#People have been stabbed like that in Tsubasa and DIED from it

[completeoveranalysis]

[1]

Chapitre 210 - The Words One Would Like To Know

FLASHBACK TO PIFFLE ARE YOU KIDDING ME

PERFECT 10/10 

GIVE ME EVERYTHING I COULD EVER WANT AT THE SADDEST POSSIBLE MOMENT

SYAORAN CONTINUE TO REMINISCE THROUGH HIS HAPPY MEMORIES THROUGH THE VARIOUS ARCS IN TSUBASA

AND HERE WE HAVE HIM BONDING WITH FAI AS THEY SERVE LUNCH

Specifically when they first meet Tomoyo

And SPECIFICALLY AFTER THAT ONE CONVERSATION FAI MENTIONED JUST A FEW CHAPTERS AGO, WHERE FAI HAD A GENTLE TALK WITH HIM ABOUT NOT BLAMING YOURSELF FOR EVERYTHING AND JUST DOING WHAT YOU CAN

HOW I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT THE FACT THAT THIS WOULD BE THEIR LAST BIG 1on1 BONDING MOMENT BEFORE SYAORAN’S SOUL WARRANTY RAN OUT

AND FROM THE WAY THINGS ARE GOING THEIR LAST BIG BONDING MOMENT EVER

AHHHHHH I am compacting myself into a cereal box of emotion

OK OK OK LIKE LAST TIME Syaoran’s outfit matches the same colours in the same locations as Fai, and both have matching expressions as they look toward centrepage

Oh the splash text! What’s it say. 

The bitterness, the pain, 

That person changed it all,

Into kindness

YUP SENDING MYSELF IN A CEREAL BOX TO MOON

THE THINGS SYAORAN SAW AS POSITIVE TRAITS IN HIS DADS

THE WAY HE LOOKED UP TO THEM AND LEARNED HOW TO BE LIKE THEM

How Kurogane’s reliance on strength and Fai’s outward positivity were a type of trauma response, a flaw they had to grow around and overcome, BUT THEY WEREN’T NEGATIVE TRAITS TO SYAORAN. HE LIKED THEM AS PEOPLE THE WHOLE TIME.

AND THEY JUST WATCHED HIM GET STABBED. 

[sakuraswordly]

Sonic: The future I saw…without a doubt. It will happen and there's no more time. Even so… I want to change the future that I've seen in both Punch and golden king's dreams.

This video is my third-hand drawing animation

※※Other characters belong to their respective owners and original creators.(Punch Whalen Character Design by @PunchSakura)

What's make Sonic VS Punch in Tsofph Season 9(Final judgement) will become memorable(not Epic) more than any seasons as my(@sakuraswordly) opinion [@sakuraswordly: This battle is quite difficult to write about because this is not only fighting because of different factions or different thoughts but fighting both physically and mentally. Sonic knows he can't defeat her. But he still can fight equally, although Punch is smarter than him.]

"Oh, you're freaking crazy, hate me, love you breakin' bottles on the pavement. Just to watch them crash"

<=I can't believe "Vandalize my heart" also connect to this. That's sentence

.

.

Eagle: Your manners are also perfect. As expected from a Speed-of-sound gentleman hedgehog.

Sonic: You did meet "Punch". Am I right?

Eagle: ............Yes. You have the means by which you came to this world. But without that, you still understand us and be able to travel across time and space by yourself. This power can only be used by the average person once, but you can use it multiple times. If I had to guess, you and King Gilgamesh did hold the same level of power.

Sonic: ................

Eagle: You like to call yourself a connoisseur. You are shown to be an isolationist and slightly antisocial as the kind of person "that needed a lot of privacy," preferring to be alone either by napping, looking at the horizon, or going on an adventure alone.

Sonic: You don't have to guess. Golden King and I are really the same. We came back to the country of infinity to find a way to save both Punch and Peter.

Eagle: Huh...Did you join the chess tournament intending to win the prize?

Sonic: That is one of my reason.

Eagle: .............your reason? So you already know what a special prize is.

Sonic: Yes. That prize was once made by Edalyn Clawthorne and Raine Whispers. A magic that can stay in freeze time or nothingness and can accept another soul or switch a soul.

Eagle: Why are you want to switch a soul?

Sonic: I saw Kujaku take my body and turn me into some kind like mecha Sonic. My soul will be destroyed if I don't do something. It is just like when Mecha Sonic planned to transfer his mind into my body in the past.

Eagle: King Gilgamesh also said the same to me that his only reason for him keep travelling was to stop Kujaku. This special prize, King Gilgamesh was also part of making this. You already knew this too. Then may I ask again, do you want to be separated that badly from those people?

Sonic: Yes.

Eagle: Even though you lied to your friends? You are not the type that loves to lie.

Sonic: It's good for them to not let them know...after all I am also responsible for what I was born into this world. I just don't want both Shadow and Amy to protect me and hurt themself. I can't watch them get hurt because of me. They had been through long enough.

Eagle: And Syaoran?

Sonic: .........Kujaku sent Exeller to kill Syaoran. A long time ago Kujaku sent Fei Wang Reed to kill Syaoran and he did use Fai's curse as a purpose. I can't let Exeller know what I had known so I need to lie to Syaoran too.

Eagle: Long ago when the "Syaoran" 's group came to this world. The princess saw the future from her dream and change the future. The future Lantis saw, after the last battle that "Fai" man stabs the princess and she dies. He kills his two friends.

Eagle: You and Princess had the same future vision.

Sonic: Just beginning not expert as much as Sakura and Chester. Thanks to Syaoran's memories.

Eagle: Then came back to this question again. Why are you want to switch a soul so badly?

Sonic: I want Punch to take my role.

Eagle: Because you're a non-human?

Sonic: No. Because my Human vessel already paid a price to save Cosmo. I saw Cosmo die to fulfil her destiny to stop the Metarex and save the universe. Rouge told me that Cosmo's species evolve into trees at some point in their lifetimes, implied to be the form they must assume to birth children. Immediately afterwards they will die unless sustained by the energy of a Planet Egg.

Sonic: That time made me realise that we can change the future. Even Mephiles killed me and Elise confidently puts out the Flames, eliminating Solaris from existence once and for all. I still believe that the future can be changed. That's why I want to believe in Punch. I believe that she can change the future and make things right like me.

Dhaos: You are not being serious right?

Yuko: Certainly in the future, you are choosing... You will be "alone". But it will not be the same as experiencing "Loneliness". Are you will willing to take that chance?

Sonic: Yes. I won't let such a thing happen!

Connect to this:

Sonic said "That's why I will believe you to the very end", Sonic had the ability to read people's hearts and now he has the ability to see someone else's memories. Sonic saw Punch and Gilgamesh's future vision. Sonic is an honest type and very honest and respectful to friends and important people. Sonic won't betray Punch no matter how villain Punch is because Punch, Sonic and Danny make a friendship like a promise they made together. In Tsofph Season 11(Chapter 1 Secret Truth of the Past), Punch and Peter turn back time and continue to the present with King Gilgamesh so they are behind in saving Sonic too. In Tsofph Season 8, Sonic finally remembered even when he was in the Babylonian era. Punch and King Gilgamesh had done so much for keeping him safe and exist. Sonic felt so bad that he can't be able to help them, especially King Gilgamesh, who always ran and hid behind him. Until Tsofph Season 8(Story of Daily Life), Sonic met Punch in her younger version. Sonic decide to save Punch from her sadness like what he did to Shadow and Velvet.

