#and then she's in she womans baths post fight in the manga

[artemis-in-space]

I love that Oda got to Wano and was like "Gender doesn't exist here 💕"

[linkspooky]

Jujutsu Kaisen, Chapter 230 Thoughts.

I've been skipping my weekly thoughts posts on the last few chapters, because most of the chapters is explaining fight mechanics. However, Megumi showed up again and as someone with a severe case of Megumi-itis let's talk about him, what the possible consequences for taking Unlimited Void could be and where his character might go after this fight.

1. Megumi's Soul

The slow corruption of Megumi's soul has been a running theme ever since Sukuna took his body. The first thing he did after taking that body was descend and soak into a literal bath of evil in order to subemerge Megumi's soul further. Ura-me even describes it as "Being near evil."

Immediately afterwards, Sukuna uses Megumi's body to murder his sister. Making sure to only use Ten Shadows techniques the entire fight, so Megumi will feel that he killed his sister with his own hands. Megumi is someone helpless to watch as he experiences the same thing Sukuna does to Yuji in shibuya, taking his own body from him, using his hands to kill others, and leaving Yuji with the guilt of being a murderer because he was too weak to fight back.

Tsumiki is a character who when she is first mentioned in the manga, drawn with white lilies, the symbol of purity. She is also, in Megumi's eyes a character without flaws, who's only bad trait is worrying about him too much, his example of a good person he wants to save the only person besides that sharing that category being Yuji. (I stole this from @theanimepsychologist)

She's not just associated with purity through those flowers, she's a symbol of purity TO MEGUMI. She is the model example of a good person, Megumi even says his entire goal in life is to make the world more fair so good people such as his sister shouldn't have to suffer.

When Sukuna talks about his desire to destroy Tsumiki, those same white lilies are in the background ripped apart. Not only that, her body is shown to be naked in a compromising position. Gege's not the most subtle person in the world, so it's pretty clear symbolism when a man talks about how he wants to violently destroy a woman and she's drawn naked like this, like I don't think Sukuna intended that but symbolically it's the destruction of her purity.

Megumi doesn't see himself as good, he sees Tsumiki as a good person he wants to protect, and also basically the only family member / support in his life, and Sukuna rips her apart right in front of Megumi's eyes. Megumi's been exposed to evil, and had his closest loved one slaughtered. Not only that, his entire reason for being a sorcerer in the first place. Not to give himself a happy life or because he wanted to do it, but because if he didn't do it Tsumiki had no chance at being happy in the Zen'in Household.

It's not just Tsumiki that's crushed, it's his entire reason for living so far, it's the implied promise of protection that Gojo gave him that if he chose to follow him that Tsumiki would have a better life.

Even if Gojo manages to save Megumi from Sukuna's possession, mentally he's been pushed past the point of no return there's no way he's coming out of this alright.

That is, if Gojo is even making that much of an effort to save him.

Now, it may turn out that Gojo had a method planned of getting Megumi back from Sukuna all along. He does seem to imply he believes that if he does enough damage to Sukuna's body, the same way that Sukuna ripped Yuji's heart out and gained back control he'll force Sukuna to switch control again. But!

Even if that's his intention, I think there's some clear symbolism in how it was Megumi's "Soul" that was targeted by the Unlimited Void.

Forget Gojo's announcing to Sukuna that he has no compunctions about beating up Megumi because he looks like Toji. Forget the casual mention of crushing Megumi's entire body in the process of trying to finish the fight. Barring all of that, there's still a noticable lack of concern for how Megumi as Gojo is completely wrapped up in the fight against Sukuna. Because this is how Gojo's mind works, he is the strongest sorcerer so everything cn be solved with a battle of physical strength. Gojo is opposing Sukuna, and yet his philosophy is pretty much the same as Sukuna's.

Sukuna the person who stole Megumi's body, is fighting against Gojo the person who essentially stole Megumi's childhood, by taking him in to Jujutsu High under the guise of "Helping Him" but giving him little choice of what to do with his life. Either he becomes a sorcerer, or they give him no money and they starve, or they get sent to the Zen'in who will probably abuse Tsumiki.

There's something deeply ironic about Gojo bragging about how his students are watching him so he has to look cool, which shows the smiling faces of several of the Tokyo High kids, contrasted to how he's treated Megumi this entire fight and shown little concern for his well-being.

Megumi the person who he should really feel the most responsible for, because Gojo went out of his way to recruit him to Jujutsu High at like age five.

So, of course Gojo's strongest domain expansion attack hits Megumi instead of Sukuna, because the entire time Gojo's practically had no problem using Megumi as a punching bag, because he has to seize a more important objective which is defeating Sukuna for the safety of the world.

Now here's where the Megumi corruption arc truthers get excited. Do you think Megumi will really emerge from his possession okay after not only losing his body, bathing in evil, killing Tsumiki therefore breaking his promise of protection and Gojo's as well, and then being exposed to the unlimited void by Gojo which fills people's head with so much information it breaks their brain.

Megumi's clearly waking up after being hit with the void, but there's almost no chance of him waking up and going back to normal.

Megumi is a shadow character, much like Geto he's not only been shown on multiple occasions to repress his feelings over the entire course of the manga, (basically a long-form version of Geto's slow decline) he also on multiple ocasions as shown a more violent side.

Geto's arc even revolves around him questioning if weak people are even worth protecting, and then struggling against his inability to protect his fellow sorcerers who are continually sacrificed in protection of those weak people. Geto is overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility that sorcerers carry. Much like Megumi who has stated on multiple occasions, he doesn't want to be a hero, he doesn't feel obligated to save people. The two people he wants to save, Tsumiki and Yuji are however people he's failed to save. Riko is a clear parallel to Tsumiki. Tsumiki is even ripped away from Megumi the moment he thinks that he's saved her from the culling games, the same way that just as Geto promised that him and Gojo would be able to protect her, she's shot in the head by Toji.

If you're a Megumi corruption arc truther, than it's been a long time coming. Let's look at the characters he parallels in the manga, Maki (became a mass murderer after her sister died), Geto (also became a mass murderer when he lost faith in the idea that sorcerers are duty bound to protect the weak, which started when he failed to save Riko), Toji (also a mass murderer).

Toji is the biggest example though, because despite Gege continually pushing the idea that Maki is the second coming of Toji (we get it already) Megumi is Toji's direct foil, Megumi's poor lot in life is a result of Toji abandoning him. Toji was rejected and abandoned by his family, and went on to do the same thing with Megumi.

As Megumi has received no support from the adults in his life, there's basically nothing stopping him from continuing that cycle. Megumi looks exactly like Toji, especially when coming out of the Evil Bath of Evil. In his more violent moments he's drawn to look like Toji with several art parallels between Megumi and the Toji in hidden inventory.

Toji's also famous for doing this to Gojo.

He's the first person to defeat the limitless and manage to put a scratch on him. Everyone said that Gojo and Megumi's drawing on the animation booklet is foreshadowing of his fight with Sukuna in Megumi's body, but what if it's not...

What if when Megumi regains control of his body and Sukuna is defeated, everything does not work out like Gojo expects it will with one epic battle. What if having been brought so close to evil, Megumi is finally corrupted all the way through. After all the Unlimited specifically hit Megumi's soul. Megumi's body might be physically saved, but his soul might be lost in the process.

We've seen multiple times that the thing which holds Megumi back from acting on his more violent impulses is the image of Tsumiki, but Tsumiki's not there anymore.

So, this is my wild theory for all the Megumi Corruption Arc conspiracy theorists out there. What if we do see Gojo win this fight against Sukuna, but when Megumi gets his body back he attacks Gojo. His body is saved but not his soul and he's finally been pushed off the edge and become his worst self.

After which, the task of saving Megumi will probably fall from Gojo to Yuji. The only person so far who's expressed any desire to save Megumi (Yuta too I guess, but him and Maki both put emphasis on saving Sukuna).

What if Megumi's line to Yuji, "Start by saving me" is actually the ultimate foreshadowing for one of the biggest fights in the series?

[numnumart]

The way certain parts of the English One Piece fandom treat Yamato is hilariously reflective of their regressive views irl + (end of Wano manga content) why Oda kind of messed up with the bathhouse scene.

All these fights over pronouns, not even acknowledging the character's psyche itself, to further their own ideology. Just like how TRAs (especially agp males) use vulnerable girls to further their own ideology without even acknowledging the girls themselves having either mental health problems, autism, past abuse/trauma, internalized homophobia, normal discomfort with puberty, gnc behaviour, etc. They love using woc and infertile women as shields too it’s disgusting.

Yamato is female and idolizes Oden. Yamato wants to BE Oden, she even claims she IS Oden, but that doesn’t mean she’s “trans masc”, you can headcanons that sure but the thing is, oden was free, but Yamato is shackled to an island with bomb-cuffs by her own father who definitely wanted a boy and not a girl, she is kaidos daughter who was beaten, starved, and just abused to the point where she’s now in full-time cosplay being someone else to escape her reality and who she is. It’s sad. Why do tras want to take this strong female character away from women and girls? The patriarchy is crazy!!

It’s also completely detached from the reality of Japanese culture as well as the female sex in general. These people love to whitewash anime with their privileged, luxury beliefs. Yes, gender ideology is the epitome of white feminism. These Colonizers bro.

It might be surprising for some weebs but Japan is not a paradise. It’s imperfect like everywhere else in the world. The misogyny there is insane! Sexism/Traditional gender roles persist there. They even have women-only train cars because of how common groping/SA is.

Also, homosexuality and cross-dressing aren’t completely shunned there, it’s historically documented and all that. Same-sex marriage isn’t allowed in some places there and whatnot but at least they aren’t slaughtered and ostracized.

Anyway, this is where Oda’s choice to put a male in a female bathhouse comes in. Kiku is male, and Yamato is female. Kiku bathed with males his whole life. At the end of wano yamato bathes with males and kiku bathes with females. Of course, this case is unique because it’s not a public bathhouse and Nami and them know and trust Kiku and consent to his presence being there in the bath with him (a male bathing in front of women and children 💀 at least Hes not a bad person and covered himself with a towel. He’s an effeminate male/apparently a “woman at heart” which is a Japanese saying yet he acknowledges that he’s male and will never be a woman, actually, it’s kinda ironic how they ascribe womanhood being a feeling of femininity/conforming to regressive sexist gender roles because it’s really telling and fits in/suits the regressive nature of gender ideology), but the message it sends the English fandom is completely identity-politics related.

At least in the case of Yamato, she is treated and seen like a girl by characters like Sanji and Brook (nosebleed etc, not that it's good she's sexualized) and Luffy/zoro don't care.

Why do the English fandoms of anime love putting identity politics in everything? It’s so annoying… But anyway,

Males shouldn’t be in female spaces, and men (adult human males) cannot become women (adult human females) this shouldn’t have to be said, especially in public female spaces for the sake of safeguarding women and girls. Female-only spaces are statistically necessary! And as a WOC who was abused by males in every possible way since early childhood (read my pinned post where I put my article), it honestly actually broke my heart how Oda put a male in the bath and it got celebrated by the homophobic misogynists that are TRAs and even the fellow teen girls captured by this cult. It's not Oda's fault,, he's a product of his culture and times and it's not his fault how his audience interprets his work.

Anyway, Oda did at least show Yamato is female so many times in the manga, vivre cards, and even in the recent colour spread where he put Yamato in the girls-only colour spread and left out kiku. The meltdown over that was funny.

Well, at least the people who like to headcanon characters as trans have this. I wish they’d leave us alone tho. Unlike most transwomen (who resemble the crossdressers in Ivankovs kingdom/Kamabakka queendom in appearance and behaviour), kiku actually “passes”/LOOKS like a woman character. Also, I love Kiku's eyes so much that every time I draw from the day of his introduction I always add something like those little zigzags to eyes. He is such a cool character! I kinda wanna draw them both again. Rant over ig, see you next time ❤️

[armin-stan]

Being A Pro Too Young

Katsuki Bakugo Fanfic

wooooo class of 2013 brain rot!!!!

warnings: mommy issues, sort of manga spoilers, bakugo showing his emotions for once

"Thank you so much, Dynamite!" Tears practically soaked the poor woman's face as she smiled up at the spiky-haired blonde. He forcibly smiled and nodded to her, "Just doing my job."

He watched as she made her way to the paramedics before letting his shoulders slouch and a sigh out. This had to be what? The tenth villain attack he'd stopped today alone. Katsuki was tired; his arms were aching and twitching in pain. His chest was tight. All he wanted was to go home and enjoy some spicy curry.

He left the scene after dealing with the paparazzi and eventually was back home. The moment he entered the door, he simply threw himself on the couch and scrolled through his phone. An Instagram post of Deku's popped up; it was a photo of him and his mom. He smiled; Inko was always too kind to both of them. She was a wonderful mom. If only Mitsuki was that kind.

Katsuki was so drained and just wanted to have the comfort of a home-cooked meal from his mother, even if she did chew him out if he came into the kitchen. Even if she never showed him the usual loving care of a mother. She never was the gentle, loving mother with him; she even practically threw him in the tub as a toddler during bath time. She never congratulated him on good grades; the only time she seemed to show affection was during the fight with Shigaraki. He was considered dead for a few minutes. Death was the moment his mother was the regular kind of caring.

However, Mitsuki's form of affection was exactly what he wanted right now. No, it was exactly what he needed. When his crimson eyes settled back on the phone, he noticed his thumb now hovered over a familiar contact. He hesitated before pressing the call button. It rang a few times before a familiar voice answered.

"What is it, Katsuki? You never call." He didn't even realize how scared he was until now, but his voice cracked as he spoke, "Can I come over for dinner?" The way the words quivered from his lips softened Mitsuki's words, "You're lucky I realized I made too much curry tonight. Come and eat all the extras." He contained a smile and got back in his car.

That might've been the fastest he'd ever made his way back home. Right now, all he wanted was his mom's freshly cooked food and a few aggressive forms of love.

When he made it there, the spiciness caused his eyes to burn in the best way possible, "Katsuki, how's work been?" The familiar gentle voice of his father. He used to think his dad was such a pushover, but now he admires how kind Masaru can be all the time. He was always so patient with Katsuki. How he managed to, is far beyond what Katsuki can comprehend.

As Katsuki sat down with a large bowl of curry in front of him, his eyes began to water. It was just from the spice. Then with the first bite, tears began to pour from his crimson eyes. It was just from the spice, right? As each bite went by, he began to softly sob. This wasn't from the spice.

"Are you ok?" Masaru's eyes met Katsuki's tear-filled ones with immense concern, "Yeah... Just the spice..." He sobbed as he took in another bite.

"Katsuki, we all know you're not crying because of the spice. Don't lie." Mitsuki glared at her son as he put the spoon down and began to wipe some of his tears away. It was a fruitless task as he began to sob even harder.

"Mom, please, can I stay here tonight?" His words were broken like an overused vehicle and they pained Mitsuki's heart.

"Fine, but don't think you can move back in." A teasing smile appeared on her lips. She didn't even say it but everyone knew...

He could stay as long as he needed.

[captnjacksparrow]

Hi! I found your blog soon after I started re-watching Naruto again (during the chunin exam arc) and due to many of your answers/posts I've started trying to view Naruto as a closeted gay. Before reading your posts/answers, and seeing the proof along with your explanations (those concerning Sakura as well), I used to think that Naruto was most likely bi instead of gay. This was mainly due to the times he has peeked in bathhouses at women, asked Sakura on dates, and looked at "dirty magazines" (to get inspiration for his sexy jutsu, but he was even drooling...). I thought that maybe Sasuke was just an exception (well, that and Haku). However, do to your blog I was reminded of times where he seemed to not react to certain things as a straight man would (or even a bi man). For an example, he finds the Icha Icha Paradise books boring. Another example is when Naruto is trying to get Jiraiya to train him for the third part of the chunin exam and Jiraiya is trying to get Naruto to bring him a woman (if I'm remembering correctly) who nice "melons" which he describes... But Naruto isn't on the same page as Jiraiya at all and actually believes that he is talking about melons... so he brings him a nice big melon.

If Naruto was straight/bi, especially if he enjoyed looking at "dirty magazines," you would think that he would know the slang words for the "sexy" body parts of a woman.

Are there any other examples you can think of? I notice they're usually done as comic relief.

On a different note, I've also seen you talk about Naruto deflecting a lot when feelings concerning Sasuke come up, especially in part 1 (tsundere Naruto). Since I've also started trying to watch with this in mind, I noticed it happening when Naruto goes to visit Sasuke in the hospital (after his fight with Yoroi and getting the seal). First I wanted to point out that it's interesting that he is going alone to see Sasuke without Sakura (don't you think she would have wanted to go too?). Also, when the nurse says that Sasuke isn't allowed any visitors, Naruto gets very annoyed and raises his voice asking "Why?" Loud enough to where Kakashi walks down the hallway he tells him to be quiet since they're in the hospital.... This is where I feel like Naruto started deflecting. Suddenly, he wasn't there to see Sasuke, he was there to see Kakashi so he can ask him to train him! I've seen you point out this happening, but mostly he deflects by asking Sakura on a date or usually something to do with Sakura or with other girls (like peeping in the bathhouse). It's interesting to see him do this with Kakashi as well. Maybe Naruto felt like he had to hold up his "rival" stance with Sasuke in front of Kakashi? I'm not sure...

Anyways! I just wanted to have someone that I could mention this to! If you can think of any other examples, I would be very interested in reading what you have to say!

Thanks!

Hi Anon!!!

I, also, thought Naruto is a Bi-Sexual with women preference. In other words, He is Gay only for Sasuke. Because in many of those Shonen-Ai/Yaoi Novels, there will always be a Bi-Sexual Main Character. I thought that's the same case with Naruto. But only after reading the Manga, I realized how much Anime tried to paint Naruto into an Heterosexual boy When in reality Naruto was insecure infront of other men too. (Than Onsen Bath with Yamato and Sai ???).

And some of the scenes you have mentioned here are Anime only scenes, Anon. Let me tell you what are those.

This was mainly due to the times he has peeked in bathhouses at women, asked Sakura on dates, and looked at "dirty magazines" (to get inspiration for his sexy jutsu, but he was even drooling...)

This scene is not in the Manga. LOL. This does gives off this vibe that Naruto was interested in reading those Dirty Magazines... 

