#and then? probably my anime stuff... mangas and figures and stuff... ill be sad to pack zoro away for so long tho so i might do that last

[nururu]

I gotta start packing soon but..... genshin first.

[lovethisletters]

Dating Grell HC!

Hi! SO sorry for taking this long, irl stuff got in my way but I’m finally here! Agreed, finding Grell content is kind of difficult, and though they aren’t my favorite character, I do enjoy their personality. Before we start, I would like to clarify that I wrote this with gender neutral pronouns for Grell since I’m kind of confused: in the manga and anime sometimes, characters will refer to them with: He/Him pronouns, they refer to themselves with: She/her but their wiki refers to them with they/them pronouns; so, if someone could clarify that for me (and provide a link that confirms is cannon) I would be beyond grateful!

Word count: 1220

Keys: Y/n = Your name.

Summary: Grell starts to feel in a way they have never felt before.

Warnings/Additional notes: none…I think(? But I tried to keep it neutral for the reader too, since pronouns weren’t specified.

Grell being a reaper they have little to no time on their hands, so most probably they met you at work.

They were the one to approach you first by practically throwing themselves at you going on a ramble about how GORGEOUS you are.

I think that at the beginning their feelings are more like a simple crush that will fade away with time or mindless lust that is set to disappear the moment they get to have sex with you.

So, until that happens you will have to deal with practically a cat, they get all touchy: rubbing their cheek against yours, hugging you enthusiastically (like how a child would hug a stuffed toy) begging for attention constantly and even directing not so subtle innuendos at you.

But overall Grell is someone fun and pleasing to be around (especially if you are feeling a bit down) their bubbly and dramatic personality is just so contagious you can’t help but smile!

So that’s why you don’t push them away as harshly as Sebastian or William would

And I feel like that’s why they get a little bit more interested in you.

Even though they identify themselves as a masochist, that does not mean they enjoy being treated poorly all the time, they know their personality is…hard to cope with, but Grell appreciate when someone would still make the effort to get along.

So, when you don’t just…you know…kick them in the face every time they approach you (cofcofSeb&Willcofcof) they feel more comfortable being themselves around you, since no matter how eccentric they might be, you always continue the conversation in a kind manner.

Grell is someone who’s VERY emotionally driven, to the point I think it must be hard for them to differentiate certain emotions like: anger to frustration, sadness with deception and romantic love to lustful attraction. I feel like for them there’s no grey area, is either love or hate so in the beginning this might cause your relationship a bit of trouble.

As your relationship grew closer you started to notice a change in Grell’s behavior: They started being a bit more serious (still as theatrical as ever but different none the less)

They suddenly seemed to have become aware of what personal space is supposed to mean, the hugs became relatively short, the innuendos stopped almost completely and when the two of you started talking, Grell was eerily quiet.

This probably would make you feel like you might have angered them in some way, but don’t worry…the truth is..Grell is just confused.

Lust driven love is all they’re ever known, but their feelings for you have changed, evolved if you may. The only thing they know: is that they like you, but not in the way they like Will, Sebastian or Undertaker, no. They like you in a different way…a deeper way.

So please be patient and let them figure it out on their own.

BUT tbh I don’t think they figured out on their own…I just think they where in the phantomhive manor one day (just to tease Sebastian or double-check these newfound feelings were indeed different) But Ciel just felt so uneasy since he had never seen Grell so quiet and deep in thought.

—What is wrong with you, Grell?—His words condescending as ever.

—Pay no mind to them, master. The reaper is just hopelessly in love—Said Sebastian with a smirk creeping on his lips.

Sebastian’s words were almost eye-opening to them. “Love? Was it truly the right word to describe this feeling?”

Yes, yes it was, they knew the moment they went back to you that day.

Saying that you were surprised when Grell suddenly appeared at your house, late at night, pinning you to the floor by giving you the BIGGEST hug in your life, after weeks of not seeing each other since apparently, they were ignoring you, was a severe understatement.

—What has gotten into you, Grell?— you questioned, caressing their long red hair.

—Oh! Y/N my love! I love you!—You smiled, Grell had finally come back to you.

—Ha Ha Ha, I love you too, Grell!—Grell froze in place.

You thought they were messing around with you like countless time before, so you just responded in the usual joking manner.

—No, no, no! You’ve got it all wrong my dear!—For the first time since you had known them, their expression turned serious and gently took your hands in theirs.

—Y/n you are probably the only person I have ever felt this strongly, I feel like if you were to die today, I will die with you! Y/n my dear…I love you! This are my true feelings…Won’t you accept them?

Such sweet words, spoken with the most profound sincerity.

You couldn’t help but tear up a little (Which made Grell panic a bit)

—Yes, Grell, I love you too, so please accept this feelings of mine as well.—The hugh that followed was not only an acceptance but the seal of a promise, the true love kind of promise.

From here onwards you can see a change in Grell’s behavior towards you (in a positive way that is)

Dating Grell means you get to see them in a whole new light.

They are much more sincere (still dramatic as ever but a bit toned down)

They allow themselves to be vulnerable with you, no longer hiding their worries under a carefree and almost indifferent facade.

You become a safe place they can come to when things get difficult or simply when they just feel tired and overwhelmed with their reaper duties.

Something that stays pretty much the same in your relationship is how much attention-seeking they are.

You have to put on hold whatever you’re doing ‘cause those things can wait but Grell don’t.

“Nee~ honey, pay attention to me!” is a phrase you might hear often if you even dare to pay attention to something else when they are right beside you!

Grell will 100% shower you in kisses constantly.

Cuddles! Cuddles are a MUST with them.

Be prepared for Lots LOTS of PDA, they don’t care if it’s not the appropriate time or place, they need to show you how much you mean to them now!

I feel like they are the type to pull you closer and start dancing or reciting a dramatic dialogue of some romantic play they recently saw, out of nowhere in the middle of the street.

Grell also loves when you touch, caress, braid or brush their hair, is just so adorable! (If you want to turn them on, just pull their hair a little and see what happens ;)

If you have long hair, they will do the same but if you don’t expect them to go wild with how much flower crowns, hats, hair pins, etc they gift you.

Matching outfits! They even gifted you a red coat like theirs!

Grell loves when you let them do your make up! (if you wear any that is, otherwise they would allow you to do theirs) and it goes without saying, they are so good at it! you always end up feeling like royalty.

Theatrical pet names!

Sometimes they would allow you to borrow their Death Scythe (even if is for ridiculous things like idk cutting bread lol) but shhh, don’t tell Will!

Theater Dates!

Kisses, TONS of kisses (they love when you bite their lips, if you do; you might even hear them moan)

Overall, Grell is just so happy to have someone like you in their life and they will demonstrate it to you every chance they get.

♡♤♡♤♡♤♡♤

If you spot any misplaced pronouns, please let me know! I will correct it asap! just know that I didn’t do it with any ill intention and that english is not my first language and perhaps that’s why something might have slipped! as well grammatical errors, I’m trying to polish my writing in this language so calling me out on any mistakes helps me a lot!

I will forever thank you if you go check out my other profile: @aileysmirnov​ where I post things about my OC: edits, one-shots, imagines, art, etc. If you like Greek mythology and the bat family maybe you would like her as much as I do!

Anyway! Thank you for reading!

[wasabicouscous]

vent post

tw suicide and morbid sort of thinking. I am not at immediate risk, do not read further if this will be harmful to you, and yes I am honest about all this with healthcare professionals (they don’t know i have a tumblr tho. that feels embarrassing to admit in real life). also don’t rebl0g this I guess but why would you

i do not plan to be alive by the end of this year. i haven’t picked a specific date yet, though there’s a general period I have in mind later on this year. i hope I can finish star trek by then - ill figure out if the newer stuff is worth watching but I’ll finish everything up till the end of enterprise except tas. I won’t be caught up with doctor who though I get the impression the 13th doctor’s stuff isn’t as good anyway because of the writing. I am kinda sad that I won’t be around for more mob psycho anime though probably - ill be sure to finish the manga at some point

i started writing my note a few weeks ago, because I want to say a lot to a lot of people in my life. ive been kinda dragging my feet on it a bit though. Im not sure what I’ll post here - maybe ill schedule a post for a few days after I do it, so no one panics. I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to do anything about it on tumblr once the other person is logged out on the other end, though I’ve never had the experience. in any case I wouldn’t want to leave anyone hanging once I go.

i think I know how im going to do it, but there’s some unknowns in the equation. i hope i don’t falter at the crucial moment - I will try to design it so there’s no going back. My life will be such a mess if I fail

im scared to come out as trans to my therapist. i look like a **** in real life and dress like one too - it’s always my body and voice I don’t like, I like women’s clothes. i just don’t think I could take it if she didn’t understand - I wouldn’t be trying to seek transition care bc. im not going to be alive lol. but im just sick of being misgendered in my sessions it begins to hurt

i love my real name. im sorry that the one ill be most remembered by irl will never reflect that. I’d almost consider doxxing myself in my final post here (maybe I’ll show up in the local news?) if I didn’t want people I know irl to find out who I really was. that and I don’t want people to know my deadname here lol

