#AND FINALLY CALLING TOHRU BY HER GIVEN NAME AT THE END

[jojea]

*through tears* tohru honda could fix me

[kuroos-moon]

Captains and Strong Independent S/o’s

☁︎︎ request:  Oikawa, Kuroo and either Bokuto or Ushijima (I cant choose!) reacting to a (fem or g/n) reader who does some type of martial art and they’re kinda tough/strong and (maybe they’re the team manager and they don’t take no shit) and the captains kinda crush on them for it? (I like to imagine Oikawa having a tough gf who stops Iwa from being mean to him and jokingly threatens Iwa that if he wants to hurt Tohru he has to go through her

☁︎︎ pairing: oikawa x reader, kuroo x reader, ushijima x reader

☁︎︎ warning/s: swearing, felt a bit of angst while writing for ushijima’s idk why tho it might just be my imagination :> 

☁︎︎ a/n: also dont know if it’s obvious but i kinda got carried away with ushijima’s 

Oikawa Tohru

• is a smug little shit every time you’re with him or in the same room at least 

• like,, he could piss Iwa-chan off to death and he won’t get hurt for it? now this is what he calls power

• sincerely loves and adores you, but at first, he kinda got sad that you’re so self-sufficient, you practically don’t need him 

• but he’s now long accepted that you’re just so you… and in your relationship, it’s you who does the protecting and looking out by a whole lot (ofc it doesn’t mean he loves you less) 

• that’s why he gets so so soft when he gets his turn in being the person who’s leaned on

• as their manager, he loves how you get things done so effectively, even Kyotani bows down to you, as he should—he always says in his head, smiling as he looks at the feral boy getting flustered around you  

• he listens to you all the time and we all know Tohru backing down is so rare 

“Oy, you’re overdoing it, let’s go.” 

“Head home without me, Iwa-chan,” he mutters mindlessly as he screws up another serve, a scowl on his face as he bends down to get another ball; but he freezes at an instant upon Iwaizumi’s words—no, Iwaizumi’s threat.

“Suit yourself, I’ll call y/n.” 

Oikawa has never changed stance so quickly in his life, cleaning up the gym as he sends smiles to his best friend’s way every five seconds, hoping he won’t tell on him on his cute but scary girl who could easily kick him unconscious. 

• he uses your name to threaten anyone who wants to cross him and they will back down immediately

• also likes to show off because he knows you treasure him so much; he likes to be babied by you especially in front of others 

“y/n-chan c’mere,” he softly says, whining a bit. The rest of his team look at the both of you in astonishment as you take the captain in your arms, Tohru’s cheek on your shoulder, looking back at the bewildered look on his teammate’s faces while you sit side by side on the bench. 

They could never get used to someone as tough as you having such the softest spot for Shittykawa… like how could you even stand him? 

“Really tired,” he mumbles, a small smile on his lips when you run your fingers through his hair. “I know, you were great as always, let’s head home so you could rest.” 

“Y/n-chan, today, Iwa-chan hit my head when you were out to get water. It really hurt,” he says, still in your embrace as he smirks at his teammates. 

Their mouths fall open, Iwaizumi’s eye twitching in irritation for his shitty best friend. 

“And Maki-chan…” Hanamaki grits his teeth, looking at him pleadingly in panic as his mind runs through everything he did today, wondering what he could’ve done to your beloved. “He ate my milk bread; I was really hungry.” 

Yup, Maki and Iwaizumi knew there was hell to pay, gulping in unison when you pull away from your boyfriend and narrow your eyes at them. 

“Iwa-chan. I thought we agreed you weren’t hitting Tohru again.” 

A chill runs down his spine, Tohru simply looks at you with pride, pulling you into his lap as he wraps his arms around your waist before you get the chance to throw hands at Iwaizumi.

Kuroo Tetsuro

• loves loves LOVES your remarks, your attitude, the way you take no crap from anyone, like “ah, he’s scared shitless, that’s my girl” 

• dw, you’re not a thug or anything, but men who force their feelings on you will see heaven’s gates early 

• and kuroo’s so pleased about it. sure, he’d love to get the chance to act all cool and brooding and possessive in front of other suitors but what’s more fun is watching their dejected faces as you say—

• “how many times do I have to turn you down? I have my tetsuro, now back the fuck off or I’ll break your nose.” 

• you had no idea he was just outside your classroom waiting for you, arms crossed and a cocky grin stretching his lips when you lock eyes with him

• “chibi-chan!” he calls off cheerily, and you bet he’ll tease you about it til death do you part 

• “don’t just stand there, give your tetsuro a hug!” 

• laughs about how your friendly banters with yamamoto always end up with you winning the argument 

• you rub off as mean bc you won’t take any disrespect, even a little—and that’s great

• those are one of the things he loves about you 

• but he’s always worried you might get hurt or hated for it, though he knows you are very much capable of beating anyone up even kuroo himself

• so he’s always holding you back, and I can’t stress this enough, but this man knows you could fend for yourself and he is so proud you’re his partner 

• he just wants to make certain that no one’ll hurt you, okay kitten? 

• your conversations often go like this: 

“I’ll beat up whoever tries to lay a hand on me.” 

“don’t say such reckless things, you’re not superman.”

“uhuh, geez, I’ll be fine, I don’t need you to walk me home.” 

“well news flash, your tetsuro, needs his y/n to walk him ho—ow,” he mutters when you slap his chest. 

“go home with kenma.”

“I don’t want kenma,” he scowls, already irked that this is turning into an argument.

“too bad,” you deadpan.  

“ugh,” he groans, “imagine a girlfriend who actually listens to you, just imagine.” 

• he is the one and only person you’ll gladly accept lectures from, bc his lectures are always reasonable and for your own good

after checking and verifying that you were completely okay, you knew he was about to go down to business. 

“you got into a fight? What are you? a thug?” he crosses his arms. You were both inside the gym along with the rest of his teammates who looked like they were far too preoccupied to listen. They were all clearly listening in though, except Kenma of course.  

watching your figures from a few feet away, it was obvious that he was scolding you, and Lev already had a ridiculous visualization of you hitting Kuroo. Everyone was worried you’ll fight him, or maybe even hit him, well, everyone except Kenma, of course. 

The setter knew that you would never ever lay a hand on kuroo as if the 6’1 captain was fragile. He also knew that you loved and respected kuroo too much to actually get agitated just because he was scolding you, you aren’t an unreasonable person. Lastly, he knew that kuroo would be going soft on you in five minutes tops, his best friend is hopeless like that. 

Kenma was right, he always is. Your back is glued to the wall behind you, Kuroo’s hand beside your head, his face extremely close to yours that you’re left flustered which is rare. 

After you were rambling on about how you had to put that girl in her place, going off about how it made you so mad and he should cut you some slack, he knew just how to shut you up. And it worked. You’re speechless. 

“what was that again, hm? go on, you surely had a lot to say,” he mutters, acting all tough as if he wasn’t dying to just kiss you now. when you don’t respond and stare at him and his lips instead, he already gives in. yes, just like that. “you were wrong to do that, okay?” he breathes, the worry from earlier on making its way out through his voice. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” 

Locking lips with you, you pull him closer to yourself, and kuroo had purposely decided to kabedon you on this wall since his broad back would be shielding the two of you from his teammates’ line of sight. 

After pulling away, he pats your head, licking his lips. “I forgive you, I’m not mad anymore.” You look away in embarrassment, realizing how petty you must’ve seemed to him. He sighs before hugging you, chin atop your head. 

“Make this the last time, okay? I swear you’re shortening my lifespan having me worried all the time.” 

You hug him tighter as a response, kuroo letting out a breath of contentment. Regardless of how tough you are outside; you are and always will be his soft little kitten and it was his greatest honor that you allow him to take care of you like this. 

Ushijima Wakatoshi

• is probably a little too used to the idea of his most treasured girlfriend being extremely capable and self-sufficient 

• his teammates would always look at him like ‘why are you not stepping in,’ every time you’re in a tough spot i.e. having an argument with someone or having a too-touchy suitor 

• then they’d be like “oh, that’s why,” after you flung the despicable creature out to space 

• he thinks so highly of you, not only are you physically strong, you’re even tougher on the inside too

• this is kinda a given but I’ll say it anyway—he can be unintentionally insensitive (well your relationship is kinda new)

• example no 1: 

you were arguing with goshiki and while he would normally like to ignore you and let you have your way; he was getting annoyed bc the argument was far too petty. 

“I’m gonna surpass him!” 

“and I’m telling you that you ca-

your mouth is clamped with a big hand, and it took you only a second to realize it was Wakatoshi because only he would have the nerve to lay a hand on you like this. he still doesn’t say anything, dragging you with him in an empty hallway for privacy.

finally after you stopped walking, he turns to you and looks at you expectantly. “what was that for? Did you even wash your hand,” you mutter, slightly annoyed. 

“I haven’t touched the ball yet, don’t worry,” he lowly says, making you sulk because he totally missed your point. “still, you didn’t have to make me shut up by clamping your hand against my mouth.” He’s too… not gentle with you sometimes. 

“you were going to say something you shouldn’t to goshiki.”

“he said something he shouldn’t have.” 

he only narrows his eyes at you and you do the same, anyone from your class would’ve been scared at the sight. You were both known as the cutest yet intimidatingly scary couple. 

• you were in the early stages of dating and though you understood each other well, it wasn’t really enough yet

• it’s all good though, because once you tell him that he was too uncaring of you and your feelings he does something that no other man would do: 

• apologize, admit his mistake, reflect on it a lot and,,, actually change!! 

• he’s much softer to you after that, and he finally realizes that you were still his precious girl and you were sensitive when it came to him 

• cursed himself for being too reliant on how you never seemed sensitive or needy

• doesn’t dwell too much on regret, just treats you 100x times better 

• is fascinated with your passion for martial arts but is against you overdoing training

• one time, he was torn between dragging you out of practice or just turning a blind eye to your visible exhaustion since you’re always so tough anyway, you’ll manage 

• but then he remembers his promise to himself to never treat you like you aren’t the most special person to him so he excuses himself from practice and heads to your training room 

you sat alone, your back to the wall. everyone else has gone home but you stayed because your muscles were too sore and you felt like you couldn’t even walk for another day. maybe it had something to do with how you’ve been training too much. 

you’re startled upon seeing shoes on the floor you blankly stared at, looking up to meet eyes with Ushijima. “Wakatoshi,” you say in surprise. 

he is expressionless as he bends down across you between your legs, and you had to admit this was something you weren’t used to from him. “are you okay?” he asks, his voice soft as velvet. you’re taken aback by his question, looking away in embarrassment. 

Wakatoshi rarely asks you that, and most of the time it was only when you said the word ‘ow’ when you accidentally hit something. you clear your throat, bringing your hands together to play with your fingers, “I’m okay.” 

it was silent for a few seconds before you hear him sigh, not only that, warm, gentle hands had found its way to yours and you look at him, bewildered. “is this okay?” he asks, looking down at both your hands and you nod. “your hands are much smaller, compared to mine at least.” he says, but you’re too flustered to even understand that. 

“are other things okay too?” he asks, and like his former statement, you didn’t understand. your silence doesn’t stop him though, he decided to push his luck. tugged gently by your wrist, your back���s no longer pressed to the wall as ushijima wakatoshi pulls you in his arms for the first time in your very few months of dating. 

“wakatoshi,” you mumble, your heart racing so much you’re sure he feels it against his chest. he’s so warm, welcoming, and in his loving hold felt like the rightest place to be. “you’re not feeling okay.”

you don’t respond, opting to bury your face at the crook of his neck instead. “I’m here, I know you’re tired.” 

you both stay in that position for a long time, it was addicting to be cradled in his arms and he felt the same. “y/n,” he whispers, and you hum in response. 

“you’re strong. very strong. you don’t need a man at all.”

your heart skips a beat, “toshi are you breaking up with me?” 

you hear a soft chuckle ring in your ears, “let me finish. as I said, you’re very strong. you look like you’re always so tough. but you’re not, and so…” he trails off, so you pull away to look at him, hesitance evident in his eyes, his palm still pressed at the small of your back. 

“you’re not always strong. in fact if I dare say, you are fragile, and I care about you. so please, allow me to be there for you all the time, I’ll be here, just like now.” 

General Taglist [Open]: @noyasbitchh @dinablossom @haru-the-secret @strayczennies @lalisbitch @tinymidgetsstuff @animebs @astrealia @kittykitkatstrawberry @hajimesbbygrl @kellesvt @24hr7dysdizzy @arnxldss @elianetsantana @vicassa @floraraine @beanst0ck @leinnah @kageyamasgirl @deafeningart @minibobabottle   @franko-pop @moonlightaangel @throughtheinterstices @micasaessakusa @dixonsbugaboo @thevillagehiddenintheinternet @ultzuko @yappychan @dipsydoo542 @devilgirlcrybabiey @dai-tsukki-desu​

[m0e-ru]

eight months in somebody actually asked me abt visualive instead of me immediately annoying ppl about it without former notice. I might actually write properly for once 😳😳😳

OK OK!!!!! In this essay I will.... I will.... Visualive Adachi.... Visu/BURSTS INTO TEARS/

OKAY OKAY for real I just care Visualive so much (as someone who can’t fully understand Japanese AHAHA)

First I’ll add some foundation about what Visualive really is, then I talk abt Adachi in the latter parts of it because this is technically the first time I’m properly talking about this hehe 🐿

T....table of contents???

Visualive

Visualive the Evolution

Masami Itou

Visualive Adachi

Visualive the Evolution Adachi

Terms and Legend

VL - Visualive

VLE - Visualive the Evolution

stage - shortened for “stageplay”

面白い - omoshiroi (it’s just that specific)

Yuuya - VL Hero name

Hayato - VLE Hero name

Baba - Hero

Masami - Adachi

Taniguchi - Dojima

Saotome - Daisuke

Mamiya - Izanami

I add honorifics but sometimes I forget the hyphen intentionally or unintentionally I’m sorry if it makes it hard to read lol

all links have automatic timestamps for easy viewing. i mean. i hope the timestamps work

VISUALIVE “Persona 4.” A stage adaptation of SMT: Persona 4 by Atlus. It adapts the first part of the story, from the hero’s arrival to after recovering Mitsuo Kubo from the TV world. It also ends on a cliff hanger, showing a teaser of Shadow Naoto being projected on the screen.

It takes up a speedy recapitulation of the hero’s spring life, before slowing down and showing in depth his school life in summer. A day before Morooka-sensei’s death, there is a little skit with Kou, Daisuke and Adachi. The hero walks into the conversation before the two other boys leaving, and Morooka-sensei walking in on the student and detective. The next day follow’s the teacher’s death and the Investigation Team (IT) begin investigating their new lead.

From the words “visual” and “alive,” the niche of this stage was meant to be the fusion of live acting and visual digital projections. All seen from the stageplay with the colorful cast of actors and CG animations being projected on the screen. This offers an opportunity for characters to summon their personas, perform cool visual effects, change the backdrop, or even confront their own Shadows.

Performed in Sunshine Theater from the 15th to the 20th of March 2012. The screenplay was written and directed by Shintaro Asanuma from the theatrical group “bpm.” The video production produced by Shutaro Oku, a film director and visual planner. He later takes over as director for VISUALIVE THE EVOLUTION, the sequel stage. The stage music was produced by Shunsuke Wada, with a special show exclusive vocal track sung by Shihoko Hirata.

On this note, I haven’t seen any sort of original soundtrack released for any of the stages and I’m SO SAD. The last song in Mitsuo’s boss fight was such a BANGER and literally EVERYTHING ELSE Marvelous, Wadasan please take my MONEY

Regarding the cast, there were some special accommodations for Teddie, Rise, and Nanako, all of which did not have live actors at the time. During the casting, actors for the three characters could not be found or simply left the directors unsatisfied they couldn’t cast anybody. An exception for Rise, who was able to have a live actor in the sequel stage. It has been stated that there weren’t any “pretty boy” actors that fit the “Teddie Criteria.” While there weren’t any child actors that were believed to portray Nanako well.