But Naruto gets his inspiration for Oiroke no Jutsu ONLY BY PEEKING which has a direct reference to the Manga.

However this scene was not in the Anime... Don't know why... And the thing is, Naruto only cares about the Bust-Waist-Hip measurements to get his Jutsu right.... He never sees their faces.... Which you can infer from here...

Bon Kyuu Bon means Bust Waist Hip...

And that's why in his Harem no Jutsu, every Ladies look very similar to Naruto with Whiskers whereas in his Reverse Harem no Jutsu, every men looked Unique without any Whiskers... 

Which means, Naruto observes those basic bodily features of Women (Bust Waist Hip) to perform his Harem no Jutsu...  

Whereas when it comes to men... Naruto looked at the Faces of different men (either directly or from Magazines) and find them to be appealing and attractive. 

So, Naruto reading 'those' Magazines are not true.

Isn’t it surprising that the First person Naruto performed his proper Henge was Sasuke in Chapter 3???

So, Naruto watches Sasuke regularly and practices his Henge regularly.

Another example is when Naruto is trying to get Jiraiya to train him for the third part of the chunin exam and Jiraiya is trying to get Naruto to bring him a woman (if I'm remembering correctly) who nice "melons" which he describes... But Naruto isn't on the same page as Jiraiya at all and actually believes that he is talking about melons... so he brings him a nice big melon.

Man... I was finding the right time to dispel some mischaracterization about Jiraiya... I'll just do it here. People almost think that he is a Pedophile and an Abuser... when in reality he was just a pervert which he himself agrees out loud shamelessly...

JIRAIYA NEVER ASKED NARUTO TO BRING HIM MELONS.

This scene again is Anime only.... Although it really lines up with Naruto's character...

AND JIRAIYA NEVER REMARKED NARUTO AS SEXY....

Again, that's another Anime only thing... If you see that Jiraiya remarking Naruto as Sexy.... anywhere in the internet, just know that it is not in Manga.

So, basing our interpretations entirely on these scenes will never leads anywhere other than a Dead End.

Also, when the nurse says that Sasuke isn't allowed any visitors, Naruto gets very annoyed and raises his voice asking "Why?" Loud enough to where Kakashi walks down the hallway he tells him to be quiet since they're in the hospital.... This is where I feel like Naruto started deflecting.

Hmmm... I never thought Naruto was deflecting in that scene. Because,

“I guess I’d better ask Kakashi Sensei to...”

Because, Naruto was clearly asking for Kakashi and his whereabout here... To which Sakura says he might be with Sasuke....

And that's why he was asking for Sasuke's room here in this panel. After Kakashi (the intended person he wanted to see) appears before him, he was asking Kakashi to train him... There was no deflection or lies in these panels. It's pretty Straight Forward, you know.

As far as I've seen, Naruto never deflected his feelings with anyone other than Sakura. But Naruto always comes off as an Hypocrite when he is with Jiraiya or anyone else...

Here Naruto was seen peeking women's bath.... It's a perverted behaviour.... But he is thinking that Ebisu as a Closet Pervert... (???). I mean, Why? Both are same kind of perverted behaviour... Isn't it?

And Naruto went even further hypocritic by calling out Jiraiya as a Pervert openly.... All because Jiraiya was Peeking at women's bath... I mean, Didn't Naruto also did the same just before this scene???? How dare he could call out someone as a pervert as if Naruto never did such acts before???

And then this scene

Here this Girl came infront of them and Naruto gives off this same face just like Jiraiya, that he was attracted to her Beauty. 

But moments later,

“Oh Yeah!!! That Girl just winked at you and you were scampering after her”

Excuse me??? Naruto??? Didn’t you also act like you were scampering after her???

He was accusing Jiraiya for going behind her as if it was some repulsive act.

Naruto always acts Hypocritic when it comes to his 'seeming' attraction towards women. He poses like he was attracted to them, but when someone else does the same, he acts like it was a bad thing. LOL.

He always acted like he like he is interested in Peeping Naked Women... But when Jiraiya does it, he accuses him as if it was some crime...

He always acted like he liked to see Naked Women (When Konohamaru did Girl on Girl Jutsu)... But he finds Icha Icha Novels (Smut) to be boring...

He always posed like he wanted to date Sakura.... But when Sakura confessed her love, he just blatantly rejected it citing, 'I've always known you loved Sasuke'. 

Can you see the pattern??? 

Which Hetero-Sexual Boy would act like these, I wonder??? 

[chibimyumi]

Lost and Wins in Adaptation

Dear everyone, as per Anon’s request, I shall analyse a Kuromyu and discuss the Lost and Wins in Adaptation. The results of your democratic votes (comments and asks) are out, and the winner is TANGO ON THE CAMPANIA! In this post I shall only be discussing character/plot influential changes, so no stand-alone comedic sketches will be included.

This is going to be a very long post because there’s just so much to unpack. But feel free to read it in bits, or skip to the part you are most interested in (but do come back later though (ÒvÓ)b). This post will include the following sections:

What makes a good adaptation?

AberHanks - Expert Glue and Filler

“Just like my family!” - One line, many messages

Grell - A Capable Career Woman

An unfortunate Sacrifice

Raw Trash Demon

Active Inclusion Midfords - Manga Fix?

Reunion and Aftermath

Afterword

I promise you the analysis will make you love TotC even more!

1. What makes a good adaptation?

2.5D wouldn’t exist without the 2D, so it is essential for any 2.5D producer to prove to the fans the producing side understood the source material using their form of medium. Changes are inevitable, but the key is that when things are changed, the core of the original needs to remain intact.

Theatre as medium’s biggest disadvantage is its strict time constraints. Whether the producers are capable of adapting a story within the time constraints without it feeling like a quickly duct-taped patchwork is what distinguishes a good adaptation from a bad one. The scriptwriters have no choice but to sacrifice parts to tell a concise story, but the art is in skillfully choosing what to yeet. The musical does need to be able to stand on its own without new audiences going “what?”, after all

2. AberHanks - Expert Glue and Filler

The most obvious difference between the original manga and Tango on the Campania is the addition of Aberline and the musical original, Hanks. In Tango on the Campania they are very cleverly employed to tie the musical together within the time constraints.

Ronald appeared before the Campania Arc, but it wasn’t before this one that he gets his own proper introduction. What the manga readers and musical-only audience have in common then, is that at this point of the story, Ronald is almost equally new. The line: “if we get to meet again, alive, that is” is a very effective way to introduce Ronald’s chipper but cynical personality. In the manga Ronald’s conversation partner was a passenger who fancied Ronald. It would have been a waste of stage time to adapt the third class setting and introduce this girl too, but skipping the line entirely would not do Ronald’s introduction justice. So the script writers cleverly used AberHanks instead, and when Ronald delivered the iconic line, the impact is still the same as in the original.

Additionally, AberHanks are supportive roles in them being police officers who help combat the zombies. The historic Titanic had a really poor survival rate, and that’s without dealing with murderous zombies. In Campania however, that’s a different story. I would argue that Aberline and Hanks evacuation efforts, along with the Formidable Midfords greatly increased the survival rate of Campania passengers.

This addition is a brilliant three-birds-one-stone move. This firstly shows that despite AberHanks being the comic relief, as the police they are not there to fool around. Secondly, by explicitly placing the Midfords along literal fighters of crime, the audience also clearly understands what the Midfords - the Chivalric order - are: fellow fighters of crime.

Thirdly, the gentleman’s code of evacuation is children and women first, and AberHanks would undoubtedly also have heeded that code. And yet Frances was there, and AberHanks never attempted to evacuate her or doubted her skill. The police and Frances fighting side by side shows the audience that even in the 19th century, Frances is recognised firstly as member of the Chivalric Order, before being ““just a woman in a huge dress””. Don’t mess with her.

3. “Just like my family!” - one line, many messages.

A very small but game-changing alternation is when Ciel was trying to convince Lizzie to remove her dress to benefit escape. In the manga when Lizzie refused, O!Ciel immediately rips the dress, saying that once dead she won’t be able to wear any dress, because death is the end of everything.

In the musical with real child actors they couldn’t very well reenact this scene, so instead they gave Ciel the line: “Everything is over if you’re dead, just like my family!”

In the musical, Ciel doesn’t touch Lizzie, which is very clever. When someone refuses to remove her clothes, it is because she feels infringed, exposed and/or unsafe. If somebody doesn’t do something out of fear, what you need to do to convince them is to minimise that fear. By forcefully ripping her clothes, MangaCiel only made Lizzie feel even more infringed.

Instead of touching Lizzie, MusicalCiel appeals to Lizzie’s empathy. By making Ciel say “my family” to Lizzie, both audience and Lizzie are shown/reminded how Ciel had tragically lost his family, and cannot afford to lose more. At that time of the musical, new audiences wouldn't know yet what Ciel had been through. So when later the Cinematic Record of Sebas started, “just like my family” also functions as an effective foreshadowing of what would later be revealed, avoiding Ciel being in a cage looking like it came from nowhere to new audiences.

One could argue that Ciel’s phrase was emotional manipulation, yes... but it was a literal life or death situation for the objective good of everyone. And besides, we all know who our Trash Lord™ is; manipulation is part of him.

Ciel had yelled at Lizzie, and immediately he turned around, clutching his chest. It was such an impressive moment because it showed how that blow Ciel dealt was a doubled edged one. Lizzie was clearly hit too, and very quickly she realised her own fault and apologised. Then the most fun part for the audience is to consider whether this was Ciel’s genuine reaction, or whether that was all part of his acting skills in manipulating Lizzie. I say both are equally likely! (Oh Reo, you brilliant little...)

I personally consider this alteration superiour to the manga original.

4. Grell - A Capable Career Woman

Per Yana’s direct request to Grell’s actor, Uehara, she asked him to portray Grell as a capable career woman because Yana admitted she failed to do so herself.

Most of Yana’s request was fulfilled simply by Uehara’s acting and respect for Grell, but there is also one tiny line added to her script which emphasises her focus on her job. “I’m dropping you!”

Nobody on the Campania had time to fool around because it was literally going down. Grell had her job to do, and yet Rian thought it a good idea to withhold information from Grell about the method of stopping the zombies. By threatening Rian whose life was at Grell’s mercy with “I’m dropping you”, the audience is very effectively shown that Grell is a no-nonsense woman, and that she knows how to get someone to talk. 👌👌👌

5. An Unfortunate Sacrifice

Some things had to be omitted to fit the stage time limit, but the most painful omission in my opinion were details in Sebastian’s cinematic record.

A really unfortunate but understandable omission was Ciel reuniting with Tanaka and Madam Red... but considering the time constraints of the musical, shoe-horning these moments in with different actors would have come at the expense of the rest of the musical. Though very sad, it is what it is.

Another omission is Sebas forgetting to spare one assassin to interrogate. In this post I discussed in detail why this omission by the movie adaptation was such a sin. Tango on the Campania omitted that part too, though as a stage medium it is more forgivable than an animated movie with endless possibilities Ò^Ó. Nevertheless it is a bit sad, because this omission takes away that the audience can see how Sebas was just so used to massacring on auto pilot, and how even Sebas himself recognises he needs to learn control.

THOUGH, I must say the musical actually tries to compensate for this shortcoming, unlike the movie. This omission of what showed that Sebas was far from perfect at the beginning, Furukawa compensated by simply being the most insincere, passive-aggressive, unprofessional, arrogant prick he could be.

The audience won’t catch a hint that Sebas used to be no more than a weapon, but they will see how Sebastyun never served a human on close proximity before!

6. Raw Trash Demon

I have already talked about how Sebastyun is a real game-changer on this blog, so I will not repeat every detail again. So here I will only address the significant changes in spoken lines that add to Sebastian’s character before he was fully trained. In this post I discussed in detail how Furukawa portrayed Sebastian’s gradual growth from raw demon to one hell of a butler. Sebas at the beginning was really butler in appearance only, as he was insolent and never knew when to shut his wondrous trap.

In stage format it would have been quite awkward to do a bath scene, so instead the creators replaced it with a wound-dressing scene. Instead of pouring hot water over the boy, Sebastyun is now scrubbing his master’s skin off. When the boy protests, rather than immediately apologising like his manga counterpart did, Sebastyun just shoves the feedback right back down the boy’s throat. “You’re making too much of a big deal out of it.” Here we see how Sebas is not there to serve his master, he’s just doing his thing because he has to.

Another line that is musical only is when Ciel’s stomach rumbled, and Sebas laughed his arse off, saying: “what an inglorious sound!” In the manga Sebas started a high-horse speech about human weakness, which was quite bold already. But he did not seem to dare straight up humiliate his master for a basic bodily need.

Sebastyun however? Balls of steel.

He humiliates his master, can’t apologise for shit, and when he says things in compliance with his master, it’s in a tone of: “well, screw you too”. Sebastyun was so bad at his job that Ciel too was given another line that wasn’t in the manga: “The preparations of a day’s meals is part of a butler’s job”.

Sebas had just criticised his master for being a useless kid, and now Ciel makes a comeback with the line: “well, you don’t even know what your literal job is, let alone how to do it.” The addition of this line is very powerful in my opinion, because it quite effectively compensates for the omitted scenes of Ciel and Sebas both sucking at their respective roles.

When O!Ciel commented on Sebas’ awful cooking, MangaSebas seemed quite willing to do his job well, and immediately offered to fix his mistake. Sebas does not apologise, but he does show that he made a mistake in not being considerate enough of Ciel’s current condition.

Sebastyun however, couldn’t apologise for shit at the beginning. Instead of showing openness to feedback, he immediately externalises by making humans the problem again, rather than his own lack of cooking skill. No wonder Ciel smashed that table with such aggression!

Another changed line is Sebas bringing his master hot milk after his failed dinner attempt. Originally Sebas did so potentially as an attempt to show his readiness to do better at his job. He explains that he does so out of consideration for the well-being of the boy.

In the musical however, Sebastyun does not say the manga line. Instead he says: “I can’t afford to have you starve to death.” I am not sure whether this was the script or Furukawa’s improvisation, but either way it perfectly shows yet again, how Sebas is not there to serve his master, but to just get his tasks over with.

This is a very short but efficient alternative way to retell how Sebas especially at the beginning was not very enthusiastic about being summoned, as analysed here from the original Japanese manga. Sebas is not like: “(UwU) gimme more orders”, he’s like: “(ಠ_ಠ) what is it this time?”

A small addition that was definitely an improvisation was Sebastyun sitting down on Ciel’s bed, and the boy pushing him away. (At the beginning of the run Furukawa didn’t do that yet. The first time Furukawa sat down Reo just moved aside and gave Sebas a nasty look.) Here it also reemphasises how little Sebastian understood of what was done and NOT done as a servant.

A final, noteworthy addition in the far beginning of their contract was Ciel saying that he acknowledges both he himself are the demon are still fakes. The boy says this line after Sebas had brought him hot milk which Ciel appreciated.

Ciel calls his butler forward in a soft tone, and Sebastyun just looked so self-congratulatory, self-satisfied, he adjusted his suit, standing all ready like: PRAISE ME! (●´ิ∀´ิ●)✨

Yeah no... you wish.

In the manga this line doesn’t exist, so Sebas is simply surprised to hear the compliment, and then his master just splashes the cold water right over him.

7. Active Inclusion Midfords - Manga Fix?

The most dramatic and influential change to the musical is the active inclusion of the Midfords. It is an entire scene that was added to the musical, so it is a bit impossible to unpack everything in this already very long post. So here I will only address the most game-changing alterations.

Yana Beaten to the Punch, strike 2 and 3?

Now many chapters later than the Campania Arc, we know that the Midfords had been the legal guardians of Ciel after the death of his family. But even before the release of the chapter, we’d see in Sebastyun’s Cinematic Record how the Midfords were very involved with their nephew. This shows how much respect for the manga the musical producers had, and how well they understood their source material that they too could beat Yana to the punch. Strike 2!

Both Midfords were present before and during the decoration ceremony. And Sebas bows deeply, thanking them sincerely for their aid all this time. Sebas cannot lie, so when he says “sincere gratitude”, it really was sincere. Alexis responds humbly, saying that it’s simply the right thing to do.

Not only did the Midfords aid Ciel in his reintegration into the world, Frances also showed the audience and Sebas she knows exactly what she is preparing the child for. Frances says she understands how cruel it is for the young Ciel to do what is expected of him, because being Earl means more than wealth and power. It is: “shouldering the burden and name of ‘the Queen’s Watchdog’.” The musical also does a great job at linking Frances’ position as the previous Watchdog’s sister, to being the legal guardian of the future Watchpuppy.

I have seen many manga readers talk about how they found Frances’ involvement insufficient in the manga, and I understand. She has a very small role in the manga, so we don’t know what she has or hasn’t done to help. But in Tango on the Campania, we do get a much clearer sense of the Midfords’ role in Ciel’s life.

Ciel was still mid-preparation before the start of the Ceremony, but Frances and Alexis had already arrived to keep a parental eye on him.Ciel is surprised, but Frances responds with: “it would set a bad example if the star is late”. Though it is but one short phrase, the script writers shows (not ‘tells’) how she is there because she wants to make sure Ciel’s decoration will go smoothly, as well as that her own role is to set an example for Ciel by being on time herself.

This is possibly a reference to what Sebas says to Frances in chapter 14, how he wishes her to be his master’s example. Except that here in the musical, it is Frances who takes this initiative, which in my opinion is the superiour way.

When Frances commends Ciel for his courage of returning to fight, Sebastian adds: “The most opportune chance for counter attack is when the opponent strikes. That is what milady Frances had taught him, the Young Master said.”

To which Frances is quite surprised to hear, and incredulously she says: “Ciel said that?” This makes one suspect whether Frances really said those words to supposedly Real Ciel. It would be very funny if Sebastian (accidentally) gave Frances a hint of his master’s real identity. I am not sure whether this is an implicit hint that Frances might have started suspecting Ciel is not the Real Ciel. Some have theorised Frances has the deepest suspicions among everyone. If that turns out to be true, then TotC might have beaten the original manga to the punch again. Potential strike three!

Another change is the replacement of Madam Red with Alexis. This one is just a very pragmatic change, because the phrase “To Ciel you are already as good as family” is very iconic and important and shouldn’t be left out. But getting a Madam Red in here out of nowhere would require time-consuming exposition. So by giving this phrase to Alexis instead, the musical effectively solves two problems in one go.

