#Make better animation please Toei

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (213/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball,  which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made  on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story This story takes place about 66 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[22 April, Age 850. Toki Toki City.]

Toki Toki City was a special place. Constructed outside of the flow of normal time, it served as the stronghold of the Supreme Kai of Time and her most trusted allies, the Time Patrol. Despite the divine mission of the Time Patrol, the city still functioned much like any other population center, and featured many of the same mundane infrastructure and services. There were a variety of dining facilities, including a cafeteria, which normally served breakfast to the Time Patrol every morning. But this time, the cafeteria had been taken over for a private occasion, as two Patrollers sought to celebrate their recent victory.

"How much longer is this gonna take?"

"Quit whining, Kakarot," Luffa said. "We're not doing this half-assed. I don't want you making excuses about stomach pangs when I beat you."

The man sitting at the counter grinned. "Heh. You won't have to worry about that. I just don't see why you're takin' so long to fix breakfast. We could grab something out of the fridge and bring it with us."

Luffa started chopping leeks with a calm precision that belied her expression. "This is special, Kakarot. You really don't get it, then? They told me you were brought up by aliens--Earthlings like Trunks' mother--but you really don't remember our people at all, do you?"

He crossed his muscular arms and rolled his eyes thoughtfully, as though looking up to his brain to locate an answer. "I only know you keep callin' me 'Kakarot', just like Vegeta always does. Every Saiyan I meet tells me that's my real name, but as far as I'm concerned, my name's always been Son Goku."

Luffa gave him a concerned look as she dumped the leeks into a bowl. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked. "I mean, I don't want to get off on the wrong foot here. I meant no disrespect."

"Nah, it's fine," Goku shrugged. "But it sure is weird havin' people call you two names."

"I… I didn't realize you never understood that," Luffa said. "Your mother named you 'Kakarot'. At least, I assume she did. Believe it or not, you wouldn't be the only Saiyan to grow up among aliens, or to take an alien name. But among our own kind, we Saiyans address each other by our birth names, to honor the Saiyans who gave them to us. I suppose you never knew your Saiyan name, so you wouldn't understand, but it means a lot to us. It's a sign of respect. Even if we were bitter enemies, I'd still do you the honor of acknowledging you as a fellow Saiyan."

Goku scratched his chin. "Well I'll be," he said.

Luffa switched to a crate of eggs and began cracking them expertly on the side of a large beaker. "Besides," she added, "I don't get to hang out with a lot of pure-blooded Saiyans. I… like using the name. It's less lonely that way, if that makes any sense."

"Yeah, it does," Goku said. He was still upbeat and carefree, but there was something somber about his tone. "When my grandpa died--the man who raised me on Earth, I mean--I kept his Dragon Ball. I started calling it 'grandpa', like he was in there somehow. It just made me feel better. I still call it 'grandpa' sometimes, even though I know it's not really him."

Luffa nearly asked how his adoptive grandfather died, but suddenly decided she didn't want to know. Saiyan children were a handful, even for Saiyan parents. And the Earth had a very large moon with a very frequent orbital period. Perhaps the old Earthman had simply died peacefully in his sleep, perhaps not.

"Well, Kakarot," Luffa said, "It's customary for two Saiyans to share a meal before a friendly contest. Sure, we could grab some field rations or slap some flour in water and call it done, but I want to savor this occasion, and I'm betting you've never had any Saiyan cooking before."

"I guess not," Goku said. "Is there something special to it?"

Luffa paused just long enough to point her knife at herself. "Just me, really. The original Saiyan homeworld was a distant legend even in my day. Our ancestors wandered the universe, sometimes establishing new home planets, but mostly roaming the stars in search of adventure. So the ingredients vary with the circumstances. It's more about resourcefulness, cobbbling together a good meal with whatever you have on hand. Of course, Toki Toki City has a really impressive pantry, so I can do pretty much anything I want. Potatoes, sausage, ketchup, they really know how to live on Earth."

"Well whatever you've got going on over there, it sure smells good," Goku said. "I used to cook fish when I lived alone, but Chi-Chi said I wasn't allowed in the kitchen anymore after I caused that fire."

"Hah. Typical," Luffa scoffed. "I've never met a Saiyan man who wasn't all thumbs over a stovetop. Oh, they like to brag about how good they are with their hands, but it never seems to pan out where it counts, if you know what I mean."

Goku laughed. "I know. One time Chi-Chi got this bookshelf for Gohan's room, and I tried to put it together for her and hoo-boy! That was a disaster."

Luffa stared at him incredulously. "No, I was talking about… never mind. You like pineapples, Kakarot?"

"Do I?!" Goku exclaimed.

"Thattaboy," Luffa said, grabbing a can of diced pinapples from the countertop. "So how much do you know about me, exactly? I'm kind of surprised you knew what Chronoa meant when she told you who I was."

"Hmm? Oh, you mean the Super Saiyan Legend." Goku said. "Vegeta told me about it, but he didn't say a lot about you personally. Just that you died a thousand years ago. Nobody said anything about you being a girl, either."

Luffa shrugged. She had already learned this from a Time Patrol mission on Namek, but the Goku she spoke to now was several years older, and she had hoped he would have heard more. It now seemed clear that his only source on Saiyan history was Vegeta, who only had so much information to share. "Better than nothing, I suppose," she finally said.

"I hope it didn't hurt too much," Goku added.

"What?" Luffa asked.

"I mean when you turned into a Super Saiyan for the first time. Things were pretty rough when it happened to me," he explained. "I was in really bad shape and Frieza was killing my friends. Later, when I thought about it, I realized the last Super Saiyan must have gone through the same thing. My boys had an easier time of it, but they're half-Earthling, and that seems to help 'em somehow. But with you and me and Vegeta, well, I think you have to get pushed pretty far to transform like that. I just hope you didn't suffer a lot when it happened."

"I did."

"Oh."

"I made them regret it, though," she said darkly.

"Yeah, I'll bet," Goku said with a knowing smile. "You're no pushover, Luffa. I can tell that just watchin' you chop that tomato. You're holdin' back a ton of power. You must have worked hard to keep it under control."

"I could say the same about you, Kakarot," she replied. "The way you sit there you'd think you were just some ordinary guy. You're not like any Saiyan I ever met before. Most of us wear it on our sleeves, but you, you're totally relaxed. Something tells me you're gonna stay that way right up until we're ready to start."

Goku simply chuckled.

"You must have kept it together a lot better than I did," Luffa said. "When you first transformed, I mean. All that Earth-style martial arts must have helped you regulate the form."

"Nah, it was pretty touch-and-go for a while. I was so mad at Frieza that I didn’t really want to rein it in, you know?"

"Heh. Yeah, tell me about it," Luffa said. "I didn’t mind until I ran out of things to fight, and then I realized I couldn’t turn it off. Fortunately I had some friends there to talk me down." She looked up from the eggs she was whisking. "I wouldn’t tell anyone else, Kakarot, but it scared the hell out of me. I thought I’d go crazy, or blow myself up, or…"

"Really?" Goku asked. "I thought you old-timer Saiyans knew all about that stuff."

She shook her head. "I guess the transformation itself never made it into the legends," Luffa said. "I knew about Chanisp and old Darbock and the other great heroes, but I never had any idea that they might have turned blonde to do the things they did. And none of those guys were women, so I don’t think anyone would have bothered filling me in. I had no idea what was happening to me."

"Wow, that must have been rough," Goku said.

"Well, like I said, I had someone there to help me. Same as you, I guess."

"No, I was mostly on my own," Goku said. "I mean, King Kai was keepin’ tabs on me from Otherworld, but I sent everyone else to get off the planet. After that, I spent a while in space before I made it to Planet Yardrat."

"I’ve heard of it," Luffa said. "In my era, it was said they developed some interesting techniques. Always wanted to go there… So they must have helped you get your powers under control."

Goku shook his head. "No, they showed me some things, but they weren’t very strong, so they didn’t know where to begin with that."

"Then how’d you--?"

There was a faraway look in his eye as he answered. "I was pretty scared myself at first, just like you were. But I remembered what Vegeta had said, about how scared Frieza was of a Super Saiyan showing up. And then Frieza asked me what I was, and I just knew. The story was true, and that meant that I wasn't the only one. There had to be another Saiyan, a long time ago, with the same power."

He locked eyes with Luffa and smiled. "And I knew if that old-timer Saiyan could handle it, then I could control it too. That was what kept me goin’. I had a couple of close calls on my way to Yardrat, and I almost wrecked my ship a few times. I probably would've lost control out in space and kicked the bucket, but I didn’t give up, because I knew he didn’t give up. Well, ’she’, I guess. Oops! Sorry, I guess I mean you, huh?"

"Are you saying… I helped you?" she asked. Suddenly she caught a whiff of something burning, and she darted over to save one of her pans.

"Yeah, I guess so!" Goku said. "Boy this time travel stuff sure is funny, huh? Even though the Supreme Kai of Time told me who you were, I guess I didn’t think it through. I never imagined I’d get to thank you in person. And look at you! You must have been younger than me when you became a Super Saiyan, and you didn’t even have someone like Vegeta to tell you about it. Hey, what’s wrong? You okay over there?"

"N-Nothing," Luffa said with a sniffle. "It's fine. I just… hey, you like onions, right?"

"Sure! They’re great on chili dogs and all sorts of other things! Chi-Chi doesn’t like what they do to my breath, but I guess she doesn’t have to know…"

"Fine, because…" Luffa paused to wipe something from her face. "I’m chopping a whole bunch of onions. Yeah. Like, all of them. I won’t tell her if you don’t."

"You bet!" He suddenly had a very coy look on his face. "We’ll keep it between us Legendary Super Saiyans, right?"

"Right, Kakarot," she said with a stifled sob.

After eating, Luffa escorted Goku to the Time Plaza, where they were greeted by the Supreme Kai of Time, and Trunks. The rest of the Time Patrol was still hard at work on repairing the city, and there were construction details all around them. Trunks was usually very serious about his duty, but for once he was in very good humor. Chronoa, on the other hand, seemed mildly annoyed with them.

"You’re late," she said to Goku and Luffa when they arrived. "You know, it’s not polite to keep a Supreme Kai of Time waiting. Ironic, sure, but not very professional."

"Sorry, ma’am," Luffa said. "We would have been here sooner if someone had helped me with the dishes."

Goku simply rubbed the back of his scalp and laughed sheepishly. It was enough to charm Chronoa into a better mood, and Luffa began to wonder if this was his technique for getting out of chores. It seemed very likely that Son Goku had never washed a dish in his life.

"It’s all right," Chronoa said. "Without you two, Tokitoki City wouldn’t even be here. You’ve earned some downtime. How was breakfast?"

"Well I’ve had better omelets," Goku said, as he patted his belly, "but I sure can’t complain about the portions!"

"I’m standing right here, you insensitive oaf," Luffa said frostily. "And I don’t remember seeing you in the Crack of Time while I killed Demigra."

"Hey we had our hands full in the Time Nest," Goku said with a giggle.

As Luffa turned to Chronoa to discuss the logistics of their time-jump, and Trunks took Goku aside.

"Listen, Goku," he said, "I’m pretty busy right now, so I might not get a chance to say this before you head back to your own time, but could you--?"

Goku took his hand and shook it firmly. "When I get back, I’ll make sure to send Vegeta and Bulma your regards," he said. "You’ve accomplished a lot here, Trunks. Your father will be proud of everything you've built here. I know I sure am."

Trunks smiled. "It was good to see you again, Goku. Good luck with your fight."

"Hey, about that," Goku said, tugging his sleeve before Trunks could turn to leave. He leaned in and held his hand over one side of his face. "You’ve sparred with her before, right? Do you got any advice for me?"

"Did you bring a cup?" Trunks asked. His face suddenly bore an uncomfortable expression.

"What? No, we already ate, Trunks," Goku said. "What do I need a cup for? I’m not thirsty."

Trunks became even more anxious, and then he closed his eyes, as though resigned to the situation. "Never mind," he said. "You two have fun out there, okay?"

"Kakarot, are we doing this or not?!" Luffa demanded. "The door’s open, let’s go!"

"I’ll be right there!" Goku said. "Well, I gotta go, Trunks. Take care!"

Trunks watched him run off, then turned and shook his head. "It'll be fine," he said to himself as he walked off to attend to other matters. "They'll be just fine."

[9 May, Age 791. The Tuffle Planet.]

The Parallel Quest system in Toki Toki City relied upon a fleet of time machines, each modified to travel to various time fragments that had been preserved by Chronoa for research and training purposes. Time Patrollers would visit these fragments to experience moments in history, or to simulate mission scenarios they would encounter in the field. The main advantage of the fragments was that they each replicated a short span of time in the genuine universe, complete with many of the same events in the true history, but the fragments were completely isolated from the timeline. This meant that a Patroller could take almost any action in a PQ mission without altering history. The fragment would simply reset and return to its original state.

And so, this made the PQ system the ideal venue for two Super Saiyans to do battle. Any collateral damage would be of no consequence, and Goku and Luffa could fight as hard as they pleased. The only detail left would be to choose a proper setting for their battle, and Trunks had arranged this the night before. He had explained his choice to Luffa, but for Goku, this would be a surprise.

"Wow. So where are we anyway?" Goku asked as he peeked out of the dome-shaped canopy of the time machine.

"Planet Vegeta," Luffa said. "Or Plant, depending on who you ask. There’s a divergent timeline where a Tuffle machine mutant asked Shenron to recreate the whole planet inside Earth's solar system. He was planning to repopulate it with Earthlings infested with Tuffle spores, or something like that, but it didn’t pan out. Anyway, in this time frame, the planet we're on is deserted, so you and I can duke it out without any distractions."

They had both jumped out of the time machine as Luffa explained this, but Goku's attention was focused more on the horizon than on her words. The sky was crimson, with thin wispy clouds overhead. It almost looked like Earth around sunset, but the sun was still high above them, along with a large blue crescent. For a moment, Goku wondered if this was the moon, but then he sensed the ki from the living energy of the body, and recognized it as Earth.

The gravity was higher than on Earth, though it did not bother Goku at all. He had heard long ago that the Saiyan homeworld had a higher gravity, similar to that of King Kai's planet. Long ago, those conditions had given Goku some difficulty, but by now he was so acclimated to high-gravity environments that he barely noticed the difference. What truly made the planet look strange to him was the architecture. In the distance lay a city centered around a crater. A butte rose out of the middle of the crater, and on top of this stood a massive tower, with flying buttresses extending from all sides and reaching out to the city below like great steel tentacles. Goku had never seen anything like it in his travels. It was all quite strange to him.

And yet, there was something familiar about it at the same time.

"Say, I was born here, wasn’t I?" Goku asked.

"Yeah," Luffa said. "Trunks thought it would make a good neutral battlefield for us. It’s a Saiyan home-world, so we know it can take a pounding, but it’s new to both of us. You were sent away as a baby, and I've never been here before. I can see why Saiyans would want to live here, though. It is kind of pleasant to look at, don’t you think?"

"I guess," Goku said. "But it seems kind of creepy with all these buildings and no one else around. Besides, we ain’t here to admire the view."

"Damn straight," Luffa said. "Listen, before we get down to business, I have a request."

"Huh? A request? Okay, shoot."

"I don't know about you, but I've wanted something like this for years," Luffa said. "I never imagined I'd actually get to meet one of the old Super Saiyans, or that I'd live long enough to see the next guy… well, you. So just getting to fight you is a big deal for me."

"I'm pretty excited about it too," Goku said.

"Well, the thing is, there's no guarantee that we're evenly matched," Luffa said. "The fight will settle that, but we're from different eras. If Chronoa had contacted the Kakarot from five years earlier, you'd be five years weaker than you are today."

"I think I follow you," Goku said, though his expression suggested otherwise. "

"Look, there's a chance one of us could overwhelm the other," Luffa said. "I'm a lot stronger than I was when I first transformed, and I know you've come a long way yourself, but what are the odds that were dead even in this moment?"

"I guess we'll just have to find out," Goku said as he started rotating his shoulders to limber up.

