#RGG games are serious!

[daily-rgg-posting]

Nothing better than a good old Yakuza substory.

[designernishiki]

yknow yakuza 4 is a lot more enjoyable the less seriously you take it

[todayisafridaynight]

any hopes for kiwami 3? like things u wanna see added or changed stuff like that

if they dont keep kiryu's goofy walk stance and the hoof-like walk sounds i dont wanna play it

[exsurrender]

oh, please stay tuned! i think our hero’s fading!

[ID: A digital drawing of Yagami Takayuki from RGG Studio’s Judgment. He stands in front of a window that shows grey clouds and rain outside. Yagami is shown from the shoulders up, and has tan skin, curly black hair, and is wearing a black leather jacket. Blood is streaming down his face from both a point above his hairline, as well as from his nose. He has scrapes and bruises on his face. He’s looking at something off-frame, in the direction of the viewer, with a distraught expression, as if he can’t believe what he’s seeing happen. End ID.]

[supercityboys]

One good thing that came out of 2022 is that I literally broke my computers down button after reading a bunch of books on e-calibre and trying to get +900 on rgg’s karaoke games

[the-24-hour-cinderella]

Every yakuza game:

Character who’s been taken down and confesses all their wrong doing: heh finally feels well to get that off my chest

Protag: Character-san…

Character: you got me, I suppose this is the end for me, thank you for making me realize the errors of my ways

Protag: it’s not too late to change character-san…

Character: hm maybe not

Character gets shot

Protag: Character-San!

Character: *their final words uncovers a new plot twist*

Character dies

[koorinokujira]

Yakuza 0 is a SPECTACULAR game and I'll shove my love for it in everyone's faces now - Chapter 2: Screenshot Extravaganza

Alright, now that I have emotionally recovered, I thought I'd share some funny screenshots I took in my first playthrough. I'll write the in-depth rambles about my favorite characters a lot later, as I got pretty sick today and I don't have any braincells left for it.

Spoilers inbound, look at your own risk! Anyway, here goes! The text above a picture is the one describing it (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

I was wondering what would happen if I took a picture of the heat move with the nails. All I can say about it is HLBPHPHM?!

Truly the best manager we've ever had. I've seen this in a gameplay video before playing, but it still made me cackle.

I think it's just fine, Majima.

The worst best spies in the world!

This man was such a mood. Look, I know most of us probably like to think that we would be able to deck people like Kiryu or Majima if we were in the RGG universe, but most of us would most likely just be Youda-chan. But it's okay. He is best girl.

Guys I think there's something wrong with Kiryu's bro

Justice for my girl! Let her laugh like a cartoon villain!

Apart from this sub-story being ridiculous on its own, it just kills me that he was literally called "Formerly Fallen Guy" once he got up. Peak comedy

This was a great, epic moment, but I somehow managed to take a pic when Nishiki had the exact face I make when I am a guest at someone's house and they give me food that I don't like, and I have to eat it now to not insult anyone

Every single time I thought this game couldn't get funnier, it did. Big boy never got to space (｡╯���╰｡)

Speaking of Mr.Shakedowns, I love how they just- took naps in the middle of the street. Goodnight, sweet prince

Majima? More like MOODjima.

Look, I know this isn't a funny screenshot, but I just had to flex with how I absolutely destroyed Ms. Isobe. For my Cabaret Club, of course. I absolutely wasn't pissed off because she kept beating me and I wanted revenge, no sir.

And last but not least, I tried to take an epic screenshot of Shibusawa getting decked (haha, get it, because they are on a boa- *gets shot*) but I forgot to press the button in time and it just ended up looking absolutely stupid, enjoy

That's all the funny pictures I have! I also took a lot of cool/serious ones too, but I'll use those in other posts. And like always...

Have a great day!

[warmhealerr]

RGG rant abt the Mad Dog/Grand Manager

I use she/they/he for Majima. 

I have no idea how the RGG fandom managed to interpret Majima's arc in Y0 as a corruption arc instead of a liberation one, even if bittersweet, and therefore see the Mad Dog as Majima's façade.

