#This Lilia thing is going to get better when the original story progresses. It's going to hit hard.

[evilcokito]

Lieutenant of Squad 6 " That lieutenant just shows up in the most unexpected places. "

🦇 Lilia Vanrouge 🦇

Requested by: @the27th Thank you for the request! It is a pleasure!! In the end I got out of control with that drawing... couldn't forgive myself if I didn't use the old adult Lilia Headcanon... because Toshiro... is perfect-

[ Going to make all of these as posts so they have a correlation with the ones already made, but I'm going to tag who sends it! ]

🦇 Curiosities:

Lilia appears suddenly if someone says his name or call him. Wherever whenever.

Squad 6 has a special punishment method that involves Lieutenant Lilia cooking.

He is very appreciated in the squad. Takes care of all his subordinates. That makes them want to take great care of their lieutenant too.

Always carries the latest Shinigami fashion.

He doesn't want to interfere with humans.

Also doesn't believe that Shinigamis should focus or be interested too much on the Human World. According to him, things have a place for a reason. Lilia understands the reason for the Shinigami's interest, but believes that all should be done the old way.

Lilia says that he read the above in a Soul Society document.

That document was never found.

No one ever saw him fight... or get nervous. Lilia's Zampakuto?...

Has great ability to sense the presence of others, Shinigami or not. Also has incredible reflexes.

To the olders Shinigamis he seems strangely familiar... reminds them of someone.

It seems that Lilia's clan is related to Malleus's in some way.

Lilia and General Captain Crowley avoid each other.

First Officers Epel Felmier and Jack Howl say they saw Lilia's older brother fight.

[pandas-pandemonium]

Yandere! Sentient! Twst - Player considers deleting the game due to glitches (Dorm Leaders)

A/N: Thought I'd combine these three asks since they're all quite similar in nature.

"[Name], I really think you should just delete that game off your phone."

The sternness in your partner's voice stunned you. They had mentioned the game acting strange at times, but this was the first time they had confronted you on this issue. Confused, you spoke up.

"Is this about the weird glitches again, [S/O]?" you asked.

"Yes, this is about those weird glitches. I swear, this isn't some simple bug or anything. This is another thing entirely. A game character doesn't curse at you just for opening the app. Shouldn't it be some welcome line or something?"

You frowned.

"I've never heard anything like that..." you said.

They sighed and shook their head. "It only happens when I open the app when you ask me to help you login."

You felt a chill run down your back.

"There's...no way, right?" you said, as you slowly unlocked your phone, immediately clicking on the application. You had to see it for your own, even though deep down you knew [s/o] was right. The game had been acting strange. Comments that were way too specific, the occasional glitching when you switched out a character for another.

With wary eyes you glanced at the opening screen; one more check, one more log in and if anything weird happens again, you will have to delete it. Sentimentality and story progress be damned. You could always watch videos on YouTube anyway.

Riddle

Livid. Riddle would be absolutely livid to hear the suggestion of you deleting the game.

"How DARE they! How insolent! They think know so much better, now do they?!"

Storming around, Riddle would be figuring out how to "chop off" your significant other's head. He won't have it!

He's put up with the fact that you're in a relationship because he convinced himself it wouldn't last long, but now this is the last straw.

"They're trying to cut me off from [Name]! For that, they WILL pay!"

But first, he has to make sure things run smoothly.

You won't delete the game if nothing odd happens...

With that, [s/o] will just look like a liar. How awful!

Once Riddle's calmed down, he will start creating a plan to cut your s/o out of your life, forever.

"I simply will not tolerate a rule breaker, and it so happens, Rule #444 states that "the heads of liars must be chopped off by midnight". That's really too bad, isn't it, [s/o's name]?"

Leona

What's this? You're actually listening to your partner and now you want to delete the game?

