#I am loving Maomao's character a lot

[fionnalovesanimeboys]

Lmao I can't believe how Maomao used Rihaku she is so sassy I love her but at least she bringed him to the pleasure district

[minakoaiinos]

ALSO adding on to my last post I have seen a bunch of people around all social media say things about the state of shoujo anime in recent years all along the lines of saying there are less shoujo anime bc women's perspectives and stories are viewed as less profitable than shounen and that's probably not untrue in terms of executive's reasoning but also every time there is a shoujo anime made literally all I ever see people talk about are the guy romantic partners and if anyone says anything about liking the woman main character it's always through the filter of saying things like aww the guy loves her so much and it's like. The girls on the shows aren't talking to each other about anything but men the audience isn't talking about anything but men etc. You want women's perspectives. But the only perspective you want is to only keep talking about liking men.

[fategoflatass]

I used to be so against the slow burn trope. Not because I thought it was shit; it's just, I usually don't have the patience to wait whatever-amount-superior-to-three damn chapters for my dear ship to finally be able to look at each other without blushing and/or hold hands. Thus why you often times see me reading oneshots or fics with the "Established Relationship" tag on them.

So you can imagine just how surprised—or maybe not, maybe I just didn't think enough about it—I was when I realized my newest fixation's main pairing is—canonically—the embodiment of slow burn. Because holy shit they're taking their time.

Nothing against how Kusuriya develops its love story—quite the opposite, actually. The relationship between Jinshi and Maomao, two characters that are written as beautifully as their romance, is a rather realistic approach as to how the same or a similar dynamic would developed in real life. In such a complicated situation, with such complex feelings about emotions—both external and their own—and attachment, makes sense that it takes so long for the relationship to finally sail.

The problem is, I didn't know I was signing with the Devil the moment I decided to pick up the light novel. Ten volumes and nothing has happened. Nothing.

And you can say that technically things have happened, because they have. I mean, Jinshi is just so desperate for Maomao to give him the time of day, you know what I mean? And even that isn't enough anymore and thus he has committed some of the craziest shit I've seen in any romance. Which okay, I don't usually read these type of romances but still.

What I mean by "nothing" is just, their relationship hasn't changed status. I could also say that it seems to go nowhere, but that'd be lying. Since, you know, it has changed quite a lot—just not in the way my impatient ass wanted it to. Because he can be as honest with his feelings as he pleases, and those around them might be heavely conscious of the tension and thus constantly tease those lovebirds (as they should), but babygirl's not helping, you know?

And I get it, Maomao's not the best at expressing and understanding herself, and she's also way too busy worrying about going as unnoticed as possible (she should give up on that one already, tbh) while keeping her head where it should be. But like, I can't help feeling frustrated over it like ‼‼

GIRL, FUCK THE RULES. TAKE THAT PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A MAN AND RUNAWAY SOMEWHERE NO ONE WILL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY YOU. YOU THEN CARRY THAT BITCH BRIDESTYLE TO THE CLOSEST CHURCH AND MAKE HIM YOUR WIFE. PROCEED TO FROG AROUND, EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR UTERUS AS MUCH AS YOU'D LIKE, AND THEN TEACH THE PRODUCTS OF YOUR PRACTICES AS YOUR OWN GUINEA PIG THE WAYS OF HERBAL MEDICINE. AS EASY AS THAT.

But she won't. She'll take her sweet ass time being in denial about both Jinshi's and her own feelings, then maybe she'll proceed to analize herself and find out that maybe, just maybe, that affection that she'd been feeling for that loser became something else. Did said affection also become something more complicated? Absolutely. Does she know how to deal with it? Hell no, but fuck it. If I learned something from school is that you always leave the hardest parts for later.

Now you see why I was so against reading slow burn?

And you wanna know the worst part? I loved it—I loved every second of it, every word, every page. Every scene that seemed to help the relationship advance, only for Maomao to say nope and leave like she owns the place, which at this point she fucking might.

It feels like I, as the reader, am in the middle of a heatwave and some sadistic bastard won't stop teasing me with ice cream—they put it in front of my face, close enough that I can smell the cold. Then take a spoon and eat little by little while staring directly to my eyes. At times they seem to show mercy and feed me a spoon, only for it to be a rather small quantity of serving—serving that tastes so damn good at first, only for it to have such a bitter aftertaste. But if I gotta have something in common with Jinshi is that I'll never be able to beat the masochist allegations, so I'll wait patiently for the next spoon and its corresponding and seemingly enless teasing from that faceless being.

So yeah, I'm still against it, only that now I understand the appeal—even if I have yet to find out about the whereabouts of my sanity while still mananing with the little I've left.

[syncopatedid]

Since the anime's airing, I've also been catching up on the manga of The Apothecary Diaries and I am absolutely smitten with these two. Smitten, I tell you! A low-key simp + high-key romantically-blasé protagonist is the kind of dynamic that will mean we get the whole nine yards of slow-burn development from "antagonists" -> friends -> confidants -> something more? Maomao certainly isn't oblivious to Jinshi's beauty nor his attempts at cringe teasing/flirting with her, even though she has a natural immunity against his shenanigans and remains ever cautious about the whims of people within the palace.

Maomao is also an inspiration as a strong female character who manages to navigate a world that is not kind to people of her class and gender. While it does feel like the story skims through a lot of unspeakable things Maomao had witnessed growing up, to me, it does serve to perfectly emphasize Maomao's "detached" character and her perspective of the world. She is a reluctant protagonist in this story, just trying to survive the best she can given her circumstances. And while she's certainly more educated and street smart compared to other girls in her situation, she's also realistic about her place in the world and knows her own powerlessness, merely finding her own way to co-exist with it and minding her own business (the girl just wants to be left alone with her rare poisons man). Being thrust into palace politics and catching the whims of one Jinshi, however, means inevitably putting herself in dangerous situations. Yet she's also really lucky and very loved and protected by those around her, including those who are in power to effect change, and that is the ultimate power that our Best Girl Maomao wields like a Mary Sue, but a well-written one. Still, her barriers are way up high when it comes to her feelings, and it will take a lot for her walls to come down. It's been 65 chapters into the manga, but the relationship goal post between her and Jinshi feels as if it's moved one step forward and two steps back (*throttles Jinshi with a stale baugette*), but you genuinely do want to root for these two to be more than servant and lord, romantic or otherwise, because their circumstances are a lot more similiar than they are different, as are their complicated feelings about each other. There's also something to be said about this gremlin of a girl who is so desensitized to the world of lust and romance but you know she absolutely owns a PhD in kink studies thanks to her sisters' upbringing. If Jinshi ever learns the extent of her knowledge I think Jinshi.exe will shut down for good and I just want to follow this series and be there for that eventual punchline.

