#Yusei: I watched the anime so I know.

[nodokasia]

FANTASTIC RADIO (12122023)

(Talking about old radio episodes)

Keito: The quiz question was " If Anpan-man, Loaf bread-man and Curry bread-man were called by someone from behind, which one of them would turn around first?". To this question Yagi Yusei answered Loaf bread-man. The reason for his answer was really simple and pure. Why did he answer that?

Hori: I.... Can't think of anything. You said Curry bread-man in a funny way so that is all I can think about now.😅

(...)

Keito: I mean, it HAS to be Loaf bread-man, right?

Hori: He would be the first one to turn around when called?

Keito: Yes.

Hori: Eeeh...why though.... But wait this says that Yusei's reasoning was very pure.

Keito: I think I can guess what he was thinking.

Hori: Nice! Please tell us all!

Keito: You know how a loaf of bread has crusts (pan no mimi (jap.) Mimi = Ears), right? So is means that Loaf bread-man has ears and can hear better and therefore turn around faster.

Hori: Wows! That is..woah...😮 This sounds like a legit answer!

Keito: This is how I think at least. Maybe I guessed it right.

Hori: Maybe you did.

Keito: A really pure answer.

Hori: And you suggest that this was Yusei's reasoning as well?

Keito: Yes.

Hori: Do you really think that Yusei is this smart?

Keito: Fair enough, he is not.

Hori: He ain't the brightest. So I don't think he said this.

[inkblackorchid]

What are your thoughts on the 5DS movie bonds beyond time? Plot characters villain animation and so on

Ahhh, good old BBT. Minor caveat: It's been a hot second since I've seen the movie. But generally speaking, right from the gut? Bit of a mixed bag, this one. Let me address what you asked point by point, though. The tl;dr for anyone who doesn't want a lengthy response: I don't hate it, but outside of making me grin and/or fondly roll my eyes about some fanservice, I'm mostly just ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ about it. I appreciate it for the extremely fun attempt at a for the time pretty ambitious crossover, though.

The longer response, then:

Okay. Okay. Conceptually speaking? This movie is the absolute peak of fanservice. All three protags of all three ygo shows that had come out by that time, all teaming up against a special bad guy, and everyone's allowed to show off their coolest shit? Absolutely bananas. Fuck yeah.

Where the execution is concerned, though... Let me start with the obvious: This thing is too short. It doesn't feel like a proper movie, it feels like your average big plot duel stretched over two episodes. And that's a shame! Because Yugi's there, and so is Jaden, and these two and Yusei get to bounce off each other and I think a lot of people would have eaten it up if we had gotten more of that. Interactions aside, though, the short runtime also makes the plot feel rushed. First Yusei's sad, then things are going to shit, the he's off, then we're suddenly in Venice (what the fuck is Jaden doing in Venice??), then we're in Domino City, then blam, bam, onto the big duel. Can I get some time to breathe and actually enjoy the characters interacting, please?

And speaking of plot! Now, on paper, I don't have an issue with the idea of a guy going back in time to try and get rid of duel monsters. My problem lies more with the fact that the guy in question ties into 5Ds' main plot. And in a not insignificant way, at that. Like, perhaps in a universe where this movie was handled differently, BBT tying into the Iliaster stuff could have been cool as heck, but as it stands, Paradox and his plans feel a little too close to his namesake to me. The guy is almost exclusively relegated to a movie, to outside content of the show that wasn't shown in sequence with the rest of the episodes, yet he's actually one of the major characters of the Ark Cradle arc. And worse yet, said arc only gives us the barest, shittiest recap of who he is and what he wanted. It feels too disconnected from the rest for me, especially considering that Sherry more or less ends up replacing Paradox. And don't even get me started on the batshit implications his quest to kill Pegasus has on the way time travel is handled in 5Ds. The way this movie shows direct, devastating consequences of time being tampered with is a major reason for the headaches the emperors of Iliaster give me, which I've discussed in my Meklord post.

That said. I don't think Paradox, per se, is a bad antagonist. He's got the whole long-suffering shindig the other major players of Iliaster do, too, his design is bonkers in a fun way and of course, the idea of him hijacking protagonist ace monsters with his Malefic shenanigans makes him perfectly hateable. On paper, he's a completely fine antagonist, and I actually think the 3 V 1 duel he has with the protags is pretty fun.

And as for the animation, no notes there, honestly. I think BBT has some of the nicest animation of the 5Ds era (and especially like the way Yusei is animated in the movie).

So yeah! The whole thing is a bit hot and cold for me. I know some people love BBT to death, I know some people hate it with a fiery passion, and tbh, I get where both sides are coming from. Ultimately, I'll happily watch it, but there are always at least twenty other 5Ds episodes I'd watch even more happily. BBT is fine.

[ecargmura]

My New Boss Is Goofy Episode 8 Review - Meeting Shirosaki's Family

Oh gosh, Momose went and met Shirosaki’s family. What’s next on the list? Meeting Momose’s family? Marriage? The fact that I don’t know what awaits next always gets me hyped up whenever Saturdays come. This episode is actually very cute because it was filled with events I didn’t expect. This entire episode was cute and relaxing.

Momose and Shirosaki are at Akita, Shirosaki’s hometown, for a business trip. After visiting the Namahage Village, the two then head off to Shirosaki’s family home to visit his grandmother; in actuality, his grandmother persuaded him to come so that she can show him something. While Momose was a bit nervous at first, he gets used to the flow of the Shirosaki household.

I have to say. Granny Shirosaki is adorable as heck. She’s probably one of the cutest anime grandmas ever. I’m still amazed she’s still alive even though her grandsons are in their thirties. I hope she gets to live for a long time. I just love how she’s just your typical Asian grandma by offering food to her guests. I love that she calls Momose “Ken-chan”, which is then picked up by Shirosaki by mistake and then his brother. Granny is seriously so cute. Fortunately, the goofy genes didn’t come from her.

The big surprise Grandma had for Shirosaki was that his brother, Seiyu, came home; before the reveal, Shirosaki said that he lost contact with his brother recently and was worried. Apparently, the goofy genes are genetic as Seiyu is as goofy as his brother Yusei. The reason he lost contact was that his phone got busted due to him accidentally throwing it in a fountain. Now I wonder if Mama and Papa Shirosaki are as goofy as the brothers; the genes have to originate somewhere. Though, the brothers’ naming sense is adorable. Shirosaki’s name is Yusei and his brother is Seiyu. The kanji for their names are the same, but flipped around.

Seiyu is a photographer and a bit free-spirited compared to Shirosaki. He’s rarely in Japan, so he has picked up a lot of mannerisms from overseas like reacting to gunshots and speaking in English (are they poking fun at America?). Watching the Shirosaki brothers be goofy made me wonder if they were in a competition to see who was the goofiest of the two; it’s honestly equal in competition. I’m glad Ken-chan is there to balance out the goofs. I’m glad that Seiyu is a kind older brother, especially since he picked up photography due to his brother gifting him a turtle doll. The fact that the anime staff casted THE Daisuke Ono to voice Seiyu is pretty amazing. The cast list was already pretty top-notch and adding in OnoD just makes it even more splendid. Oh and the brothers are only two years apart with Seiyu being 36 and Shirosaki being 34; this means Seiyu and Momose are 10 years apart.

The sub-plot of Aoyama cat-sitting Hakutou was too adorable. I liked how Hakutou referred to Shirosaki and Momose as his owners; yes, he used the Japanese word for owner, but in plural. He thinks both of them are his owners! Despite that, he’s not use to Aoyama and even refers to him as a weird old guy with glasses. Fortunately, Hakutou does warm up to him a bit as he sleeps on top of him, making Aoyama fawn over him. The fact that Shirosaki and Momose trust Aoyama so much that they’re letting Hakutou be in his care shows off how dependable the chief is. I also like how Kumatte-chan got jealous of the attention Hakutou is getting (or that could just be his imagination). I’d like to see Hakutou interacting with Kinjou if possible!

It was nice learning about Shirosaki and how he was like in the past as well as how he gets along well with his brother. I do wonder if the writers will bother making a showcase episode for them to go to Hokkaido to see Momose’s family. I’d like to see that! What do you think will happen next with our goofy duo?

