#anyways i liked it it was ok. i liked kaoru she was cool but i HATED the romance between her and kiryu it made like no sense to me

[gigginox]

finished yakuza 2. what if i killed everyone

[ambreiiigns]

Ok then now tell me about these sk8 big and little boyfriends? I'm interested by the distinction of big and little, you know? :P

ok after Thee category 5 doubleblack moment and watching tristamp w my brother i'll answer this sk8 ask. then i'll go look at deathnote images saved to my phone to complete the collection of anime i care about

so you will never believe me but sk8. is about. a bunch. of skater boys. we have langa who moves to japan from canada after his dad dies bc his mom's japanese. him and his dad used to do snowboarding together but langa got lowkey depressed after his death and doesn't feel much passion for snowboarding anymore. plus he lives in beachy town now so it'd be impossible anyway

he meets reki there tho. and Oh reki is just like. the sun. they're in class together but didn't really talk (langa doesn't talk much) but they bump into each other while reki's out skating and he gets langa to try it and it just. goes downhill from there

reki takes him to S !!! which is this like super secret skaterz place that opens at night on some mountain where they have races and place bets and stuff. long story short langa finds that Spark he's missed ever since his dad died in reki and skateboarding - as in, yeah sure skating's fun but it's reki that makes his heart beat fast and not the adrenaline or whatever. it's not Skating itself that makes him happy but it's skating With Reki. they're so fucking SWEET. they have a bit of a fight halfway thru the series bc reki has some inferiority complex and langa almost loses the Spark again. it's really sweet. at some point he vaguely talks to his mom abt this fight and she assumes it's about a girl he likes so she asks him. "you LIKE this person don't you" and langa BLUSHES HE'S SO CUTE and says yeah :// so she hypes him up to go talk things out and says. good lird. "show her she's a lucky girl!!" and langa. i am quoting word for word. answers. "what girl." gay people real

and those ^ are the little boyfriends. now the BIG boyfriends ugh !! unsufferable. you got kojiro aka joe and kaoru aka cherry and we meet them at s. in fact they FOUNDED s when they were teens along w adam who's the bad guy in this show and i want him dead. joe is. built like a brickhouse and mildly italian ?? he runs a restaurant during the day and the Gang meets up there a lot he's the sweetest in the world and worries and helps the kids anytime he can i adore him. cherry's gnc af (you're insane) he's pretty as fuck and had a Punk Phase as a kid where he had a couple of piercings and emo bangs and NO ONE has ever looked better EVER but he's Mean but still Cares. when they met adam back in the day him & cherry had a lil somethin somethin going on but he ended up dumping them Both for being boring bc he's insane. i don't wanna talk abt him. so that leaves cherry & joe alone again - which is cool. they've been together since preschool they're the type to bicker and talk shit 24/7 while still always being glued to each other. they're so Horny but they won't fuck. everyone at s wonts them carnally. the kids (by this i mean reki & langa but mostly miya who's like a little shit pro skater they picked up along the way) (shoutout to the icp clown rockstar legend shadow who's the 6th and final member of The Gang) call them mom and dad Frequently and they call the gang "The Kids" an incriminating amount of times (they accidentally adopted two 16yos one 14yo and one 24yo. at age 26)

realizing i don't Know how to explain joe & cherry you kinda just have to witness them. there's this bit where cherry's explaining to The Kids how adam does one of his moves so he skates right up to joe and says "Hello..." in a. weird fucking tone and joe hisses back "You're Too Close!!!" threatheningly like he's gonna fuckin Jump him. there's this other bit during THEE beach episode where joe's flirting w some ladies (he's a manwhore) and miya grabs him pretends that he's his dad and tells him that Mommy's mad !! pointing at cherry who's like napping sexily. and joe actually looks at him and like fuckin whimpers and blushes like a virgin and all he can say for himself is THAT IS NOT YOUR MOM !!!! hello. what was that. also there's the bit where adam fuckin slams his board across cherry's face (?!?!?!?) and joe picks him up like a princess (which he calls him sometimes. princess and pinky and the likes) and gets him to the hospital and THEN cherry sneaks out of the hospital to go to joe's restaurant and falls asleep there and joe looks at him sooo tenderly and says something like "at least we aren't alone right kaoru?" and it's Sweet bc cherry has troubles sleeping but he feels safe enough to sleep around joe..... don't u wanna scream

here look at them. the kids the parents the squad

[sea-of-dust]

hi dear i love your bandori writing 🫶can i rq cute things hina hikawa & hagumi kitazawa do in a relationship?? ^_^

Puppies and kittens!

Cute things they do in a relationship!

Notes: Thank you for the request annon! Oy doing 10 for each for time's sake. Trying to cram in another post tonight.

Hina

She unknowingly makes it supper obvious she's thinking of you. When you first started dating she sort of makes this face. A puffed checked red face. She would also put her hands on her checks. When one of her bandmates asked what was wrong she responded "I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT THEM!!" "Who?" "MY S/O!!" "YOUR WHAT-" The band had a huddle up asking about you. What do you like about her? When did you start dating? DID YOU TWO KISS? DOES SAYO KNOW?!?

She never told Sayo. Not cause she thought she wouldn't be too fond of you, but because she forgets that she never told her. The way Sayo found out was when she saw you kiss Hina before heading home. "Hina- you never told me you had a lover" "really?!?! I thought you already knew!"

She brags about you everyone. "HEYYY LOOOK" "LOOK HOW COOL MY S/O IS" "Hina-"

She posts things you do on the internet. With your permission ofc. "You're so cute y/n~"

She sends you pictures when you two separate. When you text her she almost always replies quickly no matter the hour.

She wants to do something with you. A hobby you two can do together, so she tried to watch the things you do carefully. "Hina it's alright we almost do everything together anyway" "still! I wanna bond with you even more" "Hina- in that case you wanna go to karaoke sometime?"

You two frequently sing your heart out in karaoke sometimes with friends.

She likes leaning on you. She thinks you're the best pillow around! You don't move either!

She likes flexing how good she is at something in front of you. "Good job Hina" you kiss her on the check. Once again she covers her face in embarrassment

Please do her hair for concerts. She'll never take it out, but as soon as you wanna try something she's there, already sitting on the floor waiting for you.

Hagumi

Let's go on an adventure! You would joke about going to the beach after 4th period. She would be like "No y/n that's wrong~" then as 4th period ends "lets go!" "Where-" "to the beach!"

She likes buying cute charms with you. So much so whenever you buy them and try on the ones she originally bought herself she tells you to keep them. She can't even look at you covering her hands yet peaking through them to see you.

You're meeting her family early and her family are so cute and wholesome. "OH MY BABIES GOT A S/O HONEY PREPARE THE WELCOMING DINNER" "This isn't necessary miss, besides I've already brought my own gifts for you two" her mother does the face Hagumi does when she's flustered. "Hagumi you're dating an angel" she uses a tissue to wipe her tears. You wondered where she got her unpredictablity from and then remembered your girlfriend can catch squirrels...yea at this point your dating someone that comes from a line of magicians.

She tries to learn your favorite songs without you telling her, she wants to listen to them whenever she thinks of you.

Speaking of thinking about you she wears ear plugs when she's sleeping. You take them out of her ears incase one falls, and you would hear the subtle hum of one of your favorite songs.

The band doesn't get in the way of your relationship with her in fact Kaoru finds it fleeting. She usually goes on about you "taking care of a tainted rose is so...fleeting!" And stuff like that. You and Hagumi usually imitate band members when alone. They hear you giggling with her at night.

She loves showing off her plushies in fact if you were to ever sleep over with her she places a plushie in your arms. "make sure they have nice fluffy dreams ok mr penguin" she says putting a finger up to her lips as if telling the penguin to be quiet.

She whenever you read her bedtime stories. She sleeps by the end hugging your waist. "Good night Hagumi"

If you ever sung you love singing love songs....when it's just Hagumi watching. You would always sing songs you knew well and got very into the lyrics. These kinds of moments always make her flustered.

Reassure her you love her when she's feeling sad and she'll dig her face into your shoulder not wanting you to see her cry. "I love you Hagumi" "Even if I was a worm?" "Even if you were a worm"

[windypuddle]

ive been scrolling thru your swapstars au and im eating it all up!! tatsumi religous trauma, kuroshu gayness, kaname not in a coma and vibing with tatsumi :)))) trickstar ibanyan! kohaku's dumbass (affectionate) senpais, undead/df (forgot the df equivalent) midori. basically i want to say that i think ur very cool for making this<3

thank you so much!! kaname is so funny and pathetic. shu is the princess of eden this is very important because shes awesome ok. akatsuki is so funny and important to me i need to finish writing the bit i started . hm. anyway yes for midori double face im envisioning an unbloomed cg similar to atoz kaoru necause jun was originally going to be part of ambush but he thinks midori could use the experience better so hes like yeah go gettem girl.

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression: Niconama Vol:5 - Takoyaki party.

Part 2 (To part 1)

J: So, we're watching chef Kaoru work..ah, "Can't see for the flag", ah,  we moved the flag, now you can watch Leader cooking in all his glory.

T: Ok, now put the powder in this bowl.

J: Oh, the measuring thing is called a 計量器(*keiryōki - measuring device). I really don't know anything. And next, we put water in. When do we put the egg in? Not yet?

T: Ok, Joe, a quiz for you? When does the egg go in?

J: Ehh?! Well, now right? On top of the flour...and then the water?

T: Haha, yeah.

K: Well, we can put water in first.

J: Oh really?

K: Yeah, if we're mixing it all up together anyway, it doesn't matter which goes first.

J: Of course, yes.

K: Haha. Water in.

T: I'll pour it in one go.

J: "Cooking Kaoru is so precious"

K: Now the egg. *cracks it with one hand*

J: Cool! One-handed!

T: Did you catch that on camera, the one handed egg cracking?

K: Leader can do it one-handed.

J: Can you show us again? Oh, we only need one egg?

K: Yeah, only one. Then mix.

J: Oh, that tapping thing.

T: Joe, I think you are the only one who calls it that. I bet everyone will be calling it that tomorrow.

T: Ah, "one-handed cracking", "He's good at it" , "Im missed it". You can re-watch it! 

J: Ah, with time shift.

T: Yeah.

J: Please do, and remember that tapping thing.

T: Haha, it looks like they like that.

J: Everyone say that tomorrow when you are cooking, other people will be like, 'Huh??' Thats the story of my life, haha.

K: They do say that, don't they?

T: You're doing well after a month away though, Joe.

J: Ah, it was lonely

K: Really??

J: Yeah, it really was.

K: It wasn't like that for us.

T: Haha

J: Hey, I was hoping you'd say you were lonely too.

K: Takumi joined us, right? Takumi might not have wanted to go if you were there.

J: No, well, ive spoken to Takumi quite a few times at lives, we are not that distant, I mean, Im not sure...but he hasn't contacted me since , haha.