"Of course, but what I'm getting at is that we shouldn't be in a hurry to settle things," Luffa said. "Even if this turns out to be a mismatch, it's still special to me. So let's take our time and savor the moment. It's a special occasion, you know? I bet every Super Saiyan before us wishes they could be doing what we're about to do."

"All right, that works for me," Goku said. "I'll ramp things up if it gets too dull, but otherwise… yeah, we oughta drag this out as long as we can."

"Good," Luffa said as she adjusted her gloves. "Now that that's settled, we ought to start out as Super Saiyans, right? Seems kind of appropriate."

Goku nodded. "Ladies first," he said.

Luffa nodded curtly and threw her head back as she transformed. Golden flames flickered around her as her hair glowed with a harsh yellow light.

"Incredible," Goku said. "From the feel of it, you’re more used to this form than your normal state."

"Let’s get on with this," Luffa said. "Or are you going to make me wait another thousand years?"

Goku balled his fists and widened his stance. He made a sort of humming noise as he gathered his energy, and then he cried out as he unleashed it into his transformation. His hair now glowed just like Luffa’s, and their fiery auras mingled together.

"A lot like Trunks," Luffa said. "I should have noticed it before. He said it was your son who trained him. But I couldn’t sense any of this in you over breakfast. It’s like you’re a whole other person now." She bent her knees and settled into a defensive posture. "Ready?"

Goku crouched and angled his body to one side, pointing his right knee towards Luffa. He lowered his hands just below his chest, and kept them slightly open, as though ready to grab or punch at a moment’s notice.

"Yeah! Let’s do this!" he said. But neither of them moved. Anxious as they were to begin, neither wanted to open with a mistake.

And then suddenly, without warning, they both rushed towards each other. Luffa landed the first blow, but it was only a glancing strike, as Goku had twisted his upper body to avoid it. He tried to bring his knee up to Luffa’s midsection, but she somersaulted out of range. Once she landed, she leaped towards him to hit him from behind, but Goku spun around and caught her in the face with his forearm. She toppled over, but just as her body had reached a certain angle, she swung up her leg and kicked at Goku’s face. He blocked this, but not the second kick she threw with her other leg a split second later. Then she broke her fall and launched herself into the air, where she held out her arms, expecting to exchange ki blasts from a distance

Then suddenly Goku was behind her. She had sensed his movement, but her position had left her ill-prepared to react. He grabbed her arm and started swinging her around. Then, to his surprise, she grabbed hold with her other arm, and started applying her own power to spin him. To an outside observer, it would have looked like a mid-air figure-skating routine, sped up to an absurd degree.

At last, they separated, and Goku went crashing to the ground, his body carving a trench as he slid into the ruddy earth of his birthworld. He scrambled to get back to his feet, but found Luffa was already standing over him.

"You like to toy with your opponents, too," she said. The she kicked him in the chest and sent him flying. An instant later she was beside Goku, flying under her own power to match Goku’s trajectory.

"We’ve got a lot in common," she added.

She raised her hands and gave him a double axehandle to his back, sending him back down to the ground. This time Goku landed on his hands and knees, but Luffa was once again right there to meet him.

"It’s weird, right?" she asked. "Like having a brother--wulp!!"

This time Goku was ready for her. When she tried to kick him in the ribs, he leaped up into a handstand to avoid it, then swung out one of his legs for a kick to her jaw. She barely managed to duck this, but not the palm strike which followed. For a moment, she stumbled backward, clutching her face, and Goku used the opening to flip himself upright again.

"I had a brother," Goku said. He was as cheerful as ever, but there was an edge to his voice as he said: "I was hopin’ you’d be more of a challenge than he was."

When she recovered and turned to face him again, she looked like she had been chopping onions again. She looked furious for a moment, then she made a vicious smile. "Bored already?" she asked. "If you want to turn it up, Kakarot, go right ahead. I can handle anything you want to throw at me."

"Is that so?" Goku asked. "You’re wide open, Luffa. You’re bein’ way too sloppy for you to be talkin’ like that. You must be up to something."

"I’m just used to giving other Saiyans a handicap, that’s all," she said. "Especially the men. I know how hard it is for your egos when you can’t even land a little offense."

"It is kinda frustratin’, I won’t argue with that," Goku said. "But I’ve tagged you a few times already, so you don’t need to worry about me anymore."

Suddenly he vanished, and before Luffa could react he was directly in front of her, his right hand closing in on her trapezius. She managed to tilt to one side to avoid it, but this was only a feint. She realized this only when Goku’s other hand had collided with her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

"You'd better start blocking my hits from now on," he said ominously. "You won't last long like this."

"Why not?" She gasped. She recovered and looked him dead in the eye. "If that’s all you’ve got, I can play with you all day!"

Goku was impressed, but not so surprised that he forgot to prepare another strike. He raised his hand for a punch to her face, but she foiled this by swinging her own arm across to deflect it, slapping him across the cheeks in the process.

The attack stung Goku’s pride more than anything else.

Instinctively, he retaliated in kind, slapping Luffa with his own open palm. Her head recoiled from the blow, but she immediately responded with an even harder slap. They went on like this for several seconds, until Luffa went for a punch instead. Goku blocked it and returned fire.

From here, their fight descended into a stalemate, as both Super Saiyans threw punches at close quarters, with neither landing a direct hit. The rhythm of punches, blocks, and dodges was almost soothing in its way. It was almost too soothing for Luffa, as Goku angled his body to avoid her fist and then kept turning, setting up a spin kick. His boot connected with her right flank, but she was able to roll with it enough to dampen the impact.

For a moment, it seemed the stalemate was broken, as Goku relied on his kicks to keep Luffa at a safe distance. He was taller, which gave him an advantage in reach. As long as he kept up his momentum and moved his legs to where they needed to be, Luffa couldn't get close enough to strike back. Ki blasts were always an option, but neither of them were ready to go there. In the moment, it meant more to Luffa to overcome him without changing the terms of battle. And so she continued to play along, flying around Goku and searching for an opening to strike. Likewise, Goku continued to keep up his game, daring Luffa to find a solution instead of shifting to a new tactic.

The answer was simple enough. Goku had longer limbs, but there was one reach Luffa possessed that he did not. She goaded Goku into throwing kicks that extended his leg as far as possible. Each time she avoided his feet, but sometimes he would graze her skin with the soles of his boots. Then, at last, she moved in close enough for him to land a strike, and she caught his leg in her arms. This left her wide open, and Goku went for a punch, but then Luffa flipped around and caught him on the jaw with the tip of her tail.

The strike wasn't hard enough to knock Goku back, but it did rattle him enough to break his guard, allowing Luffa to release his leg and deliver a heavy knee to his abdomen. This sent him flying backward through the air until he managed to recover and stop himself.

Luffa was already on top of him to press her attack. Earlier, she had kept her tail out of the fight, lulling Goku into a false sense that she would not, or could not use it offensively. Now, she used it along with her arms and legs, battering Goku on all sides, whirling around like a top.

She had inspired him! This thought continued to percolate through Luffa's mind as she pressured him. Despite the centuries between them, despite her story being lost to time and suppressed by her enemies, some small part of Luffa's example had still managed to find its way to her successor. It had brought her to tears in the cafeteria, and now that they were fighting in earnest, she could pour her emotions into combat. It was more than she dared to hope for, and now she could show him what she truly was, and inspire him to achieve even greater things.

To his credit, Goku continued to block and dodge her attacks without giving up any ground. Now it was his turn to find a solution without escalating the battle or shifting to a different scenario. She expected him to grab her tail, much the same way she had foiled his kicks by targeting his leg. It only made sense for him to try this, since she would have to face away from him to attack with her tail, and if he managed to get a good grip on her, he would have a free shot. But this was not what happened.

Instead, as she spun around, she found Goku holding his hands in front of his face. For an instant, she wondered why he had left his guard down and moved in to capitalize. In the next instant, she regretted falling for his trap, as Goku suddenly cried out "Taiyo-ken!"

Suddenly, the world went white around Luffa, and she found herself unable to see anything. Even her ki senses were dazzled by the brilliance. She had encountered this technique before during Time Patrol missions, but she hadn't expected Goku to employ such a maneuver, and not in this situation. Now that it had happened, Luffa was forced to back off, and she anticipated a heavy strike.

Instead, when the blow came, it was far lighter than she had anticipated. Luffa barely managed to block it, having detected Goku's approach with her other senses. She did not, however, manage to deflect the second strike, or the third, and so on. By now, her vision was returning, but she found herself too imperiled to actually make any use of it. Goku was all over her, hitting her from all sides.

At last, Luffa became frustrated enough to put a stop to it. Raising her power, she suddenly caught each of Goku's hands as he struck, and used her knees to deflect his kicks. Soon, their melee battle had ended, and was now a test of strength. They each pushed against the other, with their fingers interlocked together.

"Impressive, Kakarot," Luffa grunted to him as they struggled. "You don't seem quite as strong as you were when you fought… Lord Beerus… but it seems like some of that god power must have rubbed off on you."

"Thanks," Goku said. "Lord Beerus told me that my body must have 'memorized' the god form somehow. I can't turn into a Super Saiyan God on my own, but I can still use some of that power in my regular Super Saiyan form."

"You're… going… to need it!" Luffa growled as she pushed harder. Their struggle had begun in the air, but the two of them slowly floated to the ground, as each of them sought something solid to stand on to improve their position.

"I can't… argue with that!" Goku replied. "You're really… urrgh… really something, Luffa. To think… you got this far… in such a short time…"

"I got a lot farther than this," Luffa said with a smirk. "Let me show you."

"Huh?" Goku began to ask, but before he could say anything else, Luffa increased her ki, and began to force Goku backward. Unable to resist her, all he could do was take a step back, and then another, and another. He tried to pull free of her, only to find that Luffa wouldn't let go.

"Confused?" Luffa asked. "Let me make it simple for you."

With a loud yelp, she pushed him harder and faster, causing Goku to lose his footing altogether. She now shoved him backward, driving him faster and faster until they crashed into something. When the dust settled, Goku realized they had plowed through a mesa and caused it to collapse. But Luffa still wouldn't let go, and she swung him around and smashed him into one of the largest portions of the mesa that was still standing.

Her grip seemed to be inescapable, but as Luffa prepared to fling him into something else, Goku brought up his legs and slipped them between their arms. Once he had threaded the space between them, Goku bent his knees around Luffa's arms, and applied enough pressure to force her to let go of his hands. With his arms freed, Goku could then take advantage of the position, and while he had Luffa's arms caught in his legs, he brought his hands together and drove them down on her head with tremendous force.

Luffa stumbled backward as they separated, and Goku followed up with an elbow smash aimed between her neck and left shoulder. She seemed dazed, but just before he could connect, she recovered and dropped to the ground. This threw Goku off-balance just enough for her to slide between his ankles and get behind him. Before he could turn around, she was back on her feet and wrapping her arms around his belly.

"What the--?" Goku asked. The answer was: back suplex.

With a savage grunt, Luffa threw herself backward and pulled Goku along with her, driving him head-first to the ground. That was her plan, anyway. What she hadn't counted on was Goku's reversal. He made a grunt of his own on the way down, and his golden aura flashed more intensely as he applied his power. He raised his hands so that they would hit the ground first, and when they made contact he generated a force through his legs that propelled his body forward, adding to the momentum of Luffa's throw. This allowed him to perform something like a handstand, but with Luffa still hanging onto his waist.

It was an awkward position, but more awkward for Luffa, who now had to decide whether to release her grip or take her chances on whatever Goku would do next. Before she could choose, Goku took flight, and grabbed hold of her wrists, trapping her. He then flew backwards, angling towards a large rock formation in the distance. But just as they reached it, Luffa's hands began to glow…

The planet was deserted, but if an observer had been there to witness the battle, they would have seen the two Super Saiyans collide with the hillside while simultaneously blasting it apart with an explosive wave of golden ki energy. The entire hill was blanketed with a cloud of dust and debris, which all glowed red from the residual energy of the blast. And when the color faded, and the dust cleared, this hypothetical observer would have found both Super Saiyans floating over what was left of the hill, completely unscathed.

"You managed to dodge that?" Luffa asked. "I'm impressed."

"I could say the same to you, Luffa," Goku said with a smirk. "You're no slouch, that's for sure."

"All right, maybe it's time we picked up the pace," Luffa said. "I was a little worried that the planet might get damaged, but from what I've seen, it looks like it'll be tough enough to handle this."

"Yeah," Goku said. "As long as nobody shoots straight down, I think we'll be all right. We are using blasts from here on, right?"

"Of course," Luffa replied. "As far as I'm concerned, everything's on the table. Oh, I get it… you were waiting for me to do it first, just to prove you didn't need to resort to that."

"Heh… Something like that," Goku said.

"Games within games, huh?" Luffa said. "There's more to you than meets the eye, Kakarot. Well, I'd say we're done with the warm up. Let's move on to the next stage."

As they circled each other in the air, both of them raised their arms and prepared to continue.

NEXT: Son Goku's Arsenal

[dweemeister]

Sending out Oscar nomination eve vibes

First things first, as a fan of the human chaos that is the Academy Awards, viewing films primarily through the prism of awards is one of the most myopic ways to look at movies. That there is a whole sub-industry of journalism dedicated to awards horse racing and campaigning never ceases to amaze me - even though I must admit to consuming said journalism (or "journalism").

Going into and out of a screening with "I wonder what this could get nominated for?" as the first thing in your mind is not how anyone should absorb and analyze a film. Awards are for the industry, sure, but they're also markers of taste for a certain group of people at a moment in time. They're good entryways into budding film buffs. Awards are fun; don't try to get too emotionally involved in them.

Okay, putting that aside and fully realizing some of the below will sound hypocritical, I begin with some extremely unlikely stuff I would like to see tomorrow morning, but probably won't happen at all...

That despite the highly questionable 2017 move to take away sole nominating power for Best Animated Feature from the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch (I'm guessing the Academy at-large got sick and tired of the category featuring films they hadn't seen/refused to see), I hope those who opted into voting on Best Animated Feature nominees looked beyond the major American and Japanese animation studios. Did Robot Dreams catch their eye (this was a major hit in its native Spain and France)? Maybe Perlimps (directed by Ale Abreu, who did Boy & the World)? Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (which I admit I truly enjoyed, although I still hold the original in much higher esteem)? My Love Affair with Marriage? What about The Peasants (directed by the same team who gave us Loving Vincent)? I hope they took the time to give those films a watch, their due justice. If they don't get nominated because they didn't deserve, that's okay. But I want voters (and everyone out there) to realize the world of animation is much more than Disney/Pixar/DreamWorks/Illumination/Netflix/Sony and Studio Ghibli/Toei/Toho Company. There is so much more out there.

That Justine Triet is nominated for Best Director for Anatomy of a Fall. Give us Milo Machado Graner as a Supporting Actor nominee, too.

Another child actor in the acting categories, please. No one pins a 30-year-old Asian American male as a fan of Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. I read the book (one of the few major Judy Blume books I had never read) last year, and adored the film adaptation. But, in realization that I don't think the film is good enough for Best Picture... how about a Best Actress nod for Abby Ryder Fortson? She embodies Margaret beautifully, and strengthens this adaptation with a mature performance. She deserves it solely for escaping the Ant-Man series and not being involved in Quantumania. On another note, Rachel McAdams has taken all of the headlines for Margaret. She's fine, but I completely disagreed with her character's expanded presence in the film, as it took away from Margaret (Blume's book is entirely from Margaret's perspective).

Dominic Sessa. Supporting Actor for The Holdovers. Make it happen, please.

I haven't seen it. And this is a bit self-serving, professionally. But as the Artistic Director for Viet Film Fest, if Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things is indeed deserving of a Best International Feature nomination (which, by looking at reviews, surely sounds like the case), I hope that voters do not punish the film for taking France's spot in Best International Feature instead of Anatomy of a Fall. I think the French believed that The Taste of Things represented French culture better than Anatomy of a Fall, and wanted to spread the love among potential Oscar contenders. Nevertheless, there's been a kerfuffle since France announced Trần Anh Hùng's film as their International Feature pick. Let's put that controversy aside, please.

