#anyway i'm getting close to 100 followers so i better buckle down

[heavensdog]

The stats screen was pretty cool to see in and of itself! >_

Aaah, thank you ;////; I’m glad! My plan is for the MC’s stats to be in flux through chapter five (which is the end of the current arc), so I hope I can balance things well

The core stat for Pure and Gentle is “righteousness”; originally, the stats were going to be called “Righteous” and “Merciful” but then I thought about how many anime protags there are getting called nonesense things like “pure” and “gentle” when their actions seem on the surface to be Anything But (I finished reading Shaman King in the last year or so and that’s a really good example. Hao is pure??? Ren is gentle???) and what those actually meant in that context, and then I thought that would be a good dynamic to explore in Heaven’s Dog, which is about anger and good intentions that feel more like a burden and a wall than something worthwhile, and being unable to let go of those good intentions even though they’re hurting you, because they’re such a core part of you that you’d be lost without them.

“Pure” is for MCs who are very sure of what is right and wrong, and determined to defend what is right while being slow to accept what they see as wrong in another person. For a Pure MC, they can always do better, and they always need to push themselves to do better, and they see other people the same way -- and if it gets out of hand, that could be very, very bad, but in moderation it’s also really important because without it you’ll just let innocents get hurt and yourself get hurt and etc.

“Gentle” is for MCs who are very receptive to the idea that other people are doing their best, and that the world is ultimately kind and that if you extend the hand of friendship enough times eventually someone will reach back; they can’t give up on the people around them because those people are who they’re fighting for, but at an extreme, it can be hard to distinguish between “good” and “bad” because you could be in that other person’s shoes if you’d just taken a wrong turn somewhere.

This is a bit of a tangent, but I’m planning for there to be three loose “paths” for the MC to follow -- I’ve only plotted out the middle path, and the others are still sort of percolating, but they each tie into an extreme of “righteousness” conceptually (a high righteous or low righteous character is not necessarily bound to either role, though! that would be unfair); the first is the “punishment route” which is a tragedy (it’s meant to be more cathartic than rewarding) where the MC gives into their anger and purity and destroys everything they can’t accept; the second is the “natural” route, where the MC seals away a great evil and manages to find peace with their place in the world, and chooses where they want to belong, etc, and the third is the “redemption” arc, where the MC is driven by compassion and mercy to redeem Phantome du  Mirage, despite everything she’s done, and that last route is more about the question that’s been on my mind for the last few years, as someone who hardcore favors redemption: if everyone can be saved, how do you save them without hurting the people they’ve hurt?

Thank you so much for asking! (And for . . . listening to me prattle about things haha)

[the-nysh]

Top 3 hottest OPM characters(male) in your opinion and why?

Hmmm, quite a difficult question! Mainly cause Murata's out here drawing everyone conventionally attractive, so narrowing down the choices to 3 from such a huge cast of pretty guys is almost unfair! ;o; Plus beyond playing favorites, what constitutes 'hot' varies subjectively from person to person according to taste. Just as a heads up, I'm ace-spectrum, but I still have eyes to discern what's up, so I'll try but may fail to tackle this as clinically as I can. 🧐

Anyway, if you've followed Murata's art evolution from his Eyeshield 21 days, then you might recognize that the character who most closely matches his default 'attractive male' face, aesthetically according to his style, is Glasses.

Meaning, this face is basically the base form from which you can add or subtract further spices of individuality to make an all-around more interesting and therefore attractive character (even better than this). How well we know the character, and their overall vibe/energy also count as distinguishing factors beyond surface level aesthetics too. So with all that said, I think I can narrow down the final contestants to be among these fine standout ikemen: 

(With my opinions given in no particular order.)

Flash: aka Mr. Legolas bishie sparkle personified. This guy is probably the most glamorous, stupidly gorgeous mf of the entire cast (even more so than some of Murata’s girls!) and he knows it. Visually he’s more striking to me than Sonic, because his eyes are always sharp, and he carries himself with a sense of poise and dignity (which Sonic often loses...oops). His air of self-importance and arrogance can be a bit off-putting though (giving me vibes of a himedere, especially when he orders Saitama around.) Also because he’s so ‘beautiful’ more on the effeminate side (he proudly even wears heels!) I’m not quite sure if that constitutes ‘hot’ either 🤔 (ymmv on different types of spice/energy though), but since Flash is just so...flashy, it’d be a crime not to mention him!  

Zombieman: visually his face is very easy on the eyes as one of Murata’s most handsome dudes. His noir + vampire hunter theme also counts for style points but any more belt buckles + zippers and he starts parodying a T. Nomura character. Plus Murata’s not shy about giving him cake when nude. :P He features short (simple) black hair spikes, dark-rimmed eyes, and extremely thin (almost non-existent?) eyebrows for some reason. His smoking, undead complexion, and the accidental guro of his fighting style can be turn-offs for some, but my main problem is that he’s too calm/nice! I’d like to see him get angrier to show more fire & personality of what makes him tic - to further assert himself and delineate where he morally stands. Which is why I felt his best moments were when he got angry at Dr. Genus and when he began to tease/bicker with Sweet Mask. Now that’s more like it!

