#also super happy to see so much Cardcaptor Sakura

[peachiecure]

Character introduction: Larissa/“Cure Jump”

~Basic info~

Name: Larissa Frausto

“Alter Ego”: Cure Jump

Age: 13

Birthday: September 22

Hair color: Brown (w/ red ombré as “Jump”)

Eye color: Brown (Blue as “Jump”)

Larissa is a girl from another world who happens to visit from time to time. She holds the ability to transform into a magical girl known as “Cure Jump”. She is a side character in Project: SFA.

Larissa is a very shy and awkward person. She often is seen to be either panicking, not able to put out words or trying her best to do what is asked of her. Coming from another world, her surroundings here seem to fascinate her in a way as if she has been observing from the outside for a long time. In her free time, she seems to like to draw and play video games.

Her “Alter Ego”, Cure Jump on the other hand is much different in personality. She is strong willed, brave, leader-like and overall a joy to be around… she fights with the power of fire, along with a few other new tricks up her sleeve that she learns from Mario as they protect the kingdom at times. Though… there seems to be something behind those blue eyes of hers.

For more information on Larissa & Cure Jump, including more details and voice claims, please visit the side blog @nintendoprecure for her intros there~

A Precure? What’s that?

For my non-precure fans here, it’s a magical girl franchise. If you’re familiar with the concepts Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura, it’s pretty similar. Hopefully you don’t need to know that much about the franchise to understand the concept. A lot of precure fans like to make OCs, and that is where Larissa is from. So yeah it’s another project of mine. Larissa transforms and fights for what’s good with the power of her transformation device! (Which is a 3DS aha) She pops into SFA every now and then. You don’t need to dive deep into my other project though to understand her role in SFA, so I hope she is still a fun character to SFA’s overall story and lore. Just know that she pops in every now and then, helping out the best she can!

~Relationships~

Mario: “O-oh— I need to talk about Mario? U-um— he… he talks much more than I imagined… I’m so used to hearing reused voice lin— I MEAN from what I’ve heard from others!! He’s very nice!! I’m… I’m not good at socializing… at all. He seems to care about me though… I-I just feel that I’m to… incompetent to be standing by his side. He always tells be how I do such a good job as Jump but… I’m n— I mean, yeah I’m… Jump… but— sigh, never mind.”

Peach: “I could cry. I gonna cry. I-I can’t just cry?… she’s everything to me… seeing her in front of me physically of course I’m going to cry!! SHE’S MY FAVORITTTEEEE…. MY QUEEN…. And she’s so nice to me too I’m crying. I-I’m sorry I’m crying. I can’t help it. Little kid me prayed for moments like this… oh my gosh—“ (the rest is incoherent, we cannot understand her through her sobbing)

Sweetheart: “Finding out that Peach and Mario were married was one thing… but finding out they have a child… was something else entirely. I didn’t know how to process that information— my ship— I mean I’m very happy for them!!! Sweetheart herself is a very sweet little girl… well… she’s currently 10 but her behavior is very pure. Sometimes I think she looks up to me like an older sister which… I-I am an older sister in my family but I— I don’t feel like one. I’m cowardly, but she somehow finds the good in me when I’m around and wants to do things with me… her parents have explained the… situation with her powers, so I do have to keep an eye on her just in case anything happens.”

Luigi: “… I like Luigi, he… he really understands me when I can’t really get words out of my mouth… or… or when Mario drags the two of us somewhere impulsively as we’re both worrying… it is also surreal seeing him talk in front of me… oh my good they’re real the Super Mario Bros. are real and they’re in front of my oh my god. I’m gonna explode….”

Daisy: “Daisy has so much energy that she really overwhelms me— but not in a bad way! I really like her I’m just… I-I just like to take things slower and stuff. She’s a wonderful princess! She really cares about her friends and she would definitely fistfight a god for them!…”

Rosalina: “Mario brought me to the Observatory once and… it felt very weird to be able to breathe in space— where I’m from you— you can’t do that you’ll die. I got to meet Rosalina and the Lumas, and I really had a nice time with her. She’s gentle and made sure I felt comfortable and safe in her home… even read me a few stories from her iconic storybook that surely the soundtrack— I mean the music that so happens to play around when she reads— has not made me cry! Not at all!—“

Flame: “Flame is a new face I met upon coming here. I’ve never heard of his Kingdom at all. He seems like a nice kid who just wants to have fun with his friends. He-he’s very panicky, like me, so I— I relate a lot with him. He seems to always fight with Aqua and… I can’t blame him on that. Aqua… is… something… I just find it a bit odd how he always does what Sweetheart says?… I-I hope he’s only doing that because he wants to be a good friend…”

Aqua: “… C-can I tell the truth?—I-I don’t currently like him. I hate sounding mean but— he reminds me of someone from school with his spoiled attitude and I just can’t stand how he constantly arguing with Flame… there’s still a-a lot I don’t know about him, so I am open to change my view on him. It just seems like he isn’t willing to tell anything besides what he wants us to hear… and I don’t want to pry… I won’t say it to his face though, that’s just mean… he hasn’t really DONE anything to hurt me yet so I wouldn’t talk back… not like I ever would in the first place… he’s royalty…”

Toadsworth: “Toadsworth started calling me Master Larissa after one battle and… I cannot get used to the title. I am no master at… anything. Unless it’s crying, I’m… very good at that… ahaha… ha….”

~Rumors~

“Yeah I’m… I’m not related to the Mario Bros… I-I don’t know why that’s such a popular rumor… I’m not even Italian… ahaha… w-wait who thinks I’m related to Mario—? Is it because of my brown hair?— o-or how I’m small?… I’m simply just learning alongside him… because of Ju— because I’m a magical girl!…”

And that’s it for Larissa’s intro! Next will be… well, a certain jester…

[mahou-furbies]

Do you have some kind of ranking of Sakura's outfits? (From CardCaptor Sakura)

Do you have a favorite and one you dislike?

I don't think I've ever tried to pick a favourite but let's see what I can do! However I'll only include what's on the costume list on the Wiki, because they are easily accessible and if we count everything she's worn once in a chapter cover or some kind of advertisement the amount would be in the hundreds. Also I'm only looking at the fantasy outfits, while she does have a lot of cute casual clothes, they are kind of in their own category.

Top 5 liked outfits

#5 Catch You Catch Me costume (OP 1) - Sakura having a billion different costumes is of course a plus, but the downside is that she doesn't really have an iconic appearance. The OP1 costume is probably the closest to that so I have to appreciate it for that, even if otherwise it's not particularly amazing.

#4 Pink Ribbon Dress Costume (episode 2) - this is pretty similar to the previous one, but the ribbons and poncho make it a lot more interesting.

#3 Pink and Black Star Final costume (chapter 43) - I'm always happy to see black in magical girl costumes (and not just for dark magical girls) and the tassels are a nice detail. Also I like that the skirt material isn't the typical poofy cloth this time.

#2 Crystal feather dress (Clear Card OP1) - I'm a fan of feather dresses and apparently feathers go well with crystals. I like the crystals on her tights and overall this makes her look really powerful.

#1 Red Heart dress (Clear Card OP2) - I think this one is really cute and it goes well with Sakura's overall cute image. It also has plenty of memorable details but doesn't feel overdesigned, like the heart shapes, frill, black lines and scalloped edges repeat through the outfit.

Top 5 disliked outfits

#5 Waterproof Wing Coat Costume (Clear Card episode 12) - If the idea is that this is just a raincoat she threw over her gym clothes I guess that's kind of cute, but as a full costume this is a little boring.

#4 Pink Bunny Costume (episode 6) - I just don't like the colours on this one.

#3 Harlequin Bat Costume (episode 7) - not having every costume have a huge billowy dress or cape is fine, she has so many outfits that there's room for variety, but this is a little too basic. Also very much not a fan of the colour palette, the green is ok but the blue diamonds are barely noticeable. The manga version looks way better.

#2 Alice costume (episode 24) - Inoffensive but a super generic take on the Alice dress.

#1 Daisy costume (chapter 2) - I think mostly Sakura's outfits range from passable to great with very few total duds, but this is one of them. The overall design is pretty uninspired and the only detail that stands out, the generic flowers, just make it look like a costume elementary schoolers sewed for a school play on their own. You can do so much better Tomoyo!

[demonichikikomori]

Hello! ♡

Oh yay, I'm so glad you liked it! ♡ The dream was really cute and I knew I just had to write it, and I agree! Hifumi in his suit and a frilly apron is cute to think about!

I'm glad you like your new place! It's always nice when there's job opportunities, and if you don't have a job at the moment, I hope you find one you enjoy (that pays well too! lol)

I'm feeling much better today than I have been, no more cough, no more sore throat! I just have a stuffy nose now and have been sneezing a lot, with a slight headache. I've been staying home and called off work as I don't want to get others sick, and luckily my boss was understanding! Thank you for asking how I'm doing, I appreciate it! (and thank you for the well wishes too!)

Oh...my heart...Rosho!! This is so good omg! Waiting to leave with me, the students starting rumors, going drinking with him on the weekends, Rei and Sasara sneaking around to hype him up!!!!! I! I love this so much omg I am eating this up, this is like a 5 star meal ahhhhh my heart!! ♡

I like the idea of Rosho inviting me for drinks and Sasara and Rei just...inviting themselves and joining us lol I don't really drink that much (as I don't really like the taste of alcohol lol) but when I do I usually get mixed drinks, the kinds that are fruity and don't really taste like alcohol (like a screwdriver or a pineapple upside down. I know there's a cake by the same name but a pineapple upside down is a cocktail with pineapple juice, cherry juice, cake flavored vodka, and a few other things. It's very good! My mom recommended it to me as I had never heard of it before, but I recommend it if you like sweet mixed drinks! I'm sorry Hifumi but I don't like champagne! Please forgive me!)

Would I drink whatever drink Rosho got me? Absolutely. The same applies to Hitoya, even if it's whiskey I'll do my best to stomach it for him! ♡

Speaking of drinking, all I can think about is this post lol Like imagine the cat is Rosho!! ♡

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of my favorite animes! I absolutely love the designs, the art style, the characters, the animation! And it is very 90's yes lol Other shojo animes/manga I really like include Fruits Basket, Lovely Complex, Princess Jellyfish, Full Moon wo Sagashite (this one holds a special place in my heart!), and Kimi ni Todoke!