I worry that I won’t be able to go through with it. I worry that it won’t be the end, and that I’ll have to live with my injuries, or that ill be in the afterlife for eternity or something. I just want things to be over for good

[little-a-bar]

Hey people! Today’s choice will be (Spoilers and all 🤷🏼‍♀️) -

I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (Manga: 7/10)

TW: mentions of death, a serial killer, fatal illness

Summary: I want to eat your pancreas is a drama/romance, about a girl and a boy both in high school, who become good friends over an unfortunate situation. The book starts with [???]-kun not going to his classmates funeral or wake. The story begins with [???]-kun (we don’t get his name until the end) reading a diary in the hospital, and figures out it’s his classmate, Sakuras diary, and reads that she has something wrong with her pancreas which is gonna make her die soon. She tells him that he is the only one to know this info besides her family (not even her bestie or anything). Because of this new found info she decides that she is gonna be best friends with [???]-kun (even though he doesn’t want to) and they hang out and have fun through most of the book, like going on vacation, playing games, eating out with each other. Everyone at school is always asking if they’re dating (they insist they aren’t ;)) which would be “weird” because [???]-kun is an extreme loner and Sakura is nice and popular. By extreme loner I mean he doesn’t have other friends, he reads a lot, he’s usually by himself, but he likes that stuff because he thinks personally he doesn’t really need friends or anything. Sakuras bestie also thinks it’s weird they hang out all the time because Sakura is really leaving her out of the loop. In the end Sakura isn’t looking too great (we been knew though, right??) and [???]-kun gets upset now that she’s sick because he really doesn’t want her to die? That’s unfair to her and to him really because now she’s his only friend? But Sakura is released from the hospital and makes plans to go out to eat with [???]-kun and the last text [???]-kun sends to her while waiting for her is “I want to eat your pancreas” (inside joke :P). She stands him up but he decides it’s okay because she’s probably just tired from being sick and all. Shortly after he figures that she actually got murdered on her way over to meet him by a serial killer that’s been around lately. In the last several pages [???]-kun goes over to Sakuras parents house to pay his respects to her and meets her mom. Her mom then shows [???]-kun a memoir/will that Sakura wanted to give to him after she passed away and he reads it and then sobs and then tells Sakuras mom his name, Shiga Haruki.

My summary doesn’t really do this manga justice but you get the vibe

I only read the manga version of this, however there is an anime movie adaptation for it

I’ve heard the movie adaptation was really good

I thought this story was pretty good! The main characters are on very opposite extremes of each other with made for an interesting read

However since they were so opposite it was a little cliche I felt

It was very cute having Sakura come to Shigas rescue all the time though instead of the other way around (even if she was the sick one)

I love that she story showed she still saved him after she passed away by giving him some friends and social life

Sadness, cried my eyeballs out while he was reading her memoir/will because the author had a very good way of writing it together

I liked their little adventures together even though while reading them I knew I was gonna be in pain later

Despite what I’m about to say I really liked that they mentioned her death on page #1 it gave for a read of knowing the outcome but the ending still gave you shock

THE WHOLE TIME, since you know she’s dead I was just like, why am I getting attached to a character that I know is gonna die?? But like you do it anyways for that good pain 😪🤲🏼

The characters had believable reactions to one another based on their personality traits and Im glad that no interactions were too forced

I want to play truth or dare with a deck of cards now

The manga being written in first person but Shiga himself was very enticing and pulled you into the story itself and made the shock factor at the end actually work and make the reader as angry and sad and Shiga was

Overall: I really enjoyed reading this manga. As a one shot it was really good in making an entire story you get pulled into and I read it all in one sitting. Not a higher score solely because of the cliche dynamics of the main characters but getting over that it was a really good read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes drama (and pain) and kinda romance (kinda).

Thanks for reading if you did! If you want to discuss something lmk! (If you’ve watched the movie tell me your comparison to the manga or if it was actually good)

Have a good day homies :))

[franeridan]

Fran, what are the animes you're into this season, like that one with the pretty girls with nice colors 👀👀👀 (I'm in desperate need of distractions, but if this is annoying please ignore it and also have a nice day!!!)

Definitely not annoying please do allow me to gush about all the anime I'm following this season is full of great stuff!!! I'll give a little summary of what the story seems to be about for each of them, don't read that if you don't want spoilers for the first episodes! * next to the ones I really think you should check out

ura sekai picnic - about two girls (uni students!) who make a habit of crossing into a parallel dimension where urban legends are real and fight with them. one of them is looking for her lost friend, the other is unable to say no to the first and goes with her despite reason telling her it's better to let it go. seems gay atm so bonus points for that! makes liberal use of unnecessary cgi so points detracted for that. The girls are extremely amusing for me though!

* wonder egg priority - the one with the pretty girls in pretty colors! Something just slightly off of being a majokko, in which girls who've lost someone important to them seem to have found a way to bring them back to life by constantly risking their lives to fight monsters. It's more complicated than that, but this one isn't easy to explain in two words - extremely pretty, golden animation, wonderful moods and camera work, all the girls introduced till now seem wonderful! the plot is very interesting too, just on the wrong side of hopeful to make you sure something will go wrong any moment, love that

2.43 - volleyball anime! there's nothing much to say about this one tbh, it's mostly your typical sports anime. If I had to tell you to watch one anime out of this list this one would Not be it, but if you're like me and you enjoy listening to japanese accents you don't hear often in anime this one is amusing in that sense 😂😂 sorry, that's probably not what you want to know about this, but it really is my favourite thing about watching this one haha

back arrow - this one is DUMB. mecha anime in a fantasy setting, about a world that ends with a wall and a boy insisting he came from the other side of said wall and wanting to go back. it feels so random to watch you kinda want to keep on following it just to figure out where it's trying to go?? the protagonist is delightfully empty headed and the supporting cast has interesting dynamics and fun designs - also there's one guy between the maybe-antagonists that's so extremely chaotic neutral I enjoy every second he's on screen ngl

kai byoui ramune - about a doctor who cures supernatural illnesses. I can't say it's an exceptional anime in any way for now, but the sheer chaos the protagonist brings wherever he goes has me hooked for sure. Is he a nice guy? is he a bastard? is he actually both at the same time somehow??? I dunno but what's for sure is that he's exactly my type of character, and the supporting cast isn't half bad either!

* sk8 the infinity - about weirdos skating!!! delightful, fantastic, incredible colors and animation and designs and characters and character interactions, really a bones studio anime, I love it a bit more each new episode out. And it's hilarious! I don't think I've spent more than a couple of minutes of it not laughing in the whole three episodes out atm, really really suggest this one! Biggest selling point is the relationship between the two protagonists for sure, love me two best friends who just love the shit out of each other without an ounce of shame

* horimiya - shoujo manga about two classmates who one day find out they're completely different people outside school and become best friends. Adorable!!! Lovely!!!! Soft AND hilarious, the main girl is a gem and the main boy is just ideal, plus all the supporting characters are extremely charming and fun - the relationships between everyone seem to sail smoothly too, which makes the whole of it really relaxing to watch! I just love it, so glad I'm following it

* kemono jihen - demon anime about a halfling kid who one day finds out he isn't completely human and decides to join an agency that takes care of monsters-related accidents to maybe figure out what happened to his parents. This one is GOOD. First of all, the main protagonist is extremely charming, he's weird in a way that's on the edge of just being sad and it makes you want to keep following him to find out how the new bonds he's forming will help him grow. It IS kind of disgusting at points, but as far as I'm concerned it just adds to the charm of the anime - the visuals are damn great and the cast seems a lot of fun, can't wait to see how it keeps going 👀 I already have it in the list of manga I'll catch up on after the anime's over

PLUS I'm still following jujutsu kaisen, hanyou no yashahime and the digimon remake, but the last two are really just nostalgia things and the first I assume you already know I love with my whole heart 😂😂 this a busy season!!