8. Reunion and Aftermath

Another addition to the original manga is the reunion on the rescue ship, just like the the movie adaptation of the Campania Arc did. After all that has happened it is very nice for the audience to see the emotional reunion and the aftermath. In the manga the Arc ended with Sebas and his master on the rescue boat, and it had a very nice, open feeling to it, I absolutely love it! 💖🚤

Audience Considerate Story Telling

To a musical-only audience (which TotC had a lot of because of the collaboration with TOHO), the opening ending might have felt a bit abrupt. These musical-only spectators don’t have the Arcs after the Campania to know for sure Sebas and Ciel went home safely, and that life would just continue. Nor would they know for sure what kind of impact the enormous revelation of Undertaker being a reaper would have on our protagonists. Had the non-manga audiences been given the same ending as the original, then it might have looked a bit like this to them.

Also considering the musical medium, any (Japanese) audience would want a satisfying finale song to wrap everything up. (Kuromyu21 not having one was a real complaint among JP spectators). And after the dramatic brawl song of Sebas fighting the zombies on that boat, you can’t very well pull another song on that tiny thing again. Okay, the song TotC did settle with for the finale song was......very disappointing in my opinion as it reminded me more of a Disney parade, but it at least had a song.

Emotional Full Circle

Despite the song being quite unfitting, the emotional reunion really, REALLY hit hard. When Lizzie says “welcome back” to Ciel, it was a perfect full circle back to what Lizzie couldn’t do 3 years ago.

In her flashback of 3 years ago when Ciel returned to her, the boy lifelessly said: “I’m back... Elisabeth”. Lizzie however never responded with “welcome back” because she was too preoccupied with something just feeling off.

In the musical reunion however, unlike 3 years ago Lizzie was fully emotionally equipped to genuinely welcome her fiancé back, and Ciel too happily responds: “yeah, I’m back, Lizzie”, using Lizzie’s preferred name.

Sebastian’s Aftermath

The reunion is but a simple addition, but it allows the musical to show the impact of such a traumatic event on the omnipotent demon butler.

The Cinematic Record showed how cocky Sebastyun was, and how he didn’t have a single worry in his life. After Undertaker had fatally wounded even the demon however, Sebas became a different person. In the finale we see Undertaker silently disappearing into the shadows. Sebastyun wasn’t even entirely sure whether Undertaker was there, but at the merest suspicion already you see him flinch and twitch. This shows how from now on Sebas has become a person who is on edge.

I mean, what’s the point of telling an event if the event doesn’t impact the story and characters, right? In this way too, the inserted aftermath scene skillfully wraps up an overwhelmingly eventful story.

9. Afterword

Well, thank you for reading this looong post till the end! As discussed in this post, TotC did a wonderful job at adapting an existing story with consideration of its audience and medium.

The largest obstacle of the theatre medium is time constraint, so the makers have to sacrifice parts. In what was sacrificed however, they more than sufficiently compensated by including parts outside the Campania Arc into the musical, without harming the integrity. This shows just how much respect and knowledge the TotC team have of the source material.

As a musical adaptation, it is an exemplary production.

Related posts:

Hyper Detailed Development - The Art of Kneeling

That Demon, Skin Crawling

That Butler - Punchable

Lost in Translation II - Sebastyun’s Butlernese

[hanmajoerin]

I feel kind of alone right now in the IY fandom for still liking and having faith in Rumiko Takahashi. I feel like people are justified in being mad at her and confused about the recent cover art she did, but I just sort of feel like the hatred is getting a little outta hand, especially since we don't really KNOW what's going on w/ her behind the scenes or what she's thinking, and I just think because of that, we don't really have a right to pass judgment on her yet.

To me, the fault still lies squarely on Sunrise and Sunrise alone as of right now.

That's just me though.

Sorry I'm telling you this outta nowhere. I've just been stewing over this for the last few days and have wanted to say something but been too afraid to, and you seemed like a safe person to talk about this with after seeing your recent Rumiko Takahashi posts.

Eh, that’s what I’m here for! There’s no need to apologize 🥺💕.

I’ve been a fan of Takahashi’s since 2006 and that cover art made me dramatically break down for what I’m sure is the 50th time since Yashahime’s release. While legitimately getting depressed and drinking sake in a bathtub–please see evidence below (Ranma 1/2 is my ultimate comfort manga) lol–

a friend called. She and I roomed in college and she’s always been supportive of my love of Takahashi’s works. Maybe it was the situationship I was talking her through a few weeks prior, but she heard me drop advice I’d given her once (or like a hundred times) before. And she stopped me. She 100% wanted me to hear what I said about that damned cover art. Although I’m sure my sentence was longer and less elegant, she told me I said, “Takahashi isn’t responsible for our emotions.” Seriously, my old roommate really stopped my babbling to make me marinate on more than just the bath salts attempting to relieve the tensions in my muscles from Yashahime. I felt so attacked 😅.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there will be no response from Takahashi that makes everyone happy when it comes to Yashahime and–for me–that’s okay. When I think about Takahashi’s animes, they’re not the ones winning awards. And when I think about Takahashi as a content creator, she’s not exactly perfect. Seriously, we’re all getting decisive on behalf of a woman who has the audacity to answer, “I don’t know,” when asked questions about her own manga 🤣. If that’s not humbling as a fan, I don’t know what is. Still, this doesn’t mean Takahashi doesn’t care about her characters or her works.

Rumiko Takahashi doesn’t owe us explanations, our reactions to her interactions with the manga vs. anime are not direct reflections of her personal emotions, and if she has any more thoughts on Yashahime I’m not really interested in hearing them anymore.

I’ve kind of blacked it out, but I think 2020 is when episode fifteen of Yashahime aired (could have been 2021, I’ve lost track of the time) and I got the ultimate sucker punch with the mother of the twins confirmed. It was hard, but now that I can reflect, I’ve been defending notions about InuYasha that Sunrise introduced long before this. It’s exhausting and heartbreaking. Sunrise isn’t even paying me to deal with their shit, but I’ve been clearing up their misinterpretations of InuYasha for years. Way longer than I needed to. And it’s always been a worthwhile fight because InuYasha is more than pages in a magazine to me, and I feel like that’s a sentiment many of us relate to. It’s why it’s weird to see such a monumental influence be shredded like a tapestry by a sequel that should never have happened.

I’ve read countless interviews from Takahashi, and I’d like to think I’m familiar with how her mind works. That being established, I’ve never sat down to talk with her, so hell if I know 😅. Still, I feel like she brings good intentions to the table. Good intentions are not always enough. I’m not here to defend her per se, but I’ll go down with Takahashi. She’s my girl! If Yashahime isn’t making you happy–if the entire anime of InuYasha doesn’t sit well with you anymore–ditch it. Stick to the manga (you know, the one that officially concluded in 2008 😒). If the entire story of InuYasha is driving you nuts, Takahashi probably has over 200 manga published at this point, knock yourself out. They’re all incredible. If Takahashi doesn’t float your boat anymore, it’s a 3ft deep lazy river that loops. Feel free to ditch your pool floatie, towel off, and find a manga/mangaka that better fits what you need right now. Your media experience is dictated by you, and if people have issues with it, that was bound to happen regardless of this sequel.

I can’t spend the rest of my life lamenting Takahashi and her opinions on someone else’s take about two characters in InuYasha that I can easily forget (even though I adore Rin, her sass is top notch lol). And if that makes me the worst person in the world and damns me to hell, fine. I got a beef to settle with Sunrise down there anyway, I might as well earn my spot.

I’m not sure if this is the answer you were looking for, but I’ve been going through it, too. It was therapeutic for me to give you this insight, so I hope it helps. Takahashi can be a bit of a goof ball, but she’s marvelous. Even if I get cranky about Sunrise, please know that I will always be a Takahashi safe space ❤️.

[sonichkkaaascreams]

Mountain with a flower crown

As inspired by a post made by @bleachhaven I made a bleach OC. I am very proud of her. This post is her full bio as I laid the ground work of who she is and next post coming in sometime tomorrow or the day after will be a oneshot of this wonderful lady and her partner. Maybe even turn into something more.

The request and the head cannon it resulted were as followed:

Headcanon for Zaraki Kenpachi with a S/O that’s bigger than him (fluff and smut) 

wordcount: 5816 ~ 

it’s a lpt so i hope you’re patient with me. i like going in depth with my OC’s but also this time i tried to keep her simple and leave some space for the oneshot to come. also i already apologize for any possible errors that i might have missed. my eyes are stinging at the time of posting this.

again special thanks to @bleachhaven​ and also a thank you to @shadowsnlace who also inspired me with their headcanons and i will be using tid bits from their combined effort (they worked seporatly.) in the oneshot of the same name as in the headline. 

Verse: bleach manga – bleach anime property of Tite Kubo

Motto: Chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.

 Name: Yasu (assertive child, ヤス) Yamase (Yama = mountain ,山 – se = back / spine / stature / ridge , 背 )

Reason or meaning of the name: she was a very large child since birth – and her last name was given because of her large stature that resembled a mountain in comparison to her peers and the fact that she carried the livelihood of an entire village on her back.

Nickname: 1. Ushi-oni (Ox/cow demon - 牛鬼)

                   2. Yama-0nna (mountain woman/ mountain lady)

Reason for nickname: 1. This nickname bears the weight of an insult and is what she is called by those who have crossed her path and met her as an enemy. They call her that to convey how beastly large and powerful she is and by the extent how unbothered by their attacks she was.

                                      2. This endearing nickname is given to her by the new children of her village. They call her that because she is very large, like a mountain, and also because she has the word mountain in her last name.

Birth date: Oct 1st

Her birth: she was born on the first day of autumn, around 2 A.M (the hour is known as the ox hour) it was a quiet and peaceful night with the owls hooting as the only noise outside.

Place of birth: a small secluded beachside village named “Momo Niwa” (peach, garden/field - 桃,庭) located in district 35 of east Rukongai

Species: soul

Occupation: formerly the hunter, farmer gardener, shepherd, fisherwoman, and the primary breadwinner of her village

                      Later on: Shinigami (soul reaper)

Age: 556 years old

How old does the OC appear: mid to late twenties (maybe late twenties to early thirties if you account for some significant facial features)

Weight: 363.4 lbs = 164.83 kg

Height: 8’8 = 264.16 cm

Body build: she is 363.4 lbs of pure muscle accumulated by eating a bear (or 3 entier boars down to the bone) a day and shaped with everyday hard labor since she was old enough to have a grip on a tool. She is bulky and strong, able to wrestle with a grown male bear easily, carry multiple three trunks on her back, and if needed pull a tree out of the ground. She is perhaps the single largest soul living in soul society.

The shape of her face: her face is not very feminine, she has a sharp jawline and strong chin. High cheekbones and gentle brows. Her nose while proportionate has been broken twice. The skin of her face while still soft has been wiped with direct sunlight for long periods of time. Her lips are thick and plump with a downward curve that makes her seem constantly annoyed. A small horizontal scar on her right cheek from where she was attacked by an angry wild cat as an inexperienced hunter. A scar on her upper left forehead near her hairline from when she fell off a three as a child (there is a very small bald spot there due to the scar tissue) and a thick but short diagonal scar under the right corner of her lip leaving it slightly misshapen.

Eye color: light gray – almost white if looked at from afar.

Eyesight: exceptional

Skin tone: as a child, she had fine pale skin, but as the years went by and time spent on the field or the beach her skin changed, and now it’s rough, leathery, and tanned – however, some parts of her body that have never been under the direct sunlight are still moonlight pale.

Distinguishing marks: the scars on her face. Her physique. Scaring around her feet and hands due to hard labor and occasional fights.

Predominant features: the sheer size and height of this woman.

Hair color: a dark reddish-brown with a few gray streaks amidst them. The gray parts make her seem older than she is.

Hair type: wavy, wild, and unkempt. She rarely has enough time or patience to properly care for them.

Hairstyle: the majority of her hair is usually either in a high ponytail or a bun to keep out of her face with a simple old blue ribbon that’s almost ragged by this point due to extensive use. The gray streaks are kept in small braids decorated with beads, feathers, and animal teeth or bones. (insisted by her village elders as hair decoration speaks of position in her village)

Voice: surprisingly has a soft and gentle voice that seems unusual for her throat. Make no mistake she is not quiet nor meek. She has loud booming laughter that is guaranteed to shake the house and her voice can easily be heard over others in a loud crowded room. But her speech pattern is gentle, polite, soft-spoken, and calming. She speaks with a reassuring sense of confidence that will make everyone listen and heed her words.

Overall attractiveness: she is not considered conventionally beautiful nor attractive; especially by feminine standards. She is simply too large, too tall, and too muscular to be the image of the traditionally graceful innocent flower petal that women are perceived as. Instead, she is considered rather handsome. In a manly, reliable kind of way that makes a woman to be attracted to her more than men. As most men don’t like courting girls that tower over them both figuratively and literally.

Physical disabilities: due to her height and weight, her knees and ankles are prone to joint pain and are in need of getting an ointment and herbal massage every once in a while. She may be very strong but the same muscles that made her so, also take away from her speed and she usually is more of a slow and steady kind of worker than the speedy type. She also used to have a difficulty in controlling her strength and had very loud and heavy steps and as a hunter that was a disadvantage. She has long since corrected her steps and is now as quiet as a wild cat while hunting and is quite good with her hands now but she is still rather slow.

The usual fashion of dress: as a child, she would wear normal clothing but as she continued to grow at an abnormal rate her clothes began to consist of multiple Yukatas and Kimonos sewn poorly together to make one dress that is big enough for her to wear comfortable and decently.

Favorite outfit: an utilitarian Yukata that is made of multiple dark-colored and green-colored fabrics that she uses for hunting and a winter coat made of only white rabbit skin.

Jewelry or accessories: No earrings, necklaces, or rings only hair decorations made of seashells, feathers, carved bones, and teeth.

Personality: Hardworking, steel true, and blade straight, Yasu is the primary breadwinner of her small village and responsible for the care of many elders, pregnant women, and many children along with many injured and otherwise incapacitated souls. She not only hunts, fishes works on fields, collects herbs, fixe tools, and homes, and guards the village against potential harm, but also she teaches everything she was taught and learned herself to the next generation ensuring the survival of her small village. She is primarily a noncombatant as her imposing sight alone wards off any potential threats and due to her size and strength she rarely needs to exert herself and to this day she has not been physically challenged (not since the first time she wrestled a bear as a child, but then she was mostly unprepared than weaker. Ps. She cried when she accidentally killed it, stopped crying when she realized how tasty the bear is.).

                      Unless necessary she rather not partake in violence, as a hunter she was thought that a kill must be clear and clean sparing the pray from unneeded misery and pain. If forced, however she is not a pushover, and while still does not partake in needless violence will effectively and immediately remove the assailant from her and her associates' vicinity by picking them up and throwing them away over her head.

                      She grew up in a village that predominantly had many fragile and weak people and thus not only she gained mastery over her strength but also was raised with the duty of the caretaker. She may have been one of the younger children of her village at the time, but since she was the largest and strongest many of the manual labor was placed on her shoulders and so she grew to have a habit of being everyone’s mother, to care for their well-being, eating habits, if their sleeping well, fixing their clothes if it’s untidy and even bathing them. (She was strong enough to safely carry the pregnant women to the bath, wash them safely and carry them back with no problem, or help those that had injured arms or legs in bathing)

                      She is, as formerly mentioned, very soft-spoken and quiet and never feels the need to yell or raise her voice as her sight alone demands unwavering attention. She is well respected as the breadwinner of an entire village as is dutiful to be deserving of that respect. She rises early morning before the birds – the elders' joke that she wakes up the sun every morning ) and goes to bed later than everyone on the nights that she doesn’t stand guard all night (again the elders' joke that she either stays up to make sure all the stars are accounted for or that she keeps guard of the moon as well.)

                      She knows there’s a time and a place for everything, a time to be respectful, a time to be playful, and a time to be forceful. She put her duty as the caretaker above all else.

                      She hates it when people think she’s older than she is because of her hair and battered face.

                     She holds on to a very old superstition that drinking boar blood mixed with milk makes children grow to be strong, completely ignoring the parts that the superstition is about “sons” and not daughters and that she is not a “CHILD” anymore.

                    She may act humbly, but secretly she loves how large she is. The only time she ever hated her height is when she entered Shino Academy and all the doorframes were too short for her and her dorm room was ridiculously small for her built. And for that, she prefers to sleep on the rooftop.

                    She genuinely enjoys hard labor and will always offer to carry items for others and if she senses that someone is getting tired she will carry them on her shoulder With delight.

                     While she is a well-spoken person, if she meets someone she is annoyed with or particularly have done something to warrant her contempt towards them, she starts calling them a very specific insult she never normally uses and only reserves for those she dislikes. “Puny/tiny man” for the men and “ladybug” or “little caterpillar” for the woman. (Ex: *smiling politely* be careful little ladybug/puny man, it would be a shame if I accidentally stepped on you. – She has only ever used this insult twice to this day) and on the other hand, she particularly likes someone, she will make them flower crowns and jewelry made of bones and teeth of animals if they are girls (or they like jewelry) and make hand-carved hunting knives and fur coats for the men.

                   She prefers to bathe in a cold lake as oppose to use warm water or use an Onsen.

                   When she finally partakes in combat, she is without a doubt both an unmovable object and an unstoppable force. she prefers to detain her opponents with Kido or Hakudo and if forced break their bones with the hilt or the dull side of her sword and avoid having to cut them down. (She says: a blade is for slaying and not for playing.) if due to specific circumstances; she were to aim for her opponent's death, they will die as quickly and painlessly as possible within a day – if the numbers are high – she makes it seem as if her opponents are mere animals that she needs to put out of misery as quickly as possible and not prolong their suffering. (on one specific occasion where she was disarmed, she held her opponent in a tight hug and crushed his entire spine and rib cage, killing him. – She was miserable and depressed for days afterward, and proceeded to dig an honorable grave for the man.)

Moral: she is dutiful and puts it above all else. When she mush kills, she will make it as fast and painless as possible. And only when it’s necessary. She rarely becomes physical with anyone. she believes she’s stronger than anyone she knows and doesn’t see the need to assert herself in such away.

