#ghibli and yokai

[elizadraws]

Six Yōkai references to Studio Ghibli films

An avid lover and aficionado of Studio Ghibli’s work, I see references to and from it practically everywhere. Most recently at an exhibition about yōkai.

Yōkai are a class of supernatural creatures that roam the realm of spirits in Japanese folklore. The Japan Foundation organised traveling exhibition titled “Yōkai: Supernatural Monsters from Japan” introduces these curious spirits through a diverse range of media, including nishiki-e prints, emaki picture scrolls, sculptures, toys and films.

Apart from the harmonious and subtle color palettes, the lush and peculiar imagination of the ancient artist, his experienced hand drawing each brush stroke, and the excitement of seeing a picture scroll in real life, what really intrigued me were the images that looked like a scene from a Studio Ghibli film. Listed below are some of the references I spotted.

1.Mount Ōe Picture Scroll and Princess Mononoke  First in line was this one illustrating the heroic tale of the brave samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu, who, according to legend, exterminated the quintessential yōkai Shuten-dōji, a mythical oni or demon leader of Japan. Although decapitated, the demon’s detached head still took a bite at the hero, who avoided death by wearing multiple helmets stacked on his head.

Close-up of Shuten-doji biting at his decapitator. Source: The Japan Foundation

In Princess Mononoke, on a few occasions Lady Eboshi warns her people that it will take more than a single shot to kill a wolf god: “A wolf’s severed head can still bite.” Ignoring Ashitaka’s warning and attempt to stop her from committing yet another godslaughter, Eboshi succeeds in murdering the Forest Spirit. This victory is short-lived, however, as soon after Eboshi gets her well-deserved punishment for angering the gods when the wolf god Moro’s decapitated head bites off her right arm: “Moro’s head. It moved on its own,” feels like Eboshi had foreshadowed her own misfortune.

Wolf god Moro’s decapitated head after she mutilated Lady Eboshi. © Studio Ghibli

2.The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons Picture Scroll and  Howl’s Moving Castle  This is more of a visual than content resemblance. The big headed tengu and courtesan riding the cart instantly reminded me of the Witch of the Waste’s disproportionate head when she is similarly looking through the window of her palanquin carried around the city by her loyal henchmen.

Tengu and courtesan riding a cart pulled by a toad. Source: The Japan Foundation

Close-up of the Witch of the Waste. © Studio Ghibli

3.The Nue and Princess Mononoke’s Forest Spirit  If you have ever leafed through The Art of Princess Mononoke book you might know that the Forest Spirit (shishigami) didn’t always have that same soothing smile and piercing eyes that are both amicable and cruel. In the early stages of his development his face was more human-like and uncanny than it is now. Though at first glance he resembles a deer, the Forest Spirit is actually a combination of several animals. This blog post lists them as follows: a red-monkey face covered with blue patterns, cat eyes and nose, goat ears, big body of a wild boar, the fur of a serow, and the tail of a dog. As a whole his appearance is one overflowing with peculiarity.

The Forest Spirit preying on a Shinto tree branch. © Studio Ghibli

Similarly the Nue, a legendary yōkai or mononoke, in The Tale of the Heike, is described as having the head of a monkey, the legs of a tiger, the body of a dog and the front half of a snake for a tail. In other writings it is sometimes depicted to have the back of a tiger, the legs of a tanuki, the tail of a fox, the head of a cat, and the torso of a chicken.

The Nue is also said to have the ability to shape-shift, often into the form of a black cloud that can fly. Much like the Forest Spirit who at nightfall changes to the giant Nightwalker (deidarabotchi).

Another similarity worth mentioning is that in both cases the mythical creature is indirectly murdered by the Japanese emperor. Lady Eboshi intends to give the Forest Spirit’s head, which is believed to grant immortality, to the Emperor in return for protection from Lord Asano. In The Tale of Heike, the samurai Minamoto no Yorimasa slays the Nue, because its very existence causes fear in the Emperor who falls ill and is unable to recuperate.