Sonic: Her saddest is too strong. I feel so heavy...I did one fight with Shadow but Punch is different from Shadow. We shared the same existence, not appearance. Only Punch and I can see the lines of death. I can't win against her because she's too smart. Even Tails gave me some advice, I can't win against her! No! I won't let my despair take control of me again like that time when Dark Oak did that to me. I am the only one that can save her now. I need to trust myself. If Daniel was here, he would want me to stop her too even no matter how much Daniel hates this world as much as Punch do. "Punch" always helps me. And even this Punch wants to help me in her own way. Although she knew that darkness would overwhelm her heart and never return. At least this will save her...I had experience from fight Metal Sonic and Mecha Sonic. Eggman tried to train me, he tried to teach me to fight on my own. All the evil plans he trained me on. He knew that one day I would fight Punch. The robot or Shadow can also imitate his moves and achieve speeds matching and even exceeding my own even those robots had hearts. That is why he continued his evil plan to train me. Now I know how to save her. It's my kindness.

Conversation Source: tumblr.com/sakuraswordly

"Oh, you're freaking crazy, hate me, love you breakin' bottles on the pavement. Just to watch them crash"

Sonic called Punch "Naughty". Punch loves to break the rules and do something that people won't do like Sonic. Punch's heart is also very complicated. She both loves and hates at the same time for no reason. In some instances, Sonic is shown to be an isolationist and slightly antisocial as he is the kind of person "that needed a lot of privacy," preferring to be alone either by napping, looking at the horizon, or going on an adventure alone for a few minutes or for over six months; ignoring his friends when engaging in conversation or going on an adventure themselves to a location he was too. Also, Sonic is a nature lover, seeing as he preferred to be outdoors than indoors and takes the time to smell the flowers and enjoy life the same way Punch did as well.

What is a memory bottle? A memory jar is a popular and meaningful memorial idea that celebrates the memories you shared with your departed loved one. This project is not only a tribute to a loved one's life and legacy. It also serves as a source of comfort to the grieving family as they get to read and treasure all the important memories

In Tsubasa of Phantasia, "breakin' bottles on the pavement. Just to watch them crash" Memories that Punch wants to throw away her happy memories and abandon the happiness that she creates to move forward. But Sonic is deleting all sadness and moving forward to a bright future.

Yep! Punch's weakness is Sonic himself, his kindness, pure and childish. Sonic's heart can't grow. He will remain as a child, an innocent child forever no matter how traumatic he had been through. The whole reason why Punch chooses to protect him is that he won't change his heart and is always honest, unlike any lives that she met including herself. (And that's the whole reason why everyone in real life loves Sonic I guess.) So in this fight, Sonic absolutely win as always.

[woolishlygrim]

Winter Weebwatch #3

I feel a little bad for giving out so many two and three star scores, so I should probably clarify that three stars is meant to be ‘generally pretty good’ and two stars is meant to be ‘watchable but very flawed.’ We’re not working on IGN metrics here.

Also, this week is the week I finally drop a show! What could it be, what could it -- it’s Plunderer. Of course it’s Plunderer. I couldn’t get all the way through this week’s episode and life’s too short to bother watching any more of it.

Also also, while In/Spectre hasn’t been dropped, it gets subbed so late that I’m skipping it this week and rolling this week’s episode over to next week’s post.

ID: Invaded.

★★★★☆

God, why was this show relegated to the Death Season, Where Anime Goes To Die? For three weeks running now, ID: Invaded has stood head and shoulders over all of its competitors, and while there’s always the possibility it could collapse in under its own weight, it so far seems to be going pretty strong.

So episode four (again, see remarks about how one and two aired in the same week) sees Sakaido and the team in a race against the clock to catch the Gravedigger, a serial killer who traps people into enclosed spaces with just a few oxygen canisters and livestreams their struggles, showing the world their final moments and even continuing the livestreams to show their bodies decaying. The Gravedigger has kidnapped a new victim, and for the first time left enough cognition particles behind for Sakaido to dive into his mental world.

Whereas previous episodes have focused heavily on the mystery angle, this episode largely focuses on the stress the case puts on Sakaido and the team. The Gravedigger’s world is a uniquely dangerous mess of fire, explosions, and shifting architecture, and Sakaido dies again and again as he struggles to find any evidence of the Gravedigger’s identity.

Much like the last episode, this would sit at a solid three stars, being a fairly engaging and somewhat harrowing story of Sakaido and the team putting themselves under immense stress to save a victim. What boosts it up to four stars is the moment where the writers pull the rug out from under the characters and the audience: The Gravedigger they’re hunting is only a copycat of the real Gravedigger, and his victim has been dead for days, the ‘livestream’ actually a recording.

The episode also hints at a bigger role for the Perforator in future, as the team attempts to use him as a back-up detective, Akaido, only to find out he’s ill-suited for the role.

Pet.

★★★☆☆

Pet was so close to a four star rating this week. So close. 

So, this week’s episode continues an unclear amount of time after the last week’s episode, with Hiroki and Tsubasa having bought a fish store (as in a pet store that sells live fish and naught else, not a fishmonger’s), which Hiroki believes means they can stop doing work for the shady Committee -- only for Tsubasa to inform him that the Committee paid for the store in the first place, but not to worry, he’ll do all their jobs, and Hiroki doesn’t have to do any of them.

So this episode is … moderately upsetting, actually. Intentionally so.

The bulk of the storyline, in which Tsubasa alters a bodyguard’s memory so that he’s compelled to murder one of his boss’ friends, isn’t what’s upsetting about it, although it does deal with some sensitive subjects, namely domestic abuse and the objectification of vulnerable people. No, what’s upsetting is that, like with last week’s story about Hiroki and Tsubasa altering the memories of a couple, this one also harks back to Hiroki and Tsubasa’s relationship -- specifically, that Tsubasa is emotionally abusing Hiroki.

We get hints of this early on, when Tsubasa is deliberately vague about whether he’ll psychically synchronise with Satoru, another character who, at least in Hiroki’s mind (although evidently not in Satoru’s), is something of a romantic rival. As the episode wears on, Tsubasa goes about his work, while Hiroki, left alone at the fish store, begins showing his immaturity by acting out with his powers before eventually becoming sullen and unresponsive. All of that wouldn’t be enough to indict Tsubasa as being abusive, except in the final scene, as Katsuragi snidely remarks that their new store will never be successful and Hiroki will have to return to a life of crime, Tsubasa mildly returns that he knows it won’t be successful, and he knows it will hurt Hiroki, but that’s just part of ‘taking care of a pet.’

Aaaand we get our title, with all of the unpleasant implications of how Tsubasa views the much more immature and emotionally vulnerable Hiroki.

