#Japanese animation and child development

[kidsinnowadays]

Japanese Animes: A Surprising Boost for Child Development

Anime positively impacts children. It teaches values, improves language skills and creativity. Learn how Japanese animation benefits child development.#AnimeForKids #ChildDevelopment #LanguageSkills #Creativity #ParentingTips

Japanese animation, commonly known as anime, has become increasingly popular on a global scale over the past few decades. While anime originated in Japan, it now reaches a worldwide audience. Anime series and movies are watched by millions across many countries and cultures. The animation style of anime sets it apart from Western cartoons. Anime covers many genres and topics that appeal to…

[j-psilas]

Will we ever get anything quite like Code Geass again?

I don't think it's possible.

Code Geass is Japanese nationalist propaganda disguised as a global political drama, disguised as a military mecha show, disguised as yaoibait, disguised as a teen melodrama, disguised as a high school romcom, disguised as a Pizza Hut commercial...

...except those layers aren't layers at all, but are instead comingled in a giant snake ball of insanity.

The lead writer, Ichirō Ōkouchi, only ever worked as an episode writer for other shows prior to Code Geass, and never took the helm of an anime series ever again. And it shows. [EDIT: Several people have pointed out his other lead writing credits to me. So I misread Wikipedia—sue me. I maintain that this guy is a better episode writer than he is a lead writer.]

The minute-to-minute pacing is impeccable from a mechanical standpoint, with tension and stakes rising to ever-higher peaks, balanced out by the slow simmers of the b-plot and c-plot. It keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat at all times. Meanwhile, the large-scale plot is the most off-the-wall middle school nonsense I've ever seen, continually surprising the viewer by pulling twists too dumb to have ever have been on their radar—and therefore more effective in terms of raw shock value.

"Greenlight it!" was the mantra of this anime's production. It must have been. It has, in no particular order, all of the following:

Character designs from CLAMP, the foremost yaoi/BL group in Japan at the time—for characters who are only queer insofar as they can bait the audience, and only straight insofar as they can be more misogynist to the female cast.

Speaking of the female cast, hoo boy the fanservice. We've all seen anime girls breast boobily, with many cases more egregious than Code Geass, but there's something special about it happening immediately after—or sometimes in the middle of!—scenes of military conflict and ethnic cleansing.

Pizza Hut product placement everywhere, in every conceivable situation. High-speed chases, light slice-of-life scenes, intimate character moments, all of it. Gotta have Pizza Hut.

The anime-only Pizza Hut mascot, Cheese-kun. He wears a fedora.

The most hilarious approximations of European names—which I would love to see more often, frankly. Names like, I dunno, "Count Schnitzelgrübe zi Blanquezzio."

A depiction of China that is wholly removed from any modern reality, with red-and-gold pagodas, ornamental robes, scheming eunuchs, and a brainwashed child empress. There's a character named General Tsao, like the chicken.

Inappropriate free-form jazz in the soundtrack, intruding at the most unexpected times.

A secret cabal not unlike the Illuminati, run by an immortal shota with magic powers, holding influence all across the world, at the highest levels of government. They matter for approximately three episodes.

An unexpected insert scene of a schoolgirl using the corner of a table to masturbate. She's doing it to thoughts of her crush, the princess Euphemia—because she believes Euphemia to be as racist as she herself is, and that gets her off. This interrupts an unrelated scene of our protagonist faction planning their next move, which then resumes as if uninterrupted.

Said schoolgirl, in a fit of hysteria, threatens to detonate a worse-than-nuclear bomb in the middle of her school. She then goes on to develop an even more destructive version of that bomb, and become a war criminal, in a chain of cause-and-effect stemming from the moment she finds out that Euphemia wasn't actually that racist.

A character called "the Earl of Pudding."

A premise that asks us to believe that the name Lelouch is normal enough that he didn't need to change it when he went into hiding as an ordinary civilian. "No, that's not Prince Strimbleford von Vanquish! That's our classmate, Strimbleford Smith."

The collective unconscious, a la Carl Jung, within which the protagonist fights his villainous father for control over the fate of humankind. After this is over, the anime just keeps going for about ten more episodes.

An episode in which a mech tosses a giant pizza.

A gay yandere sleeper agent who can manipulate the perception of time.

Chess being played very badly, even to the untrained eye. Lelouch frequently checkmates his opponent by moving his king. This goes hand-in-hand with the anime's crock of bad chess symbolism.

A fictional drug that can most succinctly be described as "nostalgia heroin."

Roller-skating mecha in knightly armor, and some of the most sickass mecha fight choreography that I've seen.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. This anime is what the average Westerner in 2006 thought anime was, and it was made in a confluence of factors that cannot be replicated. I've never had so much fun watching something that I found so... insulting. Repugnant. Ridiculous. Baffling. I love it sincerely.

Catch me cosplaying Lloyd Asplund at a con sometime, or maybe even the big gay loser himself, Lelouch vi Britannia.

[ecargmura]

Dandadan Episode 7 Review - A Mother's Love

If Episode 4 hasn’t put Science Saru on the map for high quality animation, then this episode surely did. I haven’t read the source material, but even as an anime-only watcher, I can definitely see the love and passion the studio puts into this. It’s crazy how a Japanese anime studio owned by a Korean person can make such invigorating quality.

The rest of the fight with Acrobatic Silky was animated well. I love how the kids outwitted her by running away just so her hair gets caught in the nook and cranny of the warehouse. Okarun manages to defeat her by going full throttle. However, their victory isn’t a happy one as devouring Aira caused her to die. Turbo Granny explained that since she’s an ordinary person, being devoured by a spirit would easily kill someone. I sort of like that detail, honestly. There’s no anime logic about how she could survive this. She’s dead and that is what the rest of the episode is about. 

What I also like is that seeing her dead easily causes Momo and Okarun to start doing what they can like telling Turbo Granny to call the ambulance and for Momo to resuscitate her using her psychic hands. Though, it does feel odd that a group of teenagers know how to resuscitate someone so skillfully, even if it’s an attempt. They’re both not doctors and are on the opposite spectrum of them. The only way she can be saved is having Acrobatic Silky connect her aura to Aira’s like connecting two cords together.

That’s where the highlight of the episode comes in the form of Silky’s tragic backstory. Man, it broke my heart seeing Silky’s life before her unfortunate end. She was a single mother working as a prostitute alongside several jobs in order to provide for her and her beloved daughter who was her entire world and her purpose for living. Her daughter was sweet in that she was essentially her light in her life. She worked hard in order to buy the red dress that eventually becomes what she wears as a ghost and she was also teaching her daughter ballet. The tragedy comes from debt collectors or mobsters coming in to assault her and then they later took her daughter away, which is severely tragic because the sequences of her life before the tragedy shows that her daughter just celebrated her fifth birthday. If the mobsters are related to trafficking, this means that her daughter’s fate became that of a trafficked child and that’s horrendous in itself. Also, props to Hina Kino for voicing the daughter. She's excellent at creating a child-like voice, especially with how she wailed.

Silky’s dance sequence before meeting her end was seriously beautiful, yet so tragic. The scenery with the starry night was gorgeous but Silky starts dancing. Ballet is an elegant, graceful and poised style of dancing and that’s how she decided to meet her end. The way it was animated was so gorgeous. Also, if you noticed, Silky’s dancing was used in the full music video of Dandadan’s opening song.

There are some people out there wondering if Silky’s daughter is Aira. She’s not. When Silky became a ghost, she could only stand listlessly until little Aira came and mistook her for her recently deceased mother. Realizing that she had a daughter, Silky latched onto Aira and decided to protect her until it became obsessive and psychotic. 

