#|| character: shikane

[ampersketch-art]

Gale of Darkness - Shikan Mist-Rise Forest - Roldal

Two of them.

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Is it normal for Koito to be a high ranking soldier at his age? How did he do that? That's pretty impressive to me. Hopefully it's not because of his father's influence. I don't remember reading about this in the manga, so I was wondering if you'd know! Thanks :)

For Koito to have that rank is absolutely normal.

Premise, things in the Army changed through years so I might be slightly off in regard to what happened in the years in which GK take place, but I hope this will give you a general idea of how things worked.

Now... you can losely split the Japanese Army in two branches, those who studied to become officers and those who didn’t.

Whose who didn’t study to become officers start in the army with the rank of Nitōhei (二等兵 “Second Class Private”) and, normally, can rise up till Sōchō (曹長 “Sergeant Major”). There are rare cases of some rising even higher (usually reaching at most Tai-i (大尉 "Captain”) unless they lived in wartime... in this case they had a chance to rise even higher) but they’re not the norm, especially if they keep on not attending officer school (and attending to officer school might be an option they don’t have).

Those who study start with the rank of Shōi (少尉 “Second Lieutenant”) and can rise up till the rank of Taishō (大将 “General”).

Koito attended the Rikugun Shikan Gakkō (陸軍士官学校 “Imperial Army Academy”) so, same as Yuusaku and Tsurumi, started his career in the army as a Second Lieutenant (you can see Tsurumi managed to rise to First Lieutenant, all the characters above in ranking to Tsurumi also started as Second Lieutenant and managed to rise higher).

The fact Koito is a Second Lieutenant means that he’s basically fresh from the Imperial Army Academy and has just joined the Army.

The soldiers below Koito, who might be in the Army by longer time than him, never went to the Academy and only received a mandatory training. Some of them, like Sugimoto, decided to join the army on their own, others were conscripted as some years of military service were mandatory. You might notice there are no Second Class Privates in the story because that’s the rank soldiers get when they’re receiving their training and then they’re moved up to First Class Private.

A special case is Kikuta.

You might read in the English translation he’s a Warrant Officer, but in the Japanese text he’s defined as Tokumu-Sōchō (特務曹長  “Special duty sergeant major" or “Master sergeant”) which is kind of an obscure rank that was around only for few years and that later was fused with Jun-I ( 准尉 "Warrant officer” or “Associate officer”) and disappeared, hence why they went with Warrant Officer in the translation.

Tokumu-Sōchō is a rank for whose who didn’t go to the Army Academy but just rose to the top of the ranks for those who didn’t study to become officiers and therefore are not considered an officier.

Jun-I is also for whose who didn’t go tot he Army Academy but are considered an officier. They can also be given the chance to attend the Academy and therefore further rise in ranks (though keep in mind things changed a lot through the years so I’m not sure about how this applies during GK).

All this to say that yes, for Koito is normal to have such rank and, more than due to his father’s influence is due to his father’s money that he was allowed to attend military school (Ogata is poor and although he aims to rise in ranks he can’t attend military schools, not even the Rikugun Yonen Gakkō (陸軍幼年学校 “Military Preparatory School”) at which one attends prior to the Academy)... same goes for Usami who wanted to attend to it to get close to Tsurumi).

Once you attend school, if you successfully finishes it, you’ll have such rank so it’s not really impressive, it’s just the first step in the officers ranking system.

What the manga says is impressive and which Koito accomplishes is that he was studying to attend to the Navy Academy and instead switched to the last minute to the Army (due to meeting Tsurumi). Since there’s an exam to pass, Koito managed to prepare himself in record time. Now... it’s still possible they were more lenient with him due to his father’s rank and title (I mean, rejecting the son of his excellency Koito? It really wouldn’t look good) but I tend to think Koito just made it on his own, as, when he decides to, he seems to be a hard worker.

At least those are my two cents on it.

I hope it helps!

[wanderingmind11]

Chapters: 18/? Fandom: Senjou no Valkyria | Valkyria Chronicles Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Juliana Everhart/Zeri Characters: Zeri (Valkyria Chronicles), Juliana Everhart, Avan Hardins, Clementia Förster, Lotte Netzel, Aliasse (Valkyria Chronicles), Mischlitt (Valkyria Chronicles), Magari (Valkyria Chronicles), Class G (Valkyria Chronicles) Additional Tags: Canon Rewrite, Slow Burn, This will be wild, Sexual Tension, Loneliness, Swearing, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Angst and Feels, Game: Senjou no Valkyria 2: Gallia Ouritsu Shikan Gakkou | Valkyria Chronicles II Summary:

Zeri is a young Darcsen man from the city of Randgriz. His drive and determination led him to be admitted into Lanseal Royal Military Academy. Juliana Everhart is the daughter and heiress of one of the most prominent noble families in Gallia. She's already made a name for herself as a student at Lanseal. Zeri and Juliana see each other as rivals. They eventually realize the very real chemistry they have with each other, as their lives become forever intertwined against the backdrop of military academy life, competition, and an ongoing civil war raging across the country.

Valkyria Chronicles 2 reimagined, with Zeri x Juliana as the main focus.

[ofkxnoha]

@inumbratte 

              “ does your wife have to be that loud, Shikamaru? “

[wafermelons]

my heart is still breaking from your take on the replaced mc au >:(( i dont think i could ever forgive you.... unless make a part 4- (read: please continue the series it's so good,, your writing is SO GOOD)

replaced MC au. pt 4

characters: OM! boys

genre: angst

warnings: abandonment issues(?), swearing

a/n: you never said it had to be comfort so 😋 as you can see, my simeon favourtism is showing

tags: idk if yall wanted to be tagged but i still did it

@jiminslajibolala @letsblazewolf @lemonandlime22 @crystal-freak24 @furblrwurblr @wawadraws12 @929497 @elizabeth-brown @neptune-cinths @moemoesenpai @delusional-angel @lmao-liz @ryokuu @jeancolors @nanamadama @prefesro @mammonl0ver @tenyaiidafan @bikkss @eckya @shikanou @reveltica @2d-brainrot @faboo-moon6

pt 1 pt 2 pt 3

it was clear to you. the brothers did not love you for you, they loved you because you had ties to lilith. they loved you because you were their only link to their dead sister.

belphegor killed you once. only when he found out you were lilith's descendant did he regret what he had done. the brothers cast you aside the moment they found out laila was related to her as well.

what if you weren't related to lilith? what if you had no ties whatsoever to their sister? asmodeus would have charmed you already, you would not have lilith's blood flowing through your veins, the only thing keeping you from being manipulated by the sin in the devildom.

if you were just a normal human, not lilith's descendant, not versed in magic at all, would you still be alive to this day after having to be an exchange student?

>>>>>

the plush of the bedding gave comfort to your aching body and throbbing mind. you graoned, stretching your limbs with a soft moan.

as your eyes fluttered open, you could feel your face to be slightly sticky. dried tears? your eyelids were puffy and you could feel the salt residued on them. definitely tears. the soft glow of candles entered your vision, allowing yourself to slowly adjust as you scanned the room.

where were you?

the smell of vanilla hinted with myrrh was present as you sluggishly shuffled around in the sheets of the bed. you inched yourself to sit up against the headrest of the bed, noticing a dark figure seated on a green, cushioned chair.

you called out but your voice was hoarse, sounding much like gravel scraping against gravel. the body perked up, turning to you with a book in hand.

"MC, how are you feeling?" the sweet sounding voice of an angel spoke out, soft and gentle.

simeon put his book down and stood, making his way to your side as you rested against the wood and a pillow.

"do you need me to bring you anything? i could make you some tea? i have a few flavours that might help with the fatigue."

a tired smile set on your face, trying to swallow whatever saliva you had left in your dry mouth to lubricate your sandpaper throat.

"it's alright simeon, just some water will do."

as he poured you a glass of water from the flask set on a nearby table, you examined the room. a metal chandelier hanging from the ceiling with few candles lit. a dim lamp on the nightstand by your side, the flame within flickering to stay alive. the soft light gave a warm glow to the room, cozy and welcoming. just what you needed.

a stack of books on what you assumed was simeon's desk, along with papers, a quill nestled in a small inkwell. a closet and a few drawers, seemingly holding simeon's clothing.

your attention turned back to simeon as he handed you a clear glass of water. he didn't speak, only dragging a small chair to your side to sit by you.

downing the glass, you put it down on the nightstand and smiled once more.