Self-control: fairly high. She is a very disciplined individual both physically and mentally.

Motivation: the satisfaction of achievement through hard work. By the sweat of her brow and the strength of her mountain-like back.

Discouragement: realizing her size may prevent her from perfecting an action. Or realizing she may have to resort to violence.

Intelligence level: she may not be the most intelligent, but she is wise for her age and has great life experience. Her intuition and deduction skills have saved her from many sticky situations.

Confidence level: she is not arrogant or boastful but she is without a doubt very confident and assured of her capabilities. Of her strength, skills, and intuition. As well as the leadership skills that she acquired through the years.

Mood the OC is in most often: peaceful and relaxed yet focused on the task at hand.

Sense of humor: she has heard every tall joke and buff girl joke there is and is bored of hearing them but she will use at least 1 a day. Lesbian and butch jokes annoy her. She has heard every crude joke an individual can think of. Personally, associates with dark humor. Will hopelessly laugh at shitty puns.

The greatest joy in life: once in her life she had nothing to do so she sat by the beach and laid on the sand listening to the sound of the waves and allowed the children to braid her hair with flowers and colorful ribbons, and that is the greatest feeling she ever had.

Greatest fear – why: to grow old and die in the same village she was born into without ever leaving it. While she is grateful to the people who raised her she doesn’t want her life to have begun and ended in a secluded village by the beach without ever having seen much beyond the woods and the shore.

What would throw the OC’s life in turmoil: the times where she had to kill, especially if the death was A) unintentional due to her uncontrolled strength as a youth and B) done with inappropriate weaponry that caused a slow death and prolonged suffering.

Most at ease when: surrounded by children or people that are younger than her. When surrounded by loved ones. When hearing the sound of running water that reminds her of the shore she grew up in.

Enraged when: insulted, annoyed for too long regarding petty things, teased for her graying hair or size for too long, if someone decides to attack someone smaller and weaker

Trauma: this goes back to when she was a very young child. At the tender age of seven, when she was all but a doe-eyed child, she would eat as much as 3 times a grown man – by that time she was about as tall as a teen – so it’s understandable that on a specially cold winter the village became short on rations. Instead of telling the child to eat less, the villagers lessened their rations for the children and Yasu. For that reason that winter 5 of the older and weaker villagers passed away. Yasu was not told this until she was a good 200 years old, and when she realized this is the reason why her “Yuudai sofu” (grandfather Yuudai) passed away. she was traumatized to a point of losing her appetite and starving herself for the next two years that she grieved. then she returned, vowed she would repay her family every grain of rice a thousand fold and every drop of milk ten thousand. 

Prejudice: a general disdain for those who are physically capable but refuse to “cut their own wood” or “pull their weight”. She came from a village where it was an unspoken rule that the youth – and generally those who are capable – must look after those who cannot do so/ the old. and also a disdain for those who take the hard work of others for granted.

Favorite activity – hobby: when she doesn’t have anything particular to do she likes to sit down under a tree and either carve wood and bones into hunting knives or make flower crowns.

How does the OC feel about herself: she is comfortable in her own skin. Never really thinks about her appearance nor does she compare herself to others. She is content with who she is and the work she does.

One word to describe herself: reliable

One paragraph of how would she describe herself: “I think I’m reliable. I would like to think that I am. It’s my duty as the capable one to look after the others. I do enjoy working, I never seem to be able to sit down idly. Makes me fidgety. (Chuckles.) By the way, you seem tired! Need me to carry you? (Bends down) come now don’t be shy the weather is nice up here!” (Points at her shoulders making a tall joke)

Her best and worst personality trait is based on herself: “Oooooh, I’m not sure. I think my best trait is that, well, I’m reliable. And very sturdy. (Laughs.) my worst trait? I don’t know. I work too hard? Don’t take as many breaks as I should? I feel like I’m bragging.”

Her best and the worst physical trait is based on herself: “Hmmm. I never thought about that. I guess I do like that I’m tall and strong. I can take care of everyone like that. Reach the high shelves for them and pick them up when they're tired. I guess I don’t like my graying streaks? Makes people think I’m older than I actually am. “

How others perceive her: Villiger child said. ”Yama-Onna- san is the best! She picks us up and swings us around and around until we get dizzy and then she brings us fresh peaches every afternoon. She saved Aki-chan from a mean boar once. We love Yama-Onna- san sooo very much.”

                                             Villager woman: “Aah, yes. I do know Yasu- chan. She is wonderful. A dutiful, wonderful, kind person. I remember when I was with child and couldn’t walk. She would always pick me up so gently and take me to bathe and take very good care of me. Not to mention she'd always make special rabbit soup for me to make sure I was well fed. She fixed my room when it was broken too. Such a handy girl she is. If only she were a man, I think I wouldn't mind a husband like her.” (she laughs as a man’s grumble comes from inside her home.)

The opinion of other people in general: “seeing her for the first time she may look frightening and imposing but in truth, she has the gentle heart of a bunny. Give her a chance to show you who she is rather than what she looks like. She may look like an imposing beast; but she’s about as harmless as a sweet little chipmunk. “

Does she hide her (true) opinion on other people: not particularly.  Even when speaking the truth she will make sure to phrase it politely and gently.

The person she hates the most: lazy people in general – or that least lazy people who are ungrateful

Best friends: Hinamori Momo, Kotetsu Isane, Ise Nanao

Persons she avoids: Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Soi Feng

Person, she feels awkward with: Hitsugaya Toshiro (so small), Hirako Shinji (that weird smile), Soi Feng (so loud for someone so small)

The person she openly or secretly admires: Zaraki Kenpachi (he is up to my chest, very tall), Ise Nanao, Kuchiki Rukia

How she thinks others perceive her: Ushi-oni, imposing and scary (which makes her a bit sad)

One thing she would change about herself: the gray hair, maybe make herself a little shorter – just a little – enough that her head wouldn’t hit the door frames all the time.

Her main logic of the world: Chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.

                                                   You can either dream or work to achieve that                                                           dream.

                                                  You won't always be motivated, you must learn                                                       to be disciplined.

                                                    By the sweat of your brow and the strength of your back, and the blood in your veins. Anything can be achieved.

                                                      When there’s a will there’s a way.

Depressed or sad when: she does something she deems cruel. doesn’t have anything to do. Her friend is in the middle of something she can’t help them with. When away from Kenpachi for too long. Sometimes she misses her mothers, father figures and her village.  

Priorities: duty first. And not just work duty. Her duty to herself. Her duty to her romantic partner/ spouse. Her duty to her friend. Her duty to nature, her duty to her conscious. Her duty to her mothers.

Life philosophy: hard work pays off. Always. Not always in the ways, we want or we think we want. But always pays off in some way.

Soft spot – is it obvious or not: she has a giant soft spot for children and people who are physically very small even by normal standards. (namely, Hinamori Momo. Hitsugaya Toshiro, Kuchiki Rukia) – it couldn’t be any more obvious – she makes them flower crowns every day without fail)

Greatest strength: other than her bulging biceps? Her great leadership skills and hard-working nature.

Vulnerability or weakness: deep down she does feel weird and vulnerable about her size, after all, she is still a girl, and about the time she was 150 or so she was deeply sensitive when a guy would call her Ushi-Oni. Just because she was taller than everyone else. Although now she knows logically she shouldn't feel bad about herself and her appearance there are still times she feels embarrassed when she knows she can’t wear a beautiful Kimono because A) they don’t have it in her size and B) she realizes it wouldn’t be good on her as it would on someone like Ise Nanao or Kuchiki Rukia

Biggest regret: accidentally killing that bear, not realizing her eating habits were putting a strain on the village sooner

Minor regret: not learning feminine skills (sewing, tea etiquette, etc.)

Biggest accomplishment: becoming a Shinigami

Other accomplishments: mastering the sword, archery, trapping, fishing, tracking, and finding her way based on stars – making a full garden of peaches from only 3 peaches she bought – building a small fishing boat (albeit a flimsy one) – raising the number of the village livestock exponentially.

Past failures: she failed many times in almost everything she started. It’s not important how many times she failed in what, what’s important is that she is now more skilled than the average souls and Shinigami.

Embarrassing moments: her first 3 weeks at Shino Academy they didn't have a uniform her size so until they make one her size she was heavily underdressed. (the pants were only to her knees and the upper half was more like a tight short-sleeved vest. She preferred to wear her usual clothes but wasn’t allowed to. The moment Captain Hitsugaya who had come to the Academy on work-related matters saw her state of indecency he threw a fit and demanded appropriate clothing for a lady. – Yasu wanted to die at that moment.)

Darkest secret: she secretly, very deep down, is annoyed that no one else is half as strong as she is. And wishes there was someone she could find that she didn’t have to hold back for.) (*wink wink* foreshadowing *wink wink*)

Skills: life skills: 1. wielding a club

                            2. archery

                            3. trapping

                            4. pathfinding using stars

                            5. fishing

                            6. trapping and hunting and skinning animals

                            7. wood carving, bone carving, and tool building in general

                            8. cooking

                            9. farming, gardening

 Incompetence: 1. Sewing

                                  2. tea brewing

                                  3. anything to do with speed or agility

                                  4. patience in anything other than hunting

                                  5. strategizing in anything other than hunting

 Strength – talent – powers: Shinigami based: 1. professional Zanjutsu

                                                                            2. advanced levels of Kido

                                                                            3. unrivaled Hakudo

                                                                            4. passable Hoho

                                                                              Habits: 1. she stubbornly sticks to the superstition of drinking mill mixed with boar blood is good for health and strength. (even though the superstition says it’s good for little boys to grow strong and healthy and she is neither a boy nor a child.)

            2. She prefers to take cold bathes even in midwinter.

           3. Sleeping outside – unless provided with a big enough room.

           4. Braiding her hair and making flower crowns when she is bored or nervous.

 The organization involved: Gotei 13, Squad 10. (as the third seat officer)

Income: standard seated officer Shinigami income + overtime

Job satisfaction: doing all the paperwork as fast as possible (even those that aren’t hers… LOOKING AT YOU MATSUMOTO RANGIKU)

Health: as is expected of someone her size she is very healthy seldom gets sick. Her knees and ankles need a herbal and ointment massage now and then due to the pressure of caring for her weight.

 Childhood life: on a particularly warm summer evening a woman by the name of “Hatsume” comes across this small village begging for a small room so she can have her child in peace. The villagers of course all this and the woman spends the next two months peacefully waiting for her child. The villagers assumed she must have multiple sons as her belly was greatly swollen but by the time the child was born, it was revealed that “Hatsume” was right and she only had one child. One little girl.

                          Actually no, she had one big girl. A girl so big, that she broke her mother’s hips as she was coming out resulting in the death of her mother. Originally the midwife –“ Obba-chan Harumi” – deemed it a bad omen and wanted to drown the child but was convinced otherwise by the rest of the women. Thus the newborn was given to “Riko” another woman who had recently lost her weak child due to heatwave. She named the child “Yasu “ and accepted her as her own child and fed her until she no longer could.

                         Apparently “Yasu” was a very hungry child and drank her mother dry within a few months, and so she was given to another woman named “Natsuko” who also raised her as her own alongside her son named “Tadashi”.  And so, until Yasu-chan was old enough to eat solid food she was cared for by the collective effort of 10 women. (Riko-san, Natsuko-san, Haruko-san, Kaede-san, Usagiko-san, Amaya- san, Yuria-san, Ikuko-san, Minako-san, Sakue-san) and as a child, she grew to eat 3 times a grown man and as an adult, she eats 9 times the average man as a moderate ratio (she can eat more)

Best memories: 1. sitting by the ocean with her 10 mothers and their other children making flower crowns and listening to the sound of waves.

                            2. Learning how to carve knives and sitting next to her        “Yuudai-gi” and making hunting knives.

Worst memories: 1. sitting at the grave of “Yuudai-gi” now knowing why he died

                                2. Barring her mother “Kaede-san” after she fell ill

Alignment: bounces between lawful chaotic and chaotic lawful – sometimes lawful neutral

Short-term goal: accomplish daily duties to the best of her abilities.

Long term goal: live her life to the fullest and learn to relax and have fun without worrying

The most defining moment in her life: deciding she’s prepared the kids of her village enough and leaving them to become a Shinigami.

Type of childhood: certainly eventful, but all in all nurturing

First memory: her first and oldest childhood memory is being surrounded by many women cooing at her (her motherers) and one in particular saying something about giving her boar blood with milk.

Most important childhood memory: her first successful hunt, an old limping stag.

Childhood hero: Yuudai-gi

Education: thought by the rest of the villagers. Mostly focused on practical information – learned how to write and read when she had nothing better to do by her mothers.

Family: mothers: Riko-san, Natsuko-san, Haruko-san, Kaede-san, Usagiko-san, Amaya- san, Yuria-san, Ikuko-san, Minako-san, Sakue-san

             Father figure: Yuudai-gi, Kaoru-gi, Manzo-san, Ikemoto-san, Gihei-gi, Sotaro-san

              Siblings: Tadashi-kun, Ekiken-kun, Toyozo-kun, kenji-kun, Hachigoro-kun, shigeru-kun, Akeno-chan, Euki-chan ,Mizuki-chan, Mami-chan, Romi-chan, Shizue-chan, Chieko-chan, Asaji-chan, Ochiyo- chan

                  +the rest of the village.

Relationship with parents: she was well-loved by all of her mothers.  

Relationship with siblings: there were arguments as children and there were teasings as children but the older they got the better their relationship became and with her size she became everyone's protector and the helping hand of her mothers.

Spouse – lover – the person of interest: Zaraki Kenpachi, the second Kenpachi and the 11th captain of squad 11 of Gotei 13.

Children: none

Relationship with children: very well.

Other important family members: (her father may or may not have been a member of a branch family sworn to the Kuchiki clan but Hatsume never confirmed anything and died before revealing anything about the father of the child.) later on Yasu says she has no interest of ever finding her father since she already has 6 father figures and an entire village as family.

Favorites

-color: light ocean blue

-music: the sound of waves – the sound of branches moving in the wind – the sound of owls Hooting at night.

-food: Bear, boar, shrimps

-literature: she doesn't read much. The Academy textbooks are the closest she got to literature. That being said the book of Seireite Laws is her somewhat favorite.

-form of entertainment: making flower crowns, carving knives, going to the woods to watch the wildlife as they are, watch Kenpachi fight, watch captain Hitsugaya yell at Rangiku.

-expression: 1. You won't always be motivated, you must learn to be      disciplined.

                        2. Chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.

-most prized possession: 1. her ragged old ribbon she uses to tie her hair up.

                                             2. Her hair decorations.

                                             3. The old hunting knife made of bear bone that once belonged to her Yuudai-gi

-weapon: old hunting knife that belonged to Yuudai-gi,

                     Her Zanpakuto (it’s her first and only appropriate and professionally made weapon)

-pastime: watching Kenpachi fight as she makes flower crowns or carves knives.

Poetry describing – quote describing: “she may not have been the innocent cherry blossom, nor the alluring lotus. She may not have been the moon goddess nor the lady sun. she may not have been the enchanting vixen nor the oblivious doe. She may not have been gentle river nor the cherishing wind. She may not have been a princess nor a noble jewel.

Instead, she was unconventionally alluring. She was the reliable oak and the sturdy pine tree. She is the north star guiding travelers home and the early morning twilight, the very beginning of a gentle, warm touch waking you up. She is the dangerously alluring owl and the coyote that mates for life. She is the iron shield you carry to war and the rock you lean on. She’s the hard-working peasant girl in the rice field and The silver O-Choko cup, the only thing the beggar refuses to sell.”

Playlist: 

I have a dream – Abba

“I have a dream, a song to sing

To help me cope with anything

If you see the wonder of a fairy tale

You can take the future even if you fail

I believe in angels

Something good in everything I see

I believe in angels”

My same – Adele (Yasu and Kenpachi)

“I don't know who I'd be if I didn't know you

You're so provocative

I'm so conservative

You're so adventurous

I'm so very cautious

Combined you think we wouldn't and we do”

  Into you – Ariana Grande

“So, baby, come light me up, and maybe I'll let you on it

A little bit dangerous, but, baby, that's how I want it

A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"

'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you

Got everyone watchin' us, so, baby, let's keep it secret

A little bit scandalous, but, baby, don't let them see it

A little less conversation and a little more "touch my body"

'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you, oh yeah”

Are you ready – the Disturbed

“That's enough already now

You don't want to take it

All your reservations have been taken away

They've been taken away

So you think you're ready now

For the revolution

Yeah, they can't control you

Once you've broken away

You've got to get them out of your mind

When they stand before you they will find

A force they aren't ready for

***

Are you ready?

They aren't ready for you to be strong

Are you ready?

They aren't ready for you to prove them wrong

Are you ready?

They aren't ready for you to be turned into someone

Who cannot be preyed upon”

  The greatest thing – Cher Lloyd, lady Gaga (Yasu and Kenpachi)

”I hope, that you can see,

you are the greatest thing to me.

And when, you' feeling like you're not enough.

I'll give you wings, i'll lift you up.

I hope, that you can see,

you are the greatest, greatest thing to me.”

   Out of control – lady gaga (Yasu and Kenpachi)

“I need a love that's crazy don't you see?

***

“Give it up, Put it up, Not enough, Not enough, Not enough, I need it Out of control.

 Give it up just let your body Out of control”

 Rival – Ruelle

“The tide is high

It's sink or swim

My only rival is within

Giants calling round the bend

My only rival is within

I won't let my demons win

My only rival is within

I will fight through thick and thin

My only rival is within”

 The one thing – Shakira (Yasu and Kenpachi)

“You are the one thing that I got right

It's a fickle world, yeah, it's a fickle world

You turn the darkness into sun light

I'm a lucky girl, yeah, I'm a lucky girl

And if I mess up everything someday

I would hide my head in shame

Cause you are the one thing that I got right”

aesthetic: (disclaimer: non of the photoes and art works used in the grid bellow are mine i acuired them from pinterest. i do not take credit for any of these pieces.)

[r0botarmsapts]

Title: Diverge. Cross-posted to Ao3 and Fanfiction.net. Characters/Pairings: Yuuka. Everything else is one-sided, including the cousin incest of Kouta/Yuuka. Words: 1k+ Disclaimer: I own this fanfiction but not the characters or game they’re from. Notes: This is for Whumptober 2021. Manga time-line, hurt no comfort. Warning: Two lines of light nsfw & one-sided cousin incest. Summary: Intimately familiar intrusive thoughts swarmed Yuuka’s mind, reminding the young woman of all of her insecurities with force that made her question if her heart or head hurt more.

