magicians-purelove

[magicians-purelove]

Chihiro Natsuyaki Novel - “Choose Me!”

Track 1 - 1st Round

Smiling brightly, I turn on my charm.

Desperately trying to connect with the person on the other side of the screen, I seek their love.

Whether the image of me reflected there is fake or real…..Even I can’t tell anymore.

—— “Heya! Thanks for checking out my 100sec-PR vid! My name’s Chihiro Natsuyaki, and I’m from the special tourist ward, HAMA 14! All my friends call me Chii! I’m passionate about dancing and regularly upload my idol dance covers on Dazzle!”

“So come check me out!”, I say with a smile.

However my smile is a bit forced, and there is a hint of anxiety lurking in my eyes.

The reality is I have no confidence in myself, and those who understand that feeling would definitely notice.

“Also, I have lots of respect for the gyaru culture of the Heisei era….. My hobby is collecting Heisei memorabilia(1)! First, please check out my dances!”

I hadn't started using “Chii-nese” at this point in time.

There was a moment in my SNS self-introduction video that was shot soon after I was accepted for the audition show but before the final selection where I started dancing, and only in that moment did I truly appear to be brimming with confidence.

“Alright, how about you adopt a gyaru persona? It adds more flair to have someone like that on the show. Got that? I’m counting on you.”

“……A gyaru… persona?”

That day, I sat in the TV station’s conference room, my heart thumping with nervousness.

“13Choose!” ——After applying to this next-generation idol audition program, I successfully passed the document review and video screening and made it to the finals. I was then invited for an in-person meeting; I wondered if the other contestants would be there and what they were like. It made me really nervous.

But, to my surprise, the only person in the meeting room was a man who introduced himself as the director.

In the room, there was a TV playing my newly recorded self-intro video.

The director glanced at it and said, “You mentioned liking Heisei’s gyaru culture, right?”

“We need at least one flashy person among the contestants. Ah, your current makeup is fine, but can you make your eye makeup a bit heavier? Put more emphasis into that cat-eye(2) look. And also, dye your hair pink”

“Dye… my hair… pink?”

“Can’t do it?”

“N-No, I can.”

When questioned, I hastily agreed. I wasn’t sure what this all meant, but I felt that I shouldn’t refuse. The director was telling this to a nobody like me, who wasn’t even part of a talent agency, so I figured I should follow his instructions if I wanted to have a chance at making it.

“Make sure to really play up the gyaru persona in front of the camera. If you can at least make it to the semi-finals, it’ll keep the show engaging.”

The director didn’t even look my way, as if I was a speck of dust in his eyes. My self-introduction video reached the dance portion, the one part I wanted him to see the most, but…

“Next person, please.”

With those words, I had no choice but to get up and leave the room.

After leaving the TV station, I looked for a salon where I could book an appointment.

I needed a place that could dye my hair pink for as cheaply as possible.

What kind of personality would a gyaru have?

I wonder if it means someone who uses a lot of gyaru slang.

Does that mean I should act bright and cheerful?

“……..At least make it to the semi-finals…., huh…”

I remember the director’s words.

That means he doesn’t think I can debut, right?

Being told to exaggerate the gyaru persona on camera surely means he wants me to be a high-energy hypeman.

I suddenly become aware of the hole deep inside my heart.

The usual draft blows through it, leaving me feeling cold and lonely.

It's the unbearable loneliness that comes when I realize no one in this world needs me.

But then, I shake my head and think to myself, “I can do this, I know I can.”

After all, I do this at home too. The same old routine.

My bad-tempered mom, my irritable big sister, and my frightened little sisters.

I smile and play the role of a clown in order to make everyone laugh.

In order to make everyone smile.

…..I thought, for a moment, that no matter where I go, nothing changes.

But even so, that’s okay.

I clenched my fists tightly at the thought.

“If it means I can become an idol, I’ll do anything.”

If it’ll change my meaningless life around.

If it can make my family smile, even just a tiny bit….

At least for now, the only path I can choose is to win the audition in front of me.

For me, there is no other option.

“13Choose!” is the successor to a popular, regularly held audition show. Being chosen and making your debut here means becoming an idol with a tremendous amount of fame and popularity.

I’ve watch many idol audition shows myself.

Contestants are brought to their dormitory, their smartphones taken away, and are made to live under strict supervision. They are ranked and compete in dancing, singing, and idol concepts. Viewer votes and producer evaluations are combined to determine who gets eliminated, starting with the lowest-ranked contestants.

I heard that there’s a total of 133 contestants this time.

And only 13 people will be allowed to debut.

So, here I was, unpacking my belongings in my assigned room at the dormitory. The other contestants were probably doing the same, though I could hear occasional excited shouts coming from down the hallway.

It was only natural.

The first mission song was just announced, and everyone was on cloud nine. I was feeling excited and anxious too.

“Man~, I’m a total nervous wreck, but I love that song to death so I can’t help but feel excited ‘bout it~!”

There’s a camera in my room too, capturing everything.

Remembering the direction to…. play up and exaggerate the gyaru persona in front of the camera, I struck up a conversation with my roommate.

“Y’know! I nearly cried when I listened to this song. It’s a song by an artist that I’m the biggest fan of…. Ah, geez, I got emotional again.”

My roommate, Komu-kun, was super cute.

His smile was radiant, like an angel’s.

It seemed he’d come all the way from Kansai to participate, and got embarrassed whenever he accidentally slipped into his Kansai dialect.

Even now, he’s shyly covering his mouth, and I can't help but think he's one of those naturally "adorable" types.

“Komu-pi is so cute—— Ah, can I call you Komu-pi? You can call me Chii!”

Komu-kun, elated, said with a laugh, “I’m glad to be roommates with Chii….”

“I haven’t tried singing or dancing before…. But Chii’s good at dancing, right? I saw it in your 100s-PR!”

“Eh, you checked it so fast! Didn’t it just come out yesterday?”

“I was told in advance that I’d be roommates with you, so I looked you up right away…. Your dancing skills are amazing, and you look so cool too!”

The day before arriving at the dormitory, my roommate’s name was indeed given to me.

In fact, I had already watched Komu-kun’s PR, and his shy yet amusing display of his talent of being able to “recite pi to a hundred decimals!” as he called it while fidgeting was kinda strange, but entertaining nonetheless.

I never thought Komu-kun would watch my video, so it was a nice surprise. It warmed my heart to know that he watched my dancing and complimented it.

“To be honest, I dunno if I can keep up with practice. …..But my family is poor, you see. So I dropped out after middle school so I could become an idol to support my family.”

“Oh, same here. I dropped out after middle school too.”

“For real? That’s pretty comfortin’. Come to think of it, Chii and I are almost the same height too.”

I missed the chance to say it, but knowing that we both wanted to support our families and that we both came from the same impoverished background made me feel somewhat comforted.

But when Komu-kun pulled out a bunch of family photos from his luggage and put them up on the wall, I felt a pang in my chest.

Between the two people who looked to be kind and gentle parents stood Komu-kun, smiling.

Looking at the photos from his childhood to present day, I felt they all gave off the sense that he had a close bond with his family.

There were not only formal pictures, but also some casual playful ones taken of their daily lives.

As I stared at them intently, Komu-kun turned around and innocently said, “Ah, those’re my family photos.”

“…..You guys take a lot of photos, huh.”