This sequence also showcases why Aira behaved the way she did earlier. She’s a narcissist primarily because of what her father had said about her needing to become stronger in order to let her mother be proud of her once she sees her again. That was why she developed a high self-confidence in order to one day show her late mother. She may have been insufferable before but the memories have completely humbled her. The way she hugged Silky just so she could have solace and not be forgotten in death was such a powerful scene. This shows that underneath her pompous attitude, Aira had a kind heart. My opinion of her instantly changed after this. Wow. I legit shed some tears.

I wonder if Dandadan’s story is just encountering a ghost or an alien and learning of their stories or what not. There doesn’t seem to be an overall grand scheme of things. I like that honestly. It’s just a story about kids encountering the supernatural and learning a lot of life lessons amidst the craziness. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Anyways, what are your thoughts about this episode?

[burningcheese-merchant]

No, Merchant, feel free to complain to your hearts content. I'm certainly much meaner to ugly blue alastoroncelerbillcipherspamton from temu and every last inch of his undeserved popularity. I seethe because as an Ovenbreak player of SEVEN YEARS, none of my faves get remembered in a tweet, let alone merchandise. The dragons, who all took over five years to collectively come out, got a pin set and devsis wiped their asses with them then moved on. I waited over a YEAR for another sugar nova odyssey update to come out because xylitol nova and astronaut are my favorite cookies ever and I'm still fucking waiting 🫠 meanwhile the beasts are getting shat out every 3 months with the most rushed nonsensical recycled plotlines held together with scotch tape because making profit is what really matters here, not competent storytelling. I wouldn't even be this furious if the beasts got equal attention and spotlight but we both know that's not true hahaha 😬 they love to shove their (really badly designed) golden cow in our faces because Smilk was lab engineered to get sexyman tumblr girlies screaming their heads off while not even being 1/4th the interesting character they want you desperately think he is. JUSTICE for burning spice, mystic flour, and everyone else who will get done dirty for this boring walmart Jevil 😒

Oh my gosh 🤣🤣🤣 tell us how you REALLY feel, Anon, let it all out. It's not healthy to bottle up your emotions like that (you might want to stay anonymous though, I don't think either of us want an angry mob at your doorstep lol)

I'm anticipating a ramble (as I am wont to do) so under the cut it goes

Gonna start by saying I DO like Shadow Milk. I really do. It took me a little while for him to grow on me when he first appeared, admittedly (ESPECIALLY his voice...), but I am genuinely fond of the little blue jester man. But he's certainly not my favorite, far from it. That title belongs to Burning Spice and Burning Spice alone lol. The only reason I ever turned the English audio back on (I usually play the game in Japanese, I love hearing my fave anime characters speak lol) was so I could hear that gorgeous baritone of his... Burning Spice is everything to me. I love his design, I love his voice, I love his dialogue, I love his personality, I love him soooooo much. He's my babygirl. If Silent Salt turns out anything like the character I've constructed inside of my head, then he will share the #1 spot with Spice. I'll go ahead and say that right away

I'm upset because, like you said, it feels like he got majorly shafted while Shadow Milk gets all the praise and attention. Mystic Flour as well, poor girl, but I'm focusing on Spice just to drive the point home a bit better. He didn't even get a fucking countdown. What was his little merch thing? That weird ass candle (I thought it was a vase at first lol) and that's it. Furthermore, his story feels the least developed. There was and is SO MUCH that could have been said about him as a person as well as his dynamic/connection with Golden Cheese, that wasn't for whatever reason. Episodes 5 and 6 feel like they're missing something (and you feel what the "something" is in that brief flashback to Spice's past. There's more to what became of him than "I was bored", there HAS to be. Boredom is a symptom, not the cause. I maintain that this theory of mine has merit, and it would've been nice if they dove deeper into it than they did), you know? And I hate it. I hate that Spice is basically the forgotten middle child of the Beasts while Shadow Milk gets all the glory. Seriously, for Shadow Milk:

They changed their YT avatar to him for a while (it has ALWAYS been Gingerbrave, they never changed it once to anyone else all these years). iirc they did this on Twitter too

They dedicate an HOUR LONG commentary video to episode 7 and Shadow Milk (arguably fair, because it WAS the 4th anniversary. But even so. Did they do this for any other Beast? Any other episode? Any other anniversary?)

They give him a costume (a legendary one, at that) plus a set with his Ancient. NO OTHER Beast/Ancient pair has that, and I struggle to imagine they ever will. Do you understand what I would do to have a BS/GC costume set? DO YOU???

They make an exclusive, limited edition plushie (that caused a massive shitstorm iirc, justice for everyone that got fucked over during that and fuck scalpers)

They make a whole ass pop-up store event themed entirely around Shadow Milk and episodes 7 and 8

Why? Because he's the fan favorite lol. He's long since been the golden child of this community, and now we know he's Devsisters' golden child, too. (And they're desperate for money because they're drowning in debt. That's also probably why they released Shadow Milk on the 3rd anniversary: to drum up interest on a milestone anniversary by bringing in a beloved character. Thematically/narratively, Shadow Milk should've been released last. But that's just my opinion.)

Again, I really do like Shadow Milk. I call him "Walmart Bill Cipher" affectionately (and because he genuinely does remind me of Bill. In fact, I think Bill might've inspired SM to some degree). But it's unfortunate that other characters, the other Beasts especially, are pushed aside and ignored just so Shadow Milk can hog all the spotlight. It is with a very intense grimace that I agree that Shadow Milk is a Tumble sexyman. He fits the stereotype to a T. It would serve us all well to accept that truth. He even got added to the Tumblr sexyman wiki before it turned to flour lol. Burning Spice is... NOT a Tumblr sexyman. He is a regular old hunk. Tumblr was never in the business of liking big, beefy hunks, at least not the Tumblr I knew 10 years ago lol.

I'm also, to reference it again, just really disappointed that so little was and is done to explore the other Beast/Ancient pairs - and the fandom is guilty of this, too (not to knock the PV/SM anaylses at all! They're all fantastic and I genuinely do understand and love the deep, complex connection between them!). To go back to BS and GC, because they're my lifeblood (not just for shipping reasons I swear)... it's particularly egregious to me that THEIR dynamic wasn't given the attention and detail it deserves. They are LIFE AND DEATH, the very foundation of the world itself, things I (personally) consider significantly more important than truth and deceit because it is from life and death that all else springs forth. Truth and deceit are things you actively look for; life (abundance) and death (destruction) are just there, everywhere you look, even within yourself. You can close your eyes, ears, heart to the truth and you can learn to shun, decipher, defend against deceit; there is no escape from life nor death. None whatsoever. And so much can be done with that. So much can be done with them. Burning Spice and Golden Cheese need each other in the exact same way that Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla need each other. They parallel each other quite a bit, too. They're so similar and so different. They could have and SHOULD HAVE had so much to say to and about each other, like what Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla have. But that didn't happen. Didn't happen with Dark Cacao and Mystic Flour, either. All of that love and care and philosophical exploration goes to the clown and the Jesus Christ allegory. Which is FINE, I'm not saying to leave those two hanging, just... show some of that love to the beefcake and the bird, too. And Korean Batman (Cacao reminds me of Batman, I'm sorry 🤣) and Ms. Angel of Death, too. Please, man. Truth and Deceit aren't the only dichotomy that matters and is worthy of thought and discussion