T: No, but Takumi's cookies were really good!

K: Yeh, and he came as a guest on the second day of Tora no ana, and he brought some more with him then. They were good.

T: Did you share them with everyone?

K: Ah, no, I had them myself.

J: Ahh, one of these days Takumi needs to open his own store.

K: Yeh, we could hold an event sometime for Takumi's cookies.

J: Ah, people are saying they want you to sell them at lives.

T: Oh, 20mins have passed already, that was quick!

J: Well, what should we do, should we hear some of the birthday messages that people have sent in? Tasai could you read some? Kaoru, are you gonna start cooking?

K: Not yet.

T: Ok, I'll read some messages. From Asako san, "Kaoru san, Happy Birthday. How many outfits did you take with you to Tora no ana? I couldn't decide what I wanted to wear, I ended up taking 8 outfits, my suitcase was packed!". So, how many did you take?

K: About 3 I think.

J: 3? Did you wear all of them?

K: Yeah. My suitcase was full too.

J: Well, cause its winter, right?

K: Yeah, you wanna take stuff just in case.

J: Ok, so 3 outfits.

T: Alright, next from Momoka san, "Its my first message"..Thank you.." Happy Birthday Kaoru. Im a third year elementary school girl.

J, K: Ohhh!

T: "My mum has taken me to your lives 4 times, and I became a fan of you! I will keep supporting you, so please keep doing what you're doing!

K: Thank you.

T: We should say Momika chan, right?

J: How do you feel getting support from a little kid?

K: Was she ok at our lives??

J: No, but going to see Dir en grey from age 4...

K: Won't she ???? On the other hand, it might help her grow up well, if she knows about all sorts of things.

J: Yes, cause there's not much of this type of thing in the world. Amazing, a third year student? She might be a your youngest fan.

T: We also have messages from overseas. From Diana san, this is written in Japanese, "We love you so much from America! Happy Birthday Kaoru ♥"

J: Ahh, from America.

T: We also have overseas messages from Saku san, Perry san...there was one from Russia too.

J: Russia?! Tasai, can you read Russian?

T: No...but where was it? I just had it. Oh, here it is. How do I say the name..Oracle san? "Happy Birthday. Something something something"

*Kaoru takes paper*

J: Huh? Kaoru, can you read it??

K: You can use apps to read it, right? *gets phone out*.

J: Ohh, these are the times we live in now. You don't have to write in sentences? Can an app do that?

K: You just have to get it in shot.

T: Ah, "My 2yr old loves Dir".

K: Huh? *reading phone app* Happy Birthday..three happy people..

T: That means its a nice message, right?

K: Its talking about us 3?

J: Yeh, maybe. Thank you! Im so glad people are aware of this show, and contacting us.

T: Ok, we'll read some more fan messages in the second half. We got all these *holds up paper* Thank you so much everyone!

J: Well, now, we are getting close to..

K: The end??

J: No, we've just started, you havn't even cooked them yet! I mean, the first half of the show is nearly over. We've finshed making the batter, but before we cook it, we are gonna have a bit of fun. Cause its a party, yeh? We have some fun stuff prepared. Its this..tadaa!....oh, nothing happened. Nothing happened when I said tadaa. Oh, I should just show this? Oh, I'm sorry, shall we try that again? haha. We have some fun stuff prepared for the takoyaki party.

K: I'll just keep mixing this batter.

J: Yes, you do that, its just about finished, right Kaoru? So, we are gonna do something fun before we cook it.

T: What is it??

J: Its this...tadaa! *shows card with maid aprons on it* Cameraman, zoom in. So that we don't get food or cooking smell on our clothes, we have prepared various aprons. So, next we will do a lucky draw to see who has to wear which apron. No matter which one you get, its kinda tough, right? Number 1 is wakazuma/young wife style, as is number 2. Next, number 3 is okami-san/landlady style, then we have maid version 1, and maid version 2.

T: Kaoru is gonna wear one of these, right?

K: No, all three of us are.

J: Yeah, all three.

T: All three?! Aghh.

J: Well, we wore pretty silly costumes for Halloween, didn't we? So..

T: Well, yeh.

J: Someone asked, "Is the management ok with this?"

T: Yeah, they said they are.

K: They are not here at the moment, are they?

J: Yeah, there's no one here.

T: We'll do it while they're not here.

J: I wonder if the viewers have any preferences about which ones they want us to wear? I mean, we aren't gonna decide like this, we'll do a lucky draw, but... what do you guys wanna see? Oh, Kaoru as a maid, or a young wife? Yeah. Its like the management ran away..."Cook's apron"...."naked with an apron"??  No, we are not gonna go naked with aprons. haha. "Young wife, young wife" "the frilly one" "maid"..ah, opinion is quite divided isn't it?

T: Yeh.

J: Is there any one which you want to wear, Leader? There must be, right? As for me, I would say what I don't want.

K: Hm, any of them is fine.

J: Any? Ohh. Ok, well, lets do the lucky draw. There is one card for each number in the box, we just gotta decide who draws first. So, lets do rock paper scissors, and whoever wins, picks first.

J: Ok, Leader, you lead.

*They play, Tasai wins*

T: Ok, I'll go first.

K: Lets pick them out first, and reveal all at the same time.

J: Oh, yeh. Im trying to figure out which is the worst...maybe the maid. We're definitely gonna get one of these each though.

K: Well, only three.

J: There's young wife - one and two, landlady, and maid - one and two. Ok, lets reveal to the camera all together. Readddy...go! Ahh, what did Leader get? Show us.

T: Maid 1

J: Ahh, Leader got Maid 1. Tasai got..Young wife 2. I got Maid 2. This is gonna look like something straight outta hell.

K, T: Hahaha

J: This is like the worst combination, right? Two maids, and a young wife.

K: Yeah, its pretty cringey.

T: Is this???? I'm gonna wear this.

J: *sings* 'Higashi no wakazamakaze'. You need a cushion too. So, whoever wants to see this hellish image of us, and Kaoru wearing aprons, we'll be doing this in the second half. Also, I'll tell you how you can do this. I know you probably already know, because we've done this a few times already, but..Anyone can watch the first half of this show for free, but the second half is for subscribers only, so if you want to see Kaoru in an apron, you will have to register. If you register, you can watch this broadcast as many times as you like in the archives for one year. And we also have an extra members only video for you, to be available in the coming days. There is a blue link appearing at the top of the screen now, and you can sign up here. Is it there, Kaoru is pointing, at the top, this is where you can join. If you havn't already registered, please do. Its not very difficult. Step 1, click the link and a payment method screen will appear. Step 2, choose credit card, paypal, whatever method you like, click proceed, and enter your payment details. Its easy, just two clicks. Please register, everyone. So, in the second half, we will actually cook and eat the takoyaki,  plus you can see Kaoru in the apron...what was it again...maid 1. But actually, it is black..so it just about works for you.

K: Yeah, haha...I don't know.

J: And, actually, because its your birthday, we might be getting a special message from someone who is familiar to you, who the fans will all surely know too.

K: Ehh?

J: So thats another surprise we have planned

T: You're prepared, Joe.

J: Its not me, its the staff. They wanna celebrate Leader. You wanna know who sent the message, right, guys? Well, channel members have that to look forward to. Also, as for the members only video that I mentioned before, this time it will be a baseball talk about Kaoru's faves, the Hanshin Tigers.

K: Yep.

T: We have to do this before the season starts, right?

K: Yeah.

J: So we will record that after this live broadcast finishes, and channel members will be able to watch it in a few days. So please look forward to that. So, its about time now, its over 30 mins. The screen will change in a moment, but we'll be back straight away for the second half. Please register, and join us for that. Are you good, everyone? Did you register? Ok, see you in the second half! Yehy.

To part 1

[daz4i]

top 5 confidants/social links??? or 10 if youre up for it ...

thank you!!!!!! :3

oh my god i wrote a whole, long ass answer explaining why i positions each one where it was but tumblr just. disappeared it. somehow. hate it here. asjdkfhg i'm gonna shorten things very much please imagine there is a whole paragraph for each one :(

also! i haven't gotten very far into any of p3's social links unfortunately so i'm doing just p5 and p4!

10. ok ik she's very hated, the abilities you get kinda suck, and that it has some creepy moments. but. ohya's confidant is good ok. i like how it's connected to the main story directly it's so cool!

9. maruki tbh lol. i just like the good vibes and discussions about human psyche and pain bc it's just stuff i really am interested in irl askdjgh so like maruki in general very easily keeps me invested even when the rank ups are more mundane

8. iwai!!!!!! i tend to forget his confidant often bc on new saves it's super hard to start and on ng+ i always leave it for later bc i don't need its abilities, but it's genuinely a really good one, story wise! i love kaoru and the dynamic between joker and him, i like how iwai basically adopts joker too, and the climax is very satisfying to watch!

7. yosuke! i'm ngl i don't like most of the IT's social links, but yosuke's (and maybe kanji's) makes up for that. it stays interesting and emotionally investing enough throughout and has an excellent climax (i just wish it had the original climax too lol)

6. shinya! son boy allowed. dare i even say encouraged. i don't have much to say without writing a new paragraph tbh i just love him a lot

5. shu! he's like shinya to me but a bit more tightly wrapped, if that makes sense? like shinya dips into other topics here and there while shu's stays more grounded, in a sense, so i like it more!

4. nanako 🥺🥺🥺🥺 (and to an extent, dojima, bc they're p much connected). can you tell i love persona kids. i wanna adopt them all

3. sojiro!!!!!!!!!!! i forgive the game for soft locking me from continuing it for a few months and making me waste time slots in my first playthrough bc the emotional payoff is def worth it 🥺

2. gonna be surprising here and say mishima. it's just extremely well written imo, probably the best one in that regard

goro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! specifically the royal one, ofc. you may ask "hey if mishima's confidant is the best written one then why is goro first" bc it's FUN i like going on dates with my special little detective and also it really is just Good Vibes all around but especially when he threatens to kill me. also it's goro i can't just not put him first smh

also honorable mentions bc i feel bad for not including them at all but i love their stories a lot: yumi, kou, ryuji, yusuke and hifumi!

PHEW ALRIGHT THIS ENDED UP LONG ANYWAY ASKDJFHG but i hope you like my takes uwu

send some top 5/top 10 asks!

[rainbowjamblog]

Something like a review of LA Kenshin: The Final

Spoilers ahead!

So, I watched the new LA Kenshin movie yesterday. And my immediate reaction was to take ot tumbr to see what others thought, which helped; and now I want to try and expand a bit on what others have already pointed out.

So. The Kyoto arc felt very well done. The changes mostly made sense, the emotional arc was there, it got me in the feels, it was cool, the action was great etc. Many others have elaborated on that. The only thing that really bothered me was how Kaoru got thrown overboard and never got a chance to fight. I mean, this arc is the *one* where she isn’t a damsel in distress, so they immediately change that? Ugh.