[coldinternetllama]

My take on the epilogue of LN 5

Spoilers until the prologue of LN 6!

So I have been thinking about the choking scene at the end of volume 5 of TAD, as it has been bothering me a lot, since it seemed too OOC for Jinshi, at least in my opinion. I mean, sure, he does have some borderline toxic tendencies, but that was a bit too much, even for him. I have tried to think of an explanation that would fit him, but all of my theories didn't quite fit in with the story and the characters. That is, until another user pointed out how frustrating it is that Maomao sees herself as completely expendable and is even convinced that Jinshi would kill her, if he saw fit. We (and Jinshi) are aware of that ever since the time she requested to be killed with poison. Generally, this is part of her apathy towards her own life, as she always goes with the flow and tries not to stand out too much. A core part of her character, and yet one that frustrates Jinshi more than anything.

To explain what I mean, it has always appeared to me that Jinshi wants Maomao to make her own choices and, basically, take charge of her life. For example, after the incident with Fengming, he let Maomao go, because he thought that was what she wanted, and he wanted to respect her wish. The same goes for the time he refused to let Lakan visit her, as his name made her visibly upset. Jinshi does obviously care for what she wants.

On the other hand, her passiveness upsets him. The fact that she sees so little value in her life and assumes he does as well angered him a lot during her request to be executed with poison. Her lack of any (!) reaction to his advances later in the novels also upsets him in the same way. So I have been thinking, what if the choking was him trying to see how much he has to push her for her to retaliate, to try and fight for her own life, which she sees as so expendable. A reminder, but Jinshi also said he didn't want her to poison herself for her experiments. Maybe he was hoping that she would push him away and finally understand that she indeed has a choice regarding how her life and her relationship with him goes. Of course, Maomao being Maomao interprets this as some sort of punishment. And maybe she is right, we never get to see much about Jinshi's thought process during this particular scene. Obviously, it was wrong, and I am not excusing him, however he himself obviously does not know how to express himself or his emotions correctly, and thus his actions gain a possessive, even scary twist. And this is also how I would classify the choking: a twisted attempt to push her to actively participate in their relationship. To me, it definitely sounds more likely than a petty "punishment" out of jealousy. At least that is what makes sense to me and what I want to believe for the sake of him being one of my favourite characters (yeah, I might be biased).

To reiterate, he was probably trying to show her what could happen if she continued letting people decide for her. If we think about it, even her dance with Rikuson was not something she actively wanted to participate in. Maomao's passive behaviour might be alright for a commoner servant (and she loves to see herself as just that), however at this point of the story she is seen by everyone else as part of noble society and feigning ignorance the way she does it is extremely dangerous for a noble. Granted, Jinshi should have tried telling her with words and not violence, but she is also notorious for not listening to people, especially when she doesn't like the topic, so I can see why he might have thought this was the only way.

Anyways, thanks for reading, if you made it that far, and do let me know if all that makes sense to you.

[i-guess-im-into-this-now]

The Apothecary Diaries

S1E3 First Watch

My thoughts from my first watch of episode 3 of The Apothecary Diaries under the cut.

My character cheat sheet (turns out I should know their names if I'm going to write these reviews)

Hongniang - head LIW

Gaoshun - Jinshi's assistant

Lady Gyokuyou - favorite concubine

Yinghua - pink flowers LIW

Guen - the palace doctor

Jumping right in.

Jinshi is having a cryptic conversation with a concubine. Her lady-in-waiting saying "surely this is a mistake. As a reward?" Initially my thought is that this might be the lady that tried to lure Jinshi to her room. Maybe she is being sent out of the palace? Though I went back to episode 2 to check and she has different accessories.*Shrug* we'll find out soon enough.

A spectral figure in white is haunting the walls at night. This must be our mystery of the week for Maomao to solve.

The gossiping ladies are back at it. Apparently Lady Gyokuyou is a foreign princess. I didn't pick up on that before. She's the favorite of the emperor and trade has increased due to his favor. Lady Gyokuyou is an obstacle for other ambitious concubines and those who fear her foreign influence in the empire. The maids had found a poisoned needle in her clothing before when they were short staffed and needed help outside their own pavilion. Just another reason they are happy to have Maomao around.

Maomao has not heard the latest gossip and is not impressed by the latest ghost story. To her credit she does try to stay out of things until someone needs her help.

Maomao's in her element, brewing up medicine when Yinghua (I'm making an effort to learn names) notices Maomao's bandaged wrist. She immediately worries over Maomao offering her assistance with anything and I love this. Maomao who is so independent, and self sufficient; Maomao who hasn't had anyone looking out for her well-being; Maomao who self harms - has someone who cares if she is hurt.

Not only do the ladies in waiting care about Maomao but the palace doctor is making her tea and snacks, and giving her apothecary ingredients. She's slowly building a support network.

Jinshi is calling her a good girl. And... she's reacting to it. Yup, praise works a lot better on her than sultry looks. Jinshi figured that out fast.

Maomao has noticed that Jinshi's position in the rear palace is unusual. He seems to outrank everyone else and has the authority to move about and do as he pleases. He's too young to be given such a rank, he must have the emperor's favor. I'm pretty sure he does have favor but not in the way Maomao is thinking! Lol! For the record, I hope I am wrong about Jinshi being a prince and that Maomao is right and he's the emperor's lover.

Jinshi easily maneuvers the doctor out of the room so he can ask Maomao's medical advice without him over hearing. And Maomao knows it. These two are starting to get to know one another and fall into a rhythm. In fact it's happening with everyone around Maomao. She's nothing if not adaptable.