That actors reward performances that are "showy" and nuanced. I feel like the Discourse over the last two years have been to reward maximalist performances in maximalist movies.

That voters in the music branch stop giving into the trends of amelodic, atonal, and minimalistic film scores (I'll even thrown in film scores that prioritize a "vibe" or "beat" over anything else, truly any score that is meant "not to be noticed"). We're in a moment now where younger directors (and certain auteurs who clearly have limited knowledge in the power of great melodic film music) are telling their composers - some of whom are incredibly capable artists, others not so much - that melody is old-fashioned, has no place in modern "realistic" cinema, and belongs only in musicals and animation. As a pianist/violinist who isn't that good at all and was classically trained through high school, this hurts deep. Don't be so afraid of a gorgeous melody and what it can provide to even movies aiming for realism. If the reactions as I was leaving The Zone of Interest and Poor Things the other nights were any indication, I'm becoming a endangered minority. Perhaps they should ship me to a museum so I can listen to my outdated film scores.

Am I still hurting from the sonic trash that was All Quiet's Best Original Score win last year? You bet.

Godzilla Minus One shocks us all and gets a nomination. Somewhere. Anywhere. Visual Effects? Yes please. Best Picture? Ehh, probably not, but if somehow made it, this kaiju fan would be very happy.

Okay, now for more likely things that'll happen. Some vibes need to go that way too, even if I'm a little more comfortable about the following.

That Killers of the Flower Moon can weather what appears to be a lack of support outside the United States - I get it, many non-Americans are tired of American cinema's racial reckonings on-screen - and solidly find its nominations for Picture, Director, Actress (Gladstone), Supporting Actor (De Niro), Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, Production Design. Anything beyond that is a luxury to me - I waffle on the deservedness of Leonardo DiCaprio's performance and I disapprove recent trends in how AMPAS perceives what constitutes a worthy score.

That even though I personally don't think Barbie deserves to be nominated for any of the big awards, I hope it does well in the technical categories it deserves (Cinematography, Editing, Song, Costume Design, Production Design, and Visual Effects). Even if it gets nominated for Best Picture (which I think is a 90% chance right now), I don't mind at all.

Past Lives love. Celine Song? Greta Lee? Teo Yoo?

I think American Fiction is dancing 50/50 on all of its potential nominations right now. At least get Jeffrey Wright in for Actor and Cord Jefferson for Screenplay. Picture and anything else a luxury.

That the Short Film and Feature Animation Branch doesn't confuse professionally edited home movies with a worthy documentary short. Please stop.

For the record, yours truly is on Team Killers of the Flower Moon. And right now? I'm expecting the film to perform like Scorsese's The Irishman (2019) on Oscar night.

There's... a major contender of a film or two out there I'd like to see not do so well on nominations because I did not care for them (Oppenheimer is not one of them, as I think it mostly deserves the nominations that appear to be headed its way... winning those boatload of nominations, though? hmm). Those one or two films shall go nameless so as not to jinx anything. But perhaps you already parsed them out by reading the above.

[daisukeweek]

We're in December! So it's time to post about the prompts with more details. (Please Toei give us an estimated release for the new movie so i can work on this event a little better orz)

How to join: Interpret the prompts as you would like to, or pick any (or both) sub prompts to work with! (this format was adopted from digiweek events, because it helped a lot in the past imo)

Day 1- The One Who Inherits Courage (episode 1)

sub prompt a) How was Daisuke’s life before meeting V-mon and making friends with the Chosen Children? 

sub prompt b) Talk about what you like of Daisuke & V-mon

Day 2- Blue Lightning, Lighdramon (episode 11)

sub prompt a) Making friends is hard, but Daisuke and V-mon formed strong bonds through their road. Let’s talk about some of them!

sub prompt b) Which V-mon evolution (presented in the anime or other 02/Kizuna media) is your favorite? Which one is the coolest in your opinion?

Day 3- Jogress Evolution! Now, Two Hearts Become One (episode 26)

sub prompt a) Daisuke is a stubborn person who can make the impossible be possible. Which Daisuke & V-mon scenes were the most important for you?

sub prompt b) Which other jogress pairs with Daisuke you’ve liked to see explored?

Day 4- Where Should We Go? (LAST EVOLUTION KIZUNA Deluxe Blu-Ray’s Drama CD)

sub prompt a) Daisuke and V-mon are going to many places in order to study ramen and learn more with their future competitors. Which places would they and their friends go now?

sub prompt b) Do a meme with Daisuke & V-mon

Day 5- Welcome to World’s No. 1 Noodle! (Best Partner Kizuna- HEY-rasshai! duet)

sub prompt a) To reach the top and get the title of “Best Ramen In The World” Daisuke and V-mon have a lot to learn. How do they manage their part-time job at Yamatoya Ramen and their own studies?

sub prompt b) What’s your favorite extra material piece’s moment with Daisuke & V-mon? (Movies, Drama CDs, Character Songs, Media Crossovers, etc)

Day 6- Beyond the Future! (Best Partner Kizuna- V-mon’s solo song)

sub prompt a) What lies within the future for Daisuke & V-mon? What do you expect for 02 THE BEGINNING? Theories? Wishes?

sub prompt b) Share your favorite headcanons/AUs/Artists/Writers

Day 7- The Last Armor Evolution (episode 49)

Free day: do something not prompted in the event (under the guidelines, of course)

→ Don't forget to mention @daisukeweek and to use the tag #daisukeweek2023 → Event guidelines can be found here (mobile) or here (desktop).

[cosinuswave]

Re: your tags on those Haruka screenshots: You're so fucking right about the Sailor Moon Crystal art style, omg. I hate how flat it is, how little it emotes. Usagi always looks on the verge of tears even when happy, and there's no energy or life to anyone. They're all wispy willlowy looking into the distance, not acting like fucking teenage girls, and it drives me mad. They took all the wrong lessons from the manga's art, and kept NONE of the charm of the 90s anime, and it drives me mad. THEY DID MY GIRLS SO DIRTY.

I couldn't get through the first season. I know it also just has bad animation in season 1 and like not nearly the budget it should have had, but for a property as BELOVED and culturally important as BSSM, that just makes Toei's cost-cutting even more inexcusable. It was released in a sorry state, but a lot of the problems are baked into the style of the remake altogether.

I would kill someone with my TEETH to have a proper remake with the fun and life and wild takes of the 90s anime with the PLOTLINE of the manga, maybe tidied and tightened up a bit with the retrospect of Takeuchi not writing by the seat of her pants this time, since now she knows where it's going and where it's gonna end up.

THANK YOU I'm glad you see it the same way, it's just so boring and depressing to look at. Haruka lost all of her masculine edgy cool energy and just looks like an NPC in a romance phone game from 2015 sjejdjdbeje and usagi is normally so emotive and funny and silly and dorky and wonderfully annoying and just such a teenage girl, it didn't translate in the remake at ALL.

I also personally don't think they should have changed the style so much, original sailor moon anime Style was so beautiful and charming and aesthetically pleasing. It really shows that things don't automatically get better just because you apply new technologies (noodly, stiff 3D hair in the magical transformation BURN in hell)

I usually try to just pretend the remake doesn't exist. I'm lucky I was a kid when the original anime was on TV (and that I have the manga collection too hehehe!!)

[melosfantasos]

If you took your time to read any amount of my story, I am thankful for it, even if you dislike it. Similarly, I am grateful for anyone who leaves a review for me, so no matter if you say something you feel could counter my intentions, don't worry. I am thankful for every opinion given about what I have created. All of it makes me want to continue writing.

So, please, feel free to speak your mind. Everyone who has reviewed my story did so respectfully, and I take joy in just knowing there are people reading and forming opinions about it.

I understand the format I am presenting is not the most fascinating. My major gripe is, as @thrudgelmir2333 said in the latest review, that most readers will already have watched the anime in full, or read the manga in full, and they're aware of where the general plot should go.

I have wild cards like June, but that's not enough; the general plot is still the same despite some major differences. This is a weakness of my chosen format, since Saints of Athena is my idea for what the Netflix show could've been. I write as if the reader has never experienced Saint Seiya before.

Nonetheless, the farther we go from the Galaxian Wars, the more differences pile up. The Heaven Arc will be largely my own ideas, so I expect readers who prefer original stories to enjoy those parts. It's far into the future unfortunately, so right now there isn't a lot to catch their eyes.

I perfectly comprehend their sentiment that I am wasting my efforts though. One day it might be that I will write a more original fanfic, if I don't go back to writing original stories altogether.

As an example, the commenter has an extensive fanfic of this sort which I have looked into; it's extremely well-written and developed. I'd be delighted to write something of the sort in the future, but now I'm looking into continuing my vision for this show that never was.

If it's true that there isn't as much interest in fully original fanfics in the SS fandom, I wonder why that is. There are many capable writers from what I've seen. I'd expect the fandom to be more into their stories instead of novelizations, fix-its, and rewrites.

Also, I can't shrug off the feeling that some of you would be better Toei hires for writing non-canon than some people they've chosen in the past.

[nimedhel09]

SDBH commentary - episode 32 (spoilers ahead!)

Well, it's a weird time to do it, but each episode is less than 10min so whatever.

As always, prepare for rants more than anything lol. And random commentary.

- Power scaling is weird in SDBH........ IN DBS. I mean, it made more sense in DBZ? (Can't remember if the Buu saga was a mess of power scaling or not, but I feel like it was)

- Show me more of my psychopathic legendary husbando, please. Even if the animation is poop. Even if they made his face all roundish. And the noses weird (Girl, I hate the DBS/SDBH noses soooo much)

- Fuu created his new universe! And it's a tiny ugly thing, lol.

- Angy Monke fusion.

- Fuu being obsessed with his experimentation process, lol. At least he stays in character throughout.

- Lol. Towa and Robel going kind of magical girl on us with their "demon god" transformation hahaha.

- Demigra makes a move!

- Also, I hate the fights. They're soooooo booooooring. They lack dynamism.

- 🎶'cuz I'm frooooooooooooozeeeeeen! 🎶 (SS4 Gogeta and Fuu lol)

- Vados and Whis! Destruction kittehs! (aka the only good thing to come out of DBS, the series. Still waiting for that Broly slice-of-life on Vampa or even him joining the Saiyan crew on shenanigans. I'm waiting Toei! You cowards).

- Goku is confused. I'm confused. Everyone is confused.

Ok. End of episode feelings.

I don't like the fights. I need dynamics other than "ki! bam! screen shaking to show us that they're powerful!" over and over and over again. Give us the martial arts, DAMMIT!

As a former martial artist (because I've not practiced in a decade, shame on me), one thing I've always loved in DB and DBZ (well, until it changed into a big ki fest, lol, mostly in the Buu saga, I think? Would have to rewatch the Cell games to really see if there's fight-fight to go along the ki-fight) is the way that the moves were depicted in such a beautiful and dynamic manner. Look at the Garlic jr. film with baby Gohan, when Goku comes in and begins to fight the baddies. Gorgeous. Perfection. Magnificent.

What we've got in SDBH? Bleh. Uninteresting. For a series built on martial arts, the martial arts are kind of absent in most of the current material (DBS: Broly, once again, shows its superiority over anything done in the series until then, lol. The beauty of the animation and the MOOOOOVES. Damn, the fights were orgasmic in that film), which is a pity.

We barely saw my sadistic monke husbando, which is always sad. He's so beautiful, even with the horrendous noses and animation of whatever the hell this is (can you feel the salt?).

Still confused on what the heck Demigra is doing here.

Fuu is best boi. I think I like him so much 80% because of the original voice acting. It's perfect.

The plot is, as always, confusing or really badly exploited. Like, I get the anime is a small little promotional thing and that the animators and all the people working on it are paid nothing and put under lots of pressure, but it's tiring as a fan too. Toei, instead of greedily milking that cow till its death and giving us bad quality content should let the creators have the time they need to make a proper animation, build a proper story, pay them fairly and finally have the fans being as happy as they can be. Am I asking for too much? I don't think I am.

Another criticism that I will never shut about because I WON'T and I NEED: BLOOD. I need blood in this franchise. It's not made for children. It's not made for children. Ok, it's a shonen, its target audience is early-teen/pre-teen boys. SO. WHERE. IS. THE. FREAKING. BLOOD!!!!

Finally, WHERE THE HELL ARE MY CHILDREN????????? Again. the Xeno crew outside of (*le big sigh*) Veggie and Goku is left on the side because it's not enough to fan service or whatever the heck it is that they always give us Goku and Veggie. NO! Now they have to give us TWO Gokus and TWO Veggies. And, yes, I love the Xeno crew in its entirety. Xeno Goku acts way less dumb than main Goku (as he should, Goku is not dumb. Goku is silly and 100000% has ADHD, but he IS. NOT. DUMB. - another reason I hate 95% of DBS outside of the Broly film, lol) and the wholes Xeno crew is stunning. And I NEED MORE PAPA GOHAN AND PANNY, pleaaaaaaaaaaaaase, for the love of all that is good in this world!

Anyways. I think next time I'm watching an episode, it's going to be with a glass of wine. Need to buy more white wine though, because we only have red left, and I HATE red wine (urk).

[rollflasher]

I don’t usually do posts like this, but...

So, I’m gonna leave a quick disclaimer here, I don’t like to get involved in issues like this but as someone who enjoys Totally Not Mark’s content and is dissatisfied with how Youtube handles things recently, I found this incredibly disgusting and I feel the need to contribute however I can and spread this.

So, what is this all about? To make things short, Totally Not Mark is a professional reviewer who focuses on reviewing and discussing manga, particularly Dragon Ball. This guy spent years in the platform and because of copyright, Toei Animation deleted well over 150 videos from his channel despite his continued insistence on following fair use policies. As he himself puts it, it’s actual years of work thrown into the trash because of a company doing despicable practises with their properties, and the guy can’t really do anything since Youtube’s appeal system is incredibly slow, only managing to get around 5 of his videos back while the entire rest would literally take years to recover.

The video goes into more detail about why his situation is pretty bad, and please I implore you all to watch it as it explains the context infinitely better than I could, and why Toei doing this is so unfair. I know I can’t really do much, but all I can ask is to spread this and make more people aware of this situation, it’s the best I can do.

Funny how Youtube insisted on removing the public dislike button to ‘’protect’’ small content creators...but when a big company with overwhelming legal power and money actively attacks content creators, they do nothing about it. Goes to show who they really care to ‘’protect’’.

[shihalyfie]

I’m a diehard 02 fan who does not want a reboot and never wanted a reboot, and here’s why

This is one of my few editorial-esque pieces, but this is something some friends and I have been discussing for a while, and given what’s going on right now, I feel like this needs to be said at some point.

Sometimes I feel like there’s a really massive gap between what 02 fans want (especially diehard ones) and what people think 02 fans want. I'm not saying that media should only be catering to hardcore fans, and if more casual fans of 02 or people who simply just happen to have a stake in the full franchise have their own opinions on what they wanted to see out of 02-related media, that’s perfectly fine, and they have a right to have those expectations. What I’m mainly writing this about is sentiments that talk about how Toei is apparently doing 02 a disservice or sweeping it under the bus by not rebooting it (which basically comes with an implication that giving it respect would mandate it being rebooted just because Adventure was), or talking about how doing a reboot would please 02 fans just by giving their favorite characters more rep. (Although, I suppose the simultaneous reveal of an actual 02-related movie kind of killed any grounds for claiming that the lack of a 02 reboot meant sidelining 02. You can’t really claim that they’re sidelining 02 when they’re making a whole movie, after all...)

Of course, I don’t claim to speak for every single 02 fan out there (so if you’re a 02 fan who doesn’t agree with anything I’m about to say, I apologize and hope I don’t sound presumptuous), and I highly doubt I represent the mainstream, but I felt I should input my perspective as a 02 fan who’s friends with a handful of other 02 fans, who have discussed this extensively and all have the same feelings on the topic, and why it’s kind of frustrating to keep hearing this kind of thing from people who assume that all fans of something should want to see more things that resemble them by default without any more nuance to it.