He goes from a captive suffering under an abuser who makes it very clear he does not plan on releasing Majima from her punishment and integrating them back into Shimano's family (which in itself is another prison as it just means for Majima to go back to people who deceived him even if for Saejima, it was only denied from him because it's what he wanted and God we can't have that. The goal was to break him further until completely malleable), to someone who's ready to fight tooth and nails against everything and everyone they've grown up with to defend their morals, and by extension, stand for herself and what she believes in. Majima was inspired by Nishitani because unlike Nishitani she wasn't free to exist in all her insanity unapologetically. Nishitani in fact sees it and tries to free him by inciting a fight he is supposed to refuse (and does so successfully). The Mad Dog is not a front meant to cover a more serious gloomy individual, it exists alongside it equally as a facet. I'll agree it has a degree of coping (the strength obsession, the fact it allows her to experience physical pain with her consent, which turns out liberating after the Hole and as a result pleasurable) but it's a very real part of Majima nonetheless. The mask people should be pointing fingers at is the one Sagawa set up for him and it's very explicitly shown throughout the game. The Grand's Manager is though charismatic, a persona of suffering and humiliation, who should be easily forced to do anything the Omi wanted, and as a result of all the suffering endured, be able to inflict the worst (here the hit) while still being socially acceptable to keep the perfect front. The Manager beyond being a caged dog is an entertaining toy, a weapon, and a source of income and control over Sotenbori.

With a newfound form of independence, which is accepting he feels with so much strength, embracing the primal self, loving quirks instead of socially acceptable qualities that are detrimental to one's self respect and not covering them up anymore, Majima ends up accepting to go back into the Yakuza because he can't see anything else for himself, her future - or what she wishes could've been, Makoto - had no ability of becoming if she really wanted to protect her, and it's not like you can escape organized crime when it's all your life anyway. They still long for Saejima, too. They start this new life happier than they had been in years despite having barely survived being pushed to the limit, further isolated, further traumatized, and still learning what it means to live for oneself.

[parasiticjustice]

[RGG Online Translation] Character Story · Kaoru Sayama

Summary: Ichiban happens across a strong-willed women fending off a pair of drunkards. Apparently, she has an interest in the Tojo Clan and Omi Alliance, and requests his help in pursuing a lead. Featured Characters: Ichiban Kasuga (RGGO version), Kaoru Sayama Spoilers?: Nope!

Kaoru was a launch character, and most of the stories from back then are a "where are they now?" sort of deal where RGGO Ichiban will run into some of the old guard in modern day Kamurocho. Granted, being a launch story also means that it's pretty short, and it only brings up Kaoru's relation to the main games a little bit, but still, the dynamic between her and Ichiban is pretty great.

Usual Disclaimer: I'm coming at this with little more than crude Japanese knowledge, a machine translation cocktail, and an insatiable desire for more RGG content. This will by no means be a decent translation, but it should at least be serviceable.

Notes:

This is RGGO Ichiban, which means this story is set in 2018 when he’s fighting against the Omi in Kamurocho instead of getting hustled over to Yokohama like in Y7. Which isn’t to say that this can’t be canon to the game version of Sayama: later character stories would start phasing out Ichiban so they could more neatly fit into the mainline LAD canon.

------------------ CHAPTER #1 ------------------

Scene #1: Kamurocho · Taihei Boulevard

Ichiban: Oh, I just noticed the time. I guess I should head home... Hm?

Woman's Voice: Hey! Get off of me!

Thug's Voice: Shut up! Just shut up and get over here!

Thug A: [angry] How are you gonna settle this, huh?

Woman: [angry] You boys aren't listening to me. I said I'd pay for it.

Thug B: [angry] And I said that wasn't enough!

Woman: Not enough? For this thing? ...Aaah, you lost me.

Thug A: It's not just a thing, it's my heart! You broke my heart!

Ichiban: Well, doesn't that suck.

Thug B: Right? ...Wait, who are you?

Ichiban: I'm just a passing meddler. So, what's with you big guys surrounding this one woman?

Thug A: This lady bumped into me outta nowhere. She broke something more important than my life!

Ichiban: Must've been serious, the way you're acting about it.

Woman: ...It was a flowerpot.

Ichiban: [confused] Huh? A flowerpot?

Thug B: Yeah, this woman bumped into my aniki and broke his precious flowerpot.

Ichiban: That's a cheap thing from Home Depot, no matter how you look at it... But she said she'd pay for it, right?

Thug A: Like I said, my heart is broken! That's why I can't let this pretty girl escape!

Ichiban: ...Yeah, you guys are drunk. Hey, lady, just get outta here.