And even more effective than praise for Maomao is engaging her expertise. Jinshi asks her about sleepwalking and she instantly brightens, until he teased her for it. She claims the solution is not a medical one and draws a line, stating that she won't try to offer a solution on something she isn't qualified in. Which is so mature. She knows herself and sets boundaries. I love her.

Gaoshun asks Maomao to stop glaring at Jinshi. Once again trying to protect the dignity of the prince his superior officer.

They spot Lady Fuyou. The spector who has been spooking the people of the rear palace. She's soon to be sent to a military officer as a reward. This must be the lady from the beginning of the episode and now we have context for that conversation.

Is the stress of being sent away causing her to sleepwalk? Maomao will figure it out. She can't resist helping someone in need.

She does her research as best she can, applies her experience and gives her best guess as to the cause of the lady's sleepwalking even if she is less confident than she was with diagnosing the poisons before. Jinshi is uncanny in his ability to read her and pushes her on this.

And it's not just Jinshi who is learning to read Maomao. Lady Gyokuyou also knows something is bothering Maomao.

And wow. The story of how Lady Fuyou and her military officer managed to defy fate and end up together; beautiful.

Maomao is only able to speculate on what has happened but she did her best to assist Lady Fuyou by keeping her theory to herself. We know now why she acted so peculiar before when she offered her diagnosis, she wasn't hesitant to give an answer she wasn't sure of - she was hidding the truth. She's going to need to become a better liar if she wants to survive in a palace intrigue story. She gave Jinshi a plausible explanation on how and why the sleepwalking might be occurring backed by half a truth from her experience with the courtesans. He knew he didn't get the whole story, but she still didn't give him anything more that he could use against Lady Fuyou. Which is revealing because shortly after, she does reveal her thoughts to Lady Gyokuyou. You can see where Maomao's trust and loyalty lies.

I wonder if the story of Lady Fuyou has any parallels to the main story? In a palace where the concubines and servants are trapped one of them manages to defy fate and escape to a future of her own choice.

Lady Gyokuyou admits that she envies Lady Fuyou. Which surprised me. She is the emperor's favorite concubine and the first to bear him a child. I thought she was happy in her position (I will be watching out for more of this!). Maomao similarly, is a woman being held against her will in the rear palace, but she consoles herself with the hope that she will be able to leave when her contract is up. Her ability to choose her own fate is only delayed rather than Lady Gyokuyou who is truly trapped.

I personally don't think leaving the palace will be so simple for Maomao, she's way too valuable to let her leave, but for now, Maomao still believes it. I don't know if she would be so compliant if she thought she couldn't leave some day. But I've digressed.

Hey was that Gaoshun? Did he... overhear all of that? Well we know who's ears that will end up in. Not good. Not good for Maomao because Jinshi will know she's holding back information from him, and undermining the emperor's will by helping a concubine escape the palace. And not good for Lady Gyokuyou because her envy is a sign of disloyalty to the emperor. Very, very bad.

Jinshi is gazing out the window. Is he watching Maomao? Is he thinking that she's beautiful or about her crimes? Both?Either way the show transitions to Maomao watching the sunset and thinking the following:

It's said love has the power to make a woman more beautiful. I wonder what kind of medicine it would make. -Maomao

She says this while looking at her ruined arm and I have to wonder if she's thinking of herself as someone who isn't beautiful. Or does she look at her arm because it represents her experiments? Is she thinking of experimenting on herself... with love? Or maybe she is moved by the fact that Lady Fuyou's love gained her her freedom. How can love be used as a medicine? Maomao already acknowledged that love can be an ailment in her story about sleepwalking, but thinking of it as a treatment is new.

And someone new has a request for Maomao's apothecary expertise. Not good. Each episode I feel a greater sense of doom. It's only a matter of time before Maomao gets tangled into something dangerous. At least we saw in this episode that she is building trust and some genuine warmth with the ladies in Lady Gyokuyou's pavilion. I can only hope those relationships will be strong enough to shield or support her when her trials come. Because let's be honest it won't be much of a show if Maomao doesn't get thrown into some shit.

If you like this episode first watch, you may enjoy the previous ones too.

Episode 1

Episode 4

Episode 2

The next one is up now:

[spitdrunken]

currently i'm really busy with writing for my thesis, which unfortunately leaves me with little creative juice... ive been engaging with other people's creations a lot more rather than writing for myself, but have some assorted thoughts on things ive enjoyed recently below, for anyone who is interested. feel free to send me asks about anything that's mentioned, but because of the above, might take me a bit to get back to u <3!

these aren't really x reader thoughts, just rambling! if you read this, thank u, i am giving you a kiss on your forehead/hug/fistbump/handshake/whatever words of affirmation you have been wanting to hear today. pick your favorite!

(Pokephilia mention) Pokémon Legends Z's announcement!! It'll be forever until it's released (which, as a true Pokémon fan, I'm very happy about BAHAHAH), but I'm so excited! Very curious how they are planning to implement, what seems to be, citybuilder elements... If Emmet shows up in this game, I'm going to be super delighted, but I honestly doubt it. Either way, it's made me think a bit more about the twins, and Poképhilia stuff in general as well! It's such a shame/pain the main tag is blocked... one day I will start and stick to my intention to write, like, porn about all the Pokémon, haha. A dream...

(cannibalism(????) monster eating??? mention. consensual!) Dungeon Meshi really was as much fun as everyone mentioned! Don't really see myself writing fic about it, except for a very specific idea I had... I like the thought of Laois 'obsessed with eating monsters' Touden got to meet a monster (AKA Reader) who is equally obsessed with the idea of being eaten!! Maybe a mermaid, or something like that? It's his one chance to eat a humanoid monster! Though the others probably won't believe him when they tell him that it was 100% consensual, and are judging him harshly LMAO

Welcome Home updated! Very happy about this. Though I don't connect them publically, I actually have written quite a bit of WH fic and my sfw sideblog for it used to have more followers than this one LMAOO. Maybe one day I'll write NSFW works for it, but I dunno if there's interest... Plus, I very much fall underneath people the creator would consider 'unwelcome' in their squeaky-clean fandom or whatever, but they have like a quarter million followers now, lol. Anyway, Wally is, as has been said many times before, the Most! He draws me in <3

And also, poor Eddie, lmao. It's very interesting to me, with the inclusion of the Narrator, that the characters seem to be forced to steer in a specific direction, if that makes sense? To upkeep a certain mask. I wonder if 'as above, so below' is a reference to that, in the sense that whatever is dictated by the stronger forces of narrative, is what shall occur 'below'-- In their world. Like, the animosity some of these puppets have for each other!!!!! Some of them are just straight up Not Friends, lmao.