Minamoto no Yorimasa defeats the mythical beast Nue. Source: The Japan Foundation

4.The Foot Washing Mansion and Spirited Away  This nishiki-e print depicts a large-footed yōkai monster that descends from the ceiling and demands to be washed. The story is one of seven stories in the famous Seven Wonders of Honjo and goes as follows: At the time when the flowers were sleeping and the ushimitsu plant was blooming, a horrible, rotten stench would invade the house, and a giant foot bristling with hair would descend from the ceiling accompanied by an enormous sound. If you washed the foot, it would soon disappear back into the ceiling. But if you didn’t, the giant foot would rampage through the house until satisfied.

The large-footed yōkai descending from the ceiling. Source: The Japan Foundation

Most of Spirited Away’s plot takes place within a bathhouse for gods and spirits, known as kami, whose proprietor is the greedy witch Yubaba. The majority of these kami habitually visit the bathhouse for a regular wash to keep themselves clean — unlike the unwelcome enormous and foul smelling guest who imposes his presence and causes turmoil. He smells so bad that at first everybody, unsuccessfully, tries to prevent him from entering the bathhouse. Eventually they realise he is harmless — only after Chihiro cleanses him and sets him free from the taint of humanity.

A kami being washed at Yubaba’s bathhouse. © Studio Ghibli

5.Tsuchigumo and Princess Mononoke’s Tatarigami Tsuchigumo, which literally translates to “dirt/earth spider” is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore.

From the Japanese middle ages (Kamakura/Muromachi/Azuchi-Momoyama periods, or the late 12th to the early 17th centuries) onward, these renegade clans i.e. Tsuchigumo began to be depicted as giant, monstrous spiders. In The Tale of Heike, the samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu, a member of one of the ruling clans, is depicted how he heroically defeats a giant spider yōkai known as the Tsuchigumo — which is actually a metaphor for him exterminating his opponents.

The Samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu defeats Tsuchigumo i.e. the clans opposing him. Source: The Japan Foundation

Tatarigami (i.e. “cursed god”) is the giant creature from Princess Mononoke that attacks the Emishi village and curses its last prince, the protagonist of the movie, Ashitaka. Behind the shape, resembling a giant spider covered in worms, hides the colossal boar god Nago. Nago is the first god that Lady Eboshi shoots using the then newly developed hand cannons. The iron ball lodged in the boar’s body causes him great pain, which only intensifies his anger and hatred towards humans. Blinded by his desire for revenge, he goes far to the east where, instead of Lady Eboshi, he punishes the native Emishi tribe. While trying to protect his village, Ashitaka kills the demon, but unfortunately the curse falls on him causing the young leader-to-be to leave his homeland.

The aboriginal Emishi tribe that Ashitaka comes from is one of these renegade clans that have been fighting for 500 years against the Japanese emperor — Yamato. They have been losing against him, and now, with their last prince being cursed to death, they are certain to die out.

Tatarigami getting ready to attack the village of the Emishi tribe. © Studio Ghibli

As the samurai Minamoto no Yorimitsu exterminated the opposing clans — Tsuchigumo, so did Ashitaka in a way, by killing the Tatarigami, wipe out this endangered renegade clan, i.e. his own people. Thinking of it this way, the weight Ashitaka bears is enormous.

6.Personified Daikon Radish and Spirited Away’s Oshirasama According to Japanese ideas of animism, spirit-like entities are believed to reside in all things, both the living and the dead, including natural phenomena and objects. Kami and yōkai inhabit the spirit domain and in shape or nature can be either humans, animals, plants, natural phenomena or artifacts. Like for example this daikon radish (can you spot it?) appearing on omocha-e play pictures made for children’s entertainment as early as the Meiji era (1868–1912).

Yōkai-themed omocha-e. Source: The Japan Foundation

Root vegetables like radishes and carrots have often become internet sensations due to the occasional deformations they suffer. Their wonky shapes might have displeased a farmer in the past and ended up in the garbage instead of as pickles. Similar destiny had already befallen the objects of a house possessed by spirits. Discarded while the house was being exorcised, the aggrieved objects transform into yōkai and start plotting their revenge.

