#IDOLiSH7 2

[hunieday]

Nikaido Yamato - Drama Collection vol.2 Rabbit Chat

Please note that I am not a professional translator and I'm only doing this to share the side materials to those who cannot access them, if you notice any mistakes please let me know nicely. Enjoy!

Natsume Minami: Good evening, Nikaido-san.

Natsume Minami: I heard that we'll be appearing together on a variety show next time to promote the drama. I look forward to working with you.

Nikaido Yamato: Hey there, Natsume-chan. Thanks for your courtesy.

Nikaido Yamato: So about that show... they said the theme this time is "youth" in relation to the drama, and they sent a bunch of surveys about it

Nikaido Yamato: What did you answer, Natsume-chan...?

Natsume Minami: Oh. Aren't you looking forward to the talk on the show?

Nikaido Yamato: Well yes, but I'm just wondering about the direction you’re gonna be taking

Natsume Minami: Direction?

Nikaido Yamato: Are you gonna answer it lightheartedly or seriously?

Natsume Minami: Well, I think we need to be serious.

Natsume Minami: That's why I even answered the 5th "Please describe your flavor of youth" question seriously.

Natsume Minami: I wrote that it “tasted like milk tea."

Nikaido Yamato: Oh, so that's what "flavor of youth" means, as in what you drank the most back then.

Nikaido Yamato: Well, ŹOOĻ sells the tough-guy image well so you should be fine with that answer.

Natsume Minami: What do you mean back then? I was talking about when I was in school, I was really into drinking black tea.

Nikaido Yamato: Oh, I see!?!?

Natsume Minami: Oh my. What did you think I was talking about?

Nikaido Yamato: No, my bad. It's nothing.

Natsume Minami: 

Natsume Minami: So, what's your flavor of youth, Nikaido-san?

Nikaido Yamato: Uhhhhhhhhh...

Nikaido Yamato: Maybe melon...

Natsume Minami: How adorable. You like it, don't you?

Nikaido Yamato: Well, yeah...

Natsume Minami: Did you also eat it during those "back then"s you mentioned?

Nikaido Yamato: Forget about that LMAO

Nikaido Yamato: But maybe we’re too young to be calling it "youth", I just liked it as a kid and used to eat it a lot.

Natsume Minami: I’m guessing “youth" refers to teenage years, but it's complicated to define. There were other questions about what we did after school.

Nikaido Yamato: I see. You were busy with work, Natsume-chan.

Natsume Minami: Yes. Unfortunately, I was always so busy with work that I don't remember much of my school days.

Natsume Minami: If anything, I think now feels more like youth for me.

Nikaido Yamato: I get that.

Nikaido Yamato: Hanging out with those guys feels like I’m back in junior high.

Nikaido Yamato: We do things like chugging soda in the middle of summer, having snowball fights in winter, it’s like I’m doing kid-like stuff all year round.

Natsume Minami: Sounds fun. It's like having a little family.

Nikaido Yamato: Maybe LMAO

Nikaido Yamato: ŹOOĻ kinda feel like siblings too

Natsume Minami: Wait a moment. Who's the oldest?

Nikaido Yamato: That’s what you’re concerned about?

Natsume Minami: It's extremely crucial.

Nikaido Yamato: If we ignore the age, the oldest would be Inumaru, then you, then Mido, and the youngest would be Isumi I guess...?

Natsume Minami: I see. Our interpretations aren’t too off, but Mido-san and Isumi-san could probably be reversed.

Nikaido Yamato: Huh? Mido’s the youngest?

Natsume Minami: Since he’s a cute guy.

Nikaido Yamato: Maybe Natsume-chan is the oldest son after all...

Natsume Minami: You're also quite cute, Nikaido-san.

Nikaido Yamato: Where though!?!?!? I'm three years older than you, I’m a grown man who loves beer!

Natsume Minami: During skateboard practice you asked, "Natsume-chan, if I fall, will you help me?" 

Natsume Minami: I thought the way you were trying to tug at my heartstrings by acting like a spoiled child on purpose was cute.

Nikaido Yamato: Don't say it was on purpose LMAO

Natsume Minami: Your character this time resembles you in that aspect quite a bit.

Nikaido Yamato: Oh, he was pretty spoiled wasn’t he?

Nikaido Yamato: He couldn't accept his best friend leaving, so he blamed everyone around him for his problems and vented his bad days to his friends so they would comfort him

Nikaido Yamato: Wait... I kinda feel like I’m having déjà vu...

Natsume Minami: Oh?

Natsume Minami: In reality, all he wanted was to skate with his best friend again, but he couldn't say that one word, so he struggled with despair all the while.

