funarisjournal - Tumblr blog

funarisjournal · 21 days ago

Text

ManaEmi: They're Close (How Close??)

This is mostly for myself and my fellow ManaEmi pals, but if you're curious, by all means take a peek! Bluesky is just not appropriate for making a post like this, especially when I need to go back an edit any typos or type any additional things I remember lol

To the point: This is a chronicling of the most important events in the ManaEmi timeline. They have met many times, posted and mentioned each other many times before, but only a few of these have something much more significant in meaning. Key points that reflect a change in their relationship, and the ladies themselves at a personal level, that's what I want to discuss.

They've known each other since autumn 2022, but something began to happen in 2024. If we want to be more precise, something happened late November 2023, BUT that is purely speculative and hard to explain to anyone not in the current circle. Before that, they had the same typical, friendly vibe that anyone in any production would have if the atmosphere was positive. They would occasionally meet up for lunch, for example. It was acknowledged that the two would make plans to at least hang out for sushi once a month because that was one thing they could depend on: at least one, free day between their drastically different careers. Otherwise, scheduling was always in the way (another thing they admitted in the past).

Then the moments just...kind of picked up after S2 finished filming. Just a little, at first.

They had one major "date night" right before the season finished airing on TV, so it fit right in with the typical show-airing-in-progress vibes ("Omg they're so cute! Just like Nomoto and Kasuga!" [they went out to eat and enjoy karaoke btw]). They also did some things with their co-stars, like celebrating Emi's birthday, while the show was still fresh on people's minds. Then, nothing...until one day in May.

SUKIYAKI NIGHT [Late May 2024]

Playful posts happened on IG with this image, but later on, via Twitter, Emi had an additional thing to add to this specific get-together:

Emi admitted she wasn't doing so hot. She had overworked herself at the time - not just Tsukutabe, but we had since learned she was filming Bullet Train Explosion shortly after filming the drama, and then her usual gigs after that...No wonder she was starting to crack. Instead of falling for that, however, she went to the one person she felt she could trust would help her relax and chat/vent her troubles without judgment. Again, this makes sense with the speculative moment in 2023, huh?

We have this feeling, my fellow ManaEmi followers and I, that this was also the moment when Emi got the idea to take some sort of big ol' break for herself. We're pretty sure Manami gave her the idea around this time.

In the meantime, Emi still had some gigs to play in, but she found time to relax, including some moments with Manami at a park and for Manami's birthday as well ("Manana and Emimi" debuted as nicknames!), but then we finally get to that point when Emi's trip finally approached...

Emi's Trip (From Going-Away to Welcome-Home...and a few things in-between) [September-October 2024]

She made an announcement about a hiatus and explained to her followers why. A day or so after that, we were treated to the going-away party images that Manami shared with her followers (Emi would share her own version hours later with two new photos). If they had done the poses they had here back when they were still airing S2, people would no doubt think it was just to give people some NomoKasu fanservice, but this was 7 months later, and they got REAL close! See the first image in this article again - that's one of the photos!

On top of that, two lines - one from each lady's individual posts of the event - that rang in my mind for months to come:

Manami: We're close lol Emi: If I get lonely, I'll facetime you~~ And I will~~~

True to her word to her fans, though, Emi pretty much signed off her accounts by the time she said she would. I had begun to follow her during the summer, and I don't follow many folks, so if she liked something, it would pop up on my fyp, but it was radio silence...........almost.

Emi would be caught liking at least two posts from Manami from eagle-eyed fans. One was for the wrap-up to Manami's then-current project, Sky Castle, while the other was for a post of something Manami did earlier than that, when she was in Izumo for her episode of Solitary Gourmet. I managed to catch the latter, by the way, which you can see in this post.

So she was semi-online, huh? I'm sure she had others check her business-y stuff, so she had no reason to break the hiatus, but it's fun to imagine that she was popping up during/after facetiming Manami like she said she would. Only very specific posts, though. She didn't go liking everything Manami was sharing at the time.

