#I miss mangastream so much

[transhawks]

Love going on Viz to find out Caleb did not translate it as "my back isn't broad enough" and instead did some dumb shit "with my neck on the line."" completely fucking up the meaning of that line and how important it was.

[madara-fate]

I was reading a fic where Sakura didn't want to tell Sasuke she was pregnant because she thought Sasuke would send her back to Konoha and he would leave again and I laughed, because that would absurd, sasuke wouldn't miss his own daughter's birth just for the sake of his journey. Then I went to twitter and found out this actually happened? Wtf? I'm hoping the person who told me got it wrong or something because that would be too much. Pt. 1

Did you not read Gaiden? It’s all explained there.

The translation which states that Sakura refused to leave Sasuke’s side, is the MangaStream version:

However, it gives no indication that Sasuke actually wanted her to leave and miss his daughter’s birth; It just says that Sakura refused to leave, but it said nothing about Sasuke wanting her to. That being said, I would just straight up ignore this version of the translation, because it also mentions how Sasuke, Sakura and Karin were apparently all on a mission, which just isn’t true.

Conversely, the MangaPanda version:

And the Viz version (which is known to be the most accurate one):

Say no such thing, and just clarify that Sarada was born during SS’s travels; there’s no mention of Sakura refusing to leave Sasuke’s side. So just stick with the Viz version, because MangaPanda also make an error by saying “we” travelled together instead of “they” travelled.

[makeste]

“I came here to find what it is that I lack.”

hey everyone, so can we talk about this?

this is the first time that Katsuki has talked about his own personal shortcomings to such an extent. he’s flirted with acknowledging them out loud before, at the provisional course, and we know he’s been working on improving himself, because we saw the change during the joint training arc. but this is the first time he has actually come right out and admitted that there is something he knows he’s missing, and that his goal now is to find it.

so there are two parts of this that I want to break down and discuss. let’s start with this:

“I’ve learned that just because I’m strong in a fight, that doesn’t mean I’m strong as a person.”

JBox translated this as “I’ve learned that pure strength isn’t enough to become strong.” I’m curious as to how Viz will word it. but it’s Mangastream’s translation that really piqued my interest. “that doesn’t mean I’m strong as a person.” correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this is the first time Katsuki has ever talked about himself as a person at all. up to this point he’s seemed to have zero interest in any kind of self-reflection. and even now, he’s still bringing it up in a context of strength. he needs to be “strong” as a person because that will help him become stronger as a hero. but regardless of how he frames it, or whether or not he’s only seeking it because it pertains to his goal of surpassing the number one, this is still huge IMO for him to bring up strength of character and acknowledge that it’s still something that’s eluding him.

and it’s not like this hasn’t been brought to his attention before. for all of his strengths, his personality is the one thing that’s been consistently singled out by virtually everyone he’s ever met as a glaring fault. and yet he doesn’t seem to have ever given this real thought until recently. possibly because he didn’t think it actually mattered in the big picture. or maybe it’s because until recently, he was able to shrug off those accusations because he knew that deep down he was good where it really counted. like, yeah, he might swear a lot and he might not get along with people and maybe his temper gets the better of him at times. but he was able to brush that off because he knows deep down that he’s a hero. and not just any hero, but the person who’s going to become the best hero. and so he had faith in his own integrity, and didn’t let other people’s perceptions bother him, because who the hell cares what anyone else thinks.

but note that I did say “until recently.” because in the last six months or so story-wise, a lot has changed. things which have sent little parachutes of self-doubt sailing over Katsuki’s formerly impenetrable walls of indifference. he was singled out as a target by villains. yeah, they were wrong about him, but it still says something that they thought he was a good prospect. and not just them, but everyone. the press gathered together less than 48 hours after a child was kidnapped, and felt comfortable speculating about whether or not said child was unhinged and destined to follow the villain path. yeah, Aizawa shot them down, but Katsuki still got a behind-the-scenes documentary feature look at how some of the actions he’d never before given a second thought to were actually affecting the world’s judgment of his moral character.

and then All Might lost his power at Kamino. something which Katsuki felt was his fault. and then, directly on the heels of that, there was the shock of realizing that the childhood friend he’d maligned and tormented for years had ended up being All Might’s chosen successor. and there are so many ways that Katsuki could have responded to that realization. being jealous of Deku. being derisive of All Might’s choice. but instead, his reaction to learning Deku had it right was to immediately follow it up with: so I’m wrong. and just, wow, though. and then, of course, this was all compounded even more when he failed the provisional license exam. so now we have the villains, the general public, and the heroes -- or at least, the people in charge of deciding who gets to be a hero -- all hitting him up with various different versions of you are flawed, you are deficient.

anyway, thankfully at this point he did something he’s never done before and actually reached out to someone, even if it was in the most shounen way ever (“should I just talk to my rival like a normal person? nah I’ll challenge him to a fight”). and he and Deku had a heart to heart via their fists, and then All Might gave him a hug and some good mentor advice. so the worst of that line of thinking was curbed before it could become more damaging. and he seems to have rebounded since and is back to his old confident ways.

buuuuuut. we have seen him paying more attention to other people’s remarks than he seemed to before. maybe this was something he always did, but just pretended like he didn’t. hard to say. but there’s no denying the way that Horikoshi made it a Thing during the Band AU arc, when we saw those upperclassman grousing about how “class 1-A is the one causing all the trouble” and then Katsuki listening in, stony-faced. and then he got really pissed off and ranted about it afterward.

so yeah. and then more recently, during the joint training arc, we also had that incident where Monoma -- on camera, with Katsuki watching, and we know for a fact there was sound because U.A. based their teaching model on The Hunger Games, and also the kids were able to hear Shinsou’s voice-changing shenanigans earlier -- was all “SO HOW ABOUT THAT TIME THAT BAKUGOU CAUSED THE DOWNFALL OF THE SYMBOL OF PEACE, EH.” which marked the first time we confirmed that Katsuki isn’t the only one who’s made that connection. mind you, I don’t think Monoma actually meant it; he was just trying to rile Deku up into talking so he could pull the ol’ Jedi mind trick. but still, the fact that he had that remark ready to go means that it must have crossed his mind before. and at this point I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s not the only one. it’s an obvious enough conclusion to draw, and society was a hot mess for a while following Kamino, and it was the kind of thing where I’m sure that a lot of people, shaken up in the aftermath of this disaster and struggling to process it, would be looking to assign blame.

so now Katsuki, who formerly did not give a shit and was very proud and upfront about his lack of shit-giving, has been more or less forced to confront the fact that like it or not, his behavior -- and other people’s perceptions of it -- maybe matters a little more than he thought. and it seems like maybe he’s become a bit more sensitive to that lately. a little more aware.

I think it must be frustrating for him in some ways, because he knows that he’s good and that his intentions are good, but he has difficulty conveying that. and the other thing is that he’s not the type of boy to ever have people actually say to him, “hey, you’re a nice guy.” (Kirishima, I think, is the only one that might have actually said that sentence to him -- I feel like he has? -- and honestly there’s a reason why Katsuki trusts him so much, and things like this are no small part of it.) “amazing”, sure. he gets that all the time. and “strong”, which is the adjective he himself uses the most when talking about things he admires. but never good. and he might not ever show any signs of needing that type of reinforcement, but (a) sometimes we don’t know that we need something, especially if it’s something we’ve never had before, and (b) even if Katsuki was in any way adept at identifying his emotional needs (he’s not), the odds of him ever mustering up the will to actually ask are slim to say the least.

but no child wants to be bad. Katsuki’s one and only desire since he was very little has been to become a great hero. and heroes are inherently good. this boy, for all his surliness and stubbornness and toeing-the-line, works hard. he listens to his teachers. he studies. he fights fairly, and shows honor in other ways (like fessing up immediately to being the first one to throw a punch). he shows kindness and gratitude and concern in his own prickly ways as well. his goodness isn’t the kind that comes up to you and slaps you in the face, but it still manages to shine through like sunlight through a cloudy filter. he is a good person. and I think that sometimes, during his more intense moments of self-doubt, he may have wondered if maybe he’s not. but he is.

and having said all of that, one of the things I would like to see at some point in the future is for someone to actually tell him that. for him to get that validation. because I think that’s something he’s seeking, even if he’s not aware of it. even now he still has the media censoring his interviews, as if they’re worried he’ll somehow corrupt the viewers with his attitude. even though the whole reason he’s being interviewed is because he proved himself through his actions. somehow it’s still not enough. so I just think it’s something that would mean a lot to him to hear. “you are strong, but also you’re a good person.” so yeah. All Might, maybe -- get on that.

moving on now to the second part of this essay!