AWWW! YOU ARE TOO SWEET!! ♡♡ I've been told before that I can be polite or "too formal" when speaking so to hear someone say this is just, too kind! Thank you!

AHHHHH It's no problem! I'm always happy to help and I know how hard it is to find merch, especially at a good price! Like I said if you're even looking for something specific just let me know and I can help you find it! Also, suruga-ya sells merch for a lot of different anime/manga/game series, including Twisted Wonderland!

They have a lot of Ruggie stuff, including this pin from one of my favorite series! Doesn't he look so cute here? And it's only $3.39 USD! They also have his halloween pin (here) that I also think is really nice, and only $3.39 USD!

Plus they have this Ruggie mini cushion/pillow that's only $8.64 USD (which is a really good deal considering the size!)

Thank you! ♡

Ahhhh I'm super in love already. Everything is gorgeous and sunny and the sun is bright and there's tons of job opportunities!! I'm really happy I went through with it and moved out of state. I am gonna be soooooo rich and I want a cute house (if I can afford it heheh!~!)

I'm glad you're feeling better!! Maybe Doppo checking on you was real since he's worried about your health!!! Next... Rosho will come to see you... And Hitoya-san!!

I think Rei and Sasara invite themselves to your dates like in romcoms. They wear sunglasses and big coats thinking you won't notice them sitting at the table next to you to pretty much chaperone your date haha. Rosho is a lil' sweaty and nervous but he is bursting with joy on the inside from the fact you agreed to go on a date with him!! Ahhhh I get it too!! I'm not a big alcohol person, I like social drinking. I don't like strong drinks and sadly I got sick off of whiskey (Fireball my beloved) so I stick to frufru sweet drinks. I just had this mega yum blue vodka lemonade ahhhh it was so yum. I think Rosho would nervously offer you a sip of his drink if you wanted to try it but the thought of someone as polite as him drinking a huge beer paired with a cute flowery drink like yours... It's very aesthetically pleasing to me. OHHHH THE KITTY COVERED IN KISSES!!!!!!!! Rosho's life has been changed he never wants to scrub your lipstick marks off!!!!!!!

I think my absolute FAVE 'vintage' anime would be the OG Sailor Moon. Also I love Princess Jellyfish the kids of today would never understand the amazement of watching/reading it for the first time. My favorite Shojo manga... It's kinda lame but I love Say I Love You. I have a super fond memory of watching it in my tiny bedroom when I was younger and loving the dynamic of aggie loner girl and the super cute popular boy is so insanely in love with her it makes him dumb. Ughhh highly recommend reading it the anime is great too but I'm a big manga purist.

Oh I don't think there's anything wrong with being too polite or formal!! I have a bad habit of being too casual haha. I think it's cool!

AHHHHHHHHH RUGGIE BUGGIE MY BABYYYYYYYYY!!!!! Omg I need more Ruggie pins for my ita bag thank you thank you for the links ohhh I think I heard about this website on TikTok??? I recognize the format and I think I saw it when I was looking for Hello Kitty merch but I didn't think it was legit!! OH THE RUGGIE PILLOW IS SO CUUUUTEEEEE!!!!! I can have him close with me at my desk hehehe. Ohhhh I wish to pay you back for your act of kindness I want to return this kind act I really do I am indebted to you!!!!! <3 <3 <3

[fakirchan]

I’m 👀👀 about your thoughts on a tutu movie

After writing all this and looking back on it I realize I don't suggest much of an actual plot and more or less just what could've been and how it could've worked, I'll have to give actual plots for a possible movie some more thought lol

If you take it's basic concept, Princess Tutu is similar to Cardcaptor Sakura (you don't have to have seen it to understand, I'll explain) in the way that it's about a young girl suddenly being thrust into the position of a magical girl with the goal of retrieving something; for Sakura it's Clow cards, for Tutu it's Mytho's heart shards. After retrieving all of the cards and shards, respectfully, they both go against great forces.

Where I'm going with this - CCS had 2 movies IIRC, and they're set up in the way that you don't have to watch them to understand the show. They followed the same idea with the same characters but were one-off concepts and the events in the movies were not later mentioned in the show. This was also common for other anime movies at the time (90s-00s) too, many such examples of that. For CCS, the idea was that she just found an additional card that was not mentioned in the show. Basically what I'm getting at here is that they aren't incredibly canon but still exist nonetheless, and how canon they are can be debated

So my simple idea for a Princess Tutu movie is Tutu finding another random heart shard that isn't mentioned in the original anime itself. Given how things like curiosity are treated as emotions (and how Mytho has like.... multiple sad emotions returned to him i.e. loneliess and sorrow), there's lots of room for us to be creative with what heart shard she is after, since we aren't just limited to a single happy/angry/sad emotion basis. We can go wild with this one

Now if we were actually still in 02/03, in-between season 1 and season 2 would've been perfect for the movie to air. Season 2 actually aired relatively soon after the first season (IIRC season 1 ended on Nov. 08 2002 and season 2 began Nov. 15 2002 in Japan) so that's not a loooot of time but regardless, this would've been a good point for the movie because it marks the beginnng stages of the turning point for Ahiru and Fakir's relationship, and also marks the beginning stages of when we see Mytho's corruption / Raven Mytho). The movie could've had some additional bonding and funtiemz between Ahiru and Fakir - and perhaps some additional character development for them both / one of them or another chapter like Rue or Mytho himself (actually I just thought, the movie could use its time to create more relationships too, like fleshing out Rue and Fakir's relationship, which doesn't happen in the actual anime, etc so on and so forth)

Now for the actual plot... well, I confess I'm not entirely sure, lol. The anime is super creative and really goes in some unexpected directions (at least when I first watched it, I was NOT anticipating things like Fakir turning into a tree for a hot minute) so that also leaves a lot to the imagination and endless possibilities... I'm thinking maybe something unexpected, like how the final heart shards were in the town's own towers or how Tutu's amulet was a shard. Maybe a heart shard at the academy or some other location you wouldn't really think of (again just given PTUTU's directions, you can get super creative with this, I'm just trying to think here)

If you do read all of this and have an idea I would love to actually hear it lol. I'll have to add on when I think about an actual idea a little more ! I hope this was interesting to read

[turtlycute]

2023 Anime Watch List

July:

This post is part of my ongoing record for the new (to me) anime I watch in 2023. I'm excited to see what new shows and films I discover as this list grows through the year.

* indicates shows that are rewatches

My Happy Marriage (2023) episodes: 12? started: 7-5-23 finished: tbd rating: tbd

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card (2018) episodes: 22 started: 7-5-23 finished: 7-7-23 rating: 7.5/10

Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion (2023) started: 7-8-23 finished: 7-9-23 rating: 9.5/10

Hakkenden -Eight Dogs of the East Season 1 (2013)* episodes: 13 started: 7-10-23 finished: 7-11-23 rating: 8/10

Hakkenden -Eight Dogs of the East Season 2 (2013) episodes: 13 started: 7-11-23 finished: 7-12-23 rating: 8/10

Gatchaman Crowds (2013) episodes: 12 started: 7-13-23 finished: 7-17-23 rating: 5/10 note: OMG I hate the manic pixie Mary Sue MC! This show could have been so much better if the MC was way less annoying and wasn't "magically" skilled at everything with zero instructions or training and always right with zero real knowledge of the situation. Also it's super annoying to have a character talk ad nauseam about getting to know each other, working together and loveing everyone when she never listens to anyone, is constantly talking or making noise and just does whatever the f she wants without considering anyone else. *deep breaths* rant over.

Buddy Daddies (2023) episodes: 12 started: 7-19-23 finished: 7-20-23 rating: 9/10

Previous Months:

January Watch List

February Watch List

March Watch List

April Watch List

May Watch List

June Watch List

[solarsavoy]

WIP Wednesday, Magic Shuu yet again

So, my muse really likes this idea and wants to run on and on with it, which is fine, but I'm going to take it one work at a time. That doesn't mean I don't have plans though.

List of works:

1 - Magic Shuu, based off season 1 of Sailor Moon.

2 - Magic Shuu the movie, based off the filler created with Ail and An and the Makai Tree

3 - Magic Shuu R, based off the rest of season 2 with Wise Man

4 - Magic Shuu R the movie, based off the Sailor Moon R movie with the evil flower lady

5 - Magic Shuu S, based off season 3 of Sailor Moon focusing on Saturn

6 - Magic Shuu S the movie, based off the Sailor Moon S movies focusing on Luna and the ice queen

7 - Magic Shuu Super S, based off Sailor Moon Super S focusing on Pegasus and Mini Moon

8 - Magic Shuu Super S the movie, based off Sailor Moon Super S the movie about dreams

9 - Magic Shuu Stars, based off season 5 with Sailor Galaxia

The "movies" would be much shorter than the works based off of entire seasons and I may call them something different than "movies", but I haven't decided yet. Maybe interludes, since the movies don't always line up with what's going on in between the seasons, or something else entirely. I also have plans (at least for Magic Shuu S) to make an "opening/closing" video to go with the season based fics at the end instead of my usual credits. No idea if I'll be able to go through with it, but in the case of Magic Shuu S, I'm gonna have a hard time not doing it, so I sincerely hope I get at least to that point.

Added later: have an opening planned for Magic Shuu Stars now. Fully planned out like Magic Shuu S.

I'm also considering going from Magic Shuu straight to Magic Shuu S instead of doing all 9 works because I haven't planned much out for season 2 of Magic Shuu, but we'll see. Anyway, if I pace myself and it all works out, this could be like a 9 year project. For fanfiction. 😑 My muse drives me insane sometimes. Oh, be aware that I'll be using other fandom references occasionally. I can't specify what, but for example, me borrowing Terada-sensei from Cardcaptor Sakura. This will happen and they will be more involved then simply mentioning them in the future. Other fandoms will be used, but I'll make sure to point out the references in the end notes and make sure that you don't need to know the fandom going in.

The long plan doesn't surprise me. I plan on following the Life in Retail/Kristmas Karma universe for at least 4 years so I can get through the first year in college, and I also have other interacting fics planned out for each year along the way. (Two of them story driven, the rest are one-shots.) But I can explain that in another WIP Wednesday. 😏

And then there's my whole Krystar series. I really wanted to release one book a year, but maybe it's for the better that I improve my fanbase a bit more so it performs better. The Krystar series consists of 12 books in total, by the way.

So yeah, the length of the plan doesn't surprise me. Doing it at the same time as everything else does. But whatever. My muse clearly knows I'm a workaholic and plans on taking full advantage of it.