This episode would have scraped a four star score, but the early parts of the story are a bit too fast paced and a bit incoherent. That really was the only thing holding this absolute gutpunch of an episode back.

Bonus points to the episode that the thing that prompts Hiroki to act out with his powers is seeing a woman’s domineering and callous boyfriend, implying that he is at least somewhat aware of what Tsubasa is like.

Honestly, when this show started I was not expecting a meditation on the subject of abusive relationships, but here we are, and I’m down for it.

Darwin’s Game.

★☆☆☆☆

Oh my god, I just watched it. I just watched it, guys, and I don’t remember even the tiniest bit of it. Am I crazy? Is this what crazy feels like? It’s like I’m blotting the show out of my memory.

I remember something to do with plants and that’s … that’s actually the only thing I remember about this episode.

I don’t even think Darwin’s Game is bad (although let’s be honest, how would I know), it’s just not really anything. It has somehow hit that sweet spot between good and bad where it just fails to make any kind of impact at all, and my brain just interprets it as background noise and proceeds to flush all data pertaining to it.

I might drop it just because this has got to be getting boring for anyone reading these reviews by now. Watching this show is like a sneak peek of suffering from dementia. 

And yet, I still know for a fact it’s better than Plunderer, so it gets one star.

Plunderer.

☆☆☆☆☆ (DROPPED)

Aaand I’m out.

Look, after the shitshow that was the first episode, I should have dropped it straight away. I gave it a chance, and the second episode convinced me that, hey, maybe this wouldn’t be so terrible, maybe the first episode was just an outlier.

The first episode was not an outlier. Episode three isn’t entirely sexual assault and sexual harassment, but about twelve minutes in it does segue into an extended sequence of exactly those things, getting worse with each passing minute. I got up to fourteen minutes, the point at which a supporting character was cheering on the protagonist to sexually assault someone, before I just couldn’t stomach watching anymore.

This show could be the most interesting, engaging, thought-provoking thing on television, and the constant sexual assault would still make me drop it. Luckily, even if you take out all the sex crimes, all you’d get is a show that was basically okay at best.

So zero stars for Plunderer, and I’m dropping the show. To be perfectly honest, I should have dropped it after episode one. 

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen.

★★★☆☆

Onto more pleasant news, man, I just don’t know what’s up with Sorcerous Stabber Orphen’s pacing. Having proceeded at a truly glacial pace for the first two episodes, this episode caps off the entire current story arc, bringing it to an abrupt close.

Now in the company of his old mentor Childman and a task force of sorcerers, Orphen tracks down the dragon-ified Azalie, attempting to reason with her, only for Childman to stab him and eviscerate Azalie. In the aftermath, however, Orphen realises that he’s been played: The dragon he thought was Azalie was actually Childman, and the person he’s been thinking of as Childman is actually Azalie.

So, that was a weird twist. It’s not, in fact, completely out of the left field. The episode sets up early on that Azalie was skilled not only in elemental Black Sorcery, but also in telepathic White Sorcery, and that she should have access to those spells even as a dragon, something which is cause for concern because nobody in the task force has White Sorcery, including Childman. Later on, the confrontation with Dragon-Azalie (Drazalie, if you will), has a character call attention to how she hasn’t used any White Sorcery since the battle started. So when it’s eventually revealed that Azalie did, in fact, use White Sorcery, secretly swapping her mind with Childman’s and letting him die in her place, it actually fits together in quite a neat fashion. 

The episode ends without any real hint as to where the story is going to go next: Azalie escapes in Childman’s body, and Orphen is still an exile from the Tower of Fangs, and there aren’t any other pressing story threads, so I guess we’ll see.

Infinite Dendrogram.

★★☆☆☆

This is the second week in a row that I’m giving Infinite Dendrogram two stars, and it actually physically pains me to do so, because I really like this series. I think apart from ID: Invaded, it’s my favourite anime this season, by quite a significant margin.

But nothing at all happens in this episode.

Okay, that’s only half true. The episode opens with the Player-Killers roaming around Altar having all been killed, which journalist (that’s literally her character class, which I kind of love as a concept) Marie Adler says was the work of just the four ranked players. One by one, she shows the main cast a video of each one taking out a clan of Player-Killers in their own unique way: Arena gladiator Figaro takes his targets out one by one, sadistically toying with them before striking the killing blow; cult priestess Tsukuyo uses magic to immobilise her targets, before letting her cult skewer them one by one; martial artist Lei Lei takes them out in a surprisingly friendly and sporting fashion; and the King of Destruction, whose identity is unknown and definitely not Ray’s big brother, definitely, absolutely, just levels the entire forest his targets are hiding in.

I … do see the necessity of introducing them. The Superiors are basically this show’s Gotei 13, or Gold Saints, or Hashira, or <Insert Group Of Loosely Allied Big Tough People That Are In Every Post-Saint Seiya Shounen Anime> here. There are, however, more interesting ways this could have been done than having the characters watching four videos of fights they already know the outcome to.

For example, what if, instead, you had an episode setting up the characters all getting trapped in different areas, pursued by higher level Player Killers, only for them each to be saved by a Superior. That would actually have some tension and dramatic stakes, and it’d be a much more dynamic way of introducing them. 

[cantusecho-archive]

(Episode 11.

Awwwwww, shiiiiiiiiizz, it’s time for the apocalypse.)

Okay! This episode starts out immediately with a battle between Enki and Shem-Ha back before the Curse of Balal was implemented. So we get our first good look at what Enki looked like, along with Shem-Ha.

There’s not much revealed in this fight, in terms of dialogue at least (since more of the reason they’re fighting and conflict is spoken about later) but what is shown is Shem-Ha changing the matter of Enki’s body.

So basically, his whole body was about to turn silver, but to save his own life, he cut off his hand, which is the origins of where Airgetlam came from.

And from here, Enki proceeds to basically shank Shem-Ha to death, though she also managed to stab him as well. This honestly leads right back to the very first scene in the very first episode as he’s talking about activating the “network jammer” (aka the curse) so yeah.

He keeps apologizing to Fine’, though not exactly sure why yet. I’m assuming he was the one she was in love with? I’ve seen people say it was Shem-Ha, since according to what’s she’s based on, her name is a hidden word for “God”. But I still think Fine’ possibly was in love with Enki instead? And so if he’s apologizing, maybe it’s because he knew activating the Curse of Balal wouldn’t make Fine’ happy?

Since it’s well-known that Fine’ didn’t like the curse at all and she probably didn’t even know the reasons why it was activated. She talks about falling in love with “God”, building a staircase to reach him (the Tower of Babel) before it was struck down. Maybe she thought this was some sort of betrayal by him? Like, Enki didn’t explain his actions to Fine’ (as to why he was apologizing) and died before even getting another word out since activating the curse was his last action. Maybe it was based off a misunderstanding as to why she was angry and merely wanted to get rid of the curse without knowing the full story as to why it was implemented. But again, that is explained later.

Come to find out that this whole flashback was part of Maria’s dream as she wakes up on the Lunar Ruins along with Tsubasa.

During the midst of their conversation, and attempting to find the others, Airgetlam begins to react to the ruins.