[shitpostingkats]

QUICK TELL ME IN EXTREME DETAIL EVERYTHING YOU LIKE ABOUT EVERY YUGIOH PROTAGONIST

PROTAGS WHOSE SHOWS I HAVE SEEN:

Yugi: SHORT KING. He is very smol and he weighs ninety pounds soaking wet and he will KICK YOUR ASS like the worlds most high school aged chihuahua. Always the friend who offers to dm when everyone talks about starting a dnd campaign. Despite what canon has gone on to say, I choose to believe he maintained his King Of Games title while using his cutesy deck we see in the Yami v. Yugi fight. Doesn't wear heels to events (that was Yami's thing) and always takes time to talk to fans, even if they run up to him on the street.

Jaden: Altered my brain chemistry on a fundamental level. Depressed and queer and a failure, proving you don't have to be innocent to deserve innocence. Does not pay his taxes. The character for anyone who's ever felt monstrous, alien, foreign in their own skin, then breaking down that none of those things make you less human, less deserving of love. Reads comic books and will enthusiastically lend you 300 issues if you even casually mention you've been thinking of doing the same.

Yusei: My son. My boi. I can say so much on him that I haven't even touched on in my numerous essays rambling about this funky little mechanic. If the ygo shows tend to focus on forms of love that aren't romantic, then 5Ds is about familial love. Yusei is passionate and caring and a bleeding heart. The only shonen protag to ever get told by his mom "You're grounded." and say "Okay." and NOT go fight space gods until his mother gives him the go ahead. He's a revolutionary. He knows the trash collector by name. He's a planet. He's a star with gravitational pull strong enough to change the world. He's Just A Guy.

PROTAGS WHOSE SHOWS I HAVE NOT SEEN

Yuma: Bisexual colored hair. Continuing the proud yugioh tradition to be adhd af. I know he sleeps in a hammock so I'm gonna go ahead and call that he's the kid always rocking in place. Leg bouncer. Dyslexic and doesn't know it, just knows that words are easier to read when looking through the blue tinted screen of his weird visor thing. Possibly kills satan? Good for him. Watches telenovellas and gets overly invested in the plotlines. Would probably eat the popsicle stick because he thinks it's part of the experience. He is NOT stupid he is just a dumbass.

Yuya: Tomato head. Looks somehow exactly like three different people I worked with when I did theatre, right down to the googles perched on the forehead with mismatched lenses. I've seen arc-v's opening and idk why but I really like the animation of him slinging his jacket over his shoulder. Really wonderful gender. One of those kids that didn't know about heterosexuality until he was at least ten, then proceeded to be very upset and confused by the concept. The guy leading the rowdy table at waffle house at 10pm that will at some point burst into song and disturb every patron's night but their own.

Yusaku: The kid at the same waffle house just trying to order a coffee. Draws in the margins of his notebook. Skateboards. He does not like to talk about either of these things, but then one day you show him a video with like a million views of some guy inking a giant masterpiece, or doing a backside tailslide off a shipping container and he'll just casually go "Oh hey that's me." Desperately in need of a stim toy and a hug.

Yuga: Had a phase where he was obsessed with firefighters. Also likes to light things on fire. Is shocked everytime when the result of lighting a thing on fire is Thing: *Is On Fire*. I don't think he uses hair gel I think he just scrunches up his eyebrows and concentrates really hard and his hair just Does That. Really wants a dog. Shockingly good at math, favorite number is 25. All of his pencils have bite marks and the erasers are completely chewed off.

Yudias: Looks like a glaceon. It's really heartwarming to see yugioh continually get autistic representation right; a lot of stories don't include the fact that we carry swords and can fire lasers from our eyeballs. Every time I see him I want to hand him a wrapped sandwich, a babybel cheese, and a clementine. Would probably enjoy keeping plants on the windowsill. Every picture I see of him, he is either wondrously excited, or completely baffled, to find himself in the situation he is currently in.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - 2023 Begins!

Jan 20232 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Never Let Me Go (Tues YT) 4 of 12 - I keep saying this, but I can’t get over how delighted I am to have Perth back on my screen, and under the GMMTV umbrella. He is a stellar actor. I like that the first kiss of this show wasn’t btw the leads. Felt more realistic to high school. Big drama next week!

My School President (Fri YT) 5 of 10 - I missed these two so much last week. But also there was A MUSICAL INCIDENT and it caused a bit of a rant from yours truly. 

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 9 of 12 - no ep this week, resumes tomorrow WATCH ALONG HERE.

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 7 of 11 - Game remains my spirit animal (pushy fucker), and the plot of the main couple is interesting even if I don’t like the cheating component. 

Cutie Pie 2 You (special) 1 of 4 - Oh it’s a full on special. Very very pretty and, is possible, more sappy and full of manufactured angst. Nuea protecting Hia’s interests was sweet. Lots of making out. So... more of the same, basically. What year are we in now, anyway?

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 8 of 12 - (note from my Thai language spy rgr ep 5: the writing on the stone tablets was their names + 2 family members) And now we are suddenly firmly in BL territory and baby Dom is just a baby Seme. No bisexual identity crisis needed... just diving into cheese fest. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 13 of 14 - I would have kept JaFirst apart for longer, quite frankly. I mean otherwise why bother split them up in the first place? Please just end this show already. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The New Employee (Korea Weds Viki) 3 of 8 - I love them so much, and they are so cute, and this is not open to discussion. Viva la age gap! 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner (Korea Weds iQIYI) 7-8 of 10 - There is a lot implied about the leads history together, but it was still nice to get backstory plus GAT KISSES. I love it when they flip the dynamic and give the uke agency. I’m really enjoying this show now, I’m even invested in the love triangle.

HIStory 5: Love in the Future (Taiwan Weds Viki) 2 of 10 - Side couple ascension: Daddy Long Legs trope, it’s been a while since I have seen this in ANY romance drama. I’m not really into the main couple, at least not yet (and I totally missed that they hadn’t met each other in person yet), but I really love the side dishes. It’s like H4 all over again only with less dub con.

Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox (Japan Fri Gaga) 4 of 8 - nothing this week. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

Love Bill (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising stuff going on with them. I can wait.

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) - same Team RL peeps we have seen before (Sunshine, Stupid)

Moonlight Chicken GMMTV’s Midnight series (Weds YT) 1 of 8 eventually - first segment has begun bit it’s not the EarthMix messy gays. Sorry all, I’m so not interested in messy hets, so I’m waiting until they grace my screen.

Questions!!! 

Should I watch The Warp Effect? Tublr seems excited about it and BL bits look good? Will they end happy? Thoughts anyone? 

Till the World Ends (Thai YT) finished at 10 eps, the heat looked good but I don’t know about the ending with that kind of title, so did anyone risk it and want to tell me what they thought? I haven’t seen much chatter on my feed so I am not optimistic. 

In Case You Missed It

2022′s The Usual Night (Twitter account) from Japan is a 10-ep fake documentary series starring the members of Jpop group the Fantastics. It flew under everyone’s radars but apparently has a BL subplot featuring Yagi Yusei (My Beautiful Man) and Seguchi Leiya. This officially means they beat OnlyOneOf to the punch as the first inter-group BL pairing. Keito Kimura (Onoe from Candy Color Paradox) is also a member of Fantastics and in the show. Source reddit. No word on official international release. Japan is like that. 

OnlyOneOf’s Nine dropped the last (?) in their BL Kpop series, 'beyOnd' (be #6) 

I posted all my 2022 wraps, top picks, industry stats, etc.. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Jan 19: Individual Circumstances 8 eps - A reunion romance between a movie director who was once promising and a writer who disappeared due to past wounds. Stars JunQ (main rapper of 2nd gen group MYNAME) and Han Jung Wan (Mr International Korea winner).

2023 forthcoming BL master post is in the works... wait for it... I had to finish all the 2022 wrap ups first. Also waiting for the last of the studio announcements.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Never Let Me Go

Ah the love triangle. 

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner caught himself a live one. 

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? You gotta check out VIXX (sub unit) new single. Gonna Be Alright = 2 BL stars in one croon. (Hyuk Color Rush 2 & Leo Happy ending Romance). *props chin on hand and bats eyes winsomely at Ken* So?