[brightblueinky]

late night fandom rambling has led me to realize something: Volume 2 of the ADV version of the manga is the one with the messiest translation. The translation really seems to get better later on. I was randomly poking around in the Japanese reprint volume slowly typing letters into Google translate to figure out some of the weirder bits and noticed one bit (where, in the ADV manga, Remington says “Why did your illness get worse so suddenly?” or something like that) is actually REALLY VAGUE in the Japanese because...Japanese is a really contextual language, I remember that much from my college classes. So the Japanese just says something like--from what I can tell in Google translate “But...why so suddenly...?” And I realize “OH, Remington is asking Joshua why he changed his mind so suddenly about wanting to join the Order?” And everything else that follows after makes more sense, so yeah, I think that’s what happened there. So I’m thinking about it and a lot of the weird translation stuff in this volume is probably stuff that’s like...vague and... Then I thought “Oh, was this rushed? Was this particular volume rushed? ...Wait this is the volume that has the exclusive interview with Moriyama that makes sure to mention the anime, this came out the same time as the anime, didn’t it?” And I checked and, yeah, volume 2 of the manga came out a couple weeks after volume 1 of the anime on DVD. My friend that got me into Chrono Crusade used the stuff in this volume to say that the ADV translation is trash and you should only read the scanlations (which are also...weird in their own way, IMO) and uh I think the entire problem now was just that they didn’t have the time to clean up the vol 2 translation as much because of the cross promotion ADV had going with the manga and the anime. I am so mad/sad on behalf of the people that worked on the translation and got trashed for this, ugh! I can’t really point a finger at any one particular person for this, I don’t know what happened behind the scenes and...this sort of thing just happens sometimes, I get it but. Oh my god the entire translation of this series did not deserve to be trashed because one volume got messed up due to marketing decisions that the translation team probably had nothing to do with?????

[ichika27]

Kakushigoto

The anime has recently finished and I’ve just watched the last episode today. I’m gonna miss watching this show every week but everything has an end. For now, here are my thoughts!

Story:

Kakushigoto is about a guy named, well, Goto Kakushi (yes, everyone’s name is a pun). He’s a single dad who is trying to raise his grade school-aged daughter, Hime. To little Hime, her dad is some businessman who goes to work everyday but unknown to her, her dad’s real job is a manga artist - a manga with lots of dirty jokes. Embarrassed by this and fearing his daughter would lose respect for him if she knew the kind of stories he creates, Goto Kakushi hides the truth from her and would do it at all cost.

Meanwhile, in the present day, the now eighteen year old Hime is about to find out the truth about her dad.

Characters:

Goto Kakushi - a manga artist whose work is pretty popular although is filled with dirty jokes. He wants to keep his real job a secret to his daughter and would go through ridiculous lengths to make sure it stays a secret. He’s overprotective and this causes him to imagine scenarios that makes him worry more.

Goto Hime - Kakushi’s only child. She’s kind and innocent and so she easily accepts the things her dad tells her which makes hiding the whole manga thing easy. She can be quite mature when thinking about others and wanting to help but is still a kid so she often misunderstands a lot of things, too. When she became eighteen years old, she was given the key to where she could find the truth about her dad.

Thoughts:

The anime mostly focuses on the slice-of-life comedy everyday happenings in the Goto family home, school, and work. While the majority of the scenes are for these things that has happened in the past, we also get a glimpse of the present time where the now eighteen year old Hime is trying to figure out her father’s secret and these scenes are either on the beginning or ending of the episodes.

Much of the show is comedy, as expected of the same guy who created “Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei” but there are also some drama inserted in it that stems from the Goto parents - Hime’s mom whose nowhere to be seen and her dad’s current status in the present. The best part about this series for me is that when they put the drama in it, it fits in the story even if it’s in the middle or close to funny scenes that they don’t feel out of place like dialogue hinting at sad things coming up naturally in the conversations that it just hits you by surprise but it never felt forced.

The mystery about what’s happening in the present time is also interesting and had me hooked and wondering what it’s about. I enjoy the entire slice-of-life episode while being excited about 18 yo Hime’s discovery and the stuff revealed by the other cast on the present scenes.

The OP and ED are catchy and sounds really good. I really love the OP the most since it sounds both happy and somehow sad for some reason.

The ending: (spoilers ahead!)

Okay, so here are my thoughts on the ending.

I like how there are clues sprinkled in the series about what might have happened to the Goto parents in the past and the present. It made me wonder and also worry a lot cause it really seemed like something really bad happened to our main character because he’s not there with Hime when she finally finds out the truth. But while the OP mostly shows Kakushi and little Hime, the ED shows 18 yo Hime meeting with her dad (their dog, Roku, is there, too and is now bigger) so with that, I wasn’t too worried and knows he’s probably not dead yet. Haha

The reveal was nice and I teared up at the last episode. However, there are things that didn’t make sense for the ending. The boxes is the biggest one for me. Hime has several boxes left by her mother inside the closet of their home with each one numbered and are for her to use when she comes of the age labeled in the boxes. This lead me and some viewers to believe she might have been terminally ill as she had prepared all these things for Hime to use in the future when she’s gone - at least, that’s what it seemed like. It makes no sense why she’d leave these if she wasn’t going anywhere as she could’ve given these to her child at any time later. The truth about her disappearance is that she was lost at sea but she couldn’t have known that it’d happen so what’s with the boxes?

Then we later find out Kakushi left a few more boxes for her hidden in the old home - the house which the key Hime received at 18 is for. Why would he suddenly leave these and at that house? He got in an accident that left him in a coma but he couldn’t have known it’d happen so why the boxes? Also why at the old house he was keeping a secret? It’s really strange as they don’t seem to fit in the entire story when put together with the ending.

That said, I still liked the entire series and the ending is still very heartwarming. Even with the things that don’t make sense, it doesn’t really ruin everything as it’s still funny and touching. I’m glad I was able to watch this.

[13eyond13]

Comparing Manga!Near to Anime!Near

Sure! I actually found Near’s character very wooden and boring the first time I watched the anime, and then was very pleasantly surprised at how interesting and full of personality he seemed when I read the manga later, so I think comparing Near’s character in both sources is a great idea. I’ll outline the major differences I found between them below.

(This post is using the official English translation of the manga and the English subtitles from Netflix for the screenshots, by the way):

1. MELLO AND NEAR’S PERSONALITIES AND MOTIVES ARE DIMINISHED IN THE ANIME’S VERSION OF THE WAMMY’S CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK:

This is a scene that was changed slightly in the anime, and at great detriment to both Mello and Near’s characters and the audience's immediate understanding of them, I think. When we are first introduced to these two in the manga it shows a few panels of Mello being a bully at Wammy’s who gets right into the center of the action, and Near being a loner who is invited to participate but prefers to do puzzles by himself:

The anime begins directly at their meeting with Roger in the office, so we know nothing about how these two normally behave at the orphanage or how their peers perceive them / interact with them:

When asked to work together Mello refuses and explains to Roger that he and Near have always been at odds. The manga shows a flashback to Mello studying very hard to surpass Near's scores and always failing to do so, which sets up his inferiority complex and his strong work ethic. It also shows Near being surrounded by admiring students, which indicates he was probably well-liked despite being a loner, and shows that he’s very competent, the most successful student in the school:

 The anime simply has Mello say that they've always been at odds and competing with each other. Mello describes himself as overly emotional and Near as logical and cool-headed, and then they just leave it at that.

It isn’t until much later in the anime -- after the kidnapping, when Light finally finds out about Wammy’s -- that the difference in Near’s and Mello’s academic ranking is even mentioned at all:

I think the manga gives a much better sense of the successors’ personalities and motives right away than the anime does. All we see in the anime is that Near seemingly doesn't give a shit about L's death, nor care much about how the successor choice is made, and that Mello is temperamental and thinks that since Near’s unemotional he will be able to better solve the Kira case. I remember finding Near extremely cold and wooden the first time I watched it, because his reaction to L’s death is so callous, and none of that other stuff about him was shown or explained.

2. THE SPY IN THE SPK IS TAKEN OUT OF THE ANIME STORYLINE:

In the manga once the NPA Director is kidnapped by the mafia Near starts to suspect there is a mole in the SPK who would've leaked their plans to the kidnappers (which there is, Ill Ratte):

In the anime Ratte's role as the spy was cut out of the storyline altogether, so Near just immediately figures it out and then orders his FBI agent to cooperate with Soichiro:

I’m guessing they cut that spy bit out of the anime due to time constraints, but Near being betrayed by one of his employees and being shrewd enough to suspect it adds an extra little layer of vulnerability and sympathy to his character beyond just “smart, blase guy who never loses his cool.”

3. NEAR NO LONGER SUCKS AT DARTS IN THE ANIME:

The scene of Near and Light first talking on the phone and Near calling Light “L number two” is basically the same between the two sources:

Except that in the manga Near is shown to absolutely suck at darts, lol:

In the anime Near is just sitting there building a basic tower out of dice:

Little detail changes like this might not seem that consequential, but I'd argue they make all the difference; sucking at darts adds an endearing aspect to Near beyond just “humourless successor of L who sits around playing with toys a lot.”

I love it because it seems like exactly the opposite of what you'd expect them to show in order to get the audience on his side and believing he's L's super-competent successor, you know? It made me laugh and feel affectionate toward him in the manga, because he looks so dang serious about it; plus I love that he sticks with it for so long despite clearly not being very good!