(and oh my God, dude. The Ovenbreak shit. I've been playing for as long as you, and that shit is diabolical at this point. We get ONE dragon update a year, and they always leave us on the most painful cliffhanger of all time each time. (And this last one... I have many issues, but the most glaring one of all: WHERE THE FUCK IS FIRE SPIRIT??? WHY ISN'T HE IN THE STORY??? HE IS INTRINSICALLY LINKED TO PITAYA DRAGON! THEY HAVE AN UNBREAKABLE BOND BECAUSE OF THEIR DEAL THAT GRANTED HIM SOME OF PITAYA'S POWER AND SAVED HIS LIFE! HE SHOULD BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS ARC! HE SHOULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT! IF PITAYA GETS HURT, HE GETS HURT! FIRE SPIRIT'S WELL-BEING IS DIRECTLY TIED TO PITAYA'S AND THE DRAGON'S VALLEY AND BOTH ARE IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY!!! Oh God I can scream about this for so long. I have a similar issue with the Red Dragon arc in CRK, WHY WASN'T FIRE SPIRIT THERE?) I LOVE the dragons, I love their relationship with each other, I love the conflict between them, even the unique bonds/quarrels between specific ones! And their storyline is picked up and dropped over and over again, left to collect dust until they feel like continuing the story. Hell, remember Gingerbrave and co.'s quest to find where that wizard compass is pointing, and to find a place for them to build a peaceful life away from the Witches? Me neither lol. Sea Fairy's great sacrifice with Sugarteara and the cursed pearl? (SF was done SO dirty in Kingdom, she's an actual character in OB and in CRK all she cares about is Moonlight, to the point that she lets an entire civilization fall to ruin because she refuses to do her fucking job) The Xylitol gang... Well, as of writing this, that's the next update... Which will give us another legendary cookie, hardly 3 months after Dreamweaver lol. Fuck Stevia Nova, I already don't give a damn. Give me more Xylitol Nova and Astronaut and that's it

I have a lot more to say (especially about BS and GC, God I could talk about them FOREVER, they're so interesting to me), but I think I've rambled enough lol. All the love for Shadow Milk, truly, but all the love and justice for Burning Spice and the other Beasts and every other character that gets ignored, too

[satoshi-mochida]

Nine Sols coming to PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on November 26 - Gematsu

Red Candle Games will release side-scrolling action platformer Nine Sols for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on November 26, the developer announced. It will also be available via Game Pass.

Nine Sols first launched for PC via Steam on May 29.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

From the creators of award-winning psychological horror games Detention and Devotion, comes Red Candle Games’ latest title Nine Sols. The studio aims to deliver a stylized action platformer that’s cohesive and complimentary with its lore-rich narrative. It’s an ongoing, most ambitious project from this indie studio up to date.

Story

New Kunlun, the Solarian’s last sanctuary, has remained quiet for centuries. Inside this vast realm, the ancient gods left mortals with a promised land that is forever protected by the sacred rituals, yet the truth of this world remains unknown to most. Everything changes when Yi, a long forgotten hero from the past, is awoken by a human child. Follow Yi on his vengeful quest against the 9 Sols, formidable rulers of this forsaken realm, and obliterate any obstacles blocking your way in Sekiro-lite style combat. Explore in unique “Taopunk” setting that blends cyberpunk elements with Taoism and far eastern mythology. Unravel the mysteries of an ancient alien race and learn about the fate of mankind.

Key Features

2D Sekiro-lite Combat – Slash, deflect, and charge into enemies and blow them up with the Taoist talisman! Each fight combines fast, brutal action sequences with classic platforming mechanics.

Intriguing Boss Fights – Ready yourself to fight the vicious ancient guardians and gruesome creatures. Be patient and utilize every move in your arsenal, mix up with Yi’s godly bow to defeat these larger than life figures.

Taopunk Setting – When cyberpunk clashes with Taoism, melding sci-fi elements with eastern mythology / fantasy, the experimental genre of Taopunk was born.

Hand-drawn Environments / Animations and Manga – Nine Sols is filled with meticulous hand-crafted, anime-style landscapes, sprite based hand-drawn animations, blending with Japanese manga inspired cutscenes.

Exploration – Traverse in the interconnected regions of New Kunlun. Discover secrets, piece together the story behind Yi’s revenge.

Aids from Inhabitants – Meet interesting NPCs of this world and interact with them to receive upgrades, gain new abilities, and discover useful technology.

Watch a new trailer below.

Consoles Announce Trailer

[depressed-overthinker]

correct me if I am wrong but the old anime or the anime made before 2020 glossed over the actual problems that plagued the japanese society and to some extend our societies as well.

naruto's writing reeked of sexism and other anime had their own problems. but now when i watch animes like no longer allowed in another world or apothecary diaries. they dont shy away from such topics.

apothecary diaries bluntly talked about the concept of child brides and even picked up on female solidarity in a patriarchal chokehold. a rarity when in general one would see women being pitted against each other.

no longer allowed in another world, through their character of sensei provokes new arguments when instead of getting the princess to marry and thus making her husband the king, the princess herself is crowned as a queen. once again a deviattion from the norm. it fills me so much happiness when i see this.

shonen manga or anime usually (highly generalized) have females as a supporting character or just for appearance sake. they are objectified or sexualized in a way that we may find funny but looking at the bigger picture calls out the double standards. since i mentioned only three anime i will talk about only those but feel free to correct me or add your own thoughts if you wish.

the point is, jiraiyas behaviour was seen as funny or endearing, when in fact he was harassing women while sakuras behaviour was seen as annoying and trashy. sure she might be in your opinion but keep in mind that she was teenager and i am sure each one of us had done stupid things that we still cringe at when we were teenagers.

furtthermore, i thought all 3 of them were annoying when the anime started. narutos loudness and blatant ignorance was irritating and sad to watch, sasukes blatant disregard for others and greed clouded his eyes to see the bigger picture and sakura well she needs no introduction. how kakashi put up with them i would never know. i could go on and on about various other characters but you get the point.

the double standards were especially prominent when sasuke and naruto were not called out for their behaviour but sakura was. even after anime ended her reputation remained in tatters among her audience.

it was only because naruto and sasuke were tramatized that the audience somehow excuse their behaviour and trash sakura for hers. it is unfair. both of the former ones got plot armour while sakura did not even get decent character development.

not only her but other female characters within naruto; tsunade, konan, tenten, temari all had potential which remained unexplored sometimes it seemed deliberate.

it really makes me happy to see changes happening. do not misunderstand but this is not to say anime with equal character development did not exist before 2020, they did but were uncommon now, it seems that active effort is being made.

now we have anime like wind breaker as well.

PS: this is a highly generalized opinion.

what do you guys think?

[thetwstwildcard]

"Nothing makes an android feel more useless than when a human is crying."