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

"There isn't enough of two guys just being friends!" Is such a weird take to me cuz like...

Yugi and Joey, Tristan and Joey, Judai and Manjome, Judai and Sho, Judai and Edo, Yusei and Jack and Crow, Yusei and Bruno (yeah I ship it but it's not canon), Yuma and Shark, Yuma and Bronk, Yuma and Kaito, Yuya and Sora, Yuya and Sawatari, Yuya and Gong, Yuto and Shun/Shay, Yusaku and Takeru, Yusaku and Kusanagi, Takeru and Flame (again I ship it but there's nothing canonical about it), Yuga and Luke, Yuga and Gakuto, Yuga and Roa, Yuga and Nail

And that's just within Yugioh. There are so fucking many. Even outside of Yugioh, I can name just tons and tons of male characters who are just friends and don't end up romantic.

Meanwhile, every single male/female relationship either has one of them (usually the girl) have a crush (Judai and Asuka, Yuma and Tori, Tristan and Miho) or they end up romantically involved in the end (this latter option is admittedly more of a problem in western media since most anime I watch don't like confirming relationships but I could still name so many).

So often I'll watch a movie or show that's not even a romance and they still manage to squeeze in some romantic subplot no matter how forced or pointless it seems. Edge of Tomorrow comes to mind immediately for me, what even was the point of pairing those two outside of "the lead two characters are a man and a woman"? Do we really want to set a precedent that men and women can never be friends? Because this happens. All the time. Indy gets a new girl in every single Indiana Jones movie. Leia was the only woman of the group in the OG Star Wars trilogy so she had to get paired with one of the guys and one of them was her brother so that can't happen. But it was happening romantically (even if only slightly) before they knew. What even was the point of the romantic sideplots in the Equestria Girls movies? Oh and Fox and the Hound introducing a female love interest just so she can be the female love interest. The boy and girl in Mr Peabody and Sherman are both like nine and the movie still insists on pushing a romantic angle between them when one of them tried to choke out the other. Nearly every Disney princess movie gives their lead a prince, with some being more pointless than others. Doppler and Amelia are implied like twice then randomly have children at the end of Treasure Planet. Don't even get me started on Warrior Cats. I could go on but I'll stop for now.

Male/female friendships who stay purely platonic and aren't siblings (Luke and Leia) or different species (Nick and Judy from Zootopia) are so so much rarer than male/male or female/female friendships, which are basically everywhere. And what kind of message does that send? That a man and woman can never just be friends? I'd rather not go into how much this exact mindset ruined or just confused so many of my past friendships so just know that my frustration with this is partially personal.

I'm so tired of the most obligatory milk toast straight couples being shoved into every movie or show I watch, especially if it's said female character's only trait or purpose to the narrative. Meanwhile, LGBT pairings are still fighting for representation in media. Steven Universe and The Owl House were revolutionary in terms of representation and they both got canceled early.

It's one thing if the movie is about romance (ie: WALL-E and Elemental are two of my favourite Pixar movies) but it's another when the romance or one sided crush is just shoved in because "that's what men and women have to be doing." It's a stupid mindset and it needs to stop.

This is why Judai & Asuka, Yusaku & Aoi, and Yuga & Romin being purely platonic matter so much to me.

[anotherblblog]

Fan Meets and irl BL adventures

I still wanna go through pictures and videos of the fanmeets and such for bl and bl adjacent events and places I've been able to attend thus far but talking and thinking even more about Utsukare and my trip this spring to watch the movie and such and also the fact, I'm very much procrastinating on some work right now has me in the mood to at least list out all the events and bl actors I've seen.

Last Twilight in the Park - BKPP and ITSAY cast

KaownahTurbo Mini Fan Meet - Kaownah, Turbo, Mild, Bhudi

Phuket Trip - ITSAY filming sites (the school, Teh and Oh's houses, Promthep Cape, Skyline MV Beach, Dibuk Restaurant)

IdolFan Fest - Wabi Sabi actors, Kaownah, Mild, Bhudi, most of the KinnPorsche cast, the Love at 9 Cast, many many many many others

GMMTV Building

Nadao Bangkok Building

Last Cafe on the Right

Manila trip - getting my hat and Gameboys filming sites (Ortigas Ave, Pasig Park)

Love Out Loud Fan Fest 2022 - Gun, Tay, Singto, and friends

KinnPorsche filming site (Rosewood Hotel)

Chang Mai Trip* (I went because Manner of Death was filmed there but the actual filming sites were hella far and I didn't arrange transporation, so I went to an elephant sanctuary)

Bangkok meet up with @liyazaki and @meteorjam

Idol Exchange - KaownahTurbo

Phuket meet up with @liyazaki and @meteorjam

Blue Room screening at Cinemalaya - Elijah Canlas

EliKoy meet up

Casio event - KaownahTurbo

GMMTV Fanday in Osaka - Gun, Mix, and friends

Lit & Glitter - PP Krit

Utsukare Season 1 Special Edit Version

My School President Prom Night Live - MSP cast

GMMTV Building

Dp Dance Studio Charity Showcase- KaownahTurbo

Phuket Trip

Taipei Trip (on my radar because of Your Name Engraved Herein)

MarkFord video call - Mark, Ford, Gemini

Utsukare Eternal (I saw it 6 or 7 times)

Utsukare filming sites (the shrine, Hira's house)

Songkran

About Us But Not About Us screening - Elijah Canlas

Love in the Air Manila Fan Meet - LitA cast

Utsukare AniMate Cafe event

Love Story SantaEarth Fan Meet in Vietnam - SantaEarth

Nature Thai Massage Parlor - Tul's massage place and one of them has a big picture of Tul above it, second closest I've been to him

Where is the Lie screening - Royce Cabrera

ok that's kind of a long list lmao

blurbs and takeaways:

all of these international trips started because I won a hat from Kokoy in a Gameboys' fan raffle, which I later got but it wasn't the hat I was told I won but ended up being a more meaningful hat anyway

Kaownah is the actor I've seen the most

Elijah is the actor I've spent the most face time with and had the longest conversations with

Elijah got on the mic told a FULL ass auditorium of his family and fans that I was the biggest Cairo hater in the world (which is true actually)

most everyone I've met and had any sort of face time with has been really nice and excited to talk with an interfan

I won a video call with MarkFord for the MSP concert and their excitement at seeing me again made Gemini who was in the room come over to see what was happening and he was also very excited to see me again

most of them tend to be shorter than I imagined but I'm also 6'1 and also a lot of them wear platform heels or very chunky shoes lmao

fans and staff at events tend to be hella nice and curious about me and assist with translations or directions and sharing gifts and tips

I "saw" Tul Pakorn at NYC Pride 2023 but didn't register it was him because I was 5-10ft behind him and thought "that's a nice white mesh shirt" and later to my eternal chagrin saw him on IG wearing that very same 'nice mesh shirt.' I had to laugh to not cry.

I entered a raffle to meet Yusei and didn't win and so I didn't go back to Japan and later read on twitter he was meeting fans there anyway

fan meets/concerts and goodbye sessions are truly LONG AF!!! Some of them could easily be 10+ hours onsite.

@bengiyo I have told you and @liyazaki the most about my travels - I've already added a few missed memories but lemme know if y'all remember any omissions lmao

at some point, I'm going to need to buy a shelf or two for all the bl merch and pictures I have

next up for me:

Khaotung and First in Sao Paolo

Kaownah (lmao) and Mild in Manila

Gun, Tay, and friends in Manila

I have an eye out for announcements about Be On Cloud's NYE party but no details has been revealed or ticketed yet

[aquaburst3]

I'm a fan of @lazella's YGO/TWST crossover. I've been thinking about potential ships with YGO characters and the TWST boys, especially because of a...potential future project of mine. (Not for everyone. I never watched any of the animes past 5Ds, so I don't know enough about them to really do that.) While I can't see Yusei with anyone in TWST and I ship Judai with Johan too much, I kinda ship Yugi with Vil a bit. Hear me out.

Both of them know what it's like to live in someone else's shadow. Vil is in Neige's shadow. Everyone in the industry constantly compares him to his rival, making him feel bitter and resentful towards him. Yugi feels the same way, except with Yami. He shared a body with Yami. I imagine there were plenty of times that he felt that people attribute his accomplishes to Yami and a small part of him was jealous of Yami for being all of the things that he wasn't. Hell, there are people in the fandom still do that!