It was so easy to get lost in the busy day-to-day of the Maple Inn; their ragtag group having grown, with Yuuka embracing a matriarchal role while Kouta, in her mind, was her husband and they were looking after their family. It was in those times, when she smiled small and warm, like when Kouta gave Wanta attention when Mayu was busy, and other times trying to help Nyu expand her vocabulary in his own clumsy way.

She bit her lip, shaking, trying and hold onto to what little composure remained.

Kouta, Nyu...

The pair were why she holed herself up in her room, storming off. Yuuka Slapping Kouta first after catching him and Nyu in another compromising position. Tears blurred her sight. Intimately familiar intrusive thoughts swarmed Yuuka’s mind, reminding the young woman of all of her insecurities with force that made her question if her heart or head hurt more.

Those moments like earlier were brutal reminders of her knowing this was a fantasy life she let herself get lost in. In the mirror, she saw all the cracks; compared to Nyu she was plain. Nyu was beautiful, had bright pink hair that stood out and horns(ones like Kouta was so taken by and drew often when they were children). The other woman looked good no matter what clothes of Yuuka’s she wore, and being in her difficult position, Nyu always had a smile on her face, wanting to make sure everyone else in their little family was happy too.

Her throat tightened.

It was no wonder Kouta was attracted to her, Nyu was Nyu and she could not bring herself to be mad at the other girl, not when it was Kouta being unfair, forgetting what a treasured night they shared that was cemented in her heart, her mind. Yuuka had no horns, plain brown hair and eyes. A glance to the side showed a few new fashion and style magazines she had taken private time to study. It was so much harder than it looked to try and keep a stylish appearance- look good, stand out in her own way... To catch Kouta’s eyes more.

His eyes went to Nyu’s more than her.

In her desperation to keep in the fight for his heart, whenever Kouta discussed Nyu, Yuuka had to know if Kouta would do the same for her. Sometimes more.

A light flush stood out on her face, she shut her eyes, embarrassed having those thoughts even now.

Years. Years she had dreamt of Kouta touching her in ways only meant for a lover to do. A hand groping her breasts, his other in her panties while she held onto him and they kissed with open passion of lovers reunited. Some nights the dreams felt so real(how many times had she had awoken to soiled panties? Even in waking times, Yuuka felt shamed on how easily she got wet. It was unbecoming and a problem she did not know how to fix).

Those dreams would not stop and Yuuka knew she would not let them go just yet, not after what was on her mind. Adding them to the fantasy she was becoming conflicted on holding onto with everything or leaving it all behind.

Did she truly belong here anymore?

Mayu was young, yet very independent, could cook and Nyu had made progress, being able to prepare simple rice dishes. Kouta was not a graceful man, but could cook as well. They really did not need her to help prepare their dinners, make sure they had warm baths. They were also capable of keeping the inn tidy without her supervision. If Kouta were on his own, her presence would be more effective but then there was Nyu who would be there cleaning along with a smile on her face and a cheerful hum.

A painful realization struck, taking the young woman’s breath away, her legs weak.

Without seeing it, her fantasy was slowly becoming Nyu’s reality. Yuuka, who wasn’t sure if she was being truly fashionable, who was plain compared to Nyu, who struggled to keep her true loves eyes on her, who gave up so much to be with him, who had lived her life based on a memory so special she felt it too cruel that Kouta forgot, that his amnesia was so strong it took away their precious shared festival night. The insecurity burned too hot, taking it out on Kouta for doing that to her, causing her this pain when he should know how she felt.

He would wait for her to come out of her room first, she knew this, knew him too well.

Yuuka had no intention of leaving her room that night, appearing a mess with red eyes, flushed face and tears that had not stopped. Nyu would try and make her feel better not knowing seeing the other woman now would make her feel worse, comparing herself to her and knowing in her heart, that she was fighting a losing battle with Nyu over Kouta.

It was unfair.

Nyu, with her own carefree ways did not know she was also competition in Yuuka’s eyes. Yuuka did not fault Nyu. Yuuka was hopelessly in love and dedicated to Kouta, the life she dreamt they would have, all the plans she had involving it. Involving both of them together, eventually having a child of their own. Unlike her own father, who worked so many long hours there were some days she would be lucky to catch a glimpse of his face, Kouta would come home to her, their child and they would be happy together.

Would be.

Already this life was falling through her grasp, watching her dreams shatter before her eyes. All brought on by them in a position she would have given so much to trade places with Nyu for. Kouta was not pushing Nyu away, not turning down the other girls advance. His eyes were not one of someone unhappy, focused entirely on her, certain his thoughts went to places like Yuuka’s did for him. That was all she needed to see to know.

Fruitlessly she wiped away tears that had continued to fall fat and heavy, seeing cracks in a mirror only visible to her but all too real.

It was time for her to leave.

Her fantasy was broken.

[loplih]

🍓✨ Some Ichihime Headcanons that I wrote some time ago, but never got the courage to publish 🍓✨

(Chronologically)

After Ichigo asked Orihime to make some time for him, she only could think about him. Orihime couldn't wait to hear what he wanted to say to her.

Ichigo took 2 weeks thinking about how he would confess.

During that time his family notice it was something going on. He seemed out of this world, looking tense and nervous.

Finally he made the decision and went after her. Surprisingly, when he opens the door Orihime was outside with some bread to give.

Orihime thought "since he has not said anything after that day, I'm going there by myself bringing some bread to see if he says something".

For both surprises they saw each other at the same time and it was awkward. Ichigo almost fainted. But made a appointment with her, next day.

The confession was late in the afternoon by the river.

The sky was the exact same pantone color as Ichigo’s hair that day. Orihime noticed that and she will never forget. It almost looked like a piece of art: Them & the sky.

They were both surprised that they were in love with each other. It was hard to believe.

Secretly he loves when Orihime blushes. She was blushing during the (confession) date day. He thinks this shows how pure and beautiful she is.

In the beginning they didn't tell about their relationship to anyone, they wanted to take it slowly. But it didn't last that long when people started to notice they had something more.

Keigo got upset with Ichigo because he was the first one to have a girlfriend.

Tatsuki just shouted a big loud ‘’FINALLY THAT BASTARD…!’’ when Orihime told her they where dating.

Ichigo’s sisters sees Orihime as a bigger sister. They want their brother to marry Orihime because they believe they will be again a happy family (like old times) since she reminds Masaki.

But Ichigo just gets nervous and super red about it when his sisters says that. But secretly he already dreams about marrying Orihime.

Prety much everyone in soul society didn't get surprised by their relationship, since they were kinda obvious during the war.

The first date was romantic. They had dinner together at a local restaurant and in the end they stayed outside at Orihime’s apartment watching the stars in the sky. In the beginning they were both shy and nervous, but they quickly forgot about that.

After the first date Ichigo started saving money to by her a ring. Just in case.

The last dates they had before marriage, weren't that "romantic". They usually stayed at Ichigo’s house reading and commenting manga together, watching movies or just laid down on his bedroom talking.

They always forget about time when they are together. And time runs fast when they are having fun.

They started spending summer together like full time. Ichigo having driver license made things easier. They usually do family and friend trips.

But as normal, they always like to be alone sometimes. When they go out alone by car, the Kurosaki’s loves to make speculations. Ichigo gets super annoyed, ‘’as if something more than a little trip is going to happen’’.

They had problems conciling time for being together. But they always got to see each other when they had some time free.

Sometimes at night, on those impossible weeks, just to see each other for a minute, Ichigo goes to her apartment as a shinigami because it's more faster.

One time Ichigo said without noticing " but when we get married we will definitly have more time to be together..." Orihime didn’t know Ichigo wanted to marry her. She cried a little.

Ichigo waited to end university to marry Orihime. That was his plan.

If you think Orihime is a cry baby, imagine how her face whent when Ichigo oficial asked her to marry him.

They wanted a simple wedding, but everyone decided to help and it tourned out much beautiful that they were expecting.

Ichigo changed his haircut days before the wedding. ''oh m-my...! You look so good!'' ''Really??'' ''Yeah, you look more mature, I like it... kinda shock because I thought my future husband couldn't even be more handsome then before...and the better part is that now I can see that scowling face even better...'' ‘’ uh-huh I already knew you'd say that!‘’ ‘’that scowling face that I love! Come on!’’  Orihime said with her hands on the back of his neck, hugging him.

She thought the possibility of seeing a emotional Ichigo was low...But he tried so hard not to cry when he saw orihime in her wedding dress. His face reaction was the cuttest.

Their kiss at the cerimony was one of the few times they were kissing. They were always too shy about it, and respected mostly each other to do it in the right time.

After honeymoon their number of kisses were uncountable.

Their honeymoon was on a paradisic place.

They went to the beach a lot and they got sun burn. Ichigo tourned out looking like a lobster. "WHATS NEW? IM ALL ORANGE NOW, GOD DAM IT".

Ichigo is still the one who takes pictures. He loves to take pictures to his wife when she is distracted doing something. Sometimes she looks at him and starts to smile because she already knows him. Smiling just makes the picture even more beautiful and consequently, that’s what he wants.

Ichigo couldn't remember the last time he felt that way: relaxed and happy.

After intimacy they felt a bigger connection with eachother and they weren't shy about anything anymore.

This is true because: 1) Orihime feels really comfortable being naked in their hotel room and Ichigo doesn't say nothing about it. 2) They both like to...

After returning home Yuzu and Karin couldn't believe the way Ichigo was different. Just like the old times, when their mother was alive, but at the same time wasn't the same feeling. It was a better feeling.

They discovered she was pregnant because Orihime was always feeling sick, and Ichigo said " ...m-maybe you are... pregnant" with a kinda happy and questionable/nervous expression. "I-I don't know...!"

She made a test while Ichigo waited for the result next to her. While that, both nervous in the Kurosaki Clinic, they started talking about the possibility of being pregnant or not.

When they saw the result they hugged each other crying with happiness. ‘‘I can't believe this is really going to happen ...we will be parents’‘, ‘’ Yeah...I’m so proud of us’’.

The Kurosaki's had a lot of fighting about the baby gender... Men's wanted a baby boy because it's already too many woman in the house. Yuzu and Orihime wanted a baby girl because they love the idea of dressing her. Karin just stays away from the scene. She just wants the baby to love playing sports like her, so she can teach everything.

Orihime and Ichigo lying on the couch seeing how big her belly is getting and starting to make future plans about Kazui. ‘‘he is getting bigger and bigger, yes, that’s my boy!’‘.

Orihime suffered from back pains. To help her, Ichigo massages her back and gives her hot water baths to minimise the pain.

Its also a fact that: ‘’I love you’’ ‘’...is that for me or for the toilet’’ Orihime in the bathroom feeling really sick vomiting and Ichigo by her side holding her hair.

Ichigo cried when he saw Kazui for the first time.

Karin and Yuzu taking care of Baby Kazui to give some time to Ichigo and Orihime. They needed to rest and stay together alone for a bit.

They do have a dog. Every happy family has a dogo. Or a cato.

@loplih

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🍓 I challenge you to reblog and ADD your own headcanon to this post!

If so, don't forget to mencion yourself "@namehere" under it, if you want to be credited!

🍓 Let's make this fandom alive.

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[ranma-rewatch]

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Welcome back! It’s once again that time for me to watch some more Ranma 1/2, in doing so looking at it with fresh eyes and a different perspective from when I was younger. We’re already up to episode 13, and with it the end of Kodachi Kuno’s introductory arc. I’m guessing this is going to be almost a full episode of fighting, but how good that fighting will be, I don’t recall. But by next paragraph, I’ll have rewatched the episode, and I can talk about it just a bit better. See you then!

That certainly was almost a single fight for the entire episode. Now, unlike the full episode fight against Ryoga, my summary is going to be a lot shorter. There’s a lot fewer moving parts here, and I feel like going blow by bow would be boring.

In general, the idea of the fight is that the combatants lose if they go outside the ring, and they get a foul (though the exact penalty isn’t made clear) if they hit each other directly without using tools or weapons. Besides that, there are no rules. Kodachi and Ranma both have new items thrown to them when they need it, but Kodachi is obviously the one who stretches the rules the most. Most of the fight is her pulling new insane things out of nowhere that Ranma has to work around.

When it comes to actual plot stuff, the first big thing is when Kodachi mouths off again about how much she loves Ranma and can’t wait to date him and stuff. Ranma gets annoyed, and Kodachi interprets this as Ranma loving, well, Ranma too. Kuno jumps into the ring at that (By which I mean Tatewaki Kuno. I know they both have that last name, but when I say ‘Kuno’, assume I just mean him), and demands to know if this is true. Instead of denying it or playing into the idea, Ranma takes a third option and says something that’s technically true, that he and Ranma are one in body and mind, because of destiny.

Of course, the two rich folks immediately interpret that in some serious ways, though exactly what they think that means isn’t spelled out. Do they think Ranma and Ranma bang or something? Anyway, a little after that, Genma shows up looking like a panda in the stands, carrying a kettle of hot water. Whether that’s for him when he decides he’s done being a panda or for Ranma to use after the fight, I don’t know.

The problem is, by this point, Ranma and Kodachi have entered the stage in the fight where they’re using their ribbons to grab stuff from outside the ring and hurl it as each other. Kodachi takes the kettle, and notices immediately how scared Ranma and P-chan are. Oh, yeah, Ryoga is still chained to Ranma, and he does what he can to try and make Ranma lose every so often.

Kodachi uses a pretty clever trick of slicing the kettle in mid-air to soak Ranma and Ryoga, and they change back in mid-air. Luckily for them, Akane saw that coming, and enters back into the gym carrying a fire hose, with water cold enough to turn them back into their cursed forms. It also means Ranma has to swim for dear life to stop from getting knocked out of the ring, but it works.

A bit later on, the show cuts to a group of teenage girls somewhere dark, and we get a nice little break from the fight as they chat amongst themselves. But when it gets back to the fight, Ranma is able to finally knock Kodachi flying, far outside the ring’s boundaries. But all she has to do is whistle, and the ring gets up and moves across the gym so she still lands inside it. Ranma quickly puts together what’s going on, and destroys the floor of the ring, exposing the girls we saw before, who run away.

Now there’s no place to stand except the four corners and the ropes, but Ranma is fine with that, pointing out that he has an advantage in aerial fights. Too bad that he forgot Ryoga is still attached to him, and his rival goes extra far in trying to shake him off. The chain is broken, but Ranma doesn’t have any tools left to fight with. So instead of getting a foul by just getting Kodachi, he kicks the post she’s standing on, sending her sprawling to the ground for a win.

After the match, she tearfully agrees to abandon her ‘present’ love for Ranma Saotome, and everything seems to have worked out great. At least, that is until later, when Ranma and Ryoga are taking a hot bath together. Ranma complains about Ryoga’s attempts to sabotage the fight, which he defends with a reminder that he wants Akane himself. Then he uses cold water to be P-chan just as Akane calls for him, leading to another case of Ranma running into Akane’s room and getting assumed a pervert as he chases Ryoga.

After that, Ranma gets back to back flowers from each Kuno sibling. He sees Tatewaki uncursed, and Kodachi cursed, so each gives the bouquet to deliver to the Ranma that they love. Leaving Ranma holding a bunch of flowers and having to contend with the fact that he now has two Kuno’s to worry about, long-term. Kodachi defends her continued pursuit of Ranma by saying she abandoned her ‘present’ love and developed a new one.

So, what is there to say about that episode? Well, a lot, actually. It didn’t necessarily blow me away, but I do think it was a stronger fight than the last time a whole episode was centered on a battle, since this one doesn't have nearly as many cutaways to unnecessary plot points. There was a short scene of just listening to the announcer describe the fight while we just saw outside the school, which felt a bit chief, but on the other hand I really liked the little bit we got with the gymnasts under the mat. Those minor characters got more definition than they necessarily needed, and it made the coming cheat more fun than the others.

This is also kind of a big first for the series. Namely, it’s the first time Ranma has fought someone who practices a strange, ultra-specific kind of martial art and did so while following all of that school’s rules. Sure, Tatewaki Kuno fights with a wooden sword, but those were all basically street matches, as was Ranma’s fight with Ryoga. But this is an official match, and Ranma obeys all the rules wherein and still wins.

That is something that will be incredibly common from here on out, in manga-adapted stories and anime-original stories. I’ve yet to see it mentioned in-series, and I can’t recall it doing so later on, but it’s generally accepted as canon by fans that this is for a reason. Ranma and Akane’s school, Anything Goes Martial Arts, isn’t called that for no reason. They are supposed to fight other styles, learn from them, and take what’s useful to use themselves. It’s a great way to add more moves to the protagonists’ repertoire, and get them into fights with silly fighters.

This specific fight was...okay. Actually, I feel like I’m a bit of a grump for saying that, it was good. There were some neat moves, lots of back and forth with stuff, it was enjoyable to see. It wasn’t anywhere near what I think this series can do at its best, but it was a good way to end this mini-arc. I do feel like Kodachi, as a character, doesn’t get the same level of badassery even her brother does from the story, and that feels kind of lame. It seems like, in general, Ranma 1/2 saves all the cool stuff for the guys.

To continue what I was talking about with Kodachi last week, I do think it’s really interesting how different she is in each language. It’s a strange case of part-translation and part-acting, but the english version of the character definitely hits different, and not in a good way. It’s actually making me reevaluate her a little, just because the version in the original Japanese is so much better. It feels a lot less like “she’s crazy!” and more “she’s a highly driven and amoral rich girl!”

This was a good episode. I am once again pleasantly surprised by this arc, and it’s raising my hopes that further stories will be better than I recall. As for where to put it in my rankings exactly, I actually think I’ll put it one step above the last single episode of just fighting, and right below that emotional episode about Akane’s feelings for Dr. Tofu. What can I say? I like the feels. That puts the current ranking at:

Episode 7: Enter Ryoga, the Eternal ‘Lost Boy’

Episode 12: A Woman's Love is War! The Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 9: True Confessions! A Girl's Hair is Her Life!