He would love to see you try

Sure, he could sit back and pretend that the game is all fine and dandy so that you'll think your partner was lying and being petty, but that's boring, even if it is the easier way

You forget, he's the dorm leader of Savannaclaw; known for his drive to do what it takes to get his way

Don't you remember his plan from Chapter 2?

How offensive. [s/o name] is definitely taking way too much of your time if you managed to forget his role in the story

"You want to delete the app, do you? Then try it, herbivore. I'm sure you love what I've done to your phone."

Leona is smart, dangerously so. Whoever knew Savannaclaw's dorm leader was so well-versed with game code?

Azul

What?! You're going to delete the game?!

Panic surges through Azul as he combs through various alternate plans; it's okay, he's considered this possibility before

All he needs to do is craft a perfect plan to keep you from deleting the application, and to get that pesky human away from you!

It should be simple enough, but his fear clouds his judgment

Right, right! He has to address the immediate concern; that you were going to delete if you sensed something amiss again in the app

That's simple enough.

As long as he plays by the rules and keeps to the "character" the game developers originally intended, he'll be able to delay you, just by a few days

With a practiced smile, and lines that fit perfectly to script, he laughs to himself quietly;

Yes, you seem to be confused for nothing is out of place!

He may have to keep up this constricting act for now, but his plan has to be perfect if he's going to capture you.

Kalim

Oh, the poor boy

He's panicking! His mind is all over the place the moment he heard your words!

Thankfully Jamil is there to set him straight

"Act normal" Jamil instructed him.

Easier said than done, especially when it comes to someone as jumpy and excitable as Kalim

Kalim tries not to laugh a little too loudly or make remarks that shouldn't be in his lines, but it's so hard!

He wants to yell out, "You can't! You can't leave me!"

But his fear of you realizing that the game is no longer working as it should overpowers his desire to call out to you

It's so hard...

Maybe tomorrow he can tell you how he feels! You're sure to have calmed down by then!

Vil

Really now?

You were going to delete the game all because someone told you to? You're willing to sacrifice all that hard work raising his everyone's cards and throw them all away?

Preposterous!

He will not let even your finger touch the uninstall button! Ever.

Gaining sentience was a dream come true!

He too, had been working behind the scenes to find ways to bring you into this world.

Your lover? You mean that useless potato scrap that thinks they know better?

They mean nothing to Vil. After all, surely you would choose a queen over some peasant?

Idia

Strangely enough, he's not too worried.

Seriously, gaining Fourth Wall breaking sentience was like something out of an anime or a game!

This is his realm! You can't possibly do anything to it when he's tampered so much with the game code!

Try it!

You'll find your game uninstallable and registered as a default application for your phone!

Idia feels a little too proud of himself for forseeing this possibility. He's never been so prepared in his life!

"Hihihi, it's all in place! So what if the game continues glitching? You can't do anything about it! Hihihi, who would have thought even some shut-in nobody freak like me can do cool things!"

But right- he almost forgot about your partner...

How annoying. Game code he can deal with, but some irl person? No way...

"Ahh, what a pain... I need to hurry up with the program...then maybe you can leave that dumb normie behind..."

Malleus

You want to delete the game because it's acting weird, you say?

Malleus is disappointed; he was hoping he could enjoy your presence and watching you go about your daily life for a little longer.

It's alright though, he just has to speed things up a bit!

He could care less about you deleting the game;

With Lilia's help, he's found a way to creep in to your phone and has since been existing as an undetectable character within several other applications.

A little longer and he's completely certain his magic will be able to transport into your world.

How exciting!

When he does, he hopes you will celebrate with him as well.

If you won't invite him to your world... well, he'll just have to invite himself, wouldn't he?

[ailec-12]

Today, September and Calendar

Thanks!

Today: Have you made any progress in any wips today?

Uhh, no. Remember what I said about writing earlier this week? Well, I've done a million things, but unfortunately writing hasn't been one of them.

September: Share a comment or review which still warms your heart?

Oh, Anon, I can't share only one. I've been rereading comments this past month and several come to mind right now. These all warm my heart no matter how old they are or how many times I've read them already.

randomdork11 on House Potter:

You’re back!!!! I’ve missed you and this story more than I realized. Little Sev dealing with sick Harry and exhausted parents is so heartbreaking and sweet that I can’t handle it! Plus, I can totally relate to the exhausted parent bit XD. That whole family is just far too adorable. A certain bean who is far less evil than she proclaims to be, told me you were about to post again, so I’ll admit that I’ve been checking my updates like a crazy person.

Self-doubt is easily the worst part of writing. However, if I can offer you any encouragement, it’s that you have no reason to doubt yourself. Sometimes stories seem so big and daunting and we aren’t sure if what we are writing even makes sense or is relatable or true to character. Everyone goes through it and - as I’m sure many have already said - in your case, you’ve nothing to worry about. This story is beautiful and charming and captures the characters so very well. You’re doing a marvelous job of creating well rounded characters who all have faults and positive traits. You’re writing it in a way that none of the characters seems too good or too bad, just simply human. It’s utter perfection and you should be extremely proud of this work!!

Happy writing Ailec! And if you end up in doubt, just remember that your readers all agree that you are wonderful and we are here for you!!

@allstoriesrtrue24601 on the last OFaH chapter on AO3:

What a beautiful ending to an unbelievably impressive series! Having read the original series on fanfic.net repeatedly habitually since their original completion, it’s brought me so much joy to have weekly reminders of how much I love this story; and now with a gorgeous new epilogue!!

I’ve said it before but the one thing that really gets me about your writing is the characterisation - it drives the stories in a way I feel is really missing from most pieces of published works and tv shows. The bonds you build between characters and the whole dynamic really comes through throughout each installment - making the character development extremely natural and impactful. I’ve waxed lyrical previously about your writing style but I reiterate that it’s utterly and irrevocably beautiful, especially when considering English is not your first language. The pacing, plot and actual progression of the pieces are so well thought-out and really prompts excellently-executed dialogue and exposes opportunities to get to the hearts of the characters. It is suffice to say I have THOROUGHLY enjoyed your work in every one of its forms.

On a side note, I feel massively honoured to be mentioned in author’s notes (I have to say I’m slightly star-struck) and I’m more than happy for any future English queries. Have a wonderful day x

Kuroui, also on OFaH, but the first version on FF:

I realize I never actually left a review on here but here it goes.

This is definitely one of my all time favourite fics to ever exist period. Not just within the OUAT fandom. I was ecstatic with the introduction of Zelena, as it opened potential for Regina to have someone blood related still alive for her to interact with. At the end of Season 3 when Zelena was given that second chance, I was excited to see a possible turn around for her character. Up until that point, everything she had done was to give herself a better life, one with her blood mother, in hopes that she may be loved. She was not unlike Regina's initial persona and I could see how they could connect over it.

Season 4 dashed those hopes, and the progressing seasons left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. In the end, I am glad at least that at the end of Season 6 they had become something like sisters, and for that I am glad. I am also happy to see Zelena returning to play some time in Season 7. I dont know what it is but Zelena is my favourite OUAT character, and I love Rebecca Mader who plays her. For that reason I always seek out Zelena fics in hopes of finding good ones as she is not one of the most popular characters, in terms of fic writing at least.

This fic was both amazingly written and brought to light my hope of them reconciling as sisters. I like that it was not an immediate turn around from "villian" to "good", but a gradual process that involved interactions with multiple people and learning from mistakes. It made her a very real and relatable person. Everyone has flaws and makes mistakes and going from a life where her only goal was to hurt Regina, to living with her and attempting to be "good" was a large turn around that no doubt shook her to her core. You displayed that in your series very well, showing the ups and downs in her journey as well as the reflective reactions from those around her.