Teddie was only ever seen in his bear costume while Rise was busy talking through a call, all voiced by their video game cast. Nanako has never appeared on stage, only being scarcely mentioned in the script. Again, this is different in the sequel stage where her role was extremely important and was shown as a screen projection.

VISUALIVE “Persona 4” THE EVOLUTION. A sequel stage. Beginning abruptly in the middle of Shadow Naoto’s boss fight, the story continues from there until the “true end” of the game’s original story. *Certain characters are introduced while others have been reintroduced. And on a personal note, when it’s all comedic in the beginning, it’s all for what’s coming right after.

I don’t know if I’m salty or just find it really funny AHAHA I might go talk abt it some other day with more context ehehe

Performed in The Galaxy Theater from the 3rd to the 9th of October 2012, only a few months after the PSVITA Persona 4 Golden release, which is July 2012. The screenplay was now written by Jun Kumagi while directed by Shutaro Oku. And music production finally taken over by Shoji Meguro himself.

---

HAHAHA this is starting to look like a wiki page. moving on. I might start rambling rn

(warning LONG !!!! aaa,,)

My thoughts on the stage adaptations. For the first Visualive (VL) I believe it’s pretty close to canon! I enjoy the characterization and how much love and care was present when handling the entire production.

Actors were busy playing the game itself, wherein a PS2 was present in the practice room. Along with magazines and game guides explaining the game’s story and the characters itself. Actors performing together and even improv acting together to get a grasp of their characters. All of them knowing well of Persona 4 as a well loved game, delicately handling their characters and hopefully performing them right while making the audience happy.

The staff taking care of each other while the director and video producer, Asanuma-san and Oku-san, working together well to make their vision into a reality.

The same thing happened with VL the Evolution (VLE) and literally every other good stage. Except... I feel the script kinda got out of hand with too much liberty where it feels a bit more disconnected from canon. But! It makes up for it in its content, whether comedic or (INCREDIBLY) dramatic! It’s great as its own story at that point. So in this case, I like to take the first VL and get to connect it canon, while I don’t know what the hell happened in VLE to the point I’ll just enjoy it as its own content.

These opinions deserve its own essay, post whatever bc I have SO much to say abt this. ANYWAY. VL ADACHI

---

Tohru Adachi is portrayed by Masami Itou (伊藤マサミ), a screenplay writer, director and an stage actor himself. He does have a single character voice role along with a fellow troupe member in the same franchise, but mostly works as the former three. He is part of Asanuma-san’s entertainment group “bpm.” On a similar note, Masashi Taniguchi, Dojima’s actor, was also part of their group from 2011 to 2016, which may explain their good synergy as the boss and the bumbling fool dynamic. I mean, somebody’s gotta get hit in the head every few skits.

With Masami-san being an important part of the cast, he doesn’t appear as often as Taniguchi-san in backstage content like the VL bonus disk or the official blog. Mentioned in his own personal blog, he had been busy with his roles as assistant director (I am assuming also for VL).

Also fun to note, because his role is mainly comic relief, he has been using his liberty to change up the material almost everyday making each performance exciting. This also leaves some other actors jealous of his freedom in his role, such as Saotome-san, Daisuke’s actor.

---

VL Adachi really has a... how do I say this? an adorable speech pattern (THE SAME SPEECH PATTERN THAT DROVE ME MAD TRYING TO DECIPHER I THOUGHT YOU WERE A CITY BOY OSSU OSSU MY ASS /shakes you violently/). Overall, he really fits the loose lipped bumbling fool, and his accent really makes him seem more casual and invested. What I’m saying is... VL Adachi either actually has genuine empathy or he actually has more energy to fake it (compared to some other edgelord. i mean you saw my p4ga analysis. I’m sick of him lol ahaha).

One of my favorite ways to explain this (OTHER THAN CHAIR CAR ADVENTURE MY BELOVED WE’LL GET TO THAT LATER) is the rice field scene with him and Dojima. It’s overanalyzation time 🎉

(43:04)

While investigating, Adachi whines about being tired while Dojima smacks him in the head. In this case, it’s established that Adachi doesn’t want to be there, yes? It’s the country, it’s hot and it smells like green.

"Ah... Dojima-san..! Why don't we take a break? (...) There really is nothing out here... Is the criminal still even here at all? (...) I wonder if I've passed being a rookie yet. Haha, but this city doesn't even have convenient transportation. I can't go to leisure lands (recreation, amusement parks, arcades, ect.) and head home at all."

Adachi then tries to tell Dojima a story. “when I got to this city after being newly assigned, I met an interesting guy (...) Yeah, I remember that the cherry blossoms haven't bloomed yet. So, I was driving my car and got near the station and--” Dojima gets a phone call.

Adachi politely puts his hands down waiting for his boss to finish so he can finish the story. Again and again, Adachi attempts to talk to Dojima about a story he’s so persistent trying to tell someone about. It was so 面白い that he would find someone to talk to about it. Even being polite and patient enough to wait for a chance to speak. He even gets fed up with it and blows up in front of his boss, clearly irritated he’s not given a chance to talk.

Sure, it could be Adachi feeling fed up like a normal person where someone agreed he to listen to him, before being constantly ignored. Or Adachi trying to be a more annoying whiny brat, depending on where you look at it.

If the story wasn’t too “interesting” to Adachi, he would’ve just brushed it off and stopped talking to Dojima entirely, or start up new small talk, or even complain some more. But no, he had a story he wanted to voice out so bad that he got irritated that the one person in the vicinity couldn’t listen to him.

Only after Dojima told him to continue their investigation elsewhere did Adachi finally stop and focus on something else. Maybe that story was for another day, or maybe it was never meant to be told.

What if it was just original (game) Adachi? He’d find a way to squirrel out of the investigation as usual, or push Dojima to “investigate” elsewhere. “Hey boss, don’t you think it’s hot? Why don’t we go elsewhere? We’ve seen this place too many times to count and I doubt anything new’ll turn up. How about we take a break at Junes, y’know? Where it’s cool? C’mon boss,” something like that.

og Adachi is just really annoying and silly to me. Some grown man thinking he can freeload because he never gets anything out of putting in more energy and effort? I don’t care how tall he is, I will smack him in the head.

Yeah VL Adachi whines, too, but at least it doesn’t look like he’s going to escape and waste his time somewhere else. He just sucks it up stops trying to leave the situation.

Or maybe I’m getting this all wrong and VL is exactly the same and my rage just gets dampened because of Masamisan’s execution of character hmm...

SO. What was his story about anyway? The one he really wanted to share to Dojima?

I mean... it’s obvious enough

First day in town? Spring? Actually mentioned driving a car when literally out of every single persona 4 media at the time was there not a SINGLE mention of Adachi having a car OTHER THAN the same stageplay it’s being mentioned in?

A story, from somewhere around uhh four? five months ago? was something that he remembered so dearly and was willing to share despite it obviously embarrassing him even if he puts the blame on a certain somebody in the same story?

Or maybe it’s because he really had nothing to talk about ever since he realized all his stories from the city weren’t actually that funny or interesting in the first place.

BUT then that would mean out of all the things he could talk about—more whining, complaining, complimenting, small talk—he insisted about talking about this story in particular.

Okay, look. I’m just. Just. As someone who talks too much, of course I have things I actually want people to hear out of all the bullshit that comes out of my mouth. And if the thing I actually want people to listen to doesn’t even get heard, I’d go mad.

Sure, Adachi’d be fine when his complaints or intentionally unfunny jokes get brushed off. But a story of a guy that he thought was so funny, interesting, 面白い gets ignored, he really blew up, even just for a split second, maybe.

And ALL the things that happened in that story—on his first day in Inaba! His car got dented, he had to deal with a weirdo dumbass employee that knew zero personal space, yelled in his ear, who didn’t know how to do their job, got his station reputation messed up on the first day, got his ass grabbed, got (unintentionally?) mocked for his lame stories, and got his car dented for the SECOND time. Probably MORE

And he STILL wanted to talk about it /punches through concrete wall/

yes I’m overthinking about this of course i am

This little tidbit of VL Adachi kinda makes me go insane sometimes—his entire characterization in VL in particular. It was really refreshing to see and how they included both of his characters in it, his facade and how irritated he is of a lot of things underneath. And how flexible his character is immediately working with other characters when there’s sudden improv to balance the situation. Like him and Dojima, Morooka, the attendant, or even Yuuya (hero) himself.

I’ll take Taniguchi-san’s messing around in the VL bonus backstage disc in place of Masami-san being so busy he couldn’t appear in it as often as other characters.

For stagetime that lasted for fifteen minutes or less, my appreciation for VL Adachi, even if he was just comic relief, really rocketed. I say VL, bc Adachi the edgelord he’s supposed to be in literally every other media is something I analyze separately.

I haven’t even gotten to VLE oh my GODDDDD

Like I said, I don’t really regard VLE close to canon but as something to be appreciated for what it is by itself. But the way Adachi was characterized there, in or out of character, still struck me.

---

Yes, there was his strange fan-agreed-canon which is,,, now canon obsession with cabbages (not that that’s a bad thing lmao). There was also him being a lot more jumpy and intimate in a clowny way, patting people on the shoulder or even downright hugging them just to mess around. Even FORGETTING who the same goddam loser who grabbed his ass almost a year ago is. But like, can’t blame him they literally changed their actor (and screenplay writer) AHAHAHA

ha... no more comedy, only dorky sword fights now

(speaking of sword fights I think it’s a fun thought how Mamiya-san [Izanami, also one of the youngest in the cast] admitted it was his first time doing sword fight choreography and even thanked Masami-san and other staff members for guiding him)

One thing unintentionally in character was Adachi accidentally nabbing the sushi overdosed in wasabi. Masami-san didn’t actually account for a joke sushi and didn’t immediately eat it—until Taniguchi-san (who also made Dojima go off his shits compared to VL) jokingly yelled at him and even riled up the audience for him to eat it. He even went off stage to get water just for him to eat the goddam sushi.

And Masami-san did! (kinda choked, but he’s fine).

Continuing from the same scene, while being overly giddy about sushi dinner (and I mean overly--he was singing about it while hopping to the Dojima residence), he tried to remind the two, Dojima and Hayato (hero), that Nanako was sleeping. Probably where she was sick if the scene was translated from the game.

(30:07)

And... the dramatic parts of VLE

Adachi was the one who reported to the IT that Dojima was chasing Namatame in the rain. While Naoto was discussing Namatame’s journal entries, Adachi, as giddy as he is, took it from Naoto’s hands and reveled in the discovery of evidence so childishly(?). He even ran to Dojima when he began regaining consciousness and immediately called the nurses to help him wheel Dojima to the ER.

Then, The Hospital Scene™️, right after Nanako flatlines.

(1:02:02)

Adachi, who recently walked into the scene, immediately worries about Dojima and IT who were ALL crying. He looks down, devastated—before yelling how Dojima’s heading to Namatame’s room.

He yells in terror and the same grief at his injured boss, all while running past and even jumping over children, who fell to the ground sobbing, to get to him. He continues yelling in a pained fashion while immediately reprimanding Dojima to stop. He gets carried by the collar before being tossed to the ground at Hayato’s feet, all while being pat by the same boy.

Dojima makes his speech about how unfair it is for the ‘killer’ to be alive when his daughter isn’t. When he finally falls to his knees, Adachi rises from the ground, humbly saying he’ll do his best to take care of Dojima (or something like that I’m in tears I literally can’t do VLE’s hospital scene i h8 this). He finally starts crying along with everyone else, being pushed away again but still tries again, trying to usher his boss away from the door.

With the help of the guard in front of the door, they all disappear off stage

please... I know this scene doesn’t need that much translation because of how important this scene is in the entire story. and I know my narratives aren’t enough so just,,,, just watch it please it’s so much more than this. everyone’s acting was just spectacular

(1:08:47)

So, after the IT (YOSUKE. JUST YOSUKE. good job Mae-chan) stop themselves from k wording Namatame, it was ADACHI who reported Nanako’s miracle recovery. He ran to the same corridor where they all cried in, even panting and falling to the ground in relief trying to report the good news. Then he pats Hayato on the shoulder and says he’s going to Dojima.

With this... /slaps roof of half of VLE/ ALL of this....adachi.... adachisan.... he Cares™️..... holy shit.....

now. comparing to the game. do you even remember what og Adachi did? did he.. even do anything?????

(56:39)

NO!!! he just stood there!!!! being a bumbling fool but.... inappropriately!!! man. he didn’t act concerned enough.

adachi: /walks into a bunch of kids crying outside a hospital room/ “lmao why tf are y’all crying? did uhhh what’s her face uhhh nanako. did she d word or something? rip, I guess lol” LIKE????? CAN YOU IMPLY FASTER

and then he’s like “wgat hmm Where’s Dojima-san Heading Because That’s Not The Way To His Room 🤔” and only when he’s asked he actually mentions he’s heading to Namatame’s room and still needs to get choked by a first year for the room number like..... zero consideration

and his boss??? where his daughter he loves so much just??? di*s???? and he’s so devastated he’s doing what he can that very moment while he’s so numbed of thinking of the consequences???? And adachi goes “uhh boss that’s illegal” LIKE. BITCH. /punches through a concrete wall but harder/

---

And??? His confrontation scene??? Like, I know they mashed it up w his tv confession scene to save stagetime for other scenes BUT IT WAS SO MMBMBMBMMGN /gestures in a good way/

(1:15:56)

UM?? guy behind everything??? in a vulnerable area where he could easily get physically assaulted bc hes not in the tv world w his persona?? Trash talks women like he absolute misogynist he is??? getting yelled at by a bunch of kids and YELLING BACK IN THE SAME AGITATED MANNER even TAUNTING THEM then and there to GET HIS ASS?????

og Adachi was such a pussy he got caught and just scurried off into the TV world where he ended up having powers like...ok....scared of getting beat down by a bunch of highschoolers unless you have powers...ok....

he only taunted them to get him when he was in the tv world too.....he rlly couldn’t say shit in the real world huh... lol

(yeah yeah this shows how VLE Adachi knew abt his TV world powers which would make you think if he ever went into the tv world and came back out alive. Or he’s really just a badass who doesnt give a shit abt anyone’s opinions and CAN beat anyone’s ass. i have a separate thing abt this but bc i like to laught at vle rather than overthink its own lore i might. not. idk lol)

and ??? VLE Adachi can??? He can swordfight??? he doesn’t even NEED a gun—he even reflects bullets w his blade (but apparently he can still get slapped by a flying fan more often than any other attack). His fight choreo was just...so poggers. He’s like short villains done good—like??? he’s short compared to everyone else!!! but he makes up for it for stuffing all the energy inside him while is bursts out making him him the over energetic gremlin he is!!! go VL adachi!!!!

(am I low key making fun of Madono-san in the TUUSH stageplay I’ve seen four minutes of? maybe)

OK!!! Yes I was gushing abt Masami-san again back to Adachi.

It’s portrayed that while not being afraid to admit his crimes, he also goes out of his way to be a bastard and have the gall to get a bunch of kids to fight him, one on eight. He can use a katana, probably a narrative dark reflection of the hero, Hayato which I thought was nice—and he can fight!!! It also shows his persona, yes, but...it doesn’t make it clear if he’s overwhelmed by his Shadow like in the game, where his eyes were yellow and he was emitting a dark aura.

But it gets interesting how he sees he’s getting overwhelmed and starting to lose his edge towards a bunch of kids. He falls to the ground even banging the floor like a whiny brat while literally the IT tries to tell him to turn himself in. Again, like a brat he tells everyone to shut up—before getting incapacitated. While some of the IT rejoice, he bolts up unaccepting of his defeat—before getting hit in the stomach.