I need to play more of it, but if anyone is reading this, go play I Was A Teenage Exocolonist. I expected it to be waaaay more popular, especially on Tumblr, but it's so underrated? The writing is wonderful, the characters are well-defined, and the art is breathtaking! Please take a look at the trigger warnings, cuz there are a few that are definitely applicable, but it's soooo good... If it has to be said, I romanced Dys first, lmao.

I am watching The Apothecary Diaries right now, just started today, and can I jsut say... I'm such a fan of all the women in this show!! I love the perspective it gives on court life a lot! Maomao definitely is pulling in all the men AND women, huh.... i appreciate that. Jinshi also 100% wants to get degraded by her, huh. Maomao is the sexywoman of this show.

[aashi-heartfilia]

Hello everyone!!

Welcome to Aashi's Anime and Manga Club. I am a blogger and I love to write about all sorts of anime content. I write about the things I love, and I also write about the things I hate. Writing stuff makes me feel better and helps me to express my honest opinions about certain topics and engage with a community that I generally don't see in my day-to-day life.

I write meta posts, answer asks, recommend fics, and reblog all kinds of interesting stuff. This blog is heavily dedicated to four of my favorite characters: MaoMao, Ochako Uraraka, Toga Himiko, and Lucy Heartfilia. But I write about other seasonal animes as well like Oshi no ko, Tengoku Daimakyo (Heavenly Delusion), My Happy Marriage, Zom100: Bucket List of the Dead, A Sign of Affection, Solo leveling, Spyxfamily etc.

Here is a Navigation Guide to some of my best posts so far:

Starting off with our native apothecary MaoMao...

The Hypocrisy of Jinshi and MaoMao

My most popular 'Kusuriya no Hitorigoto' post so far

Next of is the Golden Girl 'URAVITY' aka Ochako Uraraka

Not just any Hero, we need 'THE HERO'

Not just any hero, we need THE HERO

I like how almost every important character in MHA had an arc about being their own person. The most obvious one being Shouto and Tenya who

TUMBLR

Divided by sides, united by souls...A Tragedy

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/676548075549032448/saving-her-heart-but-still-dying-at-the-end

We fail to understand.

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/676519040684081152/we-fail-to-understand

How MHA would have looked like without Uravity?

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/663386604380012544/how-would-my-hero-academia-would-have-looked-like

Top 10 favorite Ochako Moments

https://aashi-heartfilia.tumblr.com/post/662587942428180480/my-top-10-favourite-ochako-uraraka-moments

Uravity is the next Nana Shimura

Ochako is next Nana Shimura: All Character Plots going on for Ochako Uraraka and Future Potential

I think it was always a big game, Horikoshi had in mind for her. She was introduced as a very lovely and warm person who has a somewhat bada

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Why is Uravity the most Overheated character in MHA?

BnHA 323: Why is Uravity the most overhated character in MHA?

Okay then, let's go! If I have to say that Uravity is the most overhated character in MHA it won't even be an opinion, cause it is a fact. E

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Anyone can be a Hero: My version of Ochako's speech

ANYONE CAN BE A HERO!!

Do you know about Midnight? To you, she will be a hero but for us, she was our sensei who taught us History every day. But she is no longer

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

The problem with IzuOcha

The main problem with IzuOcha

Firstly, let me start off by saying that I am in fact an IzuOcha shipper and yet I still feel like something is missing. Today I finally fig

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Why Ochako Uraraka isn't a bad female lead?

Why Ochako isn't a bad female lead?

My Hero Academia in general gets a lot of hate for creating sissy female characters who look like a bit of a pushover but honestly Ochako is

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Uravity Quirk Evolution Ideas

To think my first prediction was right all along...

Now Ochako can float objects without touching them!! A big bubble of her aura where everything floats in Zero Gravity!! Hopefully we'll get

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Is it time for Ochako's Quirk Evolution too? A TogaChako Theory!!

So I have a theory in mind.

Now that we have seen firsthand how dangerous Ochako's quirk is, in wrong hands just imagine how dangerous an awakening like Toga would be?

AASHI-HEARTFILIA.TUMBLR.COM

Why BakuDeku will become canon and not IzuOcha?

Why BakuDeku will be canon and not IzuOcha? Connection between TogaChako and the entire Love Square...

So this is pure hypothesis and I should clarify that I'm not a shipper when it comes to MHA. I just love the story, its premise and the vari

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It was hinting at Ochako's power all along

It was hinting at Ochako's power all along...The Butterfly effect in MHA

There was a reason why Quirk Doomsday Theory was spelled out for us! There was a reason why Ochako was in front and centre in that panel! Be

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.

Toga Himiko:

My Convoluted Feelings about Toga's Survival

My convoluted feelings about Toga... what now?

So after reading a bunch of metas all over the internet, my feelings about Toga's survival are more convoluted than ever. The fandom is basi

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The 'ULTIMATE' Hero 'URAVITY'

A great time to repost this!

A single girl's feelings can change the world.

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Hawks, Tsuyu, Jirou, and Ochako Team-up!

Hawks, Tsuyu, Jirou and Ochako team up!!

Hi I really enjoyed reading your ochako awaking post and I was wondering if you got anymore ? If not who do you think be a great team up wit

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NO!! SHE'S NOT DYING!!

I love seeing people happy...

That's why I cannot ignore your tears.