But anyway, I had all the trust and high expectations for this movie. As we all had, it seems.

So, what happened?

First: There are many things the movie is doing well. The casting and acting was still really good; I like how they tone down the more ‘colorful’ aspects of the manga to give them a more realistic feel, while keeping core elements of the caracter design. (Though, with some of the minor adversaries, I felt that didn’t work so well this time - a bit too manga-esque for the more realistic feel of the movies.) All the technical aspects worked well, as far as I could tell. What fell flat for me was the storyline. I understand that they had to make changes to make the whole arc fit into one or two movies, and I also understand that they might need to make changes because some stuff that works in a manga might now work as well in a movie. And that’s ok. The Kyoto arc worked so well because while they made lots of changes, the emotional core of the story was clear and intact. It was about Kenshin finding his reason to fight, his will to live and to adhere to his principles. At the end, it’s about finding home.

So, what about Jinchuu? To me, the core is about Kenshin finding a way to continue even when he fails. Enishi’s Jinchuu really tears everything down Kenshin has built, all the small parts of a good, peacful life he has managed to find, despite all he had done. But, most of all, Enishi shows him that he is unable to protect what he loves. And, since protecting is pretty much his reason to live - that means his life is suddenly meaningless. All the atonement wasn’t enough.

The Kyoto fight was about Kenshin’s past. It was about his sins and whether he was worthy to even have a present. And the ending showed that yes, he has a present, and he was truly able to change.

The Jinchuu arc, on the other hand, is somehow more about Kenshin’s future. He has found a measure of peace (a brittle one, obviously, since he kept his darkes demons hidden until the Dojo scene), and he has some hope that his philosophy of protecting is holding up. To atone for his sins, he has turned to help others; and in this he has found a possible way.

Enishi destroys that; completely. Kenshin has to learn in the most gut-wenching way possible that he cannot protect those he loves. This destroys him. And this, for me, is the emotional core of the arc: that Kenshins reason of being is shattered around him, and he nearly breaks because of it - but doesn’t. He finds the will to live, the will to continue, despite the most terrible failure he can imagine.

And this is the part that was missing from the movie. Yes, I understand that they couldn’t let Kaoru ‘die’ a second time (why, oh why did they do that before?!); but still, even with her kidnapped, or deeply hurt in a fight, they could have shown Kenshin shocked to the core that he wasn’t able to protect her. And that he must find a way to go on despite knowing that he can’t always protect thos closest to him.

Also. Kaoru gets short shrift by the script. Not only is she hardly allowed to fight (both in the past movies and in this one), but she is the emotional core of the whole thing. We get to see glimpses of that in her interactions with Megumi and Enishi; both beautifully done. But we hardly see that she is the person who matters most to Kenshin these days, that she lives and practices all those ideals he is trying so hard to hold on to; that without her, he loses his guiding light. Instead, he just ups and goes to fight all the bad dudes, and everone joins him in a kind of ‘yay, we’re all here for you’ moment - which would have been great, if the buildup had been there.

A thing I really liked, though, was the way they showed Kenshin’s backstory with Tomoe. It felt suitably quiet; two hurt people, no, deeply traumatised people, who come to understand each other, while we as the audience are also slowly understanding their connection.

So. Thanks for reading my rambling thoughts! I’d love to hear other’s takes on the whole thing!

[maryniss]

The Hero

Fandom: Sk8 The Infinity

Summary: We found out who built Carla.

Characters:

Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom

Nanjo Kojiro | Joe

Relationships:

Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom

Rating:

General and Up Audiences

Tags:

Fluff

ofc it had to be a rewrite of the preview in ep 9

Kaoru being soft for once

Kojiro being a total simp

had to rewrite it cause the first draft got deleted

Notes: hihihi matchablossom is the coolest name for a ship pls im dying i love them so much. btw, kojiro means hero in japanese. ahahahahha

also fuck adam

and the palm trees

also inspired by a convo with my bestie @seleneslyre-writes​

Why Kaoru loved Carla so much was a mystery for Kojiro. It wasnt even that great. What could she do? Just some little tricks here and there.

Well, one thing was certain. Kojiro regrets that he built Carla for Kaoru. Or, he doesnt regret it. He loves that his friend has something he treasures so deeply. He really wants Kaoru to be happy. But, still. There is this feeling in his stomach, the same feeling he has when his soup is just a little too salty, when his carbonara pasta have just too much parmesan.

Kojiro sighs and the fire on the stove does too. It is really not the time to actually be thinking about Kaoru. Especially not right now. When his pink-haired friend sits in front of him, waiting to eat something.

"Oi, are you trying to starve me to death?"

Ah, Kojiro knew this would happen. He should just focus on his food. Just his food. Just the food he was making for Kaoru...

Ah, he just remembered how Kaoru used to skate. Before Carla. Before Adam left to America. When Kaoru skated, he was feral. It didnt matter that he could get hurt. It didnt matter that he was getting the corner at a wrong angle. It was simply amazing to watch Kaoru skate then. If he was sincere, he probably fell for him when he first saw him skate. It was probably spring and Kojiro was going back from school. How old was he? 16?

Anyway, the weather was warm and all around him sakura flowers were swinging. He remembers that his feet were cold for whatever reason and that he wanted to go home as soon as possible.

He didnt see the guy with the skate. If his hair would have been a different color from the flowers that were around him, maybe he would have.

Kojiro and Kaoru clashed and fell on the hard asphalt. The sakura flowers were all around them. Or maybe it was just Kaoru's hair; Kojiro couldnt distinguish them.

And, yes that was the moment he fell. He fell hard. Never in his life had he fell harder. Even when he broke his femur and almost died. Never has Kojiro in his life been so deeply attached to something.

He tried to lie to himself weeks after that. He would say to himself that he has not fell for a skater boy. It was probably the hair confusing him.

Yeah he decided that was it.

"Ko-ji-ro" Kaoru's voice made him forget about the sixteen year old Cherry Blossom and reminded him that he still had to serve food to his clients.

"Hm? What did you say?"

"Huh? What are you thinking about? It is not fun to mock you if you wont even pay attention."

Kojiro nodded his bead mindlessly. It wasnt like him to be so sentimental, to think so much of the past. Actually, it wasnt like him to think at all.

"By the way, the food is burning." Kojiro looked at Kaoru. Then at the food. Boy, did he wish Kaoru would just joke.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck.", said he as he turned off the stove. Well, there certainly was a problem.

"Ok, big mindless gorilla. Now, I dont have patience for you to try again."

Kojiro opened his mouth just to close it again. He was shocked that he actually burned it. This hasnt happened to him since he was 15!

"Dont you have anything to drink?"

Kojiro blinked and looked at his friend's bandages. He finally spoke some coherent words.

"You sure you can drink like that?"

Kaoru relaxed on his chair and looked at his friend, a provocative gleam in his eyes. His hair was quite messy and damn that was the hottest shit Kojiro has seen. For some reason.

Come on, Kojiro. You have to stay calm. Calm like pasta. Pasta is good. Pasta is calm.

"Ok, ok, I’ll give you something to drink, but not too much, okay?"

Kaoru grinned and his golden pupils shone. Outside the restaurant, people were minding their business, not even looking twice in their direction. It felt as if they were secluded from the rest of the world. Just the two of them. Just the...

Fuck, Kojiro. Remember that pasta is good. Pasta is cool.

Kojiro got a bottle of wine from under the table.

“What is that?” Kaoru looked sceptically at the bottle of champagne.

“Just a something I bought from the local store.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t expect such a gorilla like you to drink something of quality.”

“Maybe your tastes are just too refined.”

Kojiro poured a glass for his friend and one for him, too. Kaoru smelled it and made an unpleased face.

“Hey, if you don’t want to drink it, you dont ha-”

Kaoru gulped the glass and slammed it against the table. Kojiro could see the lingering liquid on Kaoru’s lips. He would love to bend over and kiss them...softly...soft lips...

KOJIRO, PASTA. THINK ABOUT THE FUCKING PASTA.

“Ok, but you’ll pay for it.” Kaoru scoffed.

“I can afford some cheap drink. But why won’t you pour yourself a glass? Then you wont say only I drank.”

Outside the restaurant, the people did not pay a second glance to them. It was as if they were the only people existent in the world. Only the two of them..

Yeah he’d like that.

***

One bottle of champagne later and Kaoru had almost fell asleep. His hair was sprawled across the table, covering his face. Kojiro gently brushed it aside, tucking it behind a bandaged ear.

He loved this man so much and he had has since ha was 16. That’s why he built Carla for him after Adam left for America. After he had been rejected. When Adam left, not only Kaoru got hurt. Kaoru changed; he started to skate carefully, as if to not get hurt again. And it broke Kojiro’s heart to see him. 

It took Kojiro five months to build Carla. He didn’t know how he did it. He hadn’t sleep for days, he remembers. But, it was worth it. It definitely was.

“Mhm-take your hands off me, you big fat go-aaah.” Kaoru yawned and the corners of Kojiro’s mouth went upward. He sighed, stood up and gently took Kaoru into his arms. The man seemed to be somewhat lighter than before. Kojiro frowned.

“...know...you...hero...” Kaoru mumbled something with his face hid in Kojiro’s broad chest.

“Mhm? What did you say?”

And all of sudden, Kaoru woke up and threw his arms around Kojiro’s neck, pulling him closer. He started kissing his face. He kissed every single inch of dark skin, Kojiro’s nose, Kojiro’s cheeks, Kojiro’s eyes.

The milky moon’s light was entering on the window, throwing silver shadows over their bodies. Kojiro was... well he was simply amazed. Never had this happened before.  Never had Kaoru kissed him so softly and affectionate. And, yes, maybe it was because he was hurt, but it didn’t matter. Kojiro loved it, loved it so much, goddamit! Why had to be Adam that broke Kaoru’s heart? Why should this beautiful man stand some where else than in his arms, where he knew that he could protect him?

“Have you wondered why I always loved Carla so much?”

Kojiro didn’t say anything. He didn’t really want to know, for some reason. Actually, if he would be honest with himself, he was kind of jealous.

“You really are one dumb gorilla.”

Kaoru smiled and his body relaxed in Kojiro’s arms, whom tightened his grip.

“It’s because you made it for me, Kojiro.”

Also, a bonus that i want to happen:

Kojiro didn't came to see the race. Oh no, there was only one thing he wanted and he would definitely get it. He eyed the target. Adam was on the stage, playing his stupid game with cards and whatever. That was perfect. that way, everyone could see. Kojiro tightened his grip on his skateboard. He reached the stage in no time and patted Adam on his shoulder. "Oh, who is-" He slammed the skateboard in his face. "First, this is for breaking Cherr's heart." He punched him in the stomach and it took all he had to not punch him way downer. "And this is for breaking Cherr's face." Ok, so that was already done. No, all he had to do was to resolve the teenage love drama he had to witness some days ago. Kojiro took the mic. "Langa! Stop wasting your fucking time here. Go and see Reki!" And, with that, he left. After all, he had someone waiting for him at home.