(1:23:54)

And his words from when he drops his katana, “Why..?” He grabs the foldable chair against his stomach, and with a remorseful look in his eyes, he says “I’m sorry..!”

THEN HE BACKFLIPS—then Hayato slashes him.

In a tone of disbelief, he goes “no way...” and collapses to the ground, being possessed by Ame-no-Sagiri.

Blah blah blah then Teddie rockets himself into the eyeball spy cam and then they both explode aaaaa

Teddie survives but I really don’t know where Adachi went. Not even a mention by Dojima if he turned himself in or was ever found—or I need to review VLE for the 48274827482nd time hehe

WHOO then the whole cast appears for the dance number at the end of show YAHOO

[kumeko]

A/N: For the @furubazine! I wanted to give Kyoko her dues, I just love the snippets of the past we get in the series.

…

…

…

…

When she was younger, Kyoko hadn’t been big on traditions. Customs like that had to be taught at childhood, had to be given importance and love to carry through to adulthood. There had been no one to teach her to care and so she hadn’t. Birthdays were just another day to trudge through, holidays an extra day to sleep in, and gifts were always given by oneself.

Then came Katsuya and his sly smirks, Tohru and her big eyes, and now all Kyoko had were traditions. There were big ones, like birthdays and test results, where they’d grab a special treat from the bakery nearby. Small ones, like the morning goodbye and the bedtime kiss. There were so many, many ways to let a person know I love you and Kyoko never tired of finding a new one.

Even a visit to her husband’s grave was one steeped with routine. Standing at the gated entrance to the graveyard, she waited patiently as her father-in-law ambled toward her, a soft smile on his face. Dressed in a suit, he looked more put together than the absent-minded grandpa who liked to cuddle with Tohru in the kotatsu.

“Kyoko!” Noticing her, he waved as he came to a stop in front of the gate. His sleeves were slightly wet from cleaning the grave. “Right on time, I see.”

“What, is he taking appointments now?” Kyoko asked, raising a brow. If the dead could talk to the living, she could picture him doing it too. He’d probably even ask for money.

Her father-in-law chuckled, a raspy sound. She’s only ever known him for his kindness, for his soft edges, and it was strange to think that at one point, Katsuya couldn’t bear the man. “No, nothing of the sort. He’s grateful for any visitor, I’m sure.”

“That’s not the man I married.” Kyoko snorted, shaking her head. It wasn’t hard to remember how much he teased her, his lips curling into a playful smirk as she fumed. While she wasn’t sure where Tohru got her naïve personality, she was grateful she hadn’t picked up anything from her father aside from his polite speech. It would have been hell having two Katsuyas.

She wished she still had one.

Forcing a smile, she crossed her arms and asked, “You know, you could always come with us. You don’t have to visit alone.”

Perhaps reading her mind, he reached out and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. “After all those years apart, I need a little alone time with him. Though, he’s as talkative as ever.”

Kyoko guffawed. Her father-in-law was a riot, and she could see the traces of her husband in him. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Smiling, he stepped away. While he was getting older, Kyoko was certain that all of his wrinkles were from laughing. She could only hope it would be the same for her when she grew old. “I’ll see you for dinner?”

Another tradition. Kyoko nodded. “My cooking’s improved since last time. Maybe not as good as Tohru’s, but nothing is.”

Her father-in-law laughed as he headed away. “As long as I don’t join him today, it’ll be fine.”

She almost didn’t want to wave goodbye. Really, in that cruel honesty, he was just like his son. Would Katsuya have looked the same if he’d reached that age? Grey-haired and balding, his sides round from eating too many of Tohru’s dishes. Before she could linger on the idea, on the image of her husband as anything less than handsome, Kyoko heard a familiar voice calling her name. Turning around, she smiled brightly. “Tohru!”

“Mom!” Tohru waved back eagerly, her long skirt swishing around her heels as she trotted down the street. In her hands was a wicker basket, filled to the brim with this morning’s cooking. All as usual.

What was different, however, were the three people following her. Hanajima, Uotani, and Megumi trailed after, all dressed casually as they looked around curiously. Well, Kyoko assumed it was casual wear—it was hard to tell with Hanajima and Megumi sometimes. The siblings looked like they’d stepped out of a Victorian funeral and it was impressive on so many levels, not the least how hot it must be in the August heat. “You just missed Grandpa.”

“Oh no.” Tohru’s jaw fell open. Her eyes darted everywhere in a desperate attempt to catch his back. When she didn’t see him, she hunched over, depressed. “I should have come earlier,” she moaned.

“It’s fine.” It was impossible to resist the urge to hug her adorable daughter and Kyoko immediately gave in to the impulse. As she wrapped her arms around Tohru, she glanced at the others and smiled. “I’m glad you all could make it.”

Uotani brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear, looking awkward. Maybe it was the way she held herself, her gangly body looking like it wanted to curl up and disappear, but Kyoko felt like she was looking at a younger version of herself. While she had no idea how Tohru came to be, she knew intimately what it took to make an Uotani. “Are…are you sure we should be here?” She peeked at the graveyard, then back at Kyoko. “Shouldn’t this be a family thing?”

“Are you saying you aren’t family?” she asked, raising a brow. Uotani flushed, looking both pleased and flustered, and Kyoko chuckled. “It’s about time Katsuya paid attention to Tohru’s life.”

Tohru nodded happily, still buried in Kyoko’s arms. “I want you to meet him!” she chimed in, her voice muffled.

“See? Not a problem.” Kyoko paused. “Unless, you don’t want to come?”

“No, that’s not…” Uotani was a bright red now.

While she floundered, Megumi pushed forward. “I’m in the company of four gorgeous ladies. I’ll stay.”

“Are you sure you’re in elementary school?” Kyoko asked, finally letting go of Tohru. She wasn’t sure which was worse, the wink he gave when he said that or the way that his expression and tone stayed flat the entire time.

“He’s very wise for his age,” Hanajima explained, looking as cool as a cucumber as she entered the graveyard.

“I could say the same about you,” Kyoko replied wryly. Tohru’s friends were an odd bunch. Katsuya would have loved them.

“Ready, Mom?” Tohru asked, grabbing her hand.

Kyoko felt herself melting again, but this time she resisted the urge to hug. She had to have some semblance of self-control, otherwise, they wouldn’t get anywhere today. “Yeah.”

The Honda family grave was already clean, the stone gleaming in the sun. Several white lilies were laid in front of it, a gift no doubt from her father-in-law. Setting down her picnic basket, Tohru dashed toward the buckets. “I’ll get the water.”

“Should I help?” Uotani asked, uncertain as she turned from the grave to her friend and then back again.

“The water isn’t that heavy.” Kyoko knelt in front of the grave, her fingers brushing the stone lightly. How strange. They hadn’t had that many years together, in the end, and she was now more familiar with the feel of stone than her husband’s hand. Tohru must remember even less, if she even remembered anything at all, and Kyoko’s heart ached. Lost time, lost chances, a void that never had the chance to exist.

Setting out three incense sticks, Kyoko slowly lit each one. Standing up once more, she said, in a stronger voice than she’d expected, “Katsuya, these are Tohru’s friends.”

“Hi?” Uotani mumbled, even more bemused. Gingerly she lifted her hands, looking like she wasn’t sure if she should wave or pray and she’d tried to do both.

Megumi nodded his greeting. “Hello.”

Looking up, Hanajima stared at the sky for a few minutes. Her smile was mysterious before she finally nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Was it? part of Kyoko wanted to ask. It was impossible to speak to the dead, but that didn’t feel like the case with Hanajima. The more she learned about her waves, the less she understood.

“I’m back!” Lugging a heavy bucket, the water spilling over the top, Tohru struggled toward the grave. “Sorry I took so long.”

“Tohru!” Uotani scrambled toward her, quickly taking the bucket out of her hands. “I’ll take that.”

“I can’t let y…” More water splashed over the edge, hitting the bottom of her skirt. Biting her lip, Tohru reluctantly handed the bucket to Uotani. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Uotani grinned as she held the bucket with a hand. “See? It’s nothing, really.”

Kyoko watched as the pair sprinkled water over the grave. There were very few things she could deny Tohru, so it hadn’t even been a question when her daughter had asked if her friends could tag along. It had been a good idea. “You know, you should pray to him for your marks.”

“What do you mean?” Uotani asked, looking over her shoulder curiously.

“He was a teacher, after all. And very smart. Maybe he’ll slip in your dreams and give you all the test answers,” Kyoko explained, trying hard to keep a straight face. Her husband had never been that kind, and any help he gave would be trapped inside a riddle. “And looking at your grades, you need it. You have to get into high school, after all.”

Stricken, Tohru gulped. “That…we can do that…”

Uotani already had her hands clasped, her lips silently mouthing out many, many prayers. Kyoko covered her mouth, forcing her laugh to turn into a cough. Only Hanajima and Megumi didn’t move and when she turned toward them with an inquisitive look, Hanajima only smiled. “You can’t cure my stupidity.”

“She’s actually really smart,” Megumi added, hands in his pockets. “She just has to be motivated.”

“And he’s always very smart,” Hanajima fondly added, her eyes soft as she looked at her brother. “Besides, we’re not good at riddles.”

“Oh.” Had she read her mind? Kyoko wasn’t sure if she wanted the answer to that question. Instead, she pulled out a blanket from the forgotten basket and spread it out on the stone ground.

“What are you doing?” Uotani hissed, glancing around furtively.

“Setting up for lunch?” Kyoko answered slowly, her lip twitching slightly as she bit back her laugh.

“Here?” For an ex-gang member, Uotani was surprisingly serious sometimes.

“Yeah, we’re eating with him. We’re celebrating his memory, after all.” Kyoko knelt next to the basket and pulled out Tohru’s carefully prepared bentos. When Uotani still looked troubled, she patted on the blanket. “You don’t want Tohru’s hard work to go to waste, do you?”

Having no such qualms, Megumi already grabbed a bento and opened it. “Wow, you made all this?”

“Yes!” Tohru sat eagerly next to him and grabbed another one. “And there’s some karaage in here if you want.”

“Your cooking is as tasty as ever,” Hanajima complimented, sitting on her other side and effectively sandwiching Tohru between her and her brother.

It was a lost battle. Grumbling, Uotani sat down and held out her hand. “I’m hungry anyways.”

The graveyard was filled with sound, a stark contrast to the usual silence when it had just been her and Tohru visiting Katsuya. Kyoko liked it better this way. Maybe this would become yet another tradition, a lively one that kept friends and family close no matter what boundaries separated them.

“As you can see,” Kyoko murmured to her husband, “Tohru’s made some really good friends.”

And though she couldn’t see him, she knew he was smirking at her, the bastard.

[yukisohmasmokesweed]

heeey... so, might be still a bit early to ask, but: top 10 "things" about season 2? could be eps, moments, characters, things they did, whatever you feel like, literally ur top 10 favorites from it

i interpreted this to mean top 10 moments so....top 10 moments!

10. (from 2x4)

i love this whole fight so much. it’s kind of an unspoken thing after it’s first established that they have to hide a huge part of their lives from everyone around them since it’s a given, so i like this bottled-up frustration over having to live constantly walking on eggshells coming out. i also really really like that we get to see haru acting genuinely scary as dark haru; it’s introduced as a comedic thing and haru is a generally well-adjusted character compared to the rest of the zodiac, and so i like that we get to see just how destructive and chaotic his coping mechanism really is. filmmaking-wise it’s a little boring but i don’t really mind because it’s tense enough that i don’t really notice it.

9. (from 2x17)

this is the only funny one on my list because i live for the drama haha but i like this scene for more than its humor! this episode takes place at a point in the season where yuki has been able to accept that he is allowed to put himself and his recovery first, and has spent enough time with others and pushed himself out of his comfort zone enough to shake off the instantaneous automatic fear of rejection that his social anxiety manifests as. because of the slow undoing of this hardwired reaction and because he’s become very comfortable around kakeru, though, his real, unrestrained personality as well as his actual opinions start slipping out. i like that this scene shows us 1. that he cares for tohru so deeply that he would end a friendship over her getting hurt, even though he thinks it’s childish after he says it and 2. that not even yuki knows what his real personality is like because he’s kept it repressed for so long. and i think for people with social anxiety the reaction to this kind of thing is embarrassment, but despite his embarrassment kakeru accepts what he says at face value because he likes yuki for who he is, not who he pretends to be for other people’s comfort. this is a very sweet moment between the two of them even if it’s buried a bit underneath the humor and kakeru’s easy acceptance of yuki’s more dramatic and snarky side is one of the reasons yuki trusts him so much when it comes to heavy stuff. i don’t love the bg changes to this cartoony thing in fb but in comedic scenes like this one it didn’t bother me, and i thought all of the art in this episode was really nice. this was also one of my favorite voice acting moments from shimazaki, i looooved loved loved him stuttering as he turns around right after he has this revelation, i think it’s super funny and also very natural-sounding, plus it’s a different kind of delivery from yuki but it fits him so well.

8. (from 2x19)

i love this little moment between shigure and hatori. the way they talk about the curse in this scene is very indicative of their characters and how they feel about the curse: shigure is flippant and casual when he says rin visits him to see if he knows how to break it, and hatori is shocked at the idea of it, then instantly becomes resigned, claiming it’s not possible. but this moment right at the end is just *chefs kiss* the way shigure says hatori’s name so weighty, and the delivery of “...do you hear it?” is curious if not hesitantly hopeful, some of my fav line readings in the whole show. i also really love the pan up the stairs back up to the house when he says “the sound of breaking,” the implication of tohru’s involvement in this clear. this scene is also visually stunning and i like the track under it a lot.

7. (from 2x18)

i’m obsessed with this scene and i’m obsessed with every line reading from nakamura, he is so incredible. i thought the art in this scene was gorgeous and every blocking choice was amazing, the body language and where they moved and when was perfect. also one of my favorite tracks off the ost plays under this scene, and i love that it ends just before shigure delivers his line, “i’m the worst.” and rin looks over her shoulder in silence other than the sound of the door(!) sliding closed as shigure exits. you can feel in this scene how desperate rin is and how frustrated shigure’s flippancy is making her. i also really like rin’s body language in general, she’s a good amount touchier than anyone else, and she’s all over shigure in this scene, both because she’s propositioning him but also because of her implied closeness (gure-nii) to him.

this is an excellent shigure scene, and i love these lines included in particular as well as the repeat of them in the finale. it’s a moment of actual self-awareness and self-reflection from shigure for sure, you can tell by his face, but in true shigure form he is not saying it because he’s trying to be emotionally open with rin; he’s saying it to get her off his back. he knows that the curse is weakening but he also knows that the harder he pushes people and the harder they struggle to get out, the more likely the curse is to break. it’s cruel and manipulative and the most painful way to go about things, but hey at least he knows it!