It won’t actually improve much that’s worth it

I’m going to be blunt about it: I think more people who supposedly want this 02 reboot are people who hate or dislike 02 than people who actually are fans of the series, because they’re doing this under the sentiment that “this was a bad series, so a redo would improve it.” You can especially tell because a lot of people acting like a reboot is in 02′s best interest are the same people being scathingly critical of the current Adventure: reboot right now, so you can see that this kind of mentality comes from people who clearly understand that a reboot won’t necessarily be something everyone likes all that much, and thus believe 02 is so unsalvageably bad that you couldn’t possibly make it worse. So you can probably understand why I’m not exactly patient with this kind of take.

If we are to be charitable, though -- if this sentiment comes out of a genuine feeling that 02 had missed potential that could be addressed by the reboot -- I want to ask everyone if they really believe that this theoretical reboot would be a net improvement, especially one that’s worth all the time and effort involved, and even more especially given the writing style that the current Adventure: reboot is employing. You don’t have to claim it’s a perfect series or anything to understand the sentiment that it held up enough by itself to not necessitate a whole anime series being made to do another take on it.

Something I would like to remind people who love to claim that 02 is such a despised series is that it made around 89% of Adventure’s revenue at the time it aired, and despite those who despise 02 being very vocal on the Internet, the actual mainstream tends to be very positive about it, especially in terms of anything to do with Ken (whom most reasonable people will agree had a character arc that deserves acclaim). So in other words, if you want to do a reboot, most likely you would want to do it without offending the base that likes the series already, right? (Especially since, you know, recent events have proven that upsetting the real-life 02 fanbase is actually a pretty inadvisable idea...)

Here’s the thing: Once you filter out most of the “scapegoat” reasons people tend to criticize 02, the one that’s generally the most agreed upon is how disorganized the plot gets in the second half. So this so-called ideal situation reboot would supposedly iron out all of the messy plot writing and make use of the “wasted potential” the series had -- but 02 was way more than just a narrative storyline with characters walking around in it, and when it comes to the reasons people were so drawn to it, they’re tied to the series themes about regrets and making up for the past, and about the unreasonable pressures that society places on children. That, and also the most important one, the central theme of human relationships, and the charismatic and well-developed (yes, really) characters. The so-called “messier” second half of 02 was full of payoff for a lot of what was set up in the first half in regards to its themes, and a lot of its subplots or character flairs are packed in really small nuances that are easy to miss on the first watch.

What this means is that 02 is a series that works off of a lot of delicate balances. Adventure could be “rebooted” because everything was very clear-cut and straightforward, which meant that you could change almost everything about the plot and still relatively adhere to the primary points of “kids gain self-awareness through a journey in another world”. (Like, I really hate to break it to those who put Adventure on a pedestal, but this is mainly possible because Adventure doesn’t really have much of a plot besides “defeat enemy” followed by “defeat bigger enemy”...) In the case of 02, everything regarding the story is, for better or for worse, much more deeply tied to the plot, the narrative behind the Kaiser and the traces of psychological horror laced into everything, and the second-half evolution mechanic, Jogress, has a lot to do with the developments related to the human relationships narrative. Moreover, a lot of the reasons that people call it “bad” for are deeply tied to the exact same reasons a lot of people like it -- that its takes on certain topics were heavily nuanced and unconventional, meaning it could cover ground that most media wouldn’t go anywhere near -- and so the series loses too much of its identity if those aspects are removed, even if it ostensibly seems like “streamlining” it.

So if you mess with one thing, a lot of it falls apart -- and in fact, considering the writing style that the Adventure: reboot is using right now, it’s hard to imagine that applying it to 02 would make it any better. Actually, it seems like it wouldn’t address any of the grievances anyone has with it to any substantial degree, and it’d be more likely to axe all of the stuff that were integral to 02′s identity, like the social commentary, or the heavy focus on human relationships, or the unusual sort of character nuance it employed, and...basically, we go back to the same question: is this actually worth it?

02 itself was about not having this kind of sentiment

The main reason most 02 fans get upset about the 02 characters not being included in Adventure canon-related things that should rightfully include them is that, quite simply, they’re part of the canon! In fact, most 02 fans like Adventure too, so they like the way 02 built on Adventure’s worldbuilding, and moreover they’re attached to the web of relationships between the Adventure and 02 groups -- 02′s additions to Adventure’s worldbuilding and the nature of what it established around the neighborhoods of Odaiba and Tamachi were not only added on but also deeply entangled with what was established before, so you can’t just act like none of it exists!

So this also means that once we’re talking about a completely different universe, absolutely none of this applies and there’s no expectations to adhere to any of this. The 02 quartet doesn’t exist in this universe? Cool.

Funny thing about 02: one of the biggest themes the story revolved around was “not getting caught up in the past, and moving forward with what you have instead,” so it’s probably pretty understandable that a lot of people who like 02 would be the type who wouldn’t be fond of rehashing stuff too much (and even more so it involves 02 itself), especially since being okay with 02 as a sequel likely means being okay with change in general. To make something really new out of it, you might as well...actually make something new out of it, or cover some truly new territory, instead of bothering with this whole reboot business, you know?

One thing you might notice about a lot of 02 fans is that they’re not actually all that fond of the idea of canon putting the group through more massive suffering or emotional ordeals after 02 compared to most. I mean, I think it’s pretty normal to enjoy your favorite characters going through emotional trouble, but the aversion to it often tends to be much stronger than usual, regardless of what country’s fanbase we’re talking, and even the official staff for Kizuna seems to have somewhat recognized that the 02 group is most in its element when in the context of fun and silliness. All things considered, this probably isn’t particularly surprising when you take into account the fact that “just being able to hang out with each other as casual friends at all” was considered such a blessing, and such a difficult goal to reach, that there’s a natural aversion to seeing them go through more emotional suffering again. The new trailer for the upcoming movie seems to have Daisuke in a relatively good mood (and even then, “please don’t make it too emotionally vicious for them” is a pretty common plea).

So if you want to talk about rehashing all of their old problems, seeing it all over again is just not very fun. It’s like holding Ken’s sins over his head again, even if it’s in a different universe; it just doesn’t feel right when the series itself endorsed the best possible outcome for these kids to be “to live happily and at peace with themselves, no matter what happened beforehand”. They worked so hard to get out of it, so to decide we have to do this entire rodeo again for the sake of doing it again, instead of trying something new is...well, it’s not that appealing of an idea, I have to say.

The real-life impact would be intolerable

It’s no secret that the 02 hatedom is a bit uncomfortably vocal about it, but what tends to be really frustrating about it is how many of them love to dunk on the series based on misremembering it. It’s fair that, if you don’t like a series, you probably wouldn’t want to watch it again, but as someone who’s spent a lot of years unpacking all the little details in the series and noticing that it’s much deeper than it initially seems on the surface, it’s honestly annoying to see “criticism” of the series that’s actually just dunking on it based on details that are genuinely factually incorrect (it’d be one thing if it were a question of subjectivity, but no, so many of the insults 02 often gets are based on things that legitimately did not happen in the series).

In the end, I admit that 02′s penchant for ridiculous subtlety probably worked against it a bit too much, and I’ve already covered its impact on how the series gets misread a lot. Thing is, this kind of subtlety was a thing in Adventure too, and it all leads to the unfortunate effect that a lot of people tend to forget what actually happened in Adventure if they haven’t seen it for more than a few years. With the current reboot right now, you’ll see people saying that certain characters are the same as they were in the original series, even though in most respects they’re actually the opposite -- because a lot of said people only remember them by the surface characteristics that seem to be similar.

So when you look at 02, and consider the fact that even official media -- including the official American English dub and V-Tamer -- has been a bit too prone to not handling Daisuke’s character tastefully and reducing him to traits that make him easy to dislike, you might realize that handling these characters improperly runs an extremely high risk of actually turning them into the flat, unlikeable characters that people tend to accuse them of being -- imagine Daisuke where his entire character is about fixating over Hikari and being impulsive, or Miyako being nothing but self-centered and selfish, or Iori being genuinely stoic and missing the nuances of constantly holding his emotions back. And making it worse is that this would basically solidify these negative perceptions of the characters even further -- because people, especially those inclined to hate the series, would take it as further evidence that the characters have always been like this, reflect it back on the original, and everything would really just become a miserable experience. (Those who are particularly inclined to be malicious against 02 would probably even claim a reboot to be “better than the original” no matter whatever it is, because of the belief that 02 is so incredibly terrible that literally anything would be better than it.)

It’s not my business to dictate other people’s opinions, but it’s already been a frustrating twenty years of dealing with this kind of thing, so of course I’m not going to be enthusiastic about the idea of putting up with more of it...

[anime-re-views]

Tropical-Rouge! Precure - Laura Carried (Review)

General Info (from MAL): 

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Mahou Shoujo, Shoujo

Episodes: 46

Runtime per episode: ~24 min

Studio: Toei Animation

Rating: G

Streaming Service: Crunchyroll

Summary I guess: Natsuumi Manatsu is an excitable teenager, is moving into a big city. Manatsu is enamoured by the city, ready to make new friends and have new experiences. But things turn even better when she meets Laura, an actual mermaid! Laura is searching for the Legendary Pretty Cure, who have the power to save Laura’s home from the Witch of Delays. An anthropomorphic crab comes to steal people’s motivation, and Manatsu become the invincible Cure Summer! Along with her friends, they try to save Laura’s home and find what means most to them.

Story: 9/10 - I think it’s cute, really. I enjoy the motivation theme, I think it fits well with the tropical sub-theme. I wish they did more with the tropical theme, instead of just using it for aesthetics. I think the stuff with the girls finding what they’re truly passionate about was pretty good, and despite it being rushed, was pretty good. I think the season would’ve been leagues better if there was more time. Aside from how rushed it feels, it’s pretty good. I feel really nostalgic towards this season, even though it was just last year. I think that’s because this is the first season I’ve actually been able to keep up with.

Characters: 10/10 - Laura definitely stole the show. Her character development was some of the most drastic development I’ve ever seen. She went from a total bitch to one of the sweetest characters in the show, while still being sassy, but she’s the most likeable character that season? It’s so confusing to explain. I love Laura, she’s so well written. Manatsu is also really likeable, but there’s nothing spectacular about her character. Although she did teach me to think about what’s most important now. The other characters were just kind of there. Even Minori, who got the most development out the three (Sango, Minori and Asuka), was just kind of eh. I still liked them, I just wish they got more time to grow. Now, you might be wondering, ‘Aydan, why’s it a 10/10?’ It’s because Laura and Manatsu really make up for the lack of character for the other three. If this season was just Mantasu and Laura it’d still be just as good, I think.

Art: 10/10 - The artstyle is cute and super pleasing to look at. Also when the animation got good it got GOOD.

Sound: 8/10 - The only music I really enjoyed was the eye-catcher music and the second ending theme. The rest was eh.

Overall: 9/10 - It’s cute and overall just a very feel-good show. I enjoyed it a lot

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (222/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball,  which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made  on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: This story This story takes place about 66 years after the events of Dragon Ball Z.

[9 May, Age 791. The Tuffle Planet.]

To overcome a grave threat to history, the Time Patrol recruited two of the Legendary Super Saiyans: Luffa and her successor, Son Goku. After defeating the evil Demigra, the two of them decided to fight an epic battle on a replication of Planet Vegeta in an isolated time fragment.

The battle had been as intense as anyone could have expected, but things took a strange turn when Goku underwent another incredible transformation. Luffa had feared for his safety, and Goku could not explain himself until after the change was completed. Now, he stood before her, ready to continue their fight.

"Super Saiyan 3?" Luffa asked. She had been gawking at him for some time, struggling to find the right words. All she could do was repeat what Goku had told her and add: "What the hell?"

"I guess you weren't expecting this form either," Goku said with a grim chuckle. Despite his smile, there was something forboding about his voice. Even when he spoke pleasantly, there was an air of menace in his tone. You already saw me in action as a Super Saiyan 2, though, so this can't be too hard to understand. This is the next level beyond Super Saiyan."

"I know how to count, Kakarot!" Luffa snapped. "That's not the point! I didn't think you had another transformation because I thought you would have used it a long time ago!"

"Yeah. To tell the truth, I wasn't planning on using this one," Goku said. "It seemed like I could make this work as a Super Saiyan 2. Turning into a Super Saiyan 3 isn't easy, and I wasn't sure it'd be worth the risk. But you just kept on getting stronger, Luffa, and I decided I had to try."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Luffa asked. "It took so long. All that time you were powering up, I thought… I thought you were going to die…"

"You did?" Goku asked.

"I was shouting at you the whole time," Luffa said. "Begging you to stop. I tried to stop you myself, but that didn't work."

"Sorry about that," Goku said. "I didn't even notice you. Turning into a Super Saiyan 3 is pretty… intense. But I guess you saw that for yourself."

Luffa nodded. She didn't bother mentioning how she had attempted to contact him telepathically, or how she had accessed the thoughts and feelings running through his mind during the transformation. Seeing him now, confident and secure in his strength, she felt like a fool for worrying about him at all.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "So," she said, "is this it? Is there a fourth one I need to be worried about?"

"Maybe," Goku said, "But if there is, I don't know how to do it. Besides, Super Saiyan God seems like the better way to go, if I can ever figure out how to do it on my own."

"All right then," Luffa said. "Let's continue."

"Are you sure?" Goku asked. "You seemed pretty upset. Your hands are shaking. If you want, we can pick this up later and--"

"I said 'Let's continue', Kakarot," Luffa growled. "I've come this far. I'm not about to back down now!"

"As you wish," Goku said. "Heh. You're really something, Luffa."

They both floated down to the ground, and touched down at the same time. Luffa readied herself to fight, while Goku stood there, fifty meters away, simply watching her with his arms hanging at his sides.

She did not let that concern her. In the time it had taken them to talk, Luffa had managed to formulate a reasonable guess as to how strong Goku had become. If she was right, then it would be a challenge to stand up to him, but she still had two advantages.

First, she suspected that this Super Saiyan 3 form was unstable. Goku had been reluctant to use it before, and now that he had committed, it was likely that this was the only card left he had to play. If that was so, then Luffa only had to survive Super Saiyan 3 long enough to find and exploit its weaknesses.

Second, Luffa had become stronger as well. She couldn't transform into these "ascended" Super Saiyan forms the way Goku could. Her "Super Saiyan 1" was the best she could do, but it had still been enough to push Goku this far. Unlike her successor, Luffa's ki capacity steadily increased for the duration of her time in the transformed state. The longer she stayed a Super Saiyan, the more powerful she became. And it had taken Goku a long time to complete this new transformation. The whole time he was screaming, Luffa's body had been getting stronger all on its own. And she would continue to get stronger from here.

The question was, could she hold out long enough to surpass Super Saiyan 3, the way she had outstripped Super Saiyan 2? If Goku managed to do enough damage, then Luffa might be forced to power down to her base form. She could transform back into a Super Saiyan, but the ki capacity she had accumulated would be lost, and she would have to start over.

In short: The longer this battle went on, the more it would favor Luffa. Goku would try to take her down quickly, and she had to play defensively until she surpassed him or he collapsed from exhaustion, whichever came first.

Fortunately for her, she had been fighting him this entire time, and she had seen everything in his arsenal. There was very little he could do to surprise her now, and no matter how much faster he had become, she was sure she could roll with the punches long enough to outlast him.

They stood apart for a few tense moments, and finally, Goku crouched and drew back his right arm.

"I might as well start it big," he called out.

Luffa made a confident smirk. His posture had given it all away. He was going to try for another Kamehameha. It was his signature technique, and he had demonstrated just how versatile it was in his practiced hands. But Luffa had experienced plenty of Kamehameha waves before. This would be the biggest, fastest Kamehameha she had ever dealt with, but she was sure she could counter it, as well as any follow-up attacks.

But as she readied herself, Goku suddenly flipped the script. He was not crouching to brace himself for a ki blast. Instead he leaped toward her, and threw his fight hand forward.

"DRAGON FIIIIIIST!" he shouted.

Luffa's entire strategy suddenly crumbled. She leaped backward, desperate to put more distance between them, but it was almost impossible. Goku seemed to be closing in her no matter how hard she tried, and there was more to his strike than a simple punch. For out of his right arm, there came a burst of golden ki energy that coalesced into a long, tubular shape.