Ochako and the dilemma with Volume Covers

Then we have our lovely celestial princess - Lucy Heartfilia

Top 5 Lucy Battles from the 100 Years Quest

RANKING ALL OF LUCY's STAR DRESSES (Must Read)

RANKING LUCY's CELESTIAL SPIRITS

1. Why are her battles interesting?

2. Lucy vs Strauss siblings 2.0?

3. Is she not using her full power?

4. How did Lucy defeat Mimi?

5. Star Dress Evolutions Mini-Series

THANK YOU FOR READING!!

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

HAIIIII ARIII:33333 i am here with a silly little question hehehee which of your blorbos do you think would get along the best???? i immediately thought of suguru and laios honestly..... (also something something abt suguru eating curses and laios eating monsters something something) but i just really do think they'd really like each other!!!!!! sugu would listen to him ramble abt monsters with a faint little smile, his head resting on his palm:3333

but alsoooo would satoru like maomao and jinshi?? i think actually know them but i just.... have a feeling that he would!!! they all seem so cute and silly hehehehee

this question popped into my head when i thought abt putting toji and dazai in a room together btw😭😭 poor toji i think he would NOTTT like dazai at all😭😭😭😭😭 my kitty cats are fighting.... HEHEHEHE ANYWAYYY ILYYY I HOPE YOUR DAY IS GOING WELLL MY LOVE!!!!!! MWAHMWAH MWAHH!!!! - @teddybeartoji

HAI HAIIIIII MICKEY :3333 i’m picking you up and spinning you around btw <3333333 WHAT A FUN QUESTION AAAAA ……

OK BUT . LAIOS/SUGU IS SO BIGBRAINED. I AGREE SO MUCH. you reminded me of this one fanart owwllly made of them lmao ….. i treasure it soooooo dearly laios is so silly . I REALLY DO THINK THEY’D GET ALONG. they’re both sweeties :((( and sugu is such a good listener…….. laios would probably find him really dependable too. AND. HEAR ME OUT….. i just really really feel like laios would try to eat one of suguru’s curses 💀 and i think that would unironically bring them closer together. idk i’m just always thinking about suguru and how alone he felt simply become no one else could comprehend how awful they taste…. only for mr golden retriever himbo man to walk into his life and WILLINGLY eat them. sniffle. they could be so wholesome :(((((((

AND THEN . SATORU AND JINMAO 🥺🥺🥺 wahhhhh what a cute crossover….. HERE’S THE THING. i do Not think jinshi would like his ass ‼️‼️ maybe gojo would find him cute in an older brother kinda way . but they’re just. so similar. jinshi is basically just cult leader geto and teen toru mashed together. i think gojo would piss him off so much 😭 BUT MAOMAO….. well. she would definitely find gojo annoying too!!! but i think he’d like her soooo much :3 that’s his daughter actually. he’d just find her funny. two little meowmeows <3333

….. then we have toji and dazai 😭😭😭 PJDPDJDKDJDJ. MICKEY I CRIEDDDD THEY WOULD BE SO FUCKING FUNNY….. i remember seeing a tiktok once where . a guy did a filter thing that gave him four different characters to go to therapy with . he got toji + dazai + two other sickos and someone commented ”you know it’s bad when toji is the most mentally stable person in the room” 💀💀💀 I JUST THINK IT’S SO FUNNY…. toji would be so weirded out by him lmao . BUTTT in my heart and soul dazai is a dilfhunter so ik he’d try to seduce toji <3333 would he succeed? no . but i respect the attempt!!!!!! i think they could learn to get along…. for you…….. (the good ending would be toji realizing dazai reminds him of you and being like 😐😐😐 i guess i HAVE to tolerate you.)

BUT . to actually . answer your question……… one blorbo crossover pairing i’ve been thinking of a lot lately is :333 satoru . and kazui (from milgram)……. every time i say that kissing a dilf could fix gojo i’m talking about Him btw. they’re just. so similar!!! the big difference is their confidence i think…. ik you aren’t aquainted w this blorbo but. kazui is just… a very tired very guilty liar of a man. constantly putting up a front. has a very low opinion of himself but is actually very kind….. :((((((( i love him so much. and i think gojo and him would see through each other’s respective masks, you know?? in that sense maybe kazui would be a little freaked out but . i think they could find some comfort in it too!!! i just really need them to be friends…..

ANYWAYYYYY tysm for the lovely question my lovely mickey <33333 I LOVE YOUUUU i hope you’re having a nice day……. i hope you’re watching lots of movies and enjoying your free time…… me and dazai and toji r covering you in kisses mwah mwah mwahhhh <33333

[ecargmura]

The Apothecary Diaries Episode 2 Review - The Poison Tester

Before I start the review, I want to make a little apology. In my review of the first episode, I said that Gyokuyou is voiced by Yoko Hikasa; she’s not. She’s actually voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki, who also voices Frieren from Frieren Beyond Journey’s End and Anya from Spy x Family. Yoko Hikasa voiced her in the drama CD. Sorry for the error. Now that I got that out of the way, onto the review.

I did have a feeling that this show would be an episodic one where it all revolves around Maomao utilizing her apothecary capabilities to help the palace. You know what? I like that. Usually, the eastern fantasy stories I’m familiar with are about political dramas or a forbidden love story between a higher class and lower class. It’s nice to see more of the different occupations of fantasy worlds be utilized more.

Maomao gets a promotion and now works under Lady Gyokuyou, as ordered by Jinshi. Her main task is to be a poison tester. I think my favorite aspect of Maomao is that she’s smart and observant. She knows her craft and does it well. I like that a lot. I love smart characters, so seeing Maomao do her magic is seriously entertaining to watch. She knows that poison is easily detectable when using metal bowls, but ceramic ones were given to her on purpose. Because she has been experimenting with many types of poison, she’s almost immune to a majority of them. Because of that, this can be both a good thing and a bad thing because her desensitization towards poison could be a plot point used later on. Despite that, I LOVED Maomao’s reaction to learning she can make drugs. Look at her when she is at the medicine room. She was dancing about.

More new characters are introduced in the form of Gyokuyou’s employees. There are the three servant girls and Hongniang, another lady-in-waiting and the leader of the servant girls in a way. She’s quite the interesting character as she’s strict but means well. She is also cunning in a way. When she learns that Maomao was paid less than her actual worth as she feigned being illiterate so her abductors get paid less, she breaks a pot on purpose and charges the money to her kidnappers so that they can be in debt while Maomao gets money to herself. She’s also prone to scolding the younger girls a lot as she yells at the servant girls to stop dawdling and even punishes Maomao for making the aphrodisiacs that the they ate.