Full Name: Galatea Hexis

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Age: Died at age 17, however it took 2 years for her to gain consciousness in her new body and so she says she's "19"

Sexuality: Asexual (currently; was Demisexual when alive)

Birthday: May 17th

Star Sign: Taurus

Height: 182 cm (roughly 5'11)

Eye Color: Periwinkle

Hair Color: Periwinkle

Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous

Voice Claim: Ayaka Suwa (Japanese) Amanda Winn Lee (English)

Inspiration: Hyacinthus

Homeland: Isle of Lamentation

Dorm: Ignihyde

Year: 3rd

Club: Science

Best Subject: Magic Analysis

Worst Subject: Animal Language

Favorite Food: N/A (formerly liked ypovrychio)

Likes: Her father, studying humanity, assisting her father, sunlight (even though she can't feel it's warmth), engineering, and the flickers of her past

Dislikes: Being unable to assist humans emotionally, when fellow students try to take her parts(the "inconvenience"), memories of her death, water, seeing how she looked like when alive, and not being able to control her strength

Personality: The monotone recreated daughter of the robotics professor, Aegis Hexis, accidentally killed by her love (Loxias Pythian) during a fight he had with her father. After much struggle Aegis was able to put her consciousness in an android that over time will hopefully become more human, her return to humanity having to be reexperiencing her death. She seves as a secretary in Ignihyde, though her father's work is quite astounding she has dealt with classmates trying to steal portions of her body for their own tests. Unlike Ortho she does not have emotions (in the beginning of the game) but develops them over time. She is very curious about humanity and "human things" though she is blunt (may/will hurt someone's feelings.)

"Unique Magic": Reverb: Allows her to concentrate sounds/amplify sounds to make projections. For example: she could amplify the sound of a pin dropping enough times to make someone physically pinned down by the "weight" of the noise. She can also increase the volume of the sound to "attack" someone audibly.

Trivia

The sole child of Aegis. His wife passed in childbirth so Galatea was "all he had left of her" which is why he was willing to go to such extremes to bring her back

She was dating Loxias at the time of her death, she was the one who made his new arm after he lost it in his "battle" with Veil.

When she first awoke she had no idea who she was, though now she is aware

While she has a better control on it now, she still does not fully understand her physical strength. She has crushed many an apple in her hand.

If anything she is just mildly inconvenienced when her dorm mates take her apart. She actually meets Yuu while missing an arm and leg, asking for assistance to her father's classroom

Her hair flames cannot burn someone, instead they feel warm to the touch and "wisp-y" (like smoke)

Upon meeting someone new she "must analyze" them, which involves her looking them over intensity and circling them

While she herself is emotionless, it doesn't mean her body is emotionless. For example she could smile and then question why she is smiling, or cry and question why she is crying

Her father is a son of Hephaestus, meaning she is his granddaughter (also why she's given a special privilege at a second chance in life)

When she was alive her eyes were green and her face was covered in freckles from always being in the sun.

[minijinpachi]

Let's say it all together now, Rin wants to beat his brother to prove himself, not out of hatred.

I feel like this sentiment got kinda lost as the fandom got larger/the anime was released. Which I understand because there is a lot of emotions that are going into this dynamic, but let's look at what we know.

Rin wants to go back to the past, where he was his brother's number one person, his confidant, partner, friend, secret keeper, duo; this list goes on because they were siblings that did everything together. Rin, truthfully, is projecting his desires of returning to the past onto soccer. (Soccer for Rin is very symbolic, in contrast to Isagi who just has a clear love for the game.) He wants to go back to the time where he was Sae's exception to everything. Sae was good at soccer and didn't think anyone was worth being his partner, but then Rin became the exception. Sae could be harsh, yet he'd show gentleness towards Rin. Sae thought others were childish and silly, yet when Rin acted like a child he would care for and comfort him.

We can see that the Itoshi brothers had a bit of a codependent relationship, the term may be strong but you get the point. While they had individual dreams, skills, and experiences, once Rin also started playing soccer everything in their life became enmeshed with each other. They continue to develope and grow their bond until they are forced apart, but they're obviously still constantly thinking of the other. So, Sae pursued soccer wholeheartedly living not only his dream but his brother's as well but *thunder clap* Spain happened. We don't know what happened but it made him realize that he could not achieve his dream, much less two, or he realized where his true talents lie, either way heartbreak was awaiting Rin.

The first time Rin was not special in Sae's eyes was when Sae challenged him in one-on-one. It is exactly what we see, a test to prove himself, no stops or aid from anyone or Sae. This was a test for Rin's independence. (Notably, one that required him to face the least amount of embarressment when he fails.)

We often see Sae carrying the belief that no one in Japan is capable of becoming a worthy striker, but the subtext is 'not even Rin'. This is the nail in the coffin for their relationship, the initial wedge being Sae leaving for Spain and the distance between them. Keyword, their relationship, so their bond as brothers not their ability to be partners in soccer. BUT soccer becomes the proxy for said relationship. Hence, why Rin believes that he needs to beat his brother for their relationship to go back to how it was before because then he would be Sae's exception again. It's not Rin's goal to lead Japanese soccer into a new era or to become the best player in the world by other people's standards. He just can't stand being ignored and pushed to the side by his brother, and to him, it was soccer and his soccer abilities that caused the change in their relationship.

Another thing is that Rin would not view the soccer as a battle field if all he wanted to do was beat his brother out of sibling rivalry. This is serious to him, its not just a game, or just a competition. His life purpose is to prove Sae wrong and show that he is still an exception; Rin can be the striker to change soccer in Japan for Sae. (Or at least impossible to ignore but we all know that the Itoshi brothers carry an 'all or nothing' attitude.)

And then Sae acknowledges Isagi first....yikes

[rivalsforlife]

Ace Attorney 456 Tokyo Game Show Information Masterpost

Since I haven't seen all the information collected in one place, this post SHOULD be a comprehensive review of everything revealed today - though please let me know if I missed anything important.

New Trailer and Release Date

We got a new trailer for the 456 collection, which covers (most of) what I'm going to say in this post, and a release date of January 25, 2024!

New Features

Language Support: These games are now available in seven languages: Japanese, English, French, German, Korean, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese, along with voice dubs for each of these. These are some of the first times some of the games (in particular 5 and 6) are officially translated to many of these languages.

DLC: The previously DLC-exclusive cases Turnabout Reclaimed and Turnabout Time Traveler will be added to the game for free, along with previously DLC-exclusive costumes. You can dress up Phoenix in the Tigre outfit from the beginning!

QOL: As well, any of the quality of life features from the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles have been added to the 456 collection. This includes an episode/chapter select unlocked from the start, so you can skip straight to your favorite sections, autoplay and story mode, and a backlog/history to review recent text.

Art Gallery: The game will also include an "art gallery" which includes concept art for the games. This will also include special artworks commissioned exclusively for this collection, some of which are unlocked after beating each game and unlocking each trilogy.

Orchestra Hall: There is also an "orchestra hall" where you can listen to what seems to be the full soundtrack for all three games (though I haven't verified this), along with orchestral tracks from the 15th anniversary and 2019 orchestra concerts.

There are also two new "trilogy exclusive" songs: "Apollo Justice - A New Era Begins! 2024", and "Trucy's Theme - Bring It In, Everyone". The new "a new era begins" remix might possibly be what they're playing in the trailer. "Bring It In, Everyone" is distinct from Trucy's main theme, "Child of Magic" (listed earlier in the soundtrack list), so I have no idea what that one will be like.

Animation Studio: This new feature allows you to play around with character models, setting up different backgrounds and sprites and settings, to create whatever scene you want. This doesn't seem to have a text feature, so it just seems kind of like a worse objection.lol but with 3D sprites. (Although I'm sure the objection.lol people will find a way to rip the models in like... five minutes of the game's release)

Preorder Information

It seems we overseas people will only have the collection available digitally, but Japan seems to have physical copies along with a lot of preorder bonuses! You can find the official page here.

This includes the following:

Game Software: You can order this standalone, or with the other preorder goods, or seemingly just the goods on their own without the software included.

Original Drama CDs: Two new drama CDs are being developed for this collection! As far as I can tell, one involves the Gavinners attempting a one-night-only revival of the band (which goes poorly...), and the second involves Taka fleeing the courtroom.