*(side note: Tumblr’s image uploader glitched out at this point, so unfortunately the rest of the post won’t have any visuals, apologies:)*

4. THERE IS NO “WAS HE EATING CHOCOLATE?” SCENE IN THE ANIME:

Near never detains Sayu and Soichiro after the kidnapping to interrogate them in the anime, so sadly we don’t get that hilarious little manga moment where he deduces it was Mello behind the kidnapping because of the sound of him eating chocolate over the phone. 

5. NEAR’S RESPONSE TO THE SPK DEATH SEEMS LESS EMOTIONAL IN THE ANIME:

His reaction to most of the SPK getting murdered is different in anime, and I would argue he comes off much less sorrowful or shaken by the deaths. He seems pretty matter-of-fact about it, and almost like he'd predicted and planned for it to happen that way. The main emotional reaction we see is his dice tower falling and his face looking intense/angry. 

In the manga Near is caught off-guard by the deaths; he laments that he didn’t find the spy in the SPK before it was too late, and then he says to Light: “I was somewhat prepared for this the moment YOU gave the notebook away to the kidnappers, but it sure does hurt.” He is shown looking very sad about it. Light asks Near to share information, and Near has to deliberate for a while internally about whether he wants to trust Light with any information about Mello or himself before he agrees.

In the anime Near calmly predicts the deaths right before they happen, then tells Light that they died, then says: “L, you helplessly handed over the notebook.” Light asks him if he would have done anything differently if he was in charge, and Near says: “No, with that kind of preparation it would’ve been taken either way. There’s no point in us arguing. Let’s help each other and tell each other what we know. I have some idea of who the culprit may be.” MUCH LESS EMOTIONAL, and a bit overly willing to immediately volunteer information about Wammy’s and Mello to Light.

6. NEAR COMFORTING AND INFORMING THE SPK ABOUT MELLO AFTER THEY ARE DISBANDED BY THE GOV’T IS CUT OUT OF THE ANIME:

In the manga Near spends a good deal of time explaining Mello’s thought process to his team and warning them about his dangerousness before they ever meet up with him. He tells Halle in particular to watch out, because he believes Mello will target her home because she’s the most vulnerable, and then says to whole group: 

“If you’re scared, you don’t have to participate. But please don’t leave the headquarters. I’m scared, so I’m not going to go outside.” 

This display of thoughtful consideration for his team’s feelings and safety and his honesty about his own fears is not shown at all in the anime, as it skips directly from the news of the SPK being dissolved to Mello breaking into Halle’s apartment and taking her hostage to the SPK HQ.

7.  NEAR SEEMS A LITTLE MORE EXCITED BY MELLO’S ARRIVAL IN THE MANGA THAN HE DOES THE ANIME:

And there was a more in-depth explanation given in the manga about why he continued to defend Mello and sympathize with him. But even so, I would say these scenes are for the most part very similar between the two sources. The anime did a great job adding some lovely stained-glass visuals behind the boys and such here, too!

8. THERE IS NO SCENE OF NEAR AND MELLO WORKING TOGETHER TO QUESTION MOGI IN THE ANIME:

This is a real shame, because it’s basically the most fun interaction these two have and the closest they get to collaborating in a personal way after their dramatic reunion at the HQ (even though it could also be seen as Mello just attempting to taunt/use Near, but Near doesn’t seem to take it that way). Near’s interactions with Mogi and Mello are weirdly cute in this scene, as he often compliments them on their impressiveness and such, so it’s too bad that the anime chopped it out!

9. THE ANIME PUTS A MORE POSITIVE SPIN ON NEAR AND MELLO’S COLLABORATION AGAINST KIRA:

It’s left very ambiguous in the story if Mello was trying to save Near or beat him by kidnapping Takada. The manga takes a typically unsentimental view of Mello’s intentions, and the anime takes a more hopeful view of them.

In the the manga, Near says this: “I find it hard to believe that Mello thought that far ahead. But I am sure that he was always trying to get ahead of me. And that’s not all. Even if he didn’t surpass me, Mello always said that he was going to be number one, and that he was going to be better than me and L. But I always knew I would never be able to surpass L. It could be that I lacked the action and he lacked the calm; and even though we couldn’t surpass the one we admired on our own, together we can stand with L. Together we can surpass L.”

In the anime, Near says this: “I believe Mello knew in his heart that alone we aren’t able to reach our goal, to surpass L. But together... together we can stand with L. Together we can surpass L!”

10. NEAR’S PHILOSOPHICAL SPEECH IN THE WAREHOUSE IS CUT OUT OF THE ANIME:

It’s probably my favourite thing he says in the entire manga, so that’s too bad! He says it in response to Light’s passionate Kira monologue.

In the manga, after Near shuts Light down, Light says: “Near, you're wrong. I'm the icon of justice now.”

Near replies: “You may be right. I'm no different than you. I believe in what I think is right, and believe that to be righteous. Nobody can tell what is right and what is wrong, what is righteous and what is evil. Even if there is a god, and I had his teachings before me, I would think it through and decide if that was right or wrong myself.”

I loved getting these little deeper thoughts from Near in the manga; it made him come off less cold and uncaring and more human and insightful to me.

11. NEAR HAS A PLAN TO LOCK LIGHT UP FOR LIFE IN THE MANGA THAT ISN’T MENTIONED IN THE ANIME:

When Light tries to stall for time by attempting to tempt Near into testing the Death Note, in the manga Near replies:

“Light Yagami. Kira. I have no plans to kill you. I really don't care if the notebook is real or not anymore. From the very beginning, my goal was to capture Kira. All I want is for everything to become clear and for Kira to be captured. You're as good as arrested now, and I'll confiscate the notebook Mr. Aizawa has. That should be enough. And I will not announce Kira's arrest or the existence of the notebook to the public. I believe that everybody here can keep that secret. I'll take full responsibility for locking you up in a place where nobody will find you until you die."

I find this both refreshing and scary, because it shows Near’s definitely not doing this for his own glory or his ego (like Mello and L might), but it’s also a very ruthless and scary side of Near that adds a lot of spice to his character! I can’t imagine much of a worse fate for Light than that had Ryuk not gotten to him first, yikes.

12. THE EPILOGUE CHAPTER IS LEFT OUT OF THE ANIME:

In which Matsuda and Ide speculate about Near possibly “cheating” with the Death Note (aka being behind Mikami messing up with checking for tampering and dying in prison ten days later and such). Near is shown doing well as the new L, playing with toys and eating some of Mello’s trademark chocolate and collaborating with the NPA on their new work. Which is nice!

So in conclusion to this massive post, I would say that most of the characters in the second half of the story kinda got shafted by the anime because of how the plot was condensed; it didn’t help that the animation portrayed the subtler characters like Near in a less dynamic/expressive way than the original manga art did, either. Despite what it may sound like, I do love the anime a heck of a lot, but I think people will probably miss out on a lot of Near’s charm if they never get to experience the original manga version of him, as well!

[i7scenarios]

(1/?) Hello! Okay... whew. I’ll start by saying I had a really hard time typing this up and made an ordeal of it because I struggled to actually write anything positive about myself (which I think must be telling of my personality lol!). That being said, I’m really excited to see what you have to say. I apologise if it seems overly negative or if I didn’t give you much to work with despite how dang long this will be! ( I’m embarrassed about the length. I am SO sorry!) Okay here I go pfff 🙈

(2/?) I guess before I inevitably say anything heavy about my personality (pff) I will tell you about my hobbies. I don’t have many outside of playing i7 and watching anime to be honest (I’m probably super boring). I have a very obsessive personality and tend to spend long chunks of time with just a few hyperfixations and will be content with those same things occupying my time. (For example, I’ve been watching [Musical+Anime] Touken Ranbu for like... hours a day since June last year 🙈).

(3/?) I do love watching new anime as it airs though, especially because it’s something routine week to week and gives me something to look forward to or something I know will be there. Aside from that I do play a few video games (mainly animal crossing and harvest moon, but I also like persona 5, the BNHA game, and other rhythm games like hatsune miku). I love to sing very much, but I don’t think I’m good at all haha. I also love to create things when I have the energy or drive to do it.

(4/?) I’ve kinda lost motivation to do anything, but I used to loooove making AMVs and drawing and generally being artistic. At least now I still do artistic things like make funny/dramatic Instagram videos or occasional cosplay! I used to be an actress and dancer (though I was kicked out of hip hop because my movements were “too fluid” LOL so I stuck with ballet) and still enjoy dancing, but not... the professional way I used to lol.

(5/?) I had to quit because of compound injuries, and then I got real chubby haha. I think by now I must have lost all of my skill in both dance and theatre (I still very much have the theatrical and entertainment driven mindset, but I don’t think I could ever get on stage again.) I love to read as well... less books and more manga now though. I don’t often have energy to do it (I struggle really, really hard with executive dysfunction in both self care and hobbies ^^;)

(7/?) Tying in with that, I love to collect things! You know this probably because we’ve done box splits together before hehe, but I have a very treasured collection of goods that I recently got a glass case for. Decorating my home and displaying my figures (which I only this past year started collecting) or posters/straps/etc is something that really brings me joy, and I guess I do consider it a hobby. Does napping count because I’m also an expert napper! Hehe okay enough of hobbies I think.