6. (from 2x25)

this whole scene between shigure and hatori in the finale is a super hard hitter; they both know everything about one another and have nothing to hide and they are also very desensitized to cruelty, and so their conversations are incredibly frank, and they don’t skirt around anything, either. i like that hatori doesn’t hesitate to put shigure in his place regarding akito’s status (a good example of hatori as akito’s enabler and the upkeeper of the status quo in order to keep everyone’s lives as calm as possible at the cost of his own happiness), and i like that shigure immediately gives it back by calling out hatori’s attachment to the bond—which is an interesting thing to bring up and speaks to the bond as not just a curse, but of how it is also their family and community. their lives do revolve around it, so the curse breaking would be an unthinkable change to something integral to their existence. 

i chose this moment in particular because it’s a great insight into shigure’s emotional state, one of deep jealousy and pain over akito’s rejection of him. i like that it’s a close-up of his eyes here; shigure’s eyes are important in the reboot, and seeing them here tells us that this is his emotional truth. when hatori calls him out, though, they are hidden again. these lines are also delivered so well, i love how low in his register he’s speaking, it’s not something we hear from shigure a lot. it’s very heavy and very indicative of his pain.

also, i like when they copy things exactly from the manga, so i liked this shot a lot as the closer of the scene:

5. (from 2x21)

ok obviously i had to put this because it’s my favorite scene in the manga...i thought this was very visually beautiful, loved that they had yuki standing in darkness (in front of a door!) and kyo illuminated by the light, but a light from a place he’s not allowed to enter. i think the lighting design speaks to how yuki views kyo, not only when he’s a little older as someone who is naturally charismatic and attractive, but in the moment, as a potential ray of light, a possible friend who could understand his situation through shared life experience. i just love the puff of breath yuki gives in reaction to kyo confirming what akito has been saying to him about how everyone hates him and everything is his fault, and i love yuki’s hands folded in front of his chest, protecting the most vulnerable part of his body as a reflex to words that deeply wounded him. 

i like this scene for its function of the root of yuki and kyo’s conflict: that kyo needs to hate yuki and scapegoat him for his own problems due to yuki’s status in the family, and yuki hates kyo back to protect himself. it’s a very nuanced and deep take on a fictional rivalry that comes from a very realistic place of maladaptive coping and morphs into something more habitual and every day over time. also big love the casting choices for these two as children. this scene was amazing, it’s super short but i like this specific moment in it because it does a great job visually showcasing yuki and kyo’s immediate reactions and emotions to meeting one another for the first time.

4. (from 2x25)

i thought this whole sequence was incredibly well-done, but specifically i loved this part where the music swells and the loom crashes down onto the floor over akito’s repeated lines. also one of my favorite voice acting moments of the season, i loved akito delivering these lines through hiccups and sobs and trailing off into childish crying, and the art and animation was very visceral. seeing akito this out of control was amazing and kureno’s reactions to akito hit very very hard; it’s easy to sympathize with him and see why he would agree to this, and it contextualizes his decision to do so when all we the audience has seen before this is akito’s terrible and abusive behavior. 

i also really liked kureno’s hands coming in towards akito to comfort, it reminded me of this

from 1x9 but flipped; instead of kureno’s hands coming forward to comfort akito but representing his choice to trap himself in the curse, it’s akito’s hands coming from behind to force yuki to stay with akito against his will. they also both cut off very suddenly, which i like a lot.

3. (from 2x8)

this transition makes me go absolutely ballistic. visually i love akito and tohru turning to look over their shoulders in opposite directions, i just think it looks very sexy and it was a cool way to transition out of one scene and into another. i also like the mirrored body language to set them up as each other’s foils in these two scenes. akito brings kureno, who is functionally their love interest, out for a walk and then proceeds to belittle him, his status, and his opinions. tohru goes out with kyo, her love interest, so they can have a nice time at the beach. they have a very open conversation about the “monstrous” aspect to kyo where tohru validates and appreciates his thoughts and emotions. having these two scenes back to back was a really smart move to contrast our protagonist and antagonist and set them up as each other’s foils, and it’s definitely my favorite scene transition in the season.

2. (from 2x10)

i loooove how insanely tense this scene is. i really like that shigure and akito are sitting in silence here until akito starts their monologue in full, and then the track is cut off at its crescendo by kureno’s knocking. the track being bookended by low ambient sound from outside makes it more impactful when it does start playing, and the track cutting off with the knocking makes the sound of akito’s clothes moving as they get up and the door sliding open while the camera is still trained on shigure’s expression deafening. i also like the shot choices in this scene, particularly the close-up of akito’s hands around shigure’s jaw and that we can only see their mouths, as well as the shot of shigure seething but partially blocked by akito’s torso. the voice acting in this scene is also bonkers good, particularly yuichi nakamura’s shigure.

this is the first time the audience has seen shigure mad, not just annoyed or frustrated, and that’s definitely a big part of why i love this scene. his conflict with akito adds a lot of depth to his character and i like seeing a different range of emotion from him than normal. i also just love the introduction of their whole relationship drama love triangle thing going on with the adults, i honestly think it’s hilarious that takaya baits the audience into thinking it’s going to be a love triangle between the teens and it just completely is not but is instead a deeply fucked up one between the older characters. truly a stroke of genius

1. (from 2x8)

i love this whole scene so much. i think cinematically it’s gorgeous, i love that they’re surrounded by greenery and i really like the leaves starting to fall around them and the beams of sunlight behind tohru. those choices could have come off flashy and overdone but i feel the way it was directed was subtle enough that it didn’t feel like ibata was holding my hand through my emotions, but impactful enough that it’s an emotional gut punch every time i watch it. the moment where the flute ends with tohru’s internal line and transitions into strings/chimes mixed with the sfx of the wind rustling through the leaves is beautiful and probably my favorite use of soundtrack this season. 

the reason i love this moment in particular so much is because it so encapsulates yuki and tohru’s relationship. she sees him so clearly and has been in his life long enough to tell that his reaction to rin is a marked change from who he was when they first met. she also knows that yuki working through his trauma over akito is something he needs to do on his own, and that the best thing she can do for him is to support him and show him that she loves him. on yuki’s end, he already knows tohru will support him unconditionally, but he’s now at a place where he’s able to accept it in stride and knows without a doubt that she’s there for him. this little moment really showcases what their whole relationship is about and was gorgeously done. this scene very quickly became one of my favorites when the episode came out and i’m pleasantly surprised that it’s stayed there; in fact, it was totally enhanced by the development of their relationship this season, which has undoubtedly become my favorite relationship in all of fruits basket. i think a friendship as deep as this one is a rare gem in fiction, let alone one between a man and a woman. this whole exchange is very beautiful and touching and a great summation of what they both mean to each other.

[therainroguefanfiction]

⚘ Head Pats (Koushi Sugawara)

Genre: Angst, Drama, Slice of Life, Fluff ☁

Word Count: 4,335 ☁

Pairing: Reader x Sugawara ☁

World: Haikyuu ☁

Prompt(s): A fell down while gaping at B after seeing them for the first time. / “I caught your cold.” / Single Parent AU ☁

Author’s Note: So, this started off pretty nice I think but it kinda just spiraled into a trainwreck of a fic xDD Ahem, anyway. This was written for the weekly-prompt (07/29/20) over on @hqbookclub​ ‘s discord server – you should check it out if you haven’t 😉 Also, people are probably gonna say Suga is OOC in the middle but meh. I warned you that it was a train wreck pft

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“You have to come!” Kageyama demanded, his hand clasped tightly around your wrist as he pulled you toward Karasuno’s gym.

“Not like you’re giving me much choice here,” you sweatdropped.

“Good!”

The two of you had been friends since you were both in diapers and, even though you didn’t really like him at first, your mothers forced the two of you to play together so they could watch their shows and fawn over the handsome actors. He soon became like a brother to you, but you ended up moving away at the start of middle school, leaving him to become the lonely king. Now, you were attending the same high school as him and he was determined not to let you slip away again.

“Go wait at the gym,” he pointed across the way. “I have to get changed.”

“Sure~” You headed toward the large gymnasium, cautiously peeking around the open doors. Several boys were already inside practicing and, while you had seen a couple of them around the school, you didn’t know any of their names.

A large hand rested on your head, ruffling your hair. “Why are you here?”

You scowled, shoving Tsukishima’s hand away. He knew you hated it when people touched your head, which is why he did it every time he saw you. “Tobio wanted me to watch him practice.”

“Who?” He deadpanned before smirking, his eyes shining. “Oh, right. The blueberry.”

You rolled your eyes. “Nice playground insult, Tsuki.”

“Thanks, shorty.” He reached for your head again but you stepped away from him, sticking out your tongue.

“We can’t all be string beans!”

The sudden yell caught the attention of Sugawara who worried that a fight was about to take place. When his eyes landed on you, though, he felt his heart blossom. He was a strong believer in love at first sight and when he looked upon you, he could picture spending the rest of his life at your side. He needed to know your name, to hear your voice again, but when he started toward you, he was far too preoccupied to notice the ball directly in his path.

His foot landed on the ball and with a yelp, his other foot slipped out from beneath him, sending his thin body crumbling to the gym floor in a heap of embarrassment. Witnessing this event, you rushed over to him, eyes filled with worry. “Are you okay?”

As he looked up at you, the bright lights shined down over your body and he wondered if you were actually an angel that had been placed on earth just for him. Your voice was like music to his ears and your concern made warmth spread throughout his body. He almost didn’t feel the throbbing at the back of his skull.

You frowned when he didn’t reply, glancing up at the other boys as they gathered around to check on him. “I think he hit his head, senpai. He might have a concussion.”

Sugawara took a breath, forcing a smile as he pulled himself into a sitting position. “No, I’m okay. Sorry for the commotion.”

“Are you sure, Suga?” Daichi wondered, not missing the faraway look in the setter’s eyes.

“I can take him to the nurse,” you offered just as Kageyama stepped into the gym, his mood darkening when he heard the comment. You huffed, sending him a glare. “He’s hurt, Tobio, don’t you give me that look!”

“Oooooh! You got told!” Tanaka laughed obnoxiously, pointing at the first-year.

You gently took the fallen boy by the arm, helping him up to his feet. He swayed a bit, nose wrinkling as the world around him spun. “Just put your weight on me, okay?” You moved his arm so it was around your shoulders before holding him by the waist, guiding him out of the gym.

Feeling your body so close to his made his heart race, pale cheeks lighting up like a rose in freshly fallen snow. It was hard to focus on anything with his head throbbing so painfully, but having you at his side helped to keep him grounded. “Are you a first-year?”

“I am!” You chirped happily. “My name’s Y/N, it’s nice to meet you, senpai.”

He loved your cheerful attitude, reminding him of the sun on a warm, summer afternoon. “Koushi Sugawara, third-year. It’s nice to meet you, too, Y/N.” Your name was like pure honey on his tongue and he doubted he would ever grow tired of saying it. “You should come watch practice more often.”

You hummed, sending him a playful smile. “Only if you promise to be more careful.”

His hand lifted to rest on your head before he could stop himself. “It’s a deal,”

Normally, you would have smacked away the hand of anyone that touched your head because you just hated the feeling, but it was different when he did it and you weren’t sure why. Instead of feeling annoyed, you felt calm and comfortable, as if you were completely safe from the darkness of the world. You would never admit it, but you really enjoyed it when he rested his hand on your head.

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When your alarm went off, you had to struggle to pull yourself out of the bed. Your entire body felt sore, your nose so stuffed up that no air could flow through, and your throat was burning. You knew you had caught a cold, you’d been feeling the symptoms for a couple of days now, but you just couldn’t stay home. Karasuno was finally going against Nekoma and you had promised both Kageyama and Suga that you would be there cheering them on.

As you stumbled down the stairs, clothes on backward and ruffled beyond repair, your mother knew you were not okay. One look and he was ordering you back to your room without even listening to your pleas. You were given no choice but to crawl back under the covers, but you grabbed your phone and brought up Tobio’s name, typing a simple message to him: ‘Sick, can’t leave house, sorry :(‘

Your eyes were starting to droop despite how hard you tried to fight against it, a yawn breaking through your lips. Just as you clicked on Suga’s name, sleep claimed you, the phone falling from your grasp and onto the mattress.

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Sugawara was feeling nervous, but it wasn’t because of the game against Nekoma. He had been up most of the night trying to work up his nerve to finally ask you out and today, after the match ended, he fully intended to do so. The problem? The game was about to start but you were nowhere to be found. He checked his phone in case you messaged him, but there were no missed calls or messages. Had something happened to you? Were you just not interested in watching the match?

As the battle between the two teams wore on, he found it harder and harder to focus. He was worried that you had gotten hurt or lost and, as much as he hated the idea, he finally decided to approach Kageyama after the matches concluded. “Have you heard from Y/N?”

Kageyama’s eyes met his, narrowed with annoyance because of the match results and because you hadn’t shown up. “They’re sick,”

“Oh. I see, thank you.” Suga smiled, but he was feeling hurt. Why hadn’t you messaged him, as well? He thought the two of you had gotten pretty close since first meeting each other, but maybe he was wrong. Even so, he headed straight to the store so he could buy some medicine, vitamins, orange juice, and some chocolate before heading over to your house.

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The sound of the doorbell cleared your sleep and you pushed yourself up with a yawn. You still felt like absolute trash, but at least you could partially breathe through your nose now. Had your brother gone out? Should you get up and check who was at the door? A gentle knock at your bedroom door broke your train of though.

“Come in,”

The door pushed inward, revealing Sugawara with a soft smile and a plastic bag full of items. Despite the small smile that graced your lips, he could tell how bad you felt and it made his heart squeeze painfully. “Hey, Y/N. How are you feeling?”

“Suga~” You chirped happily, your voice slightly hoarse. “I’m okay, it’s just a cold, I think.”

He settled himself on the side of the bed, turning his body to face you as he set the bag down in front of him. “I got you some things to help you recover quickly.”

“That’s so sweet of you. Thank you, senpai.” Warmth flooded your cheeks as he pulled out a small beanie baby – a tiger with blue fur clutching a volleyball between its paws. You took it with renewed vigor, holding it to your chest. “It’s so cute!”

“I’m glad you like it!” His eyes shimmered with happiness as he watched you. Even sick, you were so beautiful to him. It wasn’t the ideal circumstance, but he needed to tell you before he lost his nerve. “Y/N, I need to talk to you about something.”

You frowned at his serious expression. “Is it about missing the game? I’m sorry! I really wanted to go, but my brother wouldn’t let me.”

“No,” he chuckled, resting his hand on top of your head to calm you down. “I need to tell you something important, Y/N, so please listen closely.” He took a deep breath. “I lo -”

The door slammed open and a tall blonde came sauntering into the room with a lit cigarette between his lips. Sugawara recognized him instantly because the boy had been kicked out of Karasuno high at the start of the year for headbutting the teacher and breaking her nose.

He smirked at you, his body plopping down onto the beanbag chair placed on the floor across from your bed. “Hey, babe. You well enough to bang, yet?”

Your cheeks burned in embarrassment, making you feel a bit dizzy. “T-Tohru! Don’t just say things like that! And you know my brother doesn’t allow smoking in the house.”

“That a no?”

“It’s a no!”

Sugawara could not express the sheer amount of anger coursing through his body at that moment. You had a boyfriend? Not just that, but seemed like a complete tool and he had been proven to be violent. He wanted to be happy for you, he truly did, but how could he? He didn’t know whether he wanted to scream or cry.

You glanced at the grey-haired boy, frowning at the way his hands curled tightly into fists. “I’m really sorry, senpai. Tohru is just… eccentric.”

“I-It’s okay,” he forced a smile, having to remind himself to breathe.

“Hah? Who’s this skinny loser?” Tohru exhaled a cloud of smoke, eyeing the other male. “Trying to weasel in on my bitch while they’re sick?”

Suga’s eyes flashed with anger. “How can you talk like that about your partner? I was checking on them because I care, but if I were trying to take them, you can bet that I would treat Y/N the way they deserve to be treated!”

Tohru stood up, eyes flashing with amusement as he crushed the cigarette into the carpet. “Oh, did I strike a nerve? Haha.”

Suga also stood up, chest to chest with the male as he stared him down without fear, despite the blonde having bigger muscles than himself. His mind was being fueled by pure emotion at this point and he didn’t even stop to think about the words leaving his lips. “Y/N, you need to make a choice – me or this delinquent.”

“Oh no, he called me a delinquent.” Tohru mocked with a laugh. “I’ve been called a lot worse!”

Your body had started to shake as the stress got to you and you were terrified that they were about to start exchanging blows. Tears stung at your eyes, easily overwhelmed due to your current illness. “Please leave…”

Tohru laughed again. “You heard ’em. Get lost, loser.”

“They were talking to you.” Suga spat. “Right, Y/N?”

“Get out,” you sobbed, clutching at your throbbing skull. “Get out, both of you!!”