“I came here to find what it is that I lack.”

you know what I find interesting about this? at first glance, one might assume that he’d already solved this mystery. doy, the kid that only ever thought about winning and victory has to learn how to help others. we got that already; All Might broke it down for us nice and clear back in chapter 120. we’re good.

and the thing is, it really seems like we are good, doesn’t it? Katsuki passed his remedial exam with flying colors. he and Todo saved a bunch of would be purse-snatching victims, and he even saved their wallets (that makes it sound like he got them to save 15% or more by switching to Geico lol but NO, IN THIS CASE IT WAS LITERAL). and let’s not forget that dominant performance during the joint training arc, in which he both allowed himself to be rescued, and breezily rescued others with no qualm. by all measures, it would appear that he has embraced this new way of heroing, and seems to be taking to it as naturally as he takes to everything else.

so then the question arises: if he already figured out that IT’S THE RESCUING, STUPID, then why is he still talking about “what he lacks” as though there is still something he’s missing? and not just missing, but as-yet-unidentified to boot. he doesn’t actually know what it is. he’s trying to figure it out.

so I have a few guesses, but since this essay is already running long, I’m just going to jump right to my main one: what he’s talking about is the difference between this:

and this

in a very similar way to how Katsuki himself proved there was such a big difference between this

and this

“the difference between those who are aiming for the top, and everyone else.” so yeah. and if this applies to the “winning” part of the hero equation, then it also stands to reason it should apply to the “rescue” part as well, right?

so what would that mean? basically, as far as I can tell, it’s the difference between your everyday rescuing, and between Deku’s style of rescuing. no, I’m not talking about the bone-breaking. I’m talking about, “my legs just started moving. why? I dunno!” or, as All Might puts it, “their bodies simply moved before they could think.”

what Deku has is not just the will to rescue. it’s the instinct to rescue. in the same way that Kacchan uses his quirk intuitively to reach ever greater heights, what Deku does intuitively is to save and protect others. he is unrivaled in this. his instinct to rescue surpasses even All Might’s. and this is what makes him great.

what Katsuki is doing right now is rescuing on the balanced, sensible, government-approved level of things. which is fine! admirable, even. but compared to what Deku has, it’s the same as Monoma’s will to win pitted against Katsuki’s own utterly indomitable will, which is completely illogical and excessive in exactly the right type of way, and is what drives him to the levels of excellence that he’s achieved. Deku’s will to rescue is like that. it’s on a whole different level.

and I think one of the biggest things I can say in praise of Katsuki is that he is not yet satisfied with where he is in terms of his moral strength. he understands that there’s a level he has yet to unlock and achieve. something that he isn’t yet grasping. and I’m pretty sure this is what it is. and if that’s the case, then he’s in luck, because I think it’s safe to say there will be plenty of opportunities in the near future to hone his own rescue instincts. Deku didn’t really start to approach Kacchan’s own levels of WIN NO MATTER WHAT until his battle with Muscular, and the key thing that made the difference there was the stakes. needless to say, in this latest arc, we have stakes aplenty. 

and all it takes is one moment. for there to be something to be on the line which Kacchan realizes in a moment of clarity that he can’t lose. something to trigger his own instant of my body just moved on its own. and then from there? who even knows. but it’ll be a sight to see.

so that is my [checks notes] 2600-word essay about Kacchan’s 75-word speech in chapter 247. to sum up, what I want for my son in this arc is for things to finally click for him to get that moment of Hero Autopilot, and also for other people to get with the program and acknowledge what a good kid he is, goddammit. even if he gets embarrassed. or embarrasses them immediately afterward by demonstrating exactly how good of a kid he is by blowing up the nearest inanimate object and launching into colorful tirades about someone’s mother. Bakugou is basically like a poorly wrapped Christmas gift. ugly on the outside, doesn’t quite look right when stacked next to the other gifts, but once you rip that sucker open TAH DAH, IT’S THAT BRAND NEW THING YOU WANTED! and it kicks all the other gifts’ asses. what more could you want in a character lol.

[khorale]

Bnha 230

look at the memes lol

(hope it’s not really “bye-bye trauma”, because overcoming trauma isn’t like a switch you can flip off at the right condition. It’s still a large part of his life and I think later he’ll deal with the fallout)

Damn.

Go Twice!

Look at him!! That glare of determination as he hunch over protectively around Toga! He’s not afraid of himself anymore, and his selves are doing all they can to protect him too!

Re-Destro goading Skeptic (but if Skeptic is heading out then that maaaay be a bad idea after what happened with Curious. Just sayin’. But otherwise, I wonder what he has up his sleeve).

Nice to see Skeptic taken down a peg. He’s the ‘arrogant genius’ archetype, and I bet his failure in life has something to do with why he’s following Re-Destro.

Look at Giran inconspicuously scooching away! 🤣 

That’s a badass name. Also looking at whatever Re-Destro’s quirk is doing. I still have no clue.

Edit: Also after reading mangastream version, I realized Jaimini’s Box missed a page here before the image down below.

Omg Twice! This page is pure win XD

-Many Twices’ screaming Dabi’s names at the top of their lungs

-”YOUR SAVIOR IS HERE!” I’m getting Thor Ragnarok flashbacks

- 10/10 showing Compress’s confusion and annoyance, without us even seeing his face.

-”What happened to your trauma?!”

“I DESTROYED IT WITH THE POWER OF LOVE AND” FRIENDSHIP SPEECHES! (even more reminders of a certain blond orange ninja)

-”Sounds like a hero story to me.” Twice is the League’s hero! He’s too pure and earnest... even when he’s murdering people en masse here.

-Yeah, he’s quotable. I’m gonna check later to see if all his dialogue is same/different in the other translations. Because Jaimini’s box has incorporated memes before (UNLIMITED TWICE WORKS + NEW PHONE WHO DIS)

In other words, if you are born with a quirk that only does something like lengthen your eyelashes, then you’re pretty much screwed.

Wait no, if you get creative you can use it to trip people. Still, what they’re going for is still not equality or equity. It’s simply to establish a different hierarchy than what we have currently with the hero system.

It’s like dictating your status with how much talent you have: Those who are not born with good luck and what is acceptable for society... will be left for the laws of the jungle. The strongest rules, but not the smartest or the kindest or the wisest.

It’s interesting how the liberation army ideal is viewed by different lenses by the different members.

Curious wants a martyr so that the world can view people whose behaviors are affected by their quirks to be natural, and not drive them away.

Re-Destro is obsessed with his father’s legacy and won’t stand for anyone who badmouths it.

Apocrypha is very focused on quality of quirks, that he dedicated everything to while neglecting other things like education. In his belief, quirks are what determines a person’s value, and (since he’s really good at what he does) something everyone should be judged by.

I wonder what he would say if he wasn’t so good with his quirk. The vibe I’m getting right now is the vibe of a kid who’s talented in sports, so he demands that whoever’s not good in sports, even if they’re better than him in some other field, is not worth considering.