So basically, the ruins are attacking everyone else but Tsubasa and Maria, more than likely due to Airgetlam and the ruins recognizing it as Enki.

Now what happens in between here is fights with Chris/Hibiki and Kirika/Shirabe dealing with those same strange little enemy things that they dealt with at the South Pole in the first episode. 

Now this technically isn’t important but I feel like I have to say it; I am LOVING the dynamics/interactions of Chris and Hibiki this season. 

Just something about how supportive and reassuring Chris has been to Hibiki this season (while Hibiki herself is attempting to take everything in stride despite her head being “a mess”) is just something really small that I’m enjoying a lot. I think it really shows how far they’ve come as individual characters and as teammates/friends. 

Chris being supportive this season, I think, has been great because after literally going through quite a good bit of personal pain/trauma in the past four seasons, to see her being happy and satisfied with where her life is now is clear as day to me and makes me proud of her.

Hibiki being able to keep a level head despite her constant worry about Miku is also showing how much she’s managed to grow over the seasons/years. I am sure it’s hard NOT to think about everything that’s going on, but I’m sure she also knows that if she doesn’t keep a level head, she won’t be able to help anyone effectively enough. At least, that’s how I’m seeing it, haha. But anyway, this wasn’t plot related to the episode, it’s just something I’ve noticed over the course of XV and wanted to say I loved it.

NOW IF THEY GET SOMETHING NEXT WEEK TOGETHER I WILL SCREAM, BUT I WILL ALSO TALK ABOUT THAT LATER AND SAY WHY I THINK THIS LOL.

But now comes a scene I love yet find really uncomfortable all at once haha. It shows Shem-Ha again, speaking about how the roots of Yggdrasil has managed to make its way all the way down into the Earth’s core. But before she could finish speaking, she starts lightly shaking.

This is the sign of Miku still fighting and struggling within, which makes me sooooo so happy, I can’t even begin to explain. It’s been so long, since episode 6 technically, since we’ve heard from ACTUAL Miku. I was thrilled to see she was still there, fighting for control. However, this is still terrifying. Shem-Ha tells her that she’s the one that let her in due to Miku’s frustrations of not being able to communicate properly. It’s manipulation, one that plays on Miku’s struggles and emotions the talk with people. 

Even Miku realizes what she’s hinting at, simply because she knows how hard it is to tell people how she feels. Miku has been struggling with this for years, well before S1 E1 (aka right after the whole concert incident I am sure) and she knows this but...she doesn’t agree with Shem-Ha’s way of reasoning (nor would she accept a God inside her body for that reason).

It’s scary when you’re fighting within your own body for control over a literal God/Annunaki, and I think Miku has every right to be scared and feel the way she does. But even before Shem-Ha says this, Miku was still fighting and I also think that shows her inner strength or determination. 

(Note: I read this as there being hope for Miku, regardless of what people say. I also know that Hibiki’s dream where Miku is saying she’d want Hibiki to stop her if it comes down to it, but that could also mean saving her too. Miku’s questions in the first episode;

Miku: Would you save me if I was in trouble? Hibiki: Of course, I’d be speeding to save you, Miku! Miku: Then what if I was the one causing issues for others? Hibiki: ...?

I think the current situation fits both of them. Miku is in trouble, and yet despite it being against her will, she’s also causing issues for others. Now again, I don’t think she meant this in any other way besides her constant guilt for what she did in the past. But because she’s not taken over by a God, I feel confident in thinking that Miku believes that she’s causing trouble, even if she’s smart enough to know it wasn’t her fault. Miku herself doesn’t want to do these things, but the fact that someone is using her body to DO all of this, it kinda feels hard not to feel somewhat responsible for it all. 

And yet since Miku is in trouble, everyone is racing, Hibiki included, to save her regardless of how bleak things may look. So I think it ends up fitting really well with the questions she posed in the beginning).

But Shem-Ha buries her further down I believe, but not without saying (or at least hinting) at how them meeting like this, or Miku being her vessel, isn’t a coincidence.

Shem-Ha mentioned “the future” in the beginning of the episode as well.

Of course, as she stated, Miku’s name is translated to mean “future” by the way it’s written. ( 未来) Which can also be read as “mirai” in pronunciation (so when ‘mirai’ is sung in songs it’s normally in reference to Miku. At least specifically in Hibiki’s songs it is but the kanji is written the same in the other songs too I believe, even if they’re singing and it being translated as ‘future’).

It just makes it seem as if she’s saying that it was meant to be this way; her taking over Miku’s body as a vessel to continue her plan of getting rid of the curse. And why would she want to do that? Well.....

Maria and Tsubasa manage to find the core room of the ruins, which leads them to an operating system that is based off the original Enki.

Now, Enki drops a lot of jargon and information here so bear with me. Lol.

Maria is wondering why Shem-Ha considered humans to be tools, and Enki explains that’s due to how humanity was created.

What he seems to be hinting to is that every human is connected like a terminal for the “Yggdrasil planetary environmental modification group”. (unless I’m missing something from previous seasons/mythology, which is possible, I assume more details of this group will be revealed on Friday’s keywords because I’m not sure what he means exactly here).

He says they all modified all life on the planet, including humanity, for this one goal but says that Shem-Ha longed for power and authority so she fought against their goal and against them. She turned herself into language, which sounds pretty crazy, so she can basically exist all times and not be forever destroyed/killed.

Because of this, they sealed Shem-Ha and left Earth. Tsubasa brought up the question if she was sealed in the vambrace, but she wasn’t. Instead, Shem-Ha is literally a data fragment that exists within all of humanities genetic information. So basically what this means is that she exists within every single human being (I assume because humans weren’t originally made with the Curse of Balal).

Enki continues to say that no matter how many times she’s defeated, she’ll regenerate from the data fragments given she is immortal. So they created the “network jammer Balal” to separate humanity from their unified language, which ended up sealing her off.

So what this says is that the Curse of Balal was really a way of protecting humanity from Shem-Ha.

This just reminds me of Akira’s comment to Hibiki in episode 9; how the kanji for curse and hope have similar looking kanji? I’d say it was a hint to the true meaning behind the Curse of Balal.

The reason why Shem-Ha wants to remove it? Well, the quote from Maria explains it best.

“Now that she’s revived, Shem-Ha will attempt to remove the Curse of Balal and, using humanity as biological terminals, will turn the planet and all its life into monsters that she can control with Yggdrasil.”

Now there’s still a question as to why Shem-Ha wanted to do this in the first place. Was she simply a power-hungry Annunaki or was there something else that happened to her, or something she’s witnessed, that made her think this way and want to go along with this goal?

Before Maria and Tsubasa could finish their conversation with HQ, Millaarc comes and attacks them. Now I think this battle shows off some very cool fighting parts that can’t really be shown very well in screenshots. It also shows off Millaarc’s new abilities pretty well, including where she makes a copy of herself.

Also what ends up happening in this episode is another callback to a previous season, specifically G. In order to team up against Millaarc and her double, Maria tells Tsubasa that they can do a unison as well and to remember the time they first sang together.