(8/?) As for my personality.. I’m a very loyal person, although sometimes to a fault. I rely heavily on my intuition for everything, but mainly when it comes to people and determining the depth of relationships. I’m super contradictory to myself tho, so I will have no trouble cutting people from my life if I’ve decided I don’t need them anymore, but then I’ll have people that I allow to walk all over me or that I will allow to have a hold on me long after I’ve managed to get away from them.

(9/?) I know that I am a handful and people only have so much patience. I don’t want to force anyone to deal with me for very long. It really doesn’t matter how good someone is to me or how much they express unconditional love.. I can’t quite stop thinking that I’ll be abandoned sooner or later, and that affects every part of how I live. I struggle to allow myself to accept love and kindness because I don’t think I deserve it, and I don’t want to get used to it because it won’t last anyhow 😅

(10) All that being said, I guess I do crave affection and love... though I tend to be a bit of a tsundere about it. Okay I’m a massive tsundere unfortunately LOL I’ll just admit it. I’m afraid of it, but I’m a hopeless romantic at heart. I’m very soft and easily hurt even though I try to be tough... I’ve experienced a lot of various abuse at the hands of men and my mother throughout my entire life, and I try to say that I’m immune to things by now, but I’m not 🙈

(11) I’m very much a crybaby and I probably always will be. (No really. I cry at the drop of a hat!) But yeah.. because of all that stuff, I find it difficult to speak to men sometimes, and I have mild touch-aversion especially with men (this is probably why I find so much comfort in seiyuu and 2D boys, but this isn’t a therapy session lololol). I DO like physical affection like hugs, but I’m a little slow to get used to it I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Ironically though, I do get lonely very easily.

(12) I like to be alone, but I also get incredibly sad quickly when I’m alone. I’m introverted and picky about who I can spend extended physical time with. My only close friends live rather far away from me, but as long as I can text or be on the phone with them I’m okay! So...I CAN enjoy physical alone time as long as I can still be in contact with loved ones even when we can’t be in the same room (if all that makes sense. I’m rambling).

(13) I’ll try to get my bad traits out of the way quickly and end with a couple positive things about myself.. ah I’m sorry. Let’s see.. I’m very easily annoyed. I don’t know if it’s a side effect of my mental illness or if it’s just a negative trait I have, but I’ve been like that as long as I can remember. I’m very picky and particular about most things, and if I feel out of control in a situation I WANT to control, I tend to snap and lash out.

I pair you with .....

Momo!

Momo is very sensitive to your past trauma, even if you have a hard time being physical with someone, Momo’s upbeat personality and nature are like a warm hug itself. The fact you were injured and had to stop dancing is something Momo can relate to. He struggled really hard when he got injured and his career in soccer was over. You understanding that pain means a lot to him. He is totally cool with you being an anime/game fangirl. After all, after his loss with soccer, he found Re:vale to fill that void and became a massive fanboy himself ^^. He loves to sing with you, helping you with lessons like how Yuki helped him. After all he struggled a lot when he started as well ^^ Momo is extremely loyal and is always thinking about others over himself. You can trust him fully, and know that he isn't going to go anywhere. He will always show you the brightest smile when he sees your face

[lia-nikiforov]

Fall 2017 Anime Watchlist

Blablabla school is kicking my butt blablabla I shouldn’t even be doing this blablabla THERE’S A LOT OF GOOD ANIME THIS SEASON

So naturally I’m gonna go back to my worst to best format for this list. Get the trash out first

Dropped

Dies Irae: Aren’t these villains named after actual historical Nazis who were directly involved with orchestrating the holocaust soooo cooooool , so interesting, such tortured profound souls that--- ugh, I just threw up in my mouth a little. I don’t care if the Nazis are the villains, making them into complex, appealing characters is unacceptable, less so given the times we live in.

(get it, it’s a real nazi getting punched in the face, aren’t you glad you follow me so I can provide you this quality content)

Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de aru: Yuusha no Sho: Because I wasn’t a big fan of the first season, I thought this might make for decent hate-watch, but it’s just not bad enough to warrant it. It’s also criminally boring. And because part of what made the original so bad was the ending, and this being a prequel we already know how it ends, there’s no point to it imho. I enjoy screaming at the void about shows I find stupid, but this one isn’t even worth the time. Ballroom is all the hatewatch material I’ll ever need

Black Clover: I could say a lot about this show’s egregious lack of uniqueness and originality, or how poorly executed the whole thing is, but really the only thing you need to know about this and why it’s an insufferable watch is:

THE!!!! PROTAGONIST !!!!!NEVER!!!!! STOPS!!!!! YELLING!!!!!! 

Inuyashiki: My first problema with this show is the main dude is supposed to be 58 years old but he looks older than most 65+. It’s a dumb little thing, but it completely breaks my suspense of disbelief. Other than that, the writing is just so viscerally hateful it’s extremely uncomfortable to watch. What I’d understood from the synopsis was that the aliens had accidentally merged the old man and the young dude into a single robot body, but the way it is presented  -with the old guy as the hero and the young guy as the villain- the moral of the story seems to be basically “millennials are killing the diamond industry”, or, in terms of a more well-known -though perhaps too easy- meme:

Urahara: I really wanted to like this show and support these young female creators in an industry that tends to not give them any opportunities. It’s not like it’s bad at all, nor is it offensive, it’s just really boring. The visuals are adorable, but the characters feel completely unreal –three high school girls run their own shop in Harajuku?-, especially pigtail girl who delivers every line like she was trying super hard to sound like an ojousama archetype. The show is completely committed to its Harajuku kawaii culture aesthetic and attitude, which is commendable but also something that honestly make me a little uncomfortable for no particular reason. I also feel extremely robbed off actual transformation sequences in this magical girl show. In a less busy season I might hold on to see where this went, but as it is, I’d rather wait and see how it ends and then decide if I should spend time on it.

Utter trash that I’m still gonna watch because I hate myself or something

Ousama Game: I think it’s important to make a distinction between hate-watch and irony-watch. Hatewatch is something you do with a show that’s terrible and probably offensive, but it never touches so-bad-it’s-good territory.  You can pick the show apart for all of  its flaws, be it an ill-conceived plot, poor characterization, or, you know, being grossly mysoginistic. Examples of shows I’ve hatewatched include KADO, Sailor Moon Crystal and Super Lovers. An Irony-watch is a show that pretty much everyone can agree is a dumpster fire, and it succeeds so much in its terribleness it’s histerical. Hand Shakers and Neo Yokio are prime examples of quality irony-watch material. And so is Ousama Game. It’s not even worth pointing out its flaws because there’s just nowhere to start, there is not a single thing this show does right and it’s hysterical. Of course it has the squick factor of having some gross fetish with people’s tongues lolling out and their faces getting ridiculously contracted in gross fashion when they die, but other than that, it takes itself so seriously and mixed with its 2006 low budget aesthetic the whole thing is madly hilarious.

Welcome to the Ballroom: This is my choice for hatewatch show of the seaon. After the disgusting dung that was episode 15, I’ve lost all hopes of the show ever getting “better” as was repeatedly promised by fans of the manga once the queen lord and savior Chinatsu appeared. Lo and behold, Chinatsu’s character arc is to learn to be more “feminine” and to let herself be “controlled” by Tatara. Throw in some casual homophobia just for good measure. I really have to wonder why the mangaka set out to write a manga about a sport that necessarily requires a man and a woman in partnership if she hates women so much and can’t treat them as anything above second-class citizens-

(srsly show, why do you hate women so much)

Sengoku Night Blood: It’s been a while since we got a dumbass Sengoku bishonen show that wasn’t aggressively boring. This one though, still challenges my tolerance limits for being dumbass ridiculous with its premise of vampire/werewolf Sengoku daimyo. The costumes and character designs are super ridiculous yet strangely non-distinctive. I have a hard time figuring out who is who because most lack their historical counterparts most notable features, and there’s a lot of same-face-iness everywhere. The show is clearly not afraid of embracing its otoge origins, the “love event” moments are terribly transparent. I just wish either the female character was completely erased or that the guys would stop treating her so badly. I know she’s useless, but I don’t understand why the show has dudes saying things such as “it’s really bothersome that you’re here” and frame them as if they were suuuuper romantic.

(lmfao there are no gifs for this one, maybe I’m the only sucker watching it)

Juuni Taisen: To be honest I was ready to drop this one after confirming it was gonna be more Nisio Isin fake philosophical bullshit that is actually just otaku fanservice. Instead I got schlocky ultra violence garbage and it’s actually kinda fun? Look, I’m gonna come clean, I’m just watching it for the necromancer chip’n-dale rabbit with high heels and a huge fluffy tail, but if that’s not a good reason to watch a show, none is.