Sweet Mask: technically he is very pretty, like a perfectly manufactured kpop idol, which is probably The Point. I also much prefer his current clean-cut short hairstyle over his long hairdo from earlier in the series (that one didn’t quite fit him imo.) Knowing what he is though, his ‘mask’ can feel a bit uncanny valley (with good reason). Some of his over the top antics resemble Reigen’s con-like and sweaty performances at times, which is amusing, but the other times when he swerves to his murderous impulses can be a big yikes! D: The narcissism traits and his cold asshole behavior can be seen as other negatives, but once you see his arc in the webcomic, the gravity of what he’s internally fighting sheds light on his character in a whole new way (even for Murata, who likely draws him with much more ‘care’ and understanding now too.)   

Saitama: yes, I’m 100% serious. His hard-boiled form has a strong nose, sharp but warm eyes, and a defined jawline. (His baldness doesn’t matter whatsoever.) Anyone knows he’s sporting a greek god statue of a physique under his suit too (which feels a shame Murata doesn’t capitalize on drawing more pinups of him). He walks with imposing purpose yet his presence brings a sense of ease, relief and safety. We know he could basically kill anyone just by breathing, which is 👀;;;; but he won’t because he’s a good egg with fine control of his power. His appeal is understated but approachable, and this is very important!!! (Otherwise if he’s a villain, he imbues the primal fear of being trapped in an alleyway with no escape & futile resistance, except spread over the entire world...noooo!!!) Because even as the most powerful man in existence, you could simply just run up to him to ask for a handshake and he’d be bashfully delighted to. :3 His soft egge form is also very moe (and dopey...though a bit absent-minded), while he himself likes cutesy cheap household paraphernalia as well. Bottom line, a Saitama who’s alert, serious, and impassioned (even angry enough to snarl) is very handsome and I will die on this hill. 😤 

Genos: the boy whose spirit is too much for his frame to contain. :’) But Murata, ahem, Kuseno’s really outdone himself to perfect a face that balances both sharp & rounded features in all the right places; he’s a very striking but finely sanded work of art. (My favorite: when he glows.) He gets everything that accentuates ‘pretty’: from lashes, earrings, to a defined upper lip (the only character who’s consistently drawn with one). And yet, he’s still very masculine from his strong brows, defined jawline, wide shoulders, and solid dorito figure. He also volunteers doing the housework and looks great in pink. Any man who’s responsible, dutiful, & confident in his identity like that (without ever stooping to self-absorbed vanity either) is a big plus. From his overall earnest intensity to his trigger-happy aggression, he surprisingly doesn’t express the extremes of his anger very often on his face. Giving more an air of blunt/rude aloofness that’s a bit coldly standoffish and unapproachable (brooding/repressed almost like Cloud Strife), which makes Genos feel more similar to a kuudere in temperament. However if you earn his respect, he’ll demonstrate unwavering loyalty and a fierce, unshakable overprotectiveness that rivals no other. You can securely trust him to be there for you when it absolutely counts. What a good lad! 

Garou: feral wolf boy who’s thematically all sharp, chiseled edges but for his softer, compassionate heart. :’3 (Just don’t tell him that as he’s not yet ready to face the truth~) In true temperamental tsundere fashion, he may dishonestly be in denial about his feelings, and often has difficulty navigating them, but oh does he care; he cares a LOT. No one swerves from 0 to 100 in the extreme expressions quite like him. No one sports impressive back muscles quite like his either. He also has the prettiest hands out of anyone in the cast; you’d be surprised (and entertained) to see just how elegantly he turns fighting into an artform. Gap moe also works to great effect, cause despite how he looks and tries to present himself, he’s still a huge dork and a nerd. :P (Which makes me laugh cause he’s a bit of a dummy about it - that’s a charm point.) I like his facial scar for more rugged spice. I also prefer when his hair is short(er) though, because once the ‘wolf ears’ start growing too long, they begin to look a little ridiculous on the goofy side, heh. (But ONE’s post-arc solves this.) His extremely toned (Bruce Lee inspired) body is also quite uniquely proportioned, which it seems even merch teams cannot accurately replicate, as beefy ones like Suiryu’s are too big, while Garou’s still built for dexterous speed. Murata’s not blind to what’s he’s designed either, as he happily thirsts in the fanservicey Garou pinups just as much as Fubuki’s. (They are his poster boy & girl, literally.) :P But beyond that, what gets my attention is when he seethes in righteous fury after witnessing injustice, and gives his all to violently protect the weak & innocent (whoaa, protectiveness is hot 😳). And when he snarls in the face of would-be manipulators who might order him what to do by telling them no. Firmly asserting himself where he morally stands, such that his pure heart core can’t be swayed or corrupted (edit: except when he’s forcibly violated against his will by cosmic injustice), enough to tenaciously fight & risk his life on it even, is a big yes!! 8′D Oho, now that’s some good impressive stuff right there!

Ahem, anyway if you were to point a gun at my head to force me to decide, I’d probably default to Saitama as the most solid, ‘anchor’ option. ...But that also doesn’t seem very fair. 🤔 Logically, I also know that Genos is probably the most well-rounded in an effortlessly attractive way...but he was also technically designed to be that way anyway from the start. (Like, he’s supposed to be eye-catching and gorgeous, which Murata does splendidly to capture his charms!) But, but then....if you go by gut feeling also consider whose presence sparks joy and immediately gets you hyped/energized to see more of him prevail and be himself (as an entire package, including looking forward to the person he becomes post-arc), then that would have to be...Garou. ;o; Ahhh!!! So many good opm guys to enjoy!