*** maybe i ll do a fic for what did langa afterwards? idk :)

[wishiwasntstillhere]

N and P for the ask game?

owo!!! thank you for ask!!!

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

my main fandom is ouran rn as we know. hmmmm ok so the things coming up are mostly things i don’t get to see a lot of bc of my corner of the fandom but im jsut going to say them anyway.

1) harurenge. this is easy, we been knew. i am obsessed with them rn and unfortunately there is not a lot of content for them (which makes perfect sense given fandom demographics and the actual cast demographics and bla bla bla) and i would Love more harurenge content. i’m going to cheat and include this here too: i would love to see more sympathetic/nuanced depictions of renge in general? i understand lots of people find her annoying but i also like to think she has capacity to grow and Does Grow and i also just want to see more of her.

2) this might sound a little strange bc it’s kind of very incredibly specific but??? i want to us to talk more about the mechanics of haruhi grieving her mom and recovering from that. i know we already see a lot about haruhi’s over-responsibility in the show, as well as her aspiring to be like her mom, and her missing her mom, and her not being used to relying on people because her parents are kind of absent. but i feel like we could dig into that a little more. one of the reasons haruhi in wonderland is so dear to me is because its one of the few times the show slows down and says hey, this is what it means that haruhi is actually growing to love and feel comfortable loving the host club.

in the aftermath of love me braver i was talking to my friend and basically i just had a lot of thoughts about haruhi’s character maybe has been more subtly shaped by this tragic event in her life, and i was going to dump that here but maybe i’ll make a separate post bc its kinda... long. but i would like to as a fandom talk about that more explicitly. give haruhi’s emotions more screentime, they get brushed over a lot bc of host favoritism and bc her character on the surface seems pretty steady and cool but there’s a deep wound behind that and while she’s mostly well-adjusted i wanna explore it more.

3) more female characters in general. i’m actually planning a little miniseries about some of the host club’s guests. i think there are a lot of reasons one might go to a host club and the potential friendships and dynamics there could be really cool. also just. the host club is canonically For Girls we should see more girls lol. gimme more info about their regulars.

rereading all these it is very clear that i am in a Women mood. good for me. ouran fandom needs more women. tbf if i had a fourth one i would say more hikaru&tamaki bro time. hikaru likes tamaki so much, guys. like kaoru does too but kaoru is aware of it and able to deal with it mostly. hikaru is a disaster and tamaki loves him dearly.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas).

mwahahahahaha ok so here’s the thing i am currently at 34 ouran aus in my doc (i will NOT be writing them all but anyway) so i’m just going to talk about one of them. zombie apocalypse au with a twist that im not going to tell you guys because i actually intend to write this one.

renge and kyoya are out on a Parent Mandated Date (they are not interested in each other they just are there for appearances) when the world ends. zombies everywhere. they escape the restaurant and find themselves in the midst of a zombie infestation. through renge’s extensive knowledge of video games and kyoya’s extensive knowledge of ootori emergency response protocols, they determine they have to make it to the ootori stronghold. together, they fight their way to safety, hoping desperately that their friends are safe there too.

[ootori-sibs]

Summer camp host club 6

Tw for blood, beartraps and hospitals,

Haruhi was asleep. Her dreams were filled with pictures of the monster Mr Hirano had described, beautiful and mysterious. She watched it prance about in the moonlight, it's behaviour wasn't dissimilar to that of a cat. She wanted to reach out and pet it, but she was afraid it would hurt her.

She then watched it switch between it's human and beast form, each time it enters it's human form, it's a different beautiful figure, genders changing every time, every single thing that Haruhi finds attractive. It was a selfish dream but she didn't mind it.

Her dream was cut short by one of the girls dragging her out of bed. "Come on Haruhi! You said you'd come to the lake with us!" The girl, Aimi, whined and tugged at Haruhi's arm.

Haruhi sighed and smiled at them, getting out of bed with a yawn. "Alright then, let me grab my bathing suit then." She got dressed quickly, before joining the girls outside the cabin.

It was quite early in the morning, the sun was only just peeking over the mountains in the distance. The air was crisp and cool, it wasn't cold however, just pleasantly warm. Haruhi walked with the other girls to the lake, watching from the grass as they took turns jumping in, laughing and joking as they did.

She was too tired to swim, so she just sat and watched them. One of the girls starts talking about how she's smuggled alcohol in her bags, and the girls begin to joke about having a party when the councilors are in bed. Haruhi thinks it's highly inappropriate but she knows better than to try and disrupt the fun of others, so she just sits there and begins to think about methods of ensuring they don't get hurt.

Breakfast rolled around and she and the other girls headed in from the lake, happy to find that pancakes had been made. Haruhi went to sit with the other hosts, minus Kyoya as the shadow king hadn't woken up quite yet. They looked at her swimsuit and it was Honey that brought it up. "Have you been swimming Haru-chan?"

Haruhi nodded. "Yeah, the other girls wanted to. I only really paddled though." She shrugs and pours some syrup on her pancake. "Did you guys sleep well? No nightmares about the story?"

It's an overall no from the hosts, but Honey starts talking about the dream he had where the maze was made of cake. Fortunately he is interrupted, unfortunately he's interrupted by a crash from the boy's cabin. The hosts look at each other in a panicked agreement, there's only one person still asleep; Kyoya.

They all hurry towards the cabin, a few others following suit. Haruhi is suddenly getting very anxious for some reason. When they got to the cabin, they saw a dent in the wall, and a very shell shocked looking Shin. A quick glance to Kyoya told Haruhi that he'd already gone back to sleep- good for him.

Mr Hirano pushed himself into the cabin, looking at the scene before him. "What the hell happened here? Shin, explain yourself." He glared at his brother, crossing his arms.

Shin looked at him with wide eyes, clearly still processing what had happened. "I- I only tried to wake him up?? So he wouldn't miss breakfast?" God, Haruhi almost felt sorry for the guy, he doesn't understand quite how Kyoya operates yet.

There was laughter, Tamaki was stood behind Haruhi and he was laughing. It didn't take long for the twins to chuckle a little too, but they were a bit more restrained in their mirth. People looked at him confused, Mr Hirano frowned deeply, raising an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

Tamaki wiped nonexistent tears from his eyes. "Oh do forgive me, I just find it quite funny how stupid that decision was." He chuckles a little more at the confused look on both Hiranos. "Trying to wake Kyoya up, it's like-" he shakes with amusement, stifling his laughter. "I'm sorry, sorry. It's like having a deathwish! Isn't that right men?"

The hosts all nod, the twins piping up. "you should see what he's like if he only gets an hour!"

Mori nods silently, Honey jumps up happily. "Kyo-chan's downright homicidal when he's sleepy!"

Haruhi had to agree, shrugging and at least showing a little sympathy to Shin. "Sorry dude, they are right. Besides, you shouldn't have woken him up anyway- it's kind of rude."

Mr Hirano massaged his temples. "There will be no violence in my camp from now on, understood? I will let him off with a warning, make sure you let him know." The hosts nod and he turns to leave. Haruhi glanced at Shin and saw that he actually looked kind of guilty. She sighed and approached him.

"It's ok dude, literally everyone's done it at least once, he's not going to hold it against you." She smiles up at him, Shin smiles back, mouthing a silent thanks.

Tamaki meanwhile, has sat on Kyoya's bed, and is shaking him gently. "Kyoooyyyaaaa!"

"What?" The shadow king spoke, barely stirring.

"The councilor man said you're not allowed to respond violently when people wake you up."

"Then tell people not to wake me up. Now fuck off and let me sleep." Haruhi thought that was reasonable, and was all but ready to leave Kyoya in peace when Tamaki spoke again.

"But Kyoya! We're having pancakes, and I brought coffee cream." Haruhi wasn't sure what he meant by that, maybe the cream you put in coffee? But by the way the other hosts froze, the same way they did when anyone mentioned fancy tuna to her- she assumed it was like catnip for the demon lord.

And as if by some miracle, Kyoya sat up, looking at Tamaki in suspicion. "The good kind? With-"

"With commoners coffee, yes." Tamaki nodded, a small smirk appearing on his face.

"Ugh, fine, but I'm having the entire jar." He slowly got out of bed, going to grab some clothes.

Haruhi… was amazed, and by the looks of it, so was Shin. She silently followed Tamaki out of the cabin and back to where they were eating. "Are you sure he can have a whole jar?" The twins spoke in unison, sounding slightly concerned.

At this, Tamaki looked very smug, pulling out a very little jar. "I brought these because I knew he'd try and pull something like that." The hosts all look very impressed, they're even clapping. Haruhi has to admit that certainly is a smart way to out-maneuver Kyoya.

The contents of the jar is brown and thick, like a whipped cream texture. Honey must have noticed her looking at it in confusion, because he pipes up. "It's whipped cream! It's been mixed with coffee and now it's very strong and very creamy. Kyo-chan loves it!"

"He isn't allowed it, because he's supposed to be limiting the amount of caffeine he has-" Hikaru starts, letting Kaoru finish. "but it clearly hasn't worked."

Haruhi chuckled at that, the image of Kyoya being told he's not allowed coffee is very funny to her- she doesn't think she's even ever seen him drink anything else.

When Kyoya saw the tiny jar he was given, he was highly annoyed, but still happy to completely and utterly coat his pancakes in it.

Tamaki spent most of that morning doing little games and puzzles on his own, and the afternoon was spent with the twins. He was finally getting used to this little change of pace, it wasn't that hard in reality. The less introspection he did, the less things seemed to interest him, sure it was enjoyable, but nothing was so dramatically simulating. He was able to spend hours brainstorming themes like he could before, it seemed like his emotional conflict had finally reached it's finale.

Then there were the noises he'd heard when near the lake. He wasn't quite sure what they were, but when he got closer he realised what they were- whimpers and squeaks. But not from an animal. He could hear voices too.

"Hold still, don't move." That was Shin's voice.

"Fuck, shit, don't do that." Kyoya… Kyoya was the one in pain.

Tamaki sped up, approaching where they were. He froze when he saw the scene before him.

Kyoya was sitting on the floor, leaning against a tree and looking paler than normal. Shin was standing over him, shirtless and pressing his shirt to… some very deep looking gashes on Kyoya's right arm. At the sight of his best friend's blood, Tamaki felt his own boil. "What the hell are you doing?" His tone was entirely accusatory, and he didn't care to correct it, for all he knew, he was right.

"I didn't do anything!" Shin cried out, clearly very anxious. "He got his arm stuck in a bear trap! Go get help!!"

"No." Kyoya interrupted, clearly attempting to use his threatening voice, but it came off as more of his normal tone due to how weak he was. "Shin, you go." Tamaki couldn't help but feel a spark of pride at that, watching the confusion on Shin's face.