Evidence and Items Set: This includes ten pieces of evidence available from the games, along with some original illustrations. As can be seen above, this includes things like the photo of Apollo and Clay from Dual Destinies, six ID photos of major characters, and a signed poster of Klavier.

As well, a new sleeve box drawn by Takuro Fuse, the character designer for 5 and 6.

That should cover everything, but please let me know if I missed any news!

[davelovezapplejuice]

Rooftop Gang Headcanons!! ✧.*

Characters; Shouta Aizawa (Eraserhead), Hizashi Yamada (Present Mic), Oboro Shirakumo (Loud Cloud/Kurogiri), Nemuri Kayama (Midnight).

Warnings; mentions of self harm in Shouta's section, mild spoilers for Vigilantes and the mha manga/anime, and slightly implied nsfw (if you squint). Also I'm currently recovering from a cold at the time of writing this so some of the headcanons may be worded wrong or weirdly.

Credits; the gifs are from pinterest and all the dividers were made by @cafekitsune

Shouta Aizawa

• During their highschool years, he would make tea for Hizashi after training if he used his quirk too much and hurt his throat.

• He sometimes tries to make jokes to cheer Hizashi up after they found out what really happened to Oboro. It doesn't work but Hizashi laughs anyways to make Shouta feel better.

• He usually does Eri's hair in the morning before he leaves for work, but if he doesn't have time or is running late, then either Hizashi or Shinso will do her hair.

• Coldplay fan. His favorite song is Green Eyes because it reminds him of Hizashi.

• He has narcolepsy, depression, and PTSD.

• Kept Oboro's jacket after he died.

• Him and Hizashi still have Oboro's old phone number and frequently text it silently hoping that one day he'll respond even though they both know that will never happen.

• Calls Eri "baby", "babydoll", and "sweetheart" (Dadzawa 🥺❤️).

• Has a very slight tan from training class 1-A outside.

• Faded cuts on his arm from when he used to self harm for the first few months after Oboro's death.

• Baby talks to cats.

• Also has at least two cats he named Midnight and Oboro.

• During Christmas, he takes his class on special field trips to look at Christmas lights.

• Gay, cisgender, and uses he/him pronouns.

Hizashi Yamada

• Japanese and American. His mom is Japanese and his dad American.

• He's a Child of Deaf Adults. Since his cries made his parents go deaf when he was first born, he had to learn both JSL to communicate with his mom and ASL to communicate with his dad.

• I also headcanon him as having albinism since blond hair is a side effect of albinism in Asian cultures while having red eyes is a side effect of albinism in European culture.

• His fear of bugs stemmed from when he was a teenager. Shouta and Oboro made him watch the movie Arachnophobia and he's been terrified ever since.

• Even though he would never say it out loud, Ochako and Jirou are his favorite students.

• Developed Histrionic Personality Disorder as a result of Oboro's death.

• Him and Oboro used to reference Llamas With Hats and Charlie the Unicorn RELIGIOUSLY.

• His favorite Disney princess is Rapunzel.

• He has a tramp stamp.

• Pansexual, genderqueer, and uses he/they pronouns.

• Grows his fingernails out except for his middle and ring finger, which he always keeps short (😏).

• His favorite movie is The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

• His hair is too thick for normal hair ties so he has to use scrunchies to keep his hair up.

Oboro Shirakumo

• Has tried to eat his clouds at least once.

• Blink-182 fan.

• Queer, demiboy, uses he/they pronouns.

• Some of his favorite foods were cotton candy and cloud bread.

• BONUS: Kurogiri sometimes let's Toga sleep in bed with him.

Nemuri Kayama

• Camie's aunt.

• Bisexual, aromantic, cisgender, uses she/her pronouns.

LMFAO I love how you can clearly tell what characters are the favorite and which one is the least favorite 😭😭. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading my headcanons for these silly goobers and if you want me to make more posts like this then feel free to request some characters!!

[sugar-grigri]

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down

Guns, nails, katanas: I think it's interesting to read this title not just in terms of the chapter's construction, but as three notions serving the same idea, which is what we're going to develop. 

The chapter opens with the students, followers of the Church of Chainsaw Man, who don't really know what to do with their weapons. They weren't even aware that they had so many, which marks a continuity with the last chapter, when Nobana wasn't even aware that there were weapons.

Their reaction becomes the opposite when their superior gives them a reason to interpret the weapons differently - they're no longer guns in the hands of children, but a continuation of Chainsaw Man's message and power.

I think that's an easy interpretation to have, but it's one worth establishing for the sequel. The guns are only a third part of the reasoning, after all. 

When the fiend arrives on the scene, it's also interesting the moment and the way they's cut off. Strangely enough, the fire doesn't start until they begins to suggest that children shouldn't be holding weapons, as if someone wanted to prevent them from provoking an awakening of conscience. All symbolic, of course. 

I insist on the fact that the response of the weapons is instantaneous because in French the line is well cut (I read both versions because sometimes it helps me to have a re-reading on certain lines and I perceive better the indicators notably on the tone… And yes, you missed the fiend saying Ouh Là Ouh Là Là… )

The fiend seems to have a strong desire to protect children. Which gives us an idea of the demon they might embody. A common trait that could be given to fiends is that they are beings (and I say this with all the love I bear them) intellectually limited or rather who have a way of reasoning that is more animal and demonic (logical, they are demons they embody) than human.

Whether it's Power, who only reasoned through the prism of domination, or Beam, who considered himself Chainsaw Man's pupil and follower, the possessed reason strictly through hierarchy, or rather through a kind of food chain, which is typically bestial. 

Seeing what looks like a fiend, or even a devil, reasoning in terms of child protection induces the idea that they must have something to do with these children to reason in such an abstract way as child protection. 

Especially as it's something they embodies rather than understands themself, since they remains demonic, bashing in the skull of a child they themself wanted to protect, but had spoken to wrongly, as if this "lesson" were also part of his upbringing. 

That's why I interpret this fiend as harboring the devil of studies. Which is logical? It's one of the main fears of young people in particular, whether it's the choice of direction, exams, or even because it's related to the future, studies are a subject of anxiety. 

Particularly in a Japanese system in which the costs of studying are considerable, with university rankings that can be quite anxiety-provoking for high-school students. 

That's why this fiend is so revolted by the sight of children with weapons, and nails them to walls rather than brutally killing them all.

Moods and compassion are not necessarily inherent concepts in the fiends, even if they are capable of them, as we saw with Power.

But then again, if Power changed her behavior, it was only with regard to Denji and Aki, because they were part of her pack and her entourage, just like Meowy.

Sacrificing herself for Denji, even if she did in the end, was by no means obvious, hence the fact that there were several pages before her second death where she considered two options: her survival by helping Makima and her certain death to protect her brother. 

That's why the fiend's words are so strange and put me on the trail of the study demon.

Skull-hammering, or being overloaded with information and knowledge to be accumulated, is symbolized by this protruding brain. 

In the same way, the fact that the demon possessed has no eyes symbolizes the school system, whose aim is to develop students without actually seeing them. 

I was thinking about the hammer, but the title indicates that it's the nails we should be thinking about.

Hence the title of this analysis, which takes up a famous saying :

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down

Obviously, this saying alone cannot reflect the complexity of Japanese society, which is sometimes even used as a caricature by the Western media. 

Nevertheless, without falling into caricature, it symbolizes a simple idea: Japanese society, unlike Western society, puts the collective before the individual. 