Within moments, it took form, and a golden image of Shenron now flew from his fist to her face. The dragon moved like a striking serpent, only much, much larger.

It overtook her so quickly, that Luffa found she had no other choice than to try to block it, and grabbed the dragon's snout in both hands. This did little good, as the dragon continued to push against her, even as she tried to use its own momentum to carry her forward. It made little sense to her, but she had no time to puzzle it out.

For as she struggled to fend off the dragon's head, the coils of its long, serpentine body began to loop and wave all around her. To Luffa's horror, she found that she was being boxed in. If she did not get clear soon, there would be nowhere for her to go.

"Aghh! Rrrnnngghhh!" was all she could say as the attack continued. There seemed to be no way to slip out of the path of the Dragon, and the coils kept tightening around her. And then, finally, she made a terrible shriek, and the dragon surged forward, pressing its body around its prey. There was a pause, and then the entire ki dragon vanished in a tremendous explosion.

All that remained was Goku, who now stood, seemingly victorious, on the ground directly beneath Luffa's position. His fist was raised high in the air, and an observer might have mistaken his pose as a celebration of triumph. But he quickly shifted to a defensive stance as his blue eyes darted back and forth. As dramatic as the attack had been, he was not convinced that it was decisive.

The answer soon revealed itself when an arm thrust out of the ground and grabbed Goku's boot. Luffa emerged beneath him, and before he could react, she blasted away at his face with a burst of rapid fire ki blasts. Goku blocked them with his arms, and kicked away from her with his other leg, then hopped away to ready his next move.

Luffa floated out of her hiding place to face him. As her lower body came into view, it was clear that she had not escaped the Dragon Fist unscathed. Her right pants leg was reduced to yellow tatters, and there were trails of blood from her thigh to her boot.

"No way!" Goku said. "Not even you should have been able to stand up to that kind of attack!"

"If it's any… consolation, Kakarot," Luffa said through gritted teeth, "I didn't exactly 'stand up' to it. You really messed up my leg. I don't think I can put any weight on it."

As she spoke, she ran her hand over her quadricep and winced.

"Are you okay?" Goku asked. "We can stop this right now and get you a senzu bean--"

She brought her hand up from her leg and licked the blood off of her gloves.

"Ewww…" Goku said, curling his lips with disgust.

"For shame, Kakarot," Luffa said, "We don't stop… ergh!…. until we have a winner." She then wiped her blood-soaked hand through her hair, tinging the golden glow with red streaks. Then she pointed at him and made a vicious smile.

"In case you hadn't noticed," she went on, "I'm still getting stronger, Kakarot. I may not be able to stand, but I can float around just fine. If you've got a problem with that, then come on! Finish me off."

"I tried," Goku said. "That Dragon Fist was supposed to be my closer. To be honest, I don't think I could pull off another one."

"I thought so," Luffa said with a bitter laugh. "Your new form is impressive, but you can only do so much with it before you have to power down. Well then, it looks like you'll have to finish this the old fashioned way." She held out her hand and curled in her fingers to invite him to come forward. "If you still dare," she added.

"The old fashioned way, huh? Well, whatever works!"

Despite Luffa's bravado, she made sure to fly back as Goku approached, hoping to soften the blow of their inevitable collision. It scarcely mattered, as Goku's strikes were too fast for her to dodge and too strong for her to block. As they rocketed across the ruined steppe, Luffa found herself being overpowered.

She spun around in mid-air, using her tail to grab hold of one of Goku's arms, and pulling herself out of the line of fire. As he tried to catch her, she managed to get onto his back, where she wrapped her legs around his torso and desperately plunged her arms through his hair to get a hold of his neck. A rear naked choke might have seemed like a disappointing way to win a fight like this, but by this point Luffa was willing to take anything she could get.

It nearly worked. Luffa managed to get her arms cinched around his throat and squeezed for all she was worth. Her left leg felt like it was on fire, but she blocked out the pain and focused on the satisfaction of cutting off the circulation in Goku's carotid artery. He reached over his shoulders in a desperate effort to grab her and throw her off, but Luffa was small enough to avoid his hands.

Then he teleported. Luffa had experienced the Instant Transmission technique before, when Goku had taken her from Earth to King Kai's Planet during the Demigra crisis. It was a disorienting experience, but she knew for certain that she was exactly where she needed to be relative to Goku's body. He could not shake her loose that way. As long as she was in physical contact with him, wherever he tried to go, she would still be there.

He teleported again. It did not matter. Again. It did not matter. By now, Luffa was concerned that she had misapplied the hold. She was sure that he would have fallen unconscious by now. Then she noticed the shadow above them. Over Goku's shoulder, she saw the scenery receding into the distance.

Before Luffa knew what he had done, she slammed back first into a mountain. The Instant Transmission was never meant to remove her at all. He was simply trying to get close enough to something solid before he passed out. As Luffa shook her head to recover from the impact, she found herself embedded into the rock, and saw Goku floating in front of her with his open palm aimed at her face.

With a sharp cry, Luffa suddenly released an intense burst of light. The flash had only a trivial offensive power, but it was enough to temporarily blind Goku and distract him long enough for her to duck under his arm. She tackled him and tried to slam him down into the rocky ground below.

At the last moment before impact, they suddenly came to a halt, and Goku released an explosive wave to drive Luffa off his person. She tumbled away from him, but fired a barrage of ki blasts at him the entire way. Goku chased after her immediately, batting her attacks away like they were leaves in the wind.

His hands were glowing yellow, with such intensity that Luffa couldn't even make out his fingers.

"Rrrraahhhh!" he shouted as he brought his hands forward and blasted Luffa with a beam of energy wider than she was tall. She flew as fast as she could to stay ahead of it, then charged her own ki into her good leg. When she was ready, she kicked the head of the beam, splitting it into two halves, which separated and continued on in opposite directions.

Goku was already on top of her, giving her no time to rest. Now he was shooting ki blasts in a wide field, as though trying to box her in. This at least, was a bit of a relief, for Luffa had a great deal of experience in battling multiple hostiles in the air. She weaved through his fire like a needle and thread, and while she could have used the opportunity to get to a safer position, she pretended to be trapped for a bit longer so that she could play for time.

So far, it seemed that the main feature of Super Saiyan 3 was that it allowed Goku to wield major ki attacks more judiciously than ever. In his lower forms, Goku would have tried to lure Luffa into a favorable position before committing this much power into an attack. Now, he was slinging energy around like had plenty to spare.

Or, more likely, Goku knew he only had a limited time to use this form, so there was no point in holding back. He had to go big or go home. As much as he seemed to regret wasting power on the Dragon Fist, he wasn't bothering to conserve the power he had left.

The good news was that if Luffa could hold out long enough, he would almost certainly power down.

The bad news was that she wouldn't be getting a breather. Goku was going to go after her with everything he had until the last possible moment.

Even as she realized this, Goku suddenly cried out and launched a much larger ki blast. All of the smaller ones around it were absorbed into its bulk as it bore down on Luffa.

He wasn't even trying to box her in!

He just needed her to stay in this general area!

Luffa knew only one way out. As the yellow light surrounded her, she quickly shot off a Gallick Gun. She did not aim at her opponent, and made sure to point it away from the planet, for the magnitude of her blast would surely destroy it otherwise. Instead, she directed her fire against Goku's blast, but at an oblique angle, so that the resistance would be less than if she countered it head on. Such a powerful Gallick Gun would have been enough to finish a formidable opponent, but it was a pittance compared to what Goku was putting out now. All Luffa could do with her own attack was to drill a tunnel through Goku's blast, and then fly through it to escape out the other side. The only drawback was that it would put her even closer to Goku than she already was.

As she emerged, she realized she would have to go on the offensive. He had already spotted her, and there was no time to fall back.

With a grim smile, Luffa flew straight at him. She doubted that she could hold out for long in a melee with him in this form, but she found the challenge of it exhilarating.

She focused on his hands. As strong as Goku was right now, he couldn't shoot off a ki blast like that without needing a moment to recover. A nerve strike to his wrists could be very effective in this moment, but only if she could connect.

As she kicked at his head to set him up, Goku spun around in mid-air like a wheel, floating upside down relative to Luffa. She blocked a kick with her arm, and struggled to get her own offense in while protecting her wounded leg. She couldn't tell if he had chosen this upside-down fighting style to protect his own weak spot or to go target hers.

It didn't matter, because he had forgotten her tail. As she allowed a lighter kick to connect, she turned and swatted him with her tail, catching him on the right shoulder. The whipcrack sound and his pained scream made it all worth it.

Almost automatically, he lashed out with his left arm. Luffa couldn't avoid the blow in time and caught the full force of it in her good leg. She fell to the ground as her quadricep spasmed from the impact.

It made little difference, since her left leg was in such bad shape that she couldn't stand anyway. Still, it took away her kicks, which made Goku's reach advantage even more dangerous than ever. She rolled into a back handspring to get back into the air and raised her hands over her face, certain that Goku would press his advantage. But to her surprise, he wasn't pursuing her at all.

Instead, he was kneeling with his left hand planted on the ground, and he looked at her with a knowing smile. His hand began to glow, and before Luffa could piece it together….

The whole terrain suddenly erupted with golden energy. The only safe direction was up, and Luffa flew as fast as she could, wincing at the heat of the blast as it seemed to scald her skin.

"This isn't working," Luffa muttered to herself as she fled. "I'm still getting stronger, but he's too far ahead of me now! I'll never close the gap in time! Not like this! I've got to-- Whoa!"

As she flew clear of the destruction below, she ran right into Goku, who was waiting for her with a double axehandle. Luffa barely managed to cross her arms over her head before the impact sent her flying back down. She had blunted the worst of his attack, but it was becoming hard to tell the difference.

She flipped on her way down, and used her hands to bounce off the ground and back into the sky. This time, Luffa prepared herself for another attack. Goku was relentless in this form, and she couldn't count on even the slightest respite. And yet, to her surprise, when she looked up to see which way he would attack next, she found him floating in the air, perfectly still.

A chill ran down her spine as she realized what he was doing.

She suddenly wished he had kept pressing his attack. That continuous, relentless offense might have been her only sliver of a chance. Instead, as he stared at her, Luffa knew he was doing the most dangerous thing he could be doing in a situation like this.

He was thinking!

"Incredible!" Goku said to himself. "She's standing up to me, even at Super Saiyan 3."

He didn't take his eyes off her as he clutched his right shoulder with his left hand. "Rrnnn! She might be doing a bit more than standing up to me. I can't keep chasing after her like this, or she'll wear me out for sure… Hmm…"

As much as Goku enjoyed the thrill of using this form, he could already feel the fatigue it brought on. He would need to rest soon or his body would take the decision out of his hands. Even standing still as a Super Saiyan 3 took a small toll, but Goku had been taught several times that patience was key in a fight. The time he spent formulating a plan would be a bargain compared to what he would lose if he continued attacking Luffa blindly.

"That bad leg of hers… it might just be her only weak point. But if I try to attack it, I'll leave myself open to that tail again. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way…"

Across the expanse separating them, he could tell Luffa was charging her energy, desperately gathering her strength while she had the time.

"Sorry, Luffa," he said. "But I think I've finally figured this out."

He held his left hand over on his right side, and began to gather energy. A bright blue-white glow soon appeared, and this immediately got Luffa's attention.

"Ka… me…"

She did not run, probably because she knew Goku could follow her with Instant Transmission, or steer the attack to follow her. Instead, she continued gathering her power, and held out her hands to block.

"Ha… me…"

His shoulder still throbbed from Luffa's tail strike. He wasn't sure if he would be able to use it again before the end of the fight, but if she could fight on one leg, then he could manage with one arm. He had been there in spirit--literally--as his son Gohan defeated Cell with a one-handed Kamehameha. There was more than enough inspiration for him to draw upon.

Luffa still had not moved, which suited him fine.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

Doing the Kamehameha with one hand at this scale was harder than he expected, but it still worked. The column of blue light was enormous, and it erupted from his hand like hot water from a geyser. It would be enough to doom almost any opponent, but he knew it would be useless here.

Luffa knew better than to try to take it head on. She would resist it just long enough to make it look convincing, then move to the left or right to circle around and catch Goku's flank. And since his right arm was vulnerable, it only made sense for her to come at him from that direction.

Sure enough, he felt the resistance to his Kamehameha begin to fall away, and he immediately ceased the attack and allowed the energy he had already released to continue on its path into outer space. He turned to his right and found her coming at him. The bright light of the Kamehameha made it hard to see, but her energy was unmistakable. She was reaching for his right arm, but he swung his left leg out to catch her on the chin instead. It was ironic to waste so much energy on a Kamehameha just to land a knee strike, but that was the handy thing about Super Saiyan 3. For the short time he could use the form, Goku could afford almost any blunder.

As her hand reached out for him, Goku grasped her wrist in his left hand to stop her, and felt his knee hit home. He couldn't help but smile, but then the light of the Kamahameha faded, and his smile went with it.

It looked like Luffa, but her body was all white. And then she began to cackle like an old witch.

"Whoopsy-daisy!" the ki ghost squealed.

"Oh crap--!" Goku blurted out just as it exploded in his face.

As the Kamehameha wave streaked along the surface of the planet, it gained altitude as it moved in a tangent to the planet's curvature.

Luffa was still at the head of the wave, holding on for dear life.

It was either the stupidest thing she had ever done in a fight, or the smartest. The ghost wouldn't stop Goku for very long, even if it did successfully explode, but he would still have to figure out where the real Luffa had gone, and this would be the last place he would think to look.

She would have to get clear of the wave soon, before it carried her into space. But she would ride it for a little longer first, assuming she could continue to hold back its destructive power. Her left leg was throbbing, and she knew that it would only be a matter of time before it cost her the match. Stunts like this only hastened the inevitable.

Still, she had managed to buy herself some time and space, and that was her only leverage she had left in this fight. All she had to do now was to figure out how to make use of this pause in the action.

There was no way to fight him at a distance, and no way to stand up to him in close quarters. She ran through every technique she knew, and none of them were of any use in this situation.

With a painful grunt, she began to push herself off the center of the Kamehameha, until she slipped off of the edge and fell away like waste jettisoned from a spacecraft. As her descent took her to terminal velocity, Luffa contemplated her dilemma.

She needed something Goku wouldn't expect.

A secret weapon.

Except Luffa didn't have one.

So why not make one?

As the ground rushed toward Luffa with breathtaking speed, she decided it was worth a try.

NEXT: Last Call

[ladyyatexel]

I Went On A Manga Binge

So you don't have to

For those of you who have wisely avoided the shreds of it I've left around the blog thus-far, I had some weird notion to go re-experience Yu-Gi-Oh uuuuuh a week ago? We'll go with that. Time is meaningless.

I'd been able to read a good portion of the early manga at the end of highschool, and somewhere in my stacks and stacks of paper is fanart from this dark time, so you know I cared. I also still own a Dark Magician action figure somehow, so. I'd also watched a large portion of the anime with my brother because it had been laced with some kind of crack and we couldn't look away? I remember when we both were just like shit, wait, don't change the channel, I can't stop looking at it. And the next thing we knew we were waiting for new episodes and I was doing research on the Japanese original because I was that kid.

Anyway, unnecessary backstory out of the way, here are some... let's call them Observations and Consequences of having read somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 chapters (and growing) of a manga primarily hinged on card games from a spectrum of sources ranging from boringly lawful to sketchy as fuck.

Surprise actual character that develops in typical shounen fashion being Jounouchi. My limited experiences with the 4Kids dub and only early manga had not painted him in a particularly good light. I don't know if episodes were being aired out of order or if I had just missed the ones that established that he was making shit up as he was going along, but Wow I liked him a lot more going through the manga than I ever did watching the (dubbed, heavily edited and censored and thrown into a slurry machine) anime. I'd managed to come out with the impression that he was just as reasonably experienced with the game as Yugi back in the day. Wild.

I'm now reading every single comic-style post on Tumblr backwards.