Oshirasama (Radish Spirit or Great White Lord) is the white, hefty, slow-moving guest at Yubaba’s bathhouse who resembles a radish sumo wrestler. His name, Oshirasama, is also the name of a kami of agriculture in the Shinto faith.

Radish Spirit riding the elevator alongside Chihiro. © Studio Ghibli

Have you noticed any of these? Do you perhaps know of another reference I might have missed out. How about re-watching the above mentioned films with this newly gained perspective?  Japanese folklore is rich, extraordinarily original and beautiful. And so are Studio Ghibli’s films.

Source

[daikaiju-arts]

“I can’t believe I forgot my name. He almost took it from me.”

“If you completely forget it, you’ll never find your way home.”

[emmyinjapan]

Spotted on Kuzzoko-dori: Betabeta, the Pebble Spirits of Okawa

While exploring Okawa, I stumbled upon these delightful painted pebbles. You’ll often spot them along Kuzzoko-dori and tucked into hidden corners—tiny guardians with beaming faces.

Locals paint these little faces on stones and leave them around town—both a playful nod to the folklore and a friendly greeting to unsuspecting passers-by. Keep an eye out for them on Kuzzoko-dori—it’s like a tiny, magical scavenger hunt, with a sprinkling of spirited tradition and kawaii territory! Total Ghibli vibes!

—Emmy

[greenapplemasquerade]

random pngs

f2u for whatever, i appreciate likes/reblogs ୧

[synergysilhouette]

10 more Disney hot takes/unpopular opinions (Part 4)

Check out part 3 here.

"I See the Light" is my least favorite Disney duet--I don't know why, but it isn't emotional or impactful to me like other duets. Perhaps it was due to not being emotionally invested in Flynn like I was supposed to be at this point, and his and Rapunzel's different personalities making them feel almost like father and daughter rather than love interests.

2. Anna's "Frozen 2" look is very boring--It's wildly disappointing that they opted not to give her her double braids because they seemed too childish. This is only three years after the first film, and while I love seeing her hair down, I would've enjoyed her having her two braids as well when traveling. And don't get me started on her main outfit; the black look being chosen to show maturity/seriousness could've easily been a darker green or magenta to keep with her main look rather than going with black, especially since Kristoff's look is black (and also boring; it's just recoloring his look from part 1).

3. The post-renaissance era is very disappointing--No seriously. I'd save "Fantasia 2000" and maybe "The Emperor's new Groove" and everything else can be erased.

4. "Zootopia" is the best Disney movie of the 21st century so far--Given that I tend to appreciate Disney's musical films more and don't usually care for animal-centric films, this surprised me just as much as anyone else. However, the message, while not 100% transferible to human racism, was so impactful and emotional to me. I can only hope the sequel does it justice.

5. Yokai is the best "modern" Disney villain of the revival era--To clarify, by "modern" I mean that he isn't written like classic Disney villains as only having "evil" as their only setting; his villainy has a meaning to it, serving as a cautionary tale to what the hero could become. TBH, I think it was better done than the "Know Who You Are" message with Moana and Te Fiti (see my other hot take post). Granted, I do think some of his sympathy was removed when he tried to kill his students, but the message and overall theme itself is very good to me.

6. "Encanto" was good, but not great--Don't get me wrong, I loved most of the songs, and the animation was phenomenal as well as the message, but the film felt like it was overstuffed. With twelve family members, it was inevitable, but trying to give lessons with Luisa and Isabela along with giving Dolores a romantic arc felt underwhelming since they weren't major characters with Mirabel, who's main thing was feeling left out and isolated. If they wanted to incorporate other arcs, they'd have to be more included in the narrative, and you can still have Mirabel feel isolated; you can be around others and still feel like they don't get you or listen to you.