Not bad, but not quite good

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryoukou: This was another one that wasn’t quite on my radar before the season began, I only checked it out because it got excellent reviews. It’s actually surprisingly charming, although the pacing is slow, the muted color palette can be tiring and nothing really seems to be happening. I honestly struggled to stay awake during episode 2. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with the show, I’m considering dropping it because I’m just watching too much stuff and don’t have time, but I’ll wait for episode 3 to make my final decision (I’ll probably watch it Monday)

Shokoku no Altair: After the really good Sultan arc, apparently we had to go through another speed course on how to acquire new members for the party. I’m pretty much resigned to this not being the epic historical drama Arslan also failed to be, but it’s still sad to see this one getting the crappy production values while Inuyashiki is a lavishly animated production about bitter old men hating youngsters. Anyway, as long as further arcs can replicate the level of excitement and intrigue of the sultanlu arc, I’ll be looking forward to it and how Mahmut’s story unfolds. 

Fate/Apocrypha: You can tell how trashy the summer season was that Fate, which was one of my favorite shows of the season, is barely in the middle of the pack of this crowded Fall season. It’s also worth noting that I’ve lost a lot of the goodwill I’d mustered for the show after the writers remembered Palurdo-kun was supposed to be the protagonist, so now that he’s taken the center stage (and become Astolfo’s Master, which is a travesty, Astolfo deserves so much better than satisfying otaku’s otokonoko fetiches orz) I find myself rolling my eyes more often than not. Still hope to get cool fights out of this one and more Astolfo and Mordred.

GARO Vanishing Line: MAPPA brings us a new iteration of the GARO franchise, this time with a modern setting that throws back to ultra macho 80s anime OVAs aesthetic –I wouldn’t know, never watched those-. The hero is a buff uber muscular dude that literally prays at women’s boobs and Zaruba is a giant motorcycle that thinks women stink. The production values are impressive, both fight scenes are incredibly cinematic and exciting. The hypermasculinity borders on the hilarious, but I wish it could do away with the sexist humor, which luckily hasn’t been abundant enough to be insufferable. It’s a little soon to judge because they’re barely introducing us to the characters, but I’m still hoping this won’t devolve into shit territory like Crimson Moon did.

Kino no Tabi: Full disclosure, I only watched the first season of Kino a few months ago, so I have it very fresh in my memory. Since I didn’t know that this new season was more a soft reboot rather than a sequel, I thought I needed to watch the first one to check this one out. Turns out it wasn’t necessary, but I’m still glad I did it because the first season is fantastic. Which is why I’m a little concerned about this one, because the reinterpretation of the Colisseum story was… not good. It rushed through the story and made Kino look like a psychopath. The first episode was good so I’m crossing my fingers that this won’t turn into a horrible mess, but so far I’m feeling cautious and worried. But even if this one turns out to be a good reboot, I’d 100% recommend you check out the original.

Anime is in Fact Good

Classicaloid: Another show that came back with a different director and that I worry will struggle to replicate what made the first season special. There are some tonal things that make the change very evident, but so far it has overall been pretty great nonetheless, Classicaloid insane business as usual. I must say “New character appears claiming to be X’s relative, X believes it and starts treating N better to the detriment of the established cast” is a trope I’m not too fond of, but I’m willing to give them some time purely because they have a Hippopotamus that can do Musik. Honestly watching anime makes one write the weirdest of sentences.

Hoozuki no Reitetsu. Something comedy shows have in their favor is that if they come back, even after a long time, it feels like they never left. Hoozuki’s the same old Hoozuki and it’s a load of fun. I’ve loved both episodes so far, I can’t even pick a favorite skit of the ones we’ve had so far because all of them were so good. There’s not really a lot to say, if you liked the first season you’ll like this one. As usual it’s only detriment is you may miss some of the jokes if you’re not familiar with Japanese folklore, but there’s a lot of fun to be had nonetheless. 

Recovery of an MMO Junkie: Honestly, I’m very quick to judge a book by its cover, or in this case, an anime by its title. In this case, I promptly dismissed this as yet another otaku oriented harem videogame fantasy or whatever without even reading the synopsis. Then I heard the positive reactions to it and decided to give it a shot and boy was I pleasantly surprised! Not only does it feature a woman in her thirties as a protagonist –which is insanely rare! But it also focuses on delightfully adorable romance that breaches the barriers of gender. And honestly, there’s that scene in episode two in which Moriko sends a text and then horrified realizes it’s 2:00 am and feels super ashamed about it and it was so relatable I was 100% sold.

Best of the season

(don’t mind the order, I’ve loved all of these equally

Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau: So I may have misunderstood what this was about. I rarely read plot synopsis, so for some reason –I guess at first I thought the title was Kujira wa Sora- I thought there would be flying whales. There aren’t, but that’s definitely not a detriment to this incredible fantasy dystopian world. The color palette and the watercolor texture of the backgrounds gives it a magical atmosphere that is just a delight to watch. Although there’s a lot of exposition, none has felt like a forced infodump. The pacing is overall fantastic, and although the characters are a mystery for the most part, they’re already very endearing. This season is ripe with enchanting fantasy worlds and I’m really hyped about it. 

Houseki no Kuni: I was concerned about the CG designs on this one, but they work surprisingly well! The plot is still a bit unclear, but they’ve done a really good job in building the characters through their relationships to one another. Even though we don’t know a lot about them, I felt a lot of empathy for Cinnabar and Diamond and Bort, and Phos is a pretty nice point of view character to follow around. I’m definitely intrigued by the concept, and the execution has been great so far.

Blood Blockade Battlefront & Beyond: I hadn’t realized how much I missed this show until I watched the first episode of this new season. The loss of Rie Matsumoto’s wonderful directorial vision is very noticeable in the straightforwardness of the storytelling, but otherwise the show is surprisingly still a load of bombastic fun with endearing characters and fascinating world building. I particularly liked the hospital episode. I’m not sure where this story is going, but I’m excited to go along for the ride.

The Ancient Magus Bride: It’s important to note that the first episode has a lot of questionable material (please, can Elias never ever call Chise a puppy ever again), but I have to commend a great production when I see it. Readers of the manga assure that the questionable content will be contextualized later on, so I’m hopeful, because I’m already really sold on this show and I really don’t want it to be gross. It’s hard to explain or describe, but it just has this fantasy magical charm and a beautiful production that got me hooked from start to finish. It has been hyped to hell and back and so far it has lived up to my expectations. I think, apart from the lovely production values, the characters feel very real and deep from start to finish. It’s hard to explain why I feel so drawn to this show that should have so many red alarms ringing in my head, but I can’t help feel completely charmed by it

How am I gonna survive such a busy season with so much homework? Will I die trying? Will Ballroom ever stop hating women and gay people? Stay tuned to find out! And let me know which shows you’re watching this season!

[mysticdragon3md3]

md3 watches Given ep1

...

Maybe it's because I’m having a bad day, or maybe my distaste for most abrasive Romance genre tropes is showing.  But I did not have good reactions.  If I didn’t get spoiled on how good this series will eventually get, I probably wouldn’t continue.  Gawd I’m impatient for this to get good.

Mafuyu is sweet though.  ^___^

8:26 PM 9/27/2019

I'm going to watch Given.  After today, I'm too tired and defeated to do anything more ambitious than react to anime. ;_;

And this morning I watched some clips that suggested Mafuyu's tragic past?  I"m really hoping his childhood friend/boyfriend didn't dump him.  They both seemed so nice and in love.  Then again, if his boyfriend died that would also be very sad.  But at least it's not indirectly saying that Mafuyu was worth dumping.  He seems like such a sweet, fragile kid.  

given Episode 1 – Boys in the Band

"I'm not lonely."  I know it's a cliche now for an anime character to try to convince themselves of this with internal monologue, but it's still effectively sad and still pulls the heart-strings.  ;~;

Uenoyama is too sleepy to eat lunch and his friend asks him to play basketball instead of get bread?  omg

Everyone is sure staring at Uenoyama as he walks by though.  I wonder why.

Jeeze!  I don't know why Uenoyama has to be so upset!  What was Mafuyu doing that was even creepy anyway?  Not talking?  Sure, its more common for an anime character to leave when they've discovered they're in someone else's usual nap/hideout spot, but Mafuyu was nice about making room for Uenoyama.  And now he's throwing a tantrum about getting Mafuyu's hopes up and his naptime interrupted?  Careful or you're going to start hitting my real pet peeves and I'll drop this series.  