Natsume Minami: He was unable to be fully emotionless, so he couldn’t help but show vulnerability and kindness to those who loved him, which resonates with you deeply.

Nikaido Yamato: Damn. You really went into details 

Natsume Minami: It's fun. I enjoy discussing acting with you.

Nikaido Yamato: I feel the same thing. I feel like we fit each other’s style more every time we’re acting together, Natsume-chan.

Natsume Minami: Are you flirting with me?

Nikaido Yamato: So wanting to work with you more is the same as flirting with you now?

Natsume Minami: You're making me blush.

Nikaido Yamato: Liar LMAO

Natsume Minami: It's true. You said "I just wanted to laugh and skate again. It’s enough for me that I was able to do it today." in the script. Your expression at that moment was just like that.

Nikaido Yamato: That’s the one thing you praised me for on the spot, it's embarrassing to hear it again in text

Natsume Minami:

Natsume Minami: Being able to discuss our work like this feels like youth to us, doesn't it?

Nikaido Yamato: Maybe you’re right! I'll write that the coffee I'm drinking now is the flavor of youth.

Natsume Minami: Can I match your answer? I was just drinking some too.

Nikaido Yamato: Oh, what a coincidence. Though the flavor of youth turned out quite bitter.

Natsume Minami: It's a special flavor, just like us.

[blond-jerk-tourney]

Blond Sweetheart Tourney: Round 2, Poll 7

Propaganda from submitters Under Cut

Applejack

applejack is the most empathetic, honest, and caring pony. she is truly a sweetheart

vote applejack for 6 or something year old me

Tsumugi Takanashi

Tsumugi is endless sweet and supportive of the band she manages (i7) and has even managed to win the heart of one the band's rivals. She is i7's biggest fan and is optimistic, perky, and determined to help them with anything she can.

Everyone in Tsumugi's series would vote for her. Her entire band would talk her up on their social media engagements and encourage all their fans to vote for her. Gaku, the sexiest man alive per the series, would create burner accounts just to vote for her. Vote for Tsumugi.

[ryuusea]

You are Mine

Shackle my heart with your chains of love…. Just kidding.

[keicordelle]

Yuki and Performativity: the autistic mask

(aka the analysis I've been trying to figure out how to format for like 3 weeks)

Okay, so now that Yuki's autism has been ~established~ (here, but I'm just going to pretend everyone was following along), I'm really really interested in the subtle ways that that presents itself in his characterization.

Because Re:member does a really great job of making it obvious, because it's written in Yuki's perspective (at least in vol 2) and so heavily flavored with his own though process. But It's equally present in his characterization in the anime (and I assume the game, but I'm not caught up so we're just going based on the anime here). And a lot of that time, that characterization is so delightfully subtle that I didn't even pick up on it the first time through. But now I'm obsessed and I'm Noticing Things and y'all must suffer with me. so.

I think it's fair to say that Yuki's blunt and cold nature are features of his autism. Also probably the fact that he is extremely awkward when it comes to emotions and, notably for this discussion, expressing them. (oh to be a fire extinguisher)

But he's also really good at acting. And I'm making some assumptions here based on my own experiences, but I figure this comes in large part from the amount of effort he puts into trying to read others. He picks apart other people's interactions to figure out why they're reacting certain ways because he doesn't Get It.

And so he uses that in his every day life. Like, you wouldn't really figure someone so extremely autistic and introverted would make for a very good idol, what with the whole "having to interact with people all day every day" thing -- and he didn't want to be an idol! He just wanted to make his music and have people appreciate it! In fact, he looked down on idols at first, which probably had more to do with him undervaluing their artistic integrity (or at least I imagine that's how he would frame it), but he is very explicit about how he doesn't like how people fawn over him (read: idols) because of their looks rather than on the merits of the music.

Anyway. One of the key features of his characterization is that he's always acting. Always. There are a handful of moments we see him in the anime where he's not playing a role, even and particularly when he's off stage.

I've talked before (here) about Re:vale's introduction and how from the very first moment we see them, they're On. Not just in their initial prank on i7 where they pretend to be serious and scary, but also in the bubbly happy personas they present afterwards. They drop one mask for another, and at no point are they ever not wearing their idol stage personas. This is relevant to i7 for reasons but for this discussion rant it's relevant because this is how Yuki engages with the world. There are only a handful of times where we ever see him truly drop his guard -- usually only when he's alone with Momo, and occasionally around Yamato, which will be relevant in a bit. (And one other very notable time towards the end of season 3, but we'll get there.)

Anyway. He's only ever comfortable when he's playing a role. Which is never explicitly established, and I love it all the more for that, because they're totally content to just let you pick up on that without shoving it in your face. But they introduce it in ways that are subtler than I even thought at first. Because at first I was like, "okay, well he's got his stage ikemen persona, and he's got his sillier tsukkomi routine, and he's got his darker prankster who genuinely seems to be enjoying your discomfort persona (which is probably the one among them that's closest to his reality, because he really does seem to enjoy teasing and making people uncomfortable even when he's not On)

But literally any time he has to engage with someone, he falls back on a performance. A myriad of them, in as many different faces as he needs. And even when he tries to be genuine, he'll fall back on that performative role as soon as someone offers him an out. He will become whatever other people need or want him to be, so long as it doesn't involve being himself.

We see this particularly clearly while Yamato's struggling with his role in Mission and Yuki comes to him in a genuine effort to help

You can see the transformation in Yuki's face : Yamato has offered him a role, and he is now going to take that and run with it.

He steps into that role as easily as that, and from there on out, everything he says, while still true to his own beliefs, is very heavily shaded by his new performance as a criminal psychologist. It makes it easier for him to express himself, because he's no longer Yukito Orikasa, fumbling his way through emotions that he's been told time and again that he doesn't express properly, he's Yuki, criminal psychologist, and that's something he can figure out how to be.

You can even see it in his gestures; from then on, they get extremely dramatic, very much what you'd expect in a stage play (moreso even than in a movie). Which works well considering this is an anime and dramatic gestures suit the medium, and that's probably part of why I didn't really notice that at first. Even his tone becomes more dramatic. You can hear it flowing up and down the scale of emotion, rather than his usual low, teasing edge. Really great direction all around tbh

We see this same sort of transformation in the next episode, while Yamato's staying with him, and honestly this scene makes it a whole lot clearer. Yuki does actually start off more himself in this episode because he's in his own home. He doesn't really want to go out of his way for Yamato, he's mostly helping him out of obligation, so the mask slips a bit.

He flits in and out of a couple different personas fairly rapidly at the start of their interaction. Even Yamato remarks on this, which I actually didn't realize until just now when I was skimming through to find the shot I wanted to reference. He's never fully seen Yuki with his metaphorical hair down before, and the change is remarkable

He offers Yamato some advice, rather against his own will. His countdown here is his "speak now if you want me to listen to your problems or else I'm leaving" ultimatum, and he fully intended to when he gets to zero. But he doesn't (which I think surprises them both), and when Yamato calls out to him, he stops and actually offers genuine advice, no persona there to filter it. And it's harsh, like he usually is when he's unfiltered, because he's Autistic As Fuck and doesn't really know how to be anything else no matter how hard he tries (as is very explicitly laid out in Re:member : he has tried, hard, and he just can't figure it out)

And then he immediately falls into another role, when it's clear he's going to be trapped in this conversation that he doesn't really want to be having. Which is equal parts to soothe himself and to piss of Yamato, I think. Maybe heavier on the piss-off-Yamato side of things, because for all that he's helping him, they really really don't like each other, and Yuki's really kind of an asshole at heart

And from here on out he fully embraces the mocking asshole persona he's chosen to adopt. The same thing happens: he becomes more expressive both in voice and gesture, and it both softens the blow of the harsh things he says and makes it worse.

And you can then see the exact moment Yuki realizes that he's Fucked Up this conversation and pushed things much much further than he expected or intended to

(a shot which is on the screen for like less than half a second and that I had to clip and go frame by frame through to get because my own autism is now Activated)

The next scene is, I think, rather intentionally ambiguous (at least at the start) as to how genuine Yuki's responses are. It's fairly well established that, despite his aichmophobia, Yuki doesn't really have a ton of self-preservation instinct when it comes to fights, so it's seems entirely reasonable that his continued efforts to poke at the already enraged bear are just, what he'd do and not a persona he's putting on

However, it becomes clearer further into the scene that this is indeed another performance for him. First here, somewhat subtly, where in the actual line of dialogue, he calls Yamato "Yamato-bocchan", which, while appropriately mocking, also places him very firmly in a role other than his natural disposition.

From here on out, it becomes fairly clear to me that he's reverted back to his role from Mission. Yukito Orikasa is shed once more (if he was ever truly present here), and Yuki the Criminal Psychologist has taken his place. Yamato's breakdown follows a similar script to his character's here, though his is genuine -- but Yuki reads the similarities and falls back into his psychologist role.

He then offers Yamato some advice that actually references Shizuo's own words, which is... a huge Dick Move in this moment but that is actually a super neat and subtle reference, especially because he genuinely thinks he's helping.

he's not.