...

And then there's the 7 works of Pandora's Box...

Anyway, if you have questions or curiosities about Magic Shuu, feel free to ask. I won't give away spoilers, but I'm more than willing to be forthcoming about certain aspects of the Magic Shuu world, like what I did with saying which Sailor Moon episodes I'm honoring for Magic Shuu season 1. The only thing I'm not sharing are my own twists for things (gotta have some surprises), but if you want to know if I'm using the Sailor Moon badguys in a certain season or an Assassination Classroom stand in, I won't reveal who, but I'd be happy to tell you if I am. 😊 So let me know!

And I feel super awkward about this, but I really need to get used to this kind of thing... If you'd like to support me as an author and artist, become a Patreon today! I post the sketches and linearts of a lot of the images I do which available to Patrons for free and also have the Pandora's Box WIP cover available under Tier 1. Anything I've already posted will be free and Tier 1 are for pics that haven't been posted yet. Soon to include chapters of Krystar First Fragment as well. ^^ *Please note that my fanfiction is and will always be free and that Patreon is meant to support me as an artist and a writer in general.

See you for the Magic Shuu chapter 4 update on Friday. Thanks for reading!

[aceofwhump]

First off, I'm totally okay with you replying and posting my asks, because you're always so helpful and super detailed in your answers that I'm sure other people will find helpful too, so I don't mind being the naive, uneducated guinea pig to ask the stupid questions. X)

Okay, your reply actually made me tear up. Guess it's my emotional week, haha. Thank you so much for saying those things; my god it feels so good to hear that maybe I'm not weird, and to know that other people feel this way too and like these things and don't judge me for my preferences.

My whumping started as a kid too, with good ol' Teen Titans. It was the first time I had ever seen the show, and the first scene that I saw was Robin falling through the ground and presumed dead; the whumperflies hit me hard and I had no idea what the feeling was, and I just thought "Wow this is a good show." Since then I had always used my bed time to imagine whumpy scenes; sometimes I'd even go to bed early just to do it before I was too tired to think. But that feeling that I had really scared me, I thought I was a bad person this whole time, or a creepy child. I can't believe other children did this too, it's so relieving to hear.

Dude, I'm literally watching B99 right now and that episode where Jake breaks his ribs but still wants to go after the guy and keeps ignoring Terry's orders to rest is just chef's kiss. I also love Cardcaptor Sakura so that's awesome too!

Whump is so scary to even think about when I'm around people because what if they suddenly saw into my head and were completely weirded out? I kind of hate watching things with people because of that. And that makes me feel lonely, because I still like watching shows with my family but I always have that in the back of my mind. And what if a whump scene comes up and then I see how they react to it adversely and I feel bad for secretly relishing in it?

I read the post you linked, and one statement jumped out at me: "A lot of us are asexual too and I think whump gives us similar feelings to arousal without it being sexual. (at least for me it does)" so if it's okay with you, may I ask you to elaborate? I think that's me but I also don't want to assume if I'm interpretting it incorrectly. I don't know much about asexuality and I know even less about arousal so I could be totally wrong in thinking that's me, but I don't know how else to describe why I like whump.

Okay I have seriously become obsessed with Jason Ritter so if you or anyone else wants to squeal about him PLEEEEEEEEASE let me know because I have NO ONE to talk to about this man and it's seriously driving me crazy. I need all the whump for him! I've watched everything he's ever been in by now and his whump is sooooo little. DX But he has a good scene of whump in 'The Long Road Home' where he gets shot but still pushes himself and it's soooo good, but there's no aftermath for it and it suuuuucks. Still, I watch that scene over and over like a freak (ever seen 'Death Becomes Her'? I'm Goldie Hawn rewinding Meryl Streep's death scene over and over again. XD) Plus there's his whump in Raising Dion which is great too but they completely invalidate it with the twist and that's really annoying. X( God I could go on and on I'm sorry I'll shut up now.

Hi again! So sorry for the delayed response! Anyway, yay! I'm so glad it was helpful and that it was okay to post my response! I don't want you to feel to comfortable or anything. If you wanted things to be private I'm more than happy to do that. I'm glad you've found my responses helpful and I promise you you do not ask stupid questions at all 😊 ❤❤❤ I'm so glad I could be of help! You are definitely not alone. You're among friends here for sure! No judgement at all!

Teen Titans is great! That's a great show to first find out you like whump! Robin whump (for any Robin) is good whump 👍 Omg yes I had no idea other kids did it either until I found this community. Its soooo common! You're definitely not alone in doing that and you're definitely not a bad person for it! And I looove that episode of Brooklyn so much. It's THE BEST! I also like the episode where he got shot by Amy. Good stuff 👍 Jason Ritter is amazing!!! I still have a lot of his work I haven't seen but he is such an underrated whump actor!!! I think I first fell for him when i watched Kevin Probably Saves the World (and then i got very sad wehn it was cancelled after a season) but he's so good in The Long Road Home and Raising Dion which I haven't actually watched yet but whumpypepsigal made some great gifs of his whump in it and i looooove it. And oh my god his whump in The Event is SO GOOD I DIED!!!! I so want more Jason Ritter whump in my life.

Okay I 100% understand that feeling when watching shows with family. There is only one person in my real who knows that I like whump and that's my sister and she has been sworn to secrecy. I'm terrified of the day I slip up or she slips up and let my mom know what I actually like in my media because she would never ever understand it. I try very hard not to smile too much during whump scenes when I'm watching with people and I don't tell anyone what kind of fics I read or why certain episodes are my favorite. I love my family but they wouldn't get it. Especially my mom. She'd probably send me to therapy lol. I don't feel bad for enjoying what I enjoy anymore but I don't feel like trying to explain it to them ya know? So yes I understand completely and I think a lot of others here would as well. I wish I could offer some advice but I think we're in the same boat on this ❤ At least you can come here if you ever want to talk about your favorite whumps! That is just one of the many great things about having this community. When we can't show it in our real life, we can always come on here and chat with people who get it.

Okay the asexual attraction whumperflies comment. Yes. I would be more than happy to elaborate on that! It's a little hard to explain because I don't fully understand it myself and it's just kind of a theory I have about myself but I shall take a stab at it lol. So I'm asexual and that means i don't feel sexual attraction. At all. Don't know what that's like. But the feelings and sensations I experience when seeing good whump is similar to when I feel arousal (which is different from attraction by the way! Arousal can happen for a variety a reasons without the need of sexual attraction) and it's also very similar to what I've been told is sexual attraction but since I don't actually know what sexual attraction feels like I can't confirm that but I can describe what I experience. So when I find good whump I get flushed, my heart rate accelerates, I get a sort of clenching feeling in my genitals (tmi sorry), and sometimes my chest tightens. But those feelings for me are not at all associated with sex or anything related to sex. For some people it is but for me all those feelings mean to me is that the whump is good. I still have no desire to have sex and this isn't sexual to me at all. Funny enough I don't even think it has anything to do with the actor or character. It more so has to do with the visual or the sounds or the actions. Hence why sooo many characters and actors become my whumpees. So it's weird but my whumperflies and are like my ace version of what allos feel when they feel sexual attraction. I think? Like I said it's really hard to explain well. And this is just what I feel/think about it. I'm not speaking for anyone else. Did that even make sense?

[miraculouscontent]

Askplosion #11:

(note that I know I mentioned a “Voiced Askplosion” last time in the tags for anyone who put a 🎤 in their ask, meaning they wanted to hear me respond verbally to it, but I only got one and it wasn’t anything serious - just a tease from someone I know - so I either won’t be doing it at all or will be holding off)

Asks responding to previous posts:

ALYA NO!!!

(the idea of Sabrina avoiding not only Ms. Mendeleiev, but also Alya, is very amusing to me)

The fact that the special focuses on the love square instead of Sabrina and Delmar is a crime.

(also note that “Need some help?” is rhetorical in this context; Alya doesn’t care)

Highly recommended, honestly, otherwise it just turns into a big shame because there are shows I really like but with some content that I don’t like, and why torture myself with it when I can cut it out instead?

Just to give a rough idea, here’s my cut of “Desperada”; mind you, this is just my quick cut of it (basically a “beta” version where I just removed everything I disliked without much care for transitioning/having everything make sense; some of Marinette’s friends talking, the guitar scene, Aspik, etcetera), as I’m not comfortable handing over my “perfect” cut of it since it’s like my personal copy.

Yeah, that’s a super awkward scene. As much as I’d like to imagine that Adrien just doesn’t understand the “guy time” thing (which I still hate), the fact that they use the word “guy” specifically is--ugh.

I wasn’t aware of what he said in the French dub, so thanks! It’s really painful to see her throw so much love his way, openly and publicly and obviously, then be so humiliated for it, only for Adrien to feel nothing for her.

Say whatever you want about Chat Noir’s advances and how sAAAAAAD he is when she rejects him, but her rejections are just that; in private. There aren’t other heroes who are around and Chat is never really humiliated. Even in “Prime Queen,” Chat wasn’t the target - Ladybug was, and then Ladybug shifted it to Nadja - so Marinette is the one taking all the heat in love while Chat gets to sit on the sidelines (plus, then “Oblivio” happened and now people probably all thing they’re a thing).

Yeah! That’s the group I was thinking of!

Thank you!

I’m so sorry that happened. ;—;

I’m not aro but I am ace and I’ve gotten the whole, “oh it’s just because--” stuff before, so I know what it feels like to have people put on the pressure/invalidate you.

YES.

IT’S GORGEOUS.

I’m not really familiar with how holidays are celebrated outside of the bare basics of Christmas/New Year (which I am trying my hardest to forget lol), so I couldn’t say.

Sorry!

New Asks:

10/10 thought, would fantasize again.

Though would also accept MC Audrey just doing some “spring cleaning” of the whole staff in general. I have no idea how she’d replace Jeremy since he’s the company’s poster boy but most of the writers have to go at the very least and Jeremy should be given less power.

I think MC Audrey would appreciate how Kagami carries herself, though potential bonus if - while Tom and Sabine just openly trust whatever Marinette wants - Audrey does a bunch of digging to make sure Kagami is “worthy” of being with Marinette (she takes this all very seriously).

Double potential bonus if Kagami takes it just as seriously, so here’s Audrey and Kagami acting as if Kagami dating Marinette is like some sort of job interview.