7. Ariel's sisters should've had more relevance than just being plot-accurate--I never really thought about this until the live-action remake, but yeah. Ariel's six older sisters don't do anything and don't exist except for the fact that the source material said she was the youngest of several sisters (thus where we get the title from; I think the fairy tale only gave her five, though). While this is more of a modern Disney idea, I would've liked it if Ariel AND her sisters became human, and each of them grow closer to Ariel upon seeing why she likes the human world so much, and further highlight the anguish Triton feels at driving all his daughters away. That said, due to the amount of characters in the film, perhaps condense the six sisters into one to three of them, and they could still have their hair cut as their payment to Ursula. In fact, perhaps because of this trade, their time on land is shorter than Ariel's (but they don't belong to Ursula until the third day is up), allowing them to get King Triton and disrupt the wedding at the last minute.

8. The Disney prince line should be more relevant--It baffles me greatly that this hit the backburner in contrast to the princesses. The unnamed prince Charmings could be given names and more fleshed out personalities, and their books/stories could be promoted just as much as the Disney princesses. There is other merchandise to be used besides dolls (even if that is the money maker).

9. Disney needs to consider PG-13 animated films--Animation in the western world seems to be synonymous with family/young audiences, 3/4 times, while Japan has shown that animation has huge potential in the young adult market. I desperately hope that "The Boy and the Heron" being so acclaimed inspires Disney to be more PG-13--not just for the rating, but because the story benefits more from the mature content. Note: this is more for violence/scary imagery than innuendo or profanity.

10. Disney should be more sparing when they hire celebrities for films expected to start a franchise--This is a personal opinion of mine, but while I don't think celebrities should be excluded from major motion animated films, I do think companies, particularly Disney, should use them carefully. These are for two reasons: if you hire a well-known voice actor, the character's voice may not sound as unique for a major property since the voice is somewhat ubiqitous thanks to the actor's work. Secondly, hiring a celebrity actor known for live-action productions, it may be hard to meet their schedule or salary desires when you want them to return for a short, sequel, and/or tv show. Not saying it happens every time, but I do have concerns about that, especially when I thought "Wish" was going to be something spectacular and show up more in Disney's merchandise.

[smahlujud]

Day 21: Kodama, oh you know I had to crack out a Ghibli design. Luckily for me Kodama don't really have a recognisable design other than the one from Princess mononoke so I got to draw one ^^

[rainsomewhere]

Walking along the cobblestone streets and passing by a yokai shrine at a spa town in Hokkaido, Japan.

[animenostalgia]

Pom Poko (1994)

[streakyfreak-me]

Spirited Away

I went to the cinema today and it was a best decision - I was incredibly inspired again, because it's a masterpiece!

I've started a new sketchbook and I feel no fear. My artworks might be imperfect, but quantity will definitely turn into quality.

[subjectivecuriosities]

My ★★★★★ review of Pom Poko (1994) on @letterboxd: https://boxd.it/4SUciL

[nefarrilou]

Chihiro x No Face 🍡 @birdietraits cas challenge

Genetics Hair + Bangs Clothes Outfit | Stockings | Socks | Shoes

No Face by @siaowowo

favoured movie

sreetwear

... and since one of my absolute favorites is Spirited Away we end up with a grown up Chihiro in a new casual style 💅🤳👟

C R E A T O R S

@savage-sims @okruee @trillyke @arltos

[trauma-official]

Hello! I'm Bruna[They/She/Him/It]! Host of these fucked up little beings (such as Sam[She/Her], Noah[He/They], Nissha[They/It], the little Trauma[It/They] and the other Bruna[She/They]). I'm friendly, so be nice and I will be nice too! :)

We decided to make a tumblr account for each one (except that me and the other Bruna will have the same account) soo..

@cat-loved for Sam.

@the-deity-of-rest for Noah.

@ant-oficcial for Nissha.

@writing-my-soul for Me and Bruna.

And this one for little trauma. And for each one of us since Trauma doesn't speak.

I'm a minor!!!

Also, I talk a lot about a lot of disturbing stuff that is not exacly the most safe for everyone's mental health. If you're easilly disturbed you should NOT follow this blog, please for your own happyness. I'm a horrible person. Go have fun somewhere else okay? Stay safe sweetheart, bye~ <3

Please, only send a dm if we're mutuals, and 18+ people, only if I contact first. (It's more of a request that a rule, but I would apreciate)

And please, don't ask for money. I'm too poor for that. 😭

This is a safe place for LGBTQ+ individuals :>

Also for the Furrys and Therians. Welcome too!