They also both understand what it's like to be ostracized and have little to no friends. Yugi had zero friends growing up. The closest thing to it was Anzu, who was more like an acquaintance. Vil was only close with Jack growing up. Both of them were bullied as children for being different. I argue that outside of Jack and somewhat Rook, Vil still has little friends that he can rely on.

Yugi is much healthier about these issues. At the end of the day, Atem and Yugi were extremely close friends. He was able to come out the other side as a strong and powerful duellist in his own right. I can see him grounding Vil in any potential relationship while understanding where he's coming from. I think even a friendship between these two would be entertaining.

[moonlit-orchid]

You already know who I'm gonna ask for😻 Astral for the ask prompt thingy?

Here we go!

Favourite thing about them

Everything His personality! I love how he is capable of being super serious and cold but also the sweetest guy ever! In the first season, especially near the start, he was the most sarcastic guy ever, and was just done with EVERYTHING, but under all that he's genuinely sweet, just look at him in Cross Duel XD

(I also really love his dub voice. It may sound a bit too old but it's really good, especially how he can sound like a fed up parent one second then a very loving brother the next)

Least favourite thing about them

What happened to him at the end. His way of getting Yuma to duel him in the final duel episode was a bit weird, and his attitude was not like him at all. I feel like it would have been more in character for him to be like 'I don't want to do this, but I have no choice, it's what I was entrusted to do...buuuuuut if you maybe duel me I'll have a reason not to' rather than the cold act he put on. I get that it was to raise stakes and all, but you can have a high stakes emotional duel without making one betray the others, like Joey and Yugi's duel in the Duelist Kingdom Arc. Also I am not happy that he was the only one who didn't get to stay on earth. If frickin' VECTOR deserved a normal life so did he!

Favourite line(s)

(Tired parent voice) "Two multiplied by four is eight"

"Oh, please. You snorer." (Yes he really did call Yuma this. Twice)

(Affection brother voice) "I believe that is called '✨detention✨'

The whole speech he gave when taking over the duel against 96 "Yuma, please know I will always be here to high five sky with you" (you hear that? That's me sobbing)

Also my favourite line (so far) in Cross Duel "I feel the same way about you <3" (this is just a dating sim at this point XD)

BrOTP

Him and Yuma! Obviously. They just ARE brothers, you can't convince me otherwise. I also like to think that Astral's mentally adopted Yuma and considers him his child. Aside from Yuma another one is him and Nelson- they're best friends post series and go off on anime rants at 2 am in the morning on the phone to each other and Nelson uses his connections to get Astral rare merch.

Also thanks to cross duel, him and Yugi are a brOTP (Astral likes how nice Yugi is and Yugi just wants to be there for him), as well as him and Yusei (he sees Yusei as a big brother, and he and Yuma remind Yusei of Leo and Luna, plus Yusei keeps an eye on him) and him and Yusaku (ptsd kids who help each other cope) and also him and Skye (they're both sweet kids and i love the idea of skye helping him calm down when he's triggered)

OTP

me None :)

I just don't ship him with anyone, he's very much aroace (i say that like i dont hc EVERYONE as aroace with only a few exceptions XD)

nOTP

(Hides) Him and Mist! I'm sorry, I know how popular that is, but I just can't ship them! I can easily see them as brothers, but not lovers. Not just because of them looking like twins but also I just don't think it would be a very healthy dynamic. (Also Astral and Don Thousand, because apparently that's a thing. Even if I didn't hc Don as Astral's father, that ship just makes me uncomfortable. Astral's clearly a child and Don is clearly an adult)

Random headcanon

Astral can drive despite being underage. Really really dangerously. He once had to drive a car because Kaito couldn't. In Kaito's words: "Never again!" Did they all live? Yes. Did Astral destory a lot of property? Also yes.

Unpopular opinion

I've already mentioned this one before: I can't hc Astral as nb/ using they/them pronouns. Canon has already established Astral as he/him, and while I fully understand if others want to hc him that way, I just can't, sorry.

Song I associate with them

Angel with a Shotgun (probably because of an amv I watched of him) and also Queen of Mean from Descendants 3 XD, I just think it suits the Sargasso events when he lost control. Also that bit in Happier than Ever, "I dont relate to you, cause I'd never treat me this shitty" sounds like him yelling at Eliphas.

Favourite picture of them

Any scene where he's smiling! (I have waaay too many screencaps to go hunting for one)

Example: THIS SCENE!

[spacedoutsheepy]

Out of curiosity, what did you think was so bad about the zexal dub?

Ok I wanna preface this by saying that I am no purist, and I'm no weeb. I speak both english and japanese semi-fluently, and can tell you that for 99% of anime, the english dubs are fine, in terms of acting and general quality. I will defend the original yugioh DM dub and the GX dub until the day I die, and think that the sizeable part of the yugioh fandom that wants to discount or disregard them are plain wrong. I love them to death and think they're a valid way to watch the show and get the same story as the originals. And if you like the Zexal dub, then absolutely slay, queen. Yugioh is fun, and not something to be taken super seriously, so everything I'm about to say is gonna be pretty pedantic, and only pertains to what I like to get out of yugioh, and my personal enjoyment of the franchise. That being said, after watching the entire first half of it, the Zexal dub is just... bad.

So a lot of yugioh dubs changed some material, or story elements, even beyond normal censoring. But the Zexal dub just blatantly changed entire thematic elements and washed out whole character arcs, and the societal commentary the japanese dub made, which was shockingly based, got extremely watered down. Worse, the stuff they got to replace it just feels... stock. Like the way they translated the the dialogue, ESPECIALLY from the antagonists, made it feel generic, lacking the nuance that the Japanese version had. Like you could say similar things about the GX dub, but at least they kept the charisma of the characterization that GX is famous for, as well as the charm and humor. And also unlike GX, and least forgivable of all, the acting just isn't good.

Say what you will about 4kids, but the voice actors were pretty good at what they did. Things like Joey's brooklyn accent or yugi's big deep voice are iconic for a reason, you know? Hell the 5Ds dub is practically carried by Greg Abbey as Yusei. But zexal's actors, I mean I don't wanna be mean to them but they're just not doing a good job, man. Most of them sound cloying, forced, uncanny in the worst way. There are exceptions, Astral and Kite give pretty good performances, but the rest just grate on my ears and take me out of what little story there is left.

It's the only yugioh dub that I couldn't finish. I had to give up on it because I was not having a good time with it, and for the first time, felt like it was getting in the way of me enjoying the series.

No shade to anyone who likes it, because I can see getting attached to it if you grew up with it, and think that Zexal is a good enough series that if the dub doesn't bother you, you could get an equally good experience from watching it. And hell, the dub soundtrack lowkey slaps, and the opening is one of the best 4kids ever did! But it's a hard pass for me, fam.

[saint-bestial]

∘✧ 9 people you’d like to get to know better ✧∘

Tagged by @skiel-infinity

➣ Tags

1. Three ships: shivshipping (sylvester x kiryu) it owns my life forever and ever idc if it's my oc x canon it counts to me. they are the train wreck i constantly play over and over in my head. and then toolshipping (bruno x yusei) is probably my favorite canon x canon ship. they're so cute and tragic. finally destinyshipping (edo x saiou) genuinely such a good ship i barely see anyone talking about. their history kinda fucked me up while watching gx ngl.

2. First ever ship: i do not remember lmao. the furthest back i can remember is aztecshipping (yuma x iii) i can distinctly remember doing aztec rp with my friend on minecraft many many years ago. before that i have no clue. i don't think i shipped much of anything prior to that. i don't ship very often in general lol

3. Last song: elysium by invert animate. i really like without a whisper off the same album (heavener) so i decided to listen to it in its entirety last night.

4. Last movie: grave of the fireflies iirc. very fucking sad but good.

5. Currently reading: nothing rn i just finished we have always lived in the castle by shirley jackson the other day. it definitely took a bit to hook me but it was worth it. very much a ghost story/local folktale prequel type book. i also finished revelator by daryl gregory recently and i would totally recommend it if you like horror and southern gothic. i might start if it bleeds by stephen king soon or one of the other books i have lying around.