"thank you simeon," you said, your throat feeling much better.

"what happened?"

simeone took in a breath, looking down at his thighs and exhaling a sigh.

"after the spell, you came back to purgatory hall with laila, solomon and i. i wanted to give you your own room but none of the rooms were ready so i just gave you mine. you knocked out without a word, MC... solomon said it was the aftereffects, that it took a toll on you. still... i... i was worried.

luke was very worried as well. that child was quite unhappy with what happened to you, crying along the way. he thought you would be sent to celestia. muriel was able to calm him, they baked some goods for you beforehand to feed you when you awake."

you put a hand on his, him now looking up at you, "i'm fine now simeon, see?"

he nodded and gave a shaky breath, "i was just so worried... you were calling out in your sleep. you were crying... but solomon told me not to wake you. he called it the 'coping process'. i didn't want to leave your side in case you woke up. i've been waiting here for you... i wanted to make sure you were okay."

you stared down fondly at the hand that rested on his thigh and placed yours on it. rubbing the back of his hand with a thumb, "i'm alright, simeon. you really are an angel, waiting for me..."

"how long has it been?" you asked, now looking up at him.

"2 days MC. would you like to come out and see everyone else?" your head tilted slightly. everyone else?

"i mean luke, muriel, solomon and laila. we haven't let the brothers take a step in purgatory hall. solomon said they would cause a fuss and interupt your rest."

you nodded, "sure. will you help me out?"

>>>>>

you sat at the dining table with the three angels and other fellow humans, laughing and eating away. luke's food definitely did give you back your strength.

they were dearly worried, seeing simeon hold you to help you walk even though your limbs worked fine. after giving them some reassurance and explanation, they were relieved.

"do you like the food MC? i hope it's to your liking..." luke asked, pouting while giving you those adorable puppy eyes.

"i like it very much luke," you answered, giving him a smile.

"so MC, we were able to grab some of your things from the house of lamentation thanks to the help of laila, but most of your things are still there-"

before solomon could finish his sentence, there was a loud banging at the door. you startled at the sudden loud noise, nearly dropping your cutleries.

"is MC awake? please let us see them!"

"laila please open the door, dear! we just want to see you and MC!"

you saw laila's previously happy smile turn to annoyance as she heard the avatar or lust call out to her, trying to get her to invite them in when they clearly weren't.

you sighed, recognizing the familiar voices. simeon visibly frowned at the unwelcomed guests trying, already standing up out of his chair, "don't worry MC. i'll handle them."

you shook your head, smiling weakly and putting a hand on his shoulder, "it's okay simeon. i'll go... see them myself. sit down and enjoy the food."

simeon gave you a worried look, but trusted you knew what was best and sat back down in his seat.

approcahing the door, away from thr dining room, you gripped the doorknob and took in a deep breath, calming youself before opening it.

met with the avatars of lust, gluttony and greed, you tilted your head to one side slightly, hand still gripping the doorknob.

"what? you wanted to see me?"

the three demons faces turned to those of relief and happiness.

"how did you even know i was awake?"

asmodeus answered, nearly throwing his arms around you but restraining himself, "beel felt your gluttony being satisfied! we guessed you woke up to eat and we were right! it's so good to see you again MC-"

ah. you forgot about the pacts.

"just say what you need to say."

"MC... would ya come back to the house of lamentation? we're all worried about ya... and we just wanna apologize and make it up to you and laila," mammon said, his eyes not being able to meet yours the whole time.

"i'm having dinner right now with the rest, so i'm busy. now if you would leave-"

"but MC-"

"leave," you commanded, feeling the power of the pacts working. the three demons had their mouths shut as you slammed the door, being unable to fight the magic that worked on them.

you let out a sigh and slumped your back on the door. without a word, you felt a hand rest on your shoulder. you looked up to be met with simeon standing over you.

"are you alright MC?"

you gave him a weak smile, your eyes now shifting down to the floor and nodding. you were tired. so, so tired of everything that had happened. everything rushed back at once, all the memories, all the happiness but also the pain.

it was all still fresh in your mind. the surge of emotions that came all at once in the span of a few minutes when solomon removed the spell. you could feel everything.

you felt your eyes water as you shook your head, revoking your previous answer. your knees feeling weak as you slowly slid down the door.

your tears were not hot from anger, not rushing down your red face. your face was pale and tired, tears streaming down slowly as if to symbolise the way you slowly built the brother's relationship back up. only to fall quickly to the floor, just like how the brothers discarded you without a thought.

you were crumpled in a ball, not bothering to wipe your tears as simeon shuffled to your side and wrapped his arms around you. the warmth emanating from him as he stroked your back with his cape draped on you.

protected. that's what you felt.

unlike the uncertainty of anything that would happen in the house of lamentation.

>>>>>

the brothers watched from afar as you sat in the canteen, laughing happily with the group of exchange students.

this was how it was supposed to be from the start. you should have stayed in purgatory hall, along with solomon, simeon and luke. then eventually laila and muriel would come. this was how it should have been.

without the pain, the death, the threats.

no one dared approach the brothers, the aura around them completely different to yours. they were jealous, joyless, resentful.

buy most of all, they felt guilt. guilt and regret.

"do not bother MC anymore if you care about them. do not approach or pester them. you have done enough. allow them to heal, and eventually, when the time is right. maybe, just maybe they shall forgive you."

that was all that was said by lord diavolo and barbatos to the seven brothers after the reversal spell. nothing more, nothing less. diavolo had not contacted lucifer for any new paperwork, all lucifer would do now was watch how happy you were with the others.

at time he did want to apprach you, all of them did. lucifer was willing to push his pride aside, all he wanted was his relationship with you to be mended. he wanted you back.

mammon wanted to apologise, beg for your forgiveness. he was willing to go on his knees, embarass himself in front of all of RAD. even pay all the grimm he owed to you and more, sell his car, his clothes, willing to work for the witches again. he no longer went to the casino, he only tried to figure out ways to get you to talk to him once more. give him one more chance to prove to you that he was yours.

leviathan hadn't been gaming as much recently, all streams halted. he tried to drown himself with games, tried to distract himself from the pain that was in his heart. but all those save files written 'Levi and his Henry!' reminded him of you even more. he hated how you looked so happy with the rest, but of course, who would want a shut-in otaku like him?

satan was enraged. enraged with himself. he wanted to tear up the house of lamentation. his room was a mess, books torn and thrown, papers scattered and crumpled. he was about to go on a rampage through the house of lamentation, but that same day, you returned to the HOL to get your items and move to purgatory hall. his angered self was met with yours, pain traced with fear in your eyes while his was full of rage and remorse. he couldn't feel his own sin anymore after that day, only feeling tears and heartbreak.

asmodeus had slept with more people. why was he caring so much about you? huh? you were a simple human! he was a stunning, handsome demon, loved by many throughout the devildom. so why was he reminded of you every single time he tried to bed someone? why was he reminded of your joyous face? one not filled with lust, but love.

the twins could not do what they normally did.

beelzebub no longer ate, his appetite practically gone except for the occasional snack lucifer forced him to eat. everything that reached his tongue was now tasteless. nothing he shoved down his mouth he could stomach, nearly throwing everything up.

belphegor tried to sleep. he tried to ignore everything that happened. but how could he? each time he closed his eyes, tried to doze off, he was met with your tear stained face. your tears would then turn to blood as the scene of him sadistically murdering when you just wanted to help him. how could he? when his large bed full of pillows felt so cold and empty without you lying next to him.

perhaps this was for the best. they all thought, you were so much happier, healthier, in the hands of your fellow humans and angels.

you cold not bear look them in the eyes, each time just quickly walking past them or being shielded by simeon, solomon or muriel. luke was too short to cover you and laila could not tolerate the sight of them.

thus, they all watched from afar. their ears straining to hear your seraphic laughter once more, eyes and mind trying to capture that genuine look of happiness on your face once more. trying their best to remember the you that loved them, once more.

you did love them, you did. truly. but it was time for you to give some of that love to yourself. it was fine to be selfish, to say no and to allow yourself time to heal. it was fine to not forgive someone, to take back that love and invest it somewhere else where it would be reciprocated tenfold.

it was fine, to finally realise that the brothers could wait for you.

they've waited for you to arrive in their lives for millennia, to fix their broken family. they could wait a little longer for you to fix yourself.