“Papa and Mama are always…. Ah, I mean, my Dad and my Mom really love taking photos, so despite our financial situation, they always want to take photos and make photo albums for me every year. I wish they could cut me some slack, but I can’t deny that it makes me really happy.”

“………..”

I pause. My words won’t come out right away.

I thought we were similar just mere moments ago, but now I just couldn’t see him that way anymore.

I desperately tried to stop the bubbling sense of unease inside me.

��C’mon, Komu-pi, don’t try to act cool~. You usually call your parents ‘Papa’ and ‘Mama’, right? You can call them that in front of me.”

“Ehhh, you’re not going to laugh at me for actin’ like a kid?”

“I won’t laugh, I promise. I think it’s cute, so you’re totally in the OK-zone.”

Komu-kun’s shy smile really is cute.

There wasn’t a single shred of malice in him; just a genuine smile. And it made me think, “He truly is loved.”

…..He’s going to be really popular.

The thought suddenly occurred to me.

“Come to think of it, Chii, you didn’t have pink hair in your 100s-PR video, right? Did you dye it? It really suits you.”

“Aah…… Yeah, the director gave me some advice. And he suggested I go pink.”

Actually, it was more like an order.

But Komu-kun turned to me with a smile and genuinely exclaimed, “Woah, the director is so kind!”

“I got some advice too. He said that by being myself, I can bring out my natural charm, and that I should just be confident.”

“……Is that so.”

“That’s completely different from what he told me,” I thought to myself.

Deep inside my chest, ugly jealousy began to sprout alongside my anxiety.

It was dark, viscous, oppressive, and the moment I became conscious of it I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

I brushed it off. I didn’t want to lose to something like that.

After all, I’m gonna become an idol, and I want to keep that idol spirit inside my heart too.

“If it’s dancing, I can teach you all ‘bout it!”

That’s why I decided to say that. Komu-kun who said, “Chii, you’re too kind!” was really happy.

Because of my slight sense of guilt, I swore to make sure to teach him with absolute seriousness and sincerity.

I made up my mind to practice together, to make sure that both Komu-kun and I could make it through to the next selection.

Track 1 | Track 2 | Track 3 | Track 4 | Track 5

TL Notes:

Here, even though the original script used “グッズ” (goods), I decided to go with the word “memorabilia” instead since Heisei era ended in 2019 and this game supposedly takes place in a pretty far future, I’d say it’s pretty fitting

Original word is “つり目” (tsurime), the eye style that’s famously known to be a trademark trait for tsundere characters but its definition defined it as “slanted upwards eyes”, I decided to call it “cat eye” due to similar look + in Chihiro’s profile, he said his charm point is his “cat eyes” so yeah

[magicians-purelove]

[English Subs DL] Banana Fish Stage Play Part 1 & Part 2

Hello, friends~! I come to you this time with English subs for the Banana Fish stage plays~! Thank you to @emerald-trashart for requesting me to do both plays! I had such a blast working on it even though it got a bit overwhelming and heavy at times (because Banana Fish (╥_╥))

The stage play is just so amazing, and beautifully made...! I went into this not knowing what to expect, and I came out of it just mesmerized. If you're familiar with Banana Fish, of course it will be as heavy as its source material, but I think that you would enjoy it! The production did a really great job respecting and staying true to the events of its source, and I think long-time fans would love it ^^

The actors, too...! They were so great at their roles, and gosh the emotions and intensity they portrayed were really convincing. Mizue Kenta and Okamiya Kurumu were so perfect as Ash and Eiji, and their chemistry was just beautiful T^T>

Alright, enough rambling! I'll let the stage play speak for itself! (￣▽￣)

For those who are interested in getting the Blu-rays for themselves, I’ll provide links below~ BD Purchase Links: (From Animate JP) BANANA FISH PART 1 | BANANA FISH PART 2 * Purchase links would require proxy since the BDs are sold-out on CDJapan and were requested through proxy either way. I couldn't find them on Animate International either ^^;

Notes, disclaimers, trigger warnings, and link under the cut, enjoy~! (Long post ahead ^^;)

NOTES:

※ THE FILE IS SUBTITLES ONLY, VIDEO IS NOT INCLUDED!

TRIGGER WARNINGS:

Heavy mentions/depictions of drugs/drug abuse, sexual abuse (rape, pedophilia, child prostitution/pornography, among others), mental disorders/illnesses, gun violence, racism, general gang violence, suicide, death.

Above themes are rampant in both stages, so please watch with caution. If you start feeling uncomfortable or anxious, please take a step back and stop watching until you feel better.

For those who want to start watching the anime after getting into it from the stage play, please refer to these guides for trigger warnings: Twitter | IMDb

MISC. NOTES:

From what I remember, the stage play follows the manga more than the anime (since the anime changed some stuff). So if something from the stage was not in the anime, you can check the manga for them ^^

RULES:

[MOST IMPORTANT] Please DO NOT re-post the subs and the link outside of Tumblr! If you want to share outside, please, please DM me about it and link my blog to your post. That’s all I ask.

Please DO NOT remove my credits.

Please DO NOT re-translate without permission.

SUBS DL LINK: PART 1 | PART 2

※ Please only DM me if there is a problem with the subtitles. I cannot help you if it’s related to the videos. ※ If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a coffee here, if you can. It’ll really help me out a lot.(o^▽^o) Thank you!!

[magicians-purelove]

Act 12

Episode 1: The Bing Bang Dream

Working w/ Maybelle Lace

Note: As you read, you will see that some sentences highlighted in a different color, this is what they indicate.

Pink: Flashback of the past

Blue: The Character(s) is/are acting

Lets Begin

???: Its dangerous, so make sure to hold onto our hands.

Sakuya: Okay!

???: Come take a look, Sakuya. The ocean continues on to the other side.

Sakuya: The ocean is so big!

???: That's right.

???: Did you know, Sakuya? In this town--

...

Citron: …uya… Sakuya... Are you alright?

Sakuya: ...ngh.

Sakuya: Huh...? Why am I...?

Citron: You had been crying in your sleep. Did you have a scary dream?

Sakuya: ….I can't remember much of it but I think it was about something nostalgic. It made me feel lonely…

Citron: A nostalgic dream? Was it the time when the Big Bang created the universe?~

Sakuya: I don’t think it was from that long ago..!

Citron: Oh! We must eat breakfast soon, or we’ll miss practice!

Sakuya: You’re right! Let’s hurry!

…

Misumi: Wasn’t that guy with the enemy?

Muku: Who is he?

Tenma: Wait, what IS your name?

Sakuya: Oh, my name is Saku.

Tenma: Right, apparently, this guy’s searching for the planet he was born on.

Izumi: (Rehearsals for the second part are going smoothly because of the success from the first half. The advantage of having a second part is that we can make use of both strong and weak points from the first half.)

Izumi: (The members that appeared in the first part of the play already feel comfortable with their roles because of their prior appearance, and since the Spring Troupe members finally get to make their appearance in the second part, they have a high level of enthusiasm.)

Izumi: (Everyone’s collective energies is creating a good atmosphere in the practice room.)

Izumi: Let’s take a short break.

Chikage: Since the atmosphere of the play has already been set from the beginning, everything has a fresh and different feel from the usual.

Itaru: I’m getting excited now that the costumes are complete.

These men (づ￣ ³￣)づ

Tsuzuru: Well, this IS the kind of fantasy feel you love after all.

Itaru: I've been found out.

Citron: Itaru is easy to understand.

Sakuya: I’m so happy I finally get to perform with the spring troupe!