Thug B: What the hell? Fuck you, dude!

Ichiban: [raises fists] Looks like you guys need a little straightening out.

[Battle]

Thugs: Ouch... It huuurts...

[they run off]

Ichiban: That should've sobered them up nicely. Those brats should head home and take a nap.

Ichiban: You okay, lady? This town is dangerous at night. I can look after you, if you're heading somewhere.

Woman: Thank you. But, before that...

Thugs: He's distracted, get hiiiiiim!!!

Ichiban: [raises fists] Whoa?! You're still here!

[the woman fires her gun]

Thugs: Guuuaaa!

Woman: [smile] ...Seems like you need protection of your own.

Ichiban: [surprised] Damn, that was awesome. Who are you, lady?

Woman: See for yourself.

Ichiban: A police notebook? So you're a detective...?

Sayama: My name is Kaoru Sayama. What's yours, Mr. Fuzzy Head?

Ichiban: Kasuga Ichiban.

Sayama: Thanks for helping out, Kasuga. See ya.

[she leaves]

Ichiban: [smile] She's cool...

[cut to Sayama]

Sayama: [surprised] Oh, whoops, I need to leave money for the flowerpot.

------------------ CHAPTER #2 ------------------

Scene #2: Kamurocho · Taihei Boulevard

Ichiban: Hm? That's the woman from the other day...

Ichiban: Hey, lady from before! Let's see, it was Sayama-chan... right?

Sayama: Just Sayama is fine. What are you up to?

Ichiban: What do you mean? I'm just wandering around aimlessly.

Sayama: Hmm... You seemed pretty used to fighting last time I saw you. And your get-up... are you a yakuza?

Ichiban: Well, I guess it looks that way. But no, I'm not.

[they move over to the Millenium Tower's entrance]

Sayama: You used to be one, then?

Ichiban: Well, yeah. You caught onto that quick.

Sayama: Occupational hazard, you could say. So, have you been in the city long?

Ichiban: You could say I've been here for a long time... but you could also say the opposite.

Sayama: Hmm, seems like you have some special circumstances... Say, have you heard anything about the fourth chairman of the Tojo clan?

Ichiban: [scratches head] Sorry, all I have is vague, secondhand info. I was in jail for a long time.

Sayama: [sad] I see...

Ichiban: Tell me, why are you after the fourth chairman? Do you have a score to settle?

Sayama: [smile] Hehe, do you think I'd tell a civilian that?

Ichiban: [smile] A civilian... yep, that's right! I'm totally a civilian, hahaha!

Omi Yakuza: So you've gone clean and gotten yourself a pretty gig, huh? Kasugaaaaa!

Sayama: [surprised] The Omi Alliance in Kamurocho...?! So the rumours were true...

Ichiban: [surprised] ...?!

Omi Yakuza: I hate it... I hate iiiiiit!

Ichiban: [raises fists] Tsk...!

[Battle]

Omi Yakuza: Hieeeeeee!

[he runs off]

Ichiban: [angry] Don't come at me if you ain't got the strength to back it up!

Sayama: ...

Ichiban: Thanks for the help, Sayama. You're pretty good at this, and you seem like a good cop too.

Sayama: ...I had heard that this town was controlled by the Omi Alliance now, instead of the Tojo Clan. I couldn't believe that the Tojo... anyway, I came to see for myself.

Ichiban: Yeah. You cops are in the Omi's pockets too, y'know. They turned a blind eye when the Omi took over.

Sayama: ...I had heard about that too. I've been trying to find evidence, but I'm having trouble catching a lead. If I could just find one of the gambling halls that those types might frequent...

Ichiban: A gambling den? I know about one. Never been there though, since it's run by Omi.

Sayama: [surprised] Really?! If that's the case... could you give me a hand, Kasuga?

------------------ CHAPTER #3 ------------------

Scene #3: Kamurocho · South Senryo Avenue

Sayama: Hey, are you sure this is the right place?

Ichiban: [confused] Should be... What's wrong?

Sayama: It's deserted, and there's no sign of anyone being here.

Ichiban: [scratches head] Strange, I definitely heard that it was somewhere around here...

Older Man: ...

Ichiban: See, I knew I was right. Let's follow him.

Sayama: [surprised] (That guy, I'm sure he's...)

[they follow him]

Older Man: ...