...I rest my case.

In the mean time, someone please draw Apocrypha going up to Dabi and sniffing him, while Dabi gets creeped out by it XD

Y’know, when the spoilers came out, I was wondering why the doc woke up Gigantomachia. I thought of two options: Either to help the League (which is what he’s doing), or wanting to mess with them since a lot of them got power-ups.

I guess it’s the former.

Yet another point brought up about Shigaraki’s sleep deprived state. I have a feeling the stuff a few chapters ago wasn’t even the end of it. I doubt he’d last another hour against the Liberation army and then fight Re-Destro with strength to spare (So for those who’s hoping for Spinner vs Re-Destro, I’m thinking of that too - especially with how little he’s fought and how much energy he still have)

I wonder how long it takes for Giganto to travel without being able to warp there (unless Ujiko does it). I’m hoping for a dramatic entrance.

[udaitenma]

tenkaaaaaaa i've missed you :(((((((♥️ i was so out of hq for a while and now that i'm back mangastream is gone and wow????

Missed you too, hope you have been well!! Haha not a lot to miss about me, I haven't been doing too much over here 😆 and yeah, no more MS but it was a good run hey. Welcome back to the fandom, haikyuu is still great !!!!!!!!!!!

[punkbakugo]

Does Bakugou actually say fuck? Does he swear at all? If so how much?

this is kind of a tricky question and one i get somewhat often so i’m gonna try to explain this the best that i can.

first off i’m gonna quote a really good article about localization and japanese to english translation i’ve read recently:

Basically, Japanese doesn’t use “swearing” as we do. Instead, Japanese consists of multiple politeness levels, and depending on your social standing between you and the speaker, your intent, and such stuff, you pick from the appropriate politeness level. You talk up to your teachers for example, while a department head at a company will talk down to his subordinates. There are different levels, and one of the lowest levels to talk to someone is the closest equivalent to our swearing.

A quick example of “eat”. Here are a bunch of different levels of telling someone to eat.

Omeshiagari kudasaimase

Omeshiagatte kudasai

Tabete kudasai

Tabete kure

Tabete

Tabero

Kue

The proper word to use depends on who’s talking, who’s being spoken to, what their relationship is, what the intent is, and other context things. By going against what’s proper, you can talk rudely, which is what swearing accomplishes in our language (and other similar languages).

Even words like “kuso” have multiple translations, you could call it the “shit” in one case, while in other case it could be as harmless as “dang it!”. You’d even hear “kuso” in Pokemon anime I’m sure, for example. I know I heard it in Beyblade often enough.

Because all of this is so subjective, swearing in translation can vary pretty crazily depending on the translator. Generally, the more experience, the better the swearing turns out. That’s why with fan translations (particularly anime and manga) you tend to see tons of swearing in what would seem to be kids’ shows or what have you.

Also, because of all this, I really doubt the Japanese rating system takes this politeness level stuff into account, since it occurs everywhere in Japanese entertainment. It’s also not taboo. You don’t want to talk in everyday situations the way they do in entertainment, but you’re not going to go to hell or get your mouth soaped if you use the wrong level.

(and if you have any interest in this kind of thing i’d really recommend reading the whole article sometime. it’s on the localization process of the fan translation of the game Mother 3 and the guy clearly put a lot of thought and care into it which i really appreciate. also i can empathize w/ the level of nitpicking lol. spoiler warning for the first chapter of Mother 3 tho)

so to answer your questions in order: not in a literal sense since there’s no real direct japanese equivalent (other than the actual english word fuck which, no, he doesn’t use lol) so it depends on the translator, he does but i have an issue with how much some translators have him swear, and it once again depends on the translator

to elaborate: bakugou uses ‘kuso’ pretty liberally in ways that i would definitely consider swearing (tho the intensity of it greatly varies) but a lot of what has been translated as swearing isn’t actually that, it’s the way he talks. honestly speaking, i think defaulting to swearing is a lazy way to get across coarse speech patterns but on a theoretical level i don’t have issue with some of bakugou’s coarser speech patterns being translated as him swearing and in fact there are times i myself would translate lines as him swearing if i were localizing instead of directly translating. but it has to be done thoughtfully. so what i have an issue with is how liberal and careless fan translators tend to be about it.

and what i mean by that is they don’t look at the context of what he’s saying, who he’s saying it to, his tone, and how it compares to how he speaks at “baseline”. he’s got different levels. and bakugou’s baseline is impolite, yes, but you also have to keep in mind that that’s kind of the default for a lot of guys in shounen manga (and i’ve said this before but characters in japanese entertainment don’t talk like real people). my friend @tobjo made a post about this the other day that i wholeheartedly agree w/ and like she said, todoroki also speaks pretty impolitely but he’s never translated as saying fuck every two words.

an example of something that sometimes gets translated as swearing is the use of ‘てめェ/temee’ which is literally just a rude way to say ‘you.’ the thing is, bakugou uses it pretty casually so whether or not i find it a valid translation choice to have him swear in the sentence is entirely based on context

this translation, for instance, i think is perfect. it shows that he’s speaking gruffly without being explicit. (well, if i were the one localizing it i would’ve gone with “Hey, kid. You too, go participate.” but y’know. details.) now, this is mangastream which is pretty hit or miss w/ the bakugou localization and there are definitelyparts where i think they overdo it but nothing is as bad as FA which added so much unnecessary bs that i feel like they were just actively trying to be edgy (let’s not forget the time they had shigaraki call magne a transphobic slur for no fucking reason! real cool!)

classy. another casual use of temee where i wouldn’t even put light swearing.

left is FA, right is viz. the original is “てめェらの’個性’知らねぇ 何だ!?” which, if you were to ask me to localize rather than just directly translate, i would translate to something like “I don’t even know what your quirks are! The hell!?” because that’s what feels organic to me here. (and the goal of any good localization should be to a) get the feeling of the original text across accurately and b) make sure dialogue feels organic)

but go through FA translations and you’ll see 394843985 instances of ott swearing and nastiness where bakugou’s not even using coarser language in the original text like the panel where “fuckwipe” came from in the above mentioned ch.117 title where bakugou literally just said “oi” lmao

and some translations like the one mentioned in the above linked post still carry on this tradition of excessive swearing bc FA ingrained it so deeply into the fandom

basically my point is you can absolutely choose to translate bakugou as casually swearing and to what extent is dependent on the person’s taste (and skill level) but translations that are too liberal and excessive with it tend to push an image of him being overly volatile and juvenile rather than just a teen w/ a sailor’s mouth or something of that ilk. it warps his character. no thought or care is put into it and i get the feeling they don’t realize that there are ways to be gruff or even abrasive other than swearing and insults and ways to swear other than saying ‘fuck’ all the time lol (and some people really just do not know what a person that swears a lot actually sounds like)

[demyrie]

HELLO INTERNET SO I HAVE A QUESTION AND IT IS MULTI-LAYERED AND ABOUT TRANSLATION AND LOCALIZATION BUT MOSTLY 

YAGI TOSHINORI

So. I have a theory of sorts. 

I know we all quibble over dub vs sub. I am a sub ho, I will readily admit. I worship the ground and the microphones on which the Japanese VA’s do their thing. The dub is undeniably well-executed, but the fact remains that the voice actor’s performance and the translation/localization/efforts to lip-sync result in some ... pretty different characterizations that can cause concept drift within the show itself. 

I have an Issue with American Might, or what I’ve seen of him. It’s an entirely different Dad IMDSO (in my dad-stanning opinion), and I wonder how much of it is official or unofficial translators localizing their efforts toward American culture and masculinizing/derpifying him in order to appeal to, admittedly, a country of derps. I tried to watch the dub and lasted about three episodes because of All Might’s sophomoric, aggressive dude-bro energy (please please I could have gone roughly forever without hearing the “Oh my, oh my OH MY GOODNESS!” hero of my heart shout “hoLy frEAakin’ suPer CRAP” like ahhhhHHHHHH KILL IT WITH FIRE). 