[mia-japanese-korean]

A Celebration of Bravery, Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1865, 8th lunar month, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Japanese and Korean Art

two separate sheets; each sheet has a portrait of a man, both facing each other; man on left wears dark blue garment with white geometric lattice-like patterning and has a round element behind him with a large black text character; part of tattoo of dragon and wave visible on man's arm; man at right wears black garment with grey geometric patterning and has both his arms bare, with tattoos of figures and flowers, with a large irregular form behind his head; background behind both men is red with white rectangles Se troupe: Nakamura Shikan IV (R); Mo troupe: Bandō Hikosaburō V (L). Rightmost two sheets from a set of seven, not a series. Size: 14 1/4 × 9 1/4 in. (36.2 × 23.5 cm) (sheet, each, approx., two vertical ōban) Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127796/

[tellywoodtrash]

Hi TTji, here I am with more TV digest. SP: MHRW - Amma replaced by new actor with HECK LOT foundation to 'darken' her and Raghav is TPDBD. Same plot (luck again FL, ML taking badla, FL turns innocent, ML being savior) in a loop. YRKKH - Sensible for time being. Sirat's ex is in picture. Kartik & Sirat have healthy convos. Obv Rhea is dying to break the marriage and grab most wanted Munda for herself. SNS - Most sensible leads as of yet? The show still remembers she wants education??? [1/4]

Aksjdlsakjdlskajdlskajldkjslj TPDBD has truly entered myyyyy daily vocabulary as well. It’s such an amazingggggg acronymmmm. Fitteh muh on these fucking ppl who can’t just hire one actual dark skinned actress. I hate this show without even watching it because of everything it stands for. It offends me on a personal level. 🤬🤬🤬

Ofc YRKKH mein abhi bhi shaadi ka silsila jaari hi hai. Ouff, India ke wedding industry ko iss ek hi couple ne kaayam rakha hua hai. 🤑🤑🤑

SNS ke baare mein I never cared, and I never will. 🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️🤷🏽‍♀️

YHC - Not Chaahat, only mystery and horror like Aahat. FL attempting to expose villains but ML blind cuz it's his true mum and step bro. Anu - Overdramatically yet sensibly depicting divorce and it's ripple effects on fam (kisses for healthy maa-beta & saas-bahu jodi). SM - Preeti is replaced by Nupur from MJHT.  KT pretends to be good friend Keertan and shitty rich dude KT to Nu-*cough* Mohi/Preeti. Idk abt the kids. Imlie - Malini reacts normally seeing Imlie wear her sindoor. Finally [2/4] 

NO CHAAHAT, ONLY AAHAT 🤣🤣🤣

Anupama, SM, aur Imlie reiterating the life lesson ki pyaari beheno, zindagi mein kuch bhi karo, parrr shaadi mat karo, saaaaalon tak siyaapa hi siyaapa hai. Just be single, have awesome friends and pets, aur mazze ke life jiyo.

SAAKK - FL thinks ML in love with ex. ML clears the air, tells *cough* yells I LOVE YOU DAMNIT *oh wait that was another show* but same and FL is like WOAH. PANDYA - No one realises the DISASTER getting FL forcibly married to her beloved's brother (who marries his own lover) cuz now she gotta live in the same house with her beloved but as his bhabhi? ANNS - The  blind ML has been the most aware ML in ITV history. Understands to-be-wife being slighted and flips shit! Next is Zee, Sony & Colors 

SAAKK ki incredibly cute FL is stuck in such a michmichi-inducing (for me) show ke mera dillllllllllllll dukhta hai. Koi isko aur GHKPM ke Sai ko bas foreign bhej do where they can do padhaai and become their best selves without being distracted by boy troubles. Sahi kehte hain desi maa-baap, padhai ke waqt ladkon ke chakkaron mein nahi padna chahiye, warna poori zindagi kharaab ho jaati hai. Abhi dekh bhi liya.

Pandya mein seeing Sonakshi from KHKT ki bitchy choti behen be one abla bechaari, and Nazar show waali achchi behen being a hellraising chantomayi is giving me whiplash. Beech mein bechaare bhaiyya-bhaabi jabaran phasein, who kinda deserve it coz honestly wtf were they thinking forcing this bloody shaadi no one wanted. 🙄🙄🙄

ANNS ka hero is wholesome bean but ouff the FL’s family (???? is it even her family? Or her sister’s sasuraal or some shit in which case, phew.) Anyway kaafi off-brand Gauri Kumari Sharma vibes mil rahe mujhe FL se toh I can’t somehow get into it yet. 😐😐😐

ZEE. Kumkum - Pragya asking fam members to help her (Abhi in jail) Rhea (the twin who hates Pragya) agrees. Kundali - Preeta has her hair perfect in jail while ML tries to fix shit. Jindri - Locking wife in room is the new way of showing love. Katti Batti - shit show from promo so no info (total biwi#1 when she should be dumping his dumb ass). Rest IDK, the plots above my head. SONY. 7 1/2 - The show has bad prod quality for some reason. Not watching. (need more space for next so see you in #5) 

Yeh poora ka poora ZEE channel hi nahi chahiye mereko. Nothing on it has appealed to me since Qubool Hai and I highly doubt anything ever will. Bleargh. 🤢🤢🤢

Yeh 7 1/2 kaunsa show hai Sony pe??????? 🤔🤔🤔

KUDCA - FL runs away from marrying Veer. He hires fake bride (turns out it is FL who was briefly reunited with her bff who is now kothewaali). COLORS. Namak - Always abusive ML (can't act) now in love with FL (can act) and his family is shitty, as usual. Pinjra - Makers pulled a Main Na Bhoolungi. SSK - archaic shit is back. Shakti - ML post plastic surgery trying to convince FL that he is ML. Fans hate new actor btw. BB - Kid topped, so going to hostel? Bawara Dil - TOXIC SHIT!!! Love, Baby J

KUDCA ka main kya hi boloon, whole thing sounds like a clusterfuck.

Namak is such a weird mindfuck of a show, beech mein kuch kaala jaadoo type bhi hain. ML nafrat se pyaar tak pohunch gaya lekin majaal ho jo uske chehre pe shikan tak aaye. Someone explain to me why that Nazar waali daayan ki character is the mom to two of the ladies (who are easily in their 30s, yet mummy looks younger......... Must be all the kaala jaadoo), but everyone calls her didi, including her daughters??? Also why do these two families live together???? Why does this show exist in general??????////

Pinjra waali shaayad na bhoolegi but I sure forgot this show exists. Thank god for my brain just filtering out the info it doesn’t want and being like sorry 404, page not found. Saves me a lot of rage.

SSK mein I just need to know what new species Simar (or choti Simar, or whoever) is gonna metamorphize  into. May I suggest a cow, since that’s the only animal that gets any respect and protection in this country these days.

The way I gaspeddddddddddddddd when I saw OG Anurag Basu backkkkkkkkkk??????// Bhai is on what virgin-blood-drinking regimen ki he still looks exact same???? Sir pls to share sekrits.

Bawara Dil - First I’m ever hearing of this show, and thus, I really dgaf.

[thejsubexperiment]

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Episode 21 Runthrough (Part 21)

For Part 21, we’ll be doing two scenes and 7 lines. This one is a bit shorter than usual, but that’s okay. Please check out Part 20 if you’d like to learn about everything we skim over. Parts 20 through 24 are coming out on the same weekend, you see.

Scene 15 — Nameless Village, Doctor Marcoh’s House — Breda

ブレダ：ドクター ドクター。

ブレダ： いらっしゃらないのですか。

ブレダ：くっそ。

Scene 16 — Central Hospital, Hallway — Roy, Riza, Havoc’s Mother, Officer

ロイ：そうか。　

ロイ：ご苦労だった。

ロイ：手詰まりか。      

士官： では、失礼します。

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

ブレダ：ドクター ドクター。 (Bureda: Dokutaa Dokutaa.)

ドクター (Dokutaa): is a noun meaning “doctor.” It’s a loanword, and the character Breda is calling for, Doctor Marcoh, is called “Dokutaa Marukoh.” This is something irregular. Doctors in Japanese are generally addressed as “-sensei.” 

Translation: “Breda: Doctor, Doctor.”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

ブレダ： いらっしゃらないのですか。 (Bureda: Irassharanai no desu ka.)

いらっしゃらない (irassharanai): is the indicative, imperfective, negative conjugation of the verb “irassharu,” which is a verb used as an honorific counterpart of the copula “iru” (as well as “iku” and “kuru”). Here “iru” means “to be present” or “to be around” 

の (no): is the substantivizing suffix.