I don't really know how to introduce myself... well I'm Audhd, so please be patient with me. And am probably undiagnosed DID... so yeah, the username say it all. Also, I use a lot of terms or endearment and nicknames because I'm bad at remembering Names and Pronouns so i'm sorry if I make a mistake I try my best to remember. I also got this new habit of calling other people "babe"... and I mean it in the most aroaace way possible cuz to me "babe"="baby"="people that I care enough to help". So... yeah. Tell me if you don't like and I'll try to remember :>

I'm Aroace(aro>cupioromantic, Omniplatonic/ace>aegosexual), Polyplatonic. Also Trigender[Sam is a Cis woman, Noah a Trans man and both Nissha and Trauma are some kind of Agender entity, Plus the other Bruna is pretty much Trigender too).

●Games: Stardew Valley, Minecraft, Haverst Moon, BOMBERMAN, The sims, Gacha, Undertale, The Coffin of Andy and Leyley, Sally Face, Fran Bow, Little Misfortune.

(Honorary fan of: Deltarune, Omori, Five Nights at Freddy's, Kirby, Bendy and the Ink Machine)

●Shows/Movies: Hilda, Dungeon Meshi, Adventure Time, Arcane, Demon Slayer, Gravity Falls, Lego Movie, Little Witch Academia, Most Disney(and related) films, some ghibli movies, Mako Mermaids, Sonic, Steven Universe, She-Ra, The Owl House, We bare Bears, Yokai Watch, Epic the Musical...

(Honorary fan of: Ninjago, My Little Pony, Over the Garden Walls, Pokémon, Harry Potter)

°• #TraumaWrites -> for when I post anything about my writing.

For some of my moot's that I feel that NEED to be here there it is: (if you want to be taken from here, or wanna come to feel free to tell me)

• @the-toaster-rat -> My dear rat, my dear friend. If you touch them you're dead. DEAD.

• @veeisanerd -> Is like a litte sibling to me, I will not permit damage to it's soul.

• @aspenindatree -> Another little sib, mah little cub, minha querida. <3

• @somekindofneurodivergency -> *sighs* es mi hermanito....<3

• @opaquelavender -> Mah fren, my sweet, my favorite <3

• @zithergiltscorner -> pretty greens and pinks, please never go away <3

• @f3ath3rflam3 -> My favorite witch <3 her spells do wonders •◇•

• @sparklykat-hideoutenthusiast -> EXCUSE ME PLEASE. SHE MADE FANART, FANART OF MY BOOK. I'M ALWAYS GONNA REMEMBER THAT!.

• And a honorable mention to others I haven't interacted much but I love to see on my dash and I hope are having great days: @silly-fox-and-its-stuffies @chernobylcatfish09 @emilem-forevermore @certified-woman-kisser @stuck-in-a-forest @chaos-gremlin @thelovelyvie (for making soup me) @silly-gizmo @preposterousray @eon-tries

Little thingys made by @mast3rsw0rd <3

[mitosjpenespanol]

www.mitosjpenespanol.tumblr.com

Keukegen (毛羽毛現)

El peluso (Keukegen), es un yokai poco conocido y díficil de descubrir. De hecho, keukegen puede significar también “excepcional y rara vez visto”. Su cuerpo se esconde bajo un manto de pelo largo que solo deja ver una nariz y dos grandes ojos redondos. Su aspecto recuerda al de un perro. Vive en zonas adyacentes a las casas donde hay humedad, como jardines y baños, o en lóbregos interiores de viviendas cuyas condiciones de habitabilidad son muy pobres. Su escasa actividad se reduce a la noche para beber. Se dice que encontrar un peluso es anuncio de muerte o enfermedad para los moradores de la casa, aunque no está claro si el peluso funciona como causante de desgracias o simplemente tiende a acercarse a lugares insalubres donde la muerte ya está rondando. Al Keukegen le atrae la suciedad, de manera que para prevenir que se cuele en casa hay que mantenerla airada, dejaer que penetre el sol y evitar humedades o charcos en sótanos, rincones, etc.