But here’s the thing: I understand that this is a part of him!!! 

Yagi does flip back and forth between jaunty, dramatic, hard-headed hero that’s kinda desperately trying to stay young and hip, and fretting older guy who hides behind gifts that he’s too shy to give as per the latest Vigilantes chapter (which isn’t directly from horikoshi’s pen but come on we all squealed). However, the American version seems to hype up his dude self in the anime and the soft fretter that is Small Might/Yagi becomes a tired, brash, flat-affect tower of coughing and bad jokes that you’d find in a back room at a boxing meet and that is fucking WEIRD TO ME. Like, weird to the point where I want to APOLOGIZE to any BNHA exclusive-dubbers who read my fic, because?????? what????? who is this soft old man who needs to be dommed into the ground where are we who is the president

When Yagi loses his mantle after Kamino and comes to watch the kiddos train, Midnight specifically says something like “well your style of talking has certainly changed” so it’s obvious he’s become less formal since, but I get confused on the gap between translations, the actual presence of intended dudebro in the original material, the existence of dudebro-ness in Japan (??), and am trying to figure out how to parse How Soft Yagi Toshinori Actually Is!(???????)

So, take these three translations (I’m afraid I only know that the last one is from MangaStream, I poached the other two off the internet, if anyone knows their source please hmu). 

The first one is “my” Yagi: characterized with softness and helplessness, kind of a “he protest too much” situation. The other ones ...  they’re just rude no matter if they’re jokes? Like, they’re mean and a little sophomoric, and trashing on Deku, which does not vibe with how he’s characterized elsewhere. (Let’s not even address the highly specific adultery joke with aizawa there, my erasermight heart knows which one is true lol).

So ... has anyone else noticed this characterization gap and the weird, exhausting thing it potentially suggests about compulsive masculinity in America? 

Does anyone have knowledge of the Japanese culture/connotation inherent in Yagi’s characterization that may have caused this split? I understand that translation is TRICKY BUSINESS but I need to know because I think it reflects deeply on how masculinity is portrayed/valued/prioritized in both cultures and how Horikoshi is attempting to subvert masculinity with Deku and the entire story etc etc etc! Is the American translation office missing the goddamn point? IS YAGI AS SOFT AS I THINK HE IS OR AM I MISSING SOMETHING???? SOMEONE MORE INTELLIGENT THAN ME PLEASE ADVISE AHHHHH

[midnight-in-town]

Omg you watched Black Lagoon!! I haven't met many people who has. What do you think about it ??(I love Eda so much) can't wait for them to adapt the next volume sigh.

Hi Anon, yeah I really like this series! :)) Can’t exactly remember how I ended up starting it, I think maybe I came across a video of one funny moment on youtube and that led me to watching the whole thing, before I reread the series. :))

Anyway, it’s indeed a great series, I believe it was quite known back when its schedule was more regulated but like you, I wish they would adapt the current arc if it ends one day, as well as the two novels, since they are canon material according to Hiroe-sensei!

Also, yes, we got a few more chapters this year, translated by Mangastream, although we’re still missing the last two chapters I believe.

Finally, I’m glad I’m not the only one who caught on about the sexual tension between Chang and Balalaika. xDDD 

To be honest though, I also like the interactions between Dutch and Balalaika, or Dutch and Chang. In general, I like how Dutch and his company basically represents a neutral party. :))

And of course, Revy and Rock…

they both have an incredible personal development, as well as a spot-on relationship development, that are my favorite things in the series. 

Thanks for passing by Anon. :) Let’s hope for more Black Lagoon in the future, even if the author did say he was going back on hiatus soon iirc.

[ritsho-archive]

i literally stopped following tokyo ghoul years ago because RE was too much of a mess for my autistic ass to follow but God Do I Love Hideyoshi Nagachika im happy hes Probably Ok

GOD YEAHI literally kept up with :re for well over two years just because I wanted to see when hide was coming back. i wasnt even interested in the plot or new characters after a certain point because it got so convoluted, i was basically scanning new chapters for signs of hidei was interested in the family dynamic of the quinx squad but then that got fucked over along with everything else and the painful transphobia with mutsuki also ruined it for mei stopped keeping up with the manga after touken became canon because Jesus fucking Christ, but i learned that hide was back from the panels i saw on my dashboard from someone ive followed for a long time and who posts about a lot of different things,and so i went back to mangastream to read the latest few chapters and uh, this series has gotten pretty fucking wildapparently hide was the "scarecrow" all along who was just kinda.. lurking and was classified as a very low rank ghoul cause he was at important operations but wasn't really actually doing anything. I wasn't really paying attention to the scarecrow tho so i went on hides wiki page to see a summary of what he actually didhide is not really Okay. he's alive but hes missing at least two fingers and he's mute due to severe scarring on his mouth. im honestly not very bothered by this because i expected him to come out of the sewer ordeal with severe injuries, and actually kinda happy because he's actually disabled!! i really hope ishida doesn't fuck up the disability representation thoanyway.. despite everything..... i still love hide

[transhawks]

jp anon here! About Dabi's line...while there are ways to make something plural in Japanese, in this particular line he isn't using any pronouns! Rather his comment only contains a verb(hasn't/haven't grown much) because the 'topic'(the students) has already been introduced in the discussion. In Japanese conversation once the topic is introduce there is no need to mention it again in one's sentence unless the topic changes hence one is to assume Dabi is also talking about the student/s. (1/5)

First off, thank you for the explanation. It is most enlightening one and I appreciate the fact you took the time to do it.

I think this is one of the most interesting parts of Dabi that we, as people reading a translation, simply cannot grasp. Dabi's vague to the point of self-awareness. Like purposely vague.

I recall one of the mangastream translators, I think, explaining how we miss a lot of the double entendre in his words, particularily like that one scene where he burns random low level mooks to death. Dabi's wording seems carefully chosen by him - truly mystery level 9000.

And so I think he really could have been talking about anyone, Endeavor or Shouto. Heck, as you mentioned, Hawks too. It's truly up to interpretation and Hawks might have been way off with his.

Of course, it shows a lot about Hawks that he immediately tries to take attention off the children by dismissing them, trying to make them unimportant in the eyes' of the League. I think Dabi might be the one to pick up on that behavior, amongst all the League, as he is the one who knows Hawks best of them and knows Hawks gets hasty when called out. But whenever Hori wants to give us more Dabi, we'll see more of what he meant.

Thanks again for this!

[linkspooky]

This has probably been made obvious before because of the latest chapter, but just so to avoid any confusion, what is Ui's real intentions and what he said about him aggreing?? Did he aggree to Take or Hajime?

It’s fine Anon, not everything in the story is completely obvious. I don’t mind answering questions like this at all. I totally miss out on completely obvious details all the time and I’ve reread tokyo ghoul like five times. 

Jaminis box and mangastream have almost wildly different translations on this one, so take what I’m about to say with a grain of salt I suppose.

Basically what Hajime is questioning here is how Take can stand there with a completely blank face and not say anything as he’s betraying the CCG. Remember, Hajime was about as much of a CCG loyalist as Amon. He completely buys into the belief that ghouls are horrible monsters that need to be destroyed. Therefore he stops and questions for a moment, how Take is about to come out on the side of ghouls, but do absolutely nothing to justify himself. 

I mean, I might be reading slightly into this but he questions “Do you realize what you’re about to do?” That’s probably in reference to the fact that Take a former CCG officer is now about to risk his life potentially in the defense of ghouls. 

The specific details about what Hajime is asking about though is not really as important as the motive behind it. The reason he’s asking so many questions and running his mouth is that he’s trying to provoke a reaction out of Take. “Why don’t you say something?” and “You look pretty funny with that blank stare of yours” both of those are lines that indicate that Hajime does not understand Take’s motive at all in what he’s about to do. Not only that, but Take is giving nothing away himself and making himself impossible to understand as well because of his own insistence on keeping his silent, stoic, attitude the same as ever. This is a running theme with Take, he’s implied to have a lot more going on in his head but always dismisses himself as not being important, relevant or special. He’s essentially a guy that looks like villager #2, but nobody is really a random bystander as much as they seem that way.

Anyway, even if Take did explain himself it would probably be lost on Hajime in the moment. He’s far too radicalized at this point to accept anything other than wholesale slaughter. However, that is exactly why Ui stepped onto the scene.

What Ui agrees with here essentially, is what Hajime was rattling off in an attempt to provoke a reaction from Take. Hajime can’t understand Take at all, and Take doesn’t help to explain himself by always having that blank expression on his face. That’s the part Ui agrees with, but rather than a child running their mouth for Ui it is more personal. Remember from Ui’s perspective Take who is the closest person that Ui has to a best friend (His four hobbies are, horsies alone, scrapbooking alone, karaoke alone, and drinking with Take), decided to one day betray and kill Arima their shared mentor, and then leave the CCG to join the side of ghouls their enemy. Not only did he do that, but he id not even bother to explain to anybody, Ui included why he would ever try to do something like that.

In a way Ui is double burned by the betrayal. Not only did Ui suddenly lose his mentor and his best (work) friend in the same blow, but also that friend betrayed all of their ideals without even bothering to trust Ui and attempt to explain himself. Not only can he not believe his loss, Ui can’t even understand why this happened.

Kuramoto even brings this up to Ui himself, and even though Ui dismisses it considering the fact that he cried about two seconds later it’s probably true that he agrees. Not only has he lost two important people, but the remaining ones do not even trust him enough or value him enough to keep him in the loop or try to explain their actions. 

Kuramoto even says beforehand, Take is inscrutable but he had to have his reasons for his own actions right? He had to care about us? For Ui though, the thought that Take did care but chose to take those actions anyway was too much for him to handle. The loss of those people was too great, so much so that even though Haise and Take are still alive and there was still a chance for Ui to have reached them it’s easier to just come down hard and say that their intentions didn’t matter. That there was no reason for their actions, and to only look at the actions themselves. 

Of course Ui is not right for choosing to mow down ghouls left and right in response to his own sense of betrayal and abandonment at being left behind by all the people in his life. 

However, there is a clear breakdown of communication here and Take plays a role in it. Perhaps part of the reason that Take didn’t explain himself is because he couldn’t, it’s what Arima observed of him.

Take avoids thinking critically too much about himself or his own actions, even when he’s placed specifically in a role where he should, being the lieutenant of a rebellion of ideals after all. His only justification for himself so far is that I’m doing what Arima told me to do because I thought it would please him. 

However, Ui likely is operating on that same logic. The flaw is of course that Ui was not let into what Arima truly wanted, he was not trusted with that information. Thus he can only follow what he thought it was that Arima wanted, which means sticking with the CCG. 

In a way both men are following the two sides of Arima’s legacy. Take follows the rebellious one eyed king who betrayed the CCG to give hope to ghouls, but also to the half ghoul children of the Washuu, while Ui follows the CCG’s reaper whose nonstop slaughter of ghouls inspired fellow CCG officers. 

What partially causes Ui’s choice though, is that he does not know. The reason he does not know is Take never bothered to explain himself. He’s let in on all of these secrets such as the Garden and Arima’s true purpose, but rather than acting for himself in the way he thinks best for this information as Arima probably intended when he left Take in charge, Take still acts eternally as the subordinate who has no choice but to follow his master’s orders. 

What Ui is agreeing with is the fact that Take is inscrutable, that his face gives away no reasoning as to how he could possibly justify the betrayal he’s done. Ui cannot understand Take at all. However, at the same time Take never really trusted Ui or tried to help Ui understand him.So we have a breakdown in communication that comes from the flaws of both boys present. Ui does not want to face his grief, and Take does not want to give up his own habit of downplaying himself, or even try to explain his own reasoning for doing things. Therefore, Take vs Ui was always destined to happen as a conflict and something that is probably going to result in a major change for both Take and Ui at the end of this conflict. 

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 252: Suplex of Feels

Previously on BnHA: Deku, Kacchan, and Shouto visited Todobrook Heights one time, just the one!!, so of course it just so happened to also be the one time that Natsuo got straight up kidnapped by a villain for no reason because THAT’S JUST HOW LIFE GOES. Thankfully for Natsuo, the Terror Trio had kind of a Cinderella thing going on where if they didn’t beat a villain before Endeavor by midnight, their character development would turn back into a pumpkin, and I’m not really sure I stuck the landing on that metaphor but anyway! So Shouto used Flashfire to roast the villain alive, Deku used Blackwhip to save some hapless civilians who got caught in the crossfire of everything, and Kacchan used his cool fast explosions which don’t have a new name yet because he’s focused on more important things to rocket over and save Natsuo from becoming roadkill. And then Endeavor gave him and Natsuo a BIG OL’ HUG and my heart went, oh.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi grabs a handful of raw, squishy feels out of a bucket and just full on slaps me across the face with them. Endeavor has a moment of agonizing, excruciating vulnerability and apologizes to Natsuo for everything -- like, everything -- and says Natsuo doesn’t have to forgive him, and that in fact he doesn’t want him to forgive him, and that he just wants to atone for everything he’s done. And just, I can’t even describe the scene, but it’s just perfect down to the last detail, and exactly what I wanted. And meanwhile Deku, Shouto, and Kacchan stand there watching, and then Kacchan has a fucking epiphany and FINALLY DECIDES ON A HERO NAME!!, and I completely lose my goddamn mind, only to then be brought down to the lowest of lows when he immediately says that he’s not going to reveal it yet because THERE’S SOMEONE ELSE HE HAS TO TELL FIRST. So once I’m done sighing, we cut to later and Endeavor is all “Fuyumi I’m gonna buy a house for you guys so you can all live a happy life with your mom and never see me again,” and yeah. You guys I am in shambles.

hey everyone, whoever is doing Mangastream’s thumbnails every week deserves a raise though

especially since they’re not actually getting paid for it at all lol. their resolve to find the most ridiculous Kacchan expression every week and slap it on their home page is 100% a labor of love. AND IT SHOWS

lol and here I was half-worried the chapter would pick up after all the dust had settled, and we’d miss out on this glorious scene of Kacchan acting like he’s the goddamn wicked witch of the west and the sprinklers just turned on. anyways, I know what I’m thankful for this holiday

HAHAHAHAHA

I’D LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE AND THANK ALL OF OUR SPONSORS AND OUR GREAT CREW WHO MADE THIS ALL POSSIBLE. SHOUT OUT TO ENDING, YOU’RE THE REAL MVP. BIG “HEY WHAT’S UP” TO TOUYA, WHO STRAIGHT UP DIED JUST SO ENDEAVOR COULD HAVE ANGST AT A CRITICAL MOMENT AND FORCE KACCHAN TO BE THE ONE TO SAVE NATSUO INSTEAD. AND A HUGE FUCKING “YOU THE MAN, BRO” TO THAT MORON SPEEDING BLINDLY IN THE TAXI CAB WHILE ON HIS PHONE AND NOT PAYING THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF ATTENTION TO THE ROAD IN FRONT OF HIM! WITHOUT YOUR RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND THAT OF OTHERS, THIS NEVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED. OH GOD, THEY’RE PLAYING THE MUSIC NOW, I GOTTA HURRY UP... AH... I’M SO GRATEFUL TO ALL MIGHT, GIVER OF SO MANY LEGENDARY HERO HUGS, AND TO SLIDIN’ GO, YES REALLY SLIDIN’ GO, WHO ESTABLISHED THIS GAG BACK IN CHAPTER 219. YOU BOTH WALKED SO ENDEAVOR COULD RUN. AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, TO HORIKOSHI KOUHEI, WHO IS ABSOLUTELY FUCKING DETERMINED TO HAVE EVERY PRO HERO IN THE COUNTRY HUG KACCHAN BEFORE THE SERIES IS OVER. YOUR TIRELESS EFFORTS ARE THE REASON I GET OUT OF BED EVERY MORNING. GOD BLESS YOU ALL AND GOOD NIGHT

anyway

sorry Kacchan this is just your life now. you’re just stuck here. by the way, Endeavor really is just an absolute MOUNTAIN of a man, though?? like, a whole, absolute unit. like remember a few chapters ago when I was joking about how he was eight feet tall? well Natsuo is 5’11” according to the wiki, and you can tell by looking at him that he is a solidly built guy. like, he eats his fucking Wheaties. and Endeavor is still able to FULLY WRAP HIS ARMS AROUND both him and Katsuki together WITH ROOM TO SPARE and just. ?????? WHAT EVEN IS THIS MAN good grief

anyway poor Natsu looks close to passing out though so maybe you fucking should let them go Endeav

SDLFKJSDLFKH

1) seriously though look at how big his hands are jesus christ is he even a human!?!?

and 2)!! the amount of sheer detail which was put into this panel, with the facial expressions and the shading and all, only for Katsuki to open his big fucking mouth with ABSOLUTELY NO REGARD! like, this could have been one of the most heartrending panels in the entire series. but instead it’s forever immortalized with Bakugou fucking Katsuki and his brutal fucking speech bubble interjecting with the most vicious insult his angry toddler brain could think of. this panel has the same energy as Deku receiving a heartfelt thank you letter from a child whose life he saved only to unfold it and read that iconic opening line, “SORRY FOR PUNCHING YOU IN THE BALLS LOL”

oh my

boy took matters into his own hands. after Enji just STRAIGHT UP IGNORED HIS PLEAS lmao. this entire chapter is a gift, and we’re only on the second page. also that katakana there is all “SUPON”, which I don’t know what that means, but I have to tell you that to me this felt more like a “ZWOOP.” but that’s just how I personally read it

eyyyyy and there’s our half-naked lukewarm boi

and look, I’m not advocating for Shouto to actually be walking around half naked, because this is a children’s manga and Shouto is just a baby, and that kind of thing is obviously inappropriate unless you’re [checks notes] one of his female classmates, who just like Shouto are also only teenagers, but it’s okay for them because they have boobs. hey wait

but anyway, I will say that I appreciate that his uniform really did burn off just as you would expect, and that he used his ice quirk to preserve his modesty lol. quick thinking on his part

meanwhile all the people Deku rescued are stumbling out of their cars nauseously and thanking him. I like how all of the other traffic on this highway has apparently just come to a halt now. I wonder if the Endeavormobile also came equipped with some traffic cones and road flares that launched out of the trunk along with the costumes

oh hey a BakuDeku interaction, don’t mind me, I’m just... [folds hands on desk and leans forward]

someone please tell me what he actually called Deku here because I’m dying to know. anyways whatever it was, “dumb-ku” is a great translation. it’s just the right amount of stupid and immature, and I love how Deku just fucking answers to it anyway like shrug, whatever

also love how the first thing Katsuki asks is whether anyone is hurt. swear to god this kid makes me love him more with each passing week

fond sigh

okay guys, I’m getting more and more excited here now, and let me explain why. it’s because Katsuki, despite having achieved (as Deku points out) a complete and perfect victory here, is very obviously agitated and angry still. and I think the reason for that is because even though he’s achieved the goal Endeavor set out for them, he still hasn’t achieved what he wanted from this internship. the other two have! Deku accomplished his goal of gaining more control over Blackwhip, and Shouto is now well on his way to mastering Flashfire. but Katsuki specifically came here with the intent of discovering something intangible that he couldn’t put a name to. and even though he’s gotten stronger just like the others, he still hasn’t achieved what he set out to do yet, and I think he’s getting frustrated by it. and the reason I’m so excited is because I think we’re inching closer and closer to seeing that finally get resolved. ahhhhhhh

(ETA: THIS CHAPTER IS THE MONKEY’S PAW WISH OF CHAPTERS.)

anyway I’ll shut up now and read. here’s Katsuki bragging to Endeavor, and Endeavor doing his best All Might impression what the fuck

that line could have come straight out of All Might’s mouth and it would have sounded 100% natural. well everyone, we did it. we fucking broke Endeavor. I hope you’re happy. lol what the fuck is happening what is this

DFKLSLDGHK

I fucking see those wobbly speech bubbles Endeavor, are you crying, because -- !! holy shit this chapter is taking my emotions all over the place

lol Kacchan’s pissed off that Endeavor isn’t more pissed off about being shown up by some punk kids

Deku’s eyes. this chapter. I just

ohhhhhhhhhhhh shit here we go

for everyone out there who was worried that Natsu would just forgive Endeavor outright after the events of this chapter, I think we’ve arrived at the part where your fears are assuaged. I pretty much expected this was how it would go down, because for all the criticism he’s been getting week after week, Horikoshi has been writing the Todorokis realistically and consistently throughout this entire arc, and this was the natural conclusion based on what we’ve seen up till now. Natsuo won’t just forgive Endeavor just like that, because why would he? and Endeavor just has to deal with it. and it’s all very sad and painfully real

SON OF A BITCH

the fucking words “I’m sorry” really just came out of his mouth at last, holy shit. this is the first time, right? as far as I can recall, anyway. oh shit

oh shit

my fucking jaw. just dropped. just. fuck me, I wasn’t ready for this. sure Enji, just go ahead and pour your heart out. lord

imagine if his voice actor goes all out in this scene like Katsuki’s did in episode 61. holy shit, I never thought the thing that destroyed me would be a sad confession in a fucking shounen manga by the character I used to despise. life is funny

ohhhhhhhhhh

[awkward glance around the fandom] soooo. how’s everybody doing? aheh. [coughs]

oh shiiiiiiIIIIItttt

oh look at that, Endeavor didn’t actually murder his child, who could have predicted that. but maybe I’ll just shut up now though since I’m not here to start any shit

and the pain train to feels junction just keeps on chugging. fuck

YOU SEE!! BRUTAL!! RUTHLESS!! SO REALISTIC IT HURTS. Endeavor is genuinely sorry, but it’s all coming way too late to be of any use! and Natsuo is so pained because he honestly probably would like nothing more than to be able to forgive his dad, and for them to all just be a happy, normal, loving family again, but he can’t. because they’re not. and apologies can’t erase the past, or make up for it. there is no way to change what happened. Touya’s still dead, and the scars from all those years of neglect and abuse are still fucking there, and they’re not just going to go away, even if Enji is remorseful. Enji becoming a good man now doesn’t make up for all the years that he wasn’t! he can’t just undo it! and that’s the tragedy of it!! you feel so bad for the man -- or at least, I do -- but at the same time, part of the atonement process is to accept the consequences of everything he did!

and also, for everyone saying he hasn’t faced any actual consequences yet -- one person in particular sent me a very detailed and thoughtful ask, which I apologize for not responding to yet -- I say this with all due respect: there. look. there are your consequences, right there. everything he will never have. everything he can’t salvage. the pain of knowing he was the cause of all this. the pain of seeing the misery in his son’s eyes and knowing he can’t fix it, and knowing the hurt he’s caused to the ones he loved most. that is karma. that’s a fucking punishment. that’s an agony beyond any physical torture that anyone could ever possibly dream up. his punishment is that after all these years, he finally gets to feel all of the suffering he’s inflicted on them, and he’d do anything to take it back now, but he can’t. that’s it! and we all fucking hate it, and no one is happy! and it’s not fucking fair! haha! but that’s how it fucking is, though. and I swear to god, I keep saying it, but it’s some of the most brutally realistic shit I’ve ever seen in a fucking manga. fuck

anyways, I need to stop monologuing or else I’m never going to finish this fucking chapter, but rest assured my soul is being ripped the fuck apart. hmm

:’)

(ETA: note the conspicuous lack of a Kacchan reaction panel directly after the “I’m never gonna forgive you” panel. everyone else gets one. but not him. in fact, there are no more reaction panels of him until this speech ends, and then we get one zoomed far away where we can’t really see his face. but I’m sure that’s all just a coincidence and means absolutely nothing! oh baby. what a chapter.)

:’)))))))

by the way, quick shoutout to that person in the taxi giving them the Rock Lee Eyes and having just no idea what the fuck is going on sob. thanks to you for keeping me from breaking into full on sobs here. I’m holding it together for you, random deer-in-headlights citizen

[INHALES!!!]

that’s it. I don’t. fuck. anyways. I ranted about all my feelings already, so just. ... you all get it by this point, right?

oh Kacchan. penny for your thoughts. I’m almost done with that essay I keep rewriting. you have a lot to think about right now huh

and Shouto. oh Shouto. safe to say this is a side of his father he’s never seen nor imagined he would see before

YOU GUYS THIS IS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT THOUGH, SHIT

[GRABS THIS PANEL AND FRANTICALLY WAVES IT ALL OVER THE BNHA TAG] I’M!!! JUST!!! SAYING!!! THOUGH!!!!!!!

oh, we’re still going? SURE WHY THE FUCK NOT

WHATEVER HORIKOSHI!!! JUST KEEP COMING AT ME, THEN!! GO AHEAD AND FINISH ME OFF WITH A FUCKING SUPLEX OF FEELS!! YOU SON OF A BITCH

and now Ending’s freaking the fuck out and screaming for Endeavor to stop. lol it’s like the villain version of Can’t Ya See-Kun. Endeavor you jackhole, this isn’t on brand! CUT IT OUT

forget it, Jake. it’s Character Development

now the police are arriving and Deku’s like THANK GOODNESS because the awkwardness was about to go critical here. meanwhile, pay no attention to how Katsuki is staring at him despite having no real reason to be in this panel!

[sidles up next to Kacchan] so hey fella. did any of that hit a nerve, perchance. did it open any metaphorical eyes. dust off any momentous revelations that you’ve been valiantly trying to keep shelved in your mental basement. have the SEEDS of your PERSONAL GROWTH been CULTIVATED. are the JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES of NOT BEING A DICK knocking at your inner door!?

anyway so now we’re cutting to Endeavor talking with the authorities while Chauffeur Armstrong tells him he needs to watch his back

friendly reminder that a bearded hermit flew around town on a glass hoverchair singing a song about Endeavor bringing darkness to the world or some shit not too long ago. that’s still a thing! better watch it Enji

HOLY FUCKARONI

(ETA: shoutout to that “neither does the light” line because that’s some straight up Harry Potter quotable bullshit and I love it and Endeavor’s character development continues to slay me that is all.)

FUCKING!!! CHRIST!!! OH GOD!!! OH JESUS!!!!

HMGGHHHHAAAA SOMEONE HELP ME OH MY GOD I’M SHAKING, AHHHHHHH

(ETA: listen you guys, in all of my “!!!!” I didn’t stop to appreciate all of the other things about this scene. but Shouto has changed into his hero costume which is a great little detail that I love because he obviously didn’t feel like standing around freezing his butt off and being oggled by the crowd. and then we have Natsu coming over to thank them all for saving his life, which is great, and he’s such a sweetheart. and then Deku actually saying “Bakugou” for probably the first and only time in his life lmao. and then, finally, his fucking face when he realizes Kacchan has finally chosen a hero name. he’s fucking ecstatic. he can’t wait!! anyway so Deku is me.)

NO BUT I’M FULLY SERIOUS YOU GUYS, I’M TREMBLING LIKE A FUCKING LEAF, IT’S PROBABLY THE CAFFEINE IN ME BUT STILL, OH MY GOD, I’M PARALYZED, I CAN’T SCROLL DOWN, MY HEART IS POUNDING, MY LIFE IS ABOUT TO BE FOREVER CHANGED, OH FUCKSTICKS, OH SHIT

NOOOOOOOOOOO

FUCK MY FUCKING -- WHERE IS HAWKS!!?!? WHERE IS HE!?!? I SWEAR TO GOD IF THAT FUCKING MAGPIE DOESN’T SWOOP DOWN RIGHT THE FUCK NOW WITH JEANIST IN TOW ALL “HAHA IT WAS ALL A MISUNDERSTANDING” I’M GOING TO --

(ETA: but lmao at the fact that Shouto was all “okay, so you’re not going to tell him, but what about me, your Best Friend?” like he really heard “DROP DEAD ASSHOLE” and thought “well, that was Midoriya though, LET ME TAKE A STAB AT IT.” this is the most earnest child in the universe and this OT3 continues to bring me boundless joy.)

FUCK

LISTEN YOU KNOW I LOVE THAT TODODRAMA, BUT YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT TO ME!! I’M A HUMAN BEING!! IF YOU CUT ME I BLEED!! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS. I’M GOING TO STRAIGHT UP CRY ALL OVER AGAIN YOU HEARTLESS PIECE OF SHIT

looool

“and his friends.” you hear that, Kacchan. now COME BACK OUT HERE AND TELL US YOUR HERO NAME RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN!!!

Endeavor you better save this chapter. I’m counting on you dog

oh. oh shit

hahaha. well fuck

first of all, look at Mr. “la dee dah I’m just going to build my family a new house on a whim because I’m so fucking rich” over here, like, damn, Endeavor. and second of all my heart is just a bludgeoned hemorrhaging mass of feels at this point and I’m not even going to try to salvage it. and third of all, this is exactly the type of resolution I wanted, pain and all, and I’m so goddamn satisfied with it it’s almost ridiculous. because the man fucking gets it. for everyone who continues to doubt Endeavor’s intentions, look no fucking further than this. this isn’t a narcissist trying to gaslight his victims and get back in his family’s good graces and make it all about him yet again. this is a man who understands that the best thing for his family right now is for them to be allowed to piece their lives back together without him. and so he’s enabling them to do that, and voluntarily stepping out of the picture while still providing for them. and damn but I respect that so much. fuck yeah, Enji. this was the right thing to do. it doesn’t make up for all the mistakes you’ve made, because nothing can do that. but you’re a better man now, and this right here is exactly the type of thing people mean when they say actions speak louder than words. so, respect

and that’s it! we’ve officially experienced all of the human emotions in this chapter! oh and also that’s it, as in the chapter is done. so yeah. well that sure was a whirlwind now wasn’t it

[icharchivist]

hey! i have recently found your blog and i'm so glad to see someone share the same love for kurapika. i was wondering -since you provided some manga links of his past - if you could rec new manga chapters with him? i fell out of reading way back when it chimera ant arc was ongoing and was wondering what happened to my son since then

aaah omg kdjhfdkjf thank you so much!! this is really sweet of you thank you!!

And oooh well, the latest arc is all about him so far so if you fell out during the cA arc and wants to know what happens to Kurapika, you should catch up since he’s the main character again lately.

I usually recommand people to read the manga here until chapter 399, then find any random site to read chapter 340, and then read all the Mangastream translation of the manga which starts at chapter 341 and includes the two chapters (1 & 2) about Kurapika’s past.

I explained my reasoning as for why using those sites there if needed!

The anime finishes on chapter 339, and the CA arc finishes on chapter 318. 

I personally wouldn’t recommand just reading the manga for Kurapika since a lot of others stuff happened, and a lot of what happened in the CA arc and in the CE arc have influences on Kurapika in the current arc. (especially the CE arc)

The CE arc, which starts on chapter 318, is a really wonderful arc with some spotlight on Leorio and some mentions of Kurapika - although Kurapika comes back officially on chapter 339 and become a main character again - thanks to what happened with Leorio on the previous arc. (so really check out the CE arc at least for that).

A lot of parallel things happen on the begining of the arc, especially for Kurapika but also for others characters and as a full setting. Meanwhile ever since chapter 359, Kurapika had been the focus of every single chapter.

But really, the last arc is already a little hard to follow, especially Kurapika’s storyline, so I truly recommand you to read all the arc (and to try to catch up all you missed, at least read the two last arc) to understand everything because it can be really confusing.

You can read the Kurapika’s past chapters whenever you want though. They don’t spoil anything, I just think they set up a few things for the latest ongoing arc, but it doesn’t spoil anything so you can read them whenever you want (i read them before i watched the York New arc and I cried even more).

As for what happened to Kurapika ever since, a h aha ha ah aha ah aha hah.  ah.

Let’s say the boy is out there to worry us to death. He’s not going very well and he’s done really stupid things. But oh well.... I won’t enter into details if you feel like reading it but yay o/

So ye jkfhdfkj Take care and good luck! :D 

[udaitenma]

Hey tenka! Haikyuu!! reader here~ Thank you so much for your wonderful translations every week!(I know viz translates too, it's just- your choice of words make me Feel Things♡). Thank you for all your effort~ I was wondering- did you read the new haikyuu spinoff chapter 1??It just came!If So, what are your thoughts? I'd love to know:D Also, do you have an idea if it will be translated by anyone?(mangastream,rolling thunder scans,viz,or somebody else?). In any case, I wish u a great week ahead:))

Heyyy !!! I need to read the haikyuu spinoff chapter actually, and sorry for the late reply on that!!! are you enjoying it?? I think someone will definitely translate it. since s4 is coming out, I think there will be a fandom resurgence. I am also sorry I’ve been kind of off the radar lately, and I’ve missed translation for a few chapters now due to irl stuff and just , burnout , but fandom friends like you are the kind of people that help content creators like me carry on or like, not give up completely, so hopefully I pick myself back up soon and can actively contribute to the fandom again!!! :D 

[her-majestys-watchdog]

I went and read the mangastream version of the chapter after I saw that ask and when RC is talking to sebastian he says "thanks for what you did to me on that day" which i kind of like better cuz it's so much sassier

omg yeah i love that too!! he’s been such a snide asshole so far. i love him. please yana show us more of this boy, when he inevitably steps aside for a bit so other characters can get a focus i’m going to miss him!

[lunaamatista]

Akira’s inconsistent words

After seeing comments of chapter 121 across several platforms, there is one I came across several times regarding her talk with Kaneki: Akira is a hypocrite, cold, etc. 

While they can be quite puzzling, I think they can be explained without contradictions, through both context and character traits. 

Edit to say something worth noting: this is exclusively about the scene with Kaneki, and not what comes right after, which is a whole other can of worms of inconsistency with her (but as always, has to do with her inability to figure out her own feelings). 

First of all, the scenes in question: 

(TG:re chapter 45)

(TG:re chapter 121) 

Interestingly though, the words themselves don’t contradict each other: “You are yourself... names... // are just symbols for others” 

Now let’s quickly take a look at another panel right before:

And then, yet another, from an earlier chapter:

(TG:re chapter 119) 

Although this is the first time she’s saying it out loud, it is not the first time she’s done it:

• In TG chapter 110, she states that after her mother’s death, she focused on growing up to help her father. 

• In TG chapter 111, Amon talks about how “she fights without retreating a single step as an investigator” for the sake of her father. It takes her to be drunk to even let Amon know as much. In chapter 121 of TG:re, she’s the one saying it. 

• And then we have TG:re chapter 119, in which she admits the same after Amon’s (and likely Takizawa’s) assumed death. 

• From the time she wakes up in chapter 117 to chapter 120, she was also closed off emotionally, and even in chapter 121, she still doesn’t understand her own feelings. 

• There’s also this: 

She’s been so used to shutting out her emotions, she doesn’t know how to express them even when she wants to. 

Which leads me to the following: Akira’s words are rarely to be taken at face value. 

hysyartmaskstudio once called her “a queen of cognitive dissonance” and that’s about the truest evaluation of her character there is. 

bloodycarnations talked about some of it here, but at the moment of her talk with Kaneki, she was not being truthful. In chapter 120 of TG:re, Touka tells her she’s been stuck in the past. Akira understands that she’s been spinning in circles for a long time, and the only solution she can find at that moment is to completely get rid of that past. Her words express the resolution she’s arrived to, yet her actions don’t:

Whether you like it or dislike it, the Mado punch, just like Touka’s own punch, is a sign of familiarity between them. It means that despite her words, she still sees someone she trusts in him; then, she also goes and tells him there’s a part of his own past that he should cling to (if you go back to the first time we saw the Mado punch, the equivalent panel says “That kindness will be the end of you”). What MS translated as “I’m so lonely” // “Me too” could have two other translations: a literal one, “I’ll be lonely” (”without you” implied), and a liberal one that conveys just about the same, “I’ll miss you”. With all of the above, plus then replying with “Me too”, she’s giving Kaneki enough hints to let him know what she’s doing. 

Back in chapter 45 of TG:re, her words and the hug were what she thought he needed: something to hang on to. And she might have thought so because she needed it herself. 

Remember how in chapter 119 of TG:re, Kaneki said he’d be afraid to have people he’s lost back for fear of losing them, and that’s meant to be an explanation of what Akira is feeling? 

(TG:re chapter 9)

Much earlier, Akira had expressed her own fear of loss at all. In chapter 45 of TG:re, she’s still unwilling to let go in any way, and perhaps her own projection is making her unable to see what would really be best not only for her, but for Kaneki. She still doesn’t want to change, nor does she see a need to. 

There’s another interesting part in that chapter to bring up now: 

While not nearly as severe, she just woke up after a month. The last things she might remember are about Takizawa and Amon, but she doesn’t know where one is and she doesn’t know how the other got there. 

Her talk with Touka in chapter 120 of TG:re has also made her realize that she had made her own reason for living, and her own drive for it, what her father had given to her: to avenge her mother (and eventually himself) through her hatred of ghouls. 

And then, it that same conversation, she also realizes Kureo’s own pain kept him from being the father he could have been to her, and shatters the image she had of him. Kasuka, too, would have likely been able to live a life with her had it not been for her being a ghoul investigator as well. 

And now, following Touka’s advice, she feels as though she has to let go of her past. 

Since the last thing she had been clinging to was Kaneki (let’s forget about Amon in this part, as she was about to leave without him), she feels she has to let go of him. And because he now understands him somewhat better, her harsh words are her way of telling him, in a roundabout manner, that it has to be that way, not only for her, but for him. What follows, from the punch to her last words to him, are her way of telling him that everything is still fine between them, but that for now, they need to let go each other to become independent.

Whether it is the right solution or not, or whether she can and will go through with it, is yet to be known, but that is her resolution at the moment.

But like mostly everything she says or does, it is not to be taken at face value, given the one who has the hardest time understanding her emotions is herself.

Scans from all of TG to TG:re 35 are by Twisted Hel Scans; from 36 to 52 by Imperial Scans; from 53 to current by MangaStream.