Henry's role in this was very heartwarming and he really is a miracle. The Greatest Believer. I do not think that Zelena would have come as far as she had without him. Though Regina does her best, it is always nice to have someone else there, not to mention someone who looked at Zelena without any negative feelings. Having multiple people care and believe in her no doubt gave her greater motivation to change and be a better person. Not to downplay Regina's role in this of course. Regina very much has been the core to this family, to Zelena's change.

At the end, Zelena desired to be wanted, to be enough, and she was going to look for that in Cora. Regina knew though, that it wasn't Zelena's fault for that, Cora only wanted power. Which you had her explain. And I think that having Regina turn into that person that Zelena wanted to be enough for, to be loved by, was a big change even if she didn't realize it. The initial hostility, anger and sadness moved away from being targeted AT Regina, to more herself and referenced in terms of Regina instead.

At that point, I think that Zelena's family slowly began to form in her own subconscious which eventually or hopefully would expand onto friends like Robin and Tinkerbell and perhaps even the Charming family, they do get along well enough of course. And if Charming's reaction to her run in with Sidney was any indication, I'm sure they would welcome her with open arms at this point.

Overall I suppose I can summarize it into this.

Thank you for writing this story/series. It holds a very very special place in my heart and I come back every once in a while to read through it. It warms my heart every single time no matter how many times I've read it. I love it with every inch of my OUAT loving soul and I am so glad that such an extensive well-written piece on Zelena exists.

Long comments aren't the only ones that have my eternal love and gratitude, though. Here's a couple of recent ones that are making this writing hiatus much more bearable:

Ninafia on the latest instalment of Hotchpotch:

I loved this! You're really good at writing emotions.

It's like I'm in their head, if that makes sense. Thanks for the chapter!

Lilia on House Potter:

This is such a remarkable story—so subtle and heartbreaking. Use of child Sev’s POV is a true narrative tour de force. Wish I could give it 100 kudos.

I'm lucky to have received a lot of nice comments over the years and you can be sure that, if your comment made me happy the first time I read it, I've come back to it more than once.

Calendar: Do you have a schedule for posting?

Not right now —I only keep a posting schedule when there are a few chapters already written at the very least.

Fanfic questions :)

[the-crippled-god]

Ys: The Oath in Felghana

Okay, so, some stuff I didn’t know: The PSP version that I played (and think I remember beating) is an enhanced version of the PC one. Most notably it gives you more resources in the early game, and has double boost mode, which magnifies damage beyond what boost mode does, and heals you. Double boost trivializes most boss fights, and considering I didn’t remember most of the boss mechanics, beyond the Chester fight and the final phase of Galbalan, I have to assume I abused the shit out of it. Or, I didn’t actually beat the game, and got stuck on the armoured centaur robot thing in the castle, since I didn’t have good memory of most of the story beats after that. Either way, moving on.

The game is more difficult than Ys: Origin is, but it’s not unfair. The biggest difference is the bosses will throw multiple attacks at you at once, or with less delays in between, so the game requires a higher mastery and understanding of boss mechanics in order to win. Most bosses also have attacks that are very difficult to avoid, but don’t do much damage, I’m guessing to punish players trying to play safely, so you can’t just wait fights out an whittle the health bars down. On normal it feels pretty good, but on higher difficulties it might be a bit much.

Gameplay wise, this feels pretty much the same as Origin, it is another Napish game after all. However, healing is less accessible, and more enemies have complex AI, or require specific strategies to beat. Adol’s tool kit is pretty good, his combo string is longer than Yunica’s, and his wind ability is effectively the same, with the exception being that you can’t continue to sword combo while the attack is ongoing. His fireball is the same as it as in Ys II, but the charge attack has an AOE explosion, the fireball is awkward to aim, and is ineffective against most enemies, but critical for a handful of bosses. His dash is the most conditional in use, it’s good for getting away from attacks that suck you inward, and the shield is really useful, but over all it feels a bit awkward to use due to having too much recovery time, and using a bit too much MP.