Según Toriyama Sekien, en China existe una diosa muy parecida al peluso, llamada “mujer lanuda”. Sekien cuenta que Qin Shi Huang, el legendario primer emperador de toda China, tenía una doncella que se vio obligada a abandonar su servicio cuando la dinastía Qin cayó. La doncella escapó a las montañas y comenzó a vivir en el bosque alimentándose de hojas de pino. Con el tiempo se convirtió en una anarcoreta y su cuerpo se cubrió de pelo hasta que, al alcanzar los 170 años de edad, se esfumó volando hacia el cielo.

El peluso ha servido de inspiración a autores modernos de manga y anime. Mizuki Shigeru lo incluyó en sus viñetas y Hayao Miyazaki lo tomó como basee para una de sus más peculiares creaciones, los susuwatari, o “duendes de polvo” de Mi vecino Totoro y El viaje de Chihiro. 

(Texto extraído de Yokai, monstruos y fantasmas en Japón, de Andrés Pérez Riobó y Chiyo Chida. Imagen extraída de aquí.) 

[scallioncreamcheesebagel]

Top 8 Anime of Spring 2024

Spring has sprung :) With all April's new anime now having 2-3 episodes out, it's time for me to recommend some so you can watch them along with me!

1. 🦹 Go! Go! Loser Ranger! (Ranger Reject; Sentai Daishikkaku)

This show is such a surprise and delight, it might even take over Dungeon Meshi for my anime of the year. Footsoldier D lives in a world stacked against him: he's a low-level monster called a "duster", an immortal shapeshifter made of dust, after all the monsters with any modicum of power have been killed off. Trapped in captivity for sentai heroes to kill over and over again, televised for the public's entertainment.

When D finally manages to escape, his prospects look bleak. He's physically fragile, weaker even than the average human: his kind has poor constitution, and anything more than a light touch will cause him to crack like porcelain. And while he can shapeshift to hide himself, any interaction runs a large risk of blowing his cover, considering he knows little of humans or the outside world. Despite facing almost impossible odds, D vows to steal the special perma-killing weapons from the heroes' base and free the rest of his people.

Every single thing about this anime is spectacular. The protagonist is instantly lovable, easily my favorite character of the season. He cannot effectively fight and has to rely on his wits to get anything done, making for incredibly suspenseful stealth and infiltration sequences. The animation is great, the music is great (best OP of the season go watch it), the story is great, I never know what to expect, it has a good sense of humor, there's nothing not to love. I haven't seen The Boys, but I've seen a lot of people compare it to that. Every episode has me on the edge of my seat, and every time D gets hurt I want to jump into the screen and protect him.

Go! Go! Loser Ranger! can be watched on hulu and disney+.

the rest of the entries under the read-more!

2. 🐈 Tonari no Yokai-san

Buchio was a normal housecat for 20 years. Until one day, he spontaneously transformed into a nekomata, a cat spirit, and developed sapience. Having suddenly made the step from pet to person, Buchio must decide how to find meaning in his new life.

He's not alone. This small town is populated by humans and yokai alike, from little kitties like Buchio, to awesome furries who take care of the community, to less-friendly entities who would do harm to the more defenseless residents of the town. Despite its large cast, it gives everyone the perfect amount of screentime, and moving over to a different storyline feels like walking next door to visit a friend.

Above all, this anime is about how community can help us through all kinds of change, from a new stage of life to the grief of losing a loved one. It's both sweet and sad, and I've seen multiple viewers claim it's already made them cry, even just three episodes in. If you enjoy Ghibli movies, you'll probably love this.

Also, they accidentally(?) made Buchio transgender. He's a calico, and calicos can only ever be female. THIS CAT IS TRANSMASC! Which fits the story's themes incredibly well.

Tonari no Yokai-san can be watched on crunchyroll.

3. 🚄 Train to the End of the World (Shuumatsu Train Doko e Iku?)