Striking inverse to first point, wow, I don't like Seto Kaiba. Though he gets points for his general philosophy of the future, and the line I read in my sketchy online combo of scans and scanlations in which he said, "If God is in your way, you run him down," was Metal As Fuck. I somewhat shame-facedly admit to enjoying him a lot more as an Abridged Series character. (I watched Abridged as it came out back in the day! The experience of watching the anime with my brother had been so fresh that I got all the in jokes about the way things were edited and dubbed, it was great. Series remains influential part of my life to this day, which is hella weird.)

I almost understand how Duel Monsters works now. I don't want this.

That said, wow a lot of the decisions made in the anime made everything a lot more ridiculous than the admittedly already ridiculous original. I got the distinct feeling in the manga that the Duelist Kingdom stuff we were seeing was designed to be used and exploited in ways that don't make sense in an actual cardgame just played on a table like a normal person and this was part of testing everyone to think higher, differently. Maybe this is obvious to everyone already, I don't know. I had always liked that it was very, 'Not so fast, I'm going to blow up the moon to change the tides,' but I'm not really sure the anime gave enough explanation that this was an extra layer added to things for that event? You can see people actively getting used to it in the books, and people who aren't considering the real or 3D nature of it getting owned, but my memory of anime version is everyone just like, 'oh, shucks, fuck me, I forgot to consider the phase of the moon before i played this card, can't believe I forgot.' No one calls Yugi on any of this stuff because it's valid play in that situation. Plus Yami Yugi had mad trickster energy in the beginning and it suited him to think of ways to do things inside these little simulation boxes the way it suited him to set perverts on fire. I imagine the real card game trying to emulate this element as something that would be to its detriment, but I neither know nor particular care haha

Ryou Bakura.

Really, though. I think he became kind of casualty of 'wow, we have a lot of characters who really aren't able to do anything in this story anymore,' despite the fact that his whole inner life could have been as interesting as Yugi's. I always like thinking about the possibilities of stories in which main character falls into magical world and is given magical item and told they're the hero and then they find out they've been the bad guy the whole time. The first several volumes of manga were about the quiet weirdo kid that no one talked to who was always blacking out and turning into a fucked up version of himsef because he was so attached to his ancient Egyptian jewelry, so like, Bakura could have much the same shit going on. I want to know what's happening with him so much. He clearly doesn't love being possessed, but he's also so drawn to the ring. Despite it having stabbed him at least twice and him knowing it's a danger to him and his friends, he keeps being pulled back into it. You see so much more of him being like, 'Oooh, a creepy thing, I love that! :D' in the manga than ever in the anime, which I'm all about. Also more blood. I'm very about that as well. Though my memory of the anime also made it look very much like normal regular daily Bakura was just a weird facade in places before he ever would have been. I think that was it trying to compensate for what people didn't see from the Toei anime, but okay whatever, that I love everything about this guy is not news, I don't need to talk about Bakura excessively here, I'm pretty sure that's gonna show up on my blog by itself

On a related note though, damn, more of these people need to talk to each other. Can we have some existential crisis support clubs or something. Can we get like some apologies or something? "I respect you as a duelist." "Cool, but you literally built a tower designed to specifically assassinate me and my friends? You were supposed to get Better after I retaliated by putting you in a coma, but you kinda didn't." "Why would the coma have made it better" "I just told you it didn't" ---- "Sorry I went along with the plan of your evil parasite stabbing you, misled you, and then also jumped in and took up some real estate in your head too." "I understand, I also have an evil thing inside me that does things while I'm blacked out." "...no, I was conscious for all of that." "Oh." "..." "..." "..." "Do you like Ouija Boards?" "sure okay" ETC. Like damn we are reading shounen manga because no one is talking extensively about their feelings here and I'm tapping my foot angrily.

Holy shit there are so many mythologies happening at once. The ancient family guarding the Egyptian Pharaoh has a surname that's a Mesopotamian goddess. None of the god cards make any Egyptian sense except Ra, and just like. Baaarrrrely. Somewhere either Evil Ring Bakura or Mar/lik makes a reference to cremation and spirits being taken to heaven with smoke which several things, but definitely not Ancient Egyptian. Marik/Malik meanwhile is clearly trying to head Arabic, along with Rishid, but then, hey, our sister is just Isis. Goddess McGoddess. Sometimes they're the same goddess! Her name could be Isis Isis or Ishtar Ishtar. Meanwhile, all the obviously 'occult because Christians think it is freaky' stuff. ~ancient egyptian pentagrams~~~This isn't a complaint, I guess so much as a 'Wow, I can kind of see the cultural spot the author was coming from and where he was aiming' kind of thing.

Wonder where things would have gone if the card games had not been latched onto the way they were.

Managed to forget how gross the pre-cardgames stuff was on the sexual harassment front. I'm glad there was a sort of explanation of everyone drifting away from being dick heads and that that decision was made. It got way more comfortable to read after no one was bringing Yugi p*rn on VHS.

Yugi looks better with a nose, glad we got that upgrade.

Interesting to watch the series style shift as it goes away from being horror to being over the top cardgames and friendship (with blood!). The first picture of Mokuba is fucking Jarring. Also noticed that the nicer a character is, the less their teeth are defined.

Glad manga did not go as completely off the fucking the rails about Marik's face. I never got as far as seeing him back in the day because college occurred, but I remember seeing pictures and stuff and being like, "what in the Fuck happened to that dude, I think the house style has collapsed in on itself"

Things the author Really Likes: motorcycles, belts, SHOES, holy shit the shoes. These are some of the most lovingly rendered sneakers I've ever seen. All the detail on his characters goes straight to their feet and then it's stretched upward until it forms stiff peaks. Gently fold in 3000 years of trauma and bake face down in a crumb coat of scattered mythology. Remove when you roll two zeros.

Where the fuck am I going to put the extremely large omnibus volumes of this comic I purchased in order to balance out how much I would be reading for free on the internet. I should have grasped that a three in one edition would be Thick and yet somehow I was still :O when it arrived. Have I strategically purchased volumes that contain my favorite parts, maybe, what's it to you will i eventually get the whole thing because incomplete book series gnaw on my soul? yes

Wish the transition from "I've murdered several people in delightfully karmic ways" to "all you need is friendship in your heart and cards in your hand" Yami Yugi/Pharaoh had been discussed more/transitioned better. Buddy, where did you get this approved for television high horse? Please go back to strangling people with yo-yos or at least tell me why you stopped.

I still can't tell anything that looks like a big robotic monster apart from any other big robotic monster. My dude, I can't tell cars apart, all these monsters look the same.

Yami Yugi fascinated me way more in highschool? Maybe because it was still super early and the anime was like 'we need to torture you about his origins WeEkLy. Now I'm just like 'wait hold on, can we go back to Bakura and Marik for a minute, there's some extreme unpacking to do here?' Those two are paying so much more in baggage fees here my guy wow

Violently uninterested in any of the spinoff media

[melodyalanaroster]

Miracle Romance

"Oh my god." Alana gasped with tears in her eyes. She stood in front of a large mirror and stared at herself. "I finally look like Serenity." She smiled as she left the dressing room and showed herself to Nathaniel. "You look amazing." Nathaniel smiled. Alana began to cry. “For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be like her... And now, even for a few moments... I can be her.” Tears made their way down her face as she smiled. "I guess I have to break your one rule." Nathaniel smiled. "You are not dying your hair black." Alana remarked. "I could wear a wig." Nathaniel replied. “But Nath... We talked about this...” Alana began. "I am not letting anyone else be your Endymion." Nathaniel interjected.

★

Throughout Alana's life, she had made it very clear that Sailor Moon had been a staple to her. It was a staple in the Roster family. By the time Alana reached the point of living in the Black Tower, at least four generations of the family enjoyed it. Including both primary sets of sisters, Margaret and little Ravenna.

She would play pretend with Viktor, Severina and Sam when they were children. She would always be Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity, Viktor was Tuxedo Mask and Prince Endymion, Severina was Sailor Venus and Sam was always Sailor Jupiter. The tree house in Alana's backyard was often the Moon Kingdom and they would frequently save the world. The adventures would always end with the power of love winning and the kids going into the house for a snack.

As the kids reached adolescence, they were forced to stop playing. But, their love of the anime was still prevalent. Alana always kept up with merchandise news and rumors about the release of a second anime. Lynne had made sure that Alana and Sam had their own copies of the manga, original anime and movies. Viktor happily talked about being Endymion to Alana’s Serenity until they were forced to break up. They wanted to continue the fantasy, but circumstance parted them. Severina was always happy to talk to everyone, and toss out ideas for a proper cosplay group, but Sam dampened the idea with the reminder that, as long as Viktor’s and Severina’s fathers remained in control of their lives, they’d never be allowed to do so.

When Lynne moved Alana and Sam to Amouria, things began to change. "She won't shut up about that Nathaniel guy." Viktor growled as he sat down next to Severina. “Viktor, you knew from the day one that you and Mels weren't allowed to be together. She has to find her Endymion." Severina sighed. “But seriously? aunt Lynne moves her and Sam to Amouria and they both immediately find guys they like?” Viktor complained. “You know Mels talks about other guys too. Right now, it could be Castiel, Lysander, Armin or Nathaniel.” Severina tried to make things sound better. “No, it's definitely Nathaniel. She barely mentions the others to me. Mostly about Armin playing games, Castiel being an ass, and Lysander losing his notebook. But she dotes on Nathaniel a lot.” Viktor retorted. Severina sighed. "Viktor... Do you remember what happened to Adonis and Beryl? Their envy got the best of them, they became evil and they died. Please keep a clear head.” She reasoned. "I am not like Adonis and Beryl." Viktor shot. “Viktor, I can't believe I have to be the voice of reason here. Both of our moms made it very clear that aunt Lynne, Mels and Sam have more freedom than we do. They're not blue bloods. They have to find their miracle elsewhere... Although, you and I will probably end up being paired together in an arranged marriage set up by our fathers.” She explained. Viktor thought for a couple of minutes and sighed. "I just thought..." 

The first time Nathaniel ever went into Alana's room, he instantly noticed her Sailor Moon dolls. "They're really hard to find these days... And Sailor Moon means a lot to me..." She said as she explained what the show meant to her. “It's a connection to my past, my closest friends, and my family.” She smiled. Nathaniel looked puzzled for a bit, then smiled. "That's really sweet.". He smiled. He noticed a picture of her, Sam, Severina and Viktor on a shelf and picked it up. “You all look like you’re having so much fun.” He mused. “Yeah... That’s the only time we’ve ever been able to dress up.” Alana sighed, wistfully. The kids were in makeshift Sailor Scout uniforms. Their hair wasn’t perfect, and Viktor’s tux didn’t fit right, but they didn’t care. The photo had been taken a few weeks before Cosima Chevalier’s death, and was one of the last happy memories they had as a group. “Its cute.” Nathaniel chuckled as he looked at her lovingly.

When her mother went into the hospital, Nate arranged it to where Alana and Lynne could sit and watch whatever they wanted in the room. Lynne suggested marathoning Sailor Moon. The days in the hospital weren't as bad when they watched the show and Lynne stayed stable, but there were days where not even fighting evil by moonlight could save the day. But, that didn't keep them from trying. It didn't take them long to get through all five seasons and three movies of the original anime. “I heard they're making a second anime that's supposed to be closer to the manga!” Alana attempted to be cheery. She was sure that she, Severina and Sam had told her about Crystal, but she really couldn’t think of anything positive to say.  “That's lovely! Do you know when it's set to come out?” Lynne asked. “I have no idea. I'm sure Toei will update us when they can!” Alana replied. “I hope its soon.” Lynne smiled. Suddenly, Lynne began coughing and her monitors started to go off. “NURSE! HELP!” Alana cried.

Even when Sam and Alana fought so badly that the Military and RDR felt it was necessary to create a treaty between the two organizations to prevent the sisters from ever being enemies again, it was actually their love of Sailor Moon that truly began to bring them together again. Severina had gotten wind of the fight and forced the girls to go to her house. “OW! RINI! YOU'RE HURTING MY EAR!” Alana whined. “Seriously! What the hell?” Sam whined. “I don't care if I'm hurting you two! This kind of fighting is unacceptable! You two are sisters and you know that this behavior will tear the family apart! I won't allow that!" Severina began to cry as she lead the sisters to her home theater. "What's all this?" Alana asked. "You've forced my hand, so I'm pulling out the big guns!" Severina cried as she grabbed a remote and turned on the screen. Sam and Alana looked at the menu then at each other. "Go figure." Sam grinned. "Of course." Alana grinned. The menu on the screen was the DVD menu to Sailor Moon R: The Promise Of The Rose. By the time the song “The Power Of Love” was playing, tears were streaming down the sisters' faces. "Mels." Sam began to choke. "Sam." Alana's voice wavered. They looked at each other, sadness and regret in their eyes. “Mels... I’m s-so s-sorry f-for what I-I said..” Sam sniffled. “I’m s-sorry t-too S-Sami...” Alana blubbered as she hugged Sam. “I love you.” Sam muttered as she held onto her sister. “I love you too.” Alana murmured. 

When Death’s Domain was getting set up, Alana dedicated a whole room to the series. “You’re seriously going to have an entire room dedicated to Sailor Moon?” Derek had asked. “Yes. Its going to have shelves for merch, posters, and a couch to relax on.” Alana mused. “Melody can have whatever she wants for her apartment. And, if it helps her destress, I most definitely approve.” The  Red Death announced. “Well, the majority of my collection will be in there. There’s going to be something Sailor Moon related in every room.” Alana smiled. “Of course there will be.” Derek facepalmed. “I’m not apologizing. I love Sailor Moon and I wanna showcase it in my home.” Alana laughed. “And I’m sure you’re going to do nothing but post about your collection for a while.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Obviously. Moonies have a good presence online.” Alana mused. “I thought “Moonies” were people who followed the Unification Church?” The Red Death inquired. “Yeah, they are called that, but Sailor Moon fans are also called “Moonies”. I know, in certain circles, I have to be sure to differentiate... But, its what we’re called.” Alana explained as she shrugged her shoulders. The room ended up becoming a paradise for fans of the series. Shelves filled with various collectibles, a couch decorated with two throw pillows and a blanket, a coffee table with two sets of coasters, a large rug, framed posters, plushies, moon and star lights along the walls and showering down the window and a tv mounted on one wall. In contrast to the vast majority of Death’s Domain, the room was an explosion of bright colors.

★

Nathaniel stepped into the restroom for a few minutes. Alana watched the door in anticipation. When he came out, he was running his hands along the circumference of the black wig, making sure it was in its proper place. The thought of how similar he looked to Viktor shot through her mind. She did her best to suppress that thought. "You don't even like cosplay..." She muttered as she smiled. "You do so much for me, I don't mind doing this for you." He grinned. "Nathaniel! I love you!” She cried as she wrapped her arms around him. “I knew I was going to see Princess Serenity, I didn't know Prince Endymion would be with her!” someone called from behind them. They turned around and saw Sam leaning in the doorway. “Sam! I look just like her!” Alana cried. "I wonder if I can get Ken to be Nephrite." Sam commented. “I'm sure he would be if you asked him. You two would be the perfect Jupiter and Nephrite!” Alana beamed. “I didn't know this was turning into a full on cosplay group!” Ken laughed as he walked up behind Sam. "Why not?" Sam asked. "I'm not sure Viktor would appreciate being Kunzite." Alana remarked. “He'd have to get used to it. Since Nathaniel is Endymion, that demotes Viktor to Kunzite.” Sam stated. "Right because when you guys were kids, Viktor was always Endymion." Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “Viktor has had years to accept his position in my sister's life. If he doesn't accept it, it will not end well for him.” Sam replied. "Do you think he will?" Nathaniel asked. "If he truly cares about her, he will." Sam nodded. “Viktor has known for years that our time ended long ago. Accepting his new position is painful for him, but he is well aware of the fact that it's something that he must do.” Alana explained.