Suga’s eyes widened in surprise, snapping to your shivering form. As he came to realize what kind of state you were currently in, guilt flooded him, easily overtaking the annoyance he felt toward the blonde. What was wrong with me? He never acted this way, so why now? He took a step toward you, his voice soft. “Y/N -”

“Just leave!”

Hearing the commotion, your brother came rushing into the room. Upon seeing the state of his younger sibling, he instantly switched into big brother mode, an angry expression overtaking his face. “What the hell is wrong with you two?! Upsetting a sick person like this, you should be ashamed! Get out, now!”

Tohru scoffed, sending you a glare as he stuffed his hands into his baggy jeans, muttering under his breath. “You were a shitty lay, anyway.”

Suga narrowed his eyes at the retreating blonde, gritting his teeth to keep his temper under control. How could he say such a thing about you? Was that all you were to him? Just someone to sleep with?

He wanted to say something to you, anything, but his vocal cords had given up on him. Suga could only send you an apologetic bow before leaving the house without a word.

After escorting the two from the house, your brother returned to your side, pulling you into his chest as he tried to calm you down.

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A couple of days had passed and Sugawara found himself bedridden, having somehow caught your cold. He believed it was karma for what he had put you through. How could he have been stupid enough to let his emotions take control of him? Whether he approved of Tohru or not, you were dating him and Suga had verbally assaulted him and even went so far as to make you choose between the two. He felt so disappointed in himself.

A knock sounded on his bedroom door and he shot up, his heart racing. Had you come to visit him? “Come in!”

The door shot open, revealing Tanaka and Noya who ran toward the bed as they cried dramatically about how badly they missed the setter. Daichi and Asahi weren’t far behind, closing the door behind them so the second-year’s wailing wouldn’t disturb the rest of the household.

“How are you feeling, Suga?” Asahi asked kindly.

“I’m fine,” he responded, lips tugging down. “Have you talked to Y/N?”

A tense aura settled over the four boys as they exchanged looks with one another. Daichi cleared his throat, taking a seat at the desk. “Y/N… left Karasuno yesterday.”

“W-What? Why?!” Suga demanded, eyes wide as his hands clenched the comforter tightly within his fist.

“No idea,” Noya huffed in annoyance, folding his arms over his chest. “We only found out because the first-years were ganging up on Kageyama, demanding to know why they left and where they went. He refused to answer!”

“I tried calling them, but their number is disconnected,” Tanaka added with a frown.

Daichi watched the sick boy closely and with concern. He was the only one that knew about what had happened at your house and he knew Sugawara would be blaming himself for you leaving. He cleared his throat, trying to lighten up the mood. “I’m sure it’s just a family issue. Maybe they’ll be back!”

And Suga held onto that hope for a while, but as months passed by without a word, he knew you had no intention of returning. He was left feeling like a piece of him was missing, as if you had taken a chunk of his heart when you left.

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It’s been about six years since Sugawara last saw you, but never stopped thinking about you, wondering what you were up to and if you were doing okay in life. He wished he could see you again just to know that you were doing okay, but Kageyama refused to tell anyone where you were and refused to give out your number. Still, the grey-haired boy never gave up on trying to find you.

He had the day off today, so he decided to head down to the street market to restock his fridge for the coming week. As he walked down the street, examining the various stalls, he felt something hit the back of his legs and, when he glanced down, he found a small, blonde boy that couldn’t be more than four or five-years-old. He glanced around, but no one seemed to be looking for the boy.

“I’m sowwy, mwister.” The boy apologized, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Suga smiled kindly as he kneeled down in front of the boy. “Ne, where are your parents? You shouldn’t be walking around alone, it’s dangerous.”

The boy pointed a pudgy finger in the direction he had come from. As if on queue, you pushed through the throng of people, breathing heavily as your eyes frantically scanned the area. When you finally found the boy, you rushed forward, pulling him into your arms before your knees even hit the pavement.

“Kousuke, I told you to stop running off!” You scolded, feeling relief flood you as you rested your hand on the back of his head. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.”

“Sowwy, mama.” His fingers curled around your sweater.

Sugawara couldn’t believe his eyes. You had clearly gotten older, but it was most definitely you, even more beautiful than you had been in high school. His voice was breathy, “Y/N?”

You knew that voice well, even after all of these years. Your head shot up, eyes locking with his olive-colored ones in disbelief. “Suga-senpai?”

He chuckled. “I’m not your senpai anymore~”

“Ah, right.”

“Mama, I’m hungry!” Kousuke pouted, tugging on your sweater.

You tightened your grip on him so he wouldn’t fall as you stood up, holding the boy against your hip. “What would you like to eat, darling?”

“Cheejburg!”

“Okay~ We can get cheeseburgers.” You chuckled, turning your attention back to Sugawara. “Would you… like to join us?”

“Sure!” His heart picked up speed and his mind was running wild as he followed you down the street toward the burger place. There were so many things he wanted to ask, so many things he wanted to say, but he knew he had to wait. This was his second chance to connect with you and he didn’t want to do anything to ruin it.

After getting the food, the two of you took a seat outside in the play area so Kousuke could run around and play while eating at his own pace. You smiled as you watched him, sipping on your soda. “It’s been so long since I last saw you, it feels kind of awkward.”

Suga nodded, shifting in his seat. “Yeah, it goes. How have you been?”

“Um, I’m doing okay, living life day-to-day.” You smiled softly. “What about you?”

“I’m doing well. I’m working as an elementary teacher.”

“Really? That’s so cool,” you smiled. “I guess my son will be seeing you soon, then~”

His smile dropped a bit at the mention. So he was your son. Did that mean you were married? Happy with some other man? “I’m surprised… that you have a child.”

“Yeah…” You breathed out, playing with the fries in its paper holder. “It was pretty… unexpected.”

Sugawara’s brain was working in overdrive, the pieces clicking into place. It was all starting to make sense to him now. With wide eyes, he asked, “That’s why you left school… you were pregnant.”

Your cheeks burned with embarrassment and you nodded. “I was really stupid and I made a mistake… but I don’t regret it because I love my son.”

“Are you still with the father?”

Your mood suddenly shifted as you leaned back in your chair, huffing out in annoyance. “No. As soon as he found out I was pregnant, he disappeared. He won’t even talk to his son!”

“Tohru?”

You nodded, your mood shifting again as you calmed down. “You were right about what you said. I just wish I had heard that before letting him talk me into sleeping with him. I was so stupid.”

A comfortable silence settled over the two of you as you watched Kousuke running around with the other kids, squealing happily. Every few minutes, he’d come to the table to get a bite of his burger before dancing on the spot as he chewed. Once he swallowed, he would run off to rejoin the others.

“Senp – ah, Sugawara-san, can I ask you something?”

“You can call me Koushi,” he smiled softly. “And yes, you can ask me anything.”

“Koushi-san,” you tested his first name on your lips and smiled at the warmth you felt. “That day when you came to visit me… you said you wanted to tell me something. You probably don’t even remember, but I think about it sometimes. Do you remember what it was?”

Of course, he did. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. It’s not every day that you try to confess to your first love, after all. “Yeah, I remember.”

“Will you tell me?” You glanced at him through your lashes, chewing on your bottom lip nervously. You weren’t sure why you were feeling so nervous, but you just assumed that it was because so much time had passed since you last met.

He debated with himself for a moment, wondering if he should. His feelings certainly hadn’t changed – he was very much still in love with you, but what would you think? Would you see it as creepy for him to have harbored these feelings all these years? You weren’t married, but what if you were seeing someone or interested in someone? He didn’t want to ruin that.

“Mama!” Kousuke appeared at your side, tugging on your sweater with one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. “I’m tired,”

You glanced at your watch. “Oh, I’m sorry, it’s past your nap time!”

Sugawara cleaned up the table as you picked up your son and, together, the three of you left the burger place, heading toward your apartment building. It wasn’t long before Kousuke was asleep against your shoulder, making Suga giggle quietly.

“He’s so cute,”

“I know, right? Thankfully, the only thing he got from his father was the hair.”

“He definitely favors you.” He couldn’t help wondering if you were that cute when you were a child and his hand reached up, resting on the top of your head. Nostalgia filled you as you thought back to the simple times of high school and you briefly wondered where it had all gone so wrong, but then he removed his hand and you were brought back to reality.

Your apartment was located on the second floor and Suga had to take your keys so you didn’t wake up Kousuke. “Make yourself at home, I’ll be right back.”

Suga watched you disappear down the hallway before looking around the apartment with a frown. The furniture was worn and looked old as if it had been owned a few times before finding you. The place itself was pretty small and the neighborhood wasn’t the best. Were you struggling to live? If you were a single mother, it made sense. Were you working as well as raising your son?

“Would you like something to drink?” You inquired, heading toward the fridge.

“Ah, no thank you. I’m okay.” He took a seat on the couch, noting how it dipped lower than it should have, indicating that it lacked support.

You nodded, closing the fridge as you sat on the wooden chair that sat diagonal from the couch. “Sorry, I know it’s not much…” You rubbed the back of your head, embarrassed. “It’s all I could afford.”

“Are you struggling with money?” He frowned.

“Ah, no! I mean, money is kind of tight, but it’s okay.” You smiled. “I just got hired for another job today, so I’ll have more income coming in.”

“Another job? How many do you have?”

“Three now!” There was pride in your tone because you were working hard to provide for yourself and your son.

Sugawara didn’t like what he was hearing. Yes, you were working hard to get by, but he worried that you were working too hard. If you spent all your time working three jobs, how could you spend time with Kousuke? His eyes met yours as he shifted his body to face you. “Move in with me,”

You were surprised by the request and the determination within his eyes. “T-That’s really not necessary…”

“You wanted to know what I was going to tell you that day, right?”

“Yes?” Your brow furrowed. Why was he changing the subject?

His hand found yours, fingers lacing together. “I was going to confess to you.”

Blood rushed to your face, but you couldn’t look away from his intense gaze. “You… liked me?”

“I love you,” he confessed softly. “I’ve loved you since the moment I met you and that hasn’t changed. You don’t have to return my feelings, but will you consider moving in with me? I want to provide for you and Kousuke.”

You swallowed hard, taking a breath to calm your racing heart. “I don’t love you, Koushi.” His lips parted but you held your hand up to stop him. “But I did have a crush on you back then and I… I think I could fall in love with you, if you want to take that chance?”

“It would be my pleasure, Y/N.” Sugawara’s face brightened as he stood up, pulling you into a hug. You returned it without hesitation, unable to suppress a smile as his hand found its spot on the top of your head.

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[medea10]

My Review of Fruits Basket (2019): 1st Season

[promise-tingzz]

I’m back with another collage but this time I’m doing something different…I am going to be talking about……ANIMES TO WATCH DURING LITTLE SPACE/REGRESSION…whatever you want to call you headspace is a-okay with me. I will being listing the names of the anime and descriptions below, I personally don’t usually watch cartoons in little space, and if I do I’m sorta in baby space. Continuing though I love to watch anime in general, in and out of my headspace, but sometimes little me can’t follow the plot of certain anime’s I watch when I’m big, so I usually stick to slice of life and light romance sort of anime’s. But getting on to the topic at hand, I will be listing the names of anime going down row to row. These anime’s are so good, I promise.

Top 9 anime’s I recommend to watch in little space

•the first one we have up there is blend S, I know you heard of the intro before. Smile, sweet, sister, sadistic, surprise, service. Yup it’s that anime. The anime is basically about a High school girl, named Maika Sakuranomiya, who has a lot of trouble finding a part-time job because of how scary she looks when smiling. Which is what you usually need to do when doing any part-time job. You have to show enthusiasm, moving on though. Even though she has trouble with her smile, she is scouted one day by an Italian man who is also the manager of Stile, a café where its waitresses are given unique traits such as tsundere and younger sister. It’s a comedy/ slice of life type anime. I give this anime a 10/10 and it’s perfect when I watch it when I regress.

• the second anime going down is power puff girl z, the plot doesn’t differ from the regular power puff girls cartoon except in the anime. Professor Utonium was, infact, experimenting while his son Ken Kitazawa/Utonium created Chemical Z (a variant of his father's Chemical X) when a local restaurant specialty fell into the Chemical X. Ken uses the chemical to destroy an ice glacier and avoid an ecological disaster. The impact causes white and black Z-Rays to fly across the skies of New Townsville. The white lights hit Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup transforming them into the Powerpuff Girls. Those hit with the black light became the series' villains. After defeating Mojo Jojo, Mr. Mayor assigned them to be the heroines of the city. They are called to action using the cry of Ken Kitazawa's robot pet puppy, Poochi. Yes I know the anime sounds very similar to the cartoon, I just find PPGZ more appealing to my taste. Again 10/10 I would total recommend.

• the third anime is POKÉMON, oml I love this so much, any gen will do. Ranging from the old Pokémon getting aired in 1997 to Pokémon the series: sun and moon. The old Pokémon is about our main protagonist, a young Ash Ketchum, just began his Pokémon training as he finally turns 10. But things don't go as expected for the him, when he gets a Pikachu instead of a standard first Pokémon. Winning gym badges is also tougher than Ash thought it would be. He's not alone in his quest for the badges, though, as former gym leaders Brock and Misty are by his side, along with some new friends. I love it all. 10/10.

• the fourth anime, starting from the second column is bananya it’s basically a cutesy anime basically about a white cat who lives inside a banana. That’s it. My regressed self can follow the easy plot and my regressed two year old-ish self can laugh at it. 10/10 totally recommend.

• the fifth anime we have is miraculous ladybug. Yes I know, don’t come for me alright, I know it’s sort of a cartoon but the creators had the thought of anime still in mind so I’ll call it even. It’s basically about a girl named marinette. She seems to be a normal teenage girl, she dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer, is a bit awkward/shy and has a crush on one of her classmate. But she has a secret other teenagers don't have, she lives a double life as a crime-fighting superhero known as Ladybug. She uses her superpowers to help protect her native Paris from supervillain Hawk Moth. She is assisted, much to her dislike, by fellow hero Cat Noir. even though she insists she doesn't need him -- a stance she might not take if she knew his alter ego is her crush, Adrien. Together, Ladybug and Cat Noir help keep Paris safe from Hawk Moth and other villains. The plot is kind of a bit to much for me when I’m tiny, but overall I rate it 9/10.

• the six anime is called miss kuboyashis dragon maid it’s about an average office worker Named Miss Kobayashi and she lives a boring/ not exciting life, alone in her small apartment–until she saves a female dragon in distress. The dragon, named Tohru, has the ability to magically transform into an adorable human girl (albeit with horns and a long tail!), who will do anything to pay off her debt of gratitude, whether Miss Kobayashi likes it or not. With a very persistent and amorous dragon as a roommate, nothing comes easy, and Miss Kobayashi’s normal life is about to go off the deep end. It’s a very cutesy and slice of life anime, I give it a 9/10. The only reason why is the short/small service scenes.

• the seventh anime, starting from the last column we have ouran highschool host club. it’s a romance/comedy type of anime which I love, in and out of littlespace. Following the plot, it is about an elite upper school catering to the ultra-rich, which is called ouran academy. Haruhi Fujioka, one of our main protagonists, is a working-class scholarship student, which is rare at the school. While searching for a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles on an unused music room which turns out to be the club room for the school's "Host Club" — a group of idle rich boys possessing exceptional good-looks who entertain female clients. After accidentally knocking over a priceless Renaissance vase that's worth far more than Harhui can possibly repay, she is forced to join the Host Club as an "errand boy" to work off the debt. Soon after, however, Haruhi proves to be a 'natural' Host (no training needed) and is promoted to full membership of the Host Club. It then becomes clear that something isn't quite as it seems. I love this anime so much. It also slightly grazes the topics of gender identity and sexuality. Covering the sexuality, lesbian, in one of the episodes. And covers the gender identity, non-binary, in episode one. Our little haruhi is non-binary. THEIR REPRESENTING SO HARD. I literally cried when I figured out haruhi was non-binary in the anime. Enough of that. I give the anime a 9/10. Only because it’s has a short/small amount of service scenes that I don’t like in little space.

