#ALSO I LOVE OTM GIRLS SO MUCH I WANT TO BE THEM

[thecrazyphantom]

I am SO normal abt him so I just had to redraw him. Also I only redesigned him so I can draw him in official art without having to draw that not so silly outfit of his

Sorry for the watermark. I rlly worked hard on this and I don't want it stolen lmao

[thebleacher]

Aggretsuko Season 3 Review: My Slightly Hotter than Lukewarm Take (Spoilers!)

Ok so I just finished Aggretsuko season 3, and what I will say is that I enjoyed it. Forget the nitty gritty, as a whole, I enjoyed the series and I was dying to know what happened next. (Spoilers ahead)

As far as the storyline, I would say that I would have never expected for the series to have a sudden development involving idols but I think it ended up being quite interesting and the new characters were good. 

Last few seasons, I often got quite stressed because there were a lot of bullshit ppl like Director Ton or Anai who were literally so crazy and shit. Ironically, for the above mentioned two, I actually liked their involvement this time. I honestly thought it was hilarious when Anai and Haida went to drink LMAO. I was also surprised that Director Ton actually offered to pay for Retsuko’s debt. Like, ofc what he said after was bad (like giving up dreams/focus on work etc), but I do think that a sincere part of him wanted to alleviate this pain for Retsuko. But ofc, Retsuko wasn’t just doing it for the money.  

In this season, I am quite glad that Hyodo-san, Manaka and the two others (LMAO CANT REMEMBER THEIR NAMES) were nice ppl who just had earnest dreams but poor accounting skills (LOL). I still do have my suspicions that Hyodo-san might be a composer but that idk cos we never got to see more. But it’s cute imo that he works so hard to give the OTM girls their dream. I would like to see more of that development and backstory tbh. 

And ofc as usual, Washimi and Gori-buchou were fab. I love them so much. Tbh fenneko was also great HAHA. 

Ok but now we get to our more main-ish characters for this season.  Firstly, I have never been a huge fan of Retsuko. I do believe that she is self-sabotaging and very stubborn. Especially in the beginning, she deadass splurged on a VR bf and I think this is a me-thing, but spending over $300 on merch is insane. That I can’t condone but ig #plot. Either ways, Retsuko literally needs to open up more and stop being such a pushover. 

However, this is where my slightly hotter than lukewarm take begins. 

As a non-japanese, I think we collectively forget some cultural elements to this show. When Retsuko started in the first season, I remember previews being like, Retsuko represents how we (really more the Jap audience and population) feels when we are restricted and cornered by society and the world. And tbh, she still is!! And I think now that this show has gotten more international acclaim, we sometimes forget the cultural elements. I would say as an asian who has lived in western society, the way asians compose themselves (not to mention, one of the most typically controlled asians, japanese), we tend to hold back more and try not to bother others. I think this is exemplified by how Retsuko tries her best to be diligent and hardworking throughout her life. She does it because she wants to please and because it’s what she has to do. 

In other reviews, I have also seen people criticize the romantic elements of this particular season. However, I thought about it, and other than time constraints, perhaps there’s just more to it that will be discussed later? 

If you consider this, Haida actually is quite similar to Retsuko. He is also very indecisive and timid. It’s why he never asked Retsuko out and never tried to do anything. (Also cos Retsuko literally never gave him the time of day and this idrk why) I think the last part where he says he wants to be a safe haven for Retsuko and to protect her, perhaps that was also culturally more traditional. But ofc, even in Japan, with progressing times, women also want to be regarded as more than objects to be protected. (This part is more of me speculating though)

But I do hope that the Haida and Retsuko thing can be more fleshed out later. I was particularly disappointed that Retsuko did not even say anything when Haida straight up got hurt from protecting her. (If you can’t tell by now, I actually really like Haida) I also saw some reviews saying they were upset about Haida insulting Retsuko, but tbh, I did not even see it as offensive. Ig bcas a part of me knew that Haida was there, egging her on so that she could actually vent. I also think that it might be the first time either of them have been honest/candid with each other. Bcas while both of them did the death voice, they were speaking the truth. 

The last two points is that firstly, RIP Inui LOL cos she’s actually a nice girl and seems cool. But ig she chose someone who has been blindly in love/crushing for 5 years. I think that she will be able to find better but I do feel bad for her. 