This is definitely the weirdest anime on this list. In the near future, technology has advanced to the point where a new cellular network is invented that could allegedly connect people by their very minds. However, when it's launched, things go horribly, horribly wrong, kickstarting an apocalypse and isolating people from the world more than ever.

However, Shizuru isn't content to sit around her town and wait for her humanity to be drained away by the apocalypse's local effects. She gathers three other girls, learns to operate an abandoned train, and sets out to find her best friend (pictured in an Utena-reference yuri pose above), last seen at the epicenter of the network's launch. But as they get closer and closer to their destination, the world only grows stranger.

This is one of two original anime on this list, so there's no telling where it will go next, but I'm riding this train all the way to its destination! It's unafraid to try new and bizarre things, and great at balancing lighthearted and unsettling moments. Its thoughtful nature, dropping little hints and foreshadowing along the way, makes for a great watch for those who like to theorize.

Train to the End of the World can be watched on crunchyroll.

4. 🩸 Vampire Dormitory

What if Ouran High School Host Club was about vampires? If you have ever watched mid-2000s anime, this is sure to bring a pang of nostalgia to your heart. After walking into a cafe and breaking an expensive vase, Mito becomes intertwined with Ruka, a vampire who licked Mito's bloody finger like a little freak. Ruka claims he cannot drink the blood of girls, so he's pretty happy to find a boy who's willing to give him a snack, and invites Mito to live in his dorm room with him, and maybe be boyfriends, because Ruka is falling a little bit in love. But Mito has a secret... she is secretly a girl, only disguising herself as a boy.

I'm going to be real with you: this show is not what I would call,,, "good" in the traditional sense. It's better than that. It's something magical and precious from a bygone era. It's a bisexual mess. It's got egregious sparkle effects in so many scenes it'll make you go blind. You will laugh. You will cry (when you see Mito binds with ace bandages). But you will mostly laugh.

Vampire Dormitory can be watched on crunchyroll. ⚠️CW: suicide attempt (ep 1) (don't worry about it)

5. 🌸 Whisper Me a Love Song (Sasayaku You ni Koi wo Utau; Sasakoi)

There are two entire yuri romances airing this season, and this is the better one! After hearing Yori perform with her band, Himari falls in love with her at first sight. And after Himari confesses, Yori falls in love at first sight right back! It's only after discussing further that the two realize they mean different types of love: Himari is in love with Yori's music, while Yori is a huge lesbian. Now they have to contend with their feelings as they continue to become drawn closer to one another.

So shoujo there's cherry blossom petals flitting across the screen in every other scene and so high school it'll make you wanna tear your hair out sometimes, this is so romance-concentrate that I can only recommend it to our strongest yuri warriors, lest its sweetness rot your teeth out. The music is also genuinely excellent, and the characters have great chemistry--not just the main couple, but the whole cast.

Whisper Me a Love Song can be watched on hidive.

6. 💘 A Condition Called Love (Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai; I'm Addicted to You)

But enough of that sappy "healthy romance" crap. Have you ever wanted a shoujo romance anime where the male lead was completely insane? It's something I didn't know I wanted until I started watching this show. After witnessing her classmate Hananoi being dumped by his girlfriend, Hotaru offers him a gesture of kindness. What she didn't know at the time was that Hananoi is the most intense boy alive, and he immediately falls in love with her. Now, she needs to decide whether she wants to date him, or if he's coming on a little too strong for her tastes.

You might be thinking "Wait, the guy falls in love with her the same day he's dumped by his ex? Isn't that a little fast?" I promise you, that is far from the thing most wrong with this boy, who I have been affectionately referring to as "straight Komaeda". He exhibits many instances of what I would consider stalkerish behavior, his apartment is full of family photos with someone cut out of them and a mysterious curtained shelf he claims is a shrine to Hotaru (but he won't let her see it so it could be something weirder), and he morphs his entire appearance and surface-personality in an attempt to appeal to her. As a horror fan, some scenes had me feeling like Hotaru would get axe murdered any second, but he just turns out to be an extremely maladjusted teenage boy.

