#and hurting Izumi is a crime in and of itself

[chikagestits]

// character hate I guess???

dni if:

you’re obsessed with theatre so much you leave your family behind and refused to tell your daughter anything but ended up telling your wife and a guy in your theatre troupe but not your daughter because apparently “that’s a breach of security”,

you’re stupid enough to stalk a famous writer at his literal home with your best friend and be lucky enough to not face any consequences because apparently you’ve never faced consequences in your entire life,

you left your theatre troupe without a single word because you got scared about losing a competition so bad and this is probably the only real consequence you’ve ever faced and you handled it poorly you dumb fuck,

you left your best friend behind and fucked him up beyond belief to only care about theatre that he was willing to use a literal child to spy on your daughter’s troupe which is apparently mirroring your own stupid methods,

you went to some foreign country to start a theatre there instead of deciding to just quit theatre and stay with your family because apparently theatres been the only thing you care about ever and not the relationships you got from them

[tossawary]

"Fullmetal Alchemist"'s use of fantasy elements is interesting to me because of the way it... reduces... certain horrors to these unflinchingly direct basics. (Warning for spoilers and unorganized overview discussion of canon-typical violence.)

Like, the violence and pain is depicted in hideous, nightmarish detail, and/but the pursuit of power at the expense of other people's lives is simplified at the climax into an equation so straightforward that it hurts. All previous prizes of land and resources, which are forms of power, have been stolen by the Amestris military by way of terrible, hateful bloodshed. Father's Promised Day array then throws all that aside, throws it onto the fire, and takes a step further to directly exchange human lives for godlike power.

Another example is that Roy Mustang is not permitted the false distance of a bomb, but has the effect of one using his own two hands. The result is the same, but State Alchemists are not permitted separation from their tools: they ARE the weapons of war. A gun is nothing without someone to hold it. It really underlined to me that if Roy HAD used bombs instead of alchemy, it still would have been his hands that killed an unimaginable number of people.

I don't think FMA is above criticism, but this specific aspect felt to me an incredibly effective narrative tool, especially because things like "our military was created from the beginning to do evil" are accompanied by / backed up by normal humans knowingly going along with Father's plans out of greed and fear, as well as normal humans supporting the country's crimes out of idealism and fear and hatred and selfishness and confusion. It's not just "oh, it was inhuman monsters secretly manipulating everything from the shadows all along"; it's "oh, it was inhuman monsters secretly manipulating everything, representative of humanity's most deadly sins, appealing to our most selfish desires and basic fears, and we all WENT ALONG with it".

From the very first chapters, all of the friendly adult characters were directly saying things like, "Edward, you shouldn't be a part of the military. It's corrupt. I have killed innocent people for nothing and it haunts me." In the final battle, inside the command building, the Armstrong siblings and their allies are straight-up fighting against mindless, starving, created soldiers that kill everything they come up against and stop for nothing. The fascist Amestris military, after years of violent, fabricated conquest and violent, inhumane research, is EATING ITSELF FROM THE INSIDE.

And, of course, the characters cannot use their magic system to escape reality: the Elric siblings cannot undo their mother's death. Life is so incredibly precious because some things cannot be undone. And grief and arrogance allowed to run rampant takes heavy tolls on Edward, Alphonse, and Izumi's bodies.

The only way to miss the messaging in FMA, to have the point go over your head, is to intentionally duck it, because the author is throwing it at your face like a brick. Repeatedly. There are so many bricks. It's not subtle. And I enjoyed it.

[rosehvney]

               ♡ . *    have  you  seen  AMORA  ‘AMI’  IZUMI  around  campus   ?   i  hear  they’re  a  FOURTH  YEAR,  SPRING  witch  with  a  specialty  in  ASTROLOGY.  i  almost  never  see  them  without  their  HUMMINGBIRD.  if  they  ever  want  to  be  a  MATCHMAKER  someday  they  should  ease  up  on  being  FICKLE  &  LOFTY.  at  least  you  can  say  they’re  COQUETTISH  &  INTREPID,  too. 

               hey,  hey  !!!   i’m  diana,  aka  ur  resident  girl  group  stan ASJSJSJ  i’m  twenty,  use  she/her  pronouns,  and  reside  in  the  est  timezone   !!    this  is  super  late  but  here  i  am,  finally  introducing   ...   loona   !!!   jk,  under  the  cut  u  can  read  abt  my  lil  spring  witch  amora.  i  was  kind  of  winging  it  the  whole  time  so  i  apologize  if  it  seems  all  over  the  place  but  pls ...  i’m  a libra  i’m  a  little  dumb  it’s  my  nature.  forgive  me   !!   i  can't  wait  to  plot  AKSKSK  let  me  kno  if  u  prefer  discord,  if  not  tumblr  im's  work  fine !!!