This doesn't mean that the individual is completely erased, but that he is encouraged to consider his behavior from a more global angle, one that transcends himself. 

It's simply a saying that can be understood as advice: if you step out of line, you can expect to encounter more difficulties.

This is as true for a Japanese society as it is for a Western one. I'm not establishing any hierarchy of values.

Hence the nails, which freeze individuals where they belong. 

That's why this possessed person has an aversion to seeing students with guns: it's not just for protection, it's also for compartmentalization. Society doesn't give students the role of assailants; their role is to have a criterion in their hands. 

We continue with this superior, who also happens to be possessed by the demon of justice. His posture is not only interesting in that it's a completely instrumentalized justice in the sense that it puts children in danger for a better purpose, but it's above all the thesis of necessary evil, i.e. fighting evil with evil. 

If human morality were to be summed up, it would be through this maxim: preventing wars with wars, protecting like Chainsaw Man while endangering students - that's the whole human contradiction.

So, of course, the fiend find him vain when he argues that he is the best incarnation of justice.

It's typical of man to imagine himself superior to other species. 

We end on Katana, who arrives with a cutaway (which I loved) to declare that there's no justice with Chainsaw Man. 

So, in one line, we put back in place all the originality of this character, and I find it incredible. 

This line is both true and ironic!

True, because Chainsaw Man humiliated him by killing his grandfather, winning against him and beating his private parts with Aki to avenge Himeno. 

But above all, Katana Man has been brought up among the Yakuza, who he believes are governed by the same principles as his grandfather, to the point where he firmly clings to this position.

Katana Man hasn't evolved at all on this issue .

Ironic, given that Katana Man's grandfather was Denji's debt collector, the man who ended up ordering the overindebtedness and dismemberment of a child.

Indeed, Denji has no idea what justice is, for his life is profoundly unjust, whether it's being indebted for his father's misdeeds or dying prematurely. 

Above all, he doesn't take justice into his own hands; Denji didn't take revenge on Aki and Power with Makima, he saved her, just as he pursues his own personal goals of killing demons; they don't slaughter demons to bring justice to all those unjust deaths, he fights because they turn him on, he's an instrument, not a vigilante. 

What the chapter speaks to in these three themes is the whole paradox of protection, whether it's seeking justice through the church by sending children as gunpowder.

Whether it's trying to protect these children by enclosing them in a school system.

Whether it's protecting ideals that are unfounded. 

Once again we follow the analysis of the last time, public hunters choose weapons or possessions that limit the damage to the teenagers who constitute the nation's precious asset. The church uses children as a kind of barrier, not because they think they're good soldiers, but because they're moral barriers. So they send a possessed man convinced that he's protecting the children.

Or a weapon who thinks he still has a man's heart.

It's not just a clash between the two camps; it's also a battle for public approval.

Katana Man and Chainsaw Man are two sides of the same coin, the same story. While one has known a loving grandfather whom he loves so much that he closes himself off in denial (to the point of always refuting Denji's version that he murdered his grandfather as a zombie, even though the only legacy he left him was a zombie weapon), the other has known the monster and has therefore not internalized concepts such as love, compassion or justice.

Katana Man is a weapon who has been instrumentalized by the Yakuza, and is still deluding himself to find meaning in his existence, while Denji is one of the few weapons living strictly for himself at the moment.

He's the only one who truly follows his heart !

[stellar-haikyuu]

stellar's haikyuu ocs! ☆ timeskip jobs

I'm still wondering how to go about their individual introductions, but I figured it would be fun to share my Haikyuu original characters' future professions! This post will also feature their names and their meanings hehe. ♡ Feel free to leave any thoughts or questions hehe I'll be more than happy to overshare! (Unfortunately, I still find drawing quite difficult, so I use this picrew by veluv_art to help make my visions come to life.)

Works as a pediatric speech-language-hearing pathologist

Plans to specialize in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

Collaborates with Ennoshita whenever he is given pediatric cases

Works as a volleyball coach for Niiyama Girls High School

Plans to coach the Japanese women's national team and youth/under 19 representatives team

Works as a preschool teacher

Employed in the same facility as Inuoka

Supervises or leads workshops at her sister's dance studio every other weekend

Works as a video game developer

Plans on spearheading the creation of more sports games

Also works as a freelance graphic designer

Plays volleyball with the former Date Tech members

Works as a family medicine resident/doctor

Employed at the same hospital as Shirabu

Does free consultations for families who cannot afford health services

Works as an author of both children's and adult books

Writes under two pseudonyms and is employed at the publishing company Akaashi works at

Privately posts fanfiction online

Works as a food and lifestyle vlogger

Promotes Kita's rice farm and Onigiri Miya

Also works as a soundtrack composer for small film projects and games

Works as a professional volleyball player

In the same team as Kanoka (Hikari Pharmaceutical Red Rabbits)

Also a member of the Japanese women's national team

Works as an artist

Sells merchandise such as stickers, crochet items, keychains, you name it

Co-owns an art makerspace with Himekawa

Works as a psychologist in the private and school setting

Plans to specialize in child psychology and play therapy

Often asks for Hirugami's insights for cases needing animal/pet therapy

Works as a disability/accessibility advocate and consultant for the Paralympics

Hosts accessibility workshops for workplaces and universities

Hyakuzawa always promotes her advocacy projects on his social media and volleyball interviews

stellar's masterlist

[rubykgrant]

I finally figured out the new version for the design of my musical super hero! She's part of the group of hero and villain kids I've been playing around with for about 16 years (dang). I started the story with my best friend, and the characters have all gone through a LOT of changes, but because I've had them so long, I sort of know how to keep the core of who I wanted them to be~

(also, thanks to some of my friends for giving me some suggestions on her look in the past! @v-voeux and @bonkalore I appreciate it~)

As a regular kid, Min is 14 years old, a new student at school. She's a social butterfly, who is also very smart and creative (her main talents are music and fashion, but she also takes gymnastics and ballet). She's studied a lot of classical instruments, but she also has a passion for modern styles of music, so her personal taste is very broad. Min participates in a lot of talent shows. chorus groups, and plays. She makes her own fashion designs, for herself and people she knows well. Her signature outfit has a little bit of an 80s-vibe; loos short-sleeve shirt tied at the side (with a rainbow of sunset colors), over a seafoam colored jumper dress, dusty-blue leggings, and pink shoes (her favorite colors are pink and different shades of blue/turquoise). Her hair is black (with a rosie-brown shine), cut in a bouncy-bob, with two little pink hairclips. She has a pink bracelet on one wrist, and a pale-pink scrunchie on the other. Min is chubby, but also very athletic.

Her fun personality makes it easy for people to be drawn to her, but she's very aware of how fickle and fleeting popularity is when people become demanding... and then get upset when you aren't what they want you to be. Although she's sweet with a pretty face, Min is perfectly comfortable confronting people who try to boss her around, and isn't afraid of rejection (this also goes for teachers; she's a straight-A student, but pushes back when adults try to put pressure on her to succeed). At first glance, she's a bubbly and cute, and while that isn't UNtrue, Min is also subtly tenacious, capable of deep thoughts and emotional insight, and very self-assured. She truly values real friendship, and loves making the people she cares about happy with fun activities. She's also very good at being motivational and encouraging.