Kagami handing over a “resume” of her accomplishments to Audrey. Audrey has already looked all of it up herself but appreciates the effort put in.

If the question in Miraculous is, “Do we really need a--” and the thing being introduced is something the staff came up with then the answer is usually “no.”

The movie will look pretty and that’s all I’ll expect. It’s just Jeremy’s take on Miraculous. Luka and Kagami probably won’t even be around so I’m not even interested.

I’ll watch it, but I’m also not interested lol.

Honestly, I’d rather turn into bubble froth.

oddly specific but... I mean, damn

I have no idea, and I try not to throw around words like “spite ship” because I know people could genuinely like the ship, though I will say that I went on AO3 and - unless I read from - the first Maribat fanfiction on there was posted after the airdate of “Chameleon.” I think it might’ve started with inspiration from “Marinette moves schools” ideas at the very least.

Non-Miraculous Asks responding to previous posts:

Oh, I understood, no worries! It was just funny for the split second it took me to figure it out.

My bad, that’s not how I meant to come off (especially since “magical girl shows” is a little broad; I mean, obviously I don’t think something like Cardcaptor Sakura is aiming for fanservice when Sakura’s--like... ten). I answered all those asks in the last askplosion in the same day so my brain was a little fried by the time I got to that ask.

I’m not even talking about Sailor Moon either; it’s just that I knew there are shows with fanservice and there are certain magical girl outfits where I kind of give the side-eye.

Absolutely zero problem with girls fighting in pretty outfits though. I fully admit that I’m a bit of a prude so sometimes I see fanservice where there might not be any. Super short skirts without shorts, for example, inherently throw me off (shout-out to Saint Tail - which I discovered while looking up “pretty magical girl outfits” - because the main character does have a skirt in “magical girl” form but also tights/boots and a cute hat, which is one of the more unique ones I’ve seen).

Non-Miraculous Asks:

Do you mean Sailor Moon Crystal? Yeah, the only reason I hesitate on Sailor Moon in general is because I’m not crazy about the transformed designs. It’s not really a matter of animation but more a design choice that takes me out of the experience.

I have seen all of Cardcaptor Sakura anime though, and then all of the Clear Card arc. I like the former, despise the latter, and I tried to keep up with the manga but once one of the big plot details were revealed, I officially dropped it.

As for Revolutionary Girl Utena, I looked it up a while ago and don’t remember what exactly turned me away. It might’ve been the darker tone though if what you say is accurate that it’s a darker take on a magical girl show.

Also, I may or may not have looked up the ending of at least Princess Tutu and I’m sorry, I’m sure it’s a great anime, but if there isn’t a happy ending then I give whatever anime a hard pass.

(note: yes, I realize the hilarity of saying that when I continue watching Miraculous)

-

(More Madoka Magica talk/salt below!)

Ohhh, it started a trend? I had no idea since I don’t actively keep up with every anime out there; descriptions need to really pull me in (the only current anime I’m keeping up with is Hanyou no Yashahime, Otherside Picnic, and Cells at Work (Season 2)).

The focus on specific--uh--body parts in magical girl transformations also reminds me that I think that’s usually what kills it for me, not because of the sexualization but because I expect transformations (especially ones that get repeated over and over) to be really dynamic with changing angles and such, which is harder to do when the camera is trying to draw focus to specific places.

Obviously you have to do it for some moments (I’ve always imagined Miraculous transformations like a potential sheep or another one for rabbit, then rabbit!Jean from Leave for Mendeleiev and fox!Juleka from LadyBugOut) because things will be weird if you focus on nothing, but I think there are ways to draw the eye without trying to sexualize.

Not having Ladybug-esque bodysuits is a good start. It reminds me too much of the Catwoman with just a bodysuit so it leaves nothing to the imagination.

How did I forget about that Sayaka scene? omg (though I dunno if the Bechdel Test is hard to pass if there aren’t really any endgame male love interests? are there rules about that? not saying a pass isn’t a pass but it feels like cheating)

It is nice when fans can respect the opinions of others without having to outright attack. I have had a few people come to me with, “I see your point/respect it even if I disagree,” instead of accusing me/others of--well, you get it.

Fandoms can be really messy, particularly as they get larger. I think there’s a certain balance between small fandoms that all know each other and a big fandom that’s out of control. Then there are things like “loud minority” and it’s just uggggh.

Anyway, back to the asks themselves, yeah, I’m not crazy about taking things that are just meant to be positive/cute/whatever and being like, “OKAY BUT WHAT IF IT WAS EDGY AND SAD.”

n o ,  p l z

Oh, I’ve never heard of that one!

Sayaka dying didn’t really do anything for me either. It’s hard to explain when I saw it so long ago, but it was just Sayaka’s attitude about the whole thing and it made it feel underwhelming. It was a shame too because I liked her and she had potential.

She was Madoka’s friend so I was just like, “Yeah, she’ll die soon.” Probably didn’t help since I knew what I knew about the show being “dark.”

Madoka/Sayaka is probably what I’d support the most out of all the potential shoujo ai ships. To my knowledge, none of them are really canon, though I remember a special song after the death Sayaka and Kyoko which I guess makes them the most canon and that did basically nothing for me since their relationship didn’t interest me (nor did I care for Kyoko as a character). The PSP game might have more intimate potential between the girls, but I never played them so I can’t make those claims (I only remember something about everyone potentially living and then a bad ending for Sayaka where part of her body was decayed when they didn’t get her soul gem back in time).

The tomboy argument makes me think back to a conversation with a friend of mine where we were discussing tomboys in anime and... we couldn’t really think of any? At least any that really qualify as “tomboy” for me.

Like, Misty from Pokemon, for example. I knoooooow everyone really likes Misty, but regardless of my opinion on her, it’s hard to see her as a tomboy.

I feel like they try to lean that way by making her super aggressive and violent (because... m E N) and I think Ash makes a comment once about her not being “like a girl,” but... I feel like that’s just how general “aggressive” female characters are written?

I mean, that’s tsundere female characters I’ve seen in general. Really loud (and not in a “gIrlS aRe sO lOuD aND ScReEcHY” way but like... the way anime gives them big heads while they scream at whatever male character they’re mad at), angry a lot, short fuse, etcetera.

But Misty is still crazy about clothes and dolls, she still gushes about cute things and romance, and both of those things seem pretty indicative of what “standard girl character” would be defined by, since they’re all “stereotypically girl thing” (I say stereotypically for obvious reasons since boys can like blah and girls can like blah and gender exclusivity is blah--). I get that she dresses differently, but that’s about it, and it comes off like, “she dresses differently and she’s ANGRY and VIOLENT, so she’s a tomboy,” which... yeah. They even gave her three beauty queen sisters with CURVES and BUSTS as if to say, “See?? These are GIRLS, not TOMBOYS.” (busty females can exist who are also tomboys, thank you have a nice day).

This becomes more complicated in magical girl anime since girly clothes are usually part of that so “tomboy” means that frills and skirts probably wouldn’t be a factor.

I mean, if you gave those sorts of outfits to me, I’d be like, “SCREW IT, I’M NOT A MAGICAL GIRL ANYMORE. IF LOOKING PRETTY IS REDUCED TO SKIRTS AND FRILLS, SOMEONE ELSE CAN SAVE THE WORLD.”

I’d also like to see some mixes between personalites and “tomboy” things. Like, non-stereotypical tomboy personalities doing tomboy things. Mix and match, y’know?

This was really rambly, but to answer the question... no, I wouldn’t count Sayaka as a tomboy.

All of this.

I think it also exemplifies the whole “dark and edgy magical girl show” thing because... ugh, how do I put this...

The “girls are overly emotional” thing is already bad, but then you realize that there not being any magical boys is also because that doesn’t hit the “shock value” threshold as much.

Y’know, because boys equal dark and edgy shows, so if there was even one magical boy it wouldn’t be as shocking when Mami gets her head chomped. They could’ve done, “emotional teenagers are the target because they’re in that vulnerable stage; smarter and more physically capable than children, but not as mature/stable as adults,” but having some boys in there for balance (it makes me feel weird saying that when I’m all for girl power shows with an all female cast, but in this show’s logic, it’s a different ball game) would make the show seem less bright and “girly” and thus lessen the shock value.

Does that make sense?

[inktrailing]

I stole this from @the-kaedageist because it looked fun.

(Also me: “I’ll do this meme quickly...” ... *loses track of time*)

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

78 to my greatest surprise. I guess the only favor 2020 did for me was in writing.

2) What’s you total AO3 word count?

355,868. Holy...

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

10. Critical Role, CWDC, Men in Black (movies), Supernatural, Doctor Who, PotC. Spattering of some other stuff.

4) What are your top five fics by Kudos?

Unconventional, Men in Black, Jay/Kay, 1211 kudos... somehow

Fish Tales, Men in Black, Jay/Kay, 336 kudos

meet us where the night ends, Critical Role, Essek/Caleb, 298 kudos

I see death cresting over the hill, Critical Role, Essek/Caleb, 276 kudos

message, Critical Role, Essek/Caleb, 273 kudos

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I AM REALLY BAD ABOUT THIS. It’s literally on my AO3 profile that I’m bad about it. I try every now and then but I so often just get flustered and then don’t end up responding. Oftentimes I’m at work and just flailing during the rest of my shift and yeah /)_(\ Words Are Hard, says the writer.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

OH THERE’S A COUPLE. I would say Caught in the Wires (MIB, Jay/Kay); and you know my soul (CRc2, Essek/Caleb) probably are the two worst for bad end future fics. follow me into the golden wild (DW, Rose & the Moment) is my favorite of my bad end fics though lol. I fucking love that fic hahaha, and it’s one of my least read stories XD

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I don’t really. Not fic wise. A lot of my thought processing goes through basically using an RP format with myself (because I like icons, okay) so sometimes I’ll take wild concepts and play out scenarios with a bunch of characters and sometimes I’ll get shit out of it that I can actually use but other times I’ll have fun things that will not translate well to fic.

My fav of those was a Pokemon AU that y’know basically dragged a bunch of characters in and eventually they had to deal with a Problem like ya do while still ending up stranded. I enjoyed throwing Dean/Lucifer at that because Dean just ended up “ghost hunting” aka freeing/helping/catching ghosts and ending up with 70+ and Lucifer really only traveling around with a Zoroark and still hating humanity but helping mistreated and scapegoated pokemon.

I just really like Dean and his ghost army lmfao.