Episode 2: School is No Place for Horsing Around

Episode 6: Akane's Lost Love... These Things Happen, You Know

Episode 13: A Tear in a Girl-Delinquent's Eye? The End of the Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Challenge!

Episode 8: School is a Battlefield! Ranma vs. Ryoga

Episode 11: Ranma Meets Love Head-On! Enter the Delinquent Juvenile Gymnast!

Episode 4: Ranma and...Ranma? If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another

Episode 5: Love Me to the Bone! The Compound Fracture of Akane's Heart

Episode 1: Here’s Ranma

Episode 3: A Sudden Storm of Love

Episode 10: P-P-P-Chan! He's Good For Nothin'

Now, if you’re watching this series on Hulu like I am, you might think the next episode is the first part of the Martial Arts Figure Skating arc. And while, wow, I sure wish it was, that is actually wrong. I don’t know why, but some of the arcs are in the wrong order on Hulu, but I’m watching the series in the actual order. Which means, instead of watching one of my favorite arcs in the series, the next episode is actually “Pelvic Fortune-Telling? Ranma is the No. One Bride in Japan”. My hopes...are not high. See you all...then...I suppose...

[chibivesicle]

Ogata’s behaviour is contradictory during the course of the hunt for the gold.  Why?

In light of the recent events in the Karafuto arc, we readers witnessed the full meltdown of Ogata on the ice flow from chapters 185-188.  One of the first things that comes to many people’s minds was “Why did Ogata give up so easily? Kiro is fighting to his very last breath and Ogata just rolled over.”.

These are my thoughts on why Ogata oscillates between caring about himself and behaving recklessly.

Warning, this is not my usual style for this meta post.  Sometimes I get a bit personal to explain things.

So what is a good way to approach Ogata’s varied behaviour’s throughout the series?  I decided to make a several categories and then list various instances when he behaved in certain ways.  Please keep in mind that this is not meant to be a comprehensive list.  I’m sure I could add more but these are really all of the major points that stand out to me.

Below are the following three categories:

There are times were he accepts his fate that he could die:

1.) When Sugimoto breaks his arm and has him pinned down. 

2.) When he gets shot in the arm in Barato and falls off the fire/bell tower.

3.) When he gets pinned down and beaten by the unknown 27th division solider in Edogai’s house.

4.) When he eggs Asirpa on to shoot him with the arrow.

These are times when he behaves in a risky fashion indicating that he has little concern for his life:

1.) Standing up when he reveals his position to Tanigaki knowing it is a trap.

2.) Setting the herring mansion on fire to find the hidden skin.

3.) The sniper battle with Vasily where he uses himself as bait.

These are times where he behaves in a cautious way or fights to live:

1.) Poking Sugimoto in the eyes to escape being pinned down and running away with the broken arm after Asirpa saves him.

2.) Shoot out with Tsurumi and the 27th after Tanigaki shot him.

3.) Fight with Tsukishima in Edogai’s.

4.) Escaping the coal mine with the miners in Yuubari.

5.) Figuring out the fake Ainu in the Silent Kotan arc.

6.) Pretty much anytime he goes hunting for the greater group. 

7.) Shooting the deer on the mountain pass, saving the entire group from hypothermia.

8.) Bringing his rifle into the bath area of the onsen.

If we look at all of these different events Ogata switches back and forth between fighting for his survival in life threatening situations, to acting recklessly, to just accepting his fate that he is about to be killed.  So why would Ogata be swinging between these different extremes in regards to his actions in life threatening situations?

I think it is safe to say that based on Ogata’s life experiences is a very hurt and damaged individual who has pushed his emotions and feelings aside so that he could cope during his childhood.  He then brought these habits into adulthood and has never faced them or would think about learning how to heal from all of this psychological trauma.  Ogata has a very low opinion of himself, he sees himself as an individual missing something and that he likely wonders why he exists when he was born into a crappy family situation.  He likely thinks, “Why was I born into a place where I was not wanted?”.  He’s been rejected by his mother as she hopes his father will return for her, not for them.  He is rejected by his father who thinks he was disgusted by his mother and that’s the only time that we know where he comes clean about his actions to someone besides Asirpa on the ice flow.  He confesses the truth to Hanazawa in a long monologue and Hanazawa calls him a monster.  He then confesses the truth to Asirpa in another monologue and she can only simply say that she won’t kill him despite his confession.

We know that he was bullied for his personal background. He likely put on airs that it didn’t bother him in the 27th,  but the bullying likely hurt him a lot. The fact that Koito talks about his background and adds in that he didn’t like his attitude makes me think that members of the 27th got meaner to him when they couldn’t illicit a rise out of him as he coped by pretending to not care of it didn’t matter.  I think Ogata was one of those people that “bothered” other people just by being himself and it made everyone meaner to him.

Since the beginning, he has always tried to project an air of self confidence when interacting with others and as long as he has had his rifle [security blanket]. These actions helped him as a defense mechanism and prevented others from getting close to him.  But based on everything that we know by this point in the manga, it is safe to conclude that he suffers from depression and likely has suicidal tendencies.  His suicidal tendencies are not in the context that he wants to kill himself but that he is more than okay with someone else killing him in particular instances.  He doesn’t value his life highly b/c he thinks no one cares about him at the moment.  We know he was loved by his grandma b/c she brought him and his mother home and that shows that grandma Ogata was a strong woman but she wasn’t able to raise him the same way that a mother and father could.

So, let’s go with the idea that Ogata is suffering from depression; is there a way that we could explain his moodiness/shifts in how he feels about himself throughout the story to date?

Depression impacts different people different ways, so there is no universal way to categorize these things.  A reader can only approach understanding a character such as Ogata from that reader’s own experiences in life.

My personal hypothesis is:

Ogata is a high functioning individual with severe depression in addition to having a fear of rejection and intimacy with occasional suicidal tendencies.

Why do I propose this hypothesis? 

Based on my own life experiences. 

And this is where writing this meta hits close to home so to speak.  I will do my best to try to explain things, as I’ve been thinking about how to approach this topic in the most careful way possible. I keep coming back to the only way I can understand Ogata, is by connecting my own experiences with what I see his character doing.

I suffer from depression and I will deal with it my whole life. I once had a friend who doesn’t suffer from it ask me “When will you get better?”; I struggled to explain to her that you don’t get better.  You just always have it present in your life. My personal experience has been you swing between times when it is laying low and you don’t really notice or feel it.  Other times you are stuck in the mire of it; you spend half your time wondering if you should try to pull yourself out or just sit there waiting for it to lift.

Ogata’s depression:

When I’m severely depressed several things happen; 1.) My moods shift between feeling numb where I don’t feel much of anything or having strong mood swings where I’m very excitable and agitated to becoming view sad or angry.  2.) As a result I may become very fixated on certain things and be exceptionally productive at work and get lots of stuff done.  On the flip side, I may have to force myself to do simple tasks outside of everything but work.  Medically speaking, I am a high functioning person with depression; my work either continues as expected or my productivity goes up as a way to avoid thinking about anything else.  Most people won’t even notice that i’m depressed.

This type of behavior is okay in the short term, it allows you to maintain the status quo but it is not sustainable.  And this is where Ogata’s behaviours make a lot of sense to me.  When Ogata is working towards a goal (usually sniping/mission related) he is at his absolute best, he’s brought his “A” game and he will do whatever it takes e.g. rescuing Tanigaki before the end of the 3 day time limit, allowing the team to rescue Shiraishi and survive crossing over the mountain pass, giving the group the upper hand at the onsen by having a firearm within reach.  But he’s able to do this when he feels like he can do this or this is a good distraction from thinking about other things.  Likely, at other points, he’s in this weird state where you are numb, you are somewhat engaged but you really don’t care about what happens to you . . . it is hard to describe but it has a certain feeling of being detached from what is happening around you even though you are involved in it.  Sorry, I can’t explain this any better . . .

In my experience being depressed isn’t a constant state, you move between different feelings and depending on where you are at you will react differently.  This makes so much sense as we see Ogata responding to similar situations e.g. life threatening ones in such different ways.  Sometimes he just lays there and takes it, sometimes he gambles (with his life) for a huge gain, and other times he’s hyper conservative and cautious doing whatever it takes to survive.

When he gambles with his life, I often wonder if he gets an adrenaline rush? When this happens, he perhaps feels more alive than normal and it temporally pulls him out of a more depressed state or it makes him feel more than normal.

Ogata’s fear of rejection and intimacy:

The second aspect of Ogata is that he has an extreme fear of rejection by others.  This came from several different conversations on Discord as well as general observations of his behaviors.  In the context of the manga, it fits in with the theme that he is seen as a scammer and a betrayer.  He betrays Tsurumi and the 27th with Tamai and Co.  He betrays Hijikata (who used Sugimoto and Shiraishi as bait) and Sugimoto by shooting him at Abarashi.  But another way to look at this is he was always afraid of being rejected and replaced. 

He’s bounced between all of these different groups and factions.  This gives us insight into the fact that in part he’s looking for a place to belong with good leadership/mentor/father figure, some rifle nerd friends and maybe just some friends.  But he’s likely afraid that he will find people he likes and if he likes them he’s terrified that they will reject him.  The 27th already rejected him when he was in it with the yamaneko nickname/bullying.  He’s likely afraid of being rejected and bullied b/c his previous experiences have trained him to trust no one. 

So he does two major behaviors to avoid rejection; 1.) he keeps his distance [aloofness] 2.) he’s sarcastic and sassy to make it look like he isn’t hurt or offended.  We see the best example of his distance when he is forced to join Sugimoto and Asirpa’s groups both times.  He serves the important function of picking up the rear which is a protective position but also allows him to hang back and disengage.  So he is protecting the group, but he’s also protecting his own personal space and isolation.  He tries his hardest to not participate in the group despite Asirpa’s repeated guilt trips to say “citatap” and “hinna”.  To really make sure others don’t get close to him, he makes sarcastic remarks or may blurt out an honest or truthful statement in a blunt way but almost expects to get ignored or is so used to being ignored he figures he might as well say it.

When Sugimoto singles him out during the last supper at Edogai’s house, he deflects Sugimoto’s statement in a very over the top fashion for him.  He usually makes minimal facial expressions or hand motions but there he completely hams it up.  My only explanation for his behavior is that he is hurt by Sugimoto’s statement so he instead tries to use his sass and sarcasm deflect that pain.

Ogata’s fear of rejection makes a lot of sense to me; I have struggled with relationships over the years.  I was a victim of bullying when I was younger and used the similar approach of sarcasm or the idea that it just didn’t bother me which only inspired people to bully me further.  It creates a tough situation, you try to ignore the pain but people get egged on and then try to push you further.  Sadly, I my current job has a lot of bullying and I find myself trying to cope with all of these things by myself with little support.  I think since I see many aspects of my life in Ogata’s own, that as I read chapters 164, 165 and 169, I cried b/c the pain he was feeling was all too real.  Why? Because all of the members of the 27th are adults.  You aren’t children or students anymore you are adults and these adults are bullying each other in the workplace, in the case of Golden Kamuy, the military.  But when you are so used to being on guard to bullying that you push everyone away.  And when you push everyone away you begin to reject others before they can reject you b/c it is safer.  Is this a good idea in the long run?  Oh hell no.  But is it safe and comfortable to do?  Oh hell yes.

So, there is more than enough evidence that Ogata has been bullied and he is so afraid of rejection that he tries to disconnect from everyone else in the 27th.  And this is where the complication comes in with Yuusaku trying to form a friendship with Ogata.  When Yuusaku tries to connect with him, he rejects him without realizing it.  Ogata tells him how he copes with killing in a truthful and honest statement; that “he doesn’t feel pain”.  We know that he does feel pain but his survival mechanism is to push it down and tell himself he doesn’t feel anything.  Plus, if he is depressed than he likely does have much more numbed feelings. [Again, this is where my personal experience is being applied to Ogata.]  I still get really emotional when i re-read the scene between Yuusaku and Ogata.  Yuusaku wants to connect with Ogata;  Ogata sees the hypocrisy of what Hanazawa expects from Yuusaku.   Fearlessly inspire young men into battle, but, leave those soldiers to deal with the after effects of the trauma of warfare.  Even though Ogata says he doesn’t feel anything, the fact that he sees the contradiction in Yuusaku implies that he knows he’s in pain too but he just can’t see it or refuses to acknowledge it.  So to have Yuusaku try to comfort him by stating that “people like that [you] simply can’t exist.” is an inadvertent/accidental way where he rejects Ogata’s survival method at this point in time. 

After Ogata’s fever dream, he connected Yuusaku and Asirpa to be people of a similar mindset and background.  Now, we still don’t have all of the information about Asirpa’s no killing policy.  She is complicit to an extent in the death of people in the hunt for the gold, however, we do not know if Wilk told her that she could not kill or if she decided on her own that she would not kill another human.  As they have traveled through Karafuto together, it has become clear that Ogata began to connect with Asirpa.  They would go hunting together, he appreciated her saving Sugimoto’s miso for him etc. 

He has learned about Wilk with Asirpa and he has filled in the blanks with what he knows from Hanazawa and Yuusaku.  Is this hypothesis of his correct?  I would guess not, since Asirpa has more true leadership potential and independence than Yuusaku displayed.  But it makes a lot of sense that Ogata saw a child of a father who had certain expectations and ambitions for a “chosen” offspring.  He thinks that Asirpa was set up to be a flag bearer for the Ainu and other native people’s independence movement.

But the problem is that Ogata started to care about Asirpa as a person and see her as someone who might be his friend.  I think he saw her crush on Sugimoto as something that could develop into how his mother felt about Hanazawa so he does his “best” to persuade her from crushing on him further.  He also got mothering from her, letting her spoon feed him on numerous occasions and accept all of the birds he shot for dinner her to prepare.

So now Asirpa is the person who has a weird combination of traits of the mother he never had and the purity of his brother.  Therefore, all of these emotions mixed up would be confusing for anyone.  Asirpa is a person who hasn’t judged him, has said nice things about him and he has repaid her kind behaviours with his own polite ones back e.g. citatap and hinna only loud enough for her to hear.  Ogata is a straightforward character.  If someone does something for him, he will return the favor (even if Sugimoto doesn’t know that he saved his life).

But I’m talking about how Ogata has a fear of rejection; how does this fit in with Asirpa?  This fits in perfectly with what happened between the two of them.  Ogata figures out that Asirpa knows what the code is.  He likely has decided that this will be the test of their relationship.  If she trusts him and accepts him, she will give him the code willingly.  This might be the first time that he feels accepted by another person.  Why does this happen now? 

Because he knows that Sugimoto is alive and if Asirpa knows that he is alive, Ogata is terrified that she will abandon and reject him to return to Sugimoto.

Over the course of several chapters he first tries to get Asirpa to tell him the code b/c he wants some of the gold and that he isn’t greedy.  This line of reasoning isn’t good enough, so he then omits some of the details to tell her that Kiro is the one who lead to Wilk being shot but he wasn’t directly involved.  But during this whole time Ogata loses his normally cool and rational behaviour and begins to become very upset and panicked as Sugimoto gets closer.  This is what leads him to make up his almost believable lies but he pushes it too far.  He had all of the elements he needed to sway her, he had enough information but at some point he added in his own wishes and desires for himself/his parents and it creates a ball of emotional confusion.  And that ball of emotional confusion is his undoing.  Asirpa figures out that he’s lying and just like Yuusaku, she reacts in what is the worst way possible for Ogata.  She tells him that she can’t believe anything about him and doesn’t trust him at all.

And that ladies and gentlemen, is the point where he snaps.

At some point during his panic to try go get Asirpa to tell him the code to find the gold, he went from caring about getting the code and the gold, to getting Asirpa to tell him the code b/c he wanted her to trust and accept him.  Or maybe this happened earlier on Karafuto after his fever dream or at some point during their travels.  Maybe this was after the encounter with the lynx. 

The meaning of all of this is that when Ogata is asking Asirpa to give him the code, he changed it from being about the gold to being about Asirpa trusting and accepting him as friend and person. 

With the above premise, it means that Asirpa telling him that he’s a liar and she doesn’t know him at all is the absolute rejection of him.  He just heard what everyone in the 27th said when he was bullied.  And then he snaps, that’s it.  He’s been rejected yet again and he then blurs Yuusaku and Asirpa where as he begins to confess to Asirpa he has another monologue and turns Yuusaku’s words against Asirpa [and Yuusaku] there as he is all but begging her to kill him.  Ogata is a complete mess by this point, his emotions are all over the place, he’s not sure what he wants, he’s in pain, he’s panicked, he’s hurt, he’s confused, and it was all the result of Asirpa not trusting him.  All of their bonding was for nothing, he is worthless as a person and he just gives up . . .

This all makes sense b/c for the entire series Ogata has been seeking someone to accept and love him [not romantic love, familial].  Asirpa was his first chance to maybe feel this and it turned out all wrong.  Somewhere in Ogata’s mind he keeps telling himself he doesn’t deserve this because he’s broken.  You can’t connect with people because there is something wrong with you. Not Sugimoto, not Kiro, not Tanigaki, not Koito but you, Ogata Hyakunosuke.

With that rejection he just gives up and is so depressed and desperate that he wants her to kill him.

By realizing that all Ogata wanted was for someone to care about him, it makes so much sense that at this point in the story he just gave up. 

He’s reached rock bottom with his depression. 

He feels so worthless and terrible that it just doesn’t matter anymore, he can’t see anything, he’s in shock.  He’s suicidal b/c nothing matters.

More importantly, he’s exhausted himself from trying to cope all of these years and not having a healthy way to deal with his pain and emotions.  Everything he has been trying to avoid has caught up to him in the worst way possible.

So returning to the original question; why did Ogata give up so easily?  He lost the reason and will that he had to care to keep fighting.  It all makes sense to me - when you try to use a short term coping mechanism and you carrying it far into adulthood it isn’t a matter of if will it catch up to you.  It is a matter of when it will catch up to you. 

[swans-anime-ramblings]

“Luffy had no reaction to Boa...doesn’t that mean he won’t have romance?”

I’ve been debating about posting this blog because I was hesitant about the kind of reaction it would receive. But I think this topic is worth discussing logically.

Alright, so let’s dig into this thing.