He just asked a stranger to teach him now to play guitar...Okay?  Well, that escalated quickly.  ^^;  

Thank you, opening theme.  I feel like I need some music to really set the tone---no, just get into this story/world.  I'm the kind of person who hates that Netflix skips opening/ending themes.

jfc  I know I've had a moderately bad day, but this series is just starting and it hit ANOTHER one of my pet peeves?!  Siblings who are nasty to each other?!  Ug.  If it weren't for all the fandom hype over this show and the nice clips I've seen of it beforehand, I would give up on it right now.  Or maybe I need to stop pausing every few seconds to write and dwell on the bad stuff, and just watch the show.  Ok, I'll try that.  I want to record all my initial thoughts for this series if I end up getting deep into the fandom, but rumination isn't good, after all.  Maybe all the annoying parts will go faster if I don't pause to react to all of them.  

"Now that I think about it, I guess I almost cired when I first broke a string, too, becuase I thought I'd broken my guitar"  Aw, Uenoyama is showing empathy.  (Finally.)  

See?  Mafuyu is reasonable.  He paid Uenoyama back for the strings and everything.

I think watching clips and hearing the fandom chatter before actually watching this series was a mistake.  I've been immune to spoilers for most of my life, but they've been starting to actually hurt my viewing in these past few years.  But it's not like when the shock of character deaths were dulled by knowing beforehand, with Madoka Magica.  This time, it's more like I'm _impatient_ to get to the good parts I saw before.  

So Mafuyu is stalking him now?  Now that I think about it, all those BL manga I used to read were quirky like this, huh?  ...Really???

I should have mentioned this before, but this background music is a little odd. It's like it doesn't quite match the tone of this very solid, real-feeling animation.  

But if he's a total newbie, he won't be able to tell the difference between a "godly performance" and a mediocre one!

"Something cool".  LOL  ^-^

OMG are they totally just riffing?  That's pretty cool.  ^___^

"Uecchi"?  Is this in Kansai?  LOL  

This guilt Uenoyama keeps dwelling on is really helping make him a sympathizable character.  

"Uesama"?  LOL

I'm glad Mafuyu tired the school's music club and that his reason for returning to Uenoyama's band was that he was much cooler.  I'll buy that reasoning.  

What is this exploision effect?  I know the animation in this series so far looks great, like they threw lots of money at it, but wow...  Was it supposed to look cheesey on purpose?  

Well, this ending theme is soothing and nice.  

But I'm not caught by this series.  So far, the primary couple has proven so be one half too angry, kinda mean, and plain grumpy to me.  And the other half is so sweet and fragile seeming, that I just feel sorry when he gets yelled at.  I feel like Mafuyu is just Uenoyama's punching bag, even if his actions are driving Uenoyama crazy.  Why does he have to over-react?  

After a month or so of being tempted to watch this series, I finally gave in today because I couldn't wait to get to answering the questions of those tragic backstories I saw some clips and spoilers of.  And maybe I'll stick around to get my answers.  But I can't say I like this series in and of itself so far. Mafuyu is sweet and intriguing, but I don't feel attached to Uenoyama so far.  I kind of want to watch something else, or just browse through the AkiRyu fandom instead.  ...In fact, I will do that.  No need to jump into ep2.  

But when I come back to this series, I should react to it like a movie.  Just watch it without stopping, then write whatever still stuck out to me enough to have inherently gotten a reaction out of me, at the end.  I shouldn't just stop every few minutes to write.  

Maybe the thing that bugs me with Given ep1 is that I prefer couples who actually like each other enough to instantly click.  At least get along together.  I abandoned my favorite shoujo manga circle because they kept insisting on this "falling in love with the person who annoys the heroine (the most)" cliche.  I generally tell people that I don't like Romance genre movies because so many of them revolve around couples who confuse friction and adrenaline for "passion" and attachment.  But that never sat well with me. I never liked the "argue/hate someone so much, you don't realize you're in love with them", as my aunt once put it.  Even the couples I like which might be mistaken for that trope actually arne't as abrasive as many filler episodes would caricature them to be: Ranma/Akane, Ichigo/Rukia. Maybe that's why I'd prefer to browse the AkiRyu fandom right now.  They actually enjoy spending time with each other!  From the first time they met!  ...I dunno...  Maybe Given will get very good, very fast, after this first ep.  Lots of BL manga had rough starts but turned into great series of scenes that were emotionally moving to experience, once the initial situation that contrived the couple to get together, is settled.  Why wouldn't Given be the same?  

I probably shouldn't post this reaction to my blog.  Or maybe have no tags, so the fandom won't come after me.  I don't need flames for my flippant venting that will likely change drastically once I get further into the series and find what I liked about those spoiler clips.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The more time passed after watching Given ep1, the more I tried to use everything else to TRY to figure out why I wasn’t in love with Given (yet). 

6:43 PM 9/28/2019

TOBE!!! CAROLE & TUESDAY EPISODE 14 LIVE REACTION 

by MemoryNK

https://youtu.be/58OI_yufctQ

OMG THIS SHOW!  Just a few clips, edited, talked over by commentary, and I'm already freaking half-crying!  GODDAMNIT!  ;o;  Carole's dad found her, he and his wife wanted to keep her but the wife died and he was unjustly sent to prison, and now he's still on parole and has to return to prison or his parole restrictions on Earth or something---!  ;O;!!!!!!!!!!!  THIS SHOW---! And Carole takes it as hope and something to look forward to, vs typical cliche drama contrived anger!  This show goes for the heart-felt warmth, instead of the contrived anger drama! ;U;  I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!  

Carole and Tuesday season 1 part 2 doesn't release on Netflix for probably a few more MONTHS.  Maybe it was a mistake to see spoilers.  But I've been seeing songs from season 1 part 2 all this time.  But actual scenes, spoiling the story...I went too far.  Maybe I shouldn't have.  

But only because I want to note my emotional reactions.  Especially when I'm having such trouble getting into Given.  I need to now if Carole & Tuesday were able to grab me from ep1, first intros of the main characters,...Because Given is failing hard on that!  And I want to know if I'm justified in not being as attached to Given, or if I was just having a bad day (I wasted all yesterday on that horrible cooking that even made me physically ill ~___~;!)  

6:49 PM 9/28/2019

I came in from my daily walk and had to immediately watch Carole & Tuesday becasue while I was walking, Mafuyu's song from Given was stuck in my head, even though I didn't even know it well.  I started daydreaming about Tuesday and Mafuyu hanging out, jamming, etc., and I couldn't listen to my podcasts while walking anymore.  I had to switch to Carole & Tuesday.  

7:21 PM 9/28/2019

https://mysticdragon3md3.tumblr.com/post/187499907672/md3-watches-carole-tuesday-season-1-part-1

Re-reading my reactions to watching Carole & Tuesday for the first time, I'm surprised how little I say about their characters (until much later episodes).  I wonder if it means they were so agreeable that I didnt' have to rant anything about them.  Because in contrast to my reactions to watching Given ep1 for the first time, I just kept going on and on about their characters---how mean Uenoyama was.  ...omg...I think I don't like Uenoyama.  I mean, I LOVE Carole, and Tuesday is really sweet and cute, but I never mentioned anything about that in my reactions from earlier this month until like halfway through season1 part1.  In fact, a few minutes ago was the first time I reblogged some Carole & Tuesday art with tags like "#my girls" and "i love them!".  I'd hate to say it, but maybe I only realized how good of characters Carole & Tuesday are, because of how abrasive Uenoyama's introduction has been for me.  I mean, I always thought Carole's brash confidence was cool and Tuesday was sweet, but I guess I was taking it as a given, instead of something extraordinarily rare.  ...I'm trying really hard to get into Given, you guys.  All the clips and spoilers I've seen and the music have been good.  But it's becoming clear to me now that Uenoyama is a barrier.  I used to read a lot of BL and those protagonists do tend to be really quirky or always upset to end up in the plot situation for comedic sakes...But when will the series get to Uenoyama being stupidly in love with Mafuyu so I can laugh at him for being an idiot around him?  I'm impatient over here, especially when I usually drop a series as soon as it centers too much on an abrasive character.  There are 20+ anime series every season and 4 seasons every year, and I've got a big backlog of anime to watch, so I can afford to be picky---I _HAVE TO_ be picky.  