An actual crossover fic I have (and maybe one day could finish) was Arrow/The Dresden Files only because Paul Blackthorne except it uses book canon instead of TV canon because of Winter Court Bullshit so like whatever, I do what I want some days I guess \o_O/

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don’t... think so? I sometimes get minor disagreements on characterization but I typically write for myself and am pretty set in my ways so it’s like okay I accept your opinion but it’s not going to change anything.

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I cannot write smut to save my life.

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If I have I definitely haven’t noticed.

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

stood too close to the flames (LoT, Mick/Len) was translated.

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No.

13) What’s you all-time favorite ship?

I ship so many things at the drop of a hat and so frequently go back to old ships to find new things to read even if it’s been a looooong time. I would say Jay/Kay since I’ve shipped and written them for the greatest length of time without it fading.

I do genuinely enjoy writing Dean/Lucifer though so go rarepairs I guess.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I fucking love I’ll Stop the Whole World (DW, Doctor/Master, 47k words) as I’ve pulled it up again after idk months to skim through but I suppose I learned a lot from writing lost in the lapse again and going backwards to any of my longer WIPs just hurts a bit? I want to figure it out because there’s so much I adore in it but there’s a lot of work to be done and having two monitors helps now but... I don’t have the energy to tear it apart and sew it back together.

15) What are your writing strength?

god idk

I’d like to say I’ve gotten better at I guess... balance? Juggling dialogue and action and scenery. I forced myself to work on scenery descriptions awhile back and I think it paid off?

I learned to take good notes, especially if it’s something with multiple plot threads that I need to keep track of. That’s what has made some of my older WIPs such a bitch because I didn’t do that and I’m like ????? Hey? Past Me? WHAT?!?! And retroactively trying to build a timeline is REALLY DIFFICULT ACTUALLY.

I do also think I keep my narrative parallels pretty tight. I’m sure a lot get missed because people aren’t staring at the same story that I am for months combing things over, but it delights me okay ;)

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing shit?! Well, I’ve gotten better at that over the course of the last year. Critical Role reaction fics helped A TON with that. Just spitting things out immediately after an episode.

I am a fucking perfectionist though. Like I’ll canon divergence all I want but mentally I need the basis of canon to weave into my writing even if it’s just for a single line. I like willfully breaking canon not ignorantly.

This means I either never get things done because I need to rewatch or I too meticulously obsess over something.

While I think I’m good with writing scenery I’m SUPER BAD at character descriptions?? I’m trying to?? Work on it?? But that’s one thing I’ve finally just been like okay I know I’m bad at this I just need to accept it and go on because if I get hung up on it then again, nothing’s gonna get posted.

I’ve learned that I vehemently hate the words “still” and “probably” because I white noise them even when doing intensive editing and I use them so damn much and now that I realize going back to read old things hurts my soul.

17) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Look I grew up primarily on writing Yu-Gi-Oh! fic. I had my Time with poor use of Japanese in fic. While I don’t have any fandoms now that I write for that it would be relevant... I can’t do it anymore. However, reading it doesn’t bother me, and it generally doesn’t jar me out of anything. Like it feels normal reading it in MDZS fics for one thing.

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I want to say some super wonky ~new cards~ Cardcaptor Sakura fic. But I think the first fandom I published for on FFN was likely YGO. Anything early than that I would have blacked out of my memory ahahaha.

19) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

lost in the lapse again took up my life for MONTHS and was really my pride and joy. It was the longest thing I’ve ever written and edited to my liking. I’m so so happy with how it came out and I’m shocked honestly that it has 118 kudos now because I really expected it to get maybe half that, tops. But it was definitely one of those I’m writing this for me, this encompasses what I want, and if others enjoy it that would be really nice!

Otherwise I think I’d say I see death cresting over the hill because it has so many elements I just enjoy rereading. I think it’s my favorite of my Critical Role fics too.

[kiranaga-wonderland]

Syaoran then & now

I grow up with Cardcaptor Sakura show, I watched it the most in my childhood, even I had my own VCDs. Back then, the part I loved the most is when Sakura used her magic. So typical for a little girl. Because of that, I don’t actually remember the real story plot. Maybe it was too complex for a kindergarten kid. The memory I had was blurry. But, besides Sakura Kinomoto, I remember most about LI Syaoran from Cardcaptor Sakura and my impression of him back then.

What remains from my childhood memory are, Li Syaoran is a rival for Sakura. He hated Sakura. In my eyes of kindergarten kid, he is a villain, he is scary and cold to Sakura. I could tell Li Syaoran is, in my kid-eyes, like Natsume Hyuuga from Alice Academy. I watched Alice Academy as a teenager, so this is a comparison between the memory back in my childhood & my teenager phase about two character that I found similar. Syaoran & Natsume also approximately in the same age.

This thinking intrigued me to re-watch Cardcaptor Sakura and confirm wether my impression about LI Syaoran is correct or not. Of course it’s also because I forget mostly about the storyline.

And then, I conclude that I was sooooo wrong. Li Syaoran and Natsume Hyuuga is two different character at all. This is it:

Even from the beginning, I didn’t feel so much ambition and rivalry atmosphere from Li Syaoran towards Sakura in the term of collection Clow cards. I could tell that Sakura is stronger than him even until the end of the show. But he actually super kind-hearted, a caring one. In CCS original, he is just an ordinary school boy. So innocent, with variation of emotion. He is pretty fair, he don’t mind when Sakura was the one who get the clow card, he still helped her. He could be angry & emotional but in the right amount and place. He still just a kid, he was so clueless about love and stuff and it was hilarious to watch! But after accepting his feeling, he become so gentle and soft. He speak with kind words and soft voices. I agree with the fans, he really suit the image of a prince!

While Natsume Hyuuga is more like to be what I call scary. He hate Mikan from the beginning they met. He possessed hell strong alice that he could kill. He is also kind hearted but he hide those and pretend that he don’t care. Natsume is pretty temperamental, maybe because of the life burden he got. He is not an ordinary school boy, even he didn’t have time for being happy. When it comes to love and stuff, Natsume is the contrast of Syaoran. While Syaoran helplessly blush and stuttered, he didn’t blush at all, didn’t shy at all. I can’t tell if his heart is racing or not. I kind of confuse seeing him at the time like that. Natsume’s words weren’t gentle at all, Sometimes he just said the piercing truth, sometime he was just mean. He teased his partner, Mikan, with mean words, that’s how he show his love. Syaoran never be mean to Sakura, he show caring gestures for that.

Of course, their partner (Sakura Kinomoto & Mikan Sakura) also have different personality which suit these boys perfectly. Think about it, their partner both have “Sakura” in their name...

-

OKAY, now that I’ve finished original Cardcaptor Sakura to the Movie, I’m ready for Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc tonight!!!

[alphaimagine]

Stuck at home? Read these

While we watch the world burn around us and try our best to survive, I thought I’d give you guys a list of manga to read while you’re stuck at home. It’s no fun being in lock-down, but maybe these can ease your boredom. 

I encourage you to purchase the books to support the creators. I know it’s easier to read online and money is tight for all of us, but if you do read for free online, please think about buying to volumes at a later date.

If you guys want more recommendations, let me know and I’ll do a part two!

xxxHolic started in 2003 and ran unto 2010. From the amazing talent behind Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits, Clamp gave us this trippy ass LSD laced nightmare. While I wouldn’t call it ‘horror’ xxxHolic is about demons, yokai and urban legends. Happy endings aren’t always in store, and you certainly can’t be sure what will happen next. 

I know a lot of people complain about the art style, but honestly, it lends to the eerie feeling of the manga. Everything is off kilter and exaggerated too much, making the whole thing feel that much more uneasy. 

If you like supernatural stories with a touch of horror that isn’t too super duper scary, give this one a shot. It ran for 23 volumes has a 37 episode anime adaption, 4 OVA’s and a movie. Something to keep you busy for a long time. 

TW: nothing stands out to me. If you enjoy horror/supernatural things, you won’t find anything too extreme here. 

9/10

 I know, I know. You’re all going, ‘what the fuck is this shit?’ Hear me out. This was the very first manga I ever read, and yes, I’m sure nostalgia plays a heavy part in my love for this series, so just let me gush.

This is a safe, cutesy, feel good, at times soul crushing manga. It’s your typical girly read, with the main character being orphaned at a young age but blessed with an incredible talent for baking. She goes onto attend a prestigious school for rich gifted children where she has to find a way to fit in. 

You won’t find anything gory or violent. A few heart breaking moments but nothing awful. It’s as sweet as sugar and a decently quick read at only 10 volumes. No anime adaptation. 

TW: one volume deals with the topic of eating disorders and there is a major character death 

7/10

WHY DID EVERYONE SLEEP ON THIS MANGA? GANGSTA IS ONE OF THE BEST SERIES I HAVE EVER READ, HANDS DOWN. Though I will warn you now, I don’t believe it was ever finished. The author is in poor health, and with such a small fanbase, I’m not sure they were able to finish it. The anime was also cancelled after one season do to budget cuts. So go into this prepared to not see an ending. 

HOWEVER IT IS TOTALLY WORTH THE TIME TO READ WHAT IS AVAILABLE. This shit has got bad ass female characters, POC characters, characters with disabilities and deals with a lot of heavy topics. It’s sexy and action packed with tons of amazing characters to fall in love with. 

18+ with a lot of gore, violence, blood, sexual content. 

TW: rape, child abuse, and heavy violence

10/10

 Pandora Hearts was one of those popular but not well known series. I know it had its hardcore fanbase, but it never seemed to take off like some others. Still it’s a great story. 

A lot of manga does the whole spin on Alice in Wonderland, but none of them do it as well as Pandora Hearts does. Fantasy with a touch of supernatural to it, the world is fleshed out nicely, and the characters are easy to fall in love with. 

It ran for 24 volumes and has a 25 episode anime which was never dubbed. 

TW: child abuse and just your typical anime violence 

8/10

THIS ONE IS FOR THE ADULT CROWD. I don’t care if the damn thing says 16 and up, this is as near to hentai as you can get without actually being hentai. Monster Musume is hardcore fan-service with very little plot and lots of kinky shit. 

 What is the plot? A guy houses monster girls in his home and they are all madly in love with him and want to fuck him, but the law says humans and monsters can’t have sex.

That’s about it. 

However, what sets this apart from other sex filled romps, is the characters. Sure, they aren’t fleshed out perfect examples of modern fiction, but they are fun and lively. You can’t help but grow attached to them. The designs are super fun and totally over the top. You can find just about every type of monster/kink imaginable. 