"What? But Kyo-"

"Go. Before I fucking bleed out."

Shin sighed and nodded, standing up and looking at Tamaki. "Keep pressure on the wound."

Tamaki nodded, rushing to Kyoya's side as Shin ran back towards the camp. He keeps pressing the shirt to the wound, trying not to hurt Kyoya. "What happened? Was he telling the truth? Was it a bear trap or…" he trailed off, not wanting to say what he was thinking.

Kyoya just sighed, it was heavy but laboured and made Tamaki's hairs stand on end. "He didn't do a thing Tamaki, he helped me out of it actually…" His words sent a jolt of guilt through Tamaki, but it was largely ignored in favour of worrying for Kyoya's safety. He worried deeply for his friend, and the blood made him feel dizzy.

He heard a quiet whimper, and looked at Kyoya in surprise, finally noticing the tears in his vice president's eyes. Wow… this must really hurt. Tamaki didn't think he'd *ever* seen Kyoya cry before. He shifted to an angle so he could cradle him, while still keeping pressure on the wound. He's surprised when Kyoya leans into the touch, just softly leaning his head on Tamaki's shoulder- the most affection Kyoya has ever shown. At least in a language Tamaki can understand.

"I'm going to need to go to the hospital with this." Kyoya spoke, so quiet Tamaki had to be deathly silent to hear him. "When I do, I want you to call Fiyumi, I know she gave you her number." This was true, she'd told him to call her in an emergency or to let her know if Kyoya was sad- because heaven knows Kyoya wouldn't tell anyone.

"I will." Tamaki softly promises, mind still focused on making sure Kyoya wasn't losing too much blood. So focused in fact, he barely noticed when other people arrived, the gasps helped alert him though- as did Shin pushing him out of the way in order to help Kyoya up.

Mr Hirano was here, along with a few of the other campers, the entire host club had followed them too, looking to be slightly out of breath. Mr Hirano took a look at Kyoya's arm and took a sharp breath in through his teeth. "A beartrap did this? God, you're lucky it didn't take your arm off completely, a little twig like yourself." He touched the wound and Tamaki watched Kyoya restrain from punching him in the face.

Mr Hirano sighed. "Adrien's called for help, we're going to have to get you to a hospital."

"Would you mind taking me to a good one?" Kyoya asked, even when experiencing blood loss, he was ever the demanding one. "Preferably one owned by my father and not a rival."

Oh, so that's why. Tamaki had almost forgotten how ruthless the world they lived in was- sending Kyoya to a hospital owned by a rival was likely a death sentence. Mr Hirano didn't seem to understand it, but who was he to argue? They got Kyoya into a first responder car, with EMTs who instantly got to work on bandaging his arm temporarily.

Most other campers left to go continue their activities, but Honey and Mori went to ask Mr Hirano if they could borrow his truck. The remaining hosts looked to Tamaki for answers, he knew that expression- they wanted to know what happened.

"Shin was telling the truth," Tamaki began, feeling a pit in his stomach, "it was a bear trap. Kyoya's lucky to still have an arm." His words felt like a weight crushing them all, looking at his comrades he saw the same pain and worry in their eyes that he was sure were also his own. "He asked me to call Fiyumi."

When she answered the phone, he could hear the repetitive hum of her sewing machine. "Hello Tamaki, is there anything you need?"

"..." He took a deep breath, it was just his arm, it could be worse. "Kyoya's in the hospital."

"What??" He could hear the worry flooding her voice as she switched the sewing machine off. "What happened??"

"Bear trap." Tamaki was struggling to get the words out, by now they were in the truck. Haruhi leaned in and gently took the phone from him.

"Hello Ms Fiyumi, you haven't met me but I'm Haruhi- Tamaki-senpai's a little too distraught for a phone call right now, hope you don't mind." Tamaki couldn't hear what Fiyumi was saying anymore, only what Haruhi was saying. "Well Kyoya-senpai got his hand stuck in a bear trap so he's had to go to hospital," she was so much better at this then he was, and Tamaki was infinitely grateful, "yes, we made sure it was an Ootori owned hospital. Kyoya himself specified." Haruhi was just quietly nodding now, Tamaki just silently played with his hands. "We're driving over there now, uh, I'm not sure what location but it's near the summer camp?" She went to Google the name of the camp on her own phone but paused, responding to someone Fiyumi said. "Oh you know the location? Great, so we'll meet you there?" Tamaki was just staring out the window now, chewing on his shirt collar. "Alright, thank you

Bye."

Haruhi ends the call and hands the phone back to Tamaki. "How are you feeling senpai?"

"I'm… I'm just worried about him, he's supposed to be having fun…"

Haruhi sighed and put a hand on his shoulder, Tamaki is so very grateful for her level head. "Well, all we can really do is make sure we're there for him and you really were- you're his best friend, his favourite person. Just make sure you're there when he needs you, that's really all you can do."

Tamaki paused, nodding and giving her a slight smile. She was right, Tamaki couldn't do anything to help Kyoya out, other than at least try and keep him happy. But what Haruhi had said, about him being Kyoya's favourite person… that surprised him, he supposed he'd never even considered the fact that Kyoya could have a favourite person, let alone that it could be him. But he supposed that explained why Kyoya would rather have Tamaki by his side while in pain then Shin- his best friend who he's known for almost two years, or a dude he met like, three days ago.

Even as they walked through the hospital corridors, Tamaki couldn't get those thoughts out of his mind… his favourite person… Kyoya's favourite person…

He was however snapped out of his thoughts when he saw Yoshio Ootori himself enter the corridor, stop, look at them, then nod curtly. "Souh, Souh's friends."

They all nod in response, bowing their heads a little lower and mumbling a greeting. Tamaki frowns sympathetically, he couldn't imagine how worried the man must be. "I'm guessing you were told?"

Yoshio nods. "I was alerted the moment my son's name came up in the call, luckily I was already at this location." He adjusts his lab coat, sighing. "Would you care to tell me how you allowed my son to put his hand in a bear trap?" They were walking now, Mr Ootori leading the hosts presumably to where Kyoya was.

Tamaki wasn't exactly sure how to answer that, the way Yoshio spoke made it feel like it was somehow his fault, even if Tamaki had been nowhere near. "We weren't with him sir, I'm sorry." He bowed his head, hoping that was satisfactory for him.

Yoshio stares at him with burning eyes, clearly Tamaki's answer wasn't acceptable. The twins spoke up, speaking in shakey unison. "Yeah, we were nowhere near, if anything, blame his boyfriend."

Every single person there froze, the twins when they realised what they'd just said and who they'd said it to, the other hosts the moment they heard the word leave the twins lips. Even Yoshio froze, but for a much different reason.

After what felt like forever, Yoshio Ootori adjusted his posture, fixed his glasses the same way Kyoya does when it's serious time- in such a way that the light hides his eyes, and crossed his arms.

"What did you just say?"

[ruoyeming]

My Top Ten Anime, a chaotic list

This was so hecking difficult, I’m gonna have to do some ‘honourable mentions’ for ones I can’t bring myself to leave out. This list is based entirely on my personal feelings, not an objective assessment of what are logically the best anime. There also may be mild spoilers at points because I can’t control myself. Doing this in quarantine cause I looove ranting about things I like.

10) Attack On Titan

This was the first anime I ever watched, and it blew my mind a bit tbh. The music is iconic, and the animation is great as well. It might have been a bit harrowing for my first experience with anime, but I absolutely loved the story. It’s set in a world where titans (man eating giants) have driven the dregs of humanity to live within giant stone walls. There’s a group of humans trying to research titans, kill them, and protect humanity, and the main character decides to join them after a titan breaks through one of the walls and his mother is eaten. It’s one of those where you think you know everything and suddenly the world gets turned upside down by a new discovery. All the puzzle pieces start fitting together the longer you watch, and you find out that everything going on is much bigger than what it originally seemed (government conspiracy time lads). The plot twists are unpredictable (for me at least) and devastating, and the emotion this series evokes is awesome - you can FEEL the sheer desperation of the characters, their rage and despair as they fight again and again against a seemingly unending enemy. Despite almost every battle being a suicide mission and despite too many losses, the characters keep going out of the human need to survive and protect. 

10/10 for brutality and gore, but also theme of hope.

9) Naruto

A founding father of anime. Surprisingly not one of the first I watched, in fact it took me a few years to start. It’s set in a feudal Japan where ninjas are the defenders and servers of the people, and different villages have different ninja styles. Naruto is a young boy with a dangerous spirit sealed inside him which has caused him to be shunned by society (even though it’s not his fault??), and he wants to become a ninja. First off I’m a sucker for the Naruto archetype: dumbass, cocky, obnoxious, but kind and loyal too. Years of solitude and ostracisation as a child mean that Naruto desperately wants people to acknowledge him, and he intends to become the Hokage to prove himself. There’s a huge range of characters and villains, all with cool ninjutsus and different philosophies. Friendship, power, and determination are some of the main themes and it makes me so proud to see my son *COUGH* Naruto progressing and learning from his mistakes. It IS a long boi though and I haven’t even finished Shippuden yet, but I think Naruto captures the essence of shounen anime and is a great underdog story. Manga is lit too. 

10/10 for cool battles and great characters.

8) Psycho Pass

One of the earlier anime I watched, and it became an instant favourite for the way it makes you question morality. It’s set in a kinda dystopian future Japan, where a technology called the Sibyl System checks people’s mental state and determines their ‘crime coefficient’ - how likely they are to commit a crime. The main character is a young woman who joins the police and begins to realise that blindly following this system is perhaps not the best way to go about things. For example, they have special guns that automatically kill people whose crime coefficients are over a certain level, but she soon proves that you can easily lower someone’s coefficient by talking them down and negotiating instead of killing them off immediately. It’s got great drama, great government conspiracy, compelling villains, and some really badass characters. It pushes the question of what is right or wrong, and how far technology should go when it comes to justice. 

10/10 for sociological debate and horror elements.

7) One Punch Man

OPM is an anime that stands out for me, partially for mocking the tropes of battle anime, and partially for the uniqueness of the main character’s predicament. It’s set in Japan where heroes and villains exist, and the protagonist is a man called Saitama who gained superstrength after doing 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10K run every day. However he’s become so strong that he can defeat every enemy with a single punch. Nothing is a challenge for him anymore so he becomes depressed and unfulfilled; he’s still a good man who helps people, but he feels he’s missing something from his life. A cyborg called Genos makes Saitama his master, determined to learn his ways and they become friends. It’s one of the first anime that made me laugh out loud; it’s funny and entertaining, but also shows us that power is not equal to happiness. 

10/10 for moral lessons and good jokes.

6) Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

The only slice of life anime on this list and not very well known, however it has a special place in my heart. The main character Tanaka is a boy who dozes off constantly and acts exhausted when awake; he loves expending as little energy as possible. His best friend Ohta looks out for him and essentially makes sure he doesn’t get lost/ be late/die on a daily basis, including carrying him when he just falls asleep sometimes. Although Tanaka seems uncaring, it’s shown that friendship isn’t a bother to him, and he realises that he actually relies on his friends despite saying he likes being left in peace. His friends all have great personalities, my personal faves are a tough gangster girl who’s rude to everyone EXCEPT her adorable loli girlfriend, and a popular girl who’s trying too hard to fit in and starts to become more herself after befriending Tanaka. All the characters share one brain cell, and it’s genuinely a funny anime - I’ve burst out laughing watching it a few times. Also Tanaka and Ohta are extremely shippable if you want to go down that route; it’s said several times in the series that they’re like an old married couple. 

10/10 for wholesomeness and comedy.

5) Ouran High School Host Club

Another lighthearted show, probably the anime that’s made me laugh the most out of any. It’s set at an academy for rich-as-heck kids, and there’s a ‘Host Club’ where all the girls go to drink tea with a group of handsome boys. There’s the cunning Kyouka, prankster identical twins Hikaru and Kaoru, stoic Mori, adorable Honey, and princely but obnoxious Tamaki. Haruhi, a working-class scholarship student who is mistaken for a boy, accidentally breaks a precious vase and is forced by the host club to join them to pay off her debt. The group of boys realise fairly quickly that haruhi is a girl, but she becomes a popular host amongst the girls (LOVE the secret lesbian vibes) so they keep up the charade. I think I have a weakness for groups that share one brain cell because aside from Kyouka, they’re all idiots. I also love how flexible the show is with ideas of gender and sexuality despite being a slightly older anime. The daily antics of the host club combined with their personalities is a recipe for comedy, and they’re all lovable in their own ways. 

10/10 for characters, drama, and comedy; it’s well-paced too.

4) Bungou Stray Dogs

Set in an alternate modern Japan where some people have secret abilities that can be activated, this anime became an obsession when I first watched it. The cast of characters is amazing and the villains are awesome too. Atsushi is an orphan who discovers he can turn into a powerful tiger, and is hired by the Armed Detective Agency, a small organisation of powerful individuals who fight crime. NEED I SAY ANY MORE?? Many of the main characters share names with famous Japanese authors such as Osamu Dazai and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa which is really cool and something that might add to the story more if I had an understanding of Japanese literature. Anyways the main character Atsushi is kind of a wimp at first (understandably because the world of ability-users is actually terrifying), but he learns to stand up for himself and use his ability to save people. The show’s mixing of dark and comedic tones is perfect to me; one moment a character is off his head on mushrooms and the next Atsushi’s leg is brutally sliced off in a back alley fight (it regenerates later no worries). The plot is really cool and full of intrigue, and eventually you get the whole ‘Usually we’re sworn enemies but we’re forced to become allies in the face of a greater evil’ thing and it’s great! Turns out our main guy and our main bad guy are actually a pretty powerful and efficient team, hoho?? 

10/10 for supernatural detectives being super cool.

3) Yuri!!! on Ice

Y’all already know what’s going on. Ice skating, emotional breakthroughs, gay shit, HIT ME WITH IT. The story follows Yuri Katsuki, an insecure figure skater trying to regain his confidence, and his self-appointed coach Viktor Nikiforov. Viktor is enthusiastic in helping Yuri train, and Yuri has been a big fan of Viktor since his childhood *throws pillow across the room*. Yuri becomes determined to, quote, “surpass Viktor’s wildest imagination”, and they end up agreeing - through a series of convoluted events - to get married if Yuri wins gold at the olympics (I think it’s the olympics??). Either fuckin way this series has angst, humour, cuteness, and god DAMN did I get invested. When Yuri was doing his free skate my own heart was beating harder than it did when I finished a 10K. Love the vibes and also it’s the closest to full healthy gay representation that I’ve seen in anime for a while. Not much more I can say, but do I really need to say more???

10/10 for GAY and MY HEART

2) Kimetsu No Yaiba (Demon Slayer)

Ok this one’s kind of a cheat cause I’ve read the manga as well which is way ahead of the anime, but FUCC. It takes place in the Taisho Era in Japan (begins 1912), where Demons exist who eat people. Tanjiro Kamado’s family is killed by a demon one night and his sister Nezuko is turned into a demon - but it is soon discovered she’s different to other demons, and can restrain herself. Tanjiro joins the Demon Slayer Corps to try and track down a cure for his sister, while proving that demons are not inherently evil. I LOVE Tanjiro as a main character because he values kindness over everything else, not forgiving demons for their sins but recognising they are tormented creatures, trying to give them peace before they die. All demons were once human - a fact that only Tanjiro seems to remember when fighting them. He’s patient, gentle, and determined - hotheaded and brash sometimes, but he has this vibe that just makes people become his friend/respect him even if they don’t intend to. He befriends two other slayers - Inosuke, an absolutely feral Best Boy who was raised by wild boars, and Zenitsu, a cowardly but ultimately loyal guy. This trio works really well together and Tanjiro is a great protagonist. Don’t even get me STARTED on the music and animation. Impeccable. Kamado Tanjiro No Uta makes me cry every time I hear it, and the water/fire effects used to show the metaphorical way the swords move like the elements takes my breath away.

10/10 for morals, music and animation.

1) Mob Psycho 100

Where the fuck do I start here. This anime is so unique in its style, story, and characters that I think it will always be my favourite. It follows Shigeo Kageyama (nicknamed Mob cause that’s what they call extras and background characters in Japan), a plain boy with incredible psychic powers that explode when his emotions are too high. Over time he’s learned to suppress his emotions, causing him to become socially inept and emotionally withdrawn. His (fake) psychic ‘master’, Reigen, uses him to make money exorcising spirits, making Mob believe that it’s for ‘training’. Mob appears naive at times, but he is so simply kind to people that it makes my heart hurt. Unlike many of the egomaniac psychics that Mob comes across, he recognises that without powers, he is just an ordinary boy. Mob’s greatest power isn’t his OP psychic abilities, but his power to show people they can change, that he can change. He forgives (and eventually befriends) people who have tried to kill him. Redemption and empathy are big themes here and they’re done really well.

The other characters are so well rounded and are also given time to grow, including Reigen - at first he’s a seemingly manipulative sleazebag, but later you see that he is a genuinely good man who has taught Mob many lessons and helped him grow up. This is a core message - Mob’s ability to change is due to support from his friends, not purely his own desire - people need other people!

This is also one of the true rarities in anime where the second season is absolutely just as good (if not better!) than the first one. The music is unique to the show, the ops for both seasons get me litty, the animation is incredible, the jokes are great and although it’s not all about big-ass fights, when we do get a big-ass fight it’s so fucking cool. The fight sequences are beautifully animated and visually stunning. MP100 makes me laugh, cry like an actual baby, and want to become a better person. Idk I could literally write pages on it like the big nerd I am but that’s all I’ll do for now.

10/10 for literally everything.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Given : about a boy who joins a band which helps him work through his trauma. Lovely healthy gay representation and themes of healing.

Samurai Champloo : ragtag trio consisting of two samurai - one lowkey feral and does breakdancing, the other lofty and withdrawn - and a bold young girl. Themes of friendship and journeys. I simp for the lofty samurai.

Cowboy Bebop: jazzy music, bounty hunters in space, 90s anime WHAT MORE COULD U WANT. Yet another group of characters that share a single brain cell. Love it.

[mahou-furbies]

2019 is almost over, and it's time for

The Dazzling Pink Precure were supposed to be handling the ceremony, but then unexpectedly had to go back to the drawing board for some design tweaks, so...

This is the magical girl media that has been consumed here on Mahou-furbies this year!

Anime

(Fresh Precure, Star Twinkle Precure, Invaders of the Rokujouma, Machikado Mazoku, Madoka)

Manga

(the original CCS & Clear Card, Magical Girl Site, Sailor Moon, Madoka Wraith arc, Homura revenge, Oriko Magica, Sakura Hime Kaden, Is this a Zombie?, Flying Witch)

(revisits to old familiar stuff don't qualify for an award unless I had forgotten everything about it)

Other notable stuff that happened over the year:

Before going to the awards, let’s say a few words about the artistic activity here at Mahou-furbies.

The "practise figure drawing while Precure is playing" project still continues! The experience is surreal, with Precure on one half of the screen, and a nude model with a 60 second timer on the other!

Honestly I don't see any progress myself but having watched roughly 3 seasons this way and 20 drawings per episode that's 1000 sketches, that has to count for something? I hope?

The Chibi project started and continues! According to my statistics that is 170 characters and 504 drawings (different outfits) total! Out of the 63 Main Cures (incl. Healin’ Good) 40 are finished. 

The Magical Girl Fusion drawing happened this year! It is the second most popular tumblr post I’ve ever made, and it still continues making its rounds, occasionally showing up as the most popular post of the day in my activity! It’s one of the few posts of mine I really like, I think it has both a good concept and execution, so I’m happy that it has received attention.

After the Fusion post, another chibi series has launched and these even smaller chibis have invaded all three of my other active blogs, and there is more to come to this blog as well... They’re cuter than the main chibi series, but the details aren’t as visible so they’re not going to completely displace it.

And then there’s of course the Dazzling Pink Precure, which has received outstanding support right from the beginning!

It is kind of amazing that whenever I post about them I often get some kind of feedback, when I think it’s more common that artists struggle to get recognition for their OCs while art of canon stuff gets more responses. So I’m very flattered by the interest they’ve received! And they have even been nominated for this year’s fancure awards (thanks to whoever nominated them) which is just incredible. The changes they are going through right now hopefully won’t have a meaningful impact on that since I only plan to alter some of the pink shades or make one skirt hem a little different or stuff like that, and the main concept should stay the same.

I also find it entertaining that Cure Fluffy who was created to be a parody of the spotlight-hogging pink protagonists got upstaged by an all-pink team.

But that’s it for the art life of Mahou-furbies, now let's start with the awards! 

Best henshin design goes tooooo

Tetty Goodgripp from MagiPro Black! I haven’t read it yet (I’m still at Jokers or Aces, whichever was the middle of the trilogy) but I do love this design.

Then, best team henshin design is

Fresh Precure! Though to be fair not a lot of teams this year... But a win is a win and I did rank them #1 in my Precure Team design ranking a few years ago.

Next, best powerup look is

Also Fresh! bonus points for implementing the powerup in a more interesting way than "new once-per-episode stock footage sequence in the latter part of the season" or "thing we see in the final episode for two and a half minutes"

The award for Best civilian design goes to

Cure Cosmo! Surprising for this monochrome a design, but the simple and stylish look is just so good.

Best school uniform is

Magical Girl Site! ...I know the common opinion of this series and kind of agree with it, but I just like the basic black sailor uniform ok?