What this does is bring up for them to start singing Fushichō no Flamme, the concert song they sang together back in G. While they’re fighting, I should say that HQ is trying their best to hit Yggdrasil at the core with as much as they got while they’re encouraging Tsubasa and Maria to keep going on their end too.

And as the fight goes on, Maria and Tsubasa activate their Amalgam’s.

And Maria’s weapon this time is a dragon?

I believe this has something to do with Enki lore? I remember reading somewhere that there’s some sort of epitaph that depicts Enki with a scorpion and a dragon (who were also Gods) on his side. The dragon can make sense since Maria is using literally part of his body (and power technically) and the whole scorpion thing that’s in the opening and mentioned in the first episode? That could also very well be part of Enki lore that goes along with that scorpion that’s beside him. How exactly? Not sure. Still thinking about the whole thing of Miku being a Scorpio and how that still might tie into Airgetlam and the whole imagery of the opening.

But let stop before I sound stupid. Lol.

The fight is over but Millaarc isn’t dead. Instead, she turns into a little bat and flies off lmao. 

It’s not important but I mean...look at her. XDD

Anyway, moving on, Shirabe and Kirika arrived ahead of Hibiki and Chris so they try to contact HQ again, only to be met with screams.

HQ was hit by one of the branches of Yggdrasil, saying they’re taking on water. But even worse, pieces of Yggdrasil begin showing up all over the world and Shem-Ha is ready for her goals to be finalized.

And so Earth ends up looking like this.

Small note: Vanessa and Elsa walk up behind Hibiki and Chris, Vanessa saying its finally begun. I make this as a small note because it’s technically NOT important but makes me think about what I said earlier about Hibiki and Chris. I’ve heard ideas before about people thinking Hibiki and Chris would get a duet, mainly because they were paired up in the opening, ending and just overall this whole season most of the time.

It was a nice idea but I wasn’t too confident about there being a possible duet between the two, and that’s saying something from me because good lord would I want it. I love seeing Chris and Hibiki interact and them having a song together? Lord have mercy. But now I can see it actually being plausible. 

1.) There’s still four songs to be announced on the blu rays. There’s two albums that haven’t been confirmed for any sort of songs.  2.) Shirabe/Kirika and Tsubasa/Maria just activated their Amalgam’s with duet songs. Kirika/Shirabe makes sense but I wasn’t expecting Maria and Tsubasa to sing their first concert song while summoning theirs. 3.) Chris is now the only person to not have her Amalgam summoned, and with Vanessa and Elsa being there, it’s possible for them to be fighting against her (Shirabe/Kirika fought against Elsa, Tsubasa/Maria fought against Millaarc and it follows how the opening animation is laid out) so it would make sense. But Hibiki and Chris has never had a song together, so if they DO end up activating it together like the previous four, then they’d have no song to sing, so a duet sounds plausible.

These are the reasons why I think they could have one. I’m not saying they will, but I hope for it. I just don’t want to jump the gun too much just yet though.

But anyway, the episode ends just like this, zooming in on how red and daunting Earth looks while they watch on helplessly. 

I literally have no idea how this season is going to end. Lol. With only two episodes left, and many many questions still seeming to be answered, I’m not even sure how they’ll actually tie all this together in a timely manner. I’m still attempting to wait until the season is over before judging the pacing completely but I’ve been wondering since probably episode 10 about this haha.

But regardless of that, I’ve been enjoying the season so far. This really is kinda making not sure where they’re going in some instances, just like Nana stated earlier in an interview.

ffffff not sure if I did a good recap for this episode but we’re almost done. 

Only two episodes left and good lord, I’m sure they’re going to be fighting against Shem-Ha next episode. How they’ll get off the moon though is a question. HQ did say they were trying to find a means to get them off the moon but again, there’s some sort of timing issue for the episodes that I can see. Though we have no choice but to wait and see what happens.)

[shiobookmark]

Rereading Tsubasa...

Let’s see if I can hold this all in my head. It’s actually not too convoluted when read all at once, Clamp just loves being confusing and then trying to backtrack and explain.

Fei Wang Reed wants to bring Yuuko back to life and is accumulating power in order to do that and break apart the rules that forbid the return of the dead. In order to do that he needs a body that has seen multiple dimensions.That’s what his plan is, it’s why he does all this stuff. A lot of other stuff he does seems to be to create timeline confusion, such as manipulating Syaoran into saving Sakura from the point of death. Because if one person can do it, so can he.

If you bear that in mind and work forward chronologically, things make more sense. Clow unintentionally froze Yuuko’s time upon her death, because he wished for her to open her eyes just one last time, and his magic made it happen. Fei Wang wants to complete the wish and bring her back for real in order to surpass Clow. It’s very petty. Fei Wang eventually creates Ultimate Sakura by combining reverted time little girl Sakura with Clone Sakura’s body and a feather that’s built up power over eons. This is to shatter dimensions and bring Yuuko back. First, original timeline stuff:

Syaoran’s parents sent him to Clow dimension to try and save Sakura. We’re lead to believe that his parents are CCS Sakura and Syaoran but they’re not. CCS Sakura gave his mother her sealing wand to pay Yuuko for Syaoran’s trip to Clow. It’s a red herring. Everyone knew ahead of time that Syaoran’s choice on Sakura’s seventh birthday would set things in motion. Yuuko made the Mokonas for that purpose.

Sakura hears a call to the ruins much as she did in the first chapter. Syaoran is with her in the ruins in the morning and Fei Wang Reed tries to attack her, she’s protected by the water spirit in the temple.  He reaches for her, she tries to tell him her true name. He hesitates a moment and is unable to rescue her so Fei Wang gives her a death curse. Syaoran runs out of time in Clow and is transported back to Yuuko’s shop. He chooses to never see his parents or world again in order to go back to Clow and try and save Sakura from the curse. But he fails and the curse begins to kill Sakura on her coming of age birthday, so her mother stops time.

Syaoran wishes to turn back time so that he would not hesitate and save Sakura from the mark. But doing that makes a distortion in time which most greatly affects the people who know about the mark, Sakura’s parents, and Syaoran himself. He’s made a child again, leaving a void in relationships and time that’s filled by Watanuki, who is now the child of Syaoran’s parents, taking his place as their son. The distorted time means his parents suffer and Watanuki himself suffers and may disappear at any moment because it’s all unstable. Watanuki is the same person as Syaoran, created to fill the hole in the timeline. The reason he attracts spirits is because he subconsciously senses he shouldn’t exist and is suicidal without being entirely aware of it. Given revelations about who Watanuki/Syaoran’s parents are and that they have no memory of Watanuki... we can assume it’s because his timeline is broken. He shouldn’t exist.  Yuuko says ‘fuck that’ and takes Watanuki under her wing, trying to ensure he becomes a person in his own right so he won’t disappear. This is why in XXXholic she encourages his adventures and relationships with Doumeki and Himawari.