If we’re going to understand Luffy and his actions (or not actions) towards Boa, then we have to first understand him as being a character that fits the Battle Shonen archetype. The genre, despite people’s complaints about it, is the most popular type of manga/anime genre there is. And One Piece, for all its glorious writing, world building and character development, is perfectly happy to sit in its genre, with Luffy fitting right into the hero archetype.

Where did this archetype even come from? It may surprise you to learn that Dragon Ball is in fact the grandfather of modern Shonen. You know what kind of stories were running in WSJ as DB’s contemporaries? Big burley manly men who never changed or progressed like Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star.

 And the antithesis of this is Goku, little innocent Goku who takes this character type and flip it on its head.  (Kid Goku is so cute guys! *cries*)

Toriyama’s writing absolutely can’t be understated here. Nobody had ever seen anything like Dragon Ball. It became a cultural phenomenon. It became a blueprint for success. 

The classic Shonen Hero archetype has evolved into the following:

innocent

clueless when it comes to love

loves to fight/ get stronger

has a catch phrase

wants to protect their “Nakama”

thinks before they act

often stupid or a simpleton

gains power ups through training and other means

cute

Within the archetype you’ve got big hitters such as:

Goku— the OG who was so clueless, he couldn’t tell someone’s gender without slapping them in the crotch. Also obsessed with getting stronger to the detriment of, well, everything

Luffy— the uber innocent muffin who will do anything for his crew, and will go out of his way for people if it concerns their dreams. Aware of his weaknesses more than the others, Also really dumb at first

Naruto--- the misfit who starts out peeping at girls but then ends up taking on the burden of the entire world, because he’s THAT concerned about everyone and everything. Definitely the most selfless, has dumb moments, but smarter than the others

Ichigo--- the lovable grump who literally doesn’t give a shit. Coolest one of the bunch

Natsu--- loves his friends so much he gains power ups in the middle of the battle to win through the power of friendship. Probably the funniest one, takes life one job request at a time

Asta— the new kid on the block. Constantly yells to the point of irritation, believes working hard will solve all problems, doesn’t understand how relationships work and that nuns don’t get married

Deku— I know people will ask. Yes, he is a Shonen Hero, But doesn’t fit into the archetype so be will be left out of the discussion (the kid actually suffers from overthinking...complete opposite than these lovable idiots)

So, for fun, let’s throw all these Shonen Heroes into the same situation Luffy found himself in

All of these heroes fall through the ceiling and into Boa Hancock’s bath where they come face to face with the most beautiful woman on the planet who is naked.

Goku: completely unphased by Boa’s beauty. Asks who Boa is, and when she gets pissed, stands there with a “huh?” Look on his face when she shoots the love beam at him. After it has no effect, Goku puts his hand up with a smile and then says, “see ya!” Before flying off. Probably more concerned with where Vegeta went and if he managed to find a new level of Super Saiyan

Naruto: definitely phased by Boa. Would probably turn to stone ahahahaha

Ichigo: after being annoyed because he fell through the roof, would take one look at Boa, and get flustered out of embarrassment. By the time Boa tries to question him, he’s already left and found the exit.

Natsu: upon falling into the bath, he’d also be completely unphased by Boa. Would most likely take note of her earrings and ask about them. He’d probably also end up saying something Boa would find unbelievably rude, but something I would laugh hysterically at. “Woah?! Is that your guild mark?! Cool!!!” 

Asta: I imagine Asta would most likely cover his eyes out of courtesy, and ask for the way out. When Boa gets mad and asks why he’s not head over heals for her, nor why he’s looking at her body, he’d say something like, “sister Lilly is waiting for me” and then leave. *sigh*

So here’s my point. Three of our boys would have the same exact reaction as Luffy. When it comes to the archetype, lusting after girls simply isn’t in their nature. Natsu’s reaction to a naked Lucy was to cover her boobs with his hands “fine I’ll cover them” he sighs in the dub. No lustful reaction whatsoever. I’m pretty sure any normal guy would, um, not react that way. He looks so bored.

Asta refused to peep at a girls bath (way to shut that down buddy), and Goku’s seen plenty of naked people and he doesn’t care. He even has the same reaction in Dragon Ball Super, after he’s married, when he accidentally sees another woman naked (who is very beautiful).

(Harsh reaction there Goku, lmao)

Luffy’s reaction to Boa is completely in line with the archetype. The innocent nature of the main character is extremely important. Oda even says in the SBS that it would just be plain weird for Luffy to get a nose bleed. I agree.

So, do our boys reactions to Boa mean romance isn’t possible for them? Of course not. Goku got married and had 2 kids. Naruto, who is the most interested in women, got married. Ichigo ended up with someone and had a kid. Natsu’s relationship with Lucy isn’t “canon” yet, buuuttt with this sequel coming and all the art Mashima’s been posting, I think we can all just call it and it’ll be happening. As for Asta, the manga is still young so it’s hard to say, but judging how Tabata is treating romance in his manga, I’d say It’s a distinct possibility. Asta does have a low-key herem going on 🤷‍♀️

When Goku was a kid, he came across a foe who could turn evil (ie bad thoughts) into a weapon and kill you. Goku was the only person to ever survive because he has no impure thoughts. It basically works the same way as Boa’s love-love beam.

This innocence is why Goku can ride his magical flying cloud the Kinto-Un, aka the Flying Nimbus. That innocence in Goku stays with him forever, too. Goku can ride the cloud after he’s gotten married and created spawns. The idea is, sex isn’t dirty. It’s just how you treat it may or may not make it dirty (ie unwarranted advances). Master Roshi, Goku’s perverted teacher, can’t ride the Kinto-Un. Using Goku as an example, our innocent muffins can still have romance/make babies. Their highly innocent nature doesn’t stop them, but normally with these types, they will only have romance/make babies if it’s with one very special person.

This is important to remember; for this genre, romance is a part of maturing and growing up. Most of these shonen heroes end up with someone once they’ve passed a certain point. 

In One Piece Specifically 

When it comes to Oda’s writing specifically, romance between characters doesn’t really play a huge role in One Piece like the way it does in Naruto and Fairy Tail. Everyone who reads OP should recognize this. Whatever ends up happening at the end of One Piece, there aren’t going to be a zillion pairings and those pairings staring off into the sunset. 

There’s that famous line from Oda where he answered a question in the SBS (from chapter 317)

D: Doesn't anyone on Luffy's crew fall in love? Will there never be a tale of on-board romance? (Sanji is an exception in this case) I'm just wondering.

O: OF COURSE THEY'RE IN LOVE... WITH ADVENTURE! (← good one)

The SBS is a place where Oda jokes around with his readers. I think his answer is a good answer because it’s true, and when it comes down to it, a deflective answer.  And whatever else Oda has said or hasn’t said in magazines or interviews, Oda can change his mind about what he wants to include or not include in his manga.

The reason I think this is worth bringing up is because I can see a storytelling shift which has changed in his manga. Romance in any capacity used to play almost no role in the early story. Just think about the type of characters he was creating. You’ve got Nolan’s descendant who hangs out with guys that look like monkeys. You’ve got the giants of Elbaf, you’ve got the Galley-Law company guys. There’s hardly any blood families in the first half either. Vivi and her Dad are a notable example, but they are the minority, not the majority. The first half of the story was mostly focused on people who were not blood related and were making their own families, like the Franky family. Like the Strawhats. 

Post time-skip and New World, we’ve got a very different story being told. With Kyros and his wife Scarlet, Oda actually gave us the backstory to their romance! Dressrosa was set up a bit for that type of story, but I still find it notable. It wasn’t necessary for character motivations for Kyros. It felt like Oda wrote it because he wanted to.

You’ve got romance playing a big role in Whole Cake Island, even with Chiffon and Bege. This is a married couple with a young son, and not the type of characters we’d see in the early story. Sanji and Pudding were more of a serious type of relationship, even with Sanji “choosing to feel love” for Pudding. Guys, that’s...mature. We’ve seen a lot more blood ties in the New World, even to the point of the Big Mom pirates, dysfunctional as they are. 

In the end, you write what you know. When One Piece started, Oda was a single guy, now he’s in his early 40′s with a daughter. The types of stories he’s telling now are based on more mature aspects of his own life. 

Does this mean Luffy will most definitely end up with someone? Of course not. There’s a distinct possibility OP will end with Luffy as he is and there be no pairings of any sort.

But to dismiss the possibility of parings based on Luffy’s reaction to women or something Oda said back in some interview, is also too dismissive of a stance to take. Like his Shonen counterparts, romance for Luffy is a possibility. Remember what I said about the genre; romance is sign of growing up and maturing. Luffy is still growing and maturing, so it isn’t out of the cards.

In the end, Only Oda knows. Until One Piece has concluded, we’ll have to wait and see. 

[dereksmcgrath]

How can a chapter feel simultaneously rushed and incomplete?

“Rest!!” My Hero Academia Chapter 327. By Kohei Horikoshi, translation by Caleb Cook, lettering by John Hunt. Available from Viz.

Spoilers for Chapter 23 of Blue Box.

Last weekend I wrote how the pacing was bizarre for that weekend’s releases of some Jump serials, not just My Hero Academia (as I’ll get to in this review) but also other publications like Magu-chan and Blue Box. And, spoilers for Blue Box, jeez, that pacing at the end of the newest chapter this weekend was odd--but at least odd in a way that heightens interest in the story, as opposed to odd in My Hero Academia where this chapter felt incomplete.

I wish I could say that was the reason I am delayed writing this review, but it’s not. A lot of other tasks (webinar, job applications and interviews) and writing projects (working on some “Episode 7 Rule” posts, getting some more stuff published) took up time before I could share this review. But because Chapter 327 feels incomplete, the fact that I also get to use today to read and write about Chapter 327 helps to round out an actually finished installment to this story, so my delay ended up being serendipitous.

(And make up your own joke that I needed to take a break before reviewing a chapter titled “Rest!!”)

But before we can get to what was complete in this story, we have to muck through this chapter, which still feels incomplete.

That’s not to say Chapter 327 is bad. I mean, some of the art looks a little off to me, especially Tokoyami and Mina talking after All Might leaves the dorms. And I could debate how valid that quotation in the image above is, but I think Izuku’s face already reveals that, no, self-care only takes you so far, when societal improvements are not being made so that, in his world, children are not having to take on the fights adults refused to, whereas in my world...children should not have to take on the fights adults refused to about climate change, bigotry, police violence, sexual harassment and violence, poverty, hunger...

...God, this manga about supervillains got sadly realistic, and I hate it. Izuku’s face up there is the look of someone who has seen some shit, and one bath is not going to help.

As with that one chapter of Magu-chan, the seams of the story are showing, and that hinders how I personally get enjoyment. It’s one thing to see how a story is put together and appreciate how well that works, from a critical perspective or if you’re trying to imitate such story practices in your own writing. But it’s another thing when you see the way a story is put together because something just isn’t connecting the parts of that story well. After how great the previous chapters have been with the slow-burn to Izuku’s return to UA, Ochaco’s speech, and actually seeing Izuku getting heartfelt welcomes back by Kota, that giant woman he rescued, and that starfish hair guy all the way from Chapter 1, the rest of this chapter feels rushed. It’s not like you could drag out a lot of this stuff: there’s only so much time you can have Izuku and the boys bathing. But there is so much to fit in: cleaning up Izuku, seeing how his classmates react to his return and his secrets, All Might’s arrival, what this means moving forward to stop Shigaraki, and what is up with Endeavor and Todoroki’s side story. It’s a lot--and nothing really feels like it gets what it needs. Just to tease out every last feeling every last classmate has to Izuku keeping his Quirklessness and One For All a secret would need a light novel chapter per character.

And speaking of the My Hero Academia light novels, at least I can give some points to Horikoshi, though, for doing a better job writing the boys bathing than Mineta peeping on the girls, or that inane joke in one of the light novels--in which the boys see who can last longest in the hot bath, because that tired exhausting trope of “kids do dumb things.” Ugh, at some point, I’m going to write about how to handle writing young people well in a story so it’s not that ridiculous trope of “young people make dumb mistakes” that some writers use to move the plot along. The only example I’ve seen where that works lately is Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, and that’s because it doesn’t feel like those mistakes are to keep the plot moving but actually something innate to a character’s sense of justice or sentiment that, while foolish, is in competition with actual stakes, pros and cons, and part of the character’s core ethics, not just something ridiculous to get from plot point A to B. That light novel gag felt very much like “the boys have to do something stupid,” as opposed to “this is something that would make sense for the boys to do.” But I digress.

So, why do I give points to Horikoshi for this version of the bath gag? Because, as I am trying to say about Hanako-kun, this makes sense for how the characters would act, and moves the plot along. Bakugo struggling with what to call Izuku makes sense; Bakugo still being his rival makes sense; after how much character progression he has thankfully made by now, this late in the series, it makes sense that he is still going to regress to previous behavior. I’m grateful he regresses without verbally bullying Izuku (your mileage may vary whether he is still bullying him, though, and I’m open to being wrong on that point) and without physically attacking him (Bakugo cutting into Izuku’s head as a gag in the recent anime episode is still not funny).

But then the students ask about One For All and what Izuku has been going through--and we don’t get much more knowledge. Todoroki shuts down that discussion by saying he needs to get some sleep, so, again, that forestalls any discussion until probably some chapters in a future light novel.

Izuku is not ready for sleep yet, though, as he worries about how he treated All Might earlier. I’m not going to disagree that Izuku was not being kind to All Might, but what I appreciate about the moment is that, and forgive my phrasing, from both sides, it makes sense: Izuku was not as polite as he should have been but hardly as grimdark as many readers feared he would, and All Might was doing something kind for Izuku but has been failing to reach out to him. All of that character dynamic works.

But what hasn’t worked is how quickly their reunion and apologies are. It reminds me how quickly All Might insisted, after losing One For All for good, that he would be there for Izuku--and really wasn’t. All Might refused to introduce Izuku to Nighteye; All Might kept secrets about all that One For All could do; All Might was not there during the PLF Fight, and he knows he cannot be in the same role for Izuku while he’s playing vigilante. The apologies keep coming but aren’t really getting anywhere for these two characters, not before Izuku just passes out from exhaustion. There’s a lot left for these two, so no wonder people take that death flag from All Might peering in from the window to think he’s going to die soon and only then will he and Izuku have any meaningful resolution. Granted, the next chapter is going to go into more detail about All Might’s vestige inside One For All, so he won’t be quite dead, but that death cheat just makes this inability to resolve anything between the bad teacher and the disobedient student all the more frustrating.

At least Caleb Cook continues to translate some good gags out of Mina, such as when she criticizes All Might’s departure. But that only reinforces how empty his apologies feel when he speaks to the class, especially when he again has to run to pass on his intelligence to the police and probably Endeavor, which also makes all of this all the more infuriating because you would think that would be his first priority. I get the point of being there for his student--even if I still don’t think All Might has been--and it does characterize him well that of course he would go to his student first instead of passing on the intelligence from Stain first. But it also makes me want to shake All Might and tell him to get the intelligence to the police, given what we learn about it in the next chapter. So, again, the seams of the story are showing: Horikoshi delays revealing what All Might has learned until that chapter is ready to share with readers.

And that news from Stain is probably going to disrupt any of Jiro’s plans for a concert, and, yeah, after a weekend in my real world where concerts got more attention than reproductive rights marches throughout the United States, you’ll forgive me if I don’t care much about this plot point. Heck, comics, as a silent medium, invoking music, has always been a bizarre choice for me: that works for the animated series, but for the comics, it’s hard to translate that auditory medium to a visual one.

Then we wrap up the chapter with an exposition dump about Stain’s intelligence. When I first read this chapter, before Chapter 328 came out, this felt like an abrupt ending. Realizing this ending leads naturally to the next chapter, to show what Stain was up to at Tartarus, doesn’t make it work any better for me. Invoking the “we have one month to stop Shigaraki” rule, only to break it in the next chapter and reveal they have three days, is a more cynical method of the “don’t cross the streams” rule from Ghostbusters: this exists to set up a rule to then break it so that the protagonists’ chances of success dwindle further.

It bothers me because I have seen this done better elsewhere. The final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender wraps up with Zuko learning the Gaang has decided to wait until after Sozin’s Comet, thinking they’ll have a better chance. That makes sense, and while the Gaang’s plan is a final-episode reveal, it fits with their strategy: Aang couldn’t take on the Fire Nation when it was depowered, so taking them on when they are fully powered and he hasn’t perfected his fire skills is a practical approach. Then Zuko reveals that the deadline has to be moved up, because his father will take over the world during the Comet, something Zuko didn’t tell them until now because he already thought the plan was to stop the Fire Nation before the Comet, so why would scaring them help? This was a failure of communication on the part of both parties, and it introduced the rules--”Wait until after the Comet” and “No, attack before the Comet”--at the same time that it disrupted those rules, so we as the audience were not manipulated for a cynical gotcha moment. And that’s what My Hero Academia has done.

For the longest time My Hero Academia kept repeating that Shigaraki would need two months to increase his power. In the next chapter we learn they overestimated that time, and they got three days left. This feels rushed, as rushed as how this chapter was to wrap up Izuku’s return to UA, All Might’s apology, and the Class 1-A reunion. And I just didn’t like it. More was needed to give this chapter some meat, and it just isn’t here. The next chapter, thankfully, is better, given some payoff to what this chapter sets up, as well as a hint of things to come, but on its own, this chapter is like the first half of an anime episode, rather than a complete package.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Idolish7 17 | Hinamatsuri 8 | Boueibu HK 8 | BnHA 46 | MSO 9 | Rokuhoudou 8 | Code:Realise 13

Idolish7 17 (FINAL)

The culture clash here is hilarious! It’s pretty obvious this unknown guy is Douglas, though.

I can’t believe they’re doing these songs! I’ve known about these songs for a while, since they made waves a few years back – I think Memories Melodies’s music video was animated by Studio Bones and Leopard Eyes by NAZ.

Come to think of it, they never really show idol shows from the fans’ perspective, so this girl’s shots (Aya’s?) are a new thing for the entire genre…

Huh? Wait…this is the real Aya! Oh my gosh!

Well, that’s the end of another show. See you around.

Hinamatsuri 8

Where is “home” for Hina, though?

Geesh, the continuity on this show…what they’re saying right now means the opening of the episode was in medias res, dangit. Stop being so confusing.

I don’t really care about Ikaruga, I care about the “Standing Sushi Bar” in the back more…sorry, Ikaruga.