6. Currently watching: again nothing rn 😭 i finished fullmetal alchemist brotherhood a while ago and i'm not really ready to take anything else in yet. i want to watch the 2003 version but no idea when i'll get around to it.

7. Currently consuming: minecraft videos and video essays lmao.

8. Currently craving: salmon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9. People to Tag: i'm always so shy about tagging people in stuff like this so anyone is free to fill this out and tag me to show me if you want <3

[sanchoyo]

arc v 51-65 thoughts! JACK IS HERE FINALLY!!!! also crow. also, prison arc. they sent 14 year olds to actual adult prison! the gang learned about classism, corruption in the system and that you cant Beat Cops with Smiles, but with your Fists :)

-ok. in the back end of the reiji v yuya duel yuya seems surprised to hear yuzu is okay, just taken. and im like. OH IS THAT WHY HES SO UPSET?? HE THOUGHT SHE WAS /DEAD/??? I mean. you know what thats fair. being turned into a piece of paper/cardboard(?) cards. would usually mean death I guess and he did think thats what happened to her. I still think its silly for him to be so pissed at reiji who by all accounts is the nicest ygo rich guy in the entire serieses history imo. but reiji did withhold some info to test yuya a lil bit. but yknow. still.

-…reiji's mom…TOLD the WORLD about the war/invaders AND THEY CANCELED. THE. TOURNAMENT. THEY CANCELED IT AND PRIORITIZED THE WORLDS SAFETY. we ARENT getting a FULL TOURNAMENT ARC??? IN YUGIOH??? i am shocked. no way… (I know I said itd be really funny if a protag didnt win the tournament, but they CANCELED IT which is somehow even funnier to me) I cannot say I expected this at all but im not MAD abt it

-see the next ep when yuya v his mom we learn his mom was a former GIRL GANG BOSS??? WHERE HAS /THAT/ ENERGY BEEN THIS WHOLE SERIES??? instead of being a creep towards kids she couldve been characterized like this! the story abt her and yuyas dad is pretty cute but if /i/ i had a hot mob boss wife i wouldnt be telling her to solve everything with smiles not violence :) i would pick up a fucking bat with her. whatever its FINE

-god the lil montage of yuzu's dad dueling with her in a lil baby pouch on his back and pausing a duel to change her diaper was SO CUTE. TF BEST YGO DAD FOR REAL GOD. hes a duel school teacher!!! why!! cant he come to help!!!! why are they just letting an 18-19 yr old lead the lancers into anOTHER DIMENSION. i dont CARE that hes thee most responsible smartest guy ever or whatever. my god

-shun and serena are remarkably chill abt all of this, hope we see more of them talking and hanging out and stuff. like serena looks just like his sister and yuya looks like his bestie and u KNOW thats SO weird to him?? but also they were on oppisite sides of the war! i want! more interactions! (very funny theyre both kinda trailing reiji. tbh if /i/ was stranded in another dimension he would be the person id be latching onto out of this cast, too. very nice and level headed guy)

-MY GOD. yugo is SO sweet, his calm explanation to yuzu and them just sittin and talking was great. (his reaction to yuzu implying he loves rin was also very very cute. and rins design AUGH I love it SO much. yuzu is still best arc v girl for me but rins design is my fav. GREEN.) JACK!!! MENTIONED!!!

-while they were talking it sorta explained yugo v yuto was a huge misunderstanding bc yuto thought yugo was the Fusion Enemy and yugo thought yuto was yuri. very very understandable and funny. and also im starting to think everyone in this series is colorblind bc they cant tell any of the yuzu/yuya counterparts apart by hair… (also, speaking of yuri, where did he GO. whts HE up to. weve barely gotten any of him and id like More Please)

-it's…been a minute since I watched 5ds. years. and I only watched it once, so I know im probably going to get details wrong, but aside from jack and crow, all other charas so far are arc v originals? like melissa and Guy that Looks Like This :>/ arent in 5ds right… the city kinda looks different to me, but maybe its just the animation looks newer… are we going to get an explanation to where yusei is? bc if jack and crow are in this…like, none of the protags are in arc v. are they busy. is this a universe without them.

-I forgot how dystopian 5ds was! stupid rich ppl calling the cops on yugo and yuzu for LOITERING and acting like the lower class is a Threat is a lil too real…damn. yugo is so nice immediately just pulling her along to help while shes with him ;_; personality wise hes my fav of the yu boys so far… (I feel like such a traitor for this. sorry to yuto bc zexal is my fav series. but we barely got to see him. whenever he comes back im sure we'll get..more... and sorry to yuya bc I Love Clowns….but I love silly lil bikenana boy…willing to bet when we get more yuri he might fight for that spot bc i LOVE a good villain too…we'll see…)

-YUZU'S REACTION TO YUGO DWHEEL DUEL IS SO FUNNY SHES LIKE. SO RATIONAL THO. my GOD she kept saying he should stop to duel on foot and yeah. playing yugioh (or, any card game) on a bike would be insanely hard. like you have to basically have your cards ALL memorized bc you gotta keep ur eyes ahead to drive, right, so ud only be able to glance? everyone in synchro world has insane memorizing skills. (I know to a degree you'd be able to make the d-wheels have a sort of autopilot, but no, we see them steering themselves and accelerating themselves…)

-the animation kept cutting to 3d models while they were dueling on their bikes and it did Not Look Very Good. it was still very fun.

-yuzu Learns About Corrupt Police and Society Today! She once again is the Real Protag to Me. reporter cowgirl ladys design is cute!

-what was the point of the duel if the cops were gonna just set up a blockade anyway tf. the entertainment aspect is SO fucked lmao bored rich ppl. too real. yugo u dont need to rise in society u gotta burn it all down its all fucked. -_-

-YUZU HAS BEEN IN SYNCHRO WORLD FOR (1) DAY AND IS NOW A WANTED CRIMINAL!!! HOT GIRL SUMMERRRRR. (and by proximity, yuya and serena lol)

-LAYRA SAW COPS AND FLIPPED OUT. understandable but also WHO HURT U. SHINGO IMMEDIATELY NOT GIVING A FUCK AND IS READY TO DUEL THE COPS. SERENA TOO. honestly very iconic of everybody great job. except yuya who is just baffled and not 100% ready to throw down. Get with the PROGRAM yuya u cant fight cops with smiles.

-you know I understanding theyre tryin to duel their way out of it but letting ppl from synchro see: fusion, action cards, and pendulum in ONE GO seems DANGEROUS.

-sorry, but shingo being arrested while yuya is like YAY ACTION DUEL LET ME ENTERTAIN U ^_^ IS THE FUNNIEST THING EVER. and everytime he asked layra if theyre okay they look like a goddamn espurr like O__O clearly NOT OK. VERY SCARED WITHOUT REIJI. WHY DID U BRING THIS TRAUMATIZED CHILD!!!

-there was a scene when yuya was like 'look at these beautiful ladies!" n his hippo girl monsters danced for an uncomfortably long time and the cops face kept being zoomed in on and he was like O__O this ep…i cant tell if its TRYING to make me laugh but it is, my god yuya u are making ME smile if no one else. for absolutely the Wrong Reason. the CHEERFUL TONE he takes on in this situation is SO NOT APPROPRIATE FOR THE GRAVITY OF BEING. ARRESTED. this cop hes dueling is also the most tirest man ive ever seen which makes it so much better

-crows entrance was absolutely INCREDIBLE. WITH THE MOODY THUNDER AND ALL!! HOLY SHIT. just the sound of revving in the distance building up to it CROWWWWW I LOVE U. still probably most excited for jack but STILL.

-ohh, yugo know doesnt what his parents look like huh…and yuzu doesnt know what her mom looked like? her dad, the most cheerful dude in the world never talked abt her? weird.. theres still the mystery of yuzu having her bracelet…id say maybe all the yuya/yuzu counterparts might be the same but no, yuya has both parents so…cannot rly do anything with this info rn…

-ok just a small thought, but in the op and the eps so far, the guy whos always looking over security (idk his name yet but he looks like this :>/) is implied to be the villain, and ig reijis dad might be one of the final villains, but we havent had any Very Present Active villains aside from GROUPS of invaders that are p much faceless…I want more like. Present Villains. does that make sense. dennis doesnt count btw hes just some guy whos hangin out.