Her mother is Chinese, and her father is Japanese, both working with animals (for years, they've been doing wildlife studies and rehabilitation, meaning they've moved around often, visiting different places. recently, they've started working with a zoo and an emergency animal care facility). Her aunt (father's sister) is recently divorced and living with them, with her two sons (Min herself is an only child, but gets along well with her cousins). She can be flirty at times, but isn't interested in anything serious yet. She casually dates, but because she's always nice, nobody feels too upset when she kindly lets people down/ends a relationship (when she gets a little older, she figures out she's polyam, ace, and attracted to any gender identity; she uses the pan flag because she likes the color combo~).

When she begins to develop super powers, Min discovers she can literally create "musical energy"; turning sounds into something with a shape. She can do anything from snapping her fingers to send out a chock-wave, or creating vibrations in the air that take the form of a musical instrument (interacting with it, and using it for attacks or defense). Things around her that involve music/sound can also be influenced by her (such as radios, or loud bells in towers). She can manipulate sound to isolate a specific noise, use echolocation, imitate another person's voice voice, and translate any language she hears. Because music can have an emotional response, she also has powers that follow "musical rules"... that is, breaking into song, and having her friends join in, literally has an effect on reality (she often provides mood music when the hero group needs some motivation while fighting various bad guys).

She has an affinity for butterflies, so she creates little wings made of the pink musical energy, letting her fly like a fairy (they aren't connected to her, instead floating behind her back, and disappear when she isn't flying). Min designs her own outfit, as well as the ones the other hero kids wear. Hers is similar to a marching band uniform, a dark pink vest and shorts that are cuffed. Part of the vest is a pale-gray, with lines styled to look like a violin. Her leggings are also pale-gray, with two different patterns (one leg has vertical stripes that look like piano keys, the other leg has thin horizontal stripes that look like sheet music). She has dark pink boots with little butterfly designs on the toes/heels. Her shoulders have short butterfly sleeves, and the vest also has a pattern of musical notes with butterfly wings at the edge, Min's super her symbol. She has the same shape made out of the musical energy as a headphone/mic. Her mask is shaped like a butterfly as well. Min's hair is more curled, and pulled up in a side-ways ponytail, with one final butterfly clip.

In the past, I've had Min's hero design look like a simple "super hero swimsuit" with pink butterfly sleeves, and I've also had versions with a skirt so she has more of a classic magical girl look... but I wanted to really try for something more unique, make the music theme very clear, include her butterfly designs, and also make it a little more sporty~

[xhmeusworld]

major and minors for go in blind | lee seokmin

below the cut is the list of the major and minors seventeen are involved in for go in blind. included are only the main members mentioned throughout the writing

read: go in blind | lee seokmin

lee seokmin

major: theatre

minor: exceptional needs: early childhood special education

clubs: tried out a lot of clubs at the beginning of his freshman year, but only stuck with a few, which include American Sign Language club (which he enjoys because it will help him with with deaf children) and choir

sports: absolutely despised the thought of having to have a sport of any kind, so managed to convince the university to count his job at the campus daycare as his sports credit

——————

jeon wonwoo

major: directing (theatre) / literature (double major)

minor: film and screenwriting

clubs: gaming club, japanese animation society. often tutors his roommate vernon in english whenever he has time

sports: although it doesn’t truly count as an actual sport, he enjoys aquatics.

——————

vernon chwe

major: psychology

minor: ceramics (had literally no idea what it was when he signed up for it but stayed enrolled anyway)

clubs: frequents any club he finds interesting, but is never a permanent member. has attempted pretty much everything. has an internship at the university’s counseling office, which led him to change his major to psychology from graphic design.

sports: took his required gym credit his freshman year and has never gone near a sport since then

——————

boo seungkwan

major: english / child development (double major)

minor: human sexuality studies

clubs: peace and conflict studies club (joined to help solve him and his friends problems), debate team (joined to learn how to roast his friends with facts)

sports: absolutely adores volleyball and plays for the university team

——————

lee jihoon

major: recording industry studies

minor: business

clubs: business club (finds it extremely boring but it helps him get ahead in his minor) and nerf club (joined solely to relieve his stress somehow, but also because he got kicked out of paintball club as a result of hitting someone in the kneecaps). often helps music students and theatre students with plays and talent shows

sports: soccer. his position is goalie, which allowed him to attend university with full-tuition paid

——————

joshua hong

major: pre-med

minor: biology

clubs: boxing club (he’s only considered a member because he patches up anyone hurt. normally seungcheol), chess club, and anime club

sports: ultimate frisbee (however there are rumors flying around that he’s afraid of the frisbee hurting him and that’s why he does poorly)

——————

kwon soonyoung

major: dance

minor: broadcasting

clubs: for some odd reason, he truthfully enjoys cooking club. but he won’t admit if it is because he just doesn’t want to starve in college or if he actually enjoys cooking. he also co-hosts the university’s nightly radio station

sports: he’s the leader of the campus dance team, which he created with a group of friends.

——————

wen junhui

major: theatre

minor: chinese

clubs: chinese culture club, choir, and whatever other club his friends soonyoung and minghao drag him to

sports: jun has absolutely no hand-eye coordination so anything involving a ball is a no-no; however, he enjoys dancing, so more often than not he’s dancing with soonykung’s dance team.

[lemonandpie]

@b0nes-mcgee asked me for an angsty yaoi reclist, and oh boy am I willing to oblige. A lot of these I read a long time ago, so I don't rememvber all of the content warnings, but when reading yaoi it's a good idea to just assume sexual assault will turn up. I also can't swear by the quality for all of them, but they are all very angsty.

(And yes, I am using yaoi as a catchall term here, even though not all of them are sexual or even canonically gay, just very heavily implied. Also yaoi is a Japanese term and some of the works are Korean).

The Classics

Viewfinder (CW for all kinds of sexual assault between love interests and others; typical mafia stuff). Photographer gets some snaps of the mafia, and mob boss decides to get him to stay quiet via. Well. See content warnings. Last time I looked, it was still unfinished, sadly.

Maiden Rose (CW for sexual assault between love interests. And I'm sure other things that I don't remember considering it's set in an AU WW2). Imperial Prince who is Not Allowed To Be Touched Ever and his bodyguard who decides to ignore that. Basically sent my purity kink into overdrive, RIP baby Lemon. Also potentially unfinished.

Mada Koi Towa Shirazu ni (CW sexual assault, suicidal ideation). Young samurai in training is assaulted by his jealous peers, so he seeks out an older samurai who can teach him how to commit Seppuku. They end up falling in love instead. Most erotic discussions of suicide I have ever seen and yes that is as insane as it sounds.

Ai no Kusabi (CW for sexual slavery). Highly recommend if you enjoy a brattier sub.

Black Butler (CW for... everything?) Not technically a BL, but definitely has the angst. If you cannot deal with any form of underage stay very clear (I'd struggle if I hadn't started it younger than Ciel and prior to developing that particular squick. Nothing is explicit, but Ciel ends up in a lot of sexual situations). I personally gave up on it because the manga has developed gone-on-too-long-itis, where the author has just thrown in any soap opera plot twist they can think of. Others may be fine with that, but if not then I'd say watch season 1 of the anime and then the OVAs.

Newer Works

Ten Count (CW sexual assault between love interests, graphic depiction of OCD, and an incestuous sexual situation involving a child). Office worker with severe contamination OCD ends up in a bet with a psychology student that the student can 'cure' his OCD. With dubcon sex! Messy, but I adore the MC and his backstory fully triggered me.

Obey Me (CW sexual assault, kidnapping, stalking, child abuse, bullying, suicide, homophobia, transphobia... it's a lot). Isolated loner gets kidnapped and held captive by his stalker, and slowly learns the truth of his amnesia. This is super fucked up, and it hit the level of dark where I wasn't sure how good it is but god did it scratch the angst spot in my brain.