Citron: Now, you will no longer feel lonely, Sakuya! Dreaming of the Big Bang will only make you cry.

Tsuzuru: What the? How are those two things even connected?!

Sakuya: I can’t remember exactly how it went but I don’t think it was about the Big Bang!

Izumi: Is it true that you cried from your dream?

Sakuya: Oh…well… It’s a dream that I’ve been having every now and then.

Sakuya: The scenery is unfamiliar to me... but it’s not a scary dream though.

Citron: If Sakuya cries from his dreams again, all of the members of the Spring Troupe are required to gather in room 101.

Sakuya: But everything is okay though!

Chikage: I’ll be there anytime if it’s for our leader.

Tsuzuru: No need to be shy about it Sakuya.

Masumi: I’ll go if I’m awake.

Itaru: Yeah… he’s definitely not coming.

…

Masumi: Should we get started?

Izumi: Hmm, let’s wait a bit longer… In anticipation of the performance soon, this afternoon—

*Door opens*

Rento: Yo.

Akashi: …Um, sorry to bother you.

Izumi: Oh, hey you guys!

Izumi: Thanks again for providing the wonderful lighting during the first part of the performance!

Izumi: It’s because of you guys, that we were able to take our production to a higher level, and the audience absolutely loved it.

Rento: Well, ain’t that swell.

Akashi: N-No, it was nothing… Izumi… it’s because you gave me such wonderful colors…

Masumi: Too close.

Akashi: ?!

Izumi: Masumi?

Masumi: Four meters away.

Izumi: Why?!

Itaru: The Masumi sensor went off.

Citron: A forecast of the storm of love!

Kazunari: Renton!

Rento: Hey! I brought over the CD that I bought the other day.

Kazunari: Yippee! Gimme gimme!

Izumi: (As expected of the two with high social skills, they became friends before I knew it.)

Tetsuro: …

Izumi: Tetsuro! Didn’t see you there!

Tetsuro: …

Akashi: Ah…

Izumi: (I wonder if they’re seeing each other eye to eye? Maybe they’d get along well since they’re both the quiet type.)

Tenma: Both Tetsuro and our two new guys sure have strong personalities.

Rento: The troupe members here are also characters.

Yuki: Can’t deny that.

Izumi: You guys are all reliable though because of your skills.

Rento: It’s a small theater, so we can only do so much but let’s make the second half even better than the first.

Akashi: I-I’ll do my best…

Izumi: Now that you mention it, it would be nice if we could upgrade our equipment a bit more.

Rento: Yeah, you’re right… last time I brought in my own equipment.

Izumi: But, if we can make this performance a success, we may be able to renovate the theater and level up in various ways!

Rento: Well then, let’s do our best.

Kazunari: Does this mean you’ll continue working with us?

Rento: Well, I’ll do it as long as I don’t get fired.

Akashi: Ah, me too

Izumi: Awesome!

Izumi: Alright, first, I’d like to reintroduce you to the leading roles of the second half of the show, starting with Sakuya.

Sakuya: I’m Sakuya Sakuma and I’m the lead for the second half of the show. Once again, I look forward to working with you.

Rento: Yea, nice to meet’cha.

Akashi: What bright… colors.

Izumi: (In addition to the high level motivation, the staff has been strengthened, and the interpretation the troupe members have of their roles have deepened through the success of the first half.)

Izumi: (If we can progress without a hitch until the curtains open, our second half will definitely be a success as well!)

…

*Phone rings*

Reni: …

Yukio: Hello?

Reni: It’s me, kamikizaka.

Yukio: Reni?! Oh, thank god… I need you to listen to me!

Reni: Huh? What’s wrong?

Yukio: My daughter came to see my play the other day!

Reni: O...oh… I see.

Yukio: I was happy when you and I talked over the phone but I'd didn't think I'd be able to see my daughter in person too. It made me really happy.

Yukio: This show was super important to me because it was my last performance in that theater. I’m so glad my daughter got to see it.

Yukio: Now, I’ve moved to a new town and joined theater troupe here. It’s hard work but it’s fulfilling.

Yukio: I‘ve got to admit though, seeing my daughter made me miss everyone else in Japan.

Reni: …I’ll bring you back to Japan. That’s what I promised you.

Yukio: Yeah… Oh, speaking of which, what’s up with you today?

Reni: Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.

Reni: I was talking with Kashima regarding your disappearance and heard that you left the theater world due to “certain circumstances”.

Reni: I didn’t get to ask you directly the last time we talked but I ended up hearing about the incident from kusumi Ikagura.

Reni: With the help of Syu, I managed to get some information which led me to a certain person.

Reni: I understand you are keeping silent for the sake of your troupe’s members here in Japan. However, in order to properly corner the opponent, I need this information.

Reni: I want you to believe in me and tell me the truth.

Yukio: …

Reni: If my understanding of the situation is correct, then the one who banished you from the theater world in Japan was—

▼・ᴥ・▼

[magicians-purelove]

A3! Promotion Event Translation - Haunted Western-style House (1/9)

*Please read disclaimer on blog

---

Masumi: (My lectures are over… let’s go home.)

*notification sound*

Masumi: …It’s from Tsumugi.

Tsumugi’s LIME: “Masumi-kun, are you still at school?”

Masumi’s LIME: “I’m here, but I’m about to go home.”

Tsumugi’s LIME: “Hold on. I’m by the Fuyou uni’s main gate right now.”

Masumi: …?

Masumi’s LIME: “Why?”

Tsumugi’s LIME: “My part-time job was close to the university.”

Masumi: (Right. Come to think of it, he was telling Director that he had his home tutoring job this afternoon…)

Tsumugi’s LIME: “Let’s head home together”

Masumi’s LIME: “Sure. I’ll be right there.”

-pause-

Tsumugi: The train sure was packed.

Masumi: It was the evening rush hour, after all.

Tsumugi: Ah.

Masumi: ?

Tsumugi: Can I stop by the convenience store over there for a moment? You can head back first, Masumi.

Masumi: I’m not in a rush or anything. I’ll go with you.

Tsumugi: Really? Alright, let’s go then.

-pause-

Tsumugi: Thanks for coming along with me to the convenience store, Masumi-kun.

Masumi: Don’t mention it. You even bought me a drink…

Tsumugi: I already said this earlier, but don’t worry about it. That was a thank you for accompanying me.

Masumi: Okay, thanks.

Tsumugi: By the way, have you been in touch with Hatsue-san these days?

Masumi: Only once in a while because of the time difference… And it’s more grandma who calls me.

Tsumugi: I see. That’s wonderful.

Masumi: Yeah… I guess so. Is your grandma doing well?

Tsumugi: She is. I visited home few days ago and she gave me a whole bunch of snacks to bring back as a gift.

Masumi: Right. Those tasted good.

Tsumugi: Fufu. I’ll let my grandma know the next time I go back.

Masumi: Go ahead.

Tsumugi: Is Hatsue-san planning to come back to Japan again this fall?

Masumi: That’s what she said. It looked like she wanted to come visit grandpa’s grave on their wedding anniversary. But she said she might arrive a little later this year.

Tsumugi: I see. So it will still be some time until you can see each other again.

Kazunari: Ah, if it isn’t Massu and Tsumutsumu!

Masumi: …Kazunari.

Tsumugi: Are you also on your way home, Kazu-kun?

Kazunari: Yep. I was doing an assignment at school and it ended up later than I expected.

Tsumugi: Ah, got it. Great work today.