Ichiban: (It's an underground casino. Omi is in charge of it now.)

Sayama: (I recognize that man. I don't know him directly, but... I think... he's a general affairs executive. From Sakuradamon.)

Ichiban: (General affairs...? Isn't this a weird place for him?)

Sayama: (Idiot. It'd be too obvious if the usual yakuza associates were to act as liaisons. But still... it's hard to believe. )

Ichiban: (Can't argue with the evidence... Look, here comes the Omi.)

Omi Yakuza: Thank you for coming here.

General Affairs Executive: I'll be in trouble if I'm seen here. Can't you use your usual channels?

Omi Yakuza: My apologies, but lately, I've been smelling something fishy. Meeting face-to-face can be it's own kind of security.

General Affairs Executive: I can understand that. Still, I can't afford to be seen handling under the table payments.

Omi Yakuza: I'm aware. Let's get this over with quickly. Here are this month's sales. And here is...

General Affairs Executive: Sure, sure.

Omi Yakuza: Right, I've got it. That's it for me then.

Sayama: ...Hey, could you wait a moment?

General Affairs Executive: !!

Omi Yakuza: What in the hell...

Sayama: This is it for you. I saw your whole backroom deal.

General Affairs Executive: ...I'll leave this clean-up to you.

Omi Yakuza: On it.

Ichiban: Hold on there. You're not going anywhere, big guy.

Omi Yakuza: Asshole...

Omi Yakuzas: Boss, this guy is Ichiban Kasuga...!

Omi Yakuza: Oh, so he is... well, it doesn't matter. You guys, fuck him up!!

Omi Yakuzas: Raaah!

Ichiban: [raises fists] Let's go, Sayama!

Sayama: [angry] Of course!

[Battle]

------------------

Scene #4: Kamurocho · South Senryo Avenue

General Affairs Executive: ...

Ichiban: [yell] Wait! Stop right there!

Sayama: I lost sight of him... he was really booking it.

Ichiban: Just shows how guilty he is. I was really close, but he still got away.

Sayama: ...Kasuga, you're a civilian now, right? Why are you getting involved with the Omi?

Ichiban: ...This city is like a parent to me. I lost everything I ever had here, but thankfully, I'm finding friends and a place to be again. [angry] That's why I can't forgive those Omi bastards for polluting the city.

Sayama: [smile] I see... hehe.

Ichiban: [confused] Hey, what's that laugh for?

Sayama: The police, and their colluding with Omi... I'll stick around for a while, do some digging. Kasuga, you seem the reliable sort. Will you help me out? Of course, I'll help you in turn.

Ichiban: [smile] Of course. Let's join forces and drive those Omi out!

[screen fades to black]

Sayama: Hehe... it's funny... I seem to have a lot of connections to this town.

------END------ ------------------

Sayama: [smile] Hehe, do you think I'd tell a civilian that? Ichiban: [smile] A civilian... yep, that's right! I'm totally a civilian, hahaha!

Whenever they talk about Ichiban being a civilian, they're using the term katagi, which generally means someone who's in a decent, "respectable" position in society (ie. not a yakuza, criminal, prostitute, etc.) It's sort of a running gag that people will immediately assume Ichiban is a yakuza based on his look and manner, and he'll insist that he's katagi (he even described the term himself to Nair). This bit here I think is kinda riffing on that gag, with Ichiban surprised that he's actually being recognised as katagi.

[imustbenuts]

personal thoughts about playing JP games in JP vs EN, a lot of weird thoughts that probably won't make sense to many

not a dig at localization or translation or anything, just a word vomit on how im perceiving things.

theres 2 main categories in my head when i play games made by japanese devs. Western Themed, and Eastern Themed.

for Western Theme, games like final fantasy (all of it), some/few entries of fire emblems, no more heroes, and elden ring all fall into this category.

for Eastern Theme, it's games like persona, shin megami tensei, sekiro, sengoku basara, tales of series and RGG games

in my head, games in the Western Themed box are games i find far more enjoyable in english localization or dub, and actually find some of the japanese script to be kind of off putting. the Eastern Theme would be the opposite, games that are far more enjoyable in full JP than EN.