-shingo just introduced yuya as his APPRENTICE. PLEASE. i love him so much hes the funniest guy ever. crow also immediately being like 'idk abt all this dimension stuff! but u guys can hang out here for however long u need to :)' LOVE U CROW

-my god DENNIS can juggle and do silly little magic stuff. ok. ive been very lukewarm to him but thats very cute. also 'gon-chan' PLS.

-also one of the bills he got as a tip had that little clown guy from 5ds on it. was he a …person who was important enough to be on money? i dont remember him very much except he had like. a clown wife. cannot recall his place in the plot or anything else LMAO

-yugo and yuzu just trying to convince randos on the street the WAR IS COMING AND THEY CAN TRAVEL DIMENSIONS. AND GETTING LAUGHED AT. HELP THEM.

-im running into traffic to defend gons honor. hes so mad dennis made him the villain in their silly little roleplay HAHA. dennis is like a campy little guy, even when hes outed as a traitor later I seriously seriously doubt itll stick or he'll be a real threat. hes a silly guy..also I just like his monsters designs a lot. (also, he outed xyz to synchro dimension too LMAO DUDE. now they have all the summoning methods u guys can use…)

-gallager is just. he introduces himself as a promoter but him and nico smiley are both like. pimps for duelists right. KAHSDKJ. love his outfit so much tho

-so…where the HELL did reiji land….mildly concerned about now, its been a few…eps and he hasnt been shown…where did he go……..is he ok…….is he with jack….

-ILLEGAL DUEL BETTING. GON IS SOOO OFFENDED TOO. AND THEN IT CUTS TO SHUN IMMEDIATELY IN IT. epic illegal bird moment. poor gon is having to play peacekeeper and is the only reasonable person of this trio

-crow explaining the tops STOLE riding duels and make commoners do it for fun..my god they gentrified riding duels

-very grateful yuya is the one kinda looking after layra in reijis absence. makes perfect sense since he kinda is a big bro figure to the kids at the duel school too! it adds a real softness to yuya that I like (ok lets be real hes already been pretty soft. gooey and warm center, like a cookie) for a second it panned to serena and i was thinking pls dont let the only girl in the group be the mother hen but no. she completely ignores layra and decided to go out on her own (shingo following her lol) bc shes sick of sitting around waiting and her main goal, in her Words is to Find Yuzu too. would it be weird to ship them since they..look the same supposedly….JSDKFJK its tht question of what ud do if u met a clone of urself/alt version of urself. would u kiss or kill them. serena is a Kiss the Clone kinda girl and I respect that

-'friendship cup' is the funniest name ever for a tournament. YOU HAVE TO ENTER. TO DUEL JACK. JACK IS THE PRIZE. TROPHY WIFE JACK. shun and dennis both want to fight jack sooo bad its so funny. me too (affectionate) the fact dennis and shun both took to riding bikes and dueling at the same time SO fast is. incredible. and their lil outfits….

-oh wait. this means the earlier tournament being canceled is just gonna lead into this one isnt it HAHAH i knew it couldnt be ygo without a full tournament arc….its fine. I actually dont DISLIKE these type of arcs even if they arent my favorite

-not sure if ive said it but I Must mention it: yuyas magicians have nonbinary swag

-who the hell is shinji. youre not yusei. bootleg yusei….where did they PUT YUSEI!!! are all the protags busy like DAMN!! WHERE ARE THEY!!! I understand on a meta level u wouldnt want them all in the series to take away protagswag from yuya but this series literally lends itself to a bbt style crossover! the whole series is a crossover! they shouldve had a lil movie or smth. I want. another bbt movie. but w the newer protags too. lke all 8-9(??) ygo protags...itd be FUN

-crow being such a DAD to a ton of kids is cute. and probably the best person layra couldve come to stay with tbh, hes obv concerned abt them ;_; babies. also him and yuya dueling bc crow thinks feeding kids is more important than making them smile…and yuya thinks making them smile is more important…no yuya i gotta side with crow here LMAO crow called yuya privileged too JDSFHKJ

-NINJA GUY!!! I FORGOT HE WAS WITH THE LANCERS?? i mean ive been seein him in the op but STILL. good he got layra outta there. the cops were going to arrest a CHILD. i mean ik yuya is a child too but layra is a CHILD child not a teen yk. omg jail arc???

-speaking of arcs. is this series called arc v. because. arc 5. as in fifth arc of the yugioh series. I was speculating to why it was called that last time and had the realization thats prob why JKSHDFK

-god we actually are getting a…prison arc…this is INCREDIBLE. why werent they given the prison uniforms everyone else has. btw yuya now would be the PERFECT time to bring ur inner demon out to break out

-the bosses absurdly large brick stack of cards is insane. ive never seen so many so neatly stcked in one place…bro what if someone knocked them over that would be a nightmare…

-the lil story with the boss was fun (and felt appropriate given hes dueling yuya, who is all abt Smiles and Entertaining and hed lost that…like gettin his spark back) …so the moral here is u can make friends with fellow inmates n have solidarity but the cops are always enemies. understandable and real

-so yuya should become the new prison boss. right. he beat the old boss. but whatever I guess they didnt want yuya to be a crimeboss...cowards

-so whenever someone tries breaking out, their friends/the ppl left behind get punished and taken somewhere they 'never return from'…thats…terrifying and would be pretty efficient to anyone with any kind of morals, but idk, i feel like anyone would get really desperate and try it anyway at a certain point if conditions are bad enough, their fellow inmates be damned..

-sorry but it has to be said though. this mans hair is a lizard straight up. with the little hands and everything. is anyone fucking talking about this.

-my god yugo cannot whistle at all. everytime i see him and yuzu im like. they are so funny i love them both so much SJADFHKJ we go a few eps w/out them and im so sad… btw..yuya is in jail, i kinda expected this friendship cup thing to involve them more heavily, but the :>/ guy said yugo and yuzu would be arrested when they showed up for it too and im like. is it even gonna be an Event or Not. i mean I LOVE prison arc but. Wondering

-'hey crow if ur gonna leave here (prison) can I come too..' YUYA. DO YOU THINK CROW OF ALL PEOPLE IS GOING TO LEAVE YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS IN PRISON AND DITCH YOU ALL?? ITS CROW. CMON.

-yuya constantly looking like either the happiest dude ever (when its horribly inappropriate most of the time) or the saddest little kicked puppy alive makes me lose it. (and the third option of Murderously Possessed, but its been like 20 eps since weve seen that so..maybe the demon and yuto both peaced out. maybe they eloped. good for them)

-ok im going to need a gif of this PRONTO. shun how did you get there. HE SHOULDER DROPPED THIS MAN. XYZ BITCHES ARE BUILT DIFFERENT. XYZ REPRESENT!!!! he bodied like 15 more guards after this with his FISTS not even using his cards CMON LETS GOOO the prison break scene was AMAZING. also shingo grabbing some rare cards on the way out. best boy alert. why do his eyes glow in the dark.

-….hey shingo loses SO many duels its kind of funny. reminds me of watching manjoume from gx do the same thing. between them who has more losses. theyre both a certain…flavor of cringedude characters that i always end up liking…

btw Lightsworn Monster SPOTTED. I HAVE THIS CARD IN MY FAVORITE DECK!!! HIII FELIS!!!

-'what does a monster with 100 lp have to accomplish' -guy whos never heard of goddamn card effects. damn i thought these dudes were supposed to be the super efficient guards or whatever…anyway shun coming in with the literal xyz rescue was CUTE look at him functioning in a team ;w; good

-oh my god :>/ guy is named jean-michel roget. hes. hes french coded. u know wht i think i like my silly lil emoji name for him better. GOD DAMN they were SO close to escaping. CROW HAS KIDS AT HOME. ARGNH THEYRE TRYING TO SEPARATE SERENA TOO. BULLSHIT.

-REIJI FINALLY FINALLY SHOWING UP. WHERE WERE U. talking to a council I Guess. fucking negotiating. ok king of efficiency. he saved everyones asses with this. everyone say thank u reiji for everything, always.