です (desu): is the polite variation of “da.”

か (ka): is the interrogative particle.

Please keep in mind that we’re not aiming for literary and commercially apt translations. Instead, we are aiming for translation that mirror the syntax and semantics of the original text, even if it will not be idiomatic.

Translation: “Breda: Is it the case that you are not [present]?”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

ブレダ：くっそ。 (Bureda: Kusso.)

Breda walks into the apartment and finds it ransacked. 

くっそ (kusso): is a noun meaning “shit.” And it is used as an interjection as well, as in English. 

Translation: “Breda: Shit.”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

ロイ：そうか。　 (Roi: Sou ka.)

This is an expression we saw in Part 20.

Translation: “Roy: I see.”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

ロイ：ご苦労だった。 (Roi: Go-kurou datta.)

ご苦労 (go-kurou): is a noun meaning “trouble,” as in the trouble one goes through to get the job done. This is part of an expression, which in real life tends to be “Go-kurou-sama deshita,” used when one’s co-workers are leaving the workplace to express that they have worked hard, and that you are thankful for their work.

だった (datta): is the indicative, past, affirmative conjugation of “da.”

Translation: “Roy: “It has been trouble.” or “Roy: Thank your for your work.”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

ロイ：手詰まりか。 (Roi: Tedzumari ka.)

手詰まり (tedzumari): is a noun meaning “deadlock” or “dead end.” What Roy is referring to here is that their lead to curing Havoc is gone and it’s unclear what they’ll do.

か (ka): is interrogative ending particle. You can take this rhetorically, if you wish.

Translation: “Roi: Is [this] a dead end?”

＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿

士官： では、失礼します。 (Shikan: De wa, shitsurei shimasu.)

では (de wa): is an conjunctival expression, made up of the gerund of the copula “da” and the topical particle “wa.” The topical particle marks the topic of the sentence, not the subject, but sometimes the topic is (on a contextual level) also the subject, which is why in translation it gets translated as such. In English, sentences always need subjects. “De wa” translates to “Thus” or “well then” “on that note,” because the “de” is encapsulating everything previous discussed and making that the topic.

失礼 (shitsurei): is a noun meaning “discourtesy.” This is an expression, being somewhat equivalent to “excuse me” or “thank you (for something I’ve had you do.)

します (shimasu): is the polite, indicative, imperfective, affirmative conjugation of “suru.” So the expression means “I will do a discourtesy” or “I will do something discourteous.”

Translation: “Officer: Well then, excuse me.” or “Officer: On [what was discussed] being [so], I will do a discourtesy.”

Facebook Twitter Instagram—Survey — Paypal - Patreon

[psychosibyl]

Do you think that there is a chance that Shikane will become canon and end up together? I just stumbled over that weird interview where the writer says he understands how ppl see them as romantic but it's more than that - it was quite a weird wishy washy answer. Like are they just buddies or more?

I don’t really think there’s a chance, no, but there is absolutely more between them than a platonic relationship. I think the writers are way too sold on what they planned vs. what the story became (and not just with Shinkane–I mean that in a number of ways, which is where a lot of my criticism of the newer installments comes from). What they referred to in the interview is the lovey-dovey kind of love anyway, not romance in what our sense of it in the English language entails, which is pretty broad. Seems to be a really common issue in translations. This isn’t the only series it’s happened in, or so I’m continually finding.

That said, I don’t think it’ll happen not because it’s not written in or because there’s some great reason behind why it won’t. I think it won’t happen because the writers seem far more keen on moving away from character in favor of Plot™. It’s a shame, because so many loose ends could be salvaged if they’d just turn inward again, Shinkane or not. In the end, characters are more important than any plot and certainly more important than any ship. The thing is, the writers just seem perfectly comfortable in leaving said characters and the connections among them stagnant.    

[goldenkamuyhunting]

Hello! I'm a huge fan of your blog, I ADORE what you write here.💖 Every week I look forward to your analysis and theories. Thank you so much for your hard work. (I also must confess that have a Golden Kamuy OC and honestly I can't tell how much you have helped me with her character development 😭💟) Also. I'd like to know what do you think about the ability of reading and writing in Golden Kamuy. Which characters do you think can and can't do it? Considering the low level of education that time

Thank you so much for enjoying my blog! I’m glad I was of some use to you!

Well, I’ve not such a deep knowledge of the school system back then but it seems Japan cared about school education.

Prior to Meiji era almost half of the male population and one tenth of the female population were literate, while primary education had spread in the countryside thanks to temples. After Meiji era Japan invested even more in schools as public education became one of the main focus of the Meiji government.

When talking about chap 226 I mentioned how elementary school or better ‘Jinjō shōgakkō’ (���常小学校 “ordinary elementary school”) was made compulsory from 1872 but it was extended to six years only in 1907. Before it only lasted 4 years.

After it there was ‘Kōtō shōgakkō’ (高等小学校 “High Elementary School”) which could last from 2 to 4 years and required paying a tuition.

So let’s divide the Japanese cast by age and social class.

We know Usami had birth in 1881 so he and all the ones who’re younger than him, clearly should have gone at least to the mandatory elementary school and have therefore the ability to read and write (how well and how many kanji they know is up to speculation). Usami also got to go to ‘Kōtō shōgakkō’.

The others might have gone or not... we don’t really know, but I fear it’s unlikely they progressed further as it was even more expensive.

Tanigaki is a Matagi but they likely were following the same rules as the rest of the Japanese and we see Tanigaki can read letters and telegrams.

Now... older characters.

We know Tsurumi should have had birth around 1866. In order to become an officer you’ve to attend to the Imperial Japanese Army Academy (陸軍士官学校, Rikugun Shikan Gakkō) or at the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy (海軍兵学校, Kaigun Heigakkō, Short form: 海兵 Kaihei) so yes, he (and Koito) attended to a lot of school years.

Now... I’m not sure which age Koito senior and Hanazawa are but as they were from high class samurai families they clearly were well schooled.

Sei Kobiyama has speculated Ogata’s mother might come from a samurai family which had fallen to disgrace so it’s possible he came from a family that used to be educated and therefore, in addition to mandatory school, he was also home schooled by his grandparents (as the official school might have been too expensive), which would make him someone who, despite not attending to not-mandatory schools, still have a good culture.

Hijikata is shown reading the newspaper and, in real life he even composed a death poem. Nagakura left his written memoirs. I take this mean both of them were litterate enough.

Ienaga was a doctor, so even though she’s pretty old she clearly studied a lot... and the same probably applies to Anehata.

Maybe some of the older convicts didn’t get to go to school, like for example Nihei or Gotou... or did in school poorly but overall I think almost the whole Japanese male cast had a basic schooling so they probably knew how to write and read a bit.

Now, Ainu.

Ainu are a special case as there were special schools made for Ainu (in 1880) which lasted 4 years that had a simplified curriculum than the ones made for Japanese kids.

In the beginning Ainu kids would not attend them (Ainu saw no use in them as those schools were VERY JAPANESE), in 1886 there’s only the 9.2% attending schools but by 1910 it has risen to the 92,2%.

It’s therefore difficult to say who of the Ainu did went to them.

As Ariko joined the army he probably did. We learn from Tanigaki that Makanakkuru is able to read and write Japanese a bit and therefore he probably will send Osoma to school once she gets of age. Honestly i’ve no idea about Kirawus, I think there’s a chance he can’t... or only a little bit like Makanakkuru, and I’m pretty confident Huci can’t.

Asirpa should have gone to school but skipped. It however seems she has learnt the kanji that were on the convicts thanks to her drawing them and Sugimoto telling her what they meant. I doubt Cikapasi attended school as there were no adults to send him there.

Inkarmat is clever so she might have tried to learn because she likely knows it would have benefits.

In Russia instead people from nobility like Sofia would be well schooled but the same can’t be said for common people as in 1897 apparently only the 33% of men and the 14% of women were litterate. Therefore it’s possible Vasily is not... but we can’t say for sure as we know nothing about his background and since he doesn’t have around Russian people he wouldn’t try to comunicate with them by writing.

Oh and we saw Wilk and Kiro learnt to read and write in Japanese and I take they probably could do it also in Russian.

I hope it helps.

Thank you for your ask!

[ofkxnoha]

Hana or Nobu (shikane)

@kattellya

    Think. Go to the right, grab the knife, throw it at the     enemy, fast roll forward, shadow technique, two more     down, Nobu’s throat slit. Dead. Think! Go to the left,     smoke granade - two enemies confused, cut the third,     two shuriken thrown enough to take down the fourth,     Hana’s neck broken. Dead. No, there has to be a way.     Jump forward, take down two, jump on to the third,     not fast enough. Both dead. Fourth step. Fifth. Seconds     passed already, and she is still without a way out.     She doesn’t have much time left. Not many possibilities     to rethink, before the Kiri ninja lose their patience.     Twenty seconds, in her estimate - twenty more options,     before she has to make a move. And none of those     she has already considered would lead her to save     both of her teammates. She is always a few seconds     off, a single step away. She has to make a choice. 

    Nobu is her friend, if she ever had one. Countless     memories flash in front of her eyes, as she tries to     evaluate his existance, his life, as she has to make a     bergain, and to count her losses. But then, Hana’s face     takes up all the space she has left in her mind. And she     knows. She’d hate herself later, she tells herself,     as she makes a step to the right… 

[ofkxnoha]

Shikane is ready! She is Shikamaru’s older sister, from Itachi’s/Hana’s generation. 

[mia-japanese-korean]

Autumn Moon at Sunamura: Actor Nakamura Shikan IV as Ōdera Shōbei, Toyohara Kunichika, 1865, 7th lunar month, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Japanese and Korean Art

standing figure looks over left shoulder in direction of moon; clenches sword sheath in mouth, holds cloak up with left hand, and carries a white lantern with kanji in right hand; he wears a dark blue garment with floral pattern and red lining and a light blue obi; robe has embossed edging; sword grip visible across center of his body--green, yellow, and orange; composing the background are green trees and a dark blue sky with a glowing full moon obscured slightly by a hint of smoky cloud cover; a pink and blue flower with five petals floats at TL and contains characters; three cartouches with characters to left of figure in trees--two white and one yellow; a circle with characters floats above larger of the two white cartouches Since the 17th century, The Eight Views–originally referring to scenic spots around the Chinese Xiao and Xiang Rivers–has been a well-established theme in Japanese art. Here, the eight locales are taken from famous places in the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and are juxtaposed with popular actors in the roles of well-known thieves and robbers. Kabuki plays on the underworld were popular during the mid-19th century, especially during the hot summer months when this series was put on the market, as the storylines were meant to give viewers a chill. Size: 14 7/8 × 10 3/8 in. (37.78 × 26.35 cm) (sheet, vertical ōban) Medium: Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/121507/

[mia-japanese-korean]

Actors Yamashita Kinsaku IV as Kumagai's wife Sagami (R) and Nakamura Shikan II as Kumagai Jirō Naozane (L), Utagawa Kunisada, c. 1833, 7th month, Minneapolis Institute of Art: Japanese and Korean Art

diptych; a (left): seated man with the bottom of his face hidden by his sleeve, wearing a kimono with gold and orange birds and tan and green could on a black background, and grey geometric patterns on white ground, and yellow socks; man holds a yellow fan with a red spot above his head; two swords in foreground; b (right): woman in profile from PL with head turned toward front, wearing a blue kimono with arching orange and green elements with blue circles and red hem, and underkimono of blue with white geometric lines; stylized pairs of black bird silhouettes at top; bold text at top and outer edges at center of each sheet; one character with round text cartouche at left edge in LLQ on a and at LLC on b Presumably related to the play Ichinotani futaba gunki 一谷嫩軍記, performed at the Nakamura Theater, 1833, 7th month. Size: 13 3/4 × 9 13/16 in. (34.93 × 24.92 cm) (image, sheet, vertical ōban, each) Medium: Woodblock prints (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper

https://collections.artsmia.org/art/90061/

[jgfiles]

Re-watching Joker Game: Ep 7 Code Name: Cerberus

So, as I proposed a re-watching, here I go continuing on doing the re-watching. Hopefully someone else will join! ^_-

Also, hopefully there’s someone out there that read all this stuff… as I know it’s pretty long… shame on me for analyzing things too in deep…

Mind you, what follows are my ramblings over Ep 7, comprehensive of my impression on how the frames were structured and so on with some occasional reference to the other Joker Game media.

Also, for personal comfort, I’ll use the characters’ names even if the anime hasn’t stated them yet. In short, as this is a re-watching and not a first watching, you’ll also get a telling that’s mixed with my knowledge of the future. Consider yourself warned.

Last but not least, many apologies for posting this so late but real life kept me rather busy this month…

And now, let’s start.

So yes, like in the previous episode I starts with the preview for this episode that was in Ep 6.

Now, we’re again in whatever place the previews take place.

Anyway in this preview we’ve Amari and Hatano.

Amari is folding a paper as he asks if there wasn’t an artist, a painter to be specific, who compared life to an ocean voyage.

Hatano answers quoting something “You start rowing from a small stream, enjoy the peaceful scenery, endure the wind, survive the storms,” while Amari keeps on folding the paper until he has obtained a boat. Then Amari finishes the quote for Hatano, “And flow into the ocean. What awaits beyond is boundless freedom,” before blowing on the ship causing it to fly away from his hand.

Sorry but I wasn’t able to find the painter who said the quote Hatano and Amari are referencing. If someone has more info I would love to hear them.

The preview is a reference to how the next episode will take place on a boat… but it can be seen also as a reference to how Amari will technically leave D Agency and move to Hawaii to take care of little Emma… because that’s what truly happened in the end even though the whole fandom, Miwa Shiro included, prefers to think he came back to D Agency with Emma. But well, we love Amari and we don’t want to lose him.

This is sadly the only interaction we see in the Joker Game anime between Amari and Hatano (in the manga they interact a little more).

And now let’s dig into the episode.

The episode opens up in a rather dramatic way.

As ‘Tōryaku’ [韜略 River] play in the background the scene opens showing us that there’s fire and people tied in the middle of it. Some of them seem dead already. One though is on his knees, panting hard, blood dripping from his side. There’s someone in front of him and it’s probably that someone who orders to plant explosives in the ship’s hold, twice the standard amount.

The wounded guy raises his head at this, eyes widening in shock.

Next we see is that the one speaking is a German, clearly recognizable due to the iron cross he’s wearing.

The one next to him asks about what to do in regards to the ship’s crew. We see that there are people still alive, closed in the engine room of what is likely a boat, banging on a door and asking to be left out…

…and soldiers outside the door keeping their arms raised against it so as to make sure they won’t manage to come out.

Anyway the German in charge comments that, as their information said, they had the instructions so they won’t let evidence behind, implying they would kill everyone. As the panting guy screams him to stop he raises his gun with a grin and, as the screen becomes black we hear a shoot, a clear hint that the panting guy was killed.

Now… Ep 7 has an awesome colouring, one of the best through JG. The fire is beautifully bright and I love how the room gets an orange tinge due to it.

But hum… back to the rest. This bit lasted exactly 32 seconds but it had a high dramatic value. At first we don’t really see the Germans, we’re just shown their victims. The bound people who’re either dead or unconscious, the bleeding sailor on his knees (to make things simpler I’ll tell you he’s Raymond Grane, even if we’ll discover this much, much later), the horror on his face as the German imply they’ll kill everyone, the crew begging to be left free.

We catch glimpses of German soldiers to show us that they’re actually in control of all those lives. The soldier who asks about the crew when they’re about to blow up the ship, the soldiers who’re guarding the door so the crew can’t escape. They’re the ones in power… but they’re actually not really acting, they’re just there, like objects. While what they’re doing is cruel and horrible… they don’t seem to either get pleasure or displeasure doing it. The question about what to do with the crew is said in a neutral tone, as some sort of clarification on the orders. In short, they’re represented as people who’s just there to obey orders regardless.

The one who’s really in power is the German officer… and that one came clearly out as a jerk.

It’s meaningful how his face isn’t showed until he gets the chance to express what sort of jerk he is.

We know he ordered to use twice the standard amount of explosive so as to make sure the ship will blow up… but we can assume he too is being a puppet obeying to orders. When asked about the crew… he sounds almost concerned… but it’s actually a mocking tone. When we finally see his face we hear him ordering what to do in regard to the crew. His order implies they all have to die and, once he gives it, he grins.

He’s not doing this in the impersonal manner of someone following orders. He’s enjoying it. He also grins again when he shoots at Raymond.

He has a very small role with few sentences, but it’s clear it’s not a good guy.

While JG often paints the Germans as jerks, in this case this is an interesting choice because that German was actually not being the ‘real cause’ due to which everyone died. It’ll turn out it’s McCloud, an Englishman like them, Raymond’s friend, who sold them out to get information.