learning japanese has done quite a bit to my brain and the more i learn the more i think, "@_@ oh god im in a weird place where people won't understand me help"

because see, if i try to explain, it becomes weird and very subjective. and one of the main factor is that language is kind of intrinsically tied to culture in my head, which, :v

trying to type it down to explain anyway:

as an example, calling people by titles such as "Lord", "Sir", "Madame", "Knight", works far better for a Western themed game than an Eastern one. like, yes, that makes sense if i think about it, historically and even right now, those terms instantly spring up the images of a medieval knight and societal system in stone castles. cool beans.

but we don't use the word knight for Samurais. this is a whole other thing referring to the Japanese class of people wandering around with swords serving their feudal lords.

and in JP, it works the same. Kishi is used for Knights rather than the word samurai. for Lords, 卿(kyou) is used for English lords, and 殿(tono) is used for JP lords. but the japanese pronouns are still there, with some of the roots just reminding me of how a stereotype in JP media would speak. the -sama suffix is the same, and other words like -chan or anime/japanese rooted verbal tics can totally get in there, pulling me out of the immersion.

its like running face first into "Tis but a flesh wound" in the script - you know that specific root is in monty python, a fully ENGLISH bit. a good example of JP would be running into a cat who says "wagahai wa neko de aru", refering to nastume soseki's book I Am A Cat.

especially in the case of Final Fantasy. with very few exceptions like 7, a lot of them fit better wtih an EN script bc of how much western themed theatrics and setting is packed in there.

as an example, i think i prefer seifer in ff8 for example going "One of these days, I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" like a dumbass jock over "itsuka kikasete yarusa! ore no ro~~~~~mantikku na yume wo na!" like a dumbass JP highscooler (which he kind of is, but still not a dipshit jock)

so its really the little things like that. subs not dubs doesnt work for me anymore, im in a very strange place, kupo.

another thing is really, just... the tropes. the deep disconnect between how people behave irl and how anime thinks people behave irl. kind of like how Hayao Miyazaki puts it in 2014,

so, learning Japanese has actually done a weird bit where it's caused me to actually fully understand the JP, meaning when i pick up on the script getting off putting, it gets off-putting.

when people usually go "subs not dubs", its voiced from a sense that the JP voice is better than EN. but as the years go by this isn't really true anymore, some dubs can have serious quality that's unthinkable back in 2010 ffs. i think this is largely bc anglo-speaking audience do not understand JP, and so builds an imagination between the sub and the tone of the voice acting to carry the work.

but just like old ps1 horror games, that imagination is doing a good bulk of elbow greasing.

to explain:

there are times when JP writers puts in an objectively anime trope or thing. especially in the case of FE, where sometimes that it becomes 'ew' to people who aren't hardcore anime nerds. im talking things like the whole big booba onee-chan Camilla and the kawaii imouto/otouto Sakura and Takumi tropes thats kinda there in FE Fates. and the JP version of Anna's S support in Engage and the weird undertones thats going there.

masking it with subs can cause the audience to kind of brush it off as "aaah those silly japanese" or "ok this is just an anime trope". i mean, hell, check some discourse from people who yell about how this is censorship essentially defending it from what is effectively lolicon tropes and it's just. :v

and thats the thing. once that localization or sub barrier is removed, once im hearing actual JP and past any subconscious filter, i fully see the scene in its original form. i would then have a reaction exactly like hayao miyazaki.

having that ignorance kind of protects an audience from just how deep the writers ouroborous'd themselves into the nerd sphere. i kind of wish i had that sometimes. the creep vibes in some original JP scripts makes me want to crawl out of my skin, and there is no way i can explain this to an audience without first sounding like im disparaging the original work, shitting on the writers, and bringing in my personal bias into the conversation.

which, yeah i guess it kind of is. but man. if elden ring can commit to their bit with anime tropes used in a good/interesting/subtle way, then so can every one else.

when i started learning JP to play JP games never to see the light of localization, this was not the experience i expected, tbh.

so in summary, im totally disillusioned to the idea of Original = Best, Localization = Censorship at this point. that rose colored glasses are hanging on by a thread now. kind of wondering what other stuff i'll run into but it's been a real interesting journey that i totally get if people wont understand.

loneliness and language learning goes hand in hand lol

[daz4i]

Since you said to me in DMs you've been exposed to many things about Yakuza/Like A Dragon/RGG through memes and such, what about the series do you actually know?