Finally, though, after a long, long month, Emi returned! And Manami made damn sure they had a welcome-home party as well! That post was much simpler by comparison, but it was the simple, short message that Manami put for the post that just added a touch of tenderness to the whole thing.

Manami: Welcome home ♥

We would get another break, though now it was just too cute how they made sure to celebrate the vacation as a whole. Manami had a new project, though, and it was going to eat up her schedule up to January!

But there's just no way she could finish the year without Emi, so then we get this surprise...

End-of-Year Party [December 2024]

Manami: I can’t end 2024 without seeing This Person. Emi: It's peaceful lol

Again, two separate lines from each post they made of this event. This was the first sign of them making time to meet despite their schedules. A shift was starting to occur. They wanted to hang out more often!

Socials blew up in the Manami and Emi circles that day. Excitement, adoration...someone made a clearly-romantic fancam with them on IG and both ladies actually shared it with their fans (Manami taking another step further by adding it to her Tsukutabe reel - closest thing she has to a ManaEmi reel lol). I remember the gossip sites were also having a ball with this one. Manami using "This Person" (aka "Special Someone") was good gossip fodder, but the articles never went beyond describing Emi as "her co-star in Tsukutabe." They would return to gossip based on Manami's then-current project immediately afterward. Eh, no biggie. Better to not be in focus, eh?

It was...A LOT of energy, not gonna lie~

Anyway, Manami has a tendency to edit and delete her posts to make new ones, by the way. This one was no exception, but it was interesting what she decided to take away from it.

This photo Emi took of her. Pretty and unique angle, huh?

SUMO SURPRISE [Late January-Early February 2025]

The picture you see above - also quite pretty and uniquely angled - is the first of a few puzzle pieces left by both Manami and Emi for a decent amount of time (I feel like it was over a week or two, someone correct me on that, if they can)

Manami posted first. She posted this and some venue shots while talking about how this was her first-ever time experiencing sumo wrestling. She had fun! And that was that.

Almost.

This was the event where I started meeting more folks curious about ManaEmi's relationship. People were curious. Something felt off, but in a good way, like she was hanging out with a certain someone.

Someone pointed out the familiar green, padded fabric next to the bottom-most cartoon sumo fella. It's part of a jacket that Emi has worn in the colder months lately. Another person pointed out that Emi had updated for subscribers on IG with some interesting photos. It made me finally start subbing to her and I saw it for myself. I can't share the screencaps due to restrictions on the app, but she posted photos from the same venue, too! Just at different angles and at a less busy time.

No way...did they...?

But we never got an answer for a while there. Emi would tease us with more public Stories about sumo-related things. Eventually, Manami herself would post a silly photoshoot with her resting in front of a row of wrestlers, having gotten access to a morning training session.

And then, a day later (I think), Emi finally revealed the last piece of this puzzle. [blurring it this time, though, due to the LAST time I posted this pic to Tumblr. If you want the full image, go to my original post covering it!]

They both attended the match AND the morning practice! Now they're just getting sneaky~ But it was an interesting period of time. We still don't know why they kept so hush-hush about it for so long. But it would almost become the new trend now. Less hard posts, more Stories (temporary posts), but still showing folks some of their outings.

The Art Exhibit Miracle [April 1st, 2025]

This one has a date we can properly pinpoint due to the event itself!

Emi had announced a solo concert for March 28th a few months prior, but by March, she had a new announcement - an art show featuring the various things she's painted over the years! It would take place from the 30th to April 1st. It was another new venture for her, and one we think was probably encouraged by Manami again. Of course, they never made it obvious, but Manami specifically replied to the initial announcement on IG, something she doesn't do in general. She yelled she was going to go! Emi was excited!

And then, in the middle of the month, Manami announced she finally moved agencies! It was fresh step for her, one we're still seeing the effects of to this day! Emi liked all those announcements REAL fast, by the way, almost beating some of the rapid-Liking Manami superfans. Almost lol

And then, as Emi's concert date approached, Manami updated her IG with a Story. She announced she was actually overseas at this point for a project.