• the eighth anime, the second in the last column, is called kiss him, not me. It’s appropriate I promise. The plot is basically about a girl named Kae Serinuma being a fujoshi, a female manga and anime geek who loves reading yaoi (boys love) material and imagining men together in romantic relationships, both fictional and real. But while she was watching her favorite anime one of her favourite characters is killed off, Kae is so shocked that she locks herself in her room for a whole week, missing school. Not spoiling the anime, she comes out different goes to school, and at first, nobody recognizes her. When they do they are shocked and overwhelm her making her cry and run off. Later on a group of boys gain crushes on her and fight to see who will win all of her love, slightly forgetting that she devotes her life to anime. I’ll let y’all decide if you wanna see what happens or not. I give the anime a 10/10.

• the last, and ninth anime we have today is…the old, classic, and one of my very favorites…SAILOR MOON. We all know sailor moon right?? It’s about a middle-school student named Usagi Tsukino, who lives in Juban, Tokyo. She befriends Luna, a talking black cat who gives her a magical brooch enabling her to become Sailor Moon: a soldier destined to save Earth from the forces of evil. It has kitty’s and a female protag who kicks butt to the max, what more do you want?? 10/10.

[shigures-house]

Hajime Begins, part 4 (final)

Tohru is about two months short of her due date, and is growing very large indeed. They've reached a point where excitement about their child's birth is greater than their anxiety about it, and they can hardly talk about anything besides the forthcoming birth of their child, which ultrasound images have revealed to be a boy.

Tohru is particularly pleased about that. She tells everyone that she hopes her son will be just like his father.

It's summer, and Kisa comes over to stay with them for the duration of her last high school summer vacation, to help out around the house during the late stages of the pregnancy. She'll need to be back to school before the September due date, however.

After she's been there for a few days, she admits she's also there to get away from the Sohmas for awhile. She broke up with Hiro, and she feels like she's being looked down upon by family and friends. Given Tohru's emotional state, this results in Tohru crying and hugging Kisa constantly, and telling her that things will be okay. And apologizing that she herself might have pushed them together, and maybe that made her unhappy?

Kisa assures Tohru that she did nothing wrong, and she and Hiro broke up amicably, but not everyone sees it that way.

Then to hell with them, says Kyo. You can't live for someone else, you have to live for yourself. Then he's shocked when Kisa is suddenly hugging him in gratitude, as she had never done that before.

Just a few days before Kisa is due to go back home, Tohru is experiencing contractions when her water breaks. It's a good three weeks before she is due. Kisa calls Kyo at the dojo. Within minutes, he's at their home with a borrowed car. They drive to the hospital. Between Tohru tightly holding her hand and Kyo's panicked lousy driving, Kisa is not having a good time.

They're in the labor room, and Tohru is flawlessly doing everything she learned in her pre-natal classes, and Kyo is at her side holding her hand. At one point, the nurses are talking to Tohru for a bit, and Kyo steps out for a drink of water. Thinking something is up, Kisa follows him. Once out of Tohru's earshot, Kyo whispers to Kisa that he's scared. Kisa tries to reassure him, but he says that the baby is early. What if the curse isn't really gone? What if the baby is cursed with the cat? He shows Kisa the bracelet he's been carrying in his pocket.

Kisa tells him that she's sure that it's gone. But even if it isn't, that Tohru would never reject her son. And neither would Kyo. And that she believed strongly that both of them would be the best parents. He hugs her, shaking.

Thanks, Kisa.

You're welcome, oniichan.

They return. Kyo holds Tohru's hand through the birth, though he closes his eyes and tries to block out all sound when he hears the word "episiotomy".

The baby is born. He is small but healthy. Once the umbilical cord is cut, he is handed to Tohru to hold.

Nothing happens. A dam breaks in Kyo, and the anxieties and fears melt away and he starts sobbing with relief and love. He's never seen anything so wonderful in his life as his wife holding their child. The curse truly has disappeared. Their son will always know his parents love him and are proud of him, and nothing can come between them.

Tohru invites Kyo to hold him for a moment. He so gently, so carefully holds the infant in his arms. He feels his warmth. Kyo mentally promises to love his son forever.

He thinks of his mother. Mom, you're a grandmother now. I know you would have loved him. He reminds himself to call Kazuma as soon as he can.

He remembers Kisa being there. He asks if she would like… She nods before he can finish the question.

As Kisa holds him with an adoring expression, Kyo gently kisses Tohru. You're wonderful. You've given me more than I deserve.

I could say the same, she whispers and smiles.

He goes to retrieve his son from Kisa, but sees that he's being held by Hanajima.

How did you…

I heard him. And I came running. Her usual stoic attitude is belied by the tears in her eyes.

Next to her is Kazuma. She told me to follow her, but didn't say why. But I've learned to do as she says.

Hanajima returns the baby to Kyo, and goes to Tohru's side. Kyo puts the baby in Kazuma's waiting arms. He's your grandson, Kyo can barely say in his broken voice.

A fine young man. Have you given him a name?

Kyo looks at Tohru, whose two hands are being held by Kisa and Hanajima

Tohru smiles and says the name.

Hajime.

End.

(Parts of this were inspired by/based on headcanons from @parchmints).

[furuuuba]

shigure’s ghosts

Words: 1,408 Rating: E Shigure’s relationships with his ghosts, his family, and his books. 

Shigure was haunted. Not in the traditional sense. Not even by the spirit that had inhabited his body since before his birth. This was a different kind of haunting, and it never stayed to one shape for long before changing again. The changing was the infuriating part, the exciting part.

It had started with a dream. A face, a name, and eyes that betrayed an entire soul fathoms deep. He’d fallen for the wonder and meaning and intense sense of self found in that soul, and the sense of self he found in himself through it all. But like all dreams, he’d woken up to the real world.

The real world was awful. In the real world, you had to wait. People misunderstood and said things wrong. The real world was a clumsy story. Things made more sense when he was able to set them right. When he was able to comfort her, straighten things out with them, and talk to him first. When he could say exactly what he meant, to whom it mattered most.

He’d always loved books. The clear black typeface against white paper, the lines clear, no matter how vague and blurry the narrative tried to be. No matter how confused or scattered everything was, in books, you had all the pieces right in your hands. And the stories were wonderful. They were bright and fun to begin with and got darker and more complex as he grew older. The worlds and words were exactly what they needed to be, and he spent hours thinking about them long after turning the final page.

But life seldom allowed for things to work out with clear conversations and respected parties. So Shigure did the best he could, even when everyone else said he’d gone wrong. Communication was tricky. Sometimes it paid to cross a few lines if the message got across properly.

It wasn’t until he reached adulthood that he tried writing his would-be world down on paper. He didn’t think much of it, but somehow the right people got a hold of it, and he was given a tidy sum for his sunbathed afternoons of planning for unlikely or perfect futures. And when promised more for whatever else he’d be willing to write, he shrugged and kept at it.

He was popular in some circles. His publisher told him he’d made significant places on important lists, been recommended for some popular book club or two, and had been translated into several languages. He even got fanmail, though he never read it. He wasn’t very interested in learning of the people who found the inner workings of his mind gripping or meaningful. He was a cad, a charlatan, and a bit of a bastard on a good day. He worked hard to try to make sure he was the only one of those he spent time. As Hatori often said, one of him was enough. And as like often attracts like, that meant his fan mail accumulated dust in his publisher’s office. 

He worked best when surrounded by people who differed from him. He’d always been observant, picking up on the salacious affairs of the estate’s staff before they became popular gossip, being able to guess who was angry with whom, and how genuine people were being with the people around him. He saw it all, even when he didn’t want to.

Akito was suffocating the zodiac in a desperate grab to maintain control and push back the fear. Hatori was firm but so gentle in the way he treated everyone. Kana had been so in love with Hatori, her feelings had clouded her judgment, leading her mind to slip when things went wrong. Ayame loved so brightly and grieved so quietly. Kyo was angry and tired of being angry. Yuki felt lost and forced himself to put down literal roots. And Tohru… Tohru was genuinely oblivious and saw through to the heart of the matter oh so easily. And by the gods, she was so good.

Shigure saw it all. The stolen glances, the halfhearted smiles, the stiff shoulders, and the bags under well-rested eyes. At one point he spent an entire weekend holed up in his office, and was surprised when he left with a brand new, completed manuscript. It had begun as a place to vent his frustrations about Hatori and Kana, and it transformed into something else entirely. Something lighter, brighter, and a combination of everything he wished for his friend. His ever-present ghost lurked over his shoulder all the while, scowling at the words he put to paper. His publisher called him later, excited about the manuscript’s potential, but confused about the continuous use of dreams and eyes that did nothing but see, see everything.

He had the dreams deleted from the manuscript, though he couldn’t pull them from his mind. The eyes and the soul he had come to know in an instant all those years ago wouldn’t leave him. And though they were beautiful and made his heart sing in a dangerous way, he was frustrated from time to time. Hauntings don’t often bode well, and he had ideas to nurture. The skin as smooth as satin and delicate as tissue paper, thrumming with such potent life that it stole his breath in the dangerous, addicting way, would have to be set aside for now.

But though he continued and tried to make sense of it all, that deeply beautiful dream and what he’d learned there would not leave him. The magnolia trees, the way the word “certainty” had been redefined after that night, and the way his eyes burned as he cried the next morning. He was haunted by all of it.

The curse wouldn’t let him hate Akito or any of his fellow zodiac members. So when his haunts rose up over his eyes and invaded every waking and sleeping thought, Shigure raged at the spirit who’d laid claim to his body before he’d ever been given the opportunity to know his own name. The thing that controlled his mind, body, and lifestyle, that was where he pointed his frustrations. The spirit that limited who he was and what he could become.

The rage wasn’t a common occurrence, of course. And even when it did rear its ugly head, no one would know. (Well. One person would know, but he didn’t think about that) Because Shigure’s anger was not the raging fires of Kagura and Kyo, nor the simmering anger found in Akito and Yuki. Shigure’s anger burned a deep and freezing cold.

Shigure wound the phone cord around his finger, barely paying attention to his publishing team on the other line. Something about being excited for his newest work, his first venture into the horror genre. They were going on about how well it would be received by his audience, and if new marketing tactics would be necessary. He’d stopped following the conversation minutes ago, instead wondering about the far more interesting topic of lunch.

He smiled and nodded at Tohru, who’d waved at him as she walked into the kitchen. He heard the light notes as she hummed to herself, the kitchen coming to life as she started preparing their next meal. 

Tohru was special. Not just because of what she meant and was coming to mean to virtually every member of the zodiac, but completely on her own. She was a healing balm on the open wounds the Sohma family left to fester, and she didn’t even have to try. The best decision he’d ever made was giving her a place to stay, and though his alliances remained steadfast in the cursed game that made up the Sohma family, Tohru had somehow placed herself entirely adjacent to his goals, and he made adjustments to his strategy to accommodate her, almost without noticing. She was the little sister he never wanted or asked for, and one he tried in vain not to like as much as he did. But so help him if she wasn’t the most important piece on the board, whether anyone else noticed or not.

He caught the end of a question on the other line that he assumed was directed at him, “... amazing, how do you do it?”

His smile grew sardonic as he replied the only way he knew how, “Didn’t you know? I’m haunted.”

[emariblog]

Furuba Another Chapter 10(2) Summary

Alright, I was sick for a very long time and after that I sadly had a lot of tests, but now I am here, with a summary! 

Thank you very much, once again, @aliciacentolla for letting me read the chapter!

Please enjoy reading the summary!

Chapter 10(2)

This chapter starts where 10(1) left off. Hajime says that he will not call his parents to come over and visit him, as they already came all the times during middle school. Mutsuki finds that a shame, as it will be the very last school festival for Hajime. Hajime then tells Mutsuki that he should just get his parents to come over, but he declines, as Takei-sensei (who is obsessed with Yuki) would just be “a huge pain”. 

Hajime then mentions how he forgot to buy detergent. “Mutsuki, go buy me some quickly.” But Mutsuki strongly declines. “Can’t you just get it tomorrow?” (They both don’t wish to go out of their way to buy it.) As they discuss this, they spot Sawa standing in front of their house. They ask her why she’s there. “Did you forget something?” Sawa however, looks very pale and scared and is trembling as she tries to answer them. “I’m very sorry that this is so sudden, but, when I heard... I didn’t think that it might be the case, but... I’m sorry that this is so abrupt... Sorry... Uhm... My mother, she, towards you... Has been such a bother...” Sawa’s thoughts then tell us how she wishes deeply for things to not be true. “Please tell me that you have no clue what I’m talking about.” (This is referring to the incident in the past.) 

Mutsuki then explains things to her, starting off with telling Sawa that she has not done anything wrong at all. “You told us you have an arm injury from an accident, right? At that time, do you remember there being a Sohma child as well?” Sawa says she doesn’t really remember, but Mutsuki tells us who it was: Shiki. 

Apparently, Sawa’s mother tried to sue Shiki. She claimed that Shiki had pushed Sawa down the stairs. However, there were no witnesses to confirm that accusation, Sawa couldn’t remember herself as she had hit her head incredibly hard and Shiki stayed silent throughout the court. At the time, the Sohma family was making a big fuss too, since Shiki is the child of the head of the family. They all believed that Shiki was not the one who pushed Sawa, as that was not in his nature. Mutsuki then tells Sawa that she shouldn’t worry as everything was eventually resolved properly. Hajime repeats Mutsuki’s first words to her: “You haven’t done anything wrong. It is not your fault.” 

He tells her she shouldn’t cry over this, but Sawa’s already in tears, trying to cover her face with her arms. She says she’s frustrated and the tears continue to flow. “Give it back. Everything, everything... Give it back to me!” are her thoughts as she weeps. Kinu is then shown standing next to her, comforting her. 

Sawa is taken inside and Kinu stays with her. She tells Hajime and Mutsuki to not enter until she’s feeling well again and at the end tells them they did a good job. Mutsuki feels bad for making Sawa cry, but Hajime tells him that was bound to happen. Then we are given a soft flashback through Hajime. Although it is blurry, there is a little girl who asks him whether he’s okay. (There is no indication of who this girl could be.)

Sawa wakes up after a while, and sees Kinu sitting next to her with a laptop, most likely working on college related work. She apologizes for having slept there for so long, as it is 4AM, but Kinu says that it wasn’t a problem at all, as she herself is quite a night-owl. Sawa asks Kinu whether Kinu knew about her too and she replies that as soon as she met Sawa and heard her name, she remembered the case. She tells Sawa to not overthink the past, as that would be pointless. 

Kinu then adds how she believes that Sawa’s mother is only a person who taints(?) Sawa’s heart. Her life is hers and allowing someone to steal her life away from her cannot be allowed. It is okay to protect just yourself. Sawa recalls how Hajime referred to her accepting her mother’s abuse as a curse. 

Finally, Sawa wonders whether she’ll be able to talk with Shiki again. Kinu tells her that both Sawa and Shiki must have already come to a conclusion on how they feel about each other. Sawa remembers her “date” with Shiki, lifts up her head and happily agrees with Kinu.

And that was the chapter! Whether the last conversation in this chapter about Shiki and Sawa was meant romantically, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind if it was. (Mutsuki, please call Tohru and Kyo in secret to surprise Hajime at the festival!) All in all, I believe Furuba Another is reaching its ending, as Takaya-sensei has mentioned that this sequel would only be 3 volumes long. 

Some things I’d like to point out:

- Sawa apologizes to Hajime and Mutsuki, and I put it the summary “to you”, but the Japanese words specify that she means the entire Sohma family.

- Although the Japanese words claim that Sawa’s mother tried to sue/complain about Shiki, it is most likely she went straight to his parents, Akito and Shigure. I’m not completely sure about this part either, but she might have tried to get money out of the court to “compensate” for Sawa’s injury. 