Last point is that I was genuinely VERY surprised to see such a dark thing happen in this season. Pen knife for attempted murder/assault? That’s scary. And stalking? Tbh these are all very real things idols face and it is definitely not ok. (both in Japan and Korea tbh) I think that that progress was very realistic and something I did not expect, but was a thoughtful and appropriate plot progression. 

Overall, I really liked what happened but am very sad I will have to wait for a long time before new content comes again. TuT  Either ways, good show, good laughs, good feels, much excite.

[rosewood-multifandom-writer]

Aggretsuko Season 3 Review Part 1:

WARNING: This review contains spoilers and it actually gets dark. So if you haven’t watched Season Three yet or you want a more light hearted review, go to my season 1 and 2 Aggretsuko reviews. This is the one and only warning I have for this review. There will also be a part two because there’s a lot I wanna talk about in terms of Season Three’s story here.

Plot (5/5):

The plot is a very different one from the previous two seasons. Where season 1 was about being in a job Retsuko hated, season 2 had her tackle the subject of marriage and relationships, and now, in the third season, she’s tackling the subject of chasing after a dream and being an idol pop star. The shortest story arc in the series has the season start off with her being with a virtual boyfriend who’s a unicorn. In her case, having a virtual boyfriend is better than getting into a real relationship. Unfortunately for Retsuko, she ends up spending a lot of money on in game purchases. Whoops! She does learn from her mistakes and returns the game. Well, she tries to anyway.

The next arc has her accidentally back her car up into someone and she has to pay a debt. In order to do this, she works for an Idol group called the OTMgirls, consisting of Manaka, the lead singer, with her backup singers Hidarin and Migi. Their manager is the one Retsuko accidentally backed up into named Hyoudou. He looks intimdating, but he means well. The OTMgirls are idols but they have normal jobs outside of that with Manaka being a Store Clerk. Retsuko actually helps the girls and Hyoudou earn lots of money and Hyoudou discovers Retsuko’s death metal screaming. It gave him an idea to put her as the new lead for the idols. This arc is practically the biggest one out of all of the arcs in this series.

Meanwhile, Haida meets a new girl named Inui. Inui took a liking to Haida, but Haida still has feelings for Retsuko and Inui took notice, but didn’t get angry or jealous. I was expecting her to act out on anger or jealousy towards Haida but she’s actually a sweet character in this show. She also helped Haida with Retsuko after a certain... incident that I’ll get into later. Although Inui has the same interests as Haida, Haida isn’t really in love with her and Inui accepts that fact. This was the subplot of this series, and it’s nicely done here.

After becoming a successful idol, Retsuko was basically having a double life. By day, she’s an Accountant, by night, she’s a death metal idol. However, being an idol isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Idol Culture in Japan can get intense at times. There are obsessed fans, stalkers, antis, and the Idol industry will forbid idols from entering relationships because it will kill a fans obsession with said idol. I learned that from a video about Idol Culture! Back to Retsuko, after being successful and giving the OTM Girls a new theme, an anti who’s also a stalker gives Retsuko a fat wad of cash. The cash fans give to the OTMgirls will give them an amount of time to shake hands with them. Five bucks would be a five second hand shake. The anti who’s a stalker has a big wad of cash, and for five uncomfortable minutes, Retsuko is forced to shake and hold hands with this stalker, who was saying very nasty things about her. Manaka was also warning Retsuko multiple times that fans take crap to the next level when they are obsessed or when they are an anti. And she wasn’t kidding!

Ton eventually caught on that Retsuko was an idol, which answered his question as to why she was showing up less to work. He told her that she should pay off her debt already and told her the dangers of being an idol, saying that there will be someone that will attack her. Retsuko chooses the idol life, much to Ton’s dismay. If you pay attention to his tone, you can hear a subtle hint of worry.

The stalker anti went as far as purchasing a box cutter with the intent to kill Retsuko. To make things even worse, he knows where she lives, and where she works. When Retsuko leaves work, the stalker actually starts running up to Retsuko, box cutter in hand and violently slashes towards her. Thankfully, Haida was there to save her from her would’ve been killer. After two other people restrain the psycho, Haida sees an unconscious Retsuko with blood splattered on her scarf and starts to panic a little, until, Inui shows up and tells him to not shake Retsuko so much, since she passed out.

After the attack, Retsuko is suffering from trauma. Haida is genuinely worried about Retsuko. His closest friend and the woman he loves almost got killed and he wants to do something to help her. He talks to Washimi, Fenneko, and Gori. After getting Retsuko to come with him to the Karoke place where she would normally vent her anger and frustrations, Haida wants Retsuko to let out her true feelings and emotions to him and he’ll do the same. The tables are turned here. Instead of Retsuko death metal screaming to Haida, Haida sings to Retsuko with the intent of making her angry. He also tells her that he knows that his love and protection won’t be enough to erase Retsuko’s trauma, and Retsuko expresses how angry and scared she is now, and she wants to punch the entire world. Haida takes her hand in his during her Metal Rage and says that they will punch the world together.

The ending to Season Three showed a more realistic take on someone giving love and protection to someone with trauma. Instead of having love erase someone’s trauma away like most stories do, Retsuko’s trauma remains, but Haida will be there to help her in anyway he can. And he doesn’t force her to love him back. All he wants to do is protect her and wants her to be happy. I will talk about him some more in part 2 of this review.

[threeletterslife]

Chana! What are some stories that have stayed with you through the years, and writing that has impacted your own?

ooh nice question! i wasn’t sure if you meant some of mY stories or others’ stories, so i’ll answer it both ways! (this post is crazily long i’m so so sorry)

some of my own stories that have stayed with me through the years: you & me both, over the moon and insurrection/the exam

y&mb was the first full-on angst story i’ve ever published. (before publishing that, i was actually known for being a fluff writer 🤡 i know, crazy, right??) but y&mb sits in a very special place in my heart. when i was writing it, i was happy with where my life was going (i’d finally gotten out of the slumps) and the topics showcased in the story actually really hit close to home so i was also seriously invested in the characters too. overall, it was my best work for a while. but looking back, i feel like i could’ve written it so much better. it was only like what? less than a year ago? but idk i love it but hate it at the same time. the kind of thing where i laugh and cry at the memories from it, but also would HATE to read it again. still, the plot of y&mb was something i developed for YEARS before i even attempted to write it, so yes, it did stay with me through the years. and i know for a fact it’ll stay with me for longer in the future

otm is an interesting one. i finished the series this year i think (which sounds so crazy,, it feels so long ago). but the plot i planned for years! i always save my *special* plots until i think i’m capable of writing them. i still think i should’ve waited a lil longer when i wrote otm because i’m not 100% sure that was my best work ever. but otm just makes me reflect back on the crazy times. like the characters in the story, i also felt so confused and unsure and NUMB when i was writing otm—mostly because the pandemic had just gotten serious in my country and things had started to become like a mf SHITSHOW :(( i connect so much with the characters in otm... (i mean, who doesn’t love an intj mc qUEEN??) so yeah. i also LOVE oc and yoongi’s relationship in otm. their romance is actually something i want with my future s.o. LOL (something subtle, something steadfast and most importantly—STEADY). i wish i could rewrite it now fsjfjj but that goes for all of my stories

insurrection/the exam kinda go together. i’ve had the idea for insurrection the longest out of ALL of these stories lol. i think i mentioned it before but i always felt so intrigued by a ‘school revolt’ kind of idea. so i always kinda wanted to write a lowkey satirical(?) story full of morally ambiguous characters and questionable academic organizations. that turned out to be insurrection, which i waited for (i think? three to four years?) before i finally wrote it. AGAIN, it could’ve been better, but at this point, let’s just accept the fact that i’ll never be satisfied LOL. insurrection’s welton high school is based on my own high school,,, so you can tell how shitty my experience with education was in my high school years 🥳anyways, that’s why insurrection is so important to me. i feel like, in a way, it tells my story (and my friends’ stories too). the exam is a less optimistic (more satirical) view on the education system. while insurrection focused more on the students (their passions, their will to rebel and ‘cheat’ the shitty system), the exam focused more on the unfairness that students’ intelligence could be scored with fucking TESTS. one test that determines your whole future. utopia and dystopia respectively represented privileged children (who were more likely to succeed in the exam) and the lesser privileged children (who would inevitably fail the exam because they were never given the resources). yeah, i think the exam could’ve been executed better, but i think the overarching theme was there, which i’m pretty satisfied with. i’m passionate about screaming that the american education system sucks (as you can tell by this painfully long paragraph) lol i’m thinking of writing a fic in the future about an education system that actually works!!

ANYWAYS I’M SO SORRY I WROTE SO MUCH FUCK. BUT THERE’S MORE,,, HANG ON

others’ stories and writings that have impacted my own!!

starting with published authors! i’m a huge HUGEJFLKDJFLSDJ fan of louis sachar (i’m convinced this man is a genius lol). i LOVED holes, i LOVED small steps, i LOVED fuzzy mud, i LOVEDDD the whole wayside school series. he’s so witty? and creative??? like i owe all my outrageous ideas to him because he probably single-handedly taught me creativity when i was a kid LOL another author i LOVE is fredrik backman. he writes the best slice of life/coming of age stories. i’m particularly fond of a man called ove and my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry (which inspired nothing a lil green can’t fix!!). honorable mentions go to ishiguro’s never let me go, faulkner’s as i lay dying, juster’s the phantom tollbooth. omfg i also had a HUGE shannon hale phase (the goose girl, enna burning, rapunzel’s revenge)—very fairy tale-esque but so magical and charming and CAPTIVATING!! i owe all of these authors a huge motherfucking THANK YOU. because they built me up this far 😭😭😭i love authors who are able to fully develop their characters or have the most amazing world-building ever. i think that’s why i put so much emphasis on my characters too. i rlly learned from the best 😭😭

as for internet authors!! i actually IDOLIZED this one author from wattpad (she was SERIOUSLY underrated). and i know there’s a stigma around wattpad authors (lowkey rightfully so; there’s some nasty stuff on there) but chloe was so SO talented. she wrote like a poet. it was insane. i never saw anyone who had a way with words like her. we were actually pretty close for a while but lost touch over the years. anyways, she wrote this beautiful, heartbreaking story called chrysanthemum,,, she deleted her account though so it’s not there anymore. (i know. i agonized over this for hours). she also wrote a horror fic (creatures) that STILL chills me to the bones. she inspired me to try writing horror too (in the future, i will!) 

other than that, i love all of @inktae​’s fics! she’s also an AMAZING writer. (her writing style is so eloquent and elegant and ugh! perfection!) her stories will make you feel nostalgic and lowkey heartbroken. she also writes a lot about nature/being around nature—it’s such a nice, beautiful, serene feeling. (she’s also the master of bittersweet endings!) i think i became obsessed with bittersweet endings because of her LOL some of her works that literally breathed LIFE into me: the blue notebooks, below thunder showers, written on the sky, first light (all of them are worth reading. her fics make you want to become a novelist—the inspiration i get from them is amazing!)

another legend is @jimlingss​!! i still keep up with literally all of her works because istg she never disappoints. she has such a simple but fluent writing style, which i LOVE! it’s engaging through and through. and man, she has a talent for storytelling! but the one thing no other internet author can top is kina’s characters. some published authors can’t even develop a single protagonist in the 456 book pages they wrote yikes. (but just saying, kina can do it in like 9k words.) i have no idea how she does it but her characters just feel human—even if they're not, they STILL FEEL REAL??? (sorry i’m just fangirling) but like i’m serious, she really did inspire me to start putting more depth to my characters. after all, why would the reader be invested in a story if they don’t give two shits about the bland-ass characters?? her pivotal works that made ME wanna pIVOT my whole writing career: tears of a villain, flames and floe, game of temptation, head over heels to hell, a voyage to liberation, ghost in the machine, the weekend massacre, love pages, moirai, a piece of the moonlight

i mean look, i’d put down way more fics of kina’s that inspired me to become the writer that i am now,,, but i don’t wanna make this long ass ask even longer so ummm i’ll have to stop 😭😭but i am literally in love with all of these published and internet authors. i just don’t understand how they are so talented. i really DO learn from the best. and i learned different things from each author too!! 

all of these stories (mine and others) have impacted my writing in some way or another. from my own, i learned from my mistakes lol. from others, i learned how to be a better writer. you can only write as much as you read. i stand by that fact to this day

anyways i’m so sorry you had to read this whole fucking essay 😭😭😭😭