-oh my god the friendship cup. theyre all being forced to demonstrate their abilities in the tournament . mandatory friendship cup. its a Full Circle. out of jail straight into the REAL tournament arc. i cant believe this.

-yuya vs jack. oh my god its going to happen. <- so excited to see jack i am going to throw UP

-crow called jack a traitor so. so they havent made up yet. I mean I FIGURED and yusei isnt HERE and i am :( I barely remember 5ds but I remember crow and jack bein silly together near the end…be FRIENDS or ELSE I will CRY

-yuzu's lil riding duel outfit is SO cute. pls. also yuzu crying with relief once she sees yuya is ok…baby ;_; theyre so Close to bein reunited….

-the problem with me trying to figure out how and why this series diverges from 5ds is that i remember Nothing Important from 5ds at all. i remember the dumbass details like that jack loved cup ramen JSDHKJ but its clearly an au (with..no yusei for some reason...) and im like. wondering if theyll ever explain WHY its an au from the original. or if im just supposed to Know. bc I Dont Yet

-I thought itd be really funny if jack DID defeat yuya in Three Turns like he said he was going to. and then he DOES. he beats him so hard yuya FLIES OFF HIS BIKE. AND BOUNCES. LMAO glad hes wearing a helmet at least. love u jack. also. i know it was probably framed in the way of jack being an asshole but I? kind of agree with him about this:

(I actually…said smth along these lines in my first arc v liveblog post:

almost word for word HAHA me and jack are on the same wavelength and he read yuya in like 10 seconds FLAT I am Amazed)

not that it's a BAD thing. he wants to make people happy, and it makes him happy in turn when theyre cheering for him! thats fine! (an irl example would be like, I enjoy making art for others to make them happy. but I also enjoy getting positive feedback for my own satisfaction!) absolutely nothing wrong with it!

HOWEVER. the impression I've gotten so far is that yuya gets upset when his opponent is the one being cheered for (a good example was the michio duel and that annoying trivia kid duel. he didnt seem real happy when the audience was rooting for them and not him!) as opposed to…I cant believe I'm comparing him to dennis but. the dennis v gon duel was a great example of what I think a more genuine entertainment duel should be…they were playing the roles of hero v villain, and dennis was great at improv there, quickly turning into the villain when Straight Man to his Comedy Guy routine Gon accused him of being the Real Villain in that situation. like he ROLLED with it and was perfectly fine with gon winning bc it suited their lil story and the audience loved it! I think entertainment dueling SHOULD be like that, like improv and acting bc you're entertaining ppl. ur a performer. u need to go w the flow more.

(Okay, this might not have been the best duel to show it off bc 1. hes dueling JACK of all ppl who declared hes gonna WIN and. he Will. 2. this is a situation where hes trying to showcase the strength of the lancers, so it wouldnt do to THROW the duel. but he couldve played into jacks dramatics a bit, made himself out to be more of a dramatic underdog, or a potential upstarter…for wanting to be an ENTERTAINER I want to see yuya channel his dramatics a LOT more than he does. esp w jack of all ppl!) to me it feels like yuya also ties a LOT of his self worth to how other ppl perceive his role in duels too which is Unhealthy (and again. is an extension of the 'smile when u want to cry' stuff imo, also pretty unhealthy) I…dont know if any of this is That Deep or theyre just trying to make jack seem like an asshole. I WANT it to be this deep bc its a REALLY interesting trait for a protag to have!

-kinda love how ppl in the Tops are dressed like old timey victorians. (also a lot of them have very western names) it just creates a very. unique vibe 

-can I also just say i LOVE LOVE LOVE the trope in ygo of 'person does what they think is the final finishing move, then theres smoke and everyone is like :0 and when the smoke clears, the person is still standing in the duel because of some trap/spell/effect' IT HAPPENS SO MUCH IN ARC V AND I EAT IT UP EVERYTIME.

-...jack gave this random child servant a card and told him it suited him and the kids mad jack 'changed' and got mad jack compared him to a 'weak card'...first off its gonna end up being smth like 'even weak cards have potential, none of them are useless, its like u, u feel like ur a low level but u also have potential' (which. very yusei thing btw) but also if my hero gave me a card i would literally be SO happy this kid is dumb asf. jack literally wasnt even being RUDE when he gave it to him and jack is usually SO Rude like CMON. 'wheeh i had NO cards and jack gave me one but its WEAK so i dont want it' this is called being ungrateful. i know hes a kid so I shouldnt be so annoyed but damn its rude. its a REALLY cute card too (not one I recognize and the text is in japanese but its a cute lil cyber girl with pink hair and a tuning fork and bc this is synchro I assume its a tuner monster or smth?)

-...went from jail to bougiest penthouse in the world. lmao and locked in his room....ur a rich persons pet now...'if u lose ur out of the penthouse' willing to bet its the same for jack since at the end of the day hes still. u know. a commons Guy cosplaying a bougie. funnily enough, the tops are saying 'as long as he keeps winning hes not a commons, hes one of us!' and the commons are saying 'hes a traitor who sold out!' then another commons guy being like 'NO jack is still OUR hero he doesnt belong to the tops!' etc. its like he cant fucking win no matter what he does! insane. jack ilu tho.

-...actually, first match is gon v crow. calling it now, gon loses his Stand In One Place shtick isnt gonna work v a motorcycle. i kinda think I want crow to win this tournament actually to duel jack KJHSDKJ i know itll prob be yuya but cmonnnn. its PERSONAL for crow. btw does this mean gon will be homeless for the rest of the friendship cup stuff since if u lose u get kicked outta the penthouse. where will he GO. ...tbh since crow has kids waiting at home for him it might be better if he loses first so he can take the losers of this tournament back home w him so they dont. go to jail again? maybe? we’ll see!!

very very fun stretch of eps, I binged SO many last night and tonight :3

[juurensha]

Top Favorite Works

So, I got an ask about my favorite works from an account that I can't tell whether or not it's a spam bot, BUT it did get me thinking about my top favorite works, and since I did write them out, I thought I might as well post it here:

Top 10 (not in any particular order):

Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (specifically, if I had to pick a favorite, Night Watch or the City Watch storyline as a whole, but I still love the Death ones and the Witches ones as well)

Angel the Series (s2 as my personal favorite)

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki Kun by Izumi Tsubaki (GIVE ME A SEASON 2 PLEASE)

Persuasion by Jane Austen (do not talk to me about Netflix's travesty, I refuse to acknowledge that it exists)

Lord of the Rings (books and movies)

Exorcist series by Feitian (...technically Tianbao is my favorite, but I helped co-translate Mingwang, so those clown modern exorcists hold a special place in my heart)

Mass Effect trilogy

Hannibal (TV series by Bryan Fuller)

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

Craft Sequence novels by Max Gladstone (with either Four Roads Cross or City of Angels as my favorite)

Honorable Mentions:

-Star Wars (which one? ....look, I love the prequel trilogy and the Old Republic era is my favorite, but in general, all I want is well-choreographed light saber battles)

-Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir (only in honorable mention because there's still one book left, and I need to see the finale before I decide)

-Eyeshield 21 by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Yusuke Murata

-Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

-Steven Universe

-Surprise! The Supposed Talent Show was Actually--?! by Yan Baibai

-Oresama Teacher by Izumi Tsubaki (GIVE ME ANY ANIME FOR THIS PLEASE)

-Majin Tantei Nougami Neuro by Yusei Matsui (manga only, do not mention the anime to me)

-Undertale (I never played again after getting the golden ending because I like to think of everyone happy and well with no resets)

-Ready or Not (2019)

-Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett (specifically I am in love with City of Blades, but the trilogy as a whole is great too)

-American Elsewhere by Robert Jackson Bennett (idk how many times I've reread this book, but basically, think eldritch abomination in American surburbia)

-Spy X Family by Tatsuya Endo (only in honorable mentions because it's not done yet, and I don't want to see a sudden tragic ending)

-Neverafter (Dimension 20) (only here because I have a bad habit of not watching the final episode of D20 campaigns, I DON'T KNOW WHY)

-Escape from the Bloodkeep (Dimension 20) (yes I know it's a LOTR spoof, that's why it's down here but I have never laughed so hard in my life)

[yuamusuzuran]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks....