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket SE02 (ep,9). part 1

You know it’s real when kyo is given monologue right from the beginning! It rarely happens that he’s allowed any!, but when he does, it hits like a wild wave changing everything. The story is never the same after each time he’s given inner-talk. Forever changing the dynamics, the secrets & the relationships. e.g. true form ep.

Kyo’s love confession:

The sweetest, most tender love confession from the character that started the show fighting & screaming! The one that hated himself the most! now loves his name, only cuz she said it! “a special ring to it”. the guy who couldn’t look at her face, will repeat stupid things over “if it made you smile”. “Since when did I started” falling in love with you? the show goes on to show us various moment from as early as ep,4 & throughout seasons & scenes! he doesn’t know! We, the viewers, also don’t know when he started loving her!! we kinda gradually~ normally~ unknowingly~ fell in love with them together. The show opened this heavy ep filled with first-hand experience & steps on how Akito destroyed his victim... ouch! well-played, furuba! well-played.

The location: An empty room, no furniture, small, suffocating. The abuser sits far, then slowly walks towards the prey until there’s no space. But not before causing  physical pain to reassure dominance over the victim.

STEP 1: (The BET).

Kyo in his attempts to fight his destiny has met up with Akito prior to the beginning of the story, to defy him. Akito cleverly traps kyo into a bet manipulating his desire to break away from his fate. you said, YOU can fight your destiny? ok. I’ll let you. If you win against yuki, I’ll let you be free. easy, right? kyo this is your chance to prove yourself to yourself! just practice & win a stupid match. EASY! except it isn’t. The rat is superior to the cat. Your trials are in vain. you’ll NEVER rise up to anything except a failure. Try for three years! so generous of Akito! 36 months! you only need to win once! But you WON’T EVER! planting a toxic seed that eats away the victim’s self-esteem, hope & desire. Give him the chance to believe in himself then CRUSH IT. Once kyo fails, he’ll never believe in himself again. The bet is now cancelled before the third year even begins! one year & a half of failure is enough. You LOST. The Directing was phenomenal! The scene is shot in shades of sickening green, with underwater feel, like kyo is drowning deep in Akito’s abuse. Akito was shown from kyo’s perspective. Distorted, scary & demonic. like a monster..

STEP 2: (the past)

Taunting kyo with selective words that hit exactly were it hurts the most, using affirmative sentences in calm authoritative tone, alluding to facts.“cuz you’re a monster, ur mom is dead” “it was ur fault” “u killed ur mom”. Akito painted kyo’s mom in martyr light. giving birth to a monster, admirably protecting & raising him. Her reward? DEATH due to immense pressure from being WITH him. Extra step: painting kyo as the unforgivable & unappreciative son “ her son didn’t even mourn her” cuz kyo didn’t cry in front of others in her funeral. all these words carved his psyche like daggers extracting buried memories of his dad doing like Akito. YOU caused ur mom grief. the memory is now crystal clear. His mom walking slowly with open arms towards death. Giving kyo her back knowing he’s there. choosing to abandon & leave him. cuz it is HIM that is too much to bear. it is HIM that she’s escaping from.

STEP 3: (the present)

“you should’ve died”, “if you didn’t exist EVERYONE would be happy” This everyone in particular destroyed kyo way more than Akito ever planned for. Everyone includes the present. Everyone includes ppl who aren’t sohma-related. Everyone includes a happy mother & daughter. Everyone includes kyoko & tohru. It is NOW that kyo crashes, falls, loses & bends. Kyoko is the nail in his coffin. Akito lets go of kyo’s hand. Mission accomplished.

-Miscalculation in Akito’s plan: (tohru)

Akito unwittingly ruins her plan by mentioning tohru. her triumphant smile disappears & her authoritative powerful voice turns into childish screams to silence kyo, pathetically covering her ears. This drastic shift in power resulted only by mentioning tohru. Realizing that tohru was used as tool for whatever reason gave kyo strength to stand up & defend her. how dare you call her a monster? how dare you call her an angel? NO. she is but a human. A kind soul. That stayed WITH me regardless of all my ugliness inside & outside. WHY? who does that? Who gives & never takes? the foolish traveler.

The foolish traveler’s role in liberating & confiding kyo:

In momiji’s story, the foolish traveler gives the monster her life & dies. Tohru gave kyo her presence. She did NOT heal him or fade the ugliness away. NO. She didn’t treat his trauma. NO. she doesn’t even know abt his mom’s suicide!! she ONLY gave him her presence. She stayed with the monster. WHY? cuz she is a foolish person filled with kindness not wanting anything in return. But what happened to the the foolish traveler at the end of momiji’s story? she died. again DEATH surrounds kyo. If this foolish traveler stays with him death awaits her. History has proven kyo’s company lethal. the cat has cursed his most beloved ppl into death & harm. his dad, mom, kyoko. This story made kyo realize his romantic love to tohru & tragically made him understand the possible sad ending.

Akito’s Rebound:

Akito sizes the chance, strikes back & regains power. Like a hungry monster smelling fear! “ do u think u have the right to fall in love with someone?” “do u think you’re allowed?” Kyoko, reinforcing Akito’s words.”I won’t forgive you”. you, the monster knows love?? “who’s the real villain” you, the killer! “who’s the one who involved her the most” You, the most cursed! “it’s best if you are gone”.” I KNOW!” ,kyo said.

The fighter gives up:

“it was me”. every negative thought kyo has is reinforced by a past experience from someone in his life. Akito blackmails kyo into accepting his confinement in exchange of NOT harming tohru. It is becuz kyo finally loved someone enough to want to EXIST in this word that he finally stops fighting. He fought for years for himself. Now, he’ll give up for another person. Tohru’s love liberated him from hating himself enough to die or take his hatred on someone else, but, her love also imprisoned him into thinking he’ll never be worthy for her. His first thought upon seeing her is “ I want to be with u forever” but once again “ kyoko shows up reminding him” i wont forgive you” How can kyo wish to be with her? his entire trauma is against it. does he has the guts to rip tohru’s smile once he confess abt the past? What does he expect tohru to say once she knows? How would tohru react? he’ll scar her forever more than she’s already scarred. Those scars that she hides oh so well from others will become tragically apparent once he confess. So, No, kyo. Spare her the pain. who are you anyway? a mere monster that everyone will be happy if you disappeared” “why didn’t my mom kill me?” “she should’ve killed me” If she did.. then tohru would’ve been happy with her mom. “Why am I still alive?”

Kyo’s precious flower:

love is against logic. Logic says stay away from tohru & spare her ur unworthy existence. Love says look for her! love makes you run to her! love makes you want to see her first thing after getting out of the that room. love says cherish her, be around, stay with her. Love says she needs you! yes, the unworthy monster has been loved before! way before tohru!. Kazuma flashes in his mind & brings hope, Kyoko, flashes with a kind smile, teasing him, I see different hair styles, maybe repeatedly meeting kyo, love reminded kyo of the friend-kyoko! who recognized his loneliness, patted his head, reached out to him, she told him abt the tiny flower, showed him her most precious treasure. These ppl treated him as a human! NOT a monster, kazuma, kyoko & tohru, love opened his eyes to see the light amidst the darkness, the warmth of the sunset after the depth of suffocation. He won’t give up on life. NO, he wants to LIVE, to LOVE & to give back! he now knows that his existence isn’t completely worthless! he was there for tohru. he has already given her back time after time since they’ve met, he knows that! he made her smile, he saw her! the real her! tiny, foolish & oh so precious!  By the time he reached her he was able to genuinely smile from his heart! yes, he can smile cuz she’s with him now. He doesn’t care anymore abt the disgusting sohma & their curse. He only cares abt her. he won’t trample his precious flower, “ i once hoped to be always together, far away” to “ make you my own” But NO. he can’t hurt her with the painful memories, he’ll treat her with utmost respect, care & love until its time to say goodbye. quietly exiting from her life. As long as she’s not harmed. As long as her smile stays, so, he’ll stay with her together,” until we’re separated far apart”

[despairingvacation]

EPILOGUE: END.

“This ‘s it? The island?” The man speaks to himself, holding a hand above his eyes. He squints his eyes, trying to see where everything was.

It was just like how it was on television.

He looks around the island, the oh-so familiar island that he had grown so used to seeing on just about every television he looked at. He had never stepped foot here, but he knew where everything was. His steps are slow, the sand crunching beneath his feet as he walked. Although he was disgusted with the events that took place on the island, he couldn’t help but to look in every direction to see that yep! The convenience store is still there.

That’s the fairgrounds.

That’s…

… Where Celica’s body hit when she was pushed off the roof.

The man shudders to himself, remembering every brutal death he’s witnessed on the big screens everywhere. He had no time to think about this, however. The mastermind could be watching and could kill him at any given moment. He had to be quick, though he wasn’t sure of what could happen. When the team had managed to find the island, he could clearly recall the final trial of the vacation starting to take place.

But he had to act fast. He wasn’t sure what would happen to him if he didn’t find those remaining before the mastermind could find him, first.

The man hears the sounds of the hotel’s doors opening, and he can’t help but to look towards it curiously. He sees the silhouette of four people stumbling out, and it’s only when he sees that they look very familiar - he gasps quietly to himself. Cupping his hands around his lips, he takes in a deep breath and shouts to the group.

“HEY! GUYS!”

His call catches the attention of those alive, as they all stumble towards him rather confusedly. He couldn’t blame them, he can admit. This was the first time all of them were seeing somebody who wasn’t in their messed up game, but he still can’t help but to feel… remorse for them. They had started off as such a big group, and now, here he is - looking to the Ultimate Boxer, Idol, Test Taker, and Hikkikomori who seem to look completely and utterly defeated after their last trial.

“...’s this really all’ve ya?” He questions them, and they all look at him rather confusedly.

“...Who are you?” Tohru is the first to speak up between the group.

“...Oh, right.” The man pulls his hair out of his face, giving a nervous laugh to the group. He probably should’ve introduced himself first before anything else, right? Well, considering he’s being asked - it’s better late than never. He holds out a hand to those alive for any one of them to grab and shake, before he continues on with his introduction.

“I actually-- I actually went t’the same school as all’ve ‘ya. Name’s Oswald, an’ I’m the Ultimate Mechanic. It’s a real pleasure meetin’ya.”

As he’s doing his introduction, he notices that two of the students wander off from him. He doesn’t bother to stop them, however - they’ve been through so much, they probably need a moment. He pulls his hand back after Tohru gives his hand a firm shake and shoves his hands into his pockets, as he turns his attention to look at the boat  resting idly against the dock.

“I’ve been part’ve a team who’s been tryin’ t’find y’all since the game started. I really do wish we could’a found traces to this island sooner, but it’s better late than never. The minute the mastermind went an’ said that the boat pieces are scattered ‘round and’ya had t’find ‘em, the team thought it’d be a good idea to send me.” Turning his attention back to the group, Oswald gives them a small - but an assuring smile.

“So I’m here t’get ‘ya outta here and back to civilization.”

Although Tohru had given a lighthearted response to Oswald showing up extremely late, the group had eventually split up. Suki, Akihiko, and Totoko had wandered off someplace else to talk, while Tohru ventured into the hotel to get the parts for the boat for Oswald to fix. Oswald had quite a bit of time to think to himself, wandering onto the boat to get a look at what he had to fix up.

He wondered if he should bring up the fact that he was supposed to be on this vacation to the survivors. He hadn’t even mentioned it to the team back in civilization that he had received an invitation from the mastermind herself to join their vacation - but had ultimately turned it down because he was in an entirely different class. Maybe it was a good decision on him to not accept it-? Oswald couldn’t help but to think of what would’ve happened had he decided to join more often than not.

He wasn’t sure if he should mention to the others that things back at home weren’t as normal as they could’ve been.

Ever since the broadcast went up - it felt like the world split into a heavy debate between hope and despair. He had met so many people who would go out of their way to torment those who wished they could get those shown in the broadcast out and back at home - and had met so many people who despised the broadcast and wanted nothing more than to prove to be of some help. Everything was divided- and he hated having to witness everything with his own eyes. Most of the time, even he didn’t share which side he was sided with. Though, he knew he would stick with hope thick and through.

Eventually, Tohru would come out of the hotel, bringing parts of the boat one by one. Oswald would waste no time repairing the boat as quickly as he could, and within the hour, Oswald had managed to fix it up and restore the boat back to its former self.

“...How do you do that so quickly?” Tohru would ask, peeking over Oswald’s shoulder curiously when he noticed he was done.

Should he mention that he’s a toon, giving him the ability to fix things quicker than others? Oswald thinks on it for a few seconds, but ultimately decides not to.

Besides, considering the fact they had just survived a killing game operated by two toons themselves, Oswald was nervous about what their reaction might be. So he opts to shrug his shoulders instead, giving a sly smile towards Tohru. “I’m the ultimate mechanic fer a reason.”

“You make a point there, I guess…” Tohru’s voice is quiet, but he shrugs his shoulders and makes his way into the boat, taking the furthest seat away from the others.

It doesn’t take longer for the rest to get inside of the boat as well, though. Even though Oswald DID have to go out and find the rest of them, and literally haul Suki over his shoulders so they could all get on, Oswald doesn’t waste any time starting the boat up and sailing away from the island.

The survivor’s can’t help but to look over the boat’s sides, watching as the island they had grown so used to--the island they all spent their lives on for the past few months on, fade off in the distance. They had been waiting for this day for so long, and while they’re glad they were able to get away… They can’t help but to feel a bit melancholy at the thought of leaving. It’s weird.

Oswald takes notice to the tension in the air rather quickly. His hands on the wheel of the boat, he turns to look over his shoulder to the survivors. He notices they’re quiet, still looking over the edge of the boat until the island is no longer in sight.

“...Y’guys are real strong, y’know that?” Oswald breaks the silence.

Although none of them respond back to him, he can feel their eyes looking in on him when he speaks up.

Oswald taps a few fingers against the wheel, taking in a deep breath.

“...’n I won’t lie t’ya, It’s gonna be real hard adjusting to everythin’ again. Nothin’s like how it used t’be before the broadcast started.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, Oswald-kun…” Totoko speaks up, putting a finger to her cheek curiously. “How big was the broadcast? Is it really true that it was real big?”

Oswald takes in a deep breath. He realizes now that he’s never actually talked about this with anyone who wasn’t in the immediate group setting out to find the survivors, he’s not even sure where to start. But he nods, looking over his shoulder to look towards Totoko. “It was. It was on every television screen y’looked at, an’ even if y’tried t’ignore it, it’s all everyone talked about.”

“I see…” Totoko’s voice is quiet, but Oswald can tell there’s still a hint of curiosity in her voice.

“Then, who was your favorite?”

Oswald can hear Akihiko ask under his breath if that’s something Totoko should really be asking, and he can’t help but to chuckle.. “Well, I don’t like thinkin’ of all’ve ‘ya as just...characters in a show, ‘cuz none’ve ‘ya deserved t’go through that. But if y’really wanted t’know who I enjoyed watchin’ the most, it was Peacock.”

He makes sure to put emphasis on the word was.

and it’s quiet between him and the survivors all over again.

But it’s fine. He doesn’t mind - he can hear them talk under their breath about everything that had happened until it was completely silent again. He could only assume that they had dozed off, and he didn’t want to bother them. They deserved that rest, anyhow. He had to focus on getting them back home.

There was a lot for Oswald to process.

From the fact that he had managed to find the survivors with his team, to the fact that someone he had enjoyed watching whenever she was on screen ended up being the puppet master behind the entire killing game-- from knowing that he had at the very least recognized these people back in school… He didn’t even know where to start. But he had gotten so lost in his thoughts, he had gone into an auto-pilot of sorts.

While getting lost in his thoughts, Oswald had noticed that the shape of an upcoming land just ahead.

Home.