Jinshi is still cemented as the most desirable man in the story and he is pretty. He is really pretty, but I still can’t help but to feel suspicious of him. What is this true goal? However, I did like learning a few things about him. He ultimately has a humiliation kink. He found Maomao’s icy glare charming and I was like “Oh gosh, he’s a masochist.” I also am convinced the anime staff has a thing for him because they drew him in a rather seductive pose, when Maomao was imagining him drugged due to aphrodisiacs. That’s when you know he’s the fan service character. Also, Takeo Otsuka is doing a great job with Jinshi, but the way he’s voicing him makes him sound a bit too similar to Takahiro Sakurai, who was the voice actor for Jinshi in the drama CD. I guess he was casted due to the similar ranges?

Gaoshun seems like a logical man. He’s very capable and reliable, unlike Jinshi. I’d like to learn more about him, honestly. Who was he before he met Jinshi? Why does he serve Jinshi? I also love that he goes away when Jinshi made a funny face after thinking about Maomao glaring at him. He knows his boss is kooky as heck.

Also, I seem to have noticed that there is a lot historical inaccuracies regarding the time period this story is set in. I’m not too familiar with Chinese history, but I know for a fact that they’re not too proficient with using English words, yet Maomao’s father called her a mad scientist in English. How do you know English, sir? I also read somewhere that cacao was introduced in an era much later than whatever era this story takes place in, so there’s that too. While it’s not too jarring, it does make it seem like the author didn’t do proper research before creating the story.

All in all, I can’t wait to see what sort of trials and tribulations Maomao will go through. It does make me wonder what the end goal will be. I’ll be watching the third episode soon. I hope you enjoyed my review of the second episode and let me know your thoughts!

[kitten-skull]

Greetings one and all!

The names KittenSkull and I am seeking fellow Apothecary Diaries fan to converse and roleplay with. At the moment I am only interested in writing with people over the age of 19 as I feel more comfortable this way.

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My roleplay style is literate and multi-para to novella and depending on how many characters I play I usually try to post at least 5 meaty paragraphs per reply. So I am seeking out a partner who also is into writing multi-para or novella style(sorry, not interested in one liners). Personally I am a pretty laid back person and always like to make my roleplay partner happy by fulfilling their desired pairings and ideas. So if you want your OC to have just one love interest or a harem, I am totally down for that. In turn I am hoping to find a partner who is also willing to listen to my ideas and desires.

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Now, while I dont expect my every little whim to be catered too, I would like to find someone who also likes to make their writing partner's fantasies come true. Also I enjoy a lot of OOC chat shenanigans like coming up with plot ideas, gushing over our favorite characters and sharing cool pictures and fan art we find online.

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A brief word of warning to the wise: I work long hours at an emergency animal hospital in the ICU so I may not always be able to reply on my work days but I am usually always free on my days off(Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays) to work on replies.

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⋙ As mentioned above, I post multi-para to novella (4 - 8+ paragraph) and am looking for a roleplay partner who also likes to write long posts. NO ONE LINERS PLEASE!

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⋙ When it comes to RP couples I can do Canon X Canon, OC X OC and also OC X Canon(preferred) but if I play a character(s) for you, I expect you to be kind enough to do the same. I love to double!

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⋙ I am love triangle and polyamory friendly 💗

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⋙ LGBTQ+ friendly 🏳️‍🌈

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⋙ I ADORE some good ol' angst and dark drama in my roleplays 💀

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⋙ Mainly I roleplay over Discord but may be able to be talking into roleplay over Gaia or googledocs.

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When it comes to canon characters, I can pretty much portray any canon but I will list the ones I have the ones I am most comfortable with below.

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⭐️ I can play: Maomao, Gaoshun, Lihaku, Basen, Luomen, the Emperor, Ah-Duo, Gyokuyou, Lihue, Pairin, Meimei, Rikuson, Baryou

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💜 Looking for you to play: Lakan, Jinshi, Basen, Lihaku

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If interested then please drop me a line by either replying to this thread or sending a DM.

[tryslora]

What I'm Reading Wednesday...

On the Duck Prints Press reading server, it’s What I’m Reading Wednesday where we all share what we finished in the last week, what we are currently reading, and what we think of these books.

I figured hey, why not bring that to the rest of the world for myself. Because I love yelling about my current reads. And I’ve always got several things in motion at one time, between physical, audio, and ebooks, plus things I’m reading for specific reasons.

Here’s the summary from the last week in visual format (the actual discussion is behind the read-more):

Fiction

I am currently reading Many Drops Make a Stream by Adrian Harley (from Duck Prints Press). There are so many things to love in this book. The world building packs so much into such a small space. The culture clash between human and shapeshifter is wonderful (and Harley’s shapeshifters truly have a culture all their own). I thought it was going to be a quick read because it’s short, but the language and depth of information have me going slower and savoring every word. That said, I’ve also reached the point where I want to take it in faster, so I find myself spending a little extra time every time I pick it up, just to get a few more pages!

Manga & Graphic Novels

I have one manga and one graphic novel in progress.

I’ve been reading The Complete Elfquest, volume 1 by Wendy & Richard Pini for a little over two weeks now. We have several of these volumes, and my intention is to read one chapter/issue a night, so I am able to savor them slowly, but also get through them. Reading this first volume is like coming home into a fandom from childhood. The first chunk of it was also collected in the original Warp Graphics compilations, and I can’t remember how often I read those back in high school. I’m reaching the parts now where I probably only read the individual issues once or twice, so it’s familiar, but not to the point where I’m like oh yes, I remember gazing at that panel for hours. I still love these elves, and this story, and I cannot wait to get home each day and be allowed to read a chapter. I’m looking forward to when I reach new-to-me material.

I watched the 24 episode anime The Apothecary Diaries and I wasn’t ready to let it go when it was over, so I started reading the manga by Natsu Hyuuga and Nekokurage. I finished volumes 5 & 6 this past week and am currently reading volume 7. I have the remaining already published volumes waiting for when I’m done with this. I adore Maomao and Jinshi, and am incredibly excited to get to the point where canon moves past what is in the anime. That said, getting to revisit events I already watched on TV and linger over what was said and the exact expressions has been soooo good. (And yes, I know the light novels also exist and will be rolling into those in ebook form after the manga; I might be a tad bit obsessed).

Audiobook

A while ago I thought “I should read some TJ Klune” so I checked the library list I had for audiobooks, and the first of his Extraordinaries trilogy was available in audio. I listened to it. I was addicted. I’m now on the third book—Heat Wave—and I find it very very hard to put it down. I can’t listen while working, only while commuting, walking, or doing chores—things that don’t require me to actually think so I can multi-task. But hey, it’s a GREAT way to get me to do my PT since it means fifteen minutes more of audiobook listening! Nick, the POV character, has ADHD and I flail a lot over pretty much everything he thinks and does. I love every character in this series. I love how Klune is using superheroes as an allegory for the queer experience and for racial issues, but at the same time, is actually addressing those issues explicitly. I both want to listen faster to find out what happens, and linger so it doesn’t end.

Ebook

I have been reading Wayfinder by CE Murphy, which is the second in a duology. This is a romance, yes, but it’s another fun culture clash book, this time between humanity and faerie, and I am so here for that. Murphy is an author I used to read a lot from, and I’m trying to work my way through her back catalog slowly because I’ve always enjoyed her style. Accessible and fun. This series is about a woman who has always been able to hear lies (a Truthseeker), and how her talent develops, and how she works with the faerie kingdoms to try to help them (despite some of them not wanting help, and the original situation not being the one she’s actually needed for).

Non-fiction

I have been working my way through three non-fiction books.

One is A Year of Zen by Bonnie Myotai Treace. I had been looking for a journaling prompt book, and decided to give this one a try. I made the difficult decision to write directly in the book itself, then the additional decision to let myself fail if needed. So if I don’t get to answer a prompt on a day, I just answer it the next day. One prompt per day. It’ll take me more than a year to go through it, but that’s okay. The idea is to have me think and write a short paragraph every day, and not feel guilty about messing up. It’s working surprisingly well. Learning to let myself fail has been a big part of my process this year, and hopefully I am learning to let go of some of the anxiety about things needing to be matched and rigid.

The one I am stalled on right now is The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. It was recommended as a book that therapists like to use for themselves, not merely recommend to their patients, and it reminded me of the radical acceptance I’m supposed to be practicing (and apparently am, despite myself, according to my therapist after she listened to me). The problem is, it has exercises (doesn’t everything?) and I stalled out because I didn’t have time.

Time is a theme, y’know? And that’s what happened with the last non-fiction book. I’ve been working through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, taking it as a self-guided 12 week course. I’m currently on week 5. However, I did a week of just doing morning notes before I really got started, then I took a week off when everything went haywire in my schedule because of the power outage. So it’s been about seven weeks so far. This week, as I worked on exercises, I found myself really digging in to my emotions about this book. And in the end, I decided that while I can see the value in some things, the book itself is giving me more anxiety about everything to do with my writing, while at the same time making it impossible for me to find time TO write (while following the advice it gives). So. I am no longer doing it as a course, with exercises, but I will finish reading it. And if an exercise appeals, I’ll do it. It’ll still take time, because I’ll probably still read one chapter each weekend, but I am already feeling WAY less stressed and I only made this decision last night.

So…

That’s it for me! What are you reading?

[randomidiocyncrazies]

Watched the avaliable eps of the apothecary diaries so far, and I am enjoying it for the most part! I like mystery, I like historical settings, and I like political intrigue (tho there's not a huge amount of it so far). The MC is cool as hell and very endearing/easy to root for, and it's nice that a lot of the stories are about women and how they experience the world (since it takes place in the rear palace).

However.

I'm fervently praying that the MC never falls in love with the ML, bc she's always annoyed by his attentions and seems pretty aro in general... relationships where one party is resistant while the other pursues them doggedly despite discomfort/disinterest really gets my goat, so I find the ML really grating. I wish it was just Maomao and pals solving mysteries, but alas.

And I know they're most likely gonna get together, bc that's what sells, but so far the MC is actively annoyed by him and hates dealing with him, so like... idk how we're supposed to root for their romance lol

(Also. The only thing that made the potential relationship interesting to me is the fact that he's an eunuch, since that has certain institutional implications (e.g. they won't be able to be 'formally' together/get married, and navigating that in their time period and circumstances could be interesting). But there are strong hints that he's actually not a eunuch—in fact he's probably a secret prince, given how high-ranking and important he seems to be—so even that aspect isn't guaranteed.)

I also think the fake freckles thing was a bit annoying, bc 1) sexual assault is more about power than attraction/attractiveness, and 2) it's such a cop out for having a main character who isn't 'traditionally' pretty. (Esp since her freckles are drawn in a 'cute' way to modern audiences.) But it does provide worldbuilding/character detail, so at least there's that.

[raamitsu]

for the apothecary diaries anime, currently im on ep. 9 and so far so entertainingly good. i don't think i have to comment much on it considering the only way to explain this series is laughing my ass off (also tbh i am pretty bad at writing a captivating caption so...) but i can safely say that i am glad for deciding to watch it. kinda reminds me of akatsuki no yona a little yet they're two different series in different settings. anyways i'll continue binging right now hehe.

side note: maomao is now one of my favorite female characters, heh. she's intelligent, quick at catching up things, caring, loves to learn and continues to educate herself, fearless, doesn't give in to men or whatever the hell they do yet she lowkey shows a preference in a man like gaoshun but it's not like she focus on that part a lot, passionate, compassionate, and most importantly, she's curiously reliable and nonchalantly funny 😂

[tentative-wanderer]

Reviews: Homophobic Cop Marries Gay Ghost, President’s Son Gets Together with Prince

Recently watched 2 movies with gay main characters in different genres. One was Red, White & Royal Blue (available on Amazon), one was 🌟 Marry My Dead Body 关于我和鬼变成家人的那件事 (available on Netflix). Spoiler-free thoughts below 😊:

❤️🤍💙 Red, White & Royal Blue is an American romcom. It has a 10/10 trailer—incredibly inviting. The movie depicts many women in power, I love that! Many witty jokes, nice! The movie might be better if it were a drama series instead; to save time, it zoomed through the falling-in-love part with the use of text messages—the production team packaged that as well as they could, but it was still too rushed. The ending left me wondering if there could’ve been a tiny bit more to make it feel more complete. Though the movie doesn’t score as highly as its trailer in my opinion, it’s still a decent movie.