6:18 PM 9/29/2019

I've been really bugged by how I have not enjoyed the first episode of Given.  Maybe I got my expectations too high, after watching it because of so much hype over it, and watching spoiler clips that were really intriguing.  But what really gets me, after having finally seen ep1, is that Uenoyama is not very likable!  Why does Mafuyu even like him?!  Well, Mafuyu is a sweethear and will forgive anything, ti seems...I think the problem is that _I_ as an audience member see no reason to like Uenoyama yet.  Why would I want this jerk to continue getting angry as adorable, frail Mafuyu?  Mafuyu doesn't deserve that!  ;o;  

The really bad thing are the comparisons.  I've been re-watching "Carole and Tuesday" repeatedly this month, and though it's not (blatantly) a romance story, there's just so much reason to want to see these 2 characters always be together.  I love watching them, they enjoy each other's company, they are nice to each other equally,---!  And I just realized that Given's Uenoyama and Mafuyu are similar to Kageyama and Hinata from Haikyuu.  Granted, I didn't really get into the KageHina ship (it just had some cute doujins that I personally thought were too dissimilar to the canon characters for me to think of the ship while I watched Haikyuu), but I LIKED the dynamic between Kageyama and Hinata.  WHY?  All Kageyama did was yell and treat Hinata badly whenever he could!...No...That's not true.  The story made certain from the very beginning to establish Kageyama as a more noble person inside, even though he was just so oblivious to how humans should interact, he only knew how to give commands and yell as a frustrated setter/commander.  Kageyama's first personality-establishing scene was him saving Hinata from bullies and proving that he doesn't approve of low, bully-like behaviors.  And I think pegging Kageyama, from the beginning, as seeking penance and his angsting over his regrets, the the whole first season culminating with him learning how to properly share bonds with people vs bossing them around, and thus finally remedying his past regretted behaviors---It all really turned and angry, easily annoyed character that could have become abrasive, into a character of sympathy.  (Plus, he was cool at what he does.  Which is generally another trait a main character nees to garner audience respect.)  So why couldn't Uenoyama do that from the beginning too?!?!  >O<!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!  It's driving me crazy!  I was supposed to like Given!!!!!!!!!  I _WANT_ to like Given!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ;O;!!!  

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 5/28/19

Creature Girls: A Hands-On Field Journal in Another World, Vol. 1 | By Kakeru | Seven Seas – This was another “I’ll get the first volume, how bad could it be?” sort of book. The answer is pretty bad, at least for readers of my taste. That said, for those in the market this is aiming for, Creature Girls must be a dream come true. A monster girl story with actual coitus, as well as deep down analysis of the girls’ bodies, almost to the point of parody. The plot is the standard “guy transported to fantasy world” stuff, and there’s a few mentions made of battles against enemies that he helps them with. But the target reader is not here for that. He is here to see monster girls show off their boobs, swear they’re 18, and get screwed. This book gives that to you, in spades. I’ll pass on future volumes. – Sean Gaffney

Haikyu!!, Vol. 32 | By Haruichi Furudate | Viz Media – Oh boy, more full volumes of volleyball. They sure do (punches fist in air) PLAY that volleyball, huh? OK, OK, let me see… the twins’ backstory was quite good, and I enjoyed the end, where we see more of Hinata’s growth to the point where Tsukishima even praises him, as much as Tsukishima is ever going to praise anyone. And credit to the author, 32 volumes in, for continuing to find ways to not make volleyball boring. There are great poses and a fast pace which reminds you why this is such a popular series. The pace is not fast enough that the game is over, though, and I’m fairly sure that the next volume will have me groping for words once more. It’s a good series, though. – Sean Gaffney

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 1 | By Hirohiko Araki| Viz Media – Ten years after the final battle between Dio and Jotaro in Cairo, the fourth part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure returns to Japan. In the first volume of Diamond Is Unbreakable, Jotaro has come to the town of Morioh to investigate a series of crimes and to search for Josuke Higashikata, his uncle and the illegitimate son of his grandfather Joseph Joestar. When Jotaro finds Josuke he discovers a high schooler with a very powerful Stand and a hair-trigger temper (both literally and figuratively) to go with it, a potentially dangerous combination. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues to be a violent and grotesque series—the human and animal cruelty present will be too much for some readers—but I continue to love it for its strangeness, over-the-top action sequences, and ridiculous characters. Josuke in particular is one of those delinquents with a heart of gold that brings me tremendous delight. – Ash Brown

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 3 | By Waco Ioka and Midori Yuma | Viz Media – I’m wondering how much of this series is going to be Aoi healing people’s hearts through the power of delicious food. Oryo spends most of the volume sick (well, the impression is she’s also hiding), but even she will eat Aoi’s food. We also get backstory on Suzuran and Akatsuki, and take a trip back to Japan so that Suzuran can pay her respects to the late Shiro, and also stay behind. It’s a perfect opportunity for Aoi to stay behind as well, something her captor knows only too well, but she chooses to return anyway. This series looks pretty slow burn, so I think the food may outweigh the romance for a while yet. But I’m OK with that. – Sean Gaffney

Kiss & White Lily for My Dearest Girl, Vol. 9 | By Canno | Yen Press – Half this volume is Yukine and Ayaka, who are coming to realize that “winning” or “losing” is not the be-all and end-all of their relationship. Good thing too, as Ayaka finally wins. Elsewhere, we see a girl who’s a repeater (she was injured and couldn’t get attendance credits), so is something of a loner, but also a cosplayer. She ends up falling for a younger, puppy-dog sort of girl, but it’s hard to get over putting people at a distance, so they end up breaking up quickly. But is it really over? This volume frames the “main” pairing right in the middle, with the ‘volume’ pairing as a bookend, and it woks very well. Next volume is the last, so I suspect it will be all Ayaka and Yukine. – Sean Gaffney

Little Witch Academia, Vol. 3 | By Trigger, Yoh Yoshinari and Keisuke Sato | JY – The spinoff comes to an end here, and there’s no real climactic finale—they have to win a flying contest against another school, but Diana is ill, so Akko tries her hardest (and mostly fails) and succeeds in the end, because she’s just that plucky. In the end, I think this spinoff probably works best for the groups it’s marketed for—kids and those who watched the anime. I wasn’t as fond of it as I was the other ones, as it’s clear that any character development is going to be in the main series. But as an advertisement for the main series, it’s excellent—I certainly would like to see more of everyone. Something to get your niece for her birthday—at three volumes, it’s even affordable. – Sean Gaffney

My Monster Secret, Vol. 16 | By Eiji Masuda | Seven Seas – Every new volume of the series after its first “ending” seems to be designed to annoy me—something that also befell the very similar Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, if I recall. As the cover might give away, this volume doubles down on the teacher-student romance between Akari (who has at least appeared a lot) and Sakurada, best known as the least developed one of Those Three Guys, who looks much older than he is, which I guess is supposed to take the curse off the creepiness but doesn’t. Elsewhere, there is still some good comedy—I particularly liked the chapter with the supermarket sale—but more and more it appears this should have ended with the mutual confession. – Sean Gaffney

One-Punch Man, Vol. 16 | By ONE and Yusuke Murata | Viz Media – Still far too serious, and now faced with Saitama barely being in it. Certainly if you like cool fights it’s a good read, but I can get that from a dozen other manga titles. I read this for silliness, and that’s in short supply here. I did like the idea of the superhero “Megane,” who is pretty much just a guy with glasses. There’s also some good development from Garo, whose analysis is top tier, but who sadly is a bit too focused on the wrong things. But then again so are the A-rank heroes—there’s a fair bit of hypocrisy here. At least Genos knows what’s what, and we also get the return of Bang, who has a grudge of his own. It looks like Saitama will show up soon, and thank goodness. Who needs a totally serious One-Punch Man? – Sean Gaffney

Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 15 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | VIZ Media – Revolution is approaching as the most senior of Iesada’s ministers signs a trade treaty with America without waiting for Imperial approval. This fellow silences his detractors with harsh punishments and winds up assassinated by the end of the volume for his trouble. Meanwhile, the pregnant Iesada has evidently been gotten out of the way by somebody, but it’s unclear who, leaving her bereaved consort Taneatsu in the dark about her demise for a full month. Now he’s doing his best to guide her clever successor, who has just been married to an Imperial prince. She was concerned about deceiving the emperor, since the shogunate’s part of the deal was to oust foreigners, but a big reveal in the final pages proves they’re the ones who’ve been deceived. Still great, if sad. Poor Taneatsu. – Michelle Smith

Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization, Vol. 3 | By Tomo Hirokawa, based on the story by Reki Kawahara | Yen Press – The danger is ramped up a lot more in this volume, which also comes with the return of a familiar face from the Progressive series. When it comes to “NPCs can surpass their programming,” no one’s done it more often than SAO, with the current Alicization arc being all about that. Kizmel was (storywise, at least) first, though, and it’s heartwarming to see Kirito and Asuna reunite with her, even if she doesn’t know who they are. That said, this side story is still all about Premiere, who has a role that she is clearly there to fulfill… and also there’s more than one of her? Not for casuals, but SAO fans should find this a lot of fun. – Sean Gaffney

Yowamushi Pedal, Vol. 11 | By Wataru Watanabe | Yen Press – The joy of our whole team of six catching up with one another is tempered by the reminder that there can be only one winner of this race… and that the others are going to drop back and fail. It’s a hard lesson for Onoda to absorb, and by the end of the book he’s still struggling to. The rest of the book is filled with the most manly cycling ever, fortunately, and I have to say pound-for-pound this series even manages to out-shonen the Jump titles. That said, holy hell, this is a long race, and we’re still not done. Sports manga go on forever, and nothing says that better than this omnibus, which equates to vols. 21-22 of the original. I hope Sohoku eventually wins. And by that I mean Onoda. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown