#(nayuta is of course included as well)

[koumeowkami]

talking about mitsuki again, i just found the perfect mitsuki pose™ :3

picrew 1 / picrew 2 / picrew 3

[xxsycamore]

🏹💘𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚊𝚕 𝙼𝚢 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝‼️

—❥ 𝐱𝐱𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

REQUESTS: CLOSED

Hello everyone!! Back in June last year my blog reached 1500 followers, but I only got around to celebrating it now! Thank you so much for your continued support!! This year I want to play Cupid again so prepare for your faves to steal your heart all over again! (´ ε ` )♡

↪ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚞𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎: Pick a prompt and a character - one per ask! Please include the fandom as well to avoid confusion. Example: "Can I please have 😘 with William (ikevil)?" ; You'll receive a drabble (~300 words) about the character's reaction to the prompt. Please go wild with those! If you have something specific in mind for the prompts, like a certain hobby for prompt #10 🎨 - Suggest picking up a new hobby together, or maybe for prompt #7 💝 - Extend a non-verbal "I love you", you thought of playing their favorite song, giving them a warm cup of tea while they work, or maybe hugging them from behind? Don't be afraid to share your idea and unleash your creativity, I'd love to make your vision come true! Of course, that's only if you want to! The limit is three requests per person. This event is sfw and anons are allowed.

For drabble examples: Check out last year's Valentine's Day celebration here!

💌 event masterlist ⊂⊃﹒␥

↪ 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝:

🪱 - Ask them if they'd love you if you were a worm

🥺 - Tease by calling them cute

🤲 - Play with their hair

🌸 - Breathe in their soothing scent

💌 - Leave a love note in their pocket

🤭 - Whisper something embarrassing in their ear

💝 - Extend a non-verbal "I love you"

😈 - Linger in for a kiss, but never kiss them

💅 - Help them unwind with a self-care routine

🎨 - Suggest picking up a new hobby together

🤪 - Crack a joke to make them laugh

🙏 - Warm their hands between yours

🤸‍♀️ - Strike a sexy pose to distract them

👔 - Steal their clothes to cuddle when you miss them

🍰 - Share your sweets with them

💋 - Demand for a kiss, right here, right now

💘 - "Be my Valentine?"

😘 - Keep smooching them until they protest

🥄 - Ask to be their big spoon

😊 - Present your cheek for a goodbye kiss

↪ 𝙰𝚟𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜 (𝟷𝟸𝟿):

Ikemen Villains: Wiliam; Harrison; Liam; Elbert; Alfons; Roger; Jude; Ellis; Victor

Ikeseries MCs: Mitsuki (Ikevamp); Alice (Ikerev); Mai (Ikesen); Emma (Ikepri); NEW: Kate (ikevil)

Ikemen Prince: Leon; Chevalier; Yves; Nokto; Licht; Jin; Luke; Clavis; Rio; Sariel; Gilbert; Keith; Silvio NEW: Cyran/Cyril; Kagari; Matthias

Ikemen Vampire: Napoleon(pls); Leonardo; Mozart; Arthur; Vincent; Theo; Isaac; Jean; Dazai; Sebastian; Comte; Shakespeare; Vlad; Faust; Charles; Drake; Galileo

Ikemen Revolution: Lancelot; Ray; Jonah; Fenrir; Edgar; Sirius; Kyle; Luka; Zero; Seth; Blanc; Oliver; Loki; Harr; Mousse; Dalim; Dean; Levie

Ikemen Sengoku: Nobunaga; Masamune; Shingen; Hideyoshi; Mitsuhide; Kanetsugu; Ieyasu; Mitsunari; Yukimura; Sasuke; Kenshin; Kenyo; Ranmaru; Motonari; Keiji; Kicho; Yoshimoto

Midnight Cinderella: Alyn; Giles; Louis; Leo; Byron; Nico; Albert; Robert; Rayvis; Sid

NEW: Ikemen Genjiden: Minamoto no Yoritomo

NEW: CONSOLE OTOMES:

Shuuen no Virche/Virche Evermore: Ceres; Scien; Ankou; Yves; Adolphe; Lucas; Mathis; Jean; Capucine; Hugo; Dahut

Piofiore no Banshou/Piofiore Fated Memories: Yang; Dante; Liliana; Gilbert; Nicola; Orlok; Leo; Oliver; Rui; Yuan

Cupid Parasite: Lynette; Claris; Gill; Allan; Ryuki; Shelby; Raul; Owen; Peter

Variable Barricade: Ichiya; Taiga; Hibari; Shion; Nayuta; Kasuga

🎀 Have fun requesting!! I can't wait to see what you put in my askbox!! 🎀

[redsandspirit]

What is the devil's nature anyway?

Let's talk about what the so-called "devil's nature" is and what traits are inherent in devils. We know from the manga that devils usually have some sort of instinct to dislike humans. That's all by now. The problem is that devils are just as intelligent beings as humans (perhaps more intelligent, considering that Darkness Devil has gained some great wisdom over his long life, I don't know). They are capable of learning and drawing conclusions based on their experiences and knowledge, and they are not animals following their instincts, because if that were the case, Chainsaw Man would be a completely different manga. In general, devils here have the same free will as humans.

I've seen a lot of people convinced that devils are some kind of plain evil, devoid of any kind of virtues simply because that's what they are, despite the fact that this is completely contrary to what is shown in the manga. Compassion, remorse, selflessness and love are called by many as something alien to them.

We have Angel Devil, who blamed himself so much for the deaths of people that they appeared in his nightmares, and who formed strong bonds first with the villagers and then with Aki. Then we have Power, who we were able to fully watch go from the point where she didn't care about anyone, including herself, to the point where she desperately does everything she can to save the person she cares about. Nayuta was also willing to sacrifice himself to ensure the safety of a human she loved. Makima shows some degree of remorse, despite the fact that her environment wasn't even dispositioned to develop such feelings (I don't think she could have been insincere in the beach scene, since Aki and Angel Devil were already under her control and it didn't make sense for her to manipulate them). In fact, it's in regards to Makima that I most often come across nonsense like "well, they're devils, obviously they're inherently bad" as fandom struggles with the idea of her not being universally evil, but that would also mean that characters like Power and Angel Devil are no different, and I don't think the same people would like that. Now that we've got that out of the way, how can all these traits not be an integral part of the "devil's nature" if devils have the natural potential to develop them?

It's also a common idea that devils are killing machines obsessed with genocide, but in Nayuta's example, we see, we see that devils may not even like killing at all. The manga often shows that even unfriendly devils' first reaction to humans isn't always to kill them.

Finally, we come to the individual devil's nature. Like I said, disliking humans is literally the only known thing the devils can share with each other, according to the manga. So I roll my eyes every time I read something along the lines of "wow, Nayuta chose Denji's happiness above her own, she defeated her Control Devil nature". I mean, what do we even know about the "Control Devil nature"? Some attribute Nayuta's innate tendency toward dictatorial behavior or possessiveness, but I don't see the point in considering it anything more than fanfiction until the manga itself points out that such things take place. What then is Famine Devil nature? Eating sweets for five? It's more like people jump to premature conclusions on their own, and then when they don't match reality run to write nonsense about "nature vs nurture", an idea that has already been horribly twisted by fandoms.

Yes, of course, devils in general are very dangerous for humans, and in the war with them (part two calls it that), countless numbers become victims. Still, devil characters in manga are just as complex as human characters, and I find it very reductive to try to simplify them in this way. The author has already humanized the devils enough for us to ignore it.

[animehouse-moe]

Chainsaw Man Chapter 121: Theory of Happiness

Asa has been such a hilarious character to follow. But first, Tiny Chainsaw Man plushie! Love how Fujimoto sneaks these kinds of things in and keeps the overall mood so bright in spite of its ridiculousness.

Outside of that though, Asa is like the inverse of Denji in romance, but so similar. She's so desperate for a relationship but refuses to acknowledge it, and then ends up being broken up with or being shot down. Is it better than attempting to be killed or used? Probably, yeah. But in a way, it's infinitely more funny because of how psyched up and presumptuous Asa gets about it. The moment there's any connection or positive interaction she jumps on it as romance and it's straight up hilarious.

Of course, Yoshida shoots her down immediately, which is equally as funny, and opens the door for absolutely amazing Yoshida x Denji fanfiction.

The fact that basically every character that comes into contact with Denji, including those in Asa's Part, always gravitate to him is just so comical. Asa can't manage a thing while Denji gets it all.

Anyways, enough of making fun of poor Asa, it's time to make fun of readers! Fujimoto sneaking in that parasocial relationship line was incredibly funny to me, while also putting Asa's personality more into perspective.

Fujimoto really been serving us chapters that give almost nothing to drive the story forward, but I will absolutely eat them up. Though really, there is still some nice content to the chapter, specifically how it ends with an odd figure looking down on Asa/Yoru.

Alright, so hear me out. It could be Fami. Could. Very slight chance. Nayuta says that she smells a devil worse than she's ever smelled before, and this one just happens to appear in front of Asa/Yoru. The odds that the two pieces are unrelated is relatively small. But it doesn't look like Fami, so why would it be Fami? Well, Yoshida spotted her at the aquarium, so I'm pretty comfortable in saying that her cover's been blown as that character. And think about it, Fami only appears under specific circumstances with Asa. She didn't make a move right after finding out that Asa is Yoru. She only moved when Asa was in a position that Fami could abuse. Trying to save her friend, trying to turn Denji into a weapon, down on herself and feeling alone. I think there's lots of potential for it to be Fami, but I guess we'll find out in the next chapter, and what the motive may be.

Also, When are we going to find out about the imposter Chainsaw Man

[elinciarune]

So I have been slowly but surely playing variable barricade and have been able to finish the common route and Nayuta’s route after a couple of months, and now I want to write everything in my mind before moving on completely to Shion XD

Possible spoilers ahead 🙈

.

.

.

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To sum it up, I have been enjoying this game so much, it is really shaping up to be my favourite otome game! (Sorry Hakuouki you are still special and dear to me, but yeah, I’m being objective here XD)

At first, I was wary and kept my expectations low because the reviews were quite mixed. And I was entering the game assuming it is pure romantic comedy. I won’t lie at the first couple of chapters, the more slice of life-y tone that has some comedy sprinkled left me waiting for the rom-com to kick in Ouran-style, but the moment I appreciated and drilled in the idea that this game is indeed more of a slice of life, character-study kind of story, I immediately started enjoying the common route immensely!

The dialogue is top-notch, the character interactions are so good, and the characters themselves are multi-faceted and feel so real in a good way.

The common route was enjoyable from start to finish, every sentence and piece of dialogue I enjoyed.

Of course, Hibari herself has a huge role to play in this. She was thrusted in a very extreme and difficult situation from her point of view, so every thing she has said or done (including her ‘bratty’ attitude) totally makes sense and perfectly portray a 17 yr old teenager.

Plus she’s cute, really really cute, protect my baby at all cost 😤

So yeah overall I have been hooked😆🤝

Now for Nayuta’s route, I like genki, himbo guys so was looking forward to his route, and it perfectly delivered. I like how in the beginning, Hibari, as a way to work upon making sense of her choice of him, creates this scenario of him being her guardian and acts like a typical teenage girl who falls in love, and despite this shattering because of how oblivious and one track minded he is, her pursuing of him actually caused a huge ripple in his very straightforward simplistic world, where he sets on one thing and clings unto achieving it despite everything else.

That gets me to the fact that he was described as ‘selfish’. Which was a really interesting way to describe him. And yeah that one track mindedness of his and straightforwardness makes him put his own desires first and foremost and in a way he is ‘selfish’. But interestingly, as I said, the ripple caused by Hibari led to him gradually maturing in a way that uses such straightforward and ‘selfish’ thinking in a way that is more balanced.

In fact, I think him being ‘selfish’ is not bad at all! It means that his desires, when being directed towards becoming better and to also be and support those whom he loves, is actually much more better than a ‘selfless’ person who might put societies needs above theirs and would consequently get hurt or even hurt those around them.

So as his route progresses, I liked how he gradually started cherishing Hibari as someone dear to him for personal reasons, not idealistic ones, and he redirected his guardian skills in a way that made him perceptive of Hibari’s needs and compared to the beginning of the route, he became much more understanding.

By the end, the same one track mindedness that is an inherent part of his personality as well as the ‘selfishness’ became the drive for him to fulfil his desire to help Hibari and to be with her.

So 10/10 XD

Now to continue Shion 🤌

[the-wolf-emoji]

I feel like the casts of Chainsaw Man and Pact would get along well

Blake and Denji bond over how exactly shit their lives are, up to and including making bets about who had to debase themselves more to survive

Fell and Aki sit alone in the car, completely silent, brooding. They later describe the other as "remarkably pleasant"

Power tries and fails to eat Evan before accidentally being swayed by Evan's "firebird" idea. Evan realizes that Power's lack of impulse control works in his favor

Yoru gets in a scrap with goblins and it's unclear whether they're being turned into weapons voluntarily or as part of Yoru's power. Meanwhile Asa talks about loneliness and identity issues with Mags

Green Eyes has joined Guanxi's harem (at least, what remains of it)

Kishibe drinks with Jeremy

Nayuta is, of course, training under Conquest. This goes well for everyone.

[hellcatinnc]

Variable Barricade Review

Contains Spoilers

So first off this game right out the bat was cute looking and I was looking forward to it since I kept reading it was like a rom-com and sometimes its nice to step away from the darker otome's or even the more in depth or sexual ones so this was a nice change. (however its not all light and fluffy but still loved it). I was confused when I started it and jumped right into choosing a rose to one of the guys and was married and done with the game I was like WHAT??? So I tried this again with each guy same out come different response of course.

That being said I was like guess thats not how you choose the route you want so I had to restart over and this time try to get to know the guys not pick anyone. So out the door after being introduced to them all my favorites in order were Ichiya Mitsumori, Shion Mayuzumi, Taiga Isurugi & Nayuta Yagami. From here on out I will be putting them in order of how I ended up loving them in the end that was just my starting order and how I played it out as well. That being said I will review each love interest below of things I thought of them and it will include spoilers. The little game board they use of each final ending is adorable and such a nice twist unlike most otome games.

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Ichiya Mitsumori

The MC always seemed to be hateful to him in the beginning and I hated that because I usually love the flirty guy so I did like him. Like this is the guy who puts it all out there he does go over board in the beginning I say that because his words of admiration are of something that would be after you have known someone for a bit where his is the day he meets her on out. I do hate though that he thinks women need to eat such small portions I mean like he doesn't want them to gain weight.

Ok on to my thoughts after I played his route they so changed I love him more than ever now. Like I can't for the life of me imagine why women are stupid and have walked away from him. Don't get me wrong I love a flirty man and he does over do it but then I saw him break down and in tears and tears started streaming from my eyes when he said he just wanted to love someone and be loved in return. This man soared to the top of my list I could relate and feel his raw emotion that made no one else matter anymore.

Honestly I felt like the mc was so mean to him for so long until he admitted he couldn't live without her and wanted to die if she didn't love him. I broke down so many times for this man and I saw his geniuses even before she did. Alot of the remarks she made along the way pissed me off this man is a sweetheart who honestly I now want to just hug and hold him and tell him everything will be ok. This is going to be one of them men my heart wants to protect. That being said he was a great character and love interest from flirt, to low self esteem which made him feel more real to a man who wasn't eventually afraid to cry in front of a woman with a man who is willing to die for someone than live without her as well as the one I love most a man who honestly wanted a soulmate someone to love him like he loves her.

I was irritated how his sexual assault that happened in his fake marriage mess. He was stripped down naked and drugged no matter what he lied about etc this was not ok. It obviously really messed up Ichiya as you see in his emotional status later. I am a rape victim this mess can cause some real PTSD. Poor Ichiya I can relate all too well. I'm just glad they never showed the CG picture of anything more than him laying on the bed out of it clothes with just his shirt unbuttoned. Still definitely a trigger warning for some. I found it wasn't my trigger this time but I could relate to his character the most.

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Shion Mayuzumi

There is something sweet about this man from the start. Like I know he is supposed to be the lazy one but who wouldn't let someone else do the work if they offered to take it off your hands. Does that really make him lazy if people jump to do things for him? Anyways I like how sweet he can be at times. He can come off as lazy the longer you get to know him but the only thing I don't like is he always talks about beauty being what matters thats like saying if your not beautiful then he will lose interest. What about when you grow old and your not so beautiful anymore will he still be around.

As time went on I got to see the sides of him and its not beauty that he revolves around because he loves habari with everything he has. The sweetness he gives her and how he gently holds her not expecting anything in return. He would listen to her fears, her wants, and her rants without thinking twice. He was never once disrespectful to her and he always put her first. Now don't get me wrong I can't say I truly agree with how he handled saying he wanted to see her cry however I also understand it. He wanted her to realize more to life than her status and what people want of her. He wanted her to realize she loved him as much as he loved her.

He is a very genuine soul and as you get to see his romantic side of the sweet words he says to her even when he confesses his love for her is absolutely beautiful. The way it ends the main story and how he admits he was possessive and didn't want to share his first kiss with the world I liked that side of him. He has a jealous streak down deep when he is in love with someone and that I can respect. Honestly I was really surprised with his words of her being his sleeping beauty and him being the prince. It really was a beautiful love story to watch them fall in love.

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Taiga Isurugi

So in the beginning I wasn't going to choose him first but damn I'm a sucker for the Tsundere types so before I knew it I was deep into his story. He has a sweet back story even though it is also sad. He was a orphan however he is the man he is because he considers them his family. He is always there to put Habari in her place when she gets to high up and stuck up with being rich. That becomes not only funny but you also see how she gets close to him and she makes him even fall. Even though he wasn't supposed to be a suitor and just helping out her grandfather it was adorable how he switched up and told her he was going to romance her like hell. The cute date moments and the telling her she turned him on all these parts are just a great side of this character. He is funny, sweet, smartass, and a all around great love interest that will keep you on your feet. Even when he first tells her he loves her its in the middle of a knock down drag out fight. They push each other to the extreme until they express how they feel.

They are the couple that would have yelling matches just to say sweet things to each. Its not really toxic because most times its just squabbles they only have one real fight but he does tease her often. He has some insecurities that makes him think she will leave him once she really gets to know him. He hurt her along the way but he apologized and has done everything he can to try to make up for that. He is such a real character its almost like seeing a every day love story with these too its not the happy ending like most with everything being perfect they still bicker at each other but they are both happy. I also thought was sweet the rest of the guys stopped perusing her when they realized she loved Taiga and went out of their way to comfort her and try to get them back together. The last part of the game where he writes his name on her hand then teases the guys that his name is on her she is his was priceless.

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Nayuta Yagami

He is cute but he is so annoying to me like I can't stand a guy who wants to be practically a slave to you and be treated badly honestly he sounds like he wants to be her bitch and have her use and abuse him. I really feel like he is into some kinky shit with that. I wanted to go back and do his route and probably will at some point and when I do I will probably write a more in depth review. I tried several times to do his route and I need a husband in the game not a pet he is sweet but honestly I can't imagine why any woman would want what he gives in a man just go buy a dog and be done with it just as loyal.

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Kasuga/Tsubame

Not gonna lie I know he isn't all that attractive and he isn't a love interest but I felt like from the very beginning he was in love with her. I feel like she trusted him enough if she had gotten off her high horse I think she would have realized he was good for her. Sadly the status of him being a servant would have never worked for her grandfather. Then when you see this man out in public one day shown above damn Kasuga got hot!!

Anyways he was another one that was a bit hot and cold for me although I did like him for the most part and his love for hibari was genuine. However even though I have yet to play Nayuta route I read online he is her brother. I was like are you serious I would have killed for a route with them. Its funny though cause I had to go back to the common route to see if I misread the love between them. I honestly still feel like he has yes been there her whole life but to me his jealousy at times is something that makes me feel like he is in love with her but would rather her be happy so he will step back for her sake.

I mean would it really be the first brother in anime/otome that was in love with their sister or visa versa. Anyways they could always do a route for him finding out where he thought he was her brother he was only adopted or something. Anyways unless its in Nayuta's route I don't understand why he would be her butler and not just her brother the whole time. Shit this will be what makes me go back and play his route soon as my heart is mended.

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Kazu/Kazuya

Well this man was a refreshing touch to the game I really enjoyed his smile and his actions in itself. Saving the MC was so sweet and I don't know there was something sweet about him from the start that I really liked.

Ok those were my feelings until I saw him in Ichiya's route and OMG he became a ass in 5 seconds. Even though I wouldn't mind seeing him as a love route fuck that he was a total dick to Ichiya and it kind of pissed me off.

After finishing the game my last thoughts and yes he has me wishy washy through the whole game so this is why its back and fourth. In the end I realized he did love his brother and wanted him and hibari to actually be together. He rooted them on in his own way while challenging his brother. When he thought his brother might kill himself he was right there and is already looking at hibari as his sister in law. All in all maybe he is a genuine guy just he is a workaholic and that part of him comes first the more serious side of him.

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I still need to do the after story of all of them so i might do Nayuto's then. Ichiya took alot out of me so for now will be stepping away from this game but still love it. I will definitely be back but because I love them all so much I don't want to say goodbye forever. I know I'm probably weird but this way I know I have to come back to it as I have code realize, amnesia and more this is my way to need these men in my life again. This is now one of my favorite games.

[viitlumi]

(( Hey guys

I made a second account for my Makima and Nayuta RP Blog

It's still under heavy construction but if you're interested you can follow me 🙈 An AOT verse will be included as well of course ))

[deji-ato]

My Reactions and Thoughts to the Starry Line Special Live (from what i could remember)

(Long post ahead!)

Voice Drama 1:

“Ahhhhhh Banri!!! He’s back from the hospital!!”

“he’s a TEnSAi after all”

“oh????!!! a minilive?? thats so cute wtf”

Stage Performance (part 1):

“OH!!! they’re wearing their crossing live outfits!!”

“It’s the opening the opening the opening—“

“Aight Steady goes!!”

*insert surprised scream here* “AAAA THE NARUTO OPENING, WHICH MEANS THERES GONNA BE COVERSS”

“Right here, right now! BanG!”

Masa: On bass, *camera pans to Mae playing*

Me: MELISSAAAAAAA

“Oh lord here comes the long high note—“

“He held that note for FIFTEEN SECONDS, AND CONTINUED ON. HOW???”

“Oh!!! Bleach opening!! (Ngl I forgot they covered that song, which is sad cuz I didn’t remember DEEP VOICE MORISHII)”

Guitar riffs of Ryuuseiu is played vaguely, cue me scratching my head wondering what song it is (and thanks to Argocord for somehow recognizing it which promptly led to me losing my shit and feeling emotional the whole song)

“RYUUSEIUUUU”

“The ending!!! Of the anime!!!”

“KIMI TO, NANTO”

Voice Drama 2:

“NAYUTA?????”

“Oh no Ren skcbabajbc, he sounded like he choked on something”

“YOOOOO NAYUTA COMING IN TO COVER REN”

Stage Performance (part 2):

“OHHH OGAJINN!!!”

Ogajin walks up to the stage looking uninterested af

“He’s so in character HAHAHAHA”

“OHHH READY STEADY??? READY STEADY!!!”

“WHY are the holes in the pants of his knees so big???”

“Man he’s just straight up vibing to the music, and honestly? Same tbh”

Stage shows both Masa and Ogajin, separated by A GLASS WALL RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE

I literally lost my shit when I saw that

Which led me to think “Oh Starting Over???”

Cue Masa singing loudly into the mic like it’s nobody’s business with “SAA IKOUZE”

“STAND UP! HASHIRE! Nande demo starting over!!” (I still love how Ogajin sings this part)

“Only you can do it! Do it! Go for it sa do it! Do it now!

Throughout the performance I kept thinking bout how good Ogajin sings in his live performances??? Like holy shit he sounds so much like the studio version that it’s scary

Ogajin: Karma.

Me: OHHH!!!!! YOOOOO WHAT???!!!! THE KARMA???? THE SAME ONE FROM GARUPA????

Also I just wanna mention that whoever did the lighting deserves a raise, like damn it’s rlly good

Aaaaaa I honestly rlly love how much Masa and Ogajin’s voices mix so well together!!

THEYRE REACHING OUT TO EACH OTHER, but the glass wall is separating them lmao (undoubtedly one of the highlights of the live tbh)

But yeah the image above might also be playing into the hand symbolism Ren and Nayuta has goin on?? They’ve been showing this A LOT in their MVs

Ogajin: *makes brief eye contact with Masa before walking off the stage immediately after the song ends*

Masa: *acting as Ren, looking towards Ogajin walking off* ...Nayuta-kun??

Me: Wow he rlly just left the stage like that skfnekwkgnn

Voice Drama 3:

“Nayuta rlly walked off the whole restaurant, what a mood”

Ren shows his gratitude to Nayuta by thanking him, Nayuta kinda just responds with “it’s nothin much” or like he’s brushing it off

Idk I’m just rlly happy that we see more of them interacting after the anime ended

Also there was some Wataren crumbs?? Like barely

ok so idk where exactly this happens during the live but

Ren says some stuff like “Welcome home, Banri!”

And Banri replies with “I’m back!” like “Tadaima!”

And i honestly just broke down then and there, like i WEEPED when he said that AAAAAAA ILY SM BANRIII 💖💖💖

Stage Performance (part 3):

“AGAINNNN AHHHHHH”

“OH the cameraman is tryin to show the performance like the anime thru Banri’s POV??? I love that omg” (give this guy a raise too tbh)

Cameras kept switching back and forth between the guy on stage and the ones around the stage (ofc it looked a bit funny since everyone was basically facing the cameraman like he was Banri lol)

The whole band sang the “yeah yeah yeah, whoa yeah yeah yeah” part of Goal Line to start it off (they wanted us the audience to sing along as well which was vry cute)

Cameras tried to follow the same angles as the anime (the one where they perform at DesFes) which I found rlly cool

“AHAAAA STARRY LINE, OF COURSE, this whole live was named after this song after all”

And then I basically vibed to the rest of the song cuz it’s such a special song

“Oh they’re leaving, come back! Skfngng”

The lights were off at the stage for like 5-10 minutes?? AND THEN THEY CAME BACK WEARING THE STARRY LINE MERCH (including Ogajin ofc since this was now the encore)

Encore:

they asked the audience to choose a song for them to play, and turns out Starting Over was the most popular one! (ngl i wanted Pray but i understand that ppl wanted to hear more of Ogajin)

So then they played Starting Over, except that it was VERY OOC (but still fun nonetheless!)

“OHHH WAIT WAIT WAIT”

“ARE BOTH OGAJIN AND HYUUSUKE SINGING THEIR PARTS OF THE SONG TOGETHER????? HOLY SHIT-”

and if u thought that Ogajin was vibing before, then think again cuz this man was straight up jamming out on stage whilst still keepin the nayuta voice

After that, Ogajin left the stage, and Mae tried to keep him from leaving lol

“oh there he goes”

“VOICE???? VOICEEEEEE”

“KANSEI WO, AGERO”

OH OMG they all sang it in acapella form at first, then slowly led into the song with the instruments, I remember freakin out over this tbh

“ARE YOU DREAMING? YES! WE ARE THE ONE! BANG!”

OH they also tried to do the same camera angles like the anime?? that was cool

“OH NOO WAIT WHAT HAPPENED TO MAE’S MIC?? IT GOT CUT OFF OH NO”

you couldn’t hear Wataru’s line so it was just instrumentals until Ren’s part came along

“OH thank goodness they fixed Mae’s mic, whew”

“CALLING, CALL DREAMING WORLD! CALLING, CALL YOUUUU”

...and then they went offstage!

i could prob ramble more about the backstage session, but i wasn’t there in the first half of the free session haha

and from what i’ve seen of someone’s live tweeting of the paid one, it seems that it was pretty emotional! (since it was directed towards Masa’s birthday, and they ended up tearing up?? awww)

[zukadiary]

Company/BADDY ~ Moon Troupe 2018

Welp I'm in Japan again, for a bizarre trip considering none of my so-called faves are doing anything I'd normally clamor to see live... There are multiple reasons for that, but a big one is I let the idea of this show seduce me completely. I pegged it my most highly anticipated Grand Theater of the year pretty much as soon as the blurbs came out, anticipated it even more after I read and loved the novel, and pretty much lost my mind as soon as the first BADDY tweets surfaced back in February. So I braved Golden Week crowds in Hibiya to squeeze two viewings out of the last week of the run, and I'm quite pleased with my choices.

COMPANY

I summarized Company and its characters a bit before so I won't do it again; they stuck to the premise well enough.

I'd call Company cute and very pleasant; I thought everyone did a wonderful job and any qualms I have are with Ishida-sensei. My love of the book definitely enhanced my appreciation of the show because I went in already attached to the characters, but it also set me up for disappointment in a few places where Ishida fell flat. It's a bit of a long book though, and overall I think he cut exactly what needed to be cut to fit it into one act.

What I LOVE about the play as a whole is the modernness of it; Takarazuka almost never does shows set in present-day Japan, and its shows set in present-day elsewhere often come awkwardly tinged with an uncool dad vibe (LET'S TAKE A SELFIE FOR FACENOTE a la Vampire Succession, for example). Company felt totally natural and it was really refreshing. That said, something bugged me about the line delivery in pretty much the entire show; it was kind of stiff and hammy. I'm inclined to believe it was the direction, but I do wonder if it was just Patented Takarazuka Acting™ and it happened to stand in greater contrast against a modern play (and I also wonder if that's why they shy away from such stories).

Tamakichi was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. Her character Aoyagi's backstory was changed by absolute necessity; the book opens with his wife leaving him, but in the opening song of the show he tells us she's died from cancer two years back. Book Aoyagi is a nobody at work and pretty much a total loser in general at the beginning, and goes on a real journey of self love and improvement. I am a little sad we didn't get this angle because I think Tamakichi could have done an absolutely heartbreaking job portraying that particular transformation, but I also completely understand that including all that simply wasn't possible. Instead we have Cool Good-Looking Senpai Aoyagi, reliable leader from start to finish, whose journey is injecting some joy back into his life and beginning to heal from his wife's death. Tamakichi is so good at the wholesome everyday hero I don't think I'll ever get tired of it. My biggest takeaway from her performance, other than that she slays in a basic clean-cut suit, is that she has blossomed and is such a top star. NO SHADE to Tamakichi up till now; she's done nothing but impress me since assuming office. But while what stood out to me in Grand Hotel and All for One was the balance of the troupe and how perfectly they allowed their other wonderful players support her, SHE stood out to me in Company all on her own; her presence and confidence were incredible. They kept Chapi the exact right amount of time.

This could be Chapi's most typical top musumeyaku role since Tamakichi took over, but it's still unique in that she's the pursuer in their romance and I love that. Minami, while less confident in her ballet/work life than Stage Aoyagi seems to be in his work life, is slightly more confident in their personal interactions—always trying to joke, lighten the mood for him, drop hints—and it's a lovely dynamic. Her portrayal was probably the most faithful to the book. Chapi is bright and cheery and the smoothest actress, and every bit of real ballet we get to see her do is a blessing.

I had the greatest attachment to Haruka (MiyaRuri) and Yui (Umi-chan) going in. My absolute favorite aspect of the book was the slow burn surrounding everything Haruka: his relationship with Yui especially, but also with Aoyagi and the others. Of course I totally understand there is no room for slow burn in one act. Aside from that, Miya was exactly the Haruka I imagined and that was a joy to watch (her costume and countenance in the Dark Gay Swan Lake scene in particular is a VISION). Yui is another refreshing atypical musumeyaku character and Umi did a great job. It's a pretty good show for musumeyaku roles in general; Sara (Wakaba) and Noa (Touka Yurino) are also pretty big parts. I loved Kumichou in particular, she had some amazing one-liners.

My biggest disappointment was in Ishida's handling of Nayuta (Reiko). Reiko did just fine, but I felt that Ishida sucked all the life out of the character. Book Nayuta is a hot-headed asshole who underneath all the strutting and crude commentary cares a lot about his performing. A lot of that comes from him being a trainee idol and trying to prove that he has a place among his equally hot-headed senpai whereas Stage Nayuta is the star of the group, but it's NOT AT ALL HARD TO IMAGINE that a star idol might be kind of a hot-headed asshole. Stage Nayuta was just kind of pretty and there, and as a result the drama surrounding him joining Dark Gay Swan Lake in the Prince role felt flat to me. This is one change I really think could have been made in the given timeframe. (Trivia bit: in the understandably zuka-fied Final Drama where Nayuta injures Sara on stage with a lift gone wrong, Nayuta locks himself in the bathroom at intermission and won't stop crying from guilt. In the book, he feels his finger slip between her ribs during the lift, and dwelling on the sensation makes him so ill he can't stop throwing up).

Toshi is a VERY cool idol group leader; Ari is, as I predicted, herself; and Ruu, Shimon, and Mayupon are a pretty funny group (boss and salarymen), with Mayupon in particular also absolutely WEARING the normal suit look. Everyone else was pretty light on the stage time.

BADDY

BADDY is a triumph. If you still have the opportunity to watch it sans spoilers, I recommend it, I'm jealous, and I would love to know what that's like. However I can also say that I read almost everything about it before seeing it and I felt no less impact from its brilliance.

It's completely ridiculous, but the balance it strikes in its ridiculousness is absolutely sublime. Simplicity combined with absurdist randomness; both using and upending traditional Takarazuka elements JUST enough; it strikes the perfect note.

There's so much to unpack.

For one thing, it's SO META. We open in Takarazuka City on the Peaceful Planet that has seen no disturbance in 103 years, and down comes the Baddies' spaceship with a thunk. Following the thunk, Tamakichi declares "Looks like you've been waiting quite a while for this," RIGHT BEFORE going into the standard opening announcement—"written and directed by Ueda Kumiko," etc—and I am sure that's her sticking in her own jab about Takarazuka waiting 103 years before letting one of their female directors do a revue. Really, I wouldn't be surprised if the ENTIRE THING was a reference to this; I mean we're in TAKARAZUKA CITY where COOL BADDIES infiltrate a BORING LAME SOCIETY THAT HASN'T CHANGED IN 103 YEARS and then they BLOW EVERYTHING UP and EVERYONE GOES TO HEAVEN. That's bold, UeKumi.

There are smaller amusing references too... Reiko commenting that Amashi Juri's character looks new (she just switched to musumeyaku), Tamakichi kidnapping Reiko and giving her to Miya saying "here you're in charge of improving this person's general everything" which I'm pretty sure is Miya and Reiko's IRL relationship.

(Amashi Juri is so cute I can't stand it, help).

Another thing, it flows so beautifully for a revue with a plot (not a theme, a plot... the only other example of which I can recall at the moment is Nova Bossa Nova, which does not flow like this). Despite the scenes connecting perfectly into one cohesive story, they are still individual scenes that feel like standard revue scenes, with variety and costume changes and great music and really fun choreography.

Chapi is given the queenly treatment she deserves; she's as much the star of the revue as anyone else. The rockette with her in the center might be my personal highlight, and it's the perfect example of what I mean by both using and upending Takarazuka traditions. We've got typical rockette-style costumes, synchronized kicking, the works—but we've traded the high-pitched KYAA for YELLING ABOUT HOW ANGRY THEY ARE in unison with some really badass choreo. It's the perfect balance of respect and rebellion; it works because the rockette is such a standard part of our fan lexicon, and the small differences make us open our eyes wide. Crushed velvet kuroenbi. Ray Bans during the parade...

The duet dance also—passionate and angry and LITERALLY fiery, as Tama and Chapi dance and eventually descend through the floor with one long hard kiss surrounded the entire time by swirling flames. I mention that in case the flame effect (like the starlight during Maa's Chopin in HOT EYES) does not show up on the DVD, which would be tragic.

As beautifully and wholesomely as Tamakichi carried herself in Company she pulled out all the stops and slayed in BADDY. Dynamic (and dangerous) radiantly glowing top star. Miya is downright erotic.

Mayupon is just an alien, in the background, through costume changes, the entire time.

There was a fun amount of gender fluidity presented in sort of a nonchalant? way?? Like not the gratuitous otokoyaku-in-drag situation we usually get; paired with the free-flowing top 4 love quadrangle, it felt, dare I say, progressive.

I had an extra fun experience at my first viewing... TSUKI MATSURI! Tsukigumi has a tradition where one day per run (though I imagine not every single run) they all wear afro wigs in one scene and adlib it to hell and back. Since it was my first time and this did not seem at all out of place against the backdrop of BADDY I didn't even realize until after, but what lucky timing.

I can't wait for UeKumi's next show, and I went into QR and came out only with Tsukigumi bromides, I don’t know myself. 

[theultravioletcatastrophe]

Remember when I said I would make this a weekly thing? Yeah, me neither. Anyway, it’s time for another episode of...

Earl’s Anime Roundup!

This one will be a bit light because there’s really only two series I’m watching at the moment. As usual, after the cut.

So both the shows I’m watching right now are kind of ridiculous, but in different ways. The first one is about a bunch of light novel authors and all the fun they have hanging out together and being goofballs. The second one is about a dude who lives with an ever-growing number of demi-human girls and of course they get into ludicrous situations almost constantly. Here we go!

Imouto Sae Ireba Ii.: (aka A Sister’s All You Need) I saw a bunch of screencaps of this one before I decided to start watching it. Like many of the series that @ama-nee posts about, I thought this one was going to be a purely ecchi series, but there’s actually a story to go with it and the ecchi bits are just kinda fanservice (for the record I was similarly pleasantly surprised by Love Tyrant, which I thought the same thing about based on the screencaps but it turns out there’s a (much stupider) story behind that series too). I went into this expecting... well, I’m not sure what I was expecting. The main character is obsessed with either the “little sister” trope, or little sisters themselves, and I thought it was gonna be another show like Oreimo or Eromanga Sensei. It’s really not. I had to wonder though, because every single review I read was like “DON’T JUDGE THIS SHOW BASED ON THE FIRST 3 MINUTES OF THE FIRST EPISODE” and I was like okay, how bad can this be? Turns out... well... I’m not gonna tell you to watch it yourself and see unless you read the rest of this review and decide that you wanna watch it yourself. It’s actually a really good show, it’s just that the first few minutes are really fucked up. Anyway the show focuses on a guy named Itsuki Hashima, who is (as I mentioned earlier) a light novel author who has inexplicably made a name for himself despite writing weirdly-obsessed tales about guys and their little sisters. It’s a shame he’s the main character, because I can’t fucking stand him. He’s basically a snotty little brat, is what he is. I guess he’s a decent enough guy to his friends when he wants to be, but he puts up this front that I can only assume he thinks is cool, but he’s actually being a huge douchebag. Fortunately, the show is saved by its otherwise-stellar cast and its general lack of actual plot (it’s very much a slice-of-life type of show). The other characters include Haruto Fuwa, who is a more popular author than Itsuki and despite this the two of them have such a great bromance going on; Miyako Shirakawa, an otherwise-unrelated college student who somehow gets roped into all this despite not being an author herself; Chihiro Hashima, Itsuki’s younger sister brother (lol definitely not a spoiler, it’s immediately obvious that she’s pretending to be a boy for reasons that will hopefully be elaborated upon later); Setsuna Ena, the illustrator for Itsuki’s books and a fine upstanding young man who just happens to be obsessed with asses; and possibly one of my favourite characters from any series in recent memory, Nayuta Kani. Nayu is completely in love with Itsuki for some reason (apparently she read one of his books when she was going through a really shitty time in her life, and was so moved that she was, I dunno, “saved” or whatever) and is a much better author than he is. Seriously, her thirst for Itsuki is so real; she mentions at least twice per episode how much she wants to bang him, and he acts like such a cold fish toward her even though he CLEARLY is attracted to her too, which is one of the reasons I hate him. Anyway, I do recommend this series, as the characters (besides the protagonist) are so endearing and well-written, and visually it’s pretty nice. You just have to get past the weirdness that is the first episode and you’re good to go. Oh, it would also help to have at least a passing understanding of Japanese cultural tropes (particularly those commonly seen in anime). Current rating 8/10.

Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou: (aka Monster Musume, aka Everyday Life with Monster Girls, aka MonMusu) This is actually an older series (it premiered summer 2015), but I just recently got into it. Like with Imouto Sae Ireba Ii., I was expecting this one to be a fanservice anime, and BOY HOWDY IS IT EVER. This one is definitely not hiding the fact that it’s pretty much all cheesecake, all the time. It is explicitly a harem anime, so if that’s not your thing then you’ll probably wanna give this one a pass. There is somewhat of an interesting story to go with it, though. So this series focuses on a totally ordinary guy named Kimihito Kurusu, who lives by himself in his parents’ giant house, because his parents work overseas (and I guess he figures it’s better than paying rent? I dunno). In this world, there are a great number of non-human species trying to integrate into human society, and so the government has set up an Interspecies Exchange Program. Kimihito finds himself suddenly thrown into it when a maliciously inept cultural exchange coordinator named Agent Smith gets the wrong house (sure, sure) and ends up sticking him with a homestay resident, a lamia named Miia. Lamias (lamiae?) in this world are a bit different from the original Greek mythology; they’re essentially women who are snakes from the waist down. (And Miia’s top half is normal-sized (well, except for her breasts), making her snake half friggin’ huge - she’s probably about 12 or 13 feet long in total.) Throughout the course of the series, Kimihito gets roped into taking care of a bunch of other creatures, including a centaur woman named Centorea, a harpy named Papi, a slime girl named Suu, a mermaid named Meroune, and a spider woman named Rachnera. One of the provisions of the Interspecies Exchange Program is that humans and non-humans are not allowed to harm each other; for some reason this also extends to prohibit romantic and sexual involvement of humans and non-humans. So guess what happens? Right! All the monster girls living with Kimihito want to bang him! And refreshingly, he wants to bang them right back, but tries his best to avoid doing so, because he doesn’t want to go to jail! What a wacky setup that has definitely never been done before. Sorry, give me a minute to wipe up all this sarcasm that dripped all over the place. It’s actually pretty well done, for a harem anime. The characters are all (mostly) loveable, except for Smith, who is a useless irresponsible fucking bitch and I hate her, but I’m sure there’s more back story I have yet to unlock (I’m only about halfway through this so far). The ecchi scenes can be pretty over the top and ridiculous, but I find it doesn’t take too much away from the series as a whole (this could just be because I kind of have a thing for monster girls and subsequently I find most of it incredibly hot). It’s actually kind of an interesting exploration of what a world with a bunch of non-human-but-still-mostly-human creatures living in it would look like. For example, as more of the girls move into Kimihito’s house, the program coordinators keep having to make adjustments to his house. For example, when Miia moves in, he gets a gigantic pool-sized bath tub to accommodate Mia’s enormous snake body. When the mermaid moves in, she gets a super-deep pool to swim around in (when she’s not in the water she’s in a wheelchair, and she’s apparently covered in mucus so she doesn’t dry out, which of course makes it so that her clothes slide off really easily). It’s actually worth a watch, in my opinion. Rating so far is 7/10.

(Oh, also, Jess and I are watching (well, I’m re-watching) season 2 of New Game!, and we also watched the first couple episodes of Tamako Market, which is a REALLY strange series, but I think I like it. At least visually, it’s a great series - you can’t really expect any less from KyoAni, though. I might do a longer write-up on this one once I’ve watched a bit more.)

LOL I said this was gonna be a bit light, didn’t I? I guess I wasn’t planning on writing that much about each of these. Oh well.

[animehouse-moe]

Can I ask your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters from CSM? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments from the series? Thanks....

Alright, top 5 characters and top 5 moments. This was an interesting one. Of course, there's definitely going to be manga spoilers for both Part 1 and Part 2, so anime/part 1 onlies beware.

Makes the most sense to start with characters so we'll go there first.

Denji

Kinda hard not to put Denji on the list. I know sometimes people's favorite characters can be the supporting cast, but in such a character focused series it's hard to not love Denji's character arc, and his cyclical story that feels like it mimics a devil's reincarnation. Always the same person, but everchanging, Denji's stuck searching for happiness at every turn in his life despite accruing everything that he thought would make him happy.

Asa Mitaka

I mean, there's a reason that the main character is called a main character. Asa's duality, and her juxtaposition in part two against Denji is really well done. Everything of hers serves to be an antithesis to Denji's, so both characters have done really well in bringing out the best in each other when they're together.

Quanxi

Alright, finally into the supporting characters. To put it simply, Quanxi is just plain cool and interesting. Having taught Kishibe all he knows while putting him through the ringer each time he asks her out, it's just fun. Being the oldest Devil Hunter and also one of two weapon hybrids to evade Makima's grasp up until the end? There's just too much that's cool about her, and her re-appearance in Part 2 only heightens that as she may well be positioned to take over Kishibe's role from the end of part 1. As a note, I was torn between Quanxi and Reze for this "spot", but I feel like Quanxi brings a more "complete" arc through what I've seen of her character so far, while if Reze resurfaces she'll become far more important than her role in part 1.

Makima

Chainsaw Man's core cast is pretty undefeated in terms of quality. I mean, it's pretty hard to do much with a character when they all die so quickly. Anyways, Makima as the antagonist is just plain good. People will get hung up on her manipulation and whatnot, and that is a part of her character, and a good one, but a lot can neglect the "genuine" aspect of her character that makes those manipulative pieces that much harder to discern at moments. She's more complex than just "Chainsaw Man is mine", and she deserves credit for that as a character.

Power

I'd like to say I struggled with choosing Power, but I really didn't. I do like Aki and his whole thing about death and revenge and his relationship with Himeno.... but I think that Power gets the head start on him. It's not really stretching the truth to say that the women of Chainsaw Man are more important to Denji's character than the men. After all, it's why four of the five in this list are women, Power included. Power's story does really well to bond with Denji as a sibling, giving him a closer connection to her than he has to Aki. It's almost like a precursor for becoming a big brother to Nayuta. And then there's the whole thing with Power's death mirroring Pochita's. Power fills a void in Denji, much like Aki. But it's not Power herself that does, but their bond, the pieces that the pair have put together between themselves through jokes, fighting, fear, or anything else. So, out of all the possible recurring characters, Power is arguably the most important, which makes me curious to see if we'll ever find the Blood devil/fiend again.

Alright, on to top 5 moments now. This one's a bit more challenging, because defining a moment isn't super easy. Because of that, I'll center it around a panel or sequence that I think is really important, impactful, or cool.

Go Find The Blood Devil - Chapter 91

Ended the characters with Power, so gotta start the moments with Power. This one's rather self-explanatory, as Power gives her life much like Pochita to offer Denji a new life, not another chance at his current, but a new one. It plays, in the literal sense, into Denji's circular story of rebirth and how it affects his dreams and ideals. Great moment all around. Also on that note, Pochita's moment is solid, but it's more foundational than some of these other moments. It has it, but it's more important as a story aspect than something that can grip readers with the same importance.

Play Catch - Chapter 79

I know I picked Power over Aki earlier, but that doesn't mean that he's a worthless character stuck on the sidelines. He does a good bit through life in the manga, but his Gun fiend moment is the most important for both him and Denji. It speaks to Aki's innermost desires, to be able to play with his brother once more. Though in this case it shows how he's come to see Denji as a younger sibling and is using that to replace the one that he lost. All the while it's meant to show Aki's desire to be able to laugh, to have fun and lead a normal life, none of which was available to him. Infinitely more depressing than Power's death, Aki's moves in the opposite direction as a self-serving one which impacts Denji in a totally different way.

Save The Asa - Chapter 127

This stretch from Part 2 was really something else because it's the first time that Asa and Denji really talk properly. There's the piece at the aquarium, but it's not the same as looking into these characters like they do in this chapter. How it approaches the feelings of depression, and what can help fight them or stave them off is just incredibly fresh and realistic, and so very much Denji-like. It's silly and wonderfully uplifting and important, as well as showing Denji's resolve and (at this point in the manga) his latest reborn self. Sure, he's gone through hell several times over but he's now got a little sister, a bunch of dogs, and a massive Chainsaw Man fanbase. The sun's only just rising on his new life, and he's excitedly reaching out for more.

Dream Battle - Chapter 10

It wouldn't be Chainsaw Man without some insanity, and I feel like Denji's fight with the Leech Devil is the first real instance of that, and such an electric one at that. On his last legs, bordering on desperation, Denji's feral and ridiculous side appears for the first time, and it's an incredible amount of fun.

Chu Chu Lovely Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura

I love Maximum The Hormone, Fujimoto loves Maximum The Hormone, how could this chapter not top my list of favorite moments? Belting off a song about sexual assault as Denji beats the brakes off a bunch of guys taking their turns against him, it's just so Chainsaw Man I don't know if there's a moment that better explains the series. It might even top the list of chapters I can't wait to see adapted as the series continues, purely because I know the song will play during the fight.

Finally, out the other side. These things always take a deceptive amount of time because I have so many ideas swirling around in my head that I need to trim down on. Going all the way down to five for each is really difficult, but given how narrow the criteria are, I feel pretty confident in my decisions at this point, especially in my favorite moments.