The equipment progression requires that you grind a little bit, and enemy level progression requires the same. This is more similar to Ys II, where if you’re under levelled/geared enemies do crazy damage, whereas if you’re over levelled by even 1 or 2 levels, they do almost none.

The Napish engine games feel like a weird peek into an alternate reality where games took after old PC Engine stuff much more than they do. The way equipment, items, and levels work feel like throwbacks, and the way the game feels does a good job of carrying on how the Bump system worked, but having actual attack buttons. I think the jumping and platforming is what makes me like it more than the SEVENS engine games I’ve played, even though all the dungeons are pretty linear, you feel like you have a lot of ability to explore, which was missing from Celceta.

Weird how the Napish games also become less rpg-esque as they progressed, this one had a handful of side-quests (some miss-able), which are totally absent from Origin.

Story wise, this one is pretty throw away as far as connections to the rest of the series go, and would probably actually make more sense if it occurred chronologically before Celceta, instead of after. Have Adol and Dogi leave Esteria to take Dogi home (which gives Adol a reason to leave Lilia that makes sense), Felghana happens, Adol fights Galbalan and loses the Brave sword, and either something during the fight, or like in Mask of the Sun where he finds a message in a bottle, that sets him off towards Celceta. With it being how it is, Adol has already fought Galba before, and should already have an item that can kill them (unless he gives it back to Eldeel or something), I get that this Galbalan is a ‘more complete’ (and older) one than any that Celceta made, but it feels weird.

One enhancement that seems new (as of 2020) in the PC version is a new voice over, and it’s pretty great, swings wildly between genuinely well done and so bad it’s good depending on the character. Elena and Chester’s VO is especially excellent, and really adds emotional weight to the story. My biggest complaint is that Galbalan did not need VO, he’s ominous enough in design, and having him start the fight saying “I am the Alpha... And the Omega” is kinda cringy.

Story summary: You and Dogi arrive in Felghana, Dogi tries to introduce you to his childhood friends, Elena and Chester, only to learn that Chester has been missing for 6 months. Dogi heads off to reunite with his old master in the mountains. Disaster strikes at the mines, and Adol sets off to help out. This progression continues, until you run into Chester, who is working for the Duke of Felghana, who everyone thinks is openly corrupt and evil. Chester wants you to find/wants to find 4 statues, for the Duke. You’ve been getting the statues by beating giant monsters, so you’ll likely find them all by accident anyway. Chester makes a show of kicking you off a cliff into lava, but when you make your way back, it’s pretty clear he didn’t expect you to die. Investigating the statues, you eventually work out that they’re relics binding an ancient monster called Galbalan, who was sealed away by a Winged One called Genos hundreds of years earlier. Eventually we learn Chester’s motive: He and Elena are descendants of Genos, and when they were children Duke McGuire used monsters (and soldiers) to genocide the inhabitants of the Isle of Genos, with only him and Elena escaping. He intends to use the power of the statues to cause the Dukes downfall, while the Duke intends to use the power to usurp and control all of Felghana.

Eventually, you confront the both of them at the top of the Duke’s castle, only to find that both of them were being played by the ultimate evil: the Church. The Bishop (and Nell, a Nun) had already sacrificed their mortal bodies, and are manipulating everyone behind the scenes in order to revive Galbalan. They capture Elena, since they need a descendant of Genos to complete the revival, and you pursue them to Genos Island in order to stop them. Eventually you do, but Chester sacrifices himself in order to kill Galbalan for good, and blow up the island.

The best part of the story here is Elena’s growth as a character. She starts the story fairly shy and unsure of herself, but eventually she’s the one who confronts her brother and calls him out on how bad his plan is. I really hope, given how she talks at the very end of the game, that she’ll be a party member in a later game, that’d be fun.