As further payment for turning back time, Syaoran is imprisoned by Fei Wang Reed for years, losing his freedom.  Fei Wang hints that because Watanuki looks like Clow, this was part of Clow’s plan. This doesn’t come up later. I think Clamp dropped another Red Herring. Syaoran has split the timeline, which helps further Fei Wang’s plans. (Because he’s trying to break reality and bring Yuuko back to life, so I think this helps shatter ‘reason’ more.) Syaoran is pretty sure this distortion in time is why Yui and Fai were born as twins and why Kurogane’s parents died. I think this is meant to be ‘general chaos and calamity’ rather than anything specific. Fai and Kurogane rightly point out that trying to take responsibility for literally everything bad ever happening is kind of arrogant so don’t do that shit. They’re really on the same page now and I love to see it. Power couple!

Fei Wang made a clone of Syaoran and the original Syaoran gave him part of his soul so he wouldn’t be a killing machine. Reed couldn’t remove it and it wouldn’t affect his compulsion to seek feathers, so he sent him to a new timeline to grow up with Sakura. (Remember original timeline Sakura is frozen waiting for Syaoran to save her.) Sakura was drawn to the ruins and her memories scattered, at which point Reed made a clone of her body and soul and destroyed her original body, leaving only her original soul. Or so he thinks. His goal was to have a body that’s experienced a bunch of different dimensions, which is why he scattered the feathers. The purpose behind the clone was so that he’d have a backup file, basically. He made a clone of Syaoran because he couldn’t control real Syaoran.

He manipulated Fai/Yui so he’d have a mole acting in his best interests but I honestly can’t recall a time that Fai actually did anything? Kurogane and Mokona were the only free agents. I think he killed Kurogane’s parents as an attempt to manipulate him, but Tomoyo took care of him and so that never happened. Clone Sakura remembered that she was a clone in the Tokyo arc, and regained her ability to see the future. She foresaw that Fai would kill Original Syaoran and gave up her good luck and a bunch of other stuff to both ensure that Fai would stab her instead, and that she’d survive the process by being split from her body and sent into the world of dreams. Which lead to Syaoran vs Clone Syaoran and Clone Sakura’s soul dying when they both stabbed her.

So now we have an original soul and a clone body of Sakura. Two Syaoran’s, the original intact with his soul and the clone. So far so good. By the way this is why the Syaoran we first knew had no memories. He was a clone. He was blind in his right eye because that’s where the soul given to him by the original Syaoran was kept, and how original Syaoran saw through his eyes.

So we’re going down into Clow’s ruins where original timeline Sakura is frozen at the moment before being given the curse mark, she’s been there this whole time just frozen and waiting for Original Syaoran to come save her. Clone Syaoran and Fei Wang show up. Kurogane and Fai are a battle couple against Fei Wang, really do love to see their understanding. They’ve very close and operating as a unit. Great to see Fai happy and content as well.  Syaoran and Clone Syaoran work together to land a blow on Fei Wang, but Clone Syaoran is killed in the process.  The poor boy dies asking Syaoran to return Sakura’s feathers, thanking Kurogane, Fai, Mokona and Syaoran for his life. When you consider this is the Syaoran we knew for so long, it hurts. Honestly a weakness of this plot is that real Syaoran is identical in personality and experience, it’s easy to forget. Clone Syaoran returns Fai’s magic, having tended to it and used it so much that Fai is now essentially back at full strength. They confront Fei Wang, but it turns out he just used Kyle Rondart as a body double and Kyle was simply another created being. Why he was after the feathers...? Who knows. Time starts to move again, the Clone Sakura’s body is floating and Syaoran dives to save little kid Sakura before she can be cursed again. Mokona senses feathers. But there were no feathers in the Kingdom of Clow? Except now there are because Sakura left one in Tokyo, and Tokyo is Clow’s past. The water protected original timeline Sakura because her feather was in it. Timey wimey, don’t worry about it.

The feather has accumulated power over the long time in the ruins and Clone Sakura’s body is etched with memories of different dimensions, then there’s time reverted little girl Sakura who is a ‘pure existence’ and they combine into one Sakura.  Because Syaoran saved Sakura from the moment of death, it calls Yuuko out of her suspended time.  She then reveals that Original Syaoran’s parents trapped themselves in the tube thing, waiting for years without aging, without being able to touch the person they love most. This is so they can confront Fei Wang and restore the dimensions he is shattering. Turns out what happened to Clone Syaoran was that he went to the world of dreams and Clone Sakura’s soul combined with Original Sakura’s supposedly destroyed body. Because they’re created beings they don’t die and can be reborn, circumventing the ‘not coming back from death’ rule. It’s very handwavy, go with it. Clow played the part of Sakura’s father in the new timeline because the distortion displaced Fujitaka and killed Nadeshiko. He gave his power and his life so she could be reborn. Yuuko pays the price for Clone Syaoran to be reborn by restarting her time and dying. The Clones are reborn with their memories intact. Sakura is on a school trip to Hong Kong with Umi, Hikaru and Fuu. There she meets Syaoran and it’s a lovely moment.  Years later they have a baby through a difficult birth. It’s Original Syaoran. Yup. The timeline is really messed up. But when you consider that even in the ‘original timeline’ Syaoran’s father was still Syaoran, it becomes clearly an ouroboros, inevitability thing. It’s a closed loop of time.

Clone Sakura has dreamed that at the end of all this the real Sakura and Syaoran will be separated forever. The Clones don’t want that, so they pay the price of being separated for gods knows how long so they can break out of the time loop.

There’s a lovely scene with Kurogane scolding the clones, Fai relieved they’re alive and Mokona tearing up. The kids were happy and had good lives.  The Clones realise that they’re loved by their surrogate family despite it all. But Yuuko is now dead, because her time restarted the moment she fulfilled the trade with the clones. So Fei Wang can’t surpass Clow. Fei Wang tries to turn back time and search the dimensions for a place where Yuuko exists and separate one pair of Sakura and Syaoran as the price. The other pair (the originals I think) try to save them and they all get sucked into the tube. They affirm that they love each other as parents/kids and other halves of themselves and through the power of determination choose a future where they can all be together. The Sakuras together have the power to traverse dimensions and use it to escape the tube, risking destroying every dimension. Even Fei Wang is freaked out.

But it’s better than a closed loop of time. Because a closed loop is the same as death.

The Sakuras use their feather memories to restore the dimensions but the Syaorans get trapped in limbo with Watanuki. Because Syaoran’s existence has to pay the price for his crime of shattering time, and they are all Syaoran.

But Clone Syaoran vanishes since the ‘original’ has ceased to exist and this creates the fissure they need for Watanuki and Syaoran to return. Clamp loves their circular logic. Watanuki and Syaoran have to pay a price for returning.  Watanuki can never leave the shop, which means he never dies, waiting for Yuko to come back even though she never will. She might reincarnate but she won’t be the same. And Syaoran can’t stay in one dimension. The memories of the Clones remain with the originals in the form of memory feathers, but otherwise they no longer exist. This leaves Syaoran and Watanuki as fragments of a destroyed timeline, so they needed to pay a price for continued existence. That’s the staying in one place and never staying in one dimension. That way they don’t disturb the timeline too much, apparently because they don’t linger long.

Sakura’s original parents have been restored so she’s fine.