Oh, I actually never got to answer this, thank you for the question!

Honestly I'm not that good at ranking characters so I'll just write 10 characters I adore but in no particular order.

1. Zagreus (HADES game)

The reason I love him is quite simple: he's so openly helpful and some of his dialogue with other characters is pure gold. He's so caring but stubborn and dorky, its really hard not to love him. But he is also hella strong and takes no bullshit from anyone, always so fun.

2. Yusei Fudo (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5ds)

Yusei has been my baby for a decade now and its mostly because of his personality: he maybe seems rough around the edges and only thinks about dueling and saving the world, but you know he has the softest little heart under there. I would literally give my leg for him.

3. Aerith Gainsbourogh (Final Fantasy 7)

I'm not an OG player but let me tell you I fell in love with her character in the Remake. She's so fun to be around, but you can still feel her positivity radiating, a literal angel of that dying world. So there's no doubt I'll lose my mind when Rebirth comes out.

4. Zack Fair (Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core)

Second part of this duo, I dunno, he just seems so wholesome and puppy-like, an absolute joy whenever he's on screen. Plus, his heroism just comes to him naturally, absolutely beautiful. He just radiates positive energy and I'd give so much for him

5. Akiza Izinski/Aki Izayoi (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5ds)

She is and will forever be my favorite YGO girl. Ofc they had to butcher her character as they always do with YGO, but her potential in the first season had me so invested. And being someone who's been severely bullied on many fronts I resonated with her so much to the point I wanted to be her. I still adore her so much.

6. Yami Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

You can see how much influence this series had on me and I'm putting Yami on this list simply because he was my first ever anime crush. Plus, he's just so important for my life and I love his character and bond with Yugi in particular. It's been 15 years since I've discovered him and my love for him still goes strong

7. Sesshomaru (Inuyasha)

He's the reason I have white-hair anime men preference and he was always just a joy to watch. He's so cold and cruel on the outside, but the way he behaves towards those closest to him and the way his relationship with Inuyasha gets gradually better is what really sold him for me. One of my loves

8. Seiya Kou (Sailor Moon)

I know this is controversial because people feel very strong about them, but I love Seiya, in both manga and the anime. Their playfulness and the way they treat Usagi is the most precious thing and their passion for protecting the ones they love always makes me simp. I always especially enjoy season 5 of Sailor Moon specifically for them

9. Catarina Claes (HameFura)

Now she's just a joy to watch, she's so dense and I love it. But also, its really hard NOT to love her. A particular aspect I enjoy about her is the fact you can see why other members of her harem love her so much and that's something I can stand behind in a reverse harem. She's so funny and so lovable.

10. Sailor Saturn/Hotaru Tomoe (Sailor Moon)

My oldest anime child, I still love her so much. At first it was because of how mysterious she was, but then you go under the surface a little and see how cute and lovable she is. The fact she can blow the entire world up is only a bonus for me

I have so many characters I enjoy but these are the ones that kinda marked my life now and before. Hope it was interesting read 😄

[turboacek-blog]

Ash’s Yugioh Deck

The flip side of the Ash vs Yugi I said in a different post

Where I made some Pokemon teams for Yugi/Atem

My attempt at a deck for Ash

I'm not as familiar with Yugioh as Pokemon I've played duel links and some master duel and watched duel monsters and some of GX and some 5DS so bear with me

Since this is a for a hypothetical dduel against Yugi it has to be more of an anime deck, which means it isn’t the most optimal TCG/OCG deck as anime decks very rarely have multiple copies of a card (with exceptions like Kaiba’s 3 Blue Eyes white dragon, and cards whose effects are using the same copy of their card like Thunder Dragon)

There were different ways to look at it so I have different decks

1) Focus around “Pikachu”

With the idea that characters have “1” precious card/monster and they build that deck around that

And by the time of DSOD characters basically have an archetype deck, (Blue eyes, Cubic, etc)

Watts

So I don't know if this is obvious but the archetype would be Watt’s

Wattfox resembles Pikachu a lot so that would be Ash’s Dark Magician or Kuriboh

The problem is Watts is mostly a synchro deck and even Wattfox is a tuner

Yugi was in bonds beyond time and saw Yusei even though that movie undid everything, Yugi wasn't freaking out over synchro summoning but was confused a little plus Watts isn’t as strong so could balance out against Yugi’s deck(s) and not many watt synchros so it wouldn't be much different than Yugi fusion summoning

Might pair it with the hunder engine as they can be the “trainers” to the “Pokemon” that the Watts are

I won't go too into the extra deck as that just gets complicated on what extra monsters they would use as that's even a question mark for Yugi but in later master rules, cards like the hunders can also facilitate Xyz summoning, and link summoning can be in any deck basically to do with the synchros

2) The “Pokemon” deck

Watts was because of Pikachu and Ash, but Ash can also just be seen as the Pokémon character stand-in so we need a deck that can be a Pokemon deck

Performapals

A lot of the performapals very much look like Pokemon from an art style perspective and some like Performapal Lizardraw looks literally like Charmander

Performapals are usually a pendulum deck but in this scenario would have a good number of non not strong Performapals plus no odd-eyes, etc so it isn’t as strong as it could be

3) Ash’s Pokemon as Yugioh Monsters

Then to do the route I did with Yugi for his Pokemon team where I needed to find the closest Pokemon for his monster cards, I'll try to find the closest Yugioh monster cards for Ash’s Pokemon

Wattfox (Pikachu)

Tyrant Dragon/Winged tortoise/and more (Charizard)

Poki Draco (Dragonite)

Performapal Lizardraw/Kidmodo Dragon (Charmander)

Butterspy monsters (Butterfree)

Performapal odd eyes light Phoenix/ (Talonflame)

End of Anubis (Lucario)

One of the frogs like Ronintoadin (Greninja)

Performapal guitartle (Squirtle)

Etc

Got some from here won't lie

Got some from here too

I don't know Yugioh as well to find more similar cards for the Pokemon Ash actually owns as I’ve seen some that can work as Pokemon but there are a lot of cards that can be Pokemon but Ash hasn't actually caught them so would feel strange to include them

So I'll just stop listing them here but as usual, fill it out with some decent spells and traps and more monsters to get to a 40-card deck

But the gist is it is just like early duel monsters with random monsters and spells and traps that don't go together since there weren't archetypes yet but they work well enough in the slower-paced game

As with cards like pot of greed being legal bricking isn't much of an issue

4) the Combination

I think the dream anime deck would be a Performapal deck with a Wattfox added in with some support from some spell cards for Wattfox to make it stronger like Pikachu is weak but strong at the same time and a few more nonarchetype monsters like Tyrant Dragon to be a boss monster in the deck like Charizard was his ace in Pokemon and the other special summoning like the Butterspy’s xyz’s for Butterfree, etc to represent his other Pokemon

So it's a pendulum deck with the focus on getting his boss monsters out which could represent his team of 6

Overall

I feel more realistically that Yugi would have just higher more useful cards plus better synergy but Ash has those situational cards that come in handy when you least expect it to I would say Yugi wins just off the probability that Ash could win maybe 3/10 times but Yugi wins a majority of the time

[magpiejay1234]

Episode 1.

Immediately there is an issue. Riding Duels require both player to activate Speed World, and later on Speed World 2, but 5D's works with pre-ARC-V ruling, where only one Field Spell can be activated at a time.

This is presumably part of why this was one of the non-Master Rule 3 rules that had to be changed. It won't work with Action Duels, and it didn't work with Katsumi Ono's previous show, or the Riding Duels in ARC-V.

Anyway, the criminal markers actually work as signal emitters (through an NFC connection presumably), so they are more than just a visual marker.

Yusei states he found some cards, so it is canon that his Deck is primarily composed of stuff people discarded, except, you know, his own archetypes.

The overall budget of this episode significantly higher, which showcases how more confident producers about YGO franchise after GX. This animation will not stick of course, due to BBT's production, but it is fine as long it lasts.

Junk Warrior's Summon here will be reused for later shots, and will be its Alternative Artwork.

This episode probably has one of Tomioka's better dialogue works, since that is something he tends to lack as a writer, being generally more focused on the overall plot, and worldbuilding. We may discuss this more in detail if I ever watch the Digimon Adventure reboot.