And this part is fun because it then becomes a lot less clear if Yamato's clued in to the role he's playing and is now playing along with his part in the movie, or if he's really just genuinely doing this (it's the latter, but it teases the possibility for most of the scene)

But anyway, the point kind of got away from me. You see Yuki fall back on this acting any time he's in a situation he doesn't know how to handle -- or, well. Not just then, actually. Pretty much in any situation. He's more comfortable pretending to be someone else than he is being himself, and he'll default to that whenever he can get away with it. He maintains it even when he's alone with Momo a lot of the time (I have an headcanon about Momo knowing what it is he's doing and allowing him it, as a sort of kindness)

Of course, his dealings with Yamato are hardly the only time we see this so clearly presented. He draws any number of roles over him like a mask, and falls into whichever suits his needs -- perhaps most notably at the very end of season 3, where he dons the caricature persona of a thug in order to try to protect Momo. Which is, uh. Maybe not the best idea he's ever had but hey, it works, kind of, so more power to you, Yuki.

He (arguably) adopts this same sort of thuggy image earlier in the season, for much the same reasons, when he waits outside Ryo's apartment with a baseball bat (that he definitely does not know how to use).

However! Of particular interest is the scene where he confronts Touma, where he's actually not assuming some sort of role. This scene is pure, unadulterated Yuki, and that frightens Touma and Torao exactly the same way as it puzzled Yamato above.

This scene itself is more a commentary on his relationship with Momo than it is Yuki's performative nature, really, because it highlights very well the fact that he's willing to do anything for the sake of his partner. It's pretty clear to me that when he walks into the dressing room and when he first confronts Touma, he's not Yuki the Badass, he's Yukito Orikasa, desperately trying to track down his partner.

Like, this is very much Yuki's real personality, not one of his endless roles

And that is precisely what gives him the edge here. Touma and Torao are really not expecting him to be so cruel and careless. They're used to Idol Yuki, handsome and flippant and appeasing. Not Yukito, entirely willing to stomp all over the law if it means saving Momo from danger

This is one of the only times that Yuki lets his true colors shine so obviously true. Usually Momo or Rinto is there to remind him to be aware of his station and to keep himself in check, but Momo is in danger and Yuki Does Not Care about the consequences, because at the end of the day, he's cold and calculating and absolutely nothing like the friendly persona he puts on, and he's only really doing this because he's passionate about music, not because he loves being an idol

Anyway. I guess all that sums up into: Yuki, first among the Autists, hides behind different masks so often that everyone around him is startled when he drops them, including himself a lot of the time. And that the show (and presumably the game) does a really incredible job of presenting this incredibly subtly

[yukimomodivorce]

ok let's do this (inspired by this poll):

(badly cropped low quality images of them under the cut for reference)

[numbuh424]

Happy Birthday Yamato! 💚🎂✨ I love you 💖💚💐

[siroofington]

[ID: a scene from the Idolish7 game. Tenn pours water on Gaku, who says, "...you, what're you doing!?" Tenn replies, "Sorry, I wanted to refill your drink but my hand slipped." From his pose and expression, it was clearly intentional. Ryuu looks concerned in the background. End ID]

tenn is not beating the cat allegations

[nitunioart]

Esperanza~!

Fanart of Yuki and Ryou of Re:vale, really loved their performance in the third season of the anime !!!! the lighting was also gorgeous, but the song was the best out of it all -- their fight against TSUKUMOpro will hopefully end in a win for them...

more under the cut as usual!!!

april fools. APRIL FOOLS. I hope this post skews somebody's understanding of IDOLiSH7 plot in the funniest way possible. i love drawing stuff like this for april 1st. last year it was kostin/siebold now its this. LAUGHING SO HARD

and here's the continuation:

(don't worry, he wakes up once more after this and stays in momo's arms. poor yuki!!!)

[aroacehanzawa]

king

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

⚠️Vote for whomever YOU DO NOT KNOW⚠️‼️

[always-a-joyful-note]

Can you imagine the power the twins would have wielded if they had stayed together through puberty?

[willlmesh]

woe, minami solos be upon thee

[carebird]

[Time for some spring cleaning]

I had a stupid idea but I wasn't able to get it done for April fool's.

[marchenmusika]

The scene we’ve all been waiting for… this scene felt so intense when I was first read it so this really surprised me. It was not how I imagined this scene to play out in the anime… it kinda felt more hopeful?? But it was like a false hope because the scene after this was… haha I am not okay

[sotiredmostnights]

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

ari.......... will u mutual bingo meeeee?

NIKU ……. say less >:3 here is your bingo hehe pls have a seat n sip on some coffee ☕️ made it extra bitter so **** won’t come and steal it from u….