(That reminds me of how That Musical Montage in episode 1 of the Heaven Official’s Blessing donghua made me super keen to watch the rest of the series, but it turns out that that was the best part. Quality-wise, Red, White & Royal Blue is overall better than the TGCF donghua though.)

👻👮‍♂️💓 Marry My Dead Body is a Taiwanese mystery + comedy + supernatural movie. Let me copy the blurb from Google: “Wu Ming-Han, a straight policeman who is homophobic and ghost-phobic, accidentally picks up a red wedding envelope while collecting evidence. He finds himself betrothed to the envelope's owner Mao Pang-Yu, a gay man who died under mysterious circumstances. The duo must work through their differences and join forces to solve the case, seeking justice for Mao.” (Real-life context: marriages between dead people and live ones are/were an actual thing in Chinese culture.)

I’ve just finished watching this movie, love it! Let me get the “con” out of the way first: I wish the movie ended differently! The ending was not unsatisfying, it’s just that I personally could have been more satisfied.

Okay, now I am free to gush.

This movie is HILARIOUS. Won’t describe the humour here, you can see it in the trailers on YouTube.

I love the unravelling of the mysteries (police cases). The feelings would not have hit half as hard without them and the exploration of Maomao’s non-romantic relationships (formed during his life) after his death. Even though I highly value a good plot apart from the romance when I read/watch something, I like talking about feelings more, so that’s what I’ll do.

I have Intense Feelings about these guys. They went from being Not Keen about getting stuck with each other to being really cute together—I notice that the movie managed to do this EVEN WITHOUT having them hold hands or do anything physical beyond that. That is crazy. Romantic physical contact is great, but if you can show chemistry without it, and with minimal flirting—that is exceptional.

(Side note: I think it would be harder to convincingly depict a heterosexual pair arriving at romantic feelings the way Wu Ming-Han and Maomao did: (partly) through constant banter and trading barbs. A man looking down on a woman would have come across as a lot meaner because the threat that poses is larger in the patriarchal society we live in.)

Wu Minghan went from casually homophobic to being on track for bisexuality for a ghost, such character development. The scene where Wu Minghan genuinely calls Maomao “my husband” for the first time is AMAZING, unexpected. At that moment I was like, oh my god, he loves him. Or at the very least, he has good potential. It had taken a series of hilarious strong-arming, including a close call with the loss of Wu Minghan’s family jewels, to make this dude marry Maomao, but now he’s calling Maomao husband—in that particular state, at that timing. I cried. I was smiling at many points throughout the movie, I also cried at some points. I said something similar when I wrote my review for Merman’s Fall: a book/movie that makes me laugh and cry will go at the top of my favourites list. Unlike my danmei list, my favourite movies list is too short for me to put Marry My Dead Body at the top or bottom, but it’s definitely in there.

[thenanamisimp]

End of 2024 winter season - part 1

So! It is the end of another anime season. Here's what I've been watching:

Cherry magic! 30 years of virginity can make you a wizard?! - Wednesdays

A sign of affection – Saturdays

The apothecary diaries – Saturdays

Solo leveling – Saturdays

Mr villain’s day off – Sundays

Yeah most of them were Saturday releases and it was a PAIN cause it meant I barely had anything to watch during the week. It did give me time to binge other shows tho so I ended up making a lot of progress with my alphabetical series this season (I’m actually almost done with it but I ended up starting 2 anime that aren’t part of the series lol so!)

As of this last week, A sign of affection, The apothecary diaries and Mr villain’s day off have finished airing. This week, the final episodes for Cherry magic! and Solo leveling are coming out so reviews for those will be next week!

A sign of affection

Yuki is trying to navigate the new world that is college as a deaf person with the help of her new friend Rin. One day she meets the well travelled Itsuomi and they both catch each other's attention. Itsuomi starts learning sign language to communicate with her and as they start seeing each other, things develop in the cutest way possible.

Honestly, I was excited about this anime ever since I heard about it a while ago and it somehow managed to exceed my expectations. This is literally the cutest college/university romance I've watched and I wanna see more of them SO BAD, PLUS the side couples are adorable as fuck. The art style is so pretty and seriously fits the vibes of the anime. This is not a skippable one imho, DEFINITELY watch this, especially if you like romance.

The apothecary diaries

Maomao, an apothecary working under the emperor's concubines at the palace, comes across strange happenings and solves mysteries. Jinshi, the young eunuch that all the female palace workers have a crush on, develops a liking for Maomao.

This anime is so unique, probably due to the fact this is an anime not focused around romance with a female protagonist who's badass and her character doesn't revolve around a man. Maomao is one of the coolest female characters I've come across in anime PERIOD. Especially in a shounen. Tho tbh I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a shounen or a shoujo anime but either way, we love Maomao in this house.

The animation is beautiful as well as the colour theme chosen, just like a lot of anime recently. I genuinely think this anime would be liked by anyone and it might be my new recommendation for people wanting to get into anime as it's an easy watch and doesn't have any weird anime tropes in it.

Mr villain’s day off

Slice of life anime about what the villain does on his day off. Pretty self explanatory. This is cute and definitely just a feel good anime. I did find it slightly boring and some weeks I ended up skipping the episode and then watching it the week after. But I also am not one that watches a lot of slice of life, especially not ones where the story isn't continuous between each episode. If you like slice of life, you'll probably enjoy this tho. Cute art and I like the colour themes chosen. The intro and outro were surprisingly good as well. This was probably my least liked of the season. I need angst or at least some romance lol

Thank you for reading another anime ramble! Enjoy watching :)

theNanamiSimp