It’s stupid sexy fun and I think we could all use a little of that right now. 15 volumes are currently out but it is an ongoing series. There is also a 12 episode anime as well.

18+ Tons of nudity, sexual situations, shameless smut and kink

8/10

[nerdstorming]

My dream pop ideas for Funko Pops. Some I have sumbitted to Funko but its like sending messages into space hoping for a sign of alien intelligence: nada. So instead, I'll put my wishlist on here.

1. The Hobbit POP Rides: Thranduil on Battle Moose

Cuz who tf wouldn't want that in their collection??

2. All of Studio Ghibli

I'm telling you: i'd be in danger of becoming a "completionist" if we ever get Studio Ghibli pops. Give me Howl's castle, give me No Face, give me Kodama, I need the entire Ghibli-verse please.

3. Cardcaptor Sakura

I'm so desperate for CLAMP pops I'd be happy if they just give us only Sakura & Kero in one Pop. BUT they better give her Tomoyo's best dress and Sakura's staff!

4. The Last of Us: Cordecpt (too lazy to see if i spelled that right its 3 am) Infected (Runner/Bloater/Clicker/Stalker)

My pop collection is mainly fantasy and anime. With that being said, I want the Last of Us pops but the line is sorely missing the infected!

5. Dragon Ball Z: SS4 Goku

This one is probably the most realistic to happen out of all of my wishlist. Not sure why but ss4 has always been my favorite aesthetically speaking. Maybe its the emo eyeshadow or maybe its the regeneration of that ape tail. Who knows, just give him to me!

6. Trigun: Vash the Stampede

This would be a part of my nostalgia collection right alongside my Gohan ss2 and Super Sailor Moon pops. I might have to get his brother Knives too if a Trigun line came out. Someone get my boy a donut!

So far, I don't think i'm asking for too much *digs toe into the ground*

Would you also like to see these pops? What do you feel like Funko is overlooking?

[cviperfan]

Okay so partially motivated by how many references there were in SPoP and largely bc it's been in my backlog for years and I remembered the whole thing got uploaded to youtube a while ago, I finally got around to watching Revolutionary Girl Utena for the first time so time for some hot takes

2 clarify I did see the movie about around 2000 which was my introduction to the series, and I did see like 1 episode back in anime club (over a decade ago now tbh) but for the most part I went into this with only a vague sense of the ending and offhand knowledge of a few of the weird comedy episodes so this was mostly a blind watch

Before getting into #spoilers I will say that this ended up being an easy Top 5 and that it's definitely still worth watching (fair warning for the very frequent rape and incest (and sometimes both)), especially if you've somehow also avoided most of the context of this show like me, and it really is one of the rare Nothing Else Like It kind of show (though it has roots in older shoujo like Rose of Versailles and modern stuff like Revue Starlight have picked up its lede)

Okay spoilers from here on

I really only kinda have vague memories of the more knightly take on Utena from the movie so Series!Utena having this powerful Dumb Jock Energy threw me

Like she's out here invoking the Air Bud Rule from minute one

This bit where Akio is going on about some Important Life Lesson thing and she's just fuckin

crab walking im

what a hero i love her

I have always kinda been more partial to shoujo than shounen bc the sense of like emotional urgency and the heightened exaggerated feelings are just more compelling to me narratively and what Utena does spectacularly is really drive that to fucking 11 and it permeates every aspect of the show

Like the melodrama of it all is so shameless and it's so committed to letting its visuals and music drive the mood and emotional intensity of its stakes that they kind of speak for themselves and demand to be taken on their own terms rather than having clear or rigid interpretations

Like it's kind of a situation of "yes most of what you're seeing ties into the show's bigger themes and characterization but also you can just vibe to the spectacle as well" like even when it's not on the Dueling Arena there's a theatricality underlying everything that pairs perfectly with the spirit of shoujo even as it... not necessarily contradicts it, but challenges it in some ways and also wants to coexist with it?

And I think that's the interesting thing how it wants to tackle some of these arch concepts tied into the genre while also being deeply intertwined with it.  Like it really is a Product Of Its Time in so many ways but it also feels somehow timeless and transgressive in others even now?

Like part of me would be interested to see a remake that took into account 23 years of conversation about how much perceptions of gender and sexuality have changed but at the same time would it lose some essential part of itself in that transition?  idk potentially

Also lbr a hypothetical remake wouldn't even attempt to revise anything it would just redo it thus making it pointless

So I know this has been a thing that's been brought up before but seeing it play out dang RGU and NGE really are just companion pieces to each other huh

Subverting the themes and narrative arcs of their respective genres, mysterious quiet girl who's directly the key to everything, the ritual of action setpieces rendered as Actual Ritual in the story, banger OP, comphet ruining everyone's lives

Also they really don't have much in common comparatively but I'm definitely seeing pieces of Utena in Kill la Kill too?  Particularly how Mako's arc feels like a fleshing out and expansion from the archetype divergence Wakaba got in that one ep (I can't believe klk was the utena/wakaba au fanfic)

Speaking of which damn he is a sleazy bastard and a gross predator but ngl Akio can Get It he and Ragyo are basically the same character and I guess this is just my type apparently???? oops

Like I'm recognizing how like really awful he is but also you really can't blame Utena for crushing on him he is super hot and charming

aside i lost it at the audacity of "well even tho i am a man like twice your age (AT LEAST) and took advantage of the situation and also i am clearly not the type to take no for an answer since you didn't reject me you're basically just as bad as me" bruh

The Black Rose Arc is... interesting bc like it borders on superfluous with how it resolves and yet the introduction of a "monster of the week" type power rangers element specifically built to expand on the secondary cast is a pretty inspired choice

again my primary point of introduction to the series was the movie which is basically a remix of the Student Council arc so when I got to 12 I was like wth are they gonna fill the rest of this with? WELP

What I really like about it is that usually this kind of setup-- the 'character is faced with their dark inner thoughts they shy away from and they become a short-term enemy' deal-- ends with the char in question coming to terms with this and overcoming it to become a better person

but here it's just like... they lose and then they just gotta... sit with that, forever.  Like it doesn't really change the status quo of their relationships w/ utena or the others but it does just stick around for them and now the audience knows that about them too.  like sometimes you just can't take that shit back.

Utena's relationship to queerness, having heard about it tangentially for years but seeing it play out now is also interesting bc while in the grand scheme it doesn't feel necessarily any more ahead of its time than something like Cardcaptor Sakura there is a casualness to it that's distinct

Like for the most part it's either kind of the tangential fluff that even then was part of shoujo as a standard but then there's also stuff like the Akio/Touga or Touga/Saionji hinting or Kozue's casual pass at Anthy in addition to the maintext Juri/Shiori push-pull and ofc the subtext-but-maintext Utena/Anthy threads

I wanna take a moment to talk about Juri bc of how kind of in the spirit of the show itself it plays things both with and against the grain with her

Like she's a Tragic Lesbian which is nothing new but usually this character type (and Distinctively Lesbian characters in general) in anime/manga tend to be portrayed as being very predatory, invasive and either played for laughs or to repulse the audience, so the degree of empathy RGU shows her in 97 is rare to see even now.  

Like there is a "safeness" to her bc of how unattainable Shiori is (though their arc ends in a decidedly ambiguious way), but it doesn't really feel like she's getting the short end of the stick over the more straight-leaning characters bc arguably all of the relationships here are defined by an aspect of chasing the unattainable, echoing Utena's own quixotic search for her Prince, and her choosing to remain closeted feels realistic *especially because* of the surrounding context of how heteronormative the world she exists in is.  Like the character is aware of that and is navigating it in a way that feels honest

Speaking of which it's interesting how the reveal of Juri's pining for Shiori in Ep 7 echoes the bigger reveal of Utena/Anthy bc of how it plays up this heterocentric love triangle or at least it seems to be but then the cards are on the table and no that's really not what it is at all, and it feels significant that after spending most of the series naively oblivious to Juri’s feelings and what she wants out of a relationship with Shiori that Utena finally Gets It in Ep 37

Is it a coincidence Juri actually gets to be the one to point it out? No

Speaking of triangles big ups to the Ruka/Juri/Shiori one honestly bc of how hard it commits to the unknown third result of a LT where absolutely no one comes out happy and it actually works even with the handicap of Ruka basically coming out of nowhere just for these two episodes

Like all three of them want the one person who's absolutely never gonna love them back and that's just rough buddy and isn't that kinda the show in a nutshell

So the thing that struck me about Utena/Anthy and how it plays out is how subtle it really is.  And that does make sense bc while f/f teasing/subtext again was part of shoujo before it's quite a different thing for the heroine to ultimately reject her 2 male love interests and choose a life with her female best friend, esp in nineteen ninety seven

Like I think you can argue that Ep 12 feels like The Moment where What Their Relationship Is, Definitely shifts and that possibility is suddenly there, and then it doesn't come back in a big way until the ending but there are tiny glimpses throughout where you can see that working in the background if you’re really paying attention

Small things like Anthy's flashes of unspoken jealousy, Utena fretting over her even when she's in bed with Akio, and part of that is coming from going in with a knowledge of what the endgame is and keeping an eye out for it.  I can hardly imagine being a viewer during the og broadcast and then ep 34 comes and suddenly the intent is made clear and our understanding of the inciting incident gets all flipped turned upside down

And to a modern viewer I can get coming into this for the first time and being frustrated at just how close to the chest it gets played, but that's also kind of the only way it gets to happen at that point in time?  But I think it ultimately is effective and vital to their individual arcs and dovetails nicely with the themes of the show

Like I remember hearing that original manga creator Chiho Saito was pretty against their paired ending, but with a lot of convincing from Ikuhara ultimately came around to it, and it's hard to imagine the anime's ending working any other way and being nearly as impactful

And there is something really beautiful about the bucking against the established idea of yuri relationships being a childish concept that gets left behind in order to 'grow up' actually becoming the impetus of their own journeys into adulthood and eventually back to each other, and it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed that for this Bold Step and declaration for the future that RGU takes that while yuri is more common than ever it largely continues to exist within the realm of schoolgirls and something to be left behind in adolescence like for RGU’s faults and shortcomings it saw this world of possibility in moving forward, while the genre largely elected to stand still

And it really speaks to either the timelessness of the show or how much the queer experience has remained constant that even with a tragic ending, that hope, or rather the promise of their reunion, feels bold and defiant and genuinely uplifting even now

Like the moment where just before they reach out to each other one final time, and their voices as children speak out to each other, as if finally fulfilling a promise they barely remember, I really did just start ugly crying

Lastly some assorted closing thoughts--

-Touga?  Punk.  Guy really takes advantage of Utena's whole prince thing to manipulate her, ends up losing to her in the rematch and then fucks off to mope for like AN ENTIRE SEASON then pops back up "oh yea im in love with her literally nothing else about my behavior has changed tho" like lmao you tried i guess

-Also i know Touga's design is p stock standard bishounen ojou-sama type but god this is all i can think about when I see him

- Green Touga Saionji is a bitch-ass motherfucker but like he at least tried more than anyone else so uh that's something I guess?????

Like the guy clearly has some unresolved feelings about Touga so i'm inclined to be sympathetic bc wow poor choice my dude but also... bitch-ass motherfucker

-Nanami really went through this thing for me where it's like... she's a brat and a shitty person but it's also hard to really dislike her bc she does get what she deserves most of the time and also she gets kinkshamed more than most of the cast despite none of them really having a high ground over her lol

-Miki did nothing wrong (aside from like the implied incest but that's also like... half the relationships in this show uh)

sidenote I can completely see the notable excess of Incest Subtext/Maintext being intended as like... A Thing to comment on how common it is within shoujo and also tying in to like the bigger themes of Growing Up bc the idea that you’re chasing after your own damn siblings betrays some freudian inability to mature or whatever but tbqh it doesn’t always feel like the show knows the line between commenting on this and indulging in it and RGU is very indulgent by its own nature so I really can’t blame people put off by the show as a whole bc this is an area where RGU is largely indistinguishable from its genre peers

-Juri really did nothing wrong tho also props for having the best duels

-FUCK SHIORI THO for eel 

so obviously i have not seen the show up to now but I've been in yuri circles for a long time so I knew about Juri/Shiori and my perception of it had always been "oh it's one of those kinda messy with complicated feelings" kinda ships where the drama is a big part of the appeal and that's true but like

the actual nature of it I did not realize up to now and OH SHIORI'S REALLY THAT BITCH HUH

So not only does she date that one anonymous guy specifically to spite Juri unaware she doesn't actually like him BUT THEN WHEN THEY GET REUNITED SHE'S JUST LIKE LOL IT DIDNT MATTER BUT HEY WE COOL RIGHT *AND THEN* when she finds out about Juri's feelings she's like HELL YEA I CAN HANG THIS OVER HER HEAD FOREVER FUCK HER

***AND THEN*** when she gets some karma after Ruka dumps her ass she airs her dirty laundry out in front of EVERYBODY like Juri hasn't been dealing with this shit like an absolute champ the whole time like?????

Like ok i get that there's the sad longing drama there and usually that's my jam and the show itself seems to end on kind of an ambiguous note and the follow-up manga from this year seems to leave it as kind of a "maybe" but I'm sorry get Juri a better GF 2020 she deserves better

I saw some Juri/Wakaba going through the tumblr tag for the show and honestly that's some big brain shit I'm here for it

Also now knowing exactly how this dynamic operates it really makes that Jasper/Lapis reference pic one of the SU crew drew of them read very.... interestingly???????? (tho Lapis' design reads a lot closer to Kozue and that's probably a closer personality analogue too)

-I love that thing in ep 37 where the whole SC is just very casually like hey utena if the whole revolutionizing the world thing with anthy doesn't work out uhhh call me im free haha just kidding unless...? lmao

-I'm pretty uninclined to try to pin precise sexuality HCs to characters for series this old where the ambiguity is part of how its danced around like partly coming from my own experience I'm inclined to read Utena as bi but that really is just coming from me?

But on the other hand literally every time a guy is like "i love you utena come be happy with me and we can love each other forever" she's like "k" after having left them on read for a day and disconnects from them entirely so lesbian going through comphet is a pretty valid read i think lol

-Lastly I think it’s pretty interesting but validly frustrating how fast and loose the show’s relationship with dream logic and non-traditional storytelling really is like when the shadow girls show up I was like “oh this is a greek chorus thing and it’s meant to reflect on the themes of the episode” (or uh in the case of exactly Ep 29 to break from tradition and explicitly tell us what a characters deal is lmao) but then no actually turns out they’re actually real characters who exist within the show too fuck you

ANYWAY I really did love this show and felt like I got a lot out of it despite it being pretty infamously hard to decipher but the ways it's inscrutable appeal to me specifically so very happy with this I'm gonna be thinking about it for a while

[spongebob-connoisseur]

i know this is mainly a spongebob blog but just curious what’s your other interests? 🙂

Oh I wasn't expecting this 👀 you've opened a can of worms anon!

Hmm spongebob consumes my thoughts a lot of the time but I do like anime. My favorite genre is the magical girl genre which I can't explain why but it's a lot of fun. My favorite magical girl anime was/is cardcaptor Sakura. I adored it as a kid. It got on Netflix during the summer and uhh it changed my opinion. Watching the original dub was shit, it cut out all sorts of details and stuff of the show but watching the true og show. Its messed up. It's weird because I'm between both liking it and hating it. There are still things I like about it but also left a sour taste in my mouth. If there could be a redub where they take out the weird shit would be nice. So anyways futari wa pretty cure is now my new absolutely favorite😔

Other anime I watched was soul eater, I recently finished it. I've been wanting to see it since I missed out seeing it back in middle school and well I adoooore lord death. Also I'm currently watching the 3rd season of Osomatsu-san. The show has been my favorite for years now. It's so rewatchable. My favorite trio of the matsuno boys is Karamatsu, Ichimatsu, and Choromatsu.

I also really like Jojo's bizzare adventure. I remember in high school finishing up rose of versailles. The ending was so sad and I wasn't over it yet. I was still attached to all the characters and my friend was like "you know what you should watch? Jojo" she now admits that was terrible advice and that she doesn't know what she was thinking but I think it was a good idea. Rose of versailles takes place in 18th century France I think? And Jojo begins in late 19th century England. The themes kinda felt close so it was easy to transition into except Jojo was really comedic and enjoyable. Speedwagon is best waifu.

I do recommend Rose of Versailles. It's so dramatic and extra. The sheer drama of avoiding talking to someone for weeks but then being forced to wish someone a happy new year and then having a mental breakdown?? Good shit.

I enjoyed cartoons a lot for a time. Like Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, Adventure Time and Infinity Train, over the garden wall. I've sort of fell out of love with cartoons? The fandoms are so toxic that it makes it hard to enjoy. I know that fandoms don't ruin the show itself but definitely takes away from the experience. I enjoy discussions of shows and the vibe gets killed by the sheer bitterness and fake woke hot takes of people. I can talk a lot about this but I don't really want to.

I still kinda want to watch owl house. Maybe when it gets added to Disney+.

Some cartoons I liked a lot is Ruby Gloom and the 90s spiderman cartoon.

The 90s spiderman cartoon is crazy. I recommend watching. It has better continuity than most anime with the most craziest plot lines?? I can't believe it. The 90s marvel cartoons was the original MCU. The 90s spiderman finale episode is the original Into the spiderverse. I looove this show. It was my first favorite show before Spongebob.

I enjoy music, I've mentioned before my favorite genre is horror rock. I like the ghastly ones but I really adore creature feature. They're my favorite band of all time. I can go on talking about them or their side project Rufus rex. I also like oingo boingo. I like to draw Danny elfman in his oingo boingo days or his cool demon costumes. I also like Alesana? Each album is like a story that goes together so its fun to put them together and figure out the whole overarching story though I think they already published a book about it but I never came around to reading it yet. I also like Siouxie and the banshees, Leslie Gore, lemon demon, Cab Calloway, dead or alive. There are some bands I do like that are a bit problematic that I wouldn't recommend. I'm not paying for it but I feel like it would still contribute to them if I said I liked them or something.

I've mentioned before I liked a lot of Tim Burton movies which is true. I don't like him though as an individual. It kinda hurts how he said people like me don't fit the aesthetic of his movies and I grew up adoring his movies and aesthetic and everything. I think it's crazy. Anyways if you want to watch some for free just type "x movie name google drive" now you can enjoy all his movies without paying for it.

Anyways Danny Elfman made all his movies 💅 💅

My favorite movie from him was the live action Alice in Wonderland movie which I know isn't the best quality but nostalgia?? This movie hits different and I can't explain why. I also liked batman returns.

I like other movies like Coraline, and other movies.

Persepolis is one of my most favorite movie of all time. I also enjoy the persepolis comics. Idk it just hits so hard, its a biography of the author in comic form but her experiences was so relatable. I very much recommend.

I like studio ghibli movies, and anything under the genre of horror comedy. I'm a huge softie who likes soft cute things like I watched beetlejuice movie and I latched onto Adam and Barbara hard. Partially because I crushed on both but also because they were too cute. A couple that doesn't follow usual marriage stereotypes and genuinely loved each other? And how much they love their daughter Lydia?? How much they protect her like she was their own? My heaaart. I don't like the musical specifically because of how hard they nerfed them. I also watched the fly because Geena Davis was in it and she's just super pretty.

I like watching the Lupin the third movies.

I like vintage movies like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. My friend joked about how your parents introduce these movies to you because vintage movies were things they watched in their home country. Yeah that's pretty much it.

Also vintage horror movies. Have you ever seen the 1930s Dracula with Bela Lagosi? Its more funny than scary. Renfield got yeeted down the stairs.

I also like fashion. Some styles I like are from the early 90s, the 80s and 40s. I like the big shoulder look. I actually got my mom's leather trenchcoat from the early 90s with shoulderpads and I really love it. It's so extra but fun.

I also love cats, rats and corvids. Cats are free serotonin. Rats are super cute. Crows, ravens and magpies are all cuties. Its hard to pick a favorite from them. If you're friends with me then expect to be spammed with videos of crows, cats, and rats.

These are things I could think of off the top of my head. Its pretty much rambling but I hope you enjoy💜😜

[curemoonliite]

Magical Girl Recommendations

You might have noticed by now that I post a ton of magical girl stuff, so I’d like to share the love by recommending some of the ones I like. Since a ton of people have already seen Sailor Moon and Madoka Magica, this list will focus on some lesser-known series.