Syaoran’s goal is to find bodies for the clones so they can all exist together. Mokona has an item that’s stored memories of other dimensions, so they can return to Clow and places they’ve already visited more often. Sakura and Syaoran affirm their love for each other and reveal that they have the same true name: Tsubasa, meaning ‘wings.’ Whew! Got it all down. I blame most of the stupid convoluted nonsense on the fact Clamp loves to tell things out of order, rely on wordy exposition, and the shorter chapters toward the end.  Not enough Kurogane and Fai. I want a spin off with just those two. Also, is Fai still a vampire?

[shenanigumi]

Some thoughts on Harada-hen

I’ll reserve final judgment for a more polished cut, like a DVD rip, but in the meantime…

Not that too many of you care at all, but it’s always easier for me to determine my opinion if I write it down! Throwing it under a read-more because length; sorry to any mobile users out there…

Re: our new actors –

New Chizuru (Isobe Karin): her voice isn’t quite my cup of tea, but she definitely hits the notes, and it’s ultimately just a stylistic difference so I’m ranking her a tentative tied-for-second with Fujikoso Yumi. She is very Chizuru-esque, after all—and props for drawing her sword once in awhile!!—but there’s simply no beating Tanoue Marina.

New Kodo (Kawamoto Hiroyuki): I really don’t have an opinion, other than Edogawa Manji was better and crazier. Although it’s worth noting that Kawamoto-san’s bald cap is on point, if he’s even wearing one.

New Saito (Naya Takeru): he does an awesome job for a newbie!! (Does anyone know whether he’s actually left-handed?) Honestly, he reads more like Saito than Hashimoto Shohei ever did to me, although of course not as much as Matsuda Ryo since we all know there’s no surpassing him.

New Nagakura (Fukuyama Shoudai): I know he was also in LIVE 2, but I resolved to wait until he played a more central role. I remain unimpressed by his singing, mostly because his voice is so gravelly I can’t really hear the tune. However, acting-wise, he’s spot-on, so I’m extremely happy about that.

New Heisuke (Kizu Tsubasa): likewise, I’ve been waiting for him to shine since LIVE 2. He’s not Ikeda Junya, but he’s cute, and he meshes well with the other two. Also, my big sister senses go off whenever any Heisuke at all drinks the Water of Life or gets emotional, so his non-Junyaness doesn’t stop me from tearing up at crucial moments.

New Sanan (Teruma): I know he was in Reimeiroku, but I only watched it once and had no idea what was going on. I personally think he does an amazing, if more than a little theatrical, job with the fury madness.

New Kazama (Sasaki Yoshihide): I will never not see Suzuki Shogo as canon!Kazama, which doesn’t help my impression of anyone else in the role. Sasaki-san carries the part fine and hits the notes he aims for, but it seems to me like he’s trying a little too hard to imitate Tsuda Kenji in his dialogue.

New Amagiri (Soutaro): …he’s good. I still prefer Gomoto Naoya, but Soutaro-san’s good. Like, he has major resting bitch face, which makes him seem a bit more menacing, but that’s fine considering the character.

Re: the soundtrack –

…I’m a little bit concerned about how quickly Higashi Keisuke seems to run out of breath. Not that it interfered with my enjoyment at all, just something I noticed.

It still kinda hurts in some cases to hear the new cast sing old songs, but they kept that to a merciful minimum (Sasaki Yoshihide singing the last part of “Orokamono Domo Yo” was objectively fine since he hit the notes but PLEASE DO NOT REMIND ME THAT SUZUKI SHOGO IS GONE). I loved the leitmotif-references though…

I really like Saito’s first, teeny-tiny song tbh

The “BEAUTIFUL DRUNKARDS” equivalent doesn’t sound quite upbeat enough to be a real party, but I can forgive it due to the adorable as fuck drunk ninja staggering around in the background, and also because Matsuda Gaku’s hips don’t lie. (Also my literal out-loud reaction to Harada taking off his mini-haori-whatever was “OH JESUS”.)

They brought back “Ano Hi no Chikai” AND ADDED SOME OF THAT SWEET HARMONY HELL YES. They’ve totally upped their harmonizing game since the reboot.

OH MY GOD SHIRANUI GETS A FUCKING SOLO THAT ISN’T A VERSE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S SONG. FINALLY. IT ONLY TOOK LITERALLY 10 MUSICALS JFC. Actually, make that two, counting the one close to the end. Also, is it me, or does he only ever sing about Takasugi? That’s a man in love if ever I’ve seen one (although I’m not sure I’ve seen one). I’m just gonna say Shiranui/Takasugi is motherfucking canon at this point. At the very least, it fits in flawlessly.

NEXT GEN “GIVE ME THE POWER” OH YEAH!!! Different Souji, different Saito, and I actually really like the way these two sound together, although Nayu-san’s voice isn’t as ‘strong’ a foundation for the duet/harmony as Hashimoto-san. Honestly, I was happy because it gave me something I could sing along to.

Sano and Shinpachi’s duet when they were dueling was actually awesome, mostly because of all that amazing harmony~

Re: complaints –

Most of my “but y tho” probably stems from a lack of subtitles and understanding of the Japanese language, so I won’t be mentioning too much of that since they’re minor issues anyway.

It’s usual for them to focus on Chizuru’s interactions with the guy whose route it is, but it still jars me a little that her only interaction after joining the Shinsengumi is with Harada even some time after Ikedaya. In fact, the pacing in general seems a little weird in this one, given that Heisuke and Saito barely even leave before they’re brought back—but of course, that’s certainly not to say this is the only musical with an ‘off’ pace. HakuMyu in general seems to be like that in most cases.

I… don’t understand why they had Yamazaki drink the Water of Life at Toba-Fushimi. Like, Harada’s musical is the definitive feel-good route, so why include something from The Darkest route/musical? You could just as easily have offed Yamazaki offstage, or otherwise had him die in passing, the same way he did in Toudou-hen…

I also don’t know why they decided to transition into the epilogue with Hijikata vs Kazama and a Yaisa! reprise. Like, typically that’s a final-battle interlude, not post-final-battle. Also, it’s completely irrelevant to Harada’s route. Although I’ll own that the Yamazaki-Kondou-Sanan dead-people trio was a nice touch.

Re: highlights –

…Okay, I’m never not gonna think Shiranui figuring out Chizuru is a demon first is the most hilarious thing ever. Like, he never even showed up at Ikedaya in the game, yet here he is going “what’s a demon like you doing in a place like this” in Kazama’s stead. Perfect.

NOT GONNA LIE, LIKE 90% OF WHY I WATCHED THIS MUSICAL IS BECAUSE SHIRANUI IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE. I WILL NEVER, EVER, GET TIRED OF HIS LAUGHTER AND HIS LITTLE “EH?” AND “HUH?” NOISES AND OH MY GOD. ALSO ONE OF HIS R’S ROLLED AND I THINK I MAY HAVE DIED A LITTLE. I’M MAKING A NOISE LIKE A TRAIN WHISTLE. I JUST. WOW WHAT A CUTIE

It’s kind of a small thing, but I love how subtly Okita’s tuberculosis is introduced. A cough-laugh, then a coughing fit, both quickly cut off by other events, and finally the revelation. Nicely done for a musical that doesn’t focus on him.