Kazunari: Ooh yeah. Did you two know there’s a western-style house in Veludo City?

Masumi: No idea.

Tsumugi: Ah. I just happened to hear about that from the student I was tutoring today. It’s hardly been used, but they’ve been doing renovation work on it since half a year ago, right?

Kazunari: Yep, that’s right! And apparently, the renos are almost done.

Tsumugi: Wow. I wonder what they’re doing with it.

Kazunari: Nobody knows yet. But rumour has it that it’s gonna transform into Veludo City’s newest date spot!

Masumi: Tell me more about it in detail.

Kazunari: Woah, woah. Chill dude, I said it’s still just a rumour! I’ll be sure to let you know once I get more news on the sitch!

Masumi: …Alright.

Tsumugi: I hope it’s a place you can go on a date just like the rumour says.

Masumi: Yeah.

---

| next

[magicians-purelove]

Japanese Theatre Terminology

I thought I’d make this reference post for myself and for everybody who, reading the translations on this blog, may have run across these technical theatre terms and wish to better understand their full meaning.

From now on, I’ll refer to each of these terms in Japanese for the sake of brevity.

※ Please note this isn’t supposed to be an extensive guide of all the steps leading up to a stage performance, but only a summary of the main stages, as explained by Tamaki Yūki in his posts and on this detailed text.

Needless to say, if you run across any mistakes or misinterpretations, please point those out to me! Thank you very much!! 

顔合わせ = kao-awase - All the people involved in the play meet up for the first time. It’s also the opportunity  for the Cast to get to know each other and to read through the script for the first time.

稽古 = kēko - It simply means “rehearsal”. It’s actually an umbrella term, as there are many different types of kēko. These are:

読み合わせ = yomi-awase - It’s a formal reading of the script. The Cast and the producers sit around a table and the actors simply run their lines. No props nor sets involved at this stage.

立ち稽古 = tachi-gēko - A “stand-up rehearsal”. It’s the first rehearsal where the actors run their lines standing up and perform each scene. At this stage, they don’t perform the play from start to finish, but instead they go over each scene/act separately many times. It’s a very important stage, where the actor will receive all the necessary corrections from the Director. 

通し稽古 = tōshi-gēko - Once every scene has been properly rehearsed, the Cast performs the entire play without interruptions. This stage is divided into three parts:

粗通し稽古 = ara-tōshi-gēko - At the beginning of a tōshigēko it is alright if the actor forgets his lines or improvises.

スッタフ見せ通し稽古 = staff-mise-tōshi-gēko -  Similar to an ara-tōshi-gēko. It takes place in front of the entire Production and the whole Crew in order for them to understand the full structure of the play.

衣装付き通し = ishō-tsuki-tōshi - After the fitting, the actors finally perform wearing their costumes. 

小屋入り = koya-iri - All rehearsals on set are over and it’s time to step into the actual theatre for the first time.

仕込み = shi-komi - On the appointed day of koyairi, the staff prepares the dressing rooms and the technical staff sets up the stage and all the props to allow the Cast to perform.

場当たり = ba-atari - It is the first rehearsal where the actors, in full makeup & costume, get to familiarise with all the props and the stage. It is time for them to finalise positioning with the Director, as they go over their scenes. It’s not a full rehearsal, instead it focuses on a few specific scenes/acts of the play. It is also the chance for the technical staff to run sound & lighting checks while the Cast is on stage.

テクニカルリハーサル = technical rehearsal - The technical staff is involved in this. The Cast doesn’t take part in this type of rehearsal.

ゲネプロ = genepro - It’s short for the German “Generalprobe”, i.e. “General Rehearsal”. It’s the very last full rehearsal and it looks exactly the way the audience will experience it. It is generally at this stage that the Media and the Press are invited in to interview the Cast and to take pictures (囲み取材 - kakomi-shuzai), and sometimes to film part of the performance in order to promote the show. For the record, a genepro can be omitted; if so, that is if the Production decides to go from baatari straight to the performance,  the process is called 乗り打ち (noriuchi). 

稽古打ち = kēko-uchi - It’s a nomikai a.k.a. a drinking party where the entire Cast meet up to pump each other up for the show - generally, they all drink much less than after the end of the run (lol)!

本番 = honban - The play is finally performed in front of an audience. 

打ち上げ = uchi-age -  When the last show is over (千穐楽 - senshūraku), it’s time to celebrate! Truth be told, it’s just another nomikai.

[magicians-purelove]

Free! The Final Stroke Part 1: English Subtitles!

There aren’t adequate words to express my happiness

Keep reading

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A3! Flower Meanings: Harugumi

Incase you haven’t been able to tell by my blog, I am really passionate about flowers! (+ flower language)

In A3! every character has a flower associated with them. As you might have heard Tsumugi talk about from time to time, almost all flowers have some sort of meaning to them. What Tsumugi is talking about is something called Hanakotoba (花言葉), which is Japan’s language for flowers!

Japanese flower language can differ from time to time from Western flower language, so incase you were ever wondering what your favorite A3! character’s flower means I am here to tell you! (This will be split up into 4 parts, one for each troupe, or else this would have been one REAALLLYYY long post 😅)

Warning: Long Post Ahead

Keep reading

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Harugumi In A Nutshell

Number of brain cells

Most: Sakuya - probably the most down to earth and level-headed out of all of them

Masumi - only because he loses some around Izumi

Itaru - the adult who has a questionable lack of brain cells because it’s all lost to gaming

Tsuzuru - that college kid who perpetually runs on 2 hours of sleep, w’dya think he has left to run on

Least: Citron - do i need to explain

HOWEVER,

Harugumi Stage Actors In A Nutshell

Number of brain cells

Most: Ryugi Yokota (Sakuya) - wholesome and good-natured, as responsible as Sakuya

Yukki Maekawa (Tsuzuru) - does his job properly, realistic chap

Toshiki Tateishi (Itaru) - number of brain cells compared to the first two fall by a huge margin, will start laughing at something and will never stop until someone scolds him (cite example: Mankai Stage Radio he was grouped with Sho Jinnai (stage!Tenma) and Akazawa Ryotaro (stage!Taichi) and he couldn’t stop laughing while doing his intro)

Yamato Furuya (Citron) - can be serious at times but 99.999999% of the time his energy is comparable to that kid who makes loud noises when you call your parents (cite example: mankai stage radio, yukki was trying to finish his recording and yamato was in the background coughing violently and kept interrupting yukki)

Least: Hikaru Makishima (Masumi) - just look at the picture above and you’ll know who Hikaru is within a split second and if you follow his social media you’ll see that sometimes he has close to none

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A3! Mankai Stage Spring 2019 

Se-Kyo Manzai Banri got R O L L E D by Sakyo 

AHAHAHHA RIP KENTA’S THROAT THO

[magicians-purelove]

[DOWNLOAD] A3!! downloads masterpost

I have some requests about “A3!!” stages so I made masterpost for all who asked.

Warning! To get access to the links from Tenimyutopia community you should make account on LJ and join this community.