Then best hair. That is

Cure Star’s ridiculous twintails! I love them!

Best magical item goes to

The Clear Cards! Sakura’s cards are already a fun item, and I like the transparent visuals.

Best Henshin scene is

Cure Passion’s transformation! I love the part where she sinks into water and the one where her earrings and tiara appear.

Best fan creation witnessed in 2019 goes to

Banban! Hero Precure by @aceaeite​! Great designs that work well both individually and as a team, and the designs are recognisable as both Precure and superheroes! Also I love the detail of the little sister not fighting with the rest of the girls and instead having her own adventures.

(link to source)

Then, Best relationship goes to

Love & Setsuna from Fresh! I don’t ship them, but I like them as sisters and Setsuna finding a loving family after all she had gone through was one of the best elements of the season.

The Best mascot of the year was

Chito from Flying Witch! I don’t really consider this kind of witch series to be a part of the magical girl genre, but it’s more fun to have more works on this list so... Anyway I don’t usually care much for mascots but Chito was cute and not annoying.

Best supporting character (i.e. not one of the magical girls) is

Kaoru-chan from Fresh! At times his existence felt a bit superfluous, but he was funny and it was nice that the girls had a supportive adult around to give advice.

Best visuals goes to

The colour palette in Cosmo’s intro! The use of colour really stood out to me. Not a lot of outstanding animation this year it seems... 

Next, Best audio!

The ending for Invaders of the Rokujouma! The song puts me in a happy place (and I also love the little logos for all the girls).

Then, Best scene is

Seconds 0:05 - 0:10 of Cure Cosmo’s attack! It just has such good lighting and music! (don’t care for the rest of the attack...)

Then, the Innovation award for a work that did something cool and new for the genre!

Honestly I don’t think I can give this to anything this year... Sakura Hime kaden had an interesting historical setting and Machikado Mazoku’s concept of having the friendly villain be the main character was amazing, but neither did anything worthwhile with these ideas so I don’t want to award them... Better luck next year!

Then a special award! While it would be all kinds of entertaining to also pick the worst hair, worst henshin etc I thought I’d focus on the positive. However we can’t get through this post without a little bit of bitching, so next is one Golden Mana Award for one thing that didn’t go quite the way I wanted in some way. And that isssss

The henshin designs in TMM Au Lait! I love the original TMM designs but these new boys apparently have no intention of even remotely following the old design ideas. Pah! 

Then the final awards. Best character of the year is

Cure Milky! Love her more serious and down-to-earth personality, she has a cute design in both civilian and henshin form, her voice is lovely and with a unique origin she brings some fresh air to Precure!

And finally, Best series of 2019 goes to

The first half that I’ve seen of Star Twinkle Precure! I haven’t seen all of it yet, but what I have has been a surprisingly positive experience, with a lot of great characters, exploring the space theme and changing the usual formula even a little. Hopefully the quality will remain strong!

Annnd with that we're all set for 2020! Plans and expectations are

Let’s see if I can make even one of these happen!

--

Art-wise I hope to be able to complete all main Cures for the Chibi series (though that also depends on if everyone’s 5-star-card dress will be revealed). But once they are finished there will be compilation posts, and I’m hoping to have some kind of bracket polling thing where we can all vote for the best 5-star-card dress. 

Then there’s the Dazzling Pink Precure, for who I’m currently trying to think of a story and will hopefully be able to put something out.

--

Alright, that was Mahou-furbies 2019. What were your highlights (or worst points) of 2019, and how does 2020 look in terms of magical girls?

[idolshineitai]

hi ian!!! 💭🌟🎤👤🎶

HI HI HI THANK YOUUU im happy ^_^ also huh ian sounds weird !!! i havent used that name in a long while but i liked being called “ian” short for “lillian” bc >:) weird n unexpected n Boy . ANYWAY YAY OK please don’t read all of this out of obligation >_<

bang dream! girls ask party!

💭 dream cards? WOO OK there r two moca ones which is funny but i’ve actually got them both!! THE OTHER TWO ……. heterochromic demon ako from the same set & RINKAORU!! the colors r so pretty

🌟 favorite card you own? OOH GOSH I GUESS MY DREAMIES ^_^ MAYBE ALSO YELLOW ROSE HAGU <3 yellow roses r my favorite .. & gay yukiran drama (Thats the main card i use in my band !!! I LOVE YUKINAS PURPLE STREAK MWA) & COMFY EVE SHES SO PRETTY i love her outfit & the warmth & then Tomoe my WIFE !! SHES SOCUTE PRECIOUS >:)

🎤 favorite band, character-wise? ROSELIA FOR SURE!!!!!!!! One of the very first conversations i ever read was of rinko telling ako she’d sew angel wings onto ako’s clothes next year & i just…. ahh their friendship. Its literally The sweetest they met over an online game that i wish existed irl (CAPITALIZE ON THIS!!!) & then they met up & THEYVE ACTUALLY ROPED THEIR BANDMATES INTO PLAYING TOO — Sayos rlly into it even on her own time & Lisa & Yukina play when the others play :) — ITS SOOO SWEET I ADORED THAT EVENT TO PIECES i actually got my very first event title then (SO HAPPY) bc i was so adamant abt getting the rinko but i didnt :(

Lisa & yukina the Intricacies. Ako lil sib to everyone!!!!!! LISA BIG SIS TO EVERYONE except maybe the other big sis characters shes bonded w ……LISA CUTTING OFF HER NAILS (THAT MEAN SM TO HER) AT THE FIRST SIGHT OF GETTING TO PLAY MUSIC W YUKINA AGAIN Do you understand do you Get Ittt. AAHH!! RINKO mental illness & etc. I have a hc abt her legs being fucky (which is the medical term /j) which contributes to her fear of crowds (on top of Having Anxiety, her aids r harder to use & there r more ppl to b rude) & her preference to stay inside doing more low-energy things like her vidya games ♡ BUT Ako pushes her to experience more things, lovingly, & understands her ALSO THE WAY AKO TALKS.. HUGGY HUG….she loves to sound cool but sometimes doesnt have the vocab & ….!! <3

Sayo i think has a crush on yukilisa tbh. Also its hard to mention her w/o mentioning her twin which feels like a disservice to her on my part BUT its a big part of her story especially at first !!! Fffwwwwh….they dont get along well & sayo feels cramped & not good enough Bc hina does everything sayo does but EFFORTLESSLY better (also while being not at all a serious person, whereas sayo Is) but hina is doing these things bc she looks up to sayo & they just. Clash a lot for a long while. But theyre better now !!!!! & ahhhhh the hina&sayo storyline where hina asks sayo if she remembers why she (sayo) dislikes carrots & sayo says No & hina reminds her it’s bc sayo always ate hinas carrots for her when they were kids bc hina didn’t like carrots, but then Sayo couldnt finish her OWN carrots & would get in trouble w their parents. For her. dies.. also canonically their hair color (idk how to describe it, ppl call them “tealettes” lol????? it could b a pale teal i Guess) is natural while sayo cracks down on dyed hair (against dress code) it’s really funny

👤 favorite character? I HAVE SO MANY *SWEATS* BUT!! Rinko was the first i got attached to .. . & kaoru has a special place in my heart <3 i can ramble about her for a really long time & i have done so & i feel as if nobody gets her like me — i could definitely be taking her too seriously but it’s canonical that her persona is just that, a persona (IM GONNA YELL ABT THE HAIKU COMIC FOREVERRR FYI JSYK), & sometimes she does want to be Really Known & . ilh ilh ilh ♡

🎶 favorite song from each band? YES YES YES OK This might be harder than i thought o_0

afterglow - on your mark

hello, happy world! - goka! gokai!? phantom thief!

morfonica - flame of hope

pastel*palettes - wonderland girl

poppin’party - (THIS ONE WAS SO HARD THERE ARE SO MANY GOOD ONES!!!!! But) tokimeki experience!

raise a suilen - hell! or hell? (← first song i remember hearing & first one i fell in love with & I LOVE IT SOOO MUCH.. i don’t know the jpdori to endori timeline but i hope it gets to en soon!)

roselia - (…) louder & neo-aspect (…sorry)

[imnevergonnagiveyouup]

I honestly have no idea how there’s over 450+ of you now but there is and I wanna let you all know how thankful I am to have you all around. Roleplay has always been like a small window of escape for me for stress and a distraction but aside from the roleplaying I’ve also come to meet some pretty amazing people and have the honor of befriending them so I’m really thankful for that the most. To meet such amazing and talented people and just be able to have a wonderful and good time together is what I appreciate the most. I’ve been in this site give or take for a good number of years now and a lot’s changed since I joined but overall I’m very thankful to all the people I’ve gotten the chance to write with, talk with, and get to know so thanks for putting up with me and my sunshine boy like I really appreciate it a lot cause Cloud just really means a lot to me okay. And I could probably ramble on about him but this isn’t about him so I’m gonna hold back on that, stay tuned lmao. So on wards we go!

I am a music lover leave me alone all of my follow forevers have mood music. I say all of my follow forevers when in reality this is just my second one cause I skipped like four I should’ve made tbh lmao.

In the wise words of Rihanna: I WANT YOU TO STAAAY.

@fairlegacy: Honestly what is there not to appreciate about you? You’re very to yourself most of the time but I’ve somehow managed to chuck through that hard exterior of yours and now we’re best friends, you are my bro, like I see you as my big brother and part of my family, someone I can trust and go to for logical advice. Though our personalities and ways of seeing things are different we somehow manage to understand one another by the end of it. I’m so thankful to have you in my life and that you’re in it. Like I legit can’t imagine it without you my dude and I don’t want to so thanks for sticking around and for putting up with me. I really admire you and look up to you in many ways. You’re also such an amazing Zack roleplayer but honestly that’s a plus okay to me that doesn’t mean everything since I’m interested in you the most aside from the roleplaying. I love you man and thanks for always being a shoulder and a rock for me when like things get rocky. Thanks for helping me up when I think I can’t stand up anymore. You’re an amazing friend Sam and a very good person I’d move mountains and fight dragons for you my dude. This is gross as fuck but you need to know that I love you okay.

@gaeaguard: You’re an awesome friend and I always look up to you cause of how much effort you put into a lot, always trying your best to be as understanding as you can and to be there for people and let them know that you care for them. I appreciate it a lot when we get to talk and we’re usually just joking around and like just crying over final fantasy in some aspects lmao but you’ve also given me advice and like showed that you care for me a lot and just want what’s best for me so thanks for that. Thanks for being a good friend and a good person to a lot of people I feel really lucky to know you a bit and be able to talk to you from time to time. Aside from being an amazing Aeirs rper/writer/graphics maker you’re a really cool and wonderful person so thanks for being in my life as well friend.