A few minutes later, Renee walked into the room. “You both look magnificent! The girls and I have gotten a backdrop ready, would you two mind taking a few pictures?” She beamed. Alana smiled and turned to Nathaniel, a very hopeful look on her face. "Would you be okay with that?" She asked. Nathaniel nodded. "Sure." He grinned. They followed Renee into a room. "Oh my god! You two look utterly amazing!”, “You look beautiful Mels! Nathaniel, you look so handsome!”, “True Moon and Earth royalty!” the other girls cooed when they saw them. “I think we should do a cosplay group. I'm Jupiter and Rini will be Venus.” Sam commented when she walked in. "I volunteer to be Mercury!" Renee cheered. "I'll be Mars." Lyra smiled. "I'll be Pluto." Veronica beamed. "I don't mind being Saturn." Nora suggested. "I wonder if we could get Lucy and Noelle to be Uranus and Neptune." Sam pondered. "We could also see about getting Ravenna to be Chibi Moon." Alana proposed. “I think that would be fantastic. Who would be the rest of the Shitennou?” Lyra asked. "I could see if Armin could be Jadeite." Alana thought out loud. "Are we really setting up a cosplay group?" Nathaniel asked. Sam looked at Nath, as if he had said something really stupid. "Do you not realize how highly rated Sailor Moon cosplay groups are?" She asked. Nathaniel shook his head. “Sailor Moon cosplay groups are some of the most elite cosplayers in the anime world. Sailor Moon being one of the most iconic anime in history, it is instantly recognizable. The cosplayers take some of the most beautiful pictures, make some of the coolest videos, and even do events. They may not be unionized like Star Wars' 501st Legion, but they come together and coalesce with great ease whenever they recognize each other. Children who recognize them run up to them the same way that they do with superheroes, and typically, they are nice to them. It is a sisterhood of love and justice.” Sam explained. "Not to mention how fun it would be to finally be in one." Alana cooed. “We'd still need Zoisite.” Veronica stated. "I wonder if Derek could be him." Nora pondered. “Uh, guys? Can we please get to the photoshoot?” Renee asked impatiently. 

After posting for photos for what felt like an eternity, Nathaniel and Alana went into the changing room to get out of their cosplays. "You do look really beautiful in that." Nathaniel smiled as he took the black wig off. Alana blushed. "Do you really think so?" She asked nervously. “Of course. You look magnificent.” He blushed as he walked over to her and kissed her. “Thank you for doing this my love. It means the world to me.” Tears came to Alana's eyes as she spoke. “I love you my Melody.” Nathaniel cooed as he wiped a tear from her cheek. “I love you so much Nathaniel!” She mused as she threw her arms around him.

★

A few weeks later, in the early hours of the morning, several cars arrived at an old castle in the country. “This place looks amazing! Perfect for our photo shoot!” Alana cheered as she got out of the car. “Welcome to the Astarian Royal Palace Lady Melody!” A woman with long brown hair, sunglasses and wearing a knee length blue dress beamed as she walked up to them. “Mrs. Reynard, I presume?” Alana asked as she shook the woman's hand. “Yes ma'am. We spoke over the phone.” the woman smiled. “You are fully aware as to why we need the palace today. Am I correct?” Alana inquired. “Yes. For your little photoshoot. Cosplay, I believe.” Mrs. Reynard replied. “Yes. Sailor Moon. Its important the palace be the backdrop to this shoot.” Alana stated. “The photographer will be here in a few minutes to set up. They'll need time.” Mrs. Reynard explained. “That's fine. We need time to prepare.” Alana smiled.

After a couple of hours, the members of the group began to step out of their respective preparation rooms and into a lounge. Lynne Roster as Queen Serenity, Sam as Sailor Jupiter, Severina as Sailor Venus, Renee as Sailor Mercury, Lyra as Sailor Mars, Noelle as Sailor Uranus, Lucy as Sailor Neptune, Nora as Sailor Saturn, Veronica as Sailor Pluto, Ravenna as Small Lady Serenity, Viktor as Kunzite, Ken as Nephrite, Armin as Jadeite, Derek as Zoisite, Nathaniel as Prince Endymion and Alana as Princess Serenity. When the entire group was gathered in the lounge, tears filled Alana's eyes. “It's so beautiful!” she happily cried out. “Awe! Mels!” Severina cheered as she hugged Alana. “This was a fantastic idea!” Lynne beamed. "How long do we all need to wear this?" Armin asked, slightly uncomfortable. “Just a few hours. We're gonna get a TON of shots! ” someone replied as they walked up. It was a young woman with short platinum blonde hair, bright green eyes, and pale skin. She wore black pants, a white button up top and a deep blue beret. "You all look so regal!" She cheered. “Alright everyone, let me introduce you to you Catarina. She's a friend of mine from boarding school. She's the photographer I told you guys about!” Severina introduced. “Hello everyone! It is an absolute pleasure to meet you all!” Catherine bowed. ” Severina introduced. “Hello everyone! It is an absolute pleasure to meet you all!” Catherine bowed.

The photoshoot took several hours, and took place at various locations within the castle grounds. Lynne insisted on at least one family shot with Sam and Alana, and one with Sam, Alana, Severina, Ravenna, Ken, Nathaniel, and Viktor. “This is odd. I don't quite know the anime, but those characters aren't actually family, aren't they?” Catarina asked, curiously. “Not exactly... I mean, Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity, and Small Lady Serenity are three generations of lunar royalty, and Prince Endymion is Princess Serenity's husband and Sailor Chibi Moon's father... But, this shot isn't about the show's family. It's about their family.” Lyra explained. “Oh. That's sweet!” Catarina smiled. Alana insisted each “couple” got their own picture. Viktor wasn't too happy that his couldn't be with Alana, but he didn't mind posing with Severina. Kentin was very happy to have a romantic pose with Sam. "Nephrite and Jupiter look so fantastic!" Renee cheered. “Are you kidding? I've been wanting to do this set for a long time!” Sam beamed. “My favorite part of all of this. I hate this wig, but being your knight is worth it.” Ken mused as he looked at Sam lovingly. "This is awkward." Derek rolled his eyes when he and Renee had their turn. "Oh grow up!" Renee snapped. "Derek... You know what happens when Renee gets mad!" Alana laughed. “Yeah... She gets pretty scary.” Derek sighed. Everyone laughed as Renee forced Derek into a somewhat romantic pose. "But this is so awkward!" Derek whined. "Just do it!" Renee demanded. When their part of the shoot ended, Derek sat down and shot back a bottle of water. “That was weird. "Lyra, Armin, you're up!" Alana cheered. “Now this will be interesting! ” Ken chuckled. “And in Dragon Ball references Armin! Toei may own both franchises, but now is not the time to try to mix the two!” Sam ordered. “Awe come on! That takes part of the fun out of it!” Armin whined. “Armin, if we were doing a smaller photoshoot, I wouldn't mind a few “fun” shots. So please be more serious.” Alana urgent. "Fine." Armin sighed as he and Lyra took their places in front of the camera. 

“God that was exhausting! Who'd have thought that Cosplay would be THAT much work?” Nathaniel whined he crashed onto the living room couch at Death's Domain. "If you had cosplayed as the Winter Soldier when Armin and I cosplayed as Captain America and Black Widow at that Marvel Exhibition in High School, you would have known, first hand, A LOT sooner!" Alana shot as she crashed down next to him. "You still won't let me live that down?" He asked. "Nope." She chuckled. "Why not?" He asked. “Because Armin and I worked our asses off to do our characters justice and we were hoping you would join in on the fun. Especially considering how Natasha and Bucky get together in the comics several times, so it would have been a cute “couple's cosplay” for you and me. Not to mention how cosplay is more than just “wearing a costume”. When someone properly cosplays, they also wish to play the character, even for just a day. They temporarily escape reality and enter the one the character they're cosplaying as resides in. Weeks, months, and even years are spent building props and even hand making the items and outfits. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into it!” She explained. "I know you and Armin love it, but I don't think I could do it as often as you want to." Nathaniel sighed. “I get that. Its not for everybody. But, I'm thankful you did it for me.” Alana Mused. “I love you Alana. You always do so much for me... And it has been a long time since I've been the "prince" to your "princess." He grinned. "And I'm sure rubbing it Viktor's face added to your enjoyment.” She chuckled. "That did make it a bit more fun." He smirked. "I really wish you wouldn't antagonize him." She sighed. over you and find someone else. It's the same with Castiel. You're not going to be with him, so he needs to quit pining." He shot. "Yes, but with Castiel, you two have reached a mutual agreement, and he has angered me in such a way that I spat that truth with him." She chimed in. "Which makes the situation with Viktor worse. had your family and Severina telling him for years... Yet he insists." He huffed as he rolled his eyes. "Despite that, he is still one of my best and oldest friends. We were raised together and are still like family. Can you at least try to play nice with him?" She requested. Nathaniel looked at her annoyed. "Please! Pretty please! My sweet Endymion…” Alana begged as she playfully batted her eyes. He thought for a minute and exhaled. “Fine. ” He sighed. "Thank you." She mused. “But if he oversteps the boundaries that you and I put in place, I won't be so kind.” He stated. She cuddled up next to him and kissed his cheek. "I love you Nathaniel." She cooed. He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I love you too Alana."

★

Several weeks later, after the images from the photoshoot had been posted and gone viral, an idea came to Severina's mind. She turned to Alana and Sam and smiled. "What?" Sam asked. “What if we did a cosplay concert?!” Severina cheered. “Nope. I'm not singing.” Alana stated. “PLEASE! We could choose a song from Sailor Moon and singing it at a convention!” Severina urged. “Really? What song would we even do?” Sam asked. “What about “Moon Effect”? It's sung by all of the scouts!” Severina cheered. “Please no. I don't sing.” Alana begged. "But, you wouldn't be alone... And we can't do it without our Sailor Moon!" Sam sneered. “Honey... You're such a beautiful singer! Please!!!!” Severina pleaded. “No…” Alana muttered. “Damn it Mels! Just do it! We all know that you sing when you're alone! On top of that, Nath, Rini, Viktor, Mom and I have all been telling you for years that we all think your singing is beautiful! So, just do it!” Sam snapped. "Don't forget how your teammates think so too." Severina added. Alana thought for a few minutes and huffed. “Fine. I'll do it.” She sighed. “Huzzah! Let's do it at Comic Con!” Sam cheered. "No! That’s too big a venue!" Alana pleaded "That's why it should be done there! You'll get over your stage fright on one of the biggest stages on the Convention Circuit!" Sam explained. "My babies singing a Sailor Moon song in full cosplay? I'd love to help you with it!" Lynne cheered as she walked up to them. "Fantastic! We'll make it a family project!" Severina smiled. Alana looked around at the other women, thought for a few minutes, sighed, and sheepishly grinned. “I guess the Roster Family women are putting on a show!”

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Words cannot describe how badly I've wanted to write something Sailor Moon related to my story... 

Sailor Moon means a lot to me... It was my mom’s and my “thing”. No matter how much we fought, argued, and went at each other’s throats, we always bonded over the series. The first and last time I watched it in it’s entirety was with her just before her disease started taking its hold. She was the one who got me my first bits of merch, who was always happy to talk to me about it. The last Christmas gift I got her was a blanket with all the scouts on it, and she gave me plushies of Luna and Artemis. When mom died, Sailor Moon came to mean so much more to me. My aunt made me pendants with her ashes in them that look like the Legendary Silver Crystal, I got Pluto’s Garnet Rod tattooed on my back, and I became more adamant about collecting items. Each time I get a new item, I feel closer to her... There are times where I’ll even burst into tears because of Sailor Moon making me think of her....

Yes, I used the character sprite of Nathaniel that I edited from the Dark Chocolate Steward to make him look more like Endymion. I made his hair black, and edited his rings and earrings out.

Little tip... The bit about Adonis won't make sense unless you've read the Codename Sailor V manga.... If you’re not in the mood to read it, Adonis was a lowly Venusian soldier who was in love with his princess (Venus). Venus fell in love with Kunzite instead of him. He found her on Earth and cursed her to never be able to have love again, thus freeing more of her time up to focus on her duty as the leader of Princess Serenity’s Sailor Guardians.

This was originally going to be a Valentine's Day special for 2020. Then 2020 became the dumpster fire that it was and my real life needed more of my attention....

The majority of this does take place during the first year between University Life and Love Life. Before Nath and Alana go on their globe trotting adventure. The flashback section takes place at various points in time.

Credit goes to:

Naoko Takeuchi for Sailor Moon

@candysweetposts for the Princess Serenity Pack (seriously, thank you for going through with my request!)

@chinomiko and Beemoov for My Candy Love

[giuliafc]

Let the Masks Fall

Ao3 || FFN

Written by: JuliaFC

Beta: miraculyfe, Lots_of_free_time, unreliable_trash

Summary: No, it couldn't be! She had been so careful.  And yet, as she saw the ethereal mask appear on his face and him raising his fists to the sides of his head and screaming his lungs off, she knew she had failed.  She had broken his heart again, and if she wanted to save him, and the world too, she had to trust him. And tell him the truth.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by (c) Thomas Astruc, TS1 Bouygues, Disney Channel, Zagtoon, Toei Animation. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Written for the "Snippet July" challenge of the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server @miraculousfanworks AND for LadyNoir July @ladynoirjuly . Day 2 — Ethereal/Masks. Let me know what you think!

oOoOoOoOoOo

"Chat Noir, NO!" shouted Ladybug,  her eyes going wide in pure horror as the butterfly hit his bell. 

No. It couldn't be. It was impossible.  She had been so careful.  She had tried so hard not to fall in love with him. She had tried so hard to keep that wall that separated them, make it bigger, keep things professional. She had watched anything she said to avoid any chance that he discovered her identity.  When she desperately needed to talk to someone,  she had ended up confiding in Alya over him, even if it hurt her soul that he wouldn't be the first to know. Because she didn't want this to happen. 

And yet, as she saw the ethereal mask appear on his face and him raising his fists to the sides of his head and screaming his lungs off, ordering Papillon to leave him alone, she knew she had failed.  She had broken his heart again by working so hard to keep her distance. And she had broken her own heart too—because as much as she didn't want to admit it, she loved him. Now, as she watched him struggle to fight the voice of their nemesis in his head, she realised that she'd done it all wrong. She shouldn't have pushed him away. The words he had said to her before the butterfly hit him made her realise it. The words he was shouting at Papillon now made her realise it even better. 

"Get your filthy voice out of my head," he roared.  "She may not value me, but I'm not lowering myself to take on a deal with a monster." He growled worse than a caged lion. "You need to try harder than this, grandpa.  She rejected me too many times already; I won't fall for that!"

Every word was a knife stabbing her in her heart. She wanted to scream that it wasn't true, that she does value him, that she was trying to prevent this very thing from happening. She wanted to scream that she loved him—and not as a partner. She loved him for real, but she didn't know what to do. She was terrified that by saying anything she would disrupt things and cause his akumatisation rather than preventing it. She was afraid she would break his heart even further. 

Then she heard it. The loudest scream a human being could possibly utter. So loud that the words came out only as a whisper. A painful, terrifying whisper. 

"F-FATHER?" Chat Noir's eyes were as wide as saucers as tears started streaming from his eyes. "No, it's impossible.  Impossible!"

Ladybug died inside. Poor boy, he didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve a shock of that sort. That was too much. She could see him hesitating. She could see his determination faltering. 

"Chaton, don't listen to him.  Please stay here with me, mon minou!" She grabbed his clawed hands and squeezed them, bringing them to her mouth and placing a soft kiss on his knuckles.

"You don't understand! He's my father Ladybug! My father! Mayura was his assistant! I loved her nearly like my mother! What kind of failure superhero has two supervillains in his own house and doesn't even notice? I'm not worthy of this ring!" He put a shaky hand on top of the black ring sitting on his right ring finger and made to slide it off, but Ladybug stopped him. 

"It's not your fault, Chat Noir.  None of this is. You wouldn't have been able to know. It's his fault, not yours. And I…" She closed her eyes shut and lowered her head, pushing his hands on her forehead. "I'm sorry. It's my fault too. I… was terrified that something like this could happen if we grew closer and I kept pushing you away. I've allowed you to feel rejected and alone. To feel that you had been replaced." 

She raised her head, expecting to see a white spandex wrap around him. Expecting to see those icy blue eyes full of hate and madness that had lived in her nightmares from the day she first saw them. 

Instead, she saw black. She saw green eyes, full of tears. Papillon's mask was still covering his face, but he wasn't listening to him. He was listening to her. Ladybug gulped. She still had time. She could save him. She could save them all. But to do it,  she had to trust him.

"I... love you, chaton. Not as a partner, not as a friend. I love you for real." She saw his eyes widening in shock. Her heart in her ears, she lifted her weight on the balls of her feet and placed a soft peck on his lips that made butterflies—of the right kind—storm into her belly. "I still love the other boy too," she admitted, her hand gently stroking his cheek as a flash of pain shone in his eyes. "But this doesn't mean that the feelings I have for you aren't as strong."

She grabbed his bell and with a firm movement, she detached it from his costume. Her gaze never left his as she broke the bell, released the akuma and purified it. Then, she showed him her hand and waited patiently for the boy to get out of his stunned stupor and take it. 

"Where are we going?" he asked with a shaky voice.

"Home," she whispered back. She held his gaze as his brows furrowed into a confused frown. "My home." A timid smile popped on her lips when comprehension dawned on him. She heard him sucking his breath in and giggled.  "I'm not allowing you to go back to him. Not after what I just heard, chaton. It's time to be truthful. It's time to let the masks fall."

That said, she twirled her yoyo and plunged away, waiting for him to follow. He smirked and extended his baton, right behind her, as always.

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Author's Note:

Hi! Here's day 2! Wow, that was angsty… luckily the ending made up for it. Sorta. Hope you liked it. 

I'll be back soon, hopefully tomorrow if inspiration will strike again! In the meantime, please let me know what you thought of day 2! As you're aware, your comments are what pushes me to continue writing. I haven't forgotten my other stories, and I also haven't forgotten the promise I made to you all back in February so… keep following! ;)

[legitimateluffy]

One Piece Animation Thesis: East Blue

If you would prefer to follow via the master Google Doc, [HERE] is the link! This will be updated as we go through the arcs and is currently planned to be updated weekly!

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Whew hey everyone!

So this is the beginning of a project that I have had in the back of my mind for quite some time and finally decided to start working on. A quick rundown of what this actually is, it’s a somewhat showcase of the animation found within the main One Piece anime (so, no movies/specials/filler arcs between canon arcs etc. although that may be something I will attempt to tackle one day if this does well). This will also include some insight into the anime industry and essentially give some insight on behind the scenes and why certain decisions are made as well as giving names of the hard working animators to their respective scenes. Hopefully this whole thing will continue to give a bit of insight into the One Piece anime as I believe that it is greatly under appreciated and while criticisms of it are valid, there definitely needs to be more of an understanding as to why the anime is the way it is. This will be a long journey ahead so please bear with me! Let’s get started!

The One Piece anime, including movies and specials, is animated by Toei Animation, and they are responsible for many other famous animated properties and adaptations, including Digimon, Dragon Ball/Z/GT/Super, Sailor Moon, Toriko, Gegege no Kitaro among many others. They animate many different series and have a big load to take on. This is something that will be touched on later, because it greatly affects the anime in later years. But for now, I’ll be going through the arcs, starting with the East Blue saga. The East Blue saga is made up of episodes 1-53 (including some filler) and consists of quite actually not that many noteworthy animated scenes, even though it covers many arcs (Shells Town, Orange Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Arlong Park, LogueTown). Animation throughout this portion of the anime was quite limited, using minimal movement and taking appropriate shortcuts where necessary. Scenes are also quite hard to tell exactly who animated what due to the style consistency. There are a few noteworthy scenes though, but first I would like to introduce the rough structure of how the anime is made. An important part in animation is someone who is the character designer, someone who essentially designs the characters and in this case, attempts to replicate Oda’s style for it to be easily animated. During this part of the anime, the character designer is Noboru Kizumi who would continue to be the character designer for the anime for the next 10 or so years. These are the some of the sheets he made for the main characters:

This is something I’ll continue to showcase as we continue to go through each of the arcs, showcasing the strawhats as they pop up in the story. When the time comes, we will also compare the changes of style and why things have changed. But for now, I’ll just present the first designs.

One Piece at this stage was very cartoony and had quite a different style, especially compared to a lot of the current anime/manga at the time and it still continues to have a distinctive style to this day. Following these sheets allows for a good sense of continuity, which is very important with anime. If anyone out there attempts to draw something without looking at a reference, it’s not going to look quite as well as we want it to. So in using a reference, we can have a better grasp as to how the character looks from certain angles, heights compared to other characters, facial expressions and more.

In order to keep these characters looking somewhat similar so as to not disrupt the viewer’s experience by seeing jarring styles, someone works as a Chief Animation Director. They aim to ensure that characters remain consistent throughout the episode, and that they are on model. So, how is this achieved? Well, we’ll have a look at the process on how something is conceptualised and then put to screen. 

Initially, a script is conducted. Going through the manga, people take what is deemed necessary material and put it into script format. It is important to note that as the anime and manga continue to go on for years, the gap between the anime and manga release shortened significantly, resulting in pacing issues. Keep this in mind for later as this is something I plan to touch on. Then a storyboard is created, having very rough lines in order to convey what is to be created. Here is an example:

A good storyboard can make or break an episode, as it dictates angles, how long scenes linger on screen, etc. Once the storyboard has been decided on, the animating can begin. Scenes are appointed to animators, where they create something called Genga. This is done on paper, similar to how it’s done in other parts of the world. Here are some examples of older Genga:

Even though times have changed and anime has become digital, with some animators now exclusively animating digitally, the anime industry still uses Genga, using paper and pencil to create their scenes. Here are some examples of newer Genga:

Once the Genga has been created, the Chief Animation Director will go in and correct what is necessary to ensure that the style remains consistent. Others may also help participate in this process, such as an Animation Supervisor. Here is an example of a Genga being corrected to ensure that it remains consistent in style:

In doing something like this, some animators can animate great action and keep their lines rough to save time, and an Animation Supervisor can clean it up and make it look good. After this has been completed, the Genga is then made into what is called Animation Cels. This is not exclusive to Japan, as for decades this is a process that has been used. This is a transparent sheet that had the lines and colours painted on, and is then photographed over painted backgrounds. Yeah...A long and dubious process indeed. This is not common place anymore due to how time consuming it is, and with the rise of digital, creating colours, effects, filters and backgrounds are much faster and easier to accomplish. Here are some examples of One Piece animation cels:

I would have much preferred to share cels directly from the anime itself and not the movies but they are quite difficult to come across and have more than likely been sold off from Toei long ago. But they will suffice, as it gives a good idea as to what they look like.

But voila! Animation has been created! All that’s left is music, sound effects and voice over and you’ve got yourself an anime. Wonderful. Easy right? Yeah, not exactly. All of this takes time and patience. And this is something that needs to be remembered. Time. A very important keyword in the animation industry and a lot more important than the word budget that likes to get thrown around. Due to One Piece being a long running weekly series, the animators have a lot less time than, say, My Hero Academia or Demon Slayer, two very prominent seasonal anime. These series do not have more money shoved into them, more budget, than One Piece that results in higher quality and consistent animation, a problem the One Piece anime definitely faces further down the road. Here’s an example:

Michelangelo is one of the most famous artists of all time, due to his remarkable attention to detail in his works present in the High Renaissance period. One of his most famous works is the Statue of David, an incredible piece of work that was worked on for 3 years. However, if you were to tell him to replicate it but say, give him a month, he’s not going to get anywhere near the same results as the piece where he spent 3 years on. It would be quite rough around the edges, and quite rushed. No matter how much money you throw his way, he still won’t be able to get anywhere close to those results. And this is the same with any artist, including animation. This is a big misconception in the anime community, and that is that as long as you throw money at people, they’re going to end up creating incredible works, regardless of the poor time management. That is just not how it works.

This does seem like quite a ramble, and it’s already quite long prior to even reaching the main aspect of this whole project, in which I showcase animators, but this is important background information that needs to be understood prior to delving in. With that very long introduction, let’s now get to showcasing animators!

Some of the animators that were present on many early One Piece episodes include: 

Kazuya Hisada, Masahiro Shimanuki, Naoki Tate, Jin Inaba, Tadayoshi Yamamuro. Please note, there are many others involved animating wise, but these are some key names, and ones that will develop and evolve as the years go on.

Kazuya Hisada is someone who will pop up later and fulfil a more important role in the series, but in the early days he created some great scenes with some snappy timing, while using lines to help convey impact. He is found throughout early One Piece, however due to the limited animation and consistent style thanks to Noboru Kizumi, he can be difficult like most during this era to spot.

Hideaki Maniwa is more prominent in his animation, being more pronounced due to his camera movement on his characters. He uses subtle smears usually on impact to further enhance the idea that whoever is being hit, is being hit HARD. He also created the most animated piece of early One Piece in episode 23 where he creates seemingly natural movement of the background of the ship and water, making the sea feel powerful and heavy. 

So what have we learnt so far. 

Well, there is a lot of hard work that goes into the production of an anime series, and that is no different with One Piece. Early episodes for the most part had not too many interesting scenes animation wise, and the animators essentially got the work done in order to produce and release the series week to week. It will continue to be a bit of a slow start, with arcs like Alabasta and SkyPiea being similar in the regard of not many noteworthy scenes however, we can begin to see the cracks of emerging stars and evolving styles that will later become staples within the series. 

This is it to the first of what is hopefully a long and engaging project! So far it has been quite a read and very lengthy and I apologise for that. Hopefully from here on out we should be able to successfully get through more animators and styles become more distinct and animation continues to evolve. Next up I intend to cover Alabasta.

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A massive thank you to everyone who has participated and uploaded at Sakugabooru! Without it, I would not have been able to make nearly as much as I have without all the hard work in identifying and tagging animators’ work! Most of the footage used to showcase these animators has come from there! I simply just turned the videos into gifs for an easier showcase.

I would also like to issue a big thank you to Animators Corner! The staff listing really helped me in determining who worked on what episode to identify animators and their works!

[jippy-kandi]

Digimon Adventure: 2020 – Episode 46: The Sword Of Hope (Review)

Thoughts on the forty-sixth episode of the Digimon Adventure reboot series.

I think this was a pretty decent episode . . .?

Sora and Mimi’s reaction to Jou almost vomiting was funny. :)

But how exactly does an obviously green ball (Sephirothmon No. 6) look like a Moon, Jou? :P

Sephirothmon sucks up and traps Taichi, Yamato, Koushirou and Takeru inside its “eye”. And Yamato is really not overprotective of Takeru, lol. Takeru is obviously a little bruised - and OG Yamato would 100% be fussing over him. But reboot Yamato is just: You OK bro? :) lol. This isn’t a critique - I just think the difference is funny. :P

Sora: “Taichi! Taichi, do you hear me?! Yamato! Koushirou-kun! Please answer me!” I just like that Sora has uttered Yamato’s sweet, sweet name again. Do it more often, please. :3

Tailmon: “Sephirothmon only watches. Copies are created from the battle memory etched within the trapped Digimon. And these copies attack the prey.” The copies of Digimon being created within Sephirothmon for trapped Digimon to battle was super interesting. It’s a neat idea and I really dug the atmosphere it created for the trapped kids. It’s far more interesting and creative than a fucking racing circuit (no, I’m still not over that complete waste of an episode). :P

Yamato: “So to sum it up, they’re just poorly-made fakes.” Yamato is so succinct. If I were an 11-year-old girl, I’d be crushing madly. Right, Sora? UwU

So. Many. Evolutions. XD; They should make them quicker or spread them out more!

Awww, it was kinda nice to see Ogremon vs Greymon again. I guess that episode was one of the better ones for me to think this . . . back when Toei still had some quality. :)

lol, Sora’s face is so cute in that one frame like: :c

In lieu of Koushirou and Tentomon, Tailmon is the designated info dump bot. :D

Angemon’s voice still kills me every time. X_x He honestly sounds like Taichi smoked 1000 cigarettes.

It was pretty neat to see a bunch of the kids’ past enemies - like a flashback episode but with actual plot! :D

Sephirothmon copying the trapped Digimon’s attacks and using it on the outside Digimon was pretty cool.

The animation for Angemon vs Devimon fighting was super funny, though. XD;

So we learn that Devimon was born from Angemon’s “darkness” . . . this is really interesting, but should have been revealed when Devimon was still alive and an active threat? lol.

Takeru runs funny, too, just like his older bro! :D

Angemon being turned "dark” was super cool and creepy. I dug it.

But Takeru being super brave is . . . yawn. It would’ve been a different story had he acted like an actual child at the beginning of the adventure, so there was growth - and it would’ve paid off here with immense bravery. But nope! Takeru’s journey has been a straight line of courage. He’s just consistently brave. So what did we expect here? The same thing, of course. YAWN.

Devimon to Takeru: “Why do you not run? Why do you not fear?” Because this little boy has the Crest of Courage! :D . . . Whatever the fuck a Crest is. :D

Takeru: “I trust you . . . Angemon!” Angemon: “So do I . . . No matter how deep I fall into the darkness, if you’re with me . . . I can fly!” Takeru: “Angemon!” Angemon: “Shadow, let me tell you one thing. Just as how you are indestructible, the light of hope will never disappear as well!” Good enough for an Ultimate evolution - and better than what preceded Yamato’s Mega evolution, lol. So I’m cool with HolyAngemon happening here. :P

So, the giant elephant in the room: HolyAngemon destroys Sephirothmon’s “eye”, but . . . why didn’t WarGreymon and/or MetalGarurumon? Taichi and Yamato just didn’t care to use their Mega evolutions? Oh, how convenient! :P

I liked that this episode had some relevance to the actual plot and wasn’t just complete filler like last week’s episode. So, to me, it was better by default. :P

Next week appears to be Taichi-centric - which I’m fine with, since he’s taken the backseat for a while now. The scarecrow looks interesting. We’ll see how it turns out! (Probably another disappointment. :D)

But this series has 20 episodes left (if the number 66 is indeed accurate) - so it really needs to get a move on with all the other kids’ alternate evolutions (if they will even have them . . .) and Mega evolutions! :c

[nimedhel09]

SDBH commentary - episode 31 (SPOILERS AHEAD)

And we're back baby!

Well, not really, I'm still sick, still out of it, but I'm kind of alive, so let's go for a SDBH episode.

As always, it'll be more ranting about stuff and random commentary than anything else.

- I think Fuu's new design is growing on me, lol

- I LOVE SS4 Vegito. I love SS4 period.

- Bluper Saiyan is overrated and needs to die. SS4 SUPREMACY!

- And we're moving!

- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!! He's comiiiiing! My evil legendary saiyan husbandooooo!

- Ok, but WTH is this animation? I hate it. Also Broly's face is weird. It's not its beautiful self. It looks all round and weird and stuff. Even his body is kind of weird? Like there's something off with they way they drew his muscle?

- OMG! SS4 Broly. I LIVE and I LOVE. (I'm a Broly fangirl, can't you tell?)

- Waiting for him to destroy the heck out of the protagonists and basically everyone present in this weird place. Though I'd be happy to see some BLOOD, thank you.

- I hate this fight.

- Fuu being ignored and going back to his nefarious plans.

- What is happening?

- Ah we see a bit of the baddies: Turles and scientist-guy (I can't be bothered to recall his name) and oh? Poor Cumber being imprisoned in that thing and looking at... Hearts?

- Hearts who, btw, got a glow-up, design-wise. He looks prettier this way, LOL.

Aaaaaand that's the episode?

Like, we barely go a fight. I didn't enjoy Broly destroying the heroes or anything, I'm still confused of what Demigra is doing here (ISN'T HE SUPPOSED TO BE A BADDIE????? SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME), as is nearly always the case in Super and Super-adjacent media (outside of the ToP ark and the DBS Broly film), the fights and most of the animation and just the way the characters are drawn are poopy, power scaling is a MESS, and the plot? How to say this? It's also a big old mess and I don't know why I keep on inflicting this to myself (I know why: SS4, the xeno crew and seeing old baddies make their comebacks, plus Cumber... yes, I'm not even sorry to say that I have a thing for big saiyans - be they evil or not, looking at you DBS Broly - , ok?).