This anime and the manga it's based on have spawned discussion after discussion on all manner of websites about if Hananoi is a yandere, is he toxic, the works. He's like a discourse machine. As for me, I just find whatever's wrong with him really entertaining.

A Condition Called Love can be watched on crunchyroll.

7. 🥊 Wind Breaker

That tsundere up there is the star of my favorite action-type show of the season. Sakura transfers to a new school in a new town known for its brutal fights and hierarchy, vowing to fight his way to the top. However, when he arrives, it turns out the students have recently come together to try and make their community a better place. Now, Sakura is forced to stop trying to use violence to cope and form genuine connections with others. Well, he can still have a little violence, as a treat.

The story in this show is light, but the characters and their dynamics are absolutely top-notch. Our adorably edgy little protagonist begrudgingly learning about friendship never fails to make me smile, and CloverWorks is absolutely killing it with the animation. If you're a fan of shounen-adjacent works, you'll love it.

Wind Breaker can be watched on crunchyroll.

8. 🎸 Girls Band Cry

This one's a CGI anime, just throwing that out there now. Girls Band Cry is basically the better version of that Jellyfish anime everyone else is losing their minds over but I think is super mid. High school dropout Nina travels to Tokyo on her own, sporting only dreams of starting a band and an attitude no one wants to deal with. Luckily, she meets some other young women with similar dreams and baggage, and if they can manage to work through their personal problems enough to actually get their music off the ground, they might just have something special here.

This anime is not afraid to have girls who suck. It feels refreshing and honest, the main character's continual self-destruction only making you root for her more. We stan Nina, maker of terrible decisions. As promised by the title, there is lots of crying.

Girls Band Cry can be watched in english exclusively via PIRACY!!! 🏴‍☠️ Which about fits this show's whole aesthetic. There are several competing fansubbers and a whole heap of drama involving them that I won't even get into here, but I've watched SobsPlease, Yofukashi, and NakayubiSubs and all were good. Whatever's on the unofficial streaming sites is probably also fine.

Honorable Mentions

👨‍👨‍👦 Tadaima, Okaeri - Super-fluffy domestic slice of life about a married gay couple and their toddler... and the first-ever omegaverse anime. (crunchyroll)

🎙️The Many Sides of Voice Actor Radio (Seiyuu Radio no Uraomote) - Halfway-decent slowburn yuri romance about two tsundere voice actresses. (crunchyroll)

📖 The Grimm Variations (Grimm Kumikyoku) - Anthology of edgy, increasingly bizarre fairytale adaptations. Extremely melodramatic, so bad it's good, best watched with friends you can scream at the TV with at every plot twist. Episode 3 will knock your socks off. ⚠️CW: sexual assault (ep 2), gore (ep 2), torture (ep 2), brief mention of csa (ep 4), possibly more - haven't finished it yet. (netflix)

EDIT: Just finished The Grimm Variations. I'd like to add that episode 6, The Pied Piper, is actually genuinely fantastic. However, I'd also like to add a giant ⚠️CW for pedophilia/csa for that episode. Watch at your own risk.

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That's all for this spring! See you at the end of June for a retrospective on which of these anime had staying power.

[rainsomewhere]

We walked along the pier at a small rest station and took pictures of boats in Hokkaido, Japan

[captivatedbyurhubris]

fic rec fic rec!!

sooooo as always when I cannot write - I read. And I've been Nostalgic for Naruto for weeks now, and especially weak for Naruto and Iruka relationship. While looking for good old Iruka adopts Naruto aus I stumbled onto this absolute gem! It's extremely cute, funny and heartfelt. Naruto is actually a kitsune kit and Iruka accidentally ends up with a not-so-human kid moving into his home. There's friendship, family feels, kids being kids and Kakashi and Iruka co-parenting (sometimes, Kakashi escapes that by turning into a dog).

The fic feels like a ghibli movie, I was reading it with the soundtrack and it was just perfect. There is a series with three parts - all worth your attention, but I especially liked the second part, because it's very magical and otherworldly, with yokai involved.

<link but the fic is archive-locked, you gotta be a registered user to read>