He takes in a deep breath. Now was the time to tell them - the survivors, that things wouldn’t be the same. He had just vaguely mentioned that things would be harder, but he had no idea how to tell them that everything was as divided as it was. He clears his throat, hoping to wake the survivors up. He hears stirring behind him, and knows that now-- this is the time to mention it.

“...I ain’t gonna lie t’ya guys. It’s goin’ t’be hard adjusting to life again.” He speaks up, keeping his focus on the land that’s ever so slowly getting larger as he approaches it. 

“...You’ve said this already.” Akihiko speaks up, raising a brow towards Oswald. 

“I know I have. But I--” Oswald pauses. “... I should tell y’all. Before I left, everythin’ was divided. I met people who wanted t’save ‘ya, and I met just as many people who watched the broadcast with a smile on their faces. I watched those people torment those who found the broadcast disgustin’. I’ve even met people who thought all’ve it was fictional and relished in comin’ up with theories.” 

It’s silent between the survivors.

“...So things ain’t gonna be how y’remember it, an’ I’m warning ‘ya now to be on your toes. I don’t know what’s goin’ t’happen when people see yer back. There might be people who will be relieved t’see ‘ya, and others who will torment ya to hell an’ back.” Oswald lets out a sigh. The land they’re approaching gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until-- 

They reach the dock, reuniting them with the place they had once called home. Oswald stands up from where he sat, looking over his shoulder to the survivors before he steps off the boat. 

Everything looked trashed. There was no doubt that everything had turned to ruins since he left-- especially with the reveal of the mastermind. He gives a smile to the survivors as they all step off the boat, shoving his hands into his pockets before speaking up again.

“...Welcome home.” He says, locking eyes with everyone. “An’ stay safe.” 

>>>>>>>>>>>> DESPAIRING VACATION: END. 

[tokupedia]

Kamen Rider 45th Anniversary File: Shotaro Ishinomori

1938:

Superman debuts in Action Comics #1

Walt Disney establishes himself as a leading pioneer of animation with the first full-length feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

King Kong Appears in Edo, a jidaigeki take on America’s 1933 King Kong film debuts and is one of the first kaiju/tokusatsu films in history. It is sadly also a lost film as all prints are believed to have been lost or destroyed during the war. The only evidence of its existence are old movie posters, some production photos and archived magazines.

Eiji Tsuburaya briefly works at the Tokyo branch of Toho Studios as head of the Special Visual Effects department, but later leaves and works on war propaganda films for the Japanese government.

Hitler assumed absolute power over Germany by overthrowing the established government. World War II is fast approaching as this evil man spread his philosophies of death, chaos and madness.

The Great Depression hits even harder after almost a decade around the world and would not let up until 1941 and officially end by the late 40s and early 1950s. (though a recession would hit in ‘58)

Japan was at war with China.

And while the world braced for more doom, death and gloom and seeing the absolute worst in humanity....

On January 25th, 1938, Kashiku Onodera and Kotaro Onodera welcomed the newest member of thier family: their second oldest child Shotaro. The Onodera family would later consist of five brothers and an older sister named Yoshie.

Young Shotaro grew up during the second World War and by middle school would be something of a curious artist. He would make manga of his own and his first one published was in 1954 with Second Class Angel. This hobby eventually paid off in 1955 when he got an assistant job from...

Osamu Tezuka!

His tasks were to help the cartoonist on various manga, most notably a story in Tetsuwan Atom aka Astro Boy. 

When not working with Tezuka, Ishinomori would do his own manga adapting classic literary works. Some of the novels would later inspire him for his creations, such as Akumaizer 3, his own wild spin on the Three Musketeers.

While he was a good artist, his family was less than supportive of his work aside from his big sister Yoshie. She was always there for her little brother and cheered him on, even inspiring him to draw. She even visited him while he worked in the Tokiwa-so building in Tokyo and hung out with his fellow artists. Which is all the more tragic, as she died in 1958 from complications of asthma at only 23 years of age. 

This tragedy and the inability to do anything to save her life haunted Ishinomori and some of his female characters are loosely based on the kind of person she was or had bits of her character traits. So in essence, the Pink Rangers, at least in spirit, just may possibly have a part of her that resides in the heroines of Sentai and indirectly; the Morphin’ Grid. Female heroes such as Tackle (whose actress also sadly died of an asthma attack) also could be influenced by the kind of personality she had when she was alive.

On July 19, 1964, Shotaro created Cyborg 009, which launched him into super stardom. 

On April 3rd, 1971, he hit the big time by teaming up with Tohru Hirayama to create Kamen Rider.

From there, he became synonymous with Super Heroes. But Ishinomori was a jack of all trades, he also did dramas, love stories, crime stories, Shoujo, ninja etc. So calling him “The Stan Lee of Manga” while somewhat factual in terms of superheroes, is kind of an insult to his prowess as he was more expansive in versatility than that.

Originally going by Ishimori, Shotaro changed it to Ishinomori in 1985 to celebrate 30 years of working in the media industry.

His influence is just as great as Tezuka, among those who worked for him were:

A young animator named Hayao Miyazaki in the 1960s worked as an artist on some of Ishinomori’s animated films. 

Go Nagai, a student of his and an assistant. Later became a legend in his own right after leaving him in 1967 to create Mazinger Z, Cutie Honey and most famous of all, Devilman! Go Nagai once appraised in an interview that his mentor had a drawing ability that bordered on being superhuman as “He was a genius who could draw five times faster than the average adult artist.”

Kazuhiko Shimamoto

Takao Aoki, the creator of Beyblade (worked on a short story featuring RX and ZO and on the Kamen Rider ZO TV-Kun manga)

Ishinomori was also a lyrical composer, as some of the songs in Kamen Rider were written by him. Even fan favorite songs of his other works such as Taga Tame Ni from the ‘79 Cyborg 009 anime was written by him.

ForestofStone can explain his life a lot better than I can (Credit to her for some of this interesting info!):

http://forestofstone.tumblr.com/post/125974267909/shotaro-ishinomori-the-king-of-manga

Cameos

Despite being in manga, anime and TV, Ishinomori originally wanted to be a filmmaker and went on trips to see landmarks and observe the world around him for inspiration. This gave him better insight into people and inspired his drawings in some cases.

He even decided to take a page from Alfred Hitchcock and make cameos in his TV shows and films:

 Kaiketsu Zubat Ep. 10: A Baseball player

A guest on a luxury cruise in the film Eight Riders vs. Galaxy King.

A Fisherman who gets killed by the monster of the week in episode 84 of the original Kamen Rider.

He also cameoed in video games:

A fisherman in the Kamen Rider Black Movie Hurry To Onigashima. Now sporting a ‘stache with his trademark afro.

His final living cameo in Shin Kamen Rider Prologue as a spy eavesdropping in on the Foundation.

Even after he died, he still is a presence in the works he created. In Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier he appears and interacts with Professor Gilmore (though voiced by someone else).

Shotaro Ishinomori, as drawn by his biggest fan Kazuhiko Shimamoto in a manga.

Of course, all life must end. It is the biological entropy of the universe we can never fully escape as we all must go at some point. And such a creative talent was taken from us far too soon.

But the late Mr. Ishinomori now has two museums made in his honor, a Guinness World Record posthumously awarded for the most comics drawn by a single author, tons of manga artists who view him as a role model and a growing amount of respect from artists in the American comic book industry. 

1998:

Seiju Sentai Gingaman debuts

Ultraman Gaia airs, created by future Digimon Tamers head writer Chiaki J. Konaka

Kids around the world were crazy ‘bout the Pokeymans, some of which were inspired by the Kaiju of popular films in design.

Disney celebrates 60 years of making animated films with their latest feature Mulan.

Superman turns 60 and is sporting an electric blue costume (with a cool shield design but lacking his trademark powers).

Power Rangers in Space airs.

Megaranger vs. Carranger hits VHS

Rebirth of Mothra III, the last entry in the Rebirth of Mothra series premieres in Japanese theaters. 

Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna: Warriors of the Star of Light acts as the first Heisei film crossover of Ultras and premieres in Japanese theaters.

America made a Godzilla movie. This was a terrible mistake and made a lot of people angry. It also had that Taco Bell dog promote the film by doing a commercial or two. HEERE LEEZARD LEEZARD LEEZARD!

Often fans wonder what would have happened had he lived into an older age.

Well for starters, Kamen Rider would be vastly different given some of his concepts and that Bijinder movie would have been made. Cyborg 009′s story possibly would have been completed over a decade earlier.

Jerry Robinson of Batman fame would have done a crossover with Kamen Rider, having met Mr. Ishinomori in Japan and proposing such in 1996, with possible further collaborations with DC Comics when they had the manga imprint CMX. Shotaro could have taken advantage of Japanese media coming in droves to the US during the 90s Anime boom to do new projects exclusively for America.

So many possibilities, but none can come to pass. But let’s not focus on the “What if’s”, let’s focus on the man’s legacy and pay our respects.

Here’s to you Mr. Ishinomori, without you there would be no Kamen Rider or Power Rangers. Thank you so much for giving us a wonderful world of characters and stories and I’ll do my best to pass them onto others so they too can tell them to the world! エクセルシオール Ekuserushiōru!

[ultraericthered]

Anime Update V2 25

Noragami Aragoto - So in this series’ finale, Ebisu meets a pretty gruesome end only to be immediately reincarnated as a child, Yato is devastated and traumatized, we learn Yato’s real name is Yaboku (thank you, Hiyori!), resolve tensions between himself and Yukine, and more significantly, settle things between him and Hiiro/Nora. And I felt really bad for her since she clearly does love him and wishes he could be with her again, but so long as she’s so self-deluded about their father (the absolute shitbag who set everything up to try and break his son) and perpetuating his abusive, murderous methods, she’s a toxic influence in Yato’s life that he needed to cut off, which is what he does even when it visibly breaks his heart to have to do so.

Now Yato knows his calling and is ready to take it on with Hiyori and Yukine by his side, unaware that his father, currently posing as Hiyori’s male classmate who’d kissed her at the theme park, is lying in wait to destroy him and all the other gods....which we have no follow-through to since Noragami has yet to get more anime content!

Hunter x Hunter - At this point, the two anime are covering the same ground but veering into different directions in terms of how and when they present that ground that it’s starting to grate on me having to watch them both. The 99 anime gives us a Kurapika-focused episode before returning to Gon and Killua on Whale Island, which itself is padded out with filler and drags out Gon learning more about his deadbeat dad, getting a recorded message from said deadbeat dad, and working with Killua to try to decode the mystery behind the Greed Island game. The 2011 anime, meanwhile, does the Whale Island stuff first before jumping to Kurapika’s Nen training and the following exploits in Yorknew City. I will say that the arc is already a vast improvement over Heaven’s Arena. I’m eager to see what’s next

Fruits Basket - Since Kisa Sohma’s debut was up next in the 2001 anime, I skipped to it in the 2019 anime before watching the following episode of the former and the preceeding episodes of the latter.

2001 - The dub ruined the part with Kisa’s mother since her voice acting was ridiculously wooden, and am I the only one to notice that the silhouetted bully girls looked like Nagisa, Kyou, and Ryou from CLANNAD years before they were a thing? (Sounds almost like a visual representation of Kotomi’s worst fears to me!!) The most notable difference in this version compared to the later one is that Yuki seemed to react a lot more angrily to the teacher’s letter to Kisa than he did in the later adaptation. A good chunk of the following episode was spent on the Prince Yuki Fanclub, with their suddenly introduced leader Motoko Minagawa, doing a documentary-style filming of what they hope will be an interview with Saki in order to better understand her psychic “waves” ability (actually hoping to learn her weakness and compromise her friendship with Tohru since Motoko hates Tohru now), which doesn’t get us the amount of backstory for Saki and her younger brother that we were supposed to get at this point, but it didn’t bother me much since the Prince Yuki Fanclub really do benefit from this anime’s more loose and light-hearted tone. Their antics and banter are straight up hilarious here.

2019 - Since the main point of the Kisa episode is character development for Yuki, his thoughts and how Kisa’s situation parallels his own are given more focus and emphasis here, and he’s less angry about the teacher’s letter, simply disappointed that it missed the mark despite the good intentions. The two episodes before it were the ones that covered the backstory of Arisa Uotani and how she met, and had her life saved and turned around by, Tohru and her mom, probably some of the heaviest, most heartfelt and intriguing stuff on this show thus far. But it went to some really dark places, which explains why the earlier anime omitted it aside from a few references. The three delinquent girls in the present day were kind of strange since they felt sort of like copies of the Prince Yuki Fanclub, but perhaps that might’ve been intentional given where they end up.

Rozen Maiden - Episode 4 saw the proper start of the Alice Game with all the dolls going up against Barasuishou in the dimension that the creepy white rabbit demon takes them to, and then Episode 5 is the designated off-the-walls goofy filler episode about Hinaichigo and Suiseiseki both wanting to write a letter to Jun, with the former facing her fear of mailboxes to do so. Hinaichigo has grown on me by this point, having gotten a lot more endearing, funny, and adorable as the series has gone on. Also growing on me is Kanaria, who gets a lot funnier the more pathetic and ineffectual she’s made to look, and something about the way Cristina Vee voices her really helps that.

Fate Zero - Servants old and new were showcased. The Rider of this series who is now Waver’s servant is Alexander the Great, who looks like a less evil Ganondorf and is voiced by Kirei’s previous VA, Jamieson Price. Saber is with Kiritsugu and Irisveil, the badass girl king we know, love, and remember. Ilya also shows up at one part and it just now dawns on us that she’s technically Shirou’s little sister (being Kiritsugu and Irisveil’s biological child). We meet this totally deranged young serial killer who becomes master of the equally evil Caster servant calling himself “Bluebeard”, and as Kirei is master of Assassin, he naturally sends him to go assassinate his own partner Tokiomi. But Tokiomi’s Archer, Gilgamesh, is ready for him, and he’s now voiced by David Lucas, VA of the previous Assassin! Mindfuck!

Revolutionary Girl Utena - Back on track to the arc formula, we meet Juri’s predecessor fencing club leader, a handsome duelist named Ruka who’s got the snootiest sounding voice (Wayne Grayson has always been very skilled as a VA, hasn’t he?), and to make things painful for Juri, he’s got Shiori totally smitten with him! Ruka and Shiori get the car ride with Akio and Touga this time, they challenge Utena and Anthy to a duel as a pair, and Ruka shows he sees Shiori as a liability that he’d like to throw under the wheel...

Love Live! Nijigasaki School Idol Club S2 - We got set up for what’s to be the School Idol Club’s “First Live”, sort of their own Love Live show since Aqours and Saint Snow established that school idols can do that. But only after an episode spent mostly on reflections by the characters, particularly Karin, who’d been questioning her place in the school idol business for whatever reason. Also, Lanzhu continues to be bae and I adore her friendship with Yu and Ayumu.

MAR - I’m just gonna say it: I’m not a fan of how Jack’s matches have been handled. Yet again, and with the exact same opponent but with the opposite outcome this time, it’s Jack showing how much he’s improved and how he can hold his own in a fight before the whole thing suddenly turns into a great big pervy joke. It ceased to be a true “fight” the moment the delerium-inducing mushrooms grew on Pano, and if that whole display wasn’t cringe enough, Jack taints his own first victory by attempting a REALLY skeevy, sleazy move to put the moves on Pano while she’s in her intoxicated state of mind! Who thought this was okay? This is Jack, not Cat Noir, VA be damned!

AMC: Gintama - Ah, always good to be back in Edo. This one was a pretty big deal since it’s where Kagura got Sadaharu, her iconic giant dog companion, and not even how much Kagura’s VA in this dub grates on my nerves could detract from the hilarity of it all. And not only did Hijikata and Okita get to play a part in this, so did the Majin Buu looking, whiny voiced alien prince obsessed with keeping pets who returned to Earth so he could be the antagonist for the climax. Poor Odd Jobs Gin crew, finding jobs even when not looking for any!

[medea10]

My Review of Zombieland Saga