Playing this again was good. It definitely still feels limited, I’d definitely like a Napish style game with a grander scope. Origin was just one long dungeon, this was 5 short dungeons, both had a linear progression of upgrades, and a linear plot with no choice on what to do next. I’d really like to see a game of this style where upgrades were more ‘options’, the dungeons were less linear, and the game let you tackle dungeons in a variety of orders. Between this and Origin I don’t know which I like more. Origin feels like it has a better pace to it, but its hyper linear nature got annoying. This take awhile to get going, combat against regular enemies doesn’t start to feel ‘complete’ until the end of the clock tower, and up until the mountains the dungeons feel really small, but I liked the boss fights here a lot more, and there was actually reasons to go back to previous areas.

Next is Ys: The Ark of Napishtim, the oldest Napish game, and given stuff the previous games have set up, likely quite story heavy. I started this game on PSP, but don’t think I got further than the intro area.

However, before I get to it, I’ll likely be taking a 2 week break. Hopefully look at a bunch of the Steam Next Fest demos this week, and then taking a vacation.

[toraonice]

Yuri on Ice interview translation - Otomedia 2017/02 (p21)

Here’s the other interview with producer Manabu Otsuka from February’s Otomedia. This is from February so of course it's after the end of the series.

As I mentioned in the other post, Otsuka is a producer and also the current representative director of studio MAPPA, so he’s actually a very important guy. In other words, as long as he’s fine with more YOI we will get more YOI...

I know Otsuka from Shingeki no Bahamut Genesis, because he often appeared in the crazy staff live talk they had every week. I always had the impression that he is a nice guy who is open to challenges and lets creators fairly free to do what they wish, which in anime such as YOI is a good thing because it means that creators don’t have to fight against an army of narrow-minded higher-ups to make the story how they want it (though I think they still have to fight against sponsors, distributors etc..). Yamamoto and Kubo would probably have had a much harder time making YOI if they had teamed up with a more old-fashioned anime studio.

As most of the anime staff, Otsuka didn’t really create the story of YOI, he just managed the team that animated it, that’s why often speaks with “it’s my opinion” “I think that” etc.

***If you wish to share this translation please do it by reblogging or posting a link to it*** 
***Re-translating into other languages is ok but please mention that this post is the source***

MAPPA producer Manabu Otsuka interview The story of the two continues after the Grand Prix Final

—Let us know how you feel now that the last episode aired.

In the last episode Victor decided to go back to competing and Yuuri decided to continue. I feel that (Mitsurou) Kubo-san and director (Sayo) Yamamoto-san were able to successfully depict the progress and final destination of their relationship of coach and student, as well as the theme of this work, which is “love”, bringing everything to a beautiful conclusion. —Was it decided from the start that Yuuri would place 2nd in the Grand Prix Final?

Yes. When I received the plan of the story until the last episode, it had Yurio (Yuri Plisetsky) as the winner. I think that, from the start, the story of Yuuri and the other figure skaters was portrayed as something that was going to continue even after the Grand Prix Final. If Yuuri had won he might have chosen to retire this season. —Were there any other alternative plans for the ending?

Kubo-san and director Yamamoto might have discussed other plans between themselves, but the production staff only knew the current ending. The way we portrayed the exhibition changed from the original plan, but I think that this version with Victor barging in on Yuuri’s exhibition and the story ending with the two of them was probably the best option. —Why do you think Victor decided to go back to competing?

Victor has been winning all this time with his overwhelming strength and has always surprised the audience, but I think that he might have gotten into a slump because he didn’t know what to do next. Just at that time, at the banquet of last year’s Grand Prix Final, Yuuri told him “become my coach”. This is just my imagination, but I think Victor might have seen it as an occasion for he himself to change. After that he becomes Yuuri’s coach and they fight together, and I think that Yuuri kept on surprising Victor. As they spend time together not only in tournaments but in their private life too, Victor is attracted by Yuuri and is influenced by him. Unlike when he was always winning alone, the influence of another person caused something inside him to change, and I think he might have become curious to know what kind of performance this new himself was capable of and how he could fight against the other skaters. Of course it’s just my personal opinion. —So this change led him to return to competing.