♡ . *    𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔    !

full  name :  amora izumi

nickname(s)  :  ami

zodiac  :  gemini  sun,  libra  moon   (  click  )

sexuality  :  bisexual

alignment  :  chaotic  good

pinterest  :  click

♡ . *    𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅    !

amora’s  mother  was  a  spring  witch  and  her  father  was  a  summer  witch.  to  their  delight,  ami  was  born  a  spring  witch  just  like  her  mother.  however,  ami  would  later  realize  this  was  not  as  good  as  it  seemed

her  mother  was  a  midwife  and  she  wanted  nothing  more  than  for  amora  to  follow  in  her  footsteps.  unfortunately,  amora  never  had  any  interest  in midwifery

during  amora’s  teen  years,  her  parents  started  arguing  frequently  about  the  direction  they  wanted  amora  to  go  in.  her  mother  was  set  on  midwifery,  but  her  father  understood  the  importance  of  choosing  your  own  future.  aside  from  arguing  about  amora,  her  parents  stopped  seeing  eye  to  eye  on  many  other  things  as  well,  and  eventually  they  split  up

amora  did  not  handle  her  parents  split  well.  mostly,  she  blamed  herself.  she  feels  like  if  she  had  just  pursued  midwifery  like  her  mother  had  wanted,  none  of  this  would  have  happened

after  the  split,  she  had  to  live  with  her  disapproving  mother.  her  father  not  only  moved  out,  but  he  moved  to  a  different  city  to  be  around  some  of  his  family.  this  kind  of  broke  her  heart  a  lil.  she  saw  it  more  as  her  father  trying  to  stay  far  away  from  her

so,  amora  continued  living  with  her  mom  who  continued  to  disapprove  of  her  choices.  for  a  while,  she  wasn’t  sure  what  she  wanted  to  do.  however,  after  her  parents  divorce,  she  became  especially  interested  in  matchmaking

she  figured  since  she  drove  her  parents  apart,  she  could  redeem  herself  by  bringing  others  together.  she  quickly  became  obsessed  with  the  idea  of  love

amora  more  recently  found  out  her  father  remarried  and  started  a  new  family.  she  doesn’t  really  speak  to  him  much  anymore,  so  the  idea  that  he  is  present  in  the  lives  of  his  new  family  hurts  her  a  lot.  but  in  the  end,  she  still  blames  herself  for  driving  her  father  away

so,  amora  has  a  father  she  barely  sees  and  a  mother  who  continues  to  try  to  micro-manage  her  life  and  make  a  carbon  copy  of  herself  out  of  her  daughter

♡ . *    𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚    !

amora  is  extremely  extroverted.  she  is  a  social  butterfly  and  will  try  to  befriend  anyone  with  a  pulse

she  is  a  little  bit  of  a  people  pleaser.  after  her  dad,  she’s  really  scared  of  being  abandoned,  which  is  why  she  lowkey  seeks  approval  from  others  :(

she  can  sometimes  appear  to  be  a  little  bit  full  of  herself.  she  tries  2  play  off  her  insecurities  by  having  an  ‘i’m  the  best’  attitude  akdjksdjh 

like  i  said,  she  loves  love   !!!   she  gets  crushes  easily,  but  also  loses  attention  fast  because  they  mostly  tend  to  be  superficial  crushes.  typical  air  sign  behavior

kinda  bouncing  off  the  last  one,  she  loves  2  flirt   !!!   she  loves  flirting  with  her  friends,  the  barista  at  the  cafe,  the  girl  sitting  alone  in  the  library,  literally  anyone  and  everyone.  this  has  gotten  her  into  some  trouble  in  the  past  (   when  she  accidentally  flirted  with  one  of  her  professors  during  office  hours   )

a  loyal  friend   !!!!   values  her  friends  more  than  anything  else  in  the  world.  even  though  she  likely  has  a  large  circle  of  friends,  she  wouldn’t  necessarily  consider  them  all  to  be  her  close  friends.  she  would  still  do  anything  for  them,  though

she  is  an  extremely  curious  and  restless  spirit   !!!   she  is  dying  to  see  the  world  and  uncover  all  of  its  secrets.  always  up  for  an  adventure  no  matter  the  risks

loves  to  party  and  have  fun   !!

