. Though it's been thoroughly beaten up and torn down, you can see the remnants of a hanging scroll and a knocked-over sword stand by Denjiro's tokonoma!

3) Short & Sweet References

We've got some very musical references in the karaoke case this week!

Before we get to the music itself, though, it's worth noting that the victim, Tatsuya Kimura, is very likely a reference to Takuya Kimura of SMAP fame. Kimura would have been very popular by this point due to starring in a hit TV series in late 1993, followed by SMAP getting a number of top-ranking singles throughout 1994.

Now, the music:

The cover of the first chapter! Ran and Conan are singing along with the theme song of the original YAIBA anime, "Yuuki ga Areba".

Sonoko and Ran are singing along to actress Yuki Uchida's "TENCA wo Torou", released just a few months earlier than this chapter in October 1994. It was her very first single. It's a fairly optimistic song about living as you are and realizing the world is your oyster.

Katsumi is forced to sing along to a Doraemon song. Considering how quickly Ran and Sonoko recognized it, it's probably "Doraemon no Uta", the theme for the 1979 series. It ran continuously as the theme throughout its entire 26 year run, though the singer changed a couple times.

Mari's is the most recognizable of the bunch: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. If you've never heard the song in Japanese before, check it out! Fun fact about this song in Japanese: in the most recognizable translation of the lyrics, Rudolph's name is never mentioned. Anecdotally, this usually means kids who grow up with the song have no idea he (or the other reindeer) have names.

Mieko is forced to sing the 1979 single "Sayonara", by Off Course. It's a fairly poignant "end of love" song, filled with hints of regrets, true love, and the way love lingers.

4) Detective Trivia

One very short one, and one rabbit hole.

The short one is Conan's claim that he's from the planet Ranpo. This is probably obvious, but it's a reference to Edogawa Ranpo. Very easy.

This, though...

This took me down a rabbit hole.

Yusaku is wielding a Walther P38. Its history in the late 1930s and early 1940s often gives it associations with the German military, but it's also a popular gun for use in certain genres of fiction like spy thrillers.

As it turns out, a Walther P38 is Lupin III's gun of choice. "Oh, that's fun!" I thought. "I can note that as a reference."

Things get interesting when you dig a little into Yusaku's creation history. Gosho revealed in a discussion with Monkey Punch during promotions for the Lupin vs Conan movie that he originally wanted Yasuo Yamada, the original voice of Lupin III, to voice Yusaku. Given Yukiko was also named after Fujiko, I imagine he'd hoped to get both of them in on the theme.

Unfortunately, Yamada passed away in 1995, before the anime even aired. As a result, they brought in Hideyuki Tanaka, a voice actor who played across Kogoro's original voice actor in a number of roles.

These chapters were published no more than two months before Yamada's passing; I have to wonder if this Walther P38 serves as an intentional reference connecting Yusaku to Lupin III, due to Gosho's original wish.

5) Redrawn

Volume 1 vs Volume 5!

How many times has he redrawn this specific scene, I wonder?

6) Put A Pin In That

Time to add another thing we won't be getting to for a while! (But we are gonna recover one of our pins in the very near future, so there's that...)

Much about Yukiko, from her name and hairstyle to her skills with disguise, is pretty obviously inspired by Fujiko Mine. But Yukiko herself is only the “good” half of this equation…