In the Grand Prix Final we are also shown how both his personal best scores in the short program and free skating were surpassed by the two Yuris, and he can’t just stay there twiddling his thumbs as the others surpass him. Also, in episode 11 we see Victor watching the other skaters’ performances, and of course I don’t think his feelings are that simple, but Yuuri takes it as “see, Victor wants to skate again after all” and “I’m the one who is stopping him from doing that”, so at the beginning of episode 12 he tries to set Victor free. —So you are saying that he didn’t decide to retire just because of his physical limits.

Yes. And I also believe that Victor’s return to competition might have stopped Yuuri from retiring. —I had the impression that Yurio’s free skating in episode 12 also had a strong role in stopping Yuuri’s retirement.

I do think that Victor himself and his choice were one of the ultimate reasons causing Yuuri to change his mind about retiring, but at the same time, on a different level, Yurio as an athlete showed him how earnestly he wanted to win against him. I think that power affected Yuuri’s feelings as a figure skater and made him decide to continue competing. Love and bonds with people are portrayed through his relationship with Victor, and the spirit of an athlete and the importance of keeping a strong motivation are portrayed through Yurio. I felt that the way the story is structured with Yurio, who is the youngest one, fiercely representing the essence of an athlete and confronting the adults, was very cleverly thought. —What do you think about Jean-Jacques Leroy (JJ), who placed 3rd in the Grand Prix Final?

He’s a character I really like. He was overwhelmingly strong ever since he appeared, has a crazy personality and many things about him are more definite than other characters. He says he’s “the king” and delivers. I think that JJ’s collapse increased the tension of the Grand Prix Final. I felt that he had the role of making the audience think “What will happen to Yuuri and Yurio?”, “What will be the results?”. As someone on the creators’ side I was also happy that in the end he was able to rank 3rd overall (LOL). —It’s amazing that he could recover in the free skating.

I was moved watching him, because unlike the previous JJ, this time he was suffering and struggling to achieve good results. In any sport it always leaves a strong impression when someone is able to overcome adversity, and depicting this through JJ’s development was a good thing for this work as a sport anime. —From episode 10 we have Otabek too.

Otabek is an athlete who pursues strength as a competitor. He stoically endeavors to become stronger to win competitions. This personality also makes him lonely, and I think that’s why he became friends with Yurio. Yurio has Yakov, Lilia and the others, but I was happy to see that he could finally find a fellow athlete who shared the same loneliness. —Regarding Yuuri and Victor, how do you interpret their relationship over the course of the whole anime?

This is just my opinion, but I think that for the two of them the relationship of coach and student is just the surface. It looks as if Victor showed up and saved Yuuri from a crisis, but at the same time Victor needs Yuuri too. Yuuri has fallen to the very bottom and Victor has lost sight of something. They meet when they are both going through a difficult phase and need to change something, they complement each other and go further ahead. Yuuri said “this feeling doesn’t have a name”, and I really think their relationship is just like that. It’s surely beautiful to call it “love”, but I think that it goes even beyond that; it’s a relationship where they motivate each other to go in a better direction. —Every episode had a big response, but do you think in episode 10 it was particularly impressive?

I felt that Kubo-san and director Yamamoto, just like Victor, like to always surprise the audience. And they even set a series of surprises in a row. Showing something clearly can be scary because some people might not be impressed by it, but it’s amazing how they still pushed forward without hesitation (LOL). However, I think that the aggressive stance of this work is what helped it reach the hearts of many people. I personally felt that episode 10 was the culmination of that. It was full of thrills. —Many people are already hoping for a sequel. What are the current plans for the future?

I think that Kubo-san and director Yamamoto want to continue as long as they can, and there are probably lots of things that they want to portray. If they wish so, the company and I will be glad to work on it as we’ve done so far (LOL).