♡ . *    𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒅  𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔    !

partner  in  crime  -  someone  who  always  goes   along  with  her  antics.  someone  who  she  bounces  off  of  and  they  do  dumb  /  fun  shit  together   !!!

ex-fling/gf/bf -  there  could  b  more  than  one  of  these   !!!    they  could  have  ended  on  bad  terms  or  good  terms,  still  have  lingering  feels  or  tension  or  maybe  they  remained  friends  !!!   we  can  plot  this  however  

unrequited  crush -  maybe  she  has  a  crush  on  ur  muse,  whether  it’s  a  deep  crush  or  a  more  surface  level  crush.  OR  ur  muse  could  have  a  crush  on  her  and  maybe  she’s  oblivious  to  it   !!!

requited  crush  -  speaks  for  itself,  but  our  muses  have  crushes  on  each  other   !!!  maybe  it  isn’t  super  serious,  or  maybe  it  is

will they,  won’t  they  -  there’s  feelings  between  them,  but  maybe  the  timing  has  always  been  off.  they  want  to  explore  whatever  they  have,  but  maybe  they’re  scared

current fling/friends  w  benefits -  someone  she  is  currently  seeing.  could  be  no  strings  attached,  or  there  could  b  some  feelings  there.  maybe  they  don’t  want  to  make  it  anything  serious,  or  maybe  they’re  ready  to  take  it  to  the  next  level.  maybe  one  person  is  ready  to  go  further,  and  the  other  isn’t.

enemies  w  benefits  -  imagine  the  tension   !!!   they  started  out  hating  each  other  but  ended  up  hooking  up.  maybe  it  was  a  one  time  thing,  or  maybe  they  can’t  stop  going  back  to  each  other.  maybe  they  keep  it  a  secret  and  don’t  want  anyone  else  to  know.  this  could  develop  in  soooo  many  ways  pls  this  is  so  sexy  !!!!

party  buddies  -  they  always  go  to  parties  together.  maybe  they  don’t  see  each  other  outside  of  parties,  maybe  they  met  at  a  party  and  became  close  friends  afterwards

roommates  -  self  explanatory,  but  they  live  together   !!!   maybe  they  get  along  really  well,  or  maybe  they  have  some  issues

ex-friends  -  someone  she  used  to  consider  a  best/close  friend,  but  they  had  a  falling  out  for  whatever  reason  n  maybe  they  strongly  dislike  each  other  now.  maybe  they  want  to  re-kindle  their  friendship  but  don’t  know  how

sibling-like friendship  -  someone  she  sees  like  a  sibling.  they’re  there  for  each  other  and  look  out  for  one  another,  always  have  each  other’s  backs

dynamic  duo  -  ride  or  dies.  platonic  soulmates   !!  this  person  is  prob  one  of  the  closest  people  to  her  and  knows  her  very  well   !    they  could  b  a  power  duo,  always  looking  out  for  each  other

take  care  -  someone  who  looks  after  her  when  she  drinks  to  much   !!!   someone  who  keeps  her  out  of  trouble  when  she’s  drunk  and  feeling  a  little  reckless.  she  trusts  them  and  might  feel  like  she  owes  them

confidant  -  someone  who  confides  in  her  or  someone  she  confides  in,  or  they  confide  in  each  other.  they  don’t  necessarily  have  to  be  the  closest  friends  ever,  but  they  get  along,  trust  each  other,  and  maybe  they  talk  more  in  private

rivals  -  they  don’t  like  each  other  for  whatever  reason,  which  we  can  plot. maybe  it’s  jealousy  or  their  personalities  just  clash,  but  for  whatever  reason  they  do  not  get  along.  maybe  they  bring  out  a  bad  side  to  her  that  most  people  dont  see

frenemies  -  they’re  friends,  but  maybe  they’re  always  trying  to  one  up  each  other.  they  might  gossip  behind  each  other’s  backs

bad  influence  -  someone  who  is  a  bad  influence  on  her.  she  isn’t  a  goody-goody  but  she  definitely  holds  herself  back  from  doing  anything  too  crazy.  i’d  love  for  someone  to  be  a  bad  influence  on  her  and  get  her  to  do  or  try  things  she  normally  wouldn’t

this  is  all  for  now,  but  i  should  probably  make  a  plots  page  eventually   !!!

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 1/4/22

F | By Imai Arata | Glacier Bay Books – Japan’s triple disaster of 2011 has understandably influenced the creative output of the country’s artists, both directly and indirectly, but I haven’t encountered anything quite like the underground manga F before. Originally self-published under the title I Am John Cantlie, Imai portrays a Japan in which the devastated Tōhoku region has declared its independence but struggles to maintain it amidst increasing violence and terrorist influences. The story follows a war photographer who gains entry to the area using a fake passport and is ultimately taken hostage. The horror of what he witnesses and is subjected to is chilling, especially knowing that Imai is drawing upon the reality of actual events. Accompanying the manga is an extensive essay by the volume’s translator Ryan Holmberg which places it within larger historical and political contexts, examining the underlying sources and development of Imai’s F. It’s an intense and astonishing work, thought-provoking and impactful. – Ash Brown

In/Spectre, Vol. 14 | By Kyo Shirodaira and Chashiba Katase | Kodansha Comics – The promise shown by the previous book, which ended with Kotoko and Rikka having to team up on a murder case. This sees a lot of Kotoko suggesting a very plausible way that the crime could have happened, and then kicking her castle down and saying no, that’s not how it went after all. The actual crime turns out to be rather prosaic—and the killer thoroughly unlikable—but Rikka has a point when she says that Kotoko is playing at being a detective—or, more accurately, playing at being a human. Something which none of the main cast are anymore. Despite that, I can’t see In/Spectre stop being a detective manga—that’s its bread and butter, after all. – Sean Gaffney

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Vol. 21 | By Aka Akasaka | Viz Media – This book very much shows us the end of one section and the start of the next. The end comes between Tsubame and Ishigami, who finally gets why getting rejected by the woman you love hurts so much. The start of a new arc comes both from Kaguya, who informs Shirogane that she will NOT be going to Stanford with him but staying to fight her family, and the school itself, who have put every single major character—even Shindo!—in the same class. And yes, this includes a new transfer, Maki’s twin brother and Shirogane’s nemesis. Again, there’s still great comedy here, mostly from Fujiwara (who will never get a serious arc), but the drama is still not going away anytime soon. – Sean Gaffney

Magus of the Library, Vol. 5 | By Mitsu Izumi | Kodansha Comics – Last time I said that we met about 25 new characters, but would not have to remember them all at once. I was wrong. We do, and I am struggling. For all that folks yell at My Hero Academia or Negima for not using all its cast, there’s a reason classes of 20-30 don’t have 20-30 main characters. Especially as we see another character introduced in this volume as well, along with their minder. Fortunately, Magus of the Library is the sort of story where, even if I can’t remember a lick about the plot or the characters, it will get by anyway entirely on art and coolness. Which is probably a good thing, because I can’t remember jack, especially with nine months between volumes. Needs a reread. – Sean Gaffney

Medalist, Vols. 3 | By Tsurumaikada | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Given that I recently had this as my pick for 2021, you can imagine how I felt about this third volume, which builds on the first two and becomes truly fantastic. The first reason to get it is still the artwork, which looks fast and furious, just like the ice skating that it’s depicting. It has an energy that propels you forward. The other reason to read it is if you’re a fan of sports manga, which this absolutely is, despite—in fact, it’s even better because—the main character is a ten-year-old girl rather than a sixteen-year-old boy. Seeing each of the competitors do their routines and get judged, each surpassing the next, was so good I forgive the artist for the “whoops, I forgot my skates, have to run to get them” bit. This needs print. – Sean Gaffney

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 26 | By Yuki Midorikawa | Viz Media – The first half of this volume sees the resolution of the very long arc involving the multiple cat statues, which ties into the horror aspect of the title and shows off our favorite antiheroes being antiheroic. After this the second half moves more towards mystery, as a retired expert Natsume has met before is going to visit the house of a late friend that he lost touch with. The trouble is that his friend is supposed to have two daughters… so why are there three there? This is a quieter, more moody piece about words that are not said, and I felt it was stronger. That said, this series has basically become an anthology—when is the last time we saw Natsume using the Book of Friends anyway? – Sean Gaffney

Queen’s Quality, Vol. 13 | By Kyousuke Motomi | Viz Media – As with Magus of the Library, I’ve sort of given up on trying to remember who is who or what is actually happening with all of the factions and snakes. Fortunately, as with Magus of the Library, the series is able to get by anyway on sheer moxie. We sort of resolve the arc from last time, though we get a new villainess in this one who reminds me a bit of similar types I’ve seen in Black Clover and Negima. The other recurring plotline is the fact that our two leads are very horny for each other, but something keeps interrupting them before coitus can ensue. Given that I think that something is “the editor,” I suspect they may have to wait till the end of the series, but it’s amusing and also sexy to see them try. – Sean Gaffney

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 11 | By Kintetsu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – The final volume of this series does not, in fact, feature any crisis management at all, mostly as our leads are too competent to really screw much up. The only thing Asako forgets is to shave her back before the wedding, but that just leads to a sexy scene. The rest of the book is mostly a victory lap/epilogue, though there is a very interesting section where we see the POV of Kotaro’s mother, which is basically a bunch of blurs, but is still rather sweet. After the wedding we see a few scenes showing Asako getting pregnant and the two of them raising their daughter. From a manga that started with a premise that made me go “ew,” this has become one of my favorite adult romance manga ever. I’ll miss it. – Sean Gaffney

Takane & Hana, Vol. 18 | By Yuki Shiwasu | VIZ Media – With the major conflict of the series having wrapped up (rather anticlimactically) in the previous volume, this one is basically one more dose of cute for the road. The Chairman gifts Takane and Hana with a condo and instructs them to move in together and deepen their bond. Takane doesn’t want being married to interfere with Hana’s high school life or studying for entrance exams, but she enjoys doing wifely things when she has the time. Hana gets into college. They eventually announce their marriage to the Takaba family and hold a wedding ceremony. The limited edition version comes with a pamphlet of bonus stories, including one that shows where everyone is seven years later. It’s a very satisfying conclusion for a series I’ve loved a lot, and I’ll miss these characters very much. Mostly, though, I think I’ll miss Takane’s facial expressions. – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

[newtypezaku]

P-P-P-Power Rankings!!

Shinkalion (Last: 1): IT'S ASS DEGREES IN KANTO SO EVERYONE WENT TO THE BEACH. PLUS FAMILIES FOR ADDED SHENANIGANS! AKITA WAS EMBARRASSED BY HIS MOM BUT SHE ENDED UP SAVING HIM WHEN EVIL GUNWHALES WRECKED VERBAL COMMS INSIDE THE CAPTURE FIELD.

Gintama (Last: 2): Nobunobu and Enshou agreed to a cease-fire and were gunned down by a salty grunt, but the focus shifted back to Earth, where a plan was cobbled together to deal with the Altana veins. Yorozuya found itself surrounded by zombies... Umibozu with the save!

Hanebado! (Last: 4): The preliminary tournament saw Izumi get the toughest first-round draw. She fell behind early and got depressed, but clawed back with a series of strategies designed to make up for her weaknesses. The loss hurt, but she left the court with no regrets.

Planet With (Last: 5): The Sealing Faction launched its strongest attack yet, but Takezo and Soya defeated the monsters before transitioning into a duel. Elsewhere, Takashi found himself against the Faction's general when his secretary revealed herself to be a double agent.

Lupin III Part V (Last: 3): Lupin found himself on "the other side" when he was promised a ring in exchange for discovering who'd murdered the owner's husband. Turns out he's got a knack for this, too, as he solved the crime overnight with quick thinking and assistance from the maid.

Angolmois: Record of Mongol Invasion (Last: 7): Despite having their cover blown, the exiles launched their night raid anyway and received timely assistance from the Toibarai. After a short rest, the plan to flee to the capital was ruined when they discovered the capital was on fire.

Kamen Rider Build (Last: 6): Stark finished unifying the country and announced that he was an alien who would eat the planet for upgrades unless the Riders could successfully raid the tower. Kazumi got an upgrade that Sento said would kill him, so he used it almost immediately.

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits (Last: NR): Hatori and Matsuba's feud threatened to derail Orio-ya's ceremony preparations, so Aoi volunteered to solve the problem with food sleuthing. One emotionally-charged family dish later, Hatori's banishment was rescinded.

Aiming for eight each week cuz eighters gonna eight. Full watch lists: [Animu][Dramu]