ok ok ok ok

there's a guy called kiryu. you play as him in some of the games

i think he has a brother? i wanna say an older one. who is more serious abt the yakuza stuff? maybe? or it's the other way around idk

i remember hearing smth abt him going insane when you hurt a certain person but idk who that person is. i think it's cool of him to be protective tho

there's also majima and he's unhinged but maybe it's all an act idk. he's very poggers i like him. also he is Everywhere

the game has very sad moments but you can undercut them by walking around the city and doing like, karaoke rhythm games or mini car races in between beating people up

i think in like a dragon you breakdance in some battles?

also real yakuza people said it's very realistic and funny

that's all i've got for you chief 🫡

[unhingedselfships]

Yakuza/RGG/Like A Dragon OC/SI Ask Game

This is ending up a blend of specific to RGG questions and also general "introduce your character" questions. Oh well.

1. Basic intro! Name, age, etc. Whatever you wanna include.

2. Appearance stuff. As complex or basic a description as you want. If you use this character in multiple verses, are there any features specific to RGG? Irezumi, other tattoos, story scars, etc?

3. What role do they play? Substory star, side character, background cast, love interest, protagonist, antagonist, the options are endless.

4. Where in the story line do they land?

5. Does their existence make any major changes to the 'canon' story? Minor ones?

6. If they're from the mainline games, do they have an Ishin/Kenzan/Dead Souls version? Share as much as you want.

7. If they are/were a protagonist/playable, what fighting style would they use in the beat-em-up games? What about turn based, what would their party role be?

8. What kind of mobs would they get accosted in the streets by?

9. Are they related to any existing characters? What is that like?

10. Who do they get along with? How close are they?

11. How about enemies? Or just people they don't like?

12. Do they have any family? Are they involved?

13. Do they have a fave 'mini game' activity?

14. If they had their own special-to-them mini game, what would it be?

15. What would their 'home base' look like?

16. Bonus/DLC costumes! Serious, silly, anything goes.

17. What canon city are they based out of? Do they travel to others?

18. How about we introduce a new location just for them?

19. Canon has the cabaret, real estate, bakery. What would their 'business' be?

20. What are their 'signature collectibles', if they have any? (Cards, pocket racecar parts, etc.)

[k3nny-l4mbda]

Ok Tekken 8 is closer each day so time to actually talk about the relationship between the RGG series and Tekken.

They both have:

Upclose combat

strong funny weapon combat on the side for casual

absurd comedy while still being serious for the main story

A lot of "willpower & raw dogfighting"

Heat system

Similar vibes, especially songs like Amon's theme in RGG 6

Tons of shirtlessness

"But the director said Kiryu does not hit women"

If this director was Nagoshi than it don't matter, Nagoshi left. If it wasn't him then:

Kiryu has threatened to beat up people regardless of their gender

Oh but what if he was lying

ok then, he hit haruka in literally the first game on a cutscene

Oh but that's a kiiiid

Ok, he beat up a woman in a substory in kiwami 1 (the truth about beauty)

Oh but he did not know Goda was a woman

Ok, he beat up, godspeek yoko

ohhh but it's a substory

OK, he can beat up Saeko in the true final millennium tower in RGG 7

But let's say they are deadset on not wanting to put Kiryu in, fair, his arc ended. There's still Majima, he is the second posterboy, Ichiban, great publicity for the new arc of the series, Ukyo, he knows like 10 or more martial arts (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠⌒⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠┫⁠：⁠・⁠┻⁠┻

[todayisafridaynight]

No for real the Should've Adapted Yakuza 2 take is the only one that doesn't make even a little sense to me. I will say it. I feel like a lot of people still think it's a movie (even though I literally wrote it was a TV series...) and so they're mad they're "redoing the first movie instead of making a sequel" when that's not even what's happening.

Plus the show has no relation to the (at this point almost twenty-year-old) movie; completely different companies, completely different people working on it, completely different approach (RGGS actually having a say vs. Miike and co more or less just doing whatever).

Technically, it's even a different game--like, on top of it being Yakuza Kiwami rather than Yakuza, the series itself has changed drastically from what it was when the movie came out. I think the reason a number of people are disappointed by the movie is exactly that. Like IMO the movie is more or less (at least tonally) representative of what the appeal of the series was at the time, which is all it was trying to do. But most fans today haven't even played PS2 Y1 and Y2, let alone only played PS2 Y1 and Y2, so it can leave something to be desired.