No way...Something like that would last a few days, wouldn't it?

Then some fans noticed Emi had turned comments off to her art show announcement, the one where Manami said she was going to attend.

Was it...a sign? Maybe she wasn't going after all?

Manami even sounded a little sad in her initial post, by the way! That first post? She was pointing out something interesting when she turned a photo of the sky upside-down, but she was like, "I don't know, I thought it looked neat. That's all." Dang...

But, well, the show must go on, right? Manami continued her stuff overseas, Emi focused on her concert (which was amazing, by the way. I got to see the day performance as a streamed event~), took a day to rest and then it was the art show! She looked like she was having a lot of fun, though! I think she realized it was a rousing success.

Still, wouldn't it have been nice if Manami had been able to attend?

Well, despite all odds, despite having only arrived back to Japan the day prior AND had some sort of radio program PR going on that very morning, Manami put on her meaningful cardigan (this is a piece of clothing that was something she, Emi, and one of Manami's other friends bought together one day, and Manami in particular said it really suited Emi), went out, and managed to get to the exhibit just before it closed.

The look on Emi's face in the video that Manami took of the exterior...oh my god, you could tell she was trying to hold back how happy she really was!

Manami was clearly exhausted in the photos they took, but she pushed past it for Emi. She ended up enjoying the exhibit, and mentioned how one particular piece was her favorite because it showed "Emi's personality and innermost self." She really set out to prove she was serious about her previous promises to...someone. Maybe to Emi? Maybe to herself? To both of them?

Either way, something, once again, shifted afterward.

Where We Stand Now [May and June 2025...so far]

They've shared a few outings since the art show - they saw a play together, they went to individual vacations (Manami to Okinawa, Emi to Korea) yet still managed to post coincidentally at one point that they may as well have had a moment of "togetherness," they met up with Rie Tomosaka toward the end of May as customers to her newest clothing exhibit, but there are two events I'd like to close this essay up with: The picnic/nature walk they had in May and the sudden trip to Kyoto shortly before Manami's birthday.

Again, it played out as "Manami teases day-of, Emi will reveal the rest in time." The picnic happened May 21st, but we wouldn't get the full picture - that she was enjoying it with Emi - until June 1st. There were hints, though! From the way Manami was smiling in the photo and how a sticker that said "Picnic Lover" hovered over the empty seat in the photo...you'd have to know Emi as the bigger picnic lover to get the gears turning, you know?

The picture chosen to reveal it - the middle image in this section - plus the choice in music Manami used when she shared the event as a Story later on...the tones of a deeper meaning blanketed the moment. A song sung in English - her domestic fans would have to look it up and translate it to see why she chose it. The heart in the sky Manami managed to get in the photo of their legs as they rest on Emi's blanket (this was something Emi said in a Story last year; she hoped to one day lay on the grass with someone who wants to do the same and even bought a blanket - this is definitely her blanket), Manami's own legs tilting toward Emi as if she wants to turn to face her afterward. It's a very tranquil feeling.

And then we have the latest outing. It was a date excursion this time around - the two actually traveled to KYOTO to enjoy the sights and sounds of an art exhibit, as well as grabbing a bite to eat. These were posted as Stories only, and each one just felt as if we were watching a couple's travel diary unfold. I don't know how else to explain it! The photos each of them took of one another (more of Manami than Emi, but Manami got a good shot of her, heh)...I love how they try to go for very artful shots, not just the standard selfie despite them having done a few of those as well. But I love shots like these. So pretty...

It's becoming more and more obvious there's more than meets the eye here. The ManaEmi house feels something stirring in the air, and we're seeing even more casual fans making comments like, "Are they actually dating?"

No one can say for sure except these two....Or maybe they are, and they're mischievously giving us more pieces to this puzzle along the way~

One of their earliest post-filming photos together (November 2022)...just as a comparison to all of the above

#essays #manami higa #emi nishino #ManaEmi #omg this essay is long af WOW

4 notes · View notes