#i'd originally written '90% of the time i'm thinking about bleach filler'

[bleachbleachbleach]

longer letter later but

I know Random Rukongai Village 697 doled out that whole feast for Oomaeda, complete with snake wine, but I was thinking about food in Rukongai, a place where most people do not need to eat to survive.

Because the Seireitei itself seems fairly urban, and we see at least some fields in Rukongai (the Inn Episode--and yes, I realize that my two citations so far are one-off fillers but listen, listen, 45% of the time I'm thinking about Bleach I'm probably thinking about filler), I've always assumed that most food production happens in Rukongai, and that it is carried out by non-shinigami. Whether there's some insinuation that supplying food to the Seireitei gets you better protection or not, idk. The economics of this is not the point of this post, so let's leave that for now.

Food is not a survival commodity--or is such only at a remove--but it's still part of Rukongai. It serves some cultural function. Maybe it's a source of pleasure. Maybe it's a way of enacting memory. Maybe it has ceremonial functions--both sacred and/or relational (in the sense of communing either with other spirits/forces in the world or in the sense of serving as gifts that can bind konpaku together communally).

But I feel like that makes it fairly likely that food is fairly... boutique? Like, it doesn't exist there to provide caloric/reishi density; there's a certain ornamentality to it. So like, the point of this post and the thought I am currently enraptured by is: If you are someone who does eat food for sustenance, I feel like if you were planning to spend any length of time in Rukongai you'd probably want to pack a lunch! And also resolve to be a little bit hungry the whole time, because the food available is there to be appreciated and savored but is not necessarily there to satiate. (When it's there at all!)

Even if Rukongai is the place where the crops are grown, I don't think they'd stay there or exist accessibly as like, the thing you'd be served. I mean, sure, maybe if you're close to the Seireitei or other places where a critical mass of shinigami is passing through enough to make it worthwhile to have such things.

As a human person, I know that I am always thinking about whether there will be enough food in a place I am going, and/or whether the timing of that food will mesh with when I would hope to be fed. And I feel like there's a difference between a meal and subsisting off of like, pretty boxes of omiyage. Or food at functions where the "light refreshments" are primarily intended as social lubricants and not as food for people who are hungry. Or like, as a child, going to Daddy's house was very appealing to me and my siblings because meals were served, whereas going to Mommy's house meant eating a sleeve of Saltines for lunch. I feel like Rukongai--again, when food is a thing that can be come by, without having to go hunt and gather it yourself--definitely averages out at *butterfly meme* Is this [Saltines amanattou] a nutritious and balanced meal? 😂

--

I was just thinking about shinigami packing lunches, but having now written this post I feel like that could be an interesting way that the Gotei and noble families enter into relationships with each other, too. Kuukaku has food to serve to Ichigo and co. when they visit. It'd be interesting if Gotei patrols, in addition to camp cooking (Team Muguruma in TBTP), or patronizing random Rukongai ryokan (Inn Episode), have arrangements with nobles who live or have residences outside the Seireitei, like the Shiba, where they can get food from them, in exchange for money, or information, or instead of supplying progeny to the Gotei, or in exchange for the Gotei completing Random Tasks for them (which, if filler is anything to go by, nobles have a surfeit of). (My working assumption is that if you're not a konpaku who came into Soul Society by dying, you do need to eat--whether you're actively employed as a shinigami or not, and whether or not the level of spiritual power you have would make you a good candidate for that job.)

[justice4sasuke]

I'm the non anime fan anon and "you might need to rethink that relationship" 😂😂😂, well I don't know about the relationship but I definitely haven't let him pick another anime as the show were going to watch. He did explain to me why he did the Utakata arc though. I have a thing where I can't NOT finish shows when I start them, the unfinished storyline stresses me out, but Naruto is a long show and he didn't know if I'd like it or anime. So he showed me an arc that was as self contained and short as possible. Plus he thought I would like Utakata. He was right, but I don't think he was prepared for how much I love Sasuke.

Mabey it's time to start another anime though. I want to give the medium another chance because I don't think its fair to judge it off of Naruto. I trust your opinion though, do you have any recommendations?

me getting asked for recommendations knowing my favorite anime is over 1000 chapters long:

Well....One Piece is objectively one of the best manga ever written, but it’s very long and I recommend strictly the manga and then parts of the anime if you like it. I understand it’s a huge time commitment though so I understand if you’re just trying out anime it is too much.

I’m actually not a big anime fan. Most of the things I like are from when I vacuumed up whatever I came across (thus the Naruto) when I was young or are older because there’s something I find charming about 80s or 90s anime but when I see anything recent I just get a feeling of annoyance. And for some of the series I do like I don’t know if I recommend for someone unfamiliar with anime like Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of my faves but I wouldn’t recommend it to a non-anime fan.

My top recommendation for literally anyone, whether they like anime or not, is Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood for the anime. (Do NOT watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist anime first). Literally just SO ridiculously good, tackles complex and difficult issues maturely and responsibly, is dark but still light-hearted and hopeful/positive. 

One Punch Man the manga or the first season of the anime (I haven’t watched anything after that) has some problematic elements but is overall a really funny subversion of fighting anime with some amazing action.

I really like anime movies so if you want something short and haven’t seen any already considering their popularity Hayao Miyazaki’s movies (my fave is My Neighbor Totoro), or movies like Summer Wars or Akira (the Akira manga is good too)

If you think you’d like horror Junji Ito is a good manga artist to check out, the most popular horror manga author probably ever. Uzumaki is considered his magnum opus, but he also has a ton of short stories you can check out. You might have even heard of him already.

There’s some other ones I like, but there’s heavy nostalgia related to them. Sailor Moon is a fun, frivolous romp. I think the original anime had too much filler, but Sailor Moon Crystal cuts that out. Obviously I prefer the manga most, it’s written by a woman for girls so it doesn’t fall into being creepy or fanservice-y like a lot of other magical girl series and there’s a lot of gay shit in it which appeals to me. 

The Digimon series is another nostalgic thing and I’m not going to pretend a newcomer would like Digimon Adventure or Adventure 02 specifically the dubs because they are objectively corny and dumb and made for kids (but I love them so much oh god). BUT Digimon Tamers is objectively amazing and way better than any kids show designed to sell toys has any right to be.

.....god I feel like I have to mention it. Now this one...this was my shit before Naruto. This was my original series when I became a weeb in 9th grade. Death Note. BUT LISTEN 1. you have to read the manga first, people will say watch the anime don’t listen to them 2. people will try to tell you it is a serious thought-provoking series. They are lying to you and themselves. Death Note is the dumbest most overdramatic shit ever. It is entertainment incarnate. I absolutely love it. If you read it don’t take it seriously just strap in and enjoy the ridiculousness.

Ouran High School Host Club: anime or manga. Just a fun inconsequential little series about a...high school host club. 

I know sports anime are really popular but that’s just not my thing AT ALL so I can’t help there. 

Also people will try to get you to read other long running shounen manga. Don’t listen to them. You hear about Bleach? Say no. My Hero Academia? NO. Black Clover? NO. Blue Exorcist? NO. Dr. Stone? NO. Attack on Titan? DOUBLE NO. (slightly unrelated but don’t listen to people that tell you to watch Neon Genesis Evangelion either)

Actually I heard Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter were good but I haven’t read them so I can’t say.

But realistically the only standard shounen anyone should be reading is like Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball for historical purposes and ONE PIECE.