With casting, my dream of a Tomoya Nagase Kiryu 'cause he's partly based on him was shattered so I'm biased lol, but I appreciate that Takeuchi's been bulking up for the role and changing his public image, and I'm excited to check out some of his previous work. I love Kaku already from Super Salaryman and other roles (DW AT ALL BTW GUESS WHO STILL HASN'T WATCHED EP 2 OF FIRST PENGUIN KLJSJKLFG) but I have yet to see him in a serious role so that'll be fun :)

But like. While I tried to pick images that were close to our images of Kiryu and Nishiki, these are promotional shots, not styled and costumed in-character. I think people are also kind of glossing over the timeskip. Like yeah, Takeuchi's only 30, but pre-timeskip Kiryu is 27 and he has to believably play him too. That's especially notable when the story of Y1 could easily be told in like 5 or 6 hours, so perhaps what we're doing for the other 2-3 hours is spending more time pre-timeskip. I'm kind of speculating even some 0 scenes may make it in, because they were described as being dressed in "flashy suits and patterned shirts" at the shoot.

Overall, I do personally regret starting the series with K1 and it's my least favorite starting point (out of 0, Y1/K1, 7, and Judgment), but at the same time it's the only story that can be properly told within one eight-hour season. So. Y'know. It makes the most sense. I'm of course hoping it turns out enjoyable regardless because I'm obligated to watch it either way for the wiki lmao (and hey, maybe if it does well enough to get renewed, my faves will get a turn). I do think it's got the most potential of any of the adaptations so far, at least, aside from the other upcoming Judgment one.

Anyways uhhhhhh I hope we see Kiwamine in the background of a shot just vibing

no like thats what i mean: it makes total sense as to why they'd start from Y1 it just makes the most sense for a brand new adaption independent of the past iterations 😩 in any case im interested to see what everyone brings to the table and how they handle adapting Y1 now with all of the games and content that have come out since the initial movie/stageplay releases ♪(´▽｀)

[pinkarachnia]

Lesbian Anime Review #5 - Birdie Wing Girls Golf Story

This is one of my favourite anime I've ever seen. Pull up a chair. Pour yourself a drink. I'd like to talk to you about golf and the girls who play it.

I will try not to spoil anything serious about the plot in this review, but honestly there isn’t a lot I could spoil. The 13 episode first season doesn’t finish the whole story. Still, there’s some plot in there.

The story centres around a golf prodigy named Evangeline. She’s just called Eve for the whole show basically so that’s what I’ll use here. Eve is the best protagonist a yuri anime could ever hope for. She’s Kazuma Kiryu but in a girl golfer’s body. She only cares about competing with strong opponents. Women love her. She has golfing abilities that give coloured auras to her shots. She announces the name of her techniques when she does a golf swing. Her ability is driven by her colossal strength.

The title of this video is dripping with cringe, but indulge me for a moment.

So Eve starts her story golfing for money. She’s 15 I think? I’m only basing that on the fact that she enters an under 15s competition at some point, but she’s illegally entered into that competition by the mafia, so I don’t think that’s confirmed. She does not go to school. Instead she’s using her golf abilities to win bets and underground golf games run by organised crime groups to make money to protect her adoptive family, a group of illegal immigrants. Her caretaker is an ex sex worker who can’t help but take in children. So Eve is out there golfing to support them and the orphans they’re taking care of. Just like Kiryu.

To Eve, golf is just hitting a ball with a stick and she’s fantastic at it. That is, until she encounters Aoi Amawashi, another golf prodigy who is visiting Eve’s country (I don’t know where she lives) from Japan for an under 15s girls golf competition.

Eve and Aoi witness each other’s golfing and they’re mutually captivated by each other. Aoi has been waiting for someone good enough to be her rival, and Eve is compelled to find stronger opponents so she can improve. It’s also overtly romantic on Aoi's part. Eve is seemingly oblivious to the effect she has on Aoi (just like Kiryu) but by the end of the season I think she knows exactly what she’s doing. From that point on, Eve has to take on stronger and stronger golfers, each with their own special techniques.

I don't think the Kiryu comparisons I’ve been making here are coincidental either. At one point, Eve has to golf representing one of two mafia factions who are vying for control over an area of land in her city and wager the land on her victory. This part of the show seems to draw inspiration from the plot of Yakuza 0, which revolves around organised crime families vying for control over an area of land in a city. Clearly there are some RGG fans in the writing room.