Those people’s lives to him weren’t that important. So, even if the German is a jerk for enjoying what he’s doing… how much horrible McCloud is at backstabbing those people knowing the Germans would have very likely killed them all? Civilians, one of whom his friend?

It helps to make more understandable why Synthia’s hate, who should have been directed to the Germans who were actually the ones who physically killed her husband, actually turned on McCloud, the family friend who pretended to share her pain when, in truth, he sent her husband to death.

It’s 1940, they’re at war, the Germans are enemies from which they shouldn’t expect mercy… but McCloud was an Englishman and a friend. And caused Raymond’s death just the same. And no, it wasn’t to save English lives. It was so that he would look cooler. But let’s go back to the story.

Oh, not too sure if someone is interested but when the German guy raised his arm we could see his rank insignia and they label him as a Oberleutnant, the highest lieutenant officer rank in the armed forces of Germany. Among the voice actors he’s just labeled asドイツ海軍士官 (Doitsu kaigun shikan) which means “German Navy Officer”. No reference to his ranking is made. Personally I was expecting him to have a higher ranking (he even seems older than Bauer or Sakuma) but maybe it’s just me.

BTW Raymond Grane, according to the ranking on his hat and sleeve is a first mate (or chief officer or chief mate, do your pick, all those names work). Amari too will confirm this, later on.

‘Kikan’ [機関 Agency] starts and we gets Amari telling us the usual shortened version of the explanation of what D Agency is.

Then this ends and we get…

…the opening. Which is the same as usual. Amari is the forth spy that appears in it and we see him smoking and then smiling at the camera. If he does something at the end of it… well, I didn’t realize it (maybe he’s the one who smiles? I’m not sure though…).

Anyway the opening ends and we resume with ‘Joker Game’.

‘Yōkō’ [陽光 Sunshine] begins to play and we start… with a big cruiser boat, the Tokimaru (朱鷺丸).

The ship is currently sailing close enough to see some islands (which will turn out to be the Hawaii) so the passengers are on the bridge watching them. The ship’s captain confirms that they’re the Hawaii and that they should be docking in Honululu in three hours.

The contrast with what happened on another ship in the scene prior to the opening is staggering and it’s even increased by colours. While, due to the fire, the previous scene had a marked yellow, orange and red tinge, here the predominant colour are the blue of the sky and the sea and the white of the boat and of the sailors’ clothes, of the deckchairs and, of the clothes of someone who’s sitting on a deckchair (though, to be honest, they’ve a pale yellow and not a perfect white).

Anyway the first mate goes and ask that person if he’s not going to enjoy the view like the others. We can��t see that person face at first then he moves and… well, hello Amari!

Amari is dressed quite differently from usual and not because he’s not wearing his usual grey suit. In fact, we can see that instead than a tie he has a bow tie and instead than a fedora he has a pork pie hat, braces instead than a belt and no waistcoast. Maybe he’s meant to look dressed with an American flair since the ship is traveling from San Francisco to Japan (with a stop to Hawaii)?

Oh well, it’s not really a problem.

Amari claims he’s a little preoccupied… and then we’re shown what is tormenting him. A crossword puzzle. Before wondering if Amari is that obsessed with crossword puzzles or prone to worry over minor things give him a moment.

He starts asking help to the sailor in order to end the crossword puzzle... and that’s our clue. The D Agency boys were so very knowledgeable that it’s weird that Amari would be stumped on a crossword puzzle… for answers that a normal sailor can give him.

Well, to be honest the sailor can only give him an answer as he gets stumped as well at the next word. Anyway, as the two of them are talking, they hear a woman screaming “No! Stop! Stay!” in English, our clue that she’s English.

As the woman screams we don’t see her face, just her mouth…

…and then we’re shown the shadow of a small dog, a Scottish terrier, running in between the legs of the passengers.

The dog then turns a corner and appears close to where Amari and the First Mate are and runs past them and away from a woman, holding a child in her arms and now leaning against a wall.

Though the woman is far from Amari and the First Mate and much closer to the other passengers, none of them move to check on her, just Amari and the First Mate… which is, in my opinion, a bit weak. Amari is the first to reach for her and ask her what’s wrong. She claims a dog ran out of nowhere and startled her daughter, then put the little girl down. Now… maybe it’s a subbing problem but the one who seemed freaked out was the mother, not the little girl which seems weird.

Sure, later it’ll turn out the woman is actually lying but the lie is pitiful in itself as it would have worked better if she had said the dog startled HER.

Anyway, Amari bend down and asks the little girl to come with him. In present time it would be very weird for a stranger to do this but it seems back then it wasn’t a big deal. The little girl though is shy and moves closer to her mother. At this Amari whistles and causes dolphins to start jumping out of the water.

Now… I wonder if this is possible as dolphins aren’t trained dogs but well, let’s let this slide.

‘Sakura haru’ [桜春 Spring of cherry blossoms] starts playing as the little girl, Emma, is delighted that dolphin have appeared. This time Amari asks her if she feels like going to see the dolphins together and she accepts, allowing him to pick her up. Amari winks at the mother, who smiles at him and, after turning to the first mate likely hinting at how he entrusts the mother to him, carries the little girl to see the dolphins asking her what’s her name, to which she replies ‘Emma’.

Yeah, as many pointed out, in present time the whole thing feels weird as mothers shouldn’t entrust their little daughters to random strangers but whose were other times.

The mother seems to feel sick again (as I’ve said before either the subs messed up or the whole my daughter was startled doesn’t really work well as she’s the one who basically is feeling sick…) so the first mate asks her if she would like to return to her room, to which she replies she’ll be fine if she’ll rest a bit.

Meanwhile Emma is counting the dolphins jumping out of the water…

…and it’s surprised when, after counting five, she can’t see them anymore so she asks Amari where they went… to which he offers back to their home… which… hum… again is a bit weak as he could have whistled again and make them appear again, if it’s that what he did the first time. Emma wants then to know where’s their house, to which he has no answer.

Overall it’s a very pretty scene.

Emma’s mother, Synthia, joins them, thanks Amari, claims she feels better and gets Emma back. Emma is happy to go in her mother’s arms…

…and, other her mother’s prompting, thanks Amari, who replied it was a pleasure.

Now… in the book Emma was around 2. In the anime she looks older, around 4, and she can walk, but she will be mostly carried around in people’s arms which is a bit weird.

Still, Emma comes out as a loveable and cute child.

It’s also worth to note that Ep 7 is possibly the most visually pretty episode of Joker Game, both in terms of colours, composition of the images and effects.

I’ve mentioned how beautiful it was the fire in the intro scene but the sea is also awesome, both when we see the dolphins underwater, in which they use a wonderful effect to express the water refraction…

…or when it’s just in the background with the waves moving on its surface.

The characters are usually not static, which further proves the care used to animate this. Overall it’s definitely one of the most visually nice to watch if not the nicest.

We’re shown the ship continuing on its cruise, but it’s just a quick glance to help us smoothly accept the transition from a scene to the other. The Tokimaru won’t definitely be shown as often and with the same care as the Asia Express. On a sidenote the Tokumaru very likely is a fictional ship based on the Japanese ocean liners owned by Nippon Yusen Kaisha. Although the anime changed things a little, in the novel, this story was partially based on something that happened to the Asamamaru, so, very likely, the Asamamaru is the model for the Tokimaru.

However, since the whole thing was a diplomatic incident and a complex one, the anime preferred to change things a little and have a fictional boat (also the incident took place on January so, if they wanted this episode to take place in summer, they had to change things).

Anyway, due to all this, JG likely didn’t feel like the Tokimaru deserved the same attention that Asia Express got.

Back to the story and to Amari who tries to get back to his crossword puzzle to find a man peering at it curiously.

The man explains he was passing by and couldn’t help but be attracted by it. It’s very nice how they handled his body language.

Anyway he introduces himself as Jeffrey Morgan, someone who runs a small trading company in San Francisco. Amari presents himself as Osamu Utsumi, a Japanese engineer. As he’s giving out a fake name it’s clear that Amari is on mission.

Morgan admits he can’t walk away from a crossword puzzle…

…and Amari claims it’s perfect as ‘he’d like to borrow his knowledge for a bit’. It’s not so hard to guess Amari isn’t just as obsessed with crossword puzzles but he has ulterior motives for his invitation.

Anyway the two sits down.

The next we see as two glasses filled with what looks like sparkling white wine.

They’re relevant but the problem is ‘how had they gotten there?’. The two had apparently just sat down and yet there’s already wine served for them… which wasn’t there moments before, when they met (just look at the previous pictures and you’ll see no glasses on the table) and the one in the glasses is not just ordinary wine… not mentioning they won’t touch it for a while so they clearly hadn’t ordered it because they were thirsthy.

This is fundamentally the weakest point of all the episode… but we’ll discuss about it later on. Amari in the meantime is reading clues while Morgan is giving him the answers.

Amari then reads a definition “Variations, six letters,” and if we pay attention to his expression it’s not casual anymore and his eyes are kept in the shadows even if they’re looking at Morgan.

Even if it’s not overly obvious it’s a visual clue Amari is up on something. The other reacts with surprise at the definition then gives the answer. ‘Enigma’. Due to Amari’s confusion, Morgan explains that Enigma is also the name of one of composer Elgar’s masterpieces. Turns out that in the piece there are various still unsolved riddles and this helps Amari to switch the discussion on another unsolvable mystery, the encryptions made with the Enigma machine Germans are using.

Amari starts to sing praises of the Enigma machine and Morgan also adds some info about how the German Army improved it. Amari then claims that the movements of the German U-boats that had Enigma-encrypted orders would be completely unpredictable and this pushes Morgan to challenge that statement claiming that any form of encryption can be broken as long as one has a little hint.

Morgan is thinking that, if they were to have a message whose text they know, encrypted with an Enigma machine, comparing the two would give them clues… which is basically how the Rosetta Stone helped people to decrypt hieroglyphic scripts.

At this point Amari reveals his true face. He praises Morgan for being a really smart man in an amused tone then explains that since the Japanese Navy is also developing encryption machines based on the Enigma technology…

…they can’t let him slip inside Japan by pretending to be an American.

Please, note this as well. Amari says that Jeffrey Mordan is claiming to be American. It’ll get relevant later on.

Morgan is surprised, Amari rolls the newspaper and claims Morgan’s true name is Louis McCloud, whose codename in his country intelligence agency is “The Prof”.

Morgan, or better McCloud, bends on himself, as if defeated and claims that Amari is “Cerberus” before pulling out a blade that he kept hidden under the leg of his pants and using it to attack Amari.

While the movement is really plastic… well, it also seems pretty unnatural. The Settei book shows the first draft for that scene and that one looked a lot more natural even if maybe less spectacular.

Anyway Amari blocks the knife with ease using the newspaper…

…and presses his fingers against McCloud’s neck claiming he could use fingernails to cut his carotid artery…

…and here I’ll admit I’m not really knowledgeable enough to tell if this is possible or not as I’ve never tried killing people with fingers (on a sidenote how sharp Amari’s fingernails are?).

More likely though, he’s planning to kill him not by cutting his artery but by pressuring it so as to cause a vagal inhibition which can kill you really quickly. Either that or he’s bluffing… though, of course, claiming he’ll cut the artery with his fingers is way cooler than claiming he’ll cause a vagal inhibition so maybe they changed things on purpose.

McCloud gives up (probably understanding that Amari isn’t out to kill him and therefore he isn’t Cerberus) and Amari catches his chance to toss the knife in the sea.

McCloud starts questioning Amari on how he could recognize him since he undertook a huge amount of plastic surgery.

Amari explains he had only few bits of random intel on him like how he’s unable to ignore crossword puzzles and how the clues in the crossword puzzle were also tailored for McCloud. Still Amari claims that, despite the plastic surgery he could recognize McCloud even without the crossword puzzle because several of his facial features matched the picture he had as, like fingerprints, there are some things unique to each individual (we’ll discover later he’s talking about McCloud’s ear shape).

Now… okay, I don’t really get the plan here. Amari can force McCloud to disembark on Honululu and not get in Japan… but what after this? McCloud can always try using the next boat to reach Japan since Amari isn’t going to kill him. Wouldn’t be better to let him reach Japan and then arrest him there?

Unless part of the plan got cut due to time reasons this bit feels confusing.

However at this point the discussion between the two is interrupted. A ship is appearing.

‘Keiryaku’ [計略 Strategy] starts playing as people think the ship might be a Japanese one, then it turns out it’s not. What’s worse the ship shoots a cannonball close to the Tokimaru, causing the people on board to panic.

Allow me a second to praise how each passenger has a different face.

After firing the shoot we can see they have the English flag and that are raising another flag that means “Stop your vessel at once”.

McCloud confirms for us that the ship is from the Royal Navy in case we didn’t recognize the flag.

Behind him we can see people panicking and escaping. It’s worth to point out that, back then Japan and England weren’t at war yet. But we’ll discuss about this in a while.

McCloud feels confident, claiming he had fun playing with Utsumi’s (Amari’s) crossword puzzle and then, claiming this is a goodbye, picks up one of the previously mentioned glasses and drinks from it.

A music starts playing but I can’t recognize it. Sorry about it. Anyway as soon as McCloud drinks he starts to feel sick, drops the glass, begins to claim that Utsumi is Cerb… then dies.

‘ Seion’ [静穏 Quiet] starts playing.

The scene switches and we go back to the Greater East Asia Cultural Society. It’s clearly a flashback in which Yūki is handing Amari the current case. Yūki taks to him about Louis McCloud, showing him photos of the man…

… and telling Amari the man was hired by the SIS during WW1, working on decrypting German communications. He hads the man has changed his face and plans to travel from America to Japan. As Amari reads the documents at an amazing speed, Yūki tells him not to let McCloud set foot in Japan… and so this confirm my confusion. Even if Amari were to cause the man to disembark at Honululu what would stop him from coming in Japan with the next boat? And why McCloud felt relief when he saw the English boat? Amari had told him his purpose was to stop him from coming to Japan and, apparently, McCloud had figured out Amari wasn’t after his blood so even if he were to leave with the Royal Navy McCloud would still not manage to go to Japan and Amari would have won just the same.

Definitely there’s something missing in the plan but I’ve no idea what it is.

Meanwhile, as Amari stares at McCloud’s photo he says ‘Garderning plan’ and this is confusing because that’s the first time we hear about it, and we might think it’s Yūki’s plan for McCloud, not McCloud’s plan.

Sure, it was probably meant to hint at how Amari got info on what McCloud did that caused Synthia’s husband’s death but, right now it feels a bit random. But well, if that was the plan it wasn’t bad as an idea… only I fear it’s too distant and obscure to help people connect the dots at a first watch.

We’re back to the ships. Small boats are moving from the English ship to the Tokimaru.

Meanwhile the captain of the Tokimaru is questioning Utsumi (Amari) about Morgan (McCloud). Amari insists he just met him on the ship and so he didn’t know him and asks the cause of his death. The First Mate tells him it was due to cyanide poisoning. Hum… I’m not sure it’s a smart idea to give out info to Amari as he should be suspected but now I can finally rant about how the glasses were a problem.

In the Anime the glasses appeared on the table after Amari and McCloud started doing the crossword puzzle. They contain what is apparently the same drink. Now, as they contained apparently the same drink and McCloud picked up one at random, this means BOTH were poisoned. However we see no one coming close to them and poisoning them.

This should mean that poison was already inside them when they were delivered… but when they were delivered?

This is unknown. They weren’t on the table before Amari met Synthia and they aren’t on it when he goes back to his crossword puzzle and sees McCloud staring at it. They’ll just appear after Amari and McCloud sat down and started doing the crossword puzzle.

In order to deliver the cyanide the assassin should have seen them sitting down together, and then either poison both the drinks they ordered, or send them poisoned drinks with an excuse.

I’m saying ‘send them’ because the assassin apparently didn’t deliver them personally or Amari would have recognized that person (SPOILER AHEAD: the assassin is Synthia so if she had delivered them personally Amari would have suspected her way sooner). The problem however here is ‘how did she poison the drinks without being noticed by the one carrying them?’ and why no one checked from where the poisoned drink came from?

In the original version this story was pretty long, and even cut in two parts so it’s possible that this is all due to the anime having to cut too many things. Sure is the mystery part gets incredibly weak, which is a pity.

Anyway, back to the story, Amari thinks at McCloud’s dying words and figures that McCloud was targeted by someone whose codename was “Cerberus”.

The scene switch and we’re on the bridge of the ship. The English sailors have come aboard and the Tokimaru’s captain is protesting for what they’re doing, claiming they’re violating international law.

The English captain says he’s there to retrieve Jeffrey Morgan, an ENGLISHMAN who’s being held prisoner on a stateless vessel. Now, remember how McCloud was pretending Jeffrey Morgan was an AMERICAN? Yes, it’s a mess, especially because it’s totally random. Why should they want to retrieve him and even blow HALF of his cover (that he’s not American but not which his true name is) when the plan was for him to infiltrate in Japan? Or is McCloud trying to act on his own again? Or is he deserting England? Who knows?

In truth the whole thing is due to an anime change. In the novel the situation was based on what is called the Asamamaru Incident.

In fact in the novel the British wanted to get not Jeffrey Morgan but the Germans who were aboard the ship so they couldn’t return to Germany and then join the German Army. Yes, the whole thing was in direct violation of Japan’s neutrality and international law.

This is what basically happened to the Asamamaru and it’s something that worsened the anti-British sentiment in Japan.

The Anime makers admitted they found this too complicate of a side plot thread and preferred to change it. Personally I don’t think the idea is so bright as it gets even more confusing and random, though maybe it’s a tamer approach to the whole incident.

Anyway the English side claims they’ve permission of the American for conducting unannounced investigation on suspicious ships… which might be why they were presented very close to Hawaii. Maybe the idea is that they’re in American waters so the English abuse isn’t as bad as it originally was.

The English captain still comes out as a jerk but the Japanese captain is in trouble due to Morgan being dead.

Meanwhile the First Mate sees that Synthia, Emma’s mother and the woman who felt sick at the beginning, is on the bridge and goes to check how she’s feeling.

As he does so, he reveals that the woman’s surname is ‘Grane’. Amari has a revelation at this…

…and picks the passenger roaster. On it S. Grane and her daughter E. Grane are listed as traveling with a pet dog, Frate.

This causes Amari to figure out that the woman lied when she said the dog scared her as the dog was HER dog.

Amari whistles and calls Frate (in English because he’s an English dog…. ^_-). Frate arrives in a run and jumps in Utsumi’s arms. Evidently he’s not a shy or wary dog. Now… maybe there’s a reason for the whole thing (maybe due to some boat rule pet animals has to be left free to wander on the bridge?), but leaving Frate free to wander on the boat was pretty silly. Though it seems the meeting between Synthia and Amari in the novel didn’t happen as shown in the anime, so maybe in the novel the dog was left free for a purpose.

Anyway Amari claims he can explain Morgan’s death but needs a little time first. The two captains agree.

Let me point out for a moment how beautiful the sea is now that sunset is slowly coming…

…before telling you that Amari turns to Synthia…

…who lowers her head as ‘Aitō’ [哀悼 Apologies] starts playing.

The scene switches, Amari and Synthia are talking. Emma is asleep in her mother’s arms, which is convenient but weird as she was fully awake moments before.

Amari asks Synthia if she’s Cerberus. She doesn’t reply.

Amari claims that Frate isn’t like Cerberus but pulls out a photo from his collar and asks Synthia to explain it. In the photo there are McCloud before the plastic surgery and a sailor. The sailor is the one who died at the beginning of the episode, Raymond Grane.

Synthia turns her head away but Amari insists and asks her how did she know it was him. She admits she figured out as soon as she saw him due to the shape of his ears.

Remember? Amari talked about facial features that are unique. Those are the ears.

Synthia now explains how Emma felt ill after they left the port so, when she finally felt better Synthia started searching for McCloud’s ears. She saw him but also saw Frate, first at his feet, then running toward her, so she panicked because that photo was hidden in his collar.

Again, on the overall it’s weak. The real danger wasn’t the photo that was hardly visible, it was McCloud recognizing Frate or her or Emma. And yelling should have attracted his attention. Actually it was weird it didn’t as well as it’s weird she let Frate wander around when he had such a compromising document that caused her to panic.

Amari asked her why, since she completed her task, she didn’t get rid of the photo. Synthia replies that this is the most handsome photo she has of Raymond, her husband and Emma’s father… and even this the explanation is weak. All she had to do was to cut the McCloud part and keep Raymond.

Of course we can speculate that Synthia isn’t in the best mental state. She just betrayed her country to Germany (which physically killed her husband) to personally kill the man who caused the Germans to kill her husband, dragging along her small daughter and her dog. She also had admitted she spent all the days staring to that photo so as to memorize the shape of McCloud’s ears. There’s enough to suspect her mental sanity at the moment so it might make sense she’s not seeing such a simple solution. Synthia is full with hate for McCloud, evidently she’s not thinking straight.

‘Hifū [悲風 Sorrowful wind] starts playing.

Anyway Synthia says that now that she had killed McCloud she has no regrets. She doesn’t look exactly overjoyed or in peace though.

Amari tells us about how a German merchant raider sunk the English cargo on which Raymond Grane was the first mate. Remember how he said Gardening Plan when he was with Yūki? Those words were likely meant to explain this scene.

Anyway a flashback starts in which Synthia remembers the mourning ceremony for her husband, how McCloud joined her pretending to comfort her…

…how, searching for Emma, she ended up on overhearing what McCloud did, which was his Gardening plan, which seems to break her.

Personally I find the whole thing a bit dumb as the one talking with McCloud is basically yelling about a SIS plan that caused an English Cargo to be sunk.

True, there’s no one outside but someone could overhear… as it actually happens.

(On a sidenote can I praise again JG for its care in the details and for how pretty everything is? Look at the colour on the wooden door, they didn’t just paint it all of the same colour, they painted it so that it seems there’s paint over it and that part of it is coming away.)

With this Synthia’s tale ends.

Amari then explains what happened afterward, how the German Navy used Enigma to encrypt the stolen orders and telegraph it to friendly troops, how the English intercepted that transmission and tried comparing the two messages. How this also caused McCloud to end up disavowed by the SIS.

Synthia is surprised he could know so many things, figuring there are mysteries in his life too.

She then admits she became a German spy to get her revenge so she’s ready to consequences but, when she watches Emma, she doesn’t know anymore what she lived for or what she should have lived for.

Emma makes a timely wake up and asks her what’s wrong.

Amari asks Emma if she wants to see the dolphins again. Emma agrees but the subtle message is for Synthia. Amari fundamentally volunteered to take care of Emma from now on.

‘Kansō’ [歓送 Farewell] starts playing.

Synthia agrees…

… and Amari walks away with Emma and Frate.

Next we see a scene of a man raising Emma, Frate jumping around them.

It might be hard to figure it out but that man isn’t Amari but Raymond, whom, in the novel was described as resembling Utsumi Osamu. Hence when Synthia entrusted Emma to Amari she sort of had the feeling to entrust her to her husband.

Synthia whispers a goodbye to Emma before standing up and consigning herself to the officers.

Amari and Emma are watching the sea but no dolphin is in sight so Emma asks if they’re taking a nap.

Amari claims they’ll see them tomorrow and Emma agrees, saying they’ll do it with her mother. Amari tells Frate he can come (see them as well) then, staring at the horizon wonders to his situation of now having to take care of Emma and Frate then decides it’ll work out somehow.

On the table we see the crossword puzzle. In it the word ‘life’ is bolded.

Hum… maybe it was better if it was ‘live’ but well, we get the message just the same.

And with this the episode ends.

Ending theme.

Overall this episode is visually beautiful and the drama behind the story is one of the best but… the mystery part is a mess. Even if some things can be excused there are still plot holes. Sure, it can be they’re due to the story being cut left and right but… well, it’s a pity.

The best one can do is to watch it for the story, which is lovely, and not for the mystery, which, for once, is the weakest point of the plot.

Oh, as you might have noticed this time I didn’t pause much to describe scenes visually as there were almost no special visual shoots. It doesn’t mean they were bad, everything was really, really pretty, but we didn’t have neither smart nor subtly meaningful shots. So, beyond saying that something is very aesthetically pleasing there wasn’t much to say about the visual.

Maybe the only thing that’s noteworthy is that there are a good amount of close up and "Italian shot" or Extreme Close Up in which only the character’s eyes are visible to better express the feelings of said character but that’s not that out of ordinary in anime.

And this was Joker Game Ep 7. Thank you to everyone who was brave and patient enough to sit through my long, long ramblings for the whole episode. I hope other people will feel like sharing what they had observed while watching it!

[ofkxnoha]

@baka-naruto

                        “ Uzumaki Naruto. “

    Not a question, but a statement coming from the     older child of the Nara Clan, as she looks down at     the younger shinobi, lustrating.

                         “ Can I help you? “