A few episodes, Hina really was homeless…hmm, continuity’s back in action here.

“Hurray for Psychic Powers” – I was reminded of a book that once appeared in Kado. Unfortunately, that book’s name is Ningen Manzai with all kanji, so it’s not a very close reference if it’s intended to be one…

“Ma Monthly” – Well, wouldn’t you know it? Boueibu collabs mean something here! See, this magazine is a parody of Monthly Mu, which (for some arbitrary reason) decided to team up with Boueibu back in 2016. Hinamatsuri even parodies the magazine’s logo properly! Amazing!

More namahage gags. C’mon, they wouldn’t escape me. They’ve been appearing for a while now, those.

Last time an anime character had a master the same age…*thinks back* That would be Ore Monogatari, with Saijou! Man, that was a while ago. If you don’t count the “same age” bit though, you have OPM and BnHA, which are a lot more fresh.

Jojothan’s (sic)? Is that a Jojo reference, a Johnath…aww, it doesn’t seem to exist. Dangit.

Hitomi’s going to take the dog in, isn’t she?

Even Hina’s shirt says “byebye”…geez, this is kinda saddening already.

Now Hina’s shirt says “sayonara”…why did they poke a hose through her nose, anyway? It made me laugh, sure, but…it’s stupid anyway.

What does Hinamatsuri do without “Hina”, anyway?

Oh, so that’s the significance of that part (post-credits sequence, ep 1)! I didn’t like that part, so I wished to never see it again, but now that it has some significance…it can stay.

I don’t think I’ve seen that image of Nitta with the hand to his head, with the vases on the side before…it must be new.

Normally Hina’s in the seat next to Nitta, right? Oh dear. Also, Utako’s missing and you can see Nitta’s sister in the bar shot as well. The rock singers who wanted to go to the Budokan with Hina are in the back, too, although there may be some people I don’t recognise in the bar shot as well…

Jinsei wa Survival = Life is Survival, not Life is About Survival…

Boueibu HK 8

Summer episode! At least it doesn’t sound as bad a fanservice episode than episode 7 did…(for Astral’s sake)

Karurusu brought back En’s old “What did you say?!”, but now there’s a rakugo background! (small LOL)

I can’t believe Manza tried to push his glasses up in the bath (LOL). Is this what glasses-wearers have to go through?

These seem a little too specific…and to Wakura’s sadistic taste for that last one…to be anything Kyoutarou thought up on his own. (i.e. They probably actually happened.)

Huhhhhhh…I think we finally had an actual woman appear on this show…amazing! (The Osomatsus’ mother, she has a name but I forgot what her name is.) Must be Osomatsu-kun from the ‘60s or ‘80s though, because that sure as heck ain’t the “gets episode 1 pulled from Crunchyroll” Osomatsu-san. I watched the entire season one of that thing, remember?

That dot point looks like a shell for some reason. It’s just two circles put together though. My brain must be in a summer mood from the episode, eh?

I know there’s one jellyfish where you have to cure the sting by peeing on it…oh sorry. I’m falling into Mahou Shoujo Ore’s “crass jokes” trap…

Dougo…likes natto? Weird. Plain weird.

I almost thought they were going to go camping just to fulfil the gap left by YuruCamp, but I guess the audience for YuruCamp and Boueibu doesn’t really cross over. I’m such an anomaly in that case, huh? I still want to know Pinecone-chan’s VA, come to think of it…

Like, c’mon! I can’t even break down that joke (Rashio Taison), it’s too obvious from looking at his name in furigana!

So Rashio is like the snowman from season 2…and the volleyball guy from season 2…maybe Kurotori? I don’t remember his school circumstances anymore…

They used CGI on the plane…? If they did, I barely noticed it until I played the scene again.

Oh wait, that’s a Studio Comet plane…ahaha…(look at Studio Comet’s logo for the joke explanation)

*crashes head on wall* Martha Shirahone…*eyes blank*…Martha Shirahone…Martha’s a girl’s name!!! Does that mean Astral wins?! My pride and the Boueibu status quo have both been wrecked if Martha (sic) really is on the non-binary spectrum…and it’s not some weird Engrish typo…Poor boy though, he spent 4 years depriving himself of one of his favourite things to prevent himself from being teased. (Okay, this “Martha” spelling’s going to annoy me for a while, so I’m going to revert back to “Maasa”…)

Interestingly, Maasa seems to be using a standard vinyl umbrella and not a “student-council-worthy” one. Update: Nope, this one’s sanctioned by the British Royal Family.

Eh? What’s with this monster’s face? He doesn’t have one, does he? I know what the kanji on his face is, but…I think this might be a first. A monster without a face whatsoever.

Is it just me, or did they get CGI for those clouds as well…?

Wait, so even Karurusu is against the idea of fighting this monster? Mr Enthusiastic’s kinda selfish, eh?

Kyoutarou’s still wearing his school swimsuit. But this definitely reminds me of Dark Aurite with the lip coloration...

Wakura so obviously followed Ryoma’s voice instead. It’s pretty much what Astral termed a “nutshot” for MSO ep 8, only it’s…meant to be kinky (I’m not feeling it, y’know?). I’m just vaguely miffed right here that they could be trying to put a cheap joke in Boueibu.

Ooh, nagashi somen with its bamboo…thingy…looks cool. Oh, but Ibusuki…no wonder Ata likes this kind of noodles.

Karurusu’s flag says “summer” on it.

It’s a bit blurry, but the bus says “campground” as its destination.

I wonder if that “spirit of fear” thing was a joke? I’ll come back and find it later. Update: There’s no joke there in Japanese…the word for “spirit of fun” sounds like kyuuki and then “spirit of fear” is just dokidokishiteru (which is just a word for the heart pounding, suggesting nervousness in this case).

Hey, someone (Ryoma) noticed Taishi’s angry outbursts for once!

What, the monster has a mouth, so he does kind of have a face…? (I’m confused…what constitutes “face” with this guy anyway?)

Karurusu…he dab! (…Kind of.)

Full transformation sequence again…*sigh*

Noticeably, you can only see Ryoma nodding when the Rajio Taiso monster asks if you can do rajio taiso outside of summer. I’d assume this is because Ryoma’s the one with the grandpa who does it all year round, but it might just be a space constraint. You never know with these things.

There’s another pun I need to go back to – “I feel radio calis-cleansed”. That can’t have worked in Japanese…Update: Uh, there was actually one here. It seems to be a pun on taiso.

Aw, Rashio’s so happy. Even if I think the staff have reached a new low with the “petty” on the monsters this time around, just seeing that smile lights up my face too.

Why do I feel a Madoka moment coming on right here with Karurusu’s promise?

It’s a Kagerou Project-style time loop, but for August 31st! Yikes! This is going to get confusing…

Yeah, it’s better not to think about time loops, Kyoutarou. You’re right.

Is “firework” a verb? Or is that wasei-eigo? Or slang? Or both? More things to not think about there…methinks. Update: Dougo says “hanabi taikai shimashou!” (literally “let’s do a fireworks tournament!”), so it’s not wasei-eigo, nor is it a verb. It’s just an unconventional subber’s choice.

They censored a big sign in the preview! But Crunchyroll doesn’t have episode 9 yet because of the French Open! Dangit!

I love how the blue bars randomly go “La la la laaaaa!”…LOL. But it also says “they find party dice in the clubroom…” (because it’s bushitsu kara dete kita no wa party saikoro).

BnHA 46

“Those acts are the same as those of villains.” – Actually, that would be the acts of vigilantes…*thinks about the Vigilantes manga*

Because Kouta’s letter was in hiragana, I could understand most of it…eh, my skills are pretty shabby after all. I couldn’t even understand the last line much.

“like a pair of tight jeans” – LOL, Best Jeanist seems to love a good jeans pun, eh?

Come to think of it, Gran Torino doesn’t have a number to his hero status, right? He’s just an ol’ fart after all, even if he’s mighty skilled.

We haven’t seen Mt. Lady or Shinrin Kamui (“Forest Kamui” would probably be his English name, but it’s in katakana…and it sounds stupid, to boot) in a while, come to think of it.

I didn’t think Iida was going to go with them! Wow, what a twist!

I always thought having two Kirishimas in the same season was funny enough (Ryoma from Boueibu and Eijirou).

Kamino? Because the subbers spelt it with a C, that seems like it should be a reference for some reason…Update: Yep, it is!

What’s up with the roses around Todoroki? Are you trying to make the fangirls squeal like this is some shoujo manga? Yeah, right! (laughs in the background anyway)

Aizawa looks really different in a suit…hmm, I normally like men in suits but I’m kinda iffy on suit!Aizawa. *ponders for a second* I prefer his old style more, actually.

MSO 9

Noticeably, Michiru uses koitsu (“this guy”) to refer to Ore. It does tell you something about how Michiru views her enemies.

What’s up with Mohiro in a dress? Princess Peach parody?

Even Saki’s ahoge goes “Oh!”, LOL!

A heart shake for the yuri fans…and stupid glasses for my entertainment. (Thank goodness you’re still catering towards me, show…)

That joke about murdering Hyoue completely went over my head…I get what it was trying to do, but…not funny, man. Not funny.

Michiru uses the –ssu ending that Dougo and Yumoto use, too…

Oh…dear. I think we have more than enough of the word “Happy” with Happy Kiss…now this mascot, too???

I thought Hyoue’s surname was “Kuroda”? Or is that just my imagination? Update: It seems I made it up…

U-Uh, hey…so this was their real intention with those eyecatches, huh? Another “draw me like one of your French girls” memes is in order! Wait, but Ruka’s magical girl form isn’t doing the right pose…aww.

It seems Ruka isn’t into the Magical Girls (it’s implied she’s into Michiru instead), but Michiru’s into Ore…just as Astral guessed.

If that sentence didn’t make sense, it wasn’t meant to! It was just a bunch of long English words thrown together…although “jihad” certainly isn’t English. I wonder if any religious people will get angry at that word being used so casually, though? (I didn’t expect to laugh so hard at these guys. Konami’s my favourite character – of course he is, considering the karaoke episode - but I think I have an appreciation for these guys now.)

LOL, me and Astral like to complain about how thinking up new attack names takes an hour or so…so we totally know your feel, Michiru.

If you look at the scene where PRISMA are shown to attack, it says bokasuka, which apparently means “lots of hits and punches in succession”. It’s basically like subbing it “fistfight!”, “kapow!” or something.

Happy-chan doesn’t even have a body in tiny form!!! What??? (LOL)

Can we please stop with the montages?! A show is better when people bother to animate stuff, alright?!

Happy-chan went “doukashira?” (-kashira is a female sentence ending) which made me laugh because it’s a contrast to that head of his.

Happy-chan doesn’t even have hands…I’m not sure how he’s meant to live like that, y’know?

That catchphrase has less impact the second time around, it seems.

Hmm…so it was actually foreshadowing for Michiru’s love, huh? I thought it was pandering to tsundere stereotypes…

As much as I laughed at the ol’ kick to the face, are Happy and Kokoro really brothers? Or is this just filler after all?

Oh, this new ED is “We’re Not Magical Girls” by the Mahou Shoujo unit (Saki/Sakuyo)!

You can spot a tiny magical girl figurine with pigtails on Yamo’s desk if you watch at the right time.

PRISMA’s song is called “Love/Attack!”

They actually got a next episode preview narrated by demons?! (LOL) This is a new level of weirdness, and I’m actually glad to have heard it with my own ears (because I’m trembling with laughter right now because of it). But…they talk at the end! They can speak?! Whatttttttt?!

Rokuhoudou 8

Gure’s got stud earrings. Don’t think I’ve noticed them before…

It appears to be a florentine and not a “florentin” like the subs say. It is just missing an “e” though…

Happy, happy! I think Karurusu got me into the spirit of being happy all the time…or at least happier than I used to be, anyway.

Seriously, this middle school kid acts like a Boueibu monster, it’s hard not to make a comparison.

Gure’s so goofy, I’m laughing as much as I normally do for Boueibu or MSO…Rokuhoudou isn’t normally like this, that’s all.

“good way to sober up” – It sure doesn’t seem that way for Tsubaki, though…poor soul.

That style with the lips…it’s so un-Rokuhoudou, and yet it still works! I can’t think of what it reminds me of, though, because it seems to remind me of another anime or manga and I can’t put my finger on it. Update: Maybe MSO? That’s the closest thing I can think of that matches right now.

Hey, come to think of it, doesn’t this guy look like Shishigami from Inuyashiki? Their outlook on life is mostly the same, too! (from what little I know about Shishigami in passing)

Uh…Gure? Didn’t anyone teach You about stranger danger?!

The delinquents…are in the duck boating club?! Well, that was a surprise…

This pretty much became my favourite episode, even though Tokitaka’s still my fave Rokuhoudou boy, LOL.

Code:Realise 13

Since I don’t know whether to denote this as the final episode or not, I won’t note it as anything…

Isn’t Cardia Lupin’s girl? Hands off, Impey!

The newspaper Herlock’s holding has an ad for animators…wuh? In the Code:Realise Victorian era? No way, Jose!

[ryokourecollections]

Beginning of Golden Week

    I had a nice weekend and Monday off of work to start of Golden Week of this year, but unfortunately they weren’t really things I could take nice representative pictures of - so if a text post will do, I’ll do my best to recount them!

    First thing was a trip back to Akihabara - this time with a guide in the form of my coworkers. One of my coworkers needed new parts for his new PC that he’ll be building here, so we took the occasion to travel around Akihabara to get him some parts and accessories on the cheap(er [sometimes] than Amazon...)! Apparently, on Sundays, the main street of Akihabara is closed to traffic until about 8pm, so we had a mission to ping pong across the main thoroughfare and make one pass down the whole street, visiting as much as we could!

    We started out having lunch at a chain restaurant called Go-Go Curry, (The Go part being evocative of their mascot - the gorilla!) and while not the best food I’ve had in my trip so far, it was a lesson in how to get a lot of sustenance for a very low price. We headed into of computer software shops first, buying various peripherals, and oogling the more expensive parts, and then we headed to one of the several stories high erotic shops that Akihabara used to be truly known for, against my druthers, but for the purpose of tourism, I suppose.

    In all honesty, it wasn’t all that surprising except in volume - that and the creepier/more awful stuff I had already heard about from stories online. The weirdest thing about it was the number of casual customers - when there are places where you and your fellows can so unabashedly browse what would be considered so intimate by the average American, it makes sense that you might get stereotyped with perversion or excess sexual publicity by those people. It would seem almost freeing if it wasn’t so one sided towards men. One of the floors even had signs disallowing women, with the connotation that if a woman were to see the kind of merchandise they were trying to sell, she might spoil the fun - needless to say, to me, that was the worst of it.

    Thankfully we had a large portion of our night left after that, and I managed to land upon currently my favorite coffee shop I’ve reached here in Japan! For those of you who may not know (though of my current readership, I suspect these numbers are few) I’m a coffee nut, and while the general status quo of coffee here is higher than in the United States (according to only my opinion, of course) it’s still not on the cutting edge most of the time -  black drip coffee is all of a dark, mainly South American feeling, and espresso drinks are mostly lattes, with the rare cappuccino or straight shot available here or there. But this shop (COFFEE VAULT, Akihabara) actually had a variety of specialty beans available for pour over (or hand drip coffee, for those who prefer that term). The shop was tucked away on a third floor tucked behind a closed door, and was exceptionally quiet and calm. I went for an Ethiopian, as I was craving any sort of light roast coffee, and even though it wasn’t the best Ethiopian I had ever had, it was so refreshing! It had intense orangey flavor - my coworker bought an orange cheesecake to go with his drink - I think it would have been an awesome fit... but it gives me incentive to return!

    We went to a couple other shops selling manga, figurines, gunpla, games, and anime, but finished off our night at the Arcades, as they were open later than most other things. I played a bunch of music games (one of my desktop gaming specialties) and while I did better than I had expected, I hurt my hands much more than expected on the hard arcade buttons. I wanted to try my hands at some fighting games, but there didn’t seem to a big scene at the arcade we went to, so I let it lie. I wasted some money on the crane machines trying to get a two for one pull (which was so close!), but was reassured by my poor coworker, who spent over 30USD trying to get a big prize that, while tantalizing, wouldn’t budge. We tried the well circulated trick of asking a store employee to readjust the position to “unstick” it, but he ended up essentially undoing some progress... goes to show you can’t always trust the experience of others! We had dinner at a “cheap” (quotations indicate that it wasn’t, in reality, cheap...) izakaya and headed home from Akiba station, past some pour souls who were ever so drunk.

    The next day, I was invited to a barbecue by my host family, which was a gathering of all the Japanese friends and acquaintances they had made during their time in Singapore. It was a really nice bunch of people and great speaking practice - I had to leave early to run an errand, but I was told later that it was quite the party - it only came to a stop because the host passed out in a flower pot!

    That night, I also went to a public bath (温泉) for the first time! It was something that I knew I should do during my time here, being such a tourist staple, but also something I was quite honestly nervous about, having never been in any publicly nude situations. I was surprised by how natural and calm it felt - when everyone’s trying their best to relax in the various baths, it’s not really a situation where you pay mind to anyone aside from yourself, and maybe your company (which in my case, was my family). There was a piping hot bath, which you were supposed to alternate with an extremely cold one for good circulation, a bath charged with a light electric current for the same purpose, an outdoor bath, and some massage baths similar to the American hot tub. The water was supposed to be true mineral water piped from a spring, but my host family told me they doubt it due to the week feeling. All in all, however, it felt like a spa treatment, and left me feeling quite refreshed! On the other end I spurned the traditional milk drink (it’s supposed to taste extra good after the bath) for something I hadn’t heard of - a sort of blueberry vinegar “health” drink. It was definitely vinegar, and extremely acidic, but it only hit you in the very back of your throat, so you had to be careful not to take big gulps. The rest of the taste was like some sort of blueberry juice drink - definitely strange, but I can’t help but admit that it was cleansing as advertised.

Probably boring to read so much with absolutely no pictures, so I’ve done a better job with the second half of Golden Week. In general this seems like a lot of reading - It’s exciting to me but perhaps not as much to the average reader. Perhaps I’ll make more of an effort to cut things down, or perhaps have a weekly/monthly highlights type post that just has the juiciest bits. Until then!

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