The show is paced like a shounen battle anime. Every few episodes involves a challenge being issued, and Eve golfing against someone with a new ability that pushes her to grow stronger. There are tournament arcs, as I alluded to earlier. They have mysterious golfing mentor characters who largely stay in the shadows and may be more relevant later in the plot.

Eve’s outfits are fucking great. This girl gets fashion. I love her colour palette and I love how she’ll just wear whatever to play golf while the milquetoast competition in their golf uniforms look upon her inhuman skill in horror.

Light spoilers for episode 13 and romance content in the small text below:

They go further with the romance than I was expecting! There’s a great bit in episode 13 where Eve lovingly tells Aoi, “I like that part about you”, in reference to her drive to win a tournament, and kisses her on the cheek. She acts like she just did that because she’s a foreigner and that’s normal to her, but it’s pretty clear that she knows what she’s doing. That’s not the only thing, but consider me impressed! They could have just been Naruto and Sasuke but they went further.

Also, I think the ending theme is nice. The art for it is really pretty and I like the song. Most importantly, there’s a bit where they show a few birds in sequence, and it’s in reference to the golf terms, Birdie, Eagle and Albatross.

Last thing I’ll note as a positive before I move on to my criticisms, but there are some very hot women in this show. Shoutout to Rose, who is a mafia woman. Her suits. I want to look like that. I WILL look like that. As you may know if you've read my other reviews, I don’t care for shows about teenagers. In this show it basically doesn’t matter, but at least it explains why Eve is a relatively unknown golfer despite her abilities and why Aoi can’t just stay overseas to golf with Eve forever. She has to go home and go to school. Whatever. I think I've started to get desensitised to this stuff by now. When I started watching these shows it had been a while since I'd been into any seasonal anime, but at this point I've come to accept that most shows are about teens and getting adults is just a bonus. "Par for the course" if you will.

My only real complaint is that I think the opening theme song is annoying. It’s called Venus Line, but it really sounds like they’re saying "penis" when they say it. It’s a shame because I think the animation is really fun. They did every anime opening trope, but in a way that feels a bit self aware. I’d love it if the song was better.

I’ve had people tell me that the best yuri is actually in the shounen genre, and after watching some yuri and shounen in the last year, I understand their sentiments. This show seems to have taken that idea and run with it, and it’s so much better for it. Gay women should get tournament arcs.

Episode 13 ends with what might be my favourite way to conclude any show that obviously doesn't tell the complete story: they have a “next time on birdie wing” section like another episode is coming in a week. The second season airs in January.

Pros

Sports

Yes it’s really yuri

Like a Dragon

Did you watch the video with the cringe title? That shit rules

Second season confirmed

Cons

Teens again I guess

Opening theme song is annoying

And I’m giving this one my first ever 10/10

[cloneslugs]

unrelated points griping and thinking aloud . rgg's problem with ableism specifically with just sporadically curing its disabled women/girls for the sake of a man in her life (saki, makoto) and then there's masato who is just inexplicably cured but it's different bc hes a villain so hes just outlandishly evil with it etc etc tying into his inferiority complex just weird as hell how his cure (both temp and permanent) are introduced vs disabled men like majima, tachibana, etc never having their disability hardly even mentioned/impact them bc they're just badass or whatever whatever the only real narrative attachment is however they became disabled tying into their story

actually dont wanna talk about this directly w attached but totally different griping point narratively more than anything as serious . problem w killing the main villain as a form of punishment/atonement at the end of most of the games i dont like it it lacks depth to me ik it's the clean way of having a series without having to tie in one off evil guys back into the story but . i dont like it . Nishiki and Masato bother me the most but ive complained at lengths about them rgg2 is just stupid and they let ryuji live anyway so whatever still stupid though . but theres a difference between Mine dying in rgg3 vs Richardson where Richardson lacks any narrative depth or anything comparatively and yet they get to die together yeah Mine is saving everyone by throwing the white guy off a building or whatever but it's like cmoooon (same thing w Nishiki) like you destroyed your infatuation's dad's home & tormented his children & are tied to Rikiya's death on top of all the shit tied into his daigo obsession . and we dont get any fallout/reaction to that bc well he died a hero of sorts (like nishiki) . masato is a whole other ballpark but i will not complain at lengths again about how weird it is