Cardcaptor Sakura: An archeologist’s daughter finds a mysterious set of cards in a book on her father’s bookcase, but once she opens it, they disappear. These cards have mystical qualities and minds of their own, so it’s up to her to find them and learn to harness their power. Recommended for fashion buffs (has the most costumes out of any magical girl series), fans of rivals-to-lovers tropes, and wizard-type characters (since Sakura has a ton of spells at her disposal by the end)

Precure: The plot and characters change every season, so you can start whenever! It’s mainly about girls chosen to save fairy worlds alongside the human world, but it’s rarely as simple as that. Twists can include new characters, reformed villains, and even some tragic pasts. But two things remain constant: the Precure will always fight for love and happiness, and they’ll always dole it out with plenty of kicks and punches. Recommended for Power Rangers/Super Sentai fans, people who like martial arts movies, people who like close female friendships, and people who wish the Avengers stayed friends in the MCU (there are crossover movies with over 50 girls, so eat your heart out, Infinity War)

Shugo Chara: If you’ve ever felt like people don’t see you for who you really are, this is the anime for you. In this show, kids gain powers through eggs that contain sprite-like creatures formed from the people they really want to be. So transforming means showing your true self, which is extra hard for Amu, a fifth-grader with three eggs and no clue who she wants to be. (Relatable at any age.) Recommended for psychological types, people who don’t know what do with themselves, people who like magical boys, and people who crush on anime characters. (Seriously, I haven’t heard of anyone who hasn’t crushed on a Shugo Chara character at some point.)

Magic Knight Rayearth: From the authors of Cardcaptor Sakura, this story tells of three girls from different schools who find themselves trapped on an unknown world called Cefiro. Their mission seems fairly simple: fight the monsters, get new weapons, save the princess. But the twists are devastating—so much so that you may never look at a RPG the same way ever again. Recommended for RPG fans, isekai fans, and general sword-and-sorcery high fantasy fans. The manga is short but sweet, so it’s good for a quick fix.

Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne/Phantom Thief Jeanne: A mysterious young thief has been spotted in mansions and museums all over town, and all anyone knows about her is that the art she steals is instantly replaced by paintings of angels. But Jeanne, the thief, doesn’t do it for crime—she does it because she’s the reincarnation of Joan of Arc, tasked with exorcising demon-possessed paintings. Along with her rival/partner, Sinbad, she’s out to protect Japan from demons while she wrestles with her own—since her parents abandoned her when she was young. Recommended for fans of darker MGs, religious themes, heist stories, tragic backstories, and oddly enough, Miraculous Ladybug fans. (From what little I know of ML, Ladybug and Chat Noir remind me of Jeanne and Sinbad a lot.)

Tokyo Mew Mew: Aliens have come to invade Earth, not just because they want the land, but because they believe humans have been polluting it. To counter this threat, five girls are infused with the DNA of endangered animals and must find a way to protect the earth from both aliens and humans. Pretty simple, but also quite fun. Recommended for fans of ‘90s environmental cartoons, catgirls, more lighthearted superhero stories, and romance.

Mermaid Melody: Lucia is one of seven mermaid princesses who can use song-based attacks. In order to save the world’s oceans, she must find the other six princesses and rescue mermaids that the villains have captured, all while she slowly falls in love with a human boy. But, as she comes to discover, this love is fated to fail, since mermaids turn into sea foam after falling for humans. Recommended for fans of tragic romance, idol singers, and cheesy mermaid stories. (It’s not personally my thing, but I know plenty of people like cheesy mermaid stories.)

Wedding Peach: With its almost cloying cuteness, crazy costumes, and more, Wedding Peach isn’t for everyone. But it is, if nothing else, a guilty pleasure about the power of love. Momoko and her friends are reincarnated angels sent to Earth to protect love itself—as demons have recently begun to attack lovers and spread hatred. In the meantime, of course, the three angels must tackle their own fair share of love issues. Recommended for romance fans and lovers of wedding fashion.

Corrector Yui: I’m still working on this one, but the premise is gold—a fan of magical girl stories ends up transforming into one herself. The only problem is that, in her futuristic society, she’s a cyber-themed magical girl with no knowledge of the Internet or computers. Outdated but endearing. Recommended for fans of cyber settings and the good old fashioned “fighting villains inside the computer” plot.

Kamichama Karin: Karin is your ordinary magical girl ditz who’s going through a rough spot in her life until she meets two mysterious cousins, one of whom has a similar ring to one her mother gave her before her death. As fate should have it, these rings give their bearer the power of the Greek gods—and there are dark forces who want that power for themselves. Recommended for Greek mythology fans, Percy Jackson fans, and lovers of the jerk with a heart of gold romance trope.

[recentanimenews]

Manga the Week of 8/19/20

SEAN: The Yen Press juggernaut is back.

Let’s start with Yen. They have a couple manga debuts. Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is the manga version of the popular light novel. This arc is a done-in-1 omnibus.

I Love You So Much I Hate You (Nikurashii Hodo Aishiteru) is an office romance yuri about two professional working women with a rivalry… or is it?

MICHELLE: I hope this is something kind of complicated, but I guess we shall see.

ASH: I do like that we’re starting to see more yuri with adult characters.

MELINDA: Yes, I do too.

SEAN: I Don’t Know How to Give Birth! (Shussan no Shikata ga Wakaranai!) is a comedic essay manga about the author struggling with her first-time pregnancy. It looks fun.

ASH: I’m super-curious about this one.

ANNA: I am too!

SEAN: Also from Yen this week: Teasing Master Takagi-san 9; Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization 6 (the final volume); Spirits and Cat Ears 9; So I’m a Spider, So What? 8 (manga version); an omnibus version of the Puella Magi Madoka Magica manga; Phantom Tales of the Night 5; Overlord: The Undead King-Oh! 4; Magia Record 2; Kakegurui 12; Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon: Sword Oratoria 12 (manga version); Hinowa Ga CRUSH! 4; Black Butler 29; As Miss Beelzebub Likes 10; Aoharu x Machinegun 18 (the final volume); and Angels of Death 10.

ASH: You weren’t kidding about the return of the juggernaut! And this is just the manga. Out of these, Phantom Tales of the Night is what has most of my attention.

SEAN: As for Yen On, it also has some debuts. Interspecies Reviewers should already be familiar from the manga and anime: this is a light novel version.

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy (Seiken Gakuin no Maken Tsukai)… yup, another demon lord in a magical academy.

MICHELLE: How many does that make now? At least three.

SEAN: Also: Sword Art Online 20, Rascal Does Not Dream of Petite Devil Kouhai, Final Fantasy I*II*III: Memory of Heroes, Do You Love Your Mom (and Her Two-Hit, Multi-Target Attacks?) 6, The Dirty Way to Destroy the Goddess’ Heroes 4, Bottom-Tier Tomozaki-kun 4, and 86 ~Eighty-Six~ 5.

From Viz: Venus in the Blind Spot is a best of collection from Junji Ito, and also has the exact same meter as “Mirror in the Bathroom” by The English Beat.

MICHELLE: My brain automatically went to “Heroes in a Half-Shell.” Which is strange, considering I never watched that show.

ASH: Hahaha! Whatever the meter, I’m always glad for more Ito in English.

ANNA: Always a good thing.

MELINDA: I’m on board for this!

SEAN: Also from Viz: Urusei Yatsura 7, Ooku: The Inner Chambers 17, Golden Kamuy 17, and Blue Flag 3.

MICHELLE: Hooray for more Ooku, but after the cliffhanger at the end of volume two, it’s Blue Flag I am desperate for.

ASH: Oh! This is a good week for Viz. And a bad week for my wallet; I’m reading most of these.

ANNA: Yes, super anxious to read the next volume of Blue Flag.

MELINDA: Ooku! And okay, I’m behind on Blue Flag, but I definitely want to know what all the fuss is about.

SEAN: Vertical has the 3rd Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro.

Udon has a 3rd Rose of Versailles omnibus, meaning I’m already behind.

MICHELLE: I only just got volume two last Friday!

ASH: I got the second volume on Saturday, but go ahead and bring on the third!

ANNA: Me too!!!

MELINDA: Help!

SEAN: Tokyopop has a 2nd volume of The Fox and Little Tanuki.

Sol Press has the 3rd Redefining the Meta at VRMMO Academy novel.

Seven Seas debuts a spinoff. The Ancient Magus’ Bride: Jack Flash & Faerie Case Files (Mahou Tsukai no Yome Shihen.75 – Inazuma Jack to Yousei Jiken), which should be a lot of fun for fans of the main series.

MICHELLE: Huh! I’ll have to check this out.

ASH: I’m a fan of The Ancient Magus’ Bride and I’m a fan of the writer Yu Godai, so I’m doubly-excited for this release.

SEAN: Also from Seven Seas: Toradora! 9 (manga version), Skeleton Knight in Another World 5 (print), Reincarnated As a Sword 3 (manga version), Plus-Sized Elf 5, How to Train Your Devil 3, How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 8 (manga version), Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends 18 (print), and Bloom Into You 8.

MICHELLE: I believe that’s the final volume of Bloom Into You, as well. I need to get caught up.

SEAN: No debuts from Kodansha. But we get, in print, Sweat and Soap 3, Saiyuki 2, O Maidens in Your Savage Season 7 and 8, Love and Lies 9, Gleipnir 7, and the 5th Cardcaptor Sakura Collector’s Edition.

ASH: I’m a little behind, but O Maidens in Your Savage Season is so good.

SEAN: Digitally we get That Blue Summer 8 (final volume), Space Brothers 37, Shojo FIGHT! 12, Orient 5, Mikami-sensei’s Way of Love 8 (final volume), Living-Room Matsunaga-san 8, Kakushigoto 6, GE: Good Ending 8, Fairy Tail: Happy’s Heroic Adventure 5, Dolly Kill Kill 5, and Cells NOT at Work 3.

MICHELLE: I have been enjoying That Blue Summer. Hard to believe it’ll be over so quickly!

SEAN: J-Novel Club has one debut, but it’s a biggie: Slayers!. The classic fantasy light novel has been rescued and is coming out with a new translation. The first volume is out next week.

Also out from J-NC: Wild Times with a Fake Fake Princess 2 and How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom 12.

Ghost Ship gives us To-Love-Ru Darkness 16, Saki the Succubus Hungers Tonight 3, and Parallel Paradise 2.

Lastly, Dark Horse has the 2nd volume of Dangan Ronpa 2: Goodbye Despair.

Mo’ volumes, mo’ problems. What’s weighing you down?

By: Sean Gaffney