I also appreciate how not-prude and curious Chizuru is shown to be from the beginning. Any Chizuru who participates in a drinking song without being coerced, and even carries a sake cup of her own instead of just pouring others’, is 100% fine by me.

I’m in absolute fucking love with how they handle Shiranui’s interactions with Chizuru. Just the right mix of antagonism and playfulness.

OH MY GOD HARADA HAS TO BEND PRACTICALLY FUCKING DOUBLE TO KISS CHIZURU. THIS IS ADORABLE

Speaking of adorable, Nagakura’s confusion during the “we’re leaving the Shinsengumi” scene is priceless. I have no idea what’s happening, but it’s really fucking cute.

It’s kinda nice to see where Kazama’s loyalties really lie on Harada’s route, since we never see that in-game. Like, Shiranui thinks he’s on Kodo’s side, so that colors our perception, but… evidently not. Of course, it could just be that they’re apparently integrating Sanan’s treachery into Harada’s route too, but…

HOLY SHIT THE EMOTION IN OKITA’S VOICE WHEN HE CONFRONTS HIJIKATA AFTER KONDOU’S DEATH. It takes a lot of skill to make me tear up at a scene I’ve seen acted out like 50,000 times before in the previous installments of HakuMyu. You can really see the 8-year-old Souji shining through. AND THEN THAT PUNCH OUT OF NOWHERE!! ON POINT.

Edit: Oh I guess I should spare a mention for the fact that The Scene actually happened, yup. Not that I’m not happy with what foreplay we were given, since I thought for sure they’d just shove it offstage, but it was so… stationary? Although letting Chizuru top before the fadeout was definitely a nice touch.

I am a-ok with Kazama offing Sanan tbfh although it did leave the non-Junya cinnamon roll an orphan of sorts. Also Hijikata as mama bear is the best thing. Honestly, I really like the interpersonal dynamics between members of the Shinsengumi as they’re portrayed here.

GOOD JOB STABBING YOUR EVIL FATHER CHIZURU!!!!!!!! That’s more than any other Chizuru ever did, even Heisuke’s spunky gal~

CURTAIN CALL MOMENTS: Kazama and Hijikata doing the nightclub two-step and staring into one another’s eyes; the extras jumping around and high-fiving one another and one of them spinning Souji around; some confrontation between Harada and an extra over Chizuru; Shiranui getting really emotional about having been around since the beginning (AW POOR BABY WITH THE BROKEN VOICE); Harada having moments with both Shiranui and Chizuru (I’m beginning to form a polyamorous OT3)

[mirroredtranslations]

Tsubasa Sleeping - Chapter 8

Wazamonogatari – Nisioisin  p. 238-241

[Previous Chapter]

“Escape is impossible. Give up.”

Dramaturgie-san said solemnly, as I inspected the inside of the cell—from his perspective, I must look exceptionally stubborn in the face of death.

“Those children will carry out my objective—when word reaches the organization, another warrior will be dispatched. High-Waist and Low-Rise's future extermination is all but decided—I completed the job, if in a different manner than expected. Nothing more is required.”

“......”

This man gives up too easily.

Has he attained some kind of enlightenment?

And I'd have liked him to have given a bit of thought to how my goal hadn't been realized in the least—before entrusting the future to those children.

(Well, your worldviews are different, in his case. Might say his stance is long-term—and drastic. He must have reckoned that successfully rescuing several victims, even if you end up being the single sacrifice, Miss Class Rep, would be a positive result overall.)

(Because he's a pro?)

(Right—because he's a pro. You could say his gallant withdrawal from the battle with Araragi-kun was also the result of that kind of calculation.)

“...If we give up, we'll just get eaten, won't we?”

“Even if we don't give up, we'll get eaten. So giving up means fewer regrets in the end.”

It might have been a warrior's advice, but it was quite hard to agree with.

“I didn't fulfill my promise to you, but I'm sure Heart-Under-Blade's minion will be able to get through whatever trouble he's in.”

“......”

His professionalism was too lofty, and his force of will was too strong, so it appeared Dramaturgie-san had a tendency to get through everything by changing “the way you look at it.”

There's virtue in that, but I can't accept it.

I took a deep breath.

“I will not give up,” I said. “I can't afford to die in this fantasy land. Even if Araragi-kun just saves himself in his own way—I want to be involved.”

“...You want honor? For being helpful to your friend.”

He seemed flabbergasted at just how stubborn I was being in the face of death—right, well, it's not that I don't want that honor.

I really want that honor.

But not just that.

Thinking of how despondent Araragi-kun and Senjougahara-san would be if they heard that I died being eaten by vampires in a place like this, I can't abandon my life so easily.

I couldn't look my friends in the eye if I didn't struggle vainly here—that's all I wanted to avoid.

(Quite some willpower. If I were in that situation, I'd give up right away.)

(Don't speak without thinking, please—if you were here, Oshino-san, you'd be devising a way to negotiate with the vampire twins and survive, wouldn't you?)

(Hah hah. If you know that, wouldn't that mean you tried the same thing? And the reason you say it didn't go well was that there was an even more unforeseen development afterward?)

(…...)

“Ah, that's right. If you're lucky, you might be able to become a minion of the twins'.”

Dramaturgie san seemed to be trying to comfort me—but that seemed to me like the more unlucky possibility compared to the alternative.

“In my case, I have no such hope. No doubt I will be tortured for information on the organization—however, that won't be a problem. There is a suicide poison inserted into my back tooth for times like this.”

“Dramaturgie-san... can't you think more wishfully?”

Unable to bear it any longer, I asked him.

It certainly wasn't something one ought to ask their elder, and a specialist at that, but after being showered in that room's melancholic mood, I couldn't think of anything better to say.

I have poor circulation in my brain even at the best of times.

(Hah hah. That's the first time I've heard the word “melancholic” used correctly. I'd thought it was only used like “I like melon and cauliflower.”)(1)

(Well, that was what the mood really felt like.)

“Wishful thinking?”

Dramaturgie-san looked up, as if it was the first time he'd heard the term.

“Yes. Isn't that what we ought to reflect on this time? If we'd considered the possibility of survivors when we came up with our bait operation, you wouldn't have gotten stabbed in the back, would you?”

“......”

“If you only ever envision the worst case, then yes, you might be able to avoid the worst case, but you'll never reach the best case, right? If you want to seize a chance, you have to envision that chance beforehand.”

People who can't see themselves as happy are unable to become happy—that's what this is, though I do really believe that.

“Predict a good development. Like that someone will come to save you—if you don't, when someone does come to save you, you won't be able to take their hand. Isn't that right?”

To be honest, these lines were less objections or declarations of belief, and more me having a bit of a fit of anger at Dramaturgie-san's excessive gloominess. But as for how he interpreted them—

“I see. If you say so, why don't I give you this too.”

As if taking out a coin, he casually produced a briar thorn from his pocket.

[Next Chapter]

Footnotes: (1) In the original, Tsubasa used the word どんより (donyori) for heaviness/gloominess, and Oshino jokes that he's only heard that word used as うどんよりそばが好き (udon yori soba ga suki), which means “I like soba more than udon”.