Mankai Stage “A3!” ~Spring & Summer 2018~

https://tenimyutopia.livejournal.com/535214.html

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av40031423?share_medium=android&share_source=copy_link&bbid=XY115031D20E057A91B935AA3C6506D78FEE4&ts=1570354908587

Mankai Stage ”A3!” Spring 2019

https://tenimyutopia.livejournal.com/527291.html

Mankai Stage “A3!” Autumn & Winter – 2019

https://tenimyutopia.livejournal.com/511813.html

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1TJ41117G2/?spm_id_from=333.788.videocard.1

STAGE FES 2019-2020

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1UJ411h7XP?from=search&seid=5752202508839104063

“A3!!” Kanpai Tansan – 4

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Wb411479w/?spm_id_from=333.788.videocard.10

“A3!!” + Orangina Kanpai Tansan – 4

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Rb411w7Jr/?spm_id_from=333.788.videocard.0

Mankai Stage “A3!” – Summer – 2019  Natsu-Kumi Hitori De Kouen Uchiage Party Seihaishin

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1xE411X7tk/?spm_id_from=333.788.videocard.3

[magicians-purelove]

Okay so my Tatsunari Photo Collection has just arrived at my house. And I’m now totally devastated. HE IS SO CUTE SO BEAUTIFUL HOW CAN I NOT LOVE HIM?!

You can buy this photo collection on sumabo jp, I wonder if Amazon has this but you can check (＾∀＾)

[magicians-purelove]

Celebrating my Tatsu’s 28th Birthday!

I bought a cake but having eaten it before taking this photo 😭 I will buy another one tomorrow 😭🎂

Dear my Tatsunari-kun,

Thank you for always being my motivation 🤍

This year Tatsunari’s career has been improved so much. I’m so in love with your Jamie in TL5Y 🕺🏻and your Daniel in JTR Musical ❤️‍🩹

Watching you on the stage like this makes me feel that you have been more and more mature. Hope that your career will improve more and more. And that everything will bloom and come true next year 🥰

Besides, next year, my 28-year-old Tatsunari will celebrate his 10th anniversary as an actor 🥳 *can you hear me sobbing*

Starting from Tenimyu 🎾 like this

Then Butai Naruto🥷🏻

AkaYona Stage 🐉

And Haisute 🏐

Yowamushi Pedal LA drama 🚴🏻‍♂️!

Next is musical La cage aux Folles 🕺🏻

Bokuasu 👩‍❤️‍👨

Butai Makai Tensho ⚔️

Roméo et Juliette 🎶

Elisabeth 👑

Arrgh Toho why does not release BD/DVD 😠

Nigehaji 👩‍❤️‍👨

Musical West Side Story 🎶

Phantom 🎩

TOHO Musical Lab “Call” 🎶

The Producers 🌈

Love Letters 👩‍❤️‍👨

Ginga Tetsudou no Yoru 🌌

The Last 5 Years 🕺🏻

Jack The Ripper Musical ❤️‍🩹

Slapstick this year 🎞

And muscial Kimiuso in 2022 👓!

Lastly, wish my Tatsunari a happy birthday! And hope that 2022 will be a wonderful year for you! Love you so much 🥰

これからもずっと応援し続けます。お誕生日おめでとうございます 🎂

[magicians-purelove]

[CLOSED] Hypnosis Mic: Rule the Stage -Battle of Pride- DVD SPLIT

Hello everyone, I will be doing a Hypnosis Mic: Rule the Stage BoP DVD split!

The DVD contains:

- Live stage in Yokohama (2021/08/25)

- Rule the Stage -Flava Edition- (Battle between Akabane Division and Asakusa Division)

- Documentary of BoP

DVD released & shipping date: 2022/01/05 (in Japan)

It will spend about 1 month for me receiving the DVD after shipping done in Japan.

I will rip the files asap after receiving it and send the link of the files to who split this DVD with me.

For now, there are 4 people joining. When the slots are full I will announce about closing this split. Once I do so, there will be no additional slots.

Please DM if you’re interested or have any question about the split. You can contact me through DM on Tumblr!

After contacting me, I will put together the split information for you such as the fee, and the MOST IMPORTANT: THE RULES. Please understand and follow the rules before joining!

I don’t use Paypal due to the expensive fee, instead, payment is through TransferWise.

I’m looking forward to your contact!

Reblogs are greatly appreciated 🙇🏻‍♀️

[magicians-purelove]

[TRANS] Lý do vì sao các bạn nên stan NamJoon: Khả năng vận dụng ngôn ngữ và chơi chữ với Tiếng Hàn

Hãy đảm bảo bạn có thời gian để đọc bài viết ngày một cách chậm rãi và kĩ lưỡng, nếu như bạn chưa thực sự có thời gian rảnh, hãy lưu lại trước rồi sau này đọc tiếp vì bài viết này theo cá nhân mình – từ lúc đọc được bản Eng tới lúc tìm tư liệu để dịch bài vẫn luôn tâm đắc, và dù quá trình dịch bài và xác nhận thông tin khá vất vả nhưng mình vẫn muốn dịch để mong các bạn hiểu hơn về lời nhạc của BTS nói chung và NamJoon nói riêng có ý nghĩa sâu sắc thế nào, và vì nó khá khó hiểu đối với những fan girl không rành tiếng Hàn nên mình mong các bạn hãy đọc kĩ. Cám ơn bạn thejoonmoon đã viết bài và cho phép mình dịch bài này, cám ơn bạn Bẹp đã giúp đỡ mình trong việc xác nhận một số cấu trúc ngữ pháp tiếng Hàn, mong các bạn không mang bài dịch của mình ra ngoài nếu chưa có sự cho phép của mình.

1)  흥탄소년단/Fun Boyz

저 위 정상들이 보이지 일상에 상을 하나 더해 난 이상해지지 정상인 상태로는 정상에 못 가요 baby

 “Cậu thấy đỉnh núi ở xa kia phải không? Thêm một giải thưởng nữa vào cuộc sống thường nhật của tôi, tôi sẽ trở nên kì lạ. Cậu không thể chạm tới đỉnh nếu như cứ bình thường vậy đâu cưng ạ”

Trong phần này NamJoon sử dụng từ  “정상” - từ này có 2 nghĩa khác nhau phụ thuộc vào việc bạn dùng nó theo nghĩa là danh từ hay tính từ. Nếu là danh từ thì nó có nghĩa là “Đỉnh núi” (Như kiểu điểm cao nhất của một thứ gì đó) nhưng nếu là tính từ thì nó có nghĩa là “Bình thường”. Trong câu thứ nhất NamJoon dùng từ  “정상” với nghĩa là danh từ để hỏi mọi người có nhìn thấy đỉnh núi không. Tới câu thứ 3 thì cậu ấy sử dụng từ này theo cả 2 nghĩa. Nếu dịch thô dòng cuối thì nó sẽ là: “Ở trạng thái bình thường thì thì bạn chẳng thể nào chạm tới đỉnh núi”.

Ở dòng thứ 2 cậu ấy cũng dùng một kiểu chơi chữ khác, từ “일상” là danh từ nghĩa là “Hàng ngày” trong khi từ “이상” là tính từ có nghĩa “Kì cục”. Cậu ấy đã dùng cách chơi chữ kết nối ở dòng này. Âm đầu tiên của từ “일상” là “일” nghĩa là số 1, âm đầu của từ “이상” là “이” có nghĩa là số 2. 

Cụ thể ở câu thứ hai này mình có thể giải nghĩa như sau: 하나: nghĩa là 1 더해: cộng Vậy nghĩa đen câu “일상에 상을 하나 더해 난 이상해지지” là 

“nếu cộng thêm một (하나=일) vào từ “일상” thì tôi sẽ có từ “이상” (1 + 1 = 2).

Và hãy chú ý sự lặp đi lặp lại (gieo vần) của từ “상” trong suốt phần rap của NamJoon nữa nhé.

2) 고엽/ Dead Leaves

모든 낙엽은 떨어지듯이 영원할 듯하던 모든 건 멀어지듯이 너는 나의 다섯 번째 계절 널 보려 해도 볼 수 없잖아 봐 넌 아직 내겐 푸른색이야 마음은 걷지 않아도 저절로 걸어지네 미련이 빨래처럼 조각조각 널어지네 붉은 추억들만 더러운 내 위에 덜어지네 내 가지를 떨지 않아도 자꾸만 떨어지네 그래 내 사랑은 오르기 위해 떨어지네 가까이 있어도 나의 두 눈은 멀어지네 벌어지네 이렇게 버려지네 추억 속에서 난 또 어려지네

 “Như thể từng chiếc là thu đã rơi rụng, tưởng như mọi thứ ngỡ là mãi mãi cũng dần biến mất, em là mùa thứ năm của anh. Dù anh có cố gắng để nhìn thấy em nhưng vẫn chẳng thể nào làm được. Nhìn xem, với anh em vẫn là màu thiên thanh. Dù cho trái trái tim chúng ta chẳng muốn cất bước nhưng vẫn phải bước đi theo bản năng. Sự ngu ngốc của đôi mình như quần áo cần giặt giũ, từng mảnh từng mảnh bị treo lên. Chỉ còn những ký ức màu đỏ thắm rơi rụng trên một anh đã vấy bẩn. Dù cho anh chẳng rung cành cây của mình, lá vẫn cứ thế mà rụng. Đúng vậy, để tình yêu của anh dâng lên thì nó phải rơi xuống thôi. Dù mình có ở gần bên, đôi mắt anh vẫn trở nên xa dần xa dần. Cứ như vậy, anh bị vứt bỏ. Anh một lần nữa trở về ngày còn trẻ trong những ký ức của mình”

Toàn bộ phần rap của cậu ấy không những vô cùng đầy ý thơ với cách lặp vần và nhân hóa cùng toàn bộ cách sử dụng từ ngữ mà điều bạn cần phải chú ý hơn là cậu ấy rap theo thứ tự alphabe. Bắt đầu từ câu “마음은 걷지 않아도 저절로 걸어지네” trở xuống, động từ cuối mỗi câu đều được sử dụng theo thứ tự bảng chữ cái.

Một phần bảng chữ cái tiếng Hàn mà NamJoon sử dụng *từ trái qua phải* là:ㄱㄴㄷㄹㅁㅂㅅㅇ - Nó cũng như thứ tự abcdefgh trong bảng chữ cái tiếng Anh vậy (Tức là những từ này trong bảng chữ cái tiếng Hàn có thứ tự tương đương với abcdefgh trong bảng chữ cái tiếng Anh chứ không phải chữ “ㄱ” nghĩa là chữ “a” nhé, thực chất “ㄱ” là chữ “k/g” trong tiếng Hàn cơ ^^)

Bây giờ các cậu hãy chú ý đến phụ âm đầu trong âm tiết đầu tiên ở cuối mỗi dòng nhé.

걸 어지네 , 널 어지네 , 덜 어지네 , 떨 어지네 ,떨 어지네 ,멀 어지네 , 버 려지네 ,어 려지네

ㄱ,ㄴ,ㄷ,ㄸ*,ㄸ,ㅁ,ㅂ,ㅇ

a,b,c,cc*,cc,e,f,h

*ㄸ là phụ âm đôi, là nhấn âm của ㄷ. Trong 1 số bảng chữ cái thì phụ âm đôi sẽ đi sau phụ âm đơn nên Namjoon vẫn đang sử dụng từ đúng với thứ tự bảng chữ cái tiếng Hàn.

Thêm 1 điều các bạn cần chú ý ở đây là sự lặp đi lặp lại của cấu trúc kết câu với “-네”. Cấu trúc này được sử dụng khi người nói chỉ vừa mới chú ý tới điều gì đó và mang hàm ý bạn bị bất ngờ với điều xảy ra. Ví dụ như bạn đã lâu không gặp một ai đó, bạn sẽ nói kiểu như là: “Cậu trông xinh ra/đẹp trai hơn đó”. Trong tiếng Hàn, bạn sẽ sử dụng động từ cuối câu  “네” cho trường hợp này theo cấu trúc câu “__ 예뻐졌네” *xinh* hoặc “__ 더잘생겨졌네” *đẹp trai*

Tương tự như vậy trong phần này, nó có ý như NamJoon là người đầu tiên phát hiện ra trái tim sẽ bước đi theo bản năng, rằng sự ngu ngốc được treo lên từng chiếc một, rằng tình yêu của cậu ấy phải có lúc trầm thì mới đâm chồi nảy lộc được hay cậu ấy đã trở nên trẻ lại trong miền ký ức của mình và nhiều nhiều nữa. *Cậu ấy bị bất ngờ về những điều ấy* Tuy không có gì nhiều nhặn *vì chỉ là cấu trúc giao tiếp thông thường* nhưng đã thêm cho chúng ta một mức độ mới để diễn giải sâu hơn lời nhạc của cậu ấy.

3) Always

난 세상을 이해하기 위해 사는데 세상은 날 이해한 적이 없어 왜 아니 딱 절반이 모자라 날 해하려 하잖아 

“Tôi sống để thấu hiểu thế giới này nhưng thế giới lại chẳng bao giờ chịu hiểu tôi. Tại sao thế? Không, chính xác là một nửa đã bị mất đi. Nó đang cố làm tổn thương tôi.”

Ở đoạn này, NamJoon sử dụng động từ “이해” có nghĩa là “thấu hiểu”. Khi cậu ấy nói “chính xác là một nửa đã bị mất đi”, NamJoon đang ngụ ý một nửa của từ “이해” ý là chữ “해”. Động từ “해하다” nghĩa là “làm tổn thương” đó là lý do vì sao mà cậu ấy nói “Nó *thế giới này* đang cố làm tổn thương tôi”. Thế giới này thiếu một nửa trong việc thấu hiểu cậu ấy, vì vậy nó đang cố tổn thương cậu.  

Ngoài ra mình còn muốn nói về việc cậu ấy sử dụng cấu trúc câu “날 해하려 하잖아”. Thông thường cấu trúc câu với từ 잖아(요) được sử dụng để nói đến vấn đề mà cả người nói lẫn người nghe đều biết rõ hoặc để nhấn mạnh/ xác nhận vấn đề mà hai bên đều biết đã rõ đó

Bằng cách nói: “날 해하려 하잖아” ý NamJoon muốn hỏi lại người nghe rằng chúng ta có thấy rằng thế giới này đang cố để làm tổn thương cậu ấy không. Điều này đã thêm toàn bộ cảm xúc mới cho lời nhạc của Namjoon và tớ rất muốn mọi người có thể thấu hiểu những điều mà cậu ấy gửi gắm.

Source:  thejoonmoon

Một số nguồn thông tin ngữ pháp tiếng Hàn tham khảo tại: Link 1 -  Link 2 - Link 3 

Lưu ý: Có 1 số đoạn mình không dịch sát với bản Eng và 1 số chỗ thì thêm thắt theo sự hướng dẫn của bạn Bẹp

[magicians-purelove]

A Stupidly Long Oikawa Analysis

   The main issue with Oikawa is that he's not naturally gifted, which is emphasized a lot in the show. For example, the last episode of the season one match of Karasuno vs Seijoh was named "Oikawa Tooru is not a Genius". Despite that, he's still the best player on Seijoh, and is highly respected by his teammates as a setter and their captain. Due to not having any natural skill or technique, Oikawa resorted to compensating with his own tactics. He knew that, no matter how hard he tried, he would never have the same technical skill as a genius like Kageyama. Instead, he used his own skills in analysis and communication to bring out the best in his spikers.

   This is why, despite being called Grand King, Oikawa is depicted as a mighty general. He leads his soldiers, and in return, they trust him with their lives and fight with him. The amazing thing about Oikawa's leadership is that his teammates trust him because they know he can lead them. They understand that Oikawa has honed their skills and improved them all as players. He's helped them all, and when a game comes, they understand that all he asks of them is to keep trusting him. Trust that he'll send them a good toss, trust the strategies he'll formulate, trust his leadership.

At the end of the day, Oikawa knows he doesn't have the technical skill of a genius, so he dedicates his focus to improving his whole team. The origin of this focus would probably come from the episode where he almost backhands Kageyama in middle school. Iwaizumi intervenes and literally knocks some sense into him. They fight and yell, but then Iwaizumi tells Oikawa, "There are six people on court! The team with the best six players is the best!" Oikawa seems to have an epiphany then. He seems to realize exactly what his best friend is saying. It seems very straightforward at first, but it clearly not all that simple. Oikawa thought that he had to improve himself as a setter so he could carry his team to victory. He was trying to be a king. Luckily, he had Iwaizumi to cut off that train of thought very early on.

I loved how the show compared what Iwaizumi said to multiplication and addition. Oikawa thought that he had to improve himself because he thought you just mushed together the strengths of each player. That's wrong. He learned that you multiply the strengths of each player instead. It took me a bit to understand that one too. The way I look at that, it means that each player will affect one another when in a team. They can't just play as individuals that happen to be on the same side of the court. By trying to add the powers of your team, you just stack them on top of each other. By multiplying, you take what you already have and make it greater by merging it with something else.

If you like visuals, think of oil and water vs baking soda and vinegar. Adding oil to water increases the overall volume of liquid, but they never combine. If there is a cup of water and a cup of oil, you get two cups of liquid. Baking soda and vinegar doesn't just stack; it explodes. If you have a cup of vinegar and a cup of baking soda, they'll make way more than two cups when they combine. The players get stronger when together.

So, Oikawa stops trying to become a king. He obviously does keep trying to improve as a player, but he starts to focus more on his spikers. He realizes that he can compensate for his lack of natural technical skill by using his own natural skill of reading people and adjusting his responses adequately. Oikawa is a versatile player, and a very flexible setter. He gives his energy to improve his team, and they respond by giving their energy to get better and win. I found it interesting how loyal his teammates were to him. It brings me back to Oikawa being a general and not a king. Kageyama is high, untouchable, and barks out orders as the king, while Oikawa is the brave general who leads the soldiers. Oikawa fights alongside his soldiers. Kageyama stays in his palace, highly revered, but alone. The difference between them is that people are forced to follow Kageyama because of his unparalleled power. People follow Oikawa because they trust him with their life.

It's actually one of my favorite pieces of symbolism in Haikyuu. Kageyama was a genius from the beginning. His skill was something he was born with, and now he's king. When the eldest prince is born they have the birthright to become king. Kageyama got his title simply because he was lucky (

I love Kageyama, and I know he worked very hard, but he was mainly able to get there because he's a natural born genius. Generals have to rise through the ranks and work for their position. Some soldiers in history were actually more loyal to their general than to their king. Generals risk their lives with their soldiers. The king commands from the palace. The analogy doesn't really work for their relationship, but it's great for their individual characters.

As for Oikawa's relationship with Kageyama? It's complicated, as most things with Oikawa are. Oikawa is Kageyama's upperclassman, and It's evident that Kageyama once looked up to him. At first, I never understood why Oikawa hated Kageyama so much. It was fairly obvious that his underclassman basically worshipped him, and I thought it would do wonders for his ego. However, it seems so much more obvious after a bit of rewatching. Middle school Kageyama was a natural from the start, and middle school Oikawa was just a mess of overworking, burning out, and crippling insecurity masked by egoism.

Oikawa hated that he worked himself to death to make the cut, then some random bright eyed prodigy first year just comes in and steals the show. Maybe it wasn't reasonable to hate him so much, but middle schoolers aren't reasonable. Some people say Oikawa was supposed act more mature and responsible, an that he should have had more self control with his feelings. They seem to forget he was a CHILD. He was a literal child; he just entered adolescence, and he was still learning. He shouldn't be expected to handle things like an adult when he isn't one. Oikawa was just SCARED. He loved volleyball and didn't want to be replaced by Kageyama. He overworked himself so he wouldn't be dispensable. I agree that he should not have tried to hit Kageyama. However, you can't say that it makes him a bad person or character.

Oikawa wasn't really in his right mind at the time. It was clear that he was in the middle of an adrenaline rush of sorts from overworking himself. He was visibly agitated and overwhelmed, but, Kageyama approached him. This isn't Kageyama's fault either. While I do think he should have been able to tell it was a bad time to ask, Kageyama was an even younger child. He was never good at reading people either, so Kageyama can't be held accountable. Imagine, though, how Oikawa felt. He was in the middle of training so he wouldn't be replaced, and who decides to interrupt? The person he's trying not to be replaced by. Again, not Kageyama's fault, but you must understand that Oikawa was afraid. He was stuck in this swarm of negative thinking, and the very source of so much of his fear and insecurity was suddenly right in front of him. It wasn't right of him to do that, but you can understand why he did it.

That's another very interesting part of Oikawa. It was his worst fear come to life when he was subbed out for Kageyama in one of their games. It was too much for him, and he just finally snapped. Thankfully, Iwaizumi's lecture struck a chord in him, and he made an apparent effort to remember it. However, I don't think it made his fear go away. In fact, I think his fear of being replaced originated much before middle school. Obviously, I have no idea when exactly, but I would have to guess it started around the middle of elementary school at the latest. This is mainly because I believe Oikawa's obnoxious personality is a sort of defense mechanism used against this fear. Oikawa is objectively very good-looking, flamboyant and charming; he's also very popular among girls.

I found it very interesting that he was portrayed to be a heartthrob by the media, but was seen to be very immature and honestly quite annoying. Around his friends he acts very childish, but switches again to his charming persona when around fans or other classmates. It was fairly clear that something wasn't right. I wanted to believe it was just inconsistent writing, but one of Furudate's greatest strengths is building characters; I also saw no clear consistency problems with other characters. I believe that Oikawa switches personas depending on what reputation he's trying to uphold. We know Oikawa is insecure at heart, and we see him trying to play it off by being prideful.

If we go back to his fear of being replaced, I find reasonable to believe that Oikawa acts the way he does so that people don't get bored of him. He wants  a reputation, because that means people will know about him. Something that is consistent about his personas is that he's very sociable in both. He's childish, loud, and constantly wants attention, or he's always laughing, flirting, and joking. It's almost as if he believes that everybody will find someone new if he doesn't remind them he's still there. He thinks people will get bored of him, so he constantly tries to make sure people stay interested. A lot of people say that Oikawa is too annoying and narcissistic, but he does it because he's afraid people will get rid of him if he doesn't keep their attention.

That also leads to another major part of Oikawa's character. I actually believe this may be the biggest part of his overall character. There's something that sets Oikawa apart from every other character. Regardless of if you like him or not, you can't deny that there's an energy about him that's just different. He's the closest you'll get to an antagonist in Haikyuu, but you also get to see his soft sides. We see the love he has for volleyball and for his teammates. It's strange to see so many different sides of a character. It's also interesting how Ushijima wanted Oikawa join Shiratorizawa. It's understandable, considering Kageyama still hadn't developed and Oikawa was the best setter in the prefecture.

So, the question I always wanted to answer: Why didn't Oikawa go to Shiratorizawa? Yes, the fandom exaggerates it and loves to joke about it, but it was a real question for me at first. Oikawa wanted to go to Nationals, and joining Shiratorizawa would have guaranteed it. Best ace and best setter in the entire prefecture on one team? They would blow the competition away. It would have been much easier if Oikawa had indeed swallowed his pride and joined Shiratorizawa. However, it seems that it wasn't necessarily about all about "worthless pride". Of course it was a factor, but Oikawa wouldn't let his pride get in the way of his dreams; he's smarter than that.

It was then that I started to notice a recurring pattern with Oikawa. He's a direct opposition to the main characters. He refused to join a powerhouse team for an easy ticket to Nationals. He uses his personal strengths to improve instead of being upset over what he doesn't have. Oikawa is an incredibly unique character because of his sheer will to do things the way he wants. Oikawa is a setter; he's a control freak, but in a less direct way than Kageyama. He doesn't force everyone to adapt to him, yelling, "You better follow me!" Rather, he goes his own way and says, "Follow me if you dare."

He carves his own path, regardless of what others say. Seijoh was destined to lose from the beginning. Furudate loves symbolism in Haikyuu. Notice how every national level school is represented by an animal? The mighty eagle of Shiratorizawa, the wild crow of Karasuno, the clever cat of Nekoma, the soaring owl of Fukurodani? What does Aoba Johsai have? A castle. Aoba Johsai translates to Blue Castle. While the other teams fight, jump, and soar, Aoba Johsai is beautiful, strong, and reliable, but they will never fly. It was almost as if Oikawa went to Aoba Johsai simply to prove he didn't need Ushijima to go to Nationals. Looking at it like that, it indeed makes it look like Oikawa refuses to go to Shiratorizawa out of pride. However, I like to see it as more than that.

First of all, Oikawa's greatest wish was to defeat Shiratorizawa in order to go to Nationals. OIKAWA DOES NOT SETTLE. He refuses to settle for only half his dream. Maybe it's too prideful, but it would invalidate the years of hell he put himself through trying to accomplish it. It was like Ushijima was telling him, "Hey, you tried your best, didn't you? You can't beat me, and all your years of work are for nothing. Just join us and give it up." It was insulting to him. Oikawa's sheer perseverance was what got him where he was. He took everything the world threw at him and threw it right back. Suddenly, it all stops and he's offered an olive branch of sorts. The world doesn't offer everything he wants, but it's something. Just enough to get him to stop fighting back.

Oikawa wants all or nothing when it comes to his passions. It's risky, maybe not a very smart decision, but that's just who he is.He doesn't want the olive branch; he wants the whole damn tree. Oikawa wants to look at Ushijima, to scream from the top of the world, and tell everybody who didn't think he could make it, "I DON'T NEED YOU." He wants to show people they were wrong. No, he's not a genius, but he doesn't need to be one. He wants to follow his dreams his own way or he doesn't want it at all.

Second of all, Oikawa wanted to go to Nationals with Iwaizumi. Oikawa and Iwaizumi were together their entire lives. They played, they laughed, they cried, they won, they lost, but they were always together. Oikawa needs Iwaizumi specifically because he trusts that he'll never be dispensable to his best friend. Iwaizumi is his support, the way he grounds himself when things are too much. Oikawa and Iwaizumi want to go to Nationals together. It's not some fantasy they conjured up; it's their childhood dream. Oikawa wouldn't be willing to let go of that. Again, Oikawa refuses to settle. He wants to lead a team to Nationals with his partner, or he doesn't want it at all.

   Oikawa was willing to risk everything. He wanted to go all in. Maybe it was wrong, and maybe it was just worthless pride. Regardless, it shows us his unparalleled passion for the sport. He deserved so much better than what he got, but life isn't fair. Haikyuu shows us that. It's almost discouraging to see Oikawa lose. If you look at it, between Oikawa and Kageyama, Oikawa is actually the underdog. Kageyama is the genius player and Oikawa just tries his best. Haikyuu is an underdog story, but sometimes the roles are not as we think.

(⚠️!!SPOILERS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER!!⚠️)

When Oikawa is seen as the "final boss" as the official setter of Argentina's Olympic team, it's the cherry on top to confirm what type of character he is. THIS MAN WAS SO DAMN PETTY AND DETERMINED TO FOLLOW HIS DREAMS THAT HE IMMIGRATED TO A DIFFERENT HEMISPHERE. He was so determined to make his own path that he made a name for himself on the other side of the world. He was virtually unknown, and had to start from scratch all again. What happened? He actually did it, and now he's the main focus of his team. I have such a ridiculous amount of respect for Oikawa. The determination that man has is unparalleled.

I believe Furidate also uses Oikawa as a model to teach us that, yes, it's discouraging to be surrounded by people better than you, and failure is inevitable. However, it you can use those failures as a lesson to improve yourself, and if you stick to your goals until the very end, the world will get tired and it'll work out in the end. Oikawa tells us that it's okay to be bold; he tells us to understand that it takes time to succeed, and you will succeed. He tells us to treasure those who support us, because the trust they have in you is more than you could ever know. In the end, Oikawa really accomplishes his dreams. Maybe Iwaizumi isn't with him, but Oikawa has learned by then how to live without him and vice versa. Instead, he gets to fulfill his promise of defeating him when they face each other.

Oikawa never got to go Nationals, but now he's at Internationals. Now he finally gets to beat Ushijima, Kageyama, and Iwaizumi all in one spot. We don't even get to see the result of the match, which is actually something I love. Oikawa is the only one we know in Argentina; it would be unrealistic to try to decide a winner between the two teams if we don't know the strengths and weaknesses of each player. Regardless, we finally get to see Oikawa get what he deserves. Maybe it will work out for him, and maybe it won't. Something amazing about leaving an open ending is that we get to analyze the characters as we please, and we get to imagine what happens ourselves. It's actually one of Furudate's best pieces of symbolism in the whole series.

Their stories are not over yet. Maybe Oikawa loses again, but he keeps going. Maybe he finally throws the towel. Who knows? Characters are ever changing, but I believe Oikawa will stick to it. Then again, maybe his knee injury will force him to quit. Life is unpredictable, but Oikawa's determination has been constant throughout the whole show. The way he grew as a person, a player, and leader, just enraptured me to no end. Oikawa is one of the most fascinating characters I've ever come across. I don't like picking favorite characters, but I genuinely believe Oikawa is the most well written and complex.

That concludes my 3,000+ word rant/essay about the wonderful anomaly that is Tooru Oikawa. Honestly, there's definitely more that I forgot to incorporate or have not thought of, but this is what I have!! Thank you for reading through all that?? Also, I'm not going to go through that and edit it, so feel free to comment if anything makes no sense :)

[magicians-purelove]

「If you get really good, I promise you, someone who’s even better will come find you.」

[magicians-purelove]

I found the most depressing sound in the world

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