Dangerous Drug of Sex (CW sexual assault between love interests, suicide). Suicidal man is kidnapped mid-suicide attempt by a doctor whose partner died by suicide, so now he's determined to keep this guy alive by any means necessary. Noncon BDSM as therapy, my favorite. I've only seen the film so far, which was really good but part of that is in the way it leaned into the horror elements as well as the romantic ones. A sex scene with horror chords and loud screams was too much for a lot of people, so if that sounds like you, maybe read the manga.

Eclipse of the Celestial Heart (CW sexual assault and so much murder omg). Just minutes after their first kiss, main guy sees his new boyfriend be brutally murdered and then just... get up like it's nothing. Then it happens over, and over, and over. A pretty good thriller that gets increasingly horrifying, with lots of betrayal and pain.

Kiraide Isasete (CW sexual assault). This is definitely the sweetest work on this list. MC is an omega who was raped and impregnated by his alpha classmates. It focuses on his healing from that trauma and learning to open himself up to alphas after being hurt so poorly by them. Still ongoing I think.

General Mangaka Recs

Kaori Yuki is made for Anne Rice fans. Gothic horror, romance with debatable morals, and incest coming out the wazoo. If there was ever a manga version of TVA, she'd be perfect. Boy's Next Door might be the only one that is officially yaoi, but they're all good.

CLAMP's older stuff is very heavy on bother angst and queerness, but while it gets very sexy there's no sex.

Harada is the current superstar of kinky angsty manga. All of the trigger warnings, all of the kinks, and so much angst.

I haven't read, but heard good things

Killing Stalking. Sounds kind of like the homoerotic version of You, and I think Obey Me took a lot if inspo from it. Very dark, very angsty. There's a lot of debate whether it counts as a BL because the romance is in one direction, but that's the same logic as people who claim Marimand never had sex because there's no penetration.

Painter in the Night. I don't know a lot about this one, except that it's steamy and angsty and historical.

Ennead. I know, I disgust myself. Inspired by Egyptian mythology, with all of the incest, sexual assault, and general messiness that comes with it.

Kaze to Ki no Uta. Again, I disgust myself. This is considered the original shounen-ai, and basically all of the standard tropes of the genre come from this series. Which means it's angsty af and deals with sexual assault.

[rikeijo]

Medalist ~early screening event report~

>>>((by a Yuri!!! on ICE fan and with spoilers))<<<

Just came back home from early screening of Medalist, episode 1.~! I've never read the manga and I know almost nothing about the plot 🙃

Part of my motivation to buy the ticket was to see full credits, haha... 😆😆Unfortunately, I saw no familiar names, although of course, I could only see it once, so I might have missed somebody... However, as it has been already announced, the skating was choreographed by Suzuki Akiko-san, and she also skated the choreography for motion capture. There was also Japanese Skating Federation in the credits, and TV Asahi participates in the production committee.

The event itself was very cute~ I got a ticket for the 'second skate' at Marunouchi Piccadilly. It was easy to get a ticket even earlier this week, but in the end, both 'skates' were fully sold out. What was quite amazing was that there were fans of literally all ages (except small kids, of course and it was quite late...). From high school students to ~70 old grandpas. Boys and girls, 50/50 (and I had a seat right next to a true Medalist otaku ((a guy in his 20s)), and that was quite funny and so wholesome, because the emotions were running sooo high...✨ and I was just so jealous, because yk... iceado😞).

First, the screening of the first episode! And as somebody, for whom it was the first meeting with Medalist, it definitely made me want to watch the whole thing, and it was a shame they only showed one, because I wanted to see mooore! 😆 The characters designs are, imo, very pretty (we saw Tsukasa-sensei as competitive ice dancer in episode 1. in flashbacks, and he reminded me a bit of blond Yuuri ((the hairstyle and eyebrows!)) but that's my bias 😂)

I remember seeing people (in Jp) lamenting on twitter that it's a small studio and the animation will be shit. The anime uses a lot of CGI, for sure, but imo, for the skating parts, it's definitively better than bad sakuga, or trying everything to avoid showing too much of movement. The backgrounds etc. looked very sterile because of it, though. (I personally understood very well, why YoI's director, Yamamoto Sayo, wanted to have everything hand-drawn, even though she was overworking her staff because of it, and still, eventually they had to use CGI, anyway. The imperfect, hand-drawn animation will certainly always have more soul in it.) That they used even more CGI for all those shojo manga-like sparklings on top of that, though... I understand that this is a part of the convention, but for me, that was the part that I thought didn't look that good.

Hitomi-san became my favorite character. So pretty and cute (and I want to know her backstory~~~)! Inori-chan is cute, too, but the first episode was mainly from Tsukasa-sensei perspective (I don't know if that's also how it is in the manga), so she didn't seem that fleshed out as a character, and to me, she seemed more like 'a child' category of character, than true protagonist. I'm curious to see, how she will develop. Her VA, Haruse Natsumi-san has a really beautiful voice. The first episode starts with Tsukasa coming to the rink for his job interview and ends just after Inori-chan becomes Tsukasa's student. So basically, the whole story of how Inori-chan started skating, but Tsukasa-sensei feels more like he's going to be the protagonist.

Next, the talk after the show! The MC was TV Asahi's announcer. The VAs (Inori-chan, Tsukasa-sensei, Hikaru-chan and Yodaka-san) entered and then the usual greetings. Then they each talked a bit about their own character, but naturally, they didn't reveal much, just basic info. They mainly talked about Tsukasa-sensei's perspective this time and eg. which scene is his VA, Otsuka-san's fave in episode 1. He answered that it was the scene, in which Tsukasa-sensei thinks that Inori-chan seems suspicious and then he runs after her when she runs away from the rink. They also mentioned, about episode 1. that figure skating, all of the basics, is very well-explained, so it's easy to follow even for people, who don't know anything about figure skating. Here, imo, the use of CGI was also an advantage, because the movements were very clear and precise, when they explained the the technique of how eg. a figure skater uses the inside/outside edge. After that Hikaru-chan and Yodaka-san also got an introduction by their VAs, but because they didn't appear in the first episode, scenes from episodes 2. were shown. For Yodaka-san, they showed a scene, in which he doesn't even talk, just smokes and looks all mysterious and cool, and everybody laughed at that. Then Uchida-san, his VA, laughed as well, and said that even though he has never smoked a cigarette in his life, he needed to go to the studio for recording, and his job in the first few episodes was only to pretend to smoke and nothing else. He also said that to him, his name, 'Jun' which means 'pure', is important part of the character. Then more characters were shown (including newly revealed ones and all are on twitter now), and the cast talked a bit, who they want to pay close attention to. They mainly talked about Sekoma-san (whose name was revealed to be 'Mamoru', which also means 'to protect') and Sonidori Junichiro, but again, they didn't reveal anything.

Then it was time for VA fanservice - the question corner and the question was 'what can you get a gold medal for?' Haruse-san: Can tell apart all 7 kinds of figure skating jumps, even just by what kind of approach the skater takes for the jump. Otsuka-san: Sleeping on the floor. Ichinose-san: Talking with her cat (that was super cute, she was describing what kind of conversations they have - apparently cats think that they speak human language). Uchida-san: Going to sleep very early, even at 7pm to wake up early and play games.

Then they talked about the future events, skating-related and special stage before the anime starts, and radio show etc. (all info also on twitter now) (as a YoI fan, massively jealous 😭😂)

And that's mainly it, it was about 1h? long event!