@jjillekkot: Bestest friend! You and I grew close pretty quickly and I’m so happy to have you in my life, extremely thankful in fact and like I don’t know to be frank you’re just a blessing to me? You’re always there for me you always wanna talk to me and like you just give me some time of your day or as much as you can to spend time with me and that just really means a lot to me. When I’m feeling down you always try to cheer me up or remind me that I’m not by myself and that I shouldn’t take on things on my own and I really appreciate that sentiment a lot. I enjoy talking to you, roleplaying and writing with you, you’re such a wonderful writer and such a sweet person. You’ve dealt with so much and yet you try to understand everybody and tend to put in more effort than another person which tbh to me isn’t a very fair thing to do and honestly you shouldn’t deal with half-assed bs like that so it’s why like I try to remind you all the time that I’ve got your back for anything and everything as well. I’m just so glad to have you in my life and know that you’ll always have me as well.

@mccnoracle: Tbh you’ve been in my life for the longest time and we’ve gone through a fair amount of things together. Good and bad we always seem to stick together somehow no matter how much we struggled. I know you’re going through a hard time right now and I really do mean it when I say I’m always here for you and I’m here to help you, that I can be someone you can depend on as you have for so many years now and you’ve pretty much done the same for me. You’ve been in my life in one of the hardest times in it, I struggled for months maybe even a year and you were there (regardless of the bad) and that still means the world to me that you didn’t abandon me when I was struggling and sometimes even falling apart. You’re more stubborn than I am but I want to be there for you the same way you were for me well ish this time without like the arguing and stuff I think you know what I mean lmao. You’re a very important and special person to me and I really do hold you dear to me, I’m extremely thankful to have you in my life so thanks for putting up with me. I know you struggle with a lot but do know that you’re a wonderful person okay.

@sanctiichor: KOKO! Ah I’m so glad that I met you! You’re such a wonderful person Koko and like you’re also a wonderful writer and I really admire you for that and not just that but your art is always so beautiful? When I get the chance to see it or when you decide to share it and it always leaves me in like shook okay? You’re such a wonderful friend and you’re just such a wonderful influence in general and I think that doesn’t just apply for me but for a good number of people. You always have me laughing at your gif reactions when you send them out and you just have such a wonderful sense of humor I can’t believe that when I first followed you I felt a little bit intimidated by you lmao. Honestly it was probably your son, he so tol and majestic okay but anyway I’m glad that we managed to be in friendly terms and that we talk every so often! I feel really blessed to have you in my life you’re awesome! You go glen koko! 

@phylxrchus: Eyyy Kaoru! You’re a really good friend of mine and you’re just an overall warm person at least to me. Always know how to have a good time and I think you’re also a very positive influence for me so I also feel pretty lucky to have met you and be able to also call you a friend of mine. I know you’re going through quite some stuff at the moment that’s pretty big so know that I’m wishing you a lot of luck and that I’m always here waiting for you! With whatever you need you know I always got your back and I’ll always try my best to be as supportive as possible for you just like you’ve been for me which I appreciate extremely. You’ a pretty amazing person and I really appreciate you and your muse too when you throw him at Cloud lmao. 

@lockethart: YOU! YOU DORK YOU! YOU AWESOME AND COOL PERSON YOU! Ok but it’s funny how we first started to talk because it was just us screaming about nt and tifa like literally I think we were caps locking each other for a good set of minutes there lmao but on a serious note you’re an awesome person and you’re also very sweet. When we get to talk I laugh, you have a beautiful sense of humor and you’ve told me that I make you laugh as well which makes me happy that I can bring you to smile and laugh like you do for me. I really appreciate that cause I’m always very busy more often than not, head of my household so like there’s a lot of stuff I have to keep up with and in mind and coming here to talk with you from time to time or just plot or pick at each other/our muses is always such a nice thing to me. Laughter truly is the best medicine and though to a personal level I don’t know you too well I don’t doubt that you’re a magnificent individual. Thanks for sparing me some time of your day whenever you get the chance and for like talking to me cause tbh I’ve always wanted to but never knew how to approach you cause I thought I was too lame and you were too cool. Tifa is queen okay, and keep on rocking!

@aetla / @valfreyan: Let me just start this off by saying that I love every single one of you and that you’re all very awesome and cool and that I wish you all only the good things in life cause Bunny’s gonna kill me for this. Ok now that I got that outta the way I can talk about Bunny the Bully. Realistically speaking I’ve only been talking to Bunny for a few days that’s legit it and most of the time she’s just punching me around not joking you can even ask her to verify lmao but she’s a very wonderful and considerate individual. She might be yelling at you that she wants to fight you and beat you up but she’s a very soft person and very caring and I get those vibes from her. She’s also very helpful, gives great advice and is a hex girl so be careful about that too lmao. No but seriously Bunny’s a blessing and I guess I just get easily attached to people I’m always a friendly dude so like I already consider her a very nice and good friend and I will beat anybody up if they mess with her too, I still can’t believe I was intimidated/scared by you arxrxr but even then I always thought you were amazing when I saw you on the dash through mutual we had, you make me smile and laugh and that’s honestly one of the best gifts I could ever be given. Thanks for being so amazing and wonderful Bunny.

@valkiris / @ladydames / @cosmicworn (idk what blog you’re on ok): DAWN! Ok so I’ve told you before that for the longest time I’ve admired you and been like too nervous/afraid/unsure/idk of how to approach you and talk to you but like I always had that want to get to know you better. I always thought you were cool and amazing, and tbh I still do now and even more now that I’m like actually talking to you little by little. You’re such a fun person like muses and writing aside you’re really chill and you make me laugh too quite a lot like yesterday when I told you about my phobia I thought that was hilarious and adorable okay that was gold to me. You also made a comment about how like usually nobody would know if you’re not doing okay cause you’ll keep it to yourself and honestly I’m the same way you are with that but like always know that you can depend on me okay? That I’m always there to want to lend a hand and to help you out like you’ve handed me advice just the other day and helped me handle something. Aside from being an extraordinary writer you’re an equally extraordinary person and I’m just really thankful and feel so lucky that I’m like passed that wall that was preventing me from socializing with you and getting to know you? I just didn’t want to come off as annoying cause I guess I do tend to talk too much to people but like thank you so much? For just being your wonderful self.

*SALT BAES SOME GLITTER DUST ON Y’ALL*

These are people that I’ve either talked on occasion/have went out of their way to talk to me/I want to get to know better and are just really amazing okay you’re all really amazing and if I could tag every single one of you I would but I’m doing this by memory rn and this is taken much longer than it should have cause I started doing this like….. ..3 hours ago and I’m now just getting it done BUT THE POINT IS THAT I LOVE YOU GUYS OKAY A LOT AND THANK YOU SO MUCH.

@magitekelite @qkslvr @exiistisms @moonfayth @foughtsorrow @lockedfighter @lazuliss @leviathkand @legacycarry @gamenu @thighsbitch @eruditorem @ryusxnka @rosalithe @rude-at-your-service @tactiquess @trashkingizunia @triggerxhappy @honorificus @hatsuuharu @white-bird-in-a-cage @wutaiiwarrior @witchinfest @firixn @goddessoath @gxnwrought @jen-ova @astralchose @asouldivided @duelbreak @aloofleader @residentangel @kingdomkxy @islelight @xkuja @xkuja @xfarron @catncore @crystarium-rose @appointedescort @vxmpirehunterd @badassbarmaid @blackmage-lulu @klcpto @praesidioest @adventurouswind @ablackwing @stcrmblade @solauctor @serpentsun @lanahub @osolars @braskide @drexm-eater @dragooniv @pathoftrials @drgfyre @depthsbled @smashkick @visumbra @spiraledeye @scphiiroth @stellaux @ofbesaid @re-no @chezqah @wildrosemonarch @galbanaspired @faeriesboon AND THERE’S MORE PEOPLE OK BUT I CAN’T REMEMBER THEM RN.

&. YOU

I know for a fact I missed a lot of people and there’s so many of you and I wish I could tag all of you but everybody in general really who follows me or like spares me some time of their day like thanks so much you’re awesome and you’re the real MVP. I truly appreciate it and hope that the future ahead only gets better for you!

TLDR;

[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 48 - Nike CM inundated with criticism.

K: Hi, this is Dir en grey's Kaoru, with this week's episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome. Ok, lets get started, Joe, if you please.

J: Yes, uh, last week's episode...the first episode of the year, we were talking about poo, haha. It shows what a wide scope this show has. This week I have some more serious news. This was quite a talking point back in December, I think many people will already be aware of it. Its the news about the Nike commercial which recieved an avalanche of complaints. The promotional video made by Nike Japan, 'Keep moving - yourself - the furure. The Future isn't Waiting' has taken a lot of criticism. The view count on youtube had reached a million views as of last December, but at the same has recieved a lot of negative comments thought to be from Japanese users. The majority of these seem to be from online right-wingers saying things like, 'Racist discrimination is extremely rare in Japan (This cm is outrageous)',  'There is no discrimination against Koreans in Japan, even if there was there would be a reason for it', 'Nike is anti-Japan, Im not buying from there any more', 'Are Nike aware that the Association of Korean residents in Japan (Chongryon) were involved in the abuductions of Japanese people?' etc. Incidentally, there are 3 young people who appear in the commercial mainly. One of them appears to be a Korean resident of Japan. She is shown walking the streets looking down, while wearing Chima jeogori, and also being bullied at school, likely due to her ethnicity. The online anti-Korean, right wing Japanese sphere are thought to dislike this depiction. To summarise, their reaction to this CM has been to say it shows contempt for Japan, by suggesting that Japan is following the same kind of trend as the West in terms of discrimination, even though Japan hardley has any discrimination compared to the West (they think)....

So I checked out this cm as soon as it became news, and the first thing I thought is that these kinds of comments have kinda missed the point. The second thing I thought was in regards to the claim that anti-Korean discrimination is extremely rare in Japan. I personally have quite a few Korean-Japanese friends, and they have said that since they were small, throughout school, they have faced discrimination. Well, discrimination isn't a uniquely Japanese thing, many countries also have discrimination. Im not saying we are the only ones who have it, but I am at least very aware that, even in Japan, discrimination does exist. Well, I mean, how should we interpret this CM?

T: As for the meaning, I get that it shows there is discrimination, but after that it must somehow be related to sports, being Nike?

J: Yeh, so when you see these young people in the CM suffering discrimination, they are each doing different sports. Its like, if you excell at your sport, you can change your own future, kinda. A message like, even though there is discrimination, if you find your calling, you can change the world with it.

T: I see.

J: Kaoru, what do you think?

K: Well, even with that, its definitely not wrong.  *1

J: Yeah, as for Nike, they must have made it this way deliberately. They made a Korean resident of Japan the protagonist on purpose, so they are trying to put out the message of 'lets stop this kind of discrimination'. And with sports, surely...well, its not limited to sports, if there is anything that someone really excells at, they can overcome discrimination with that, and create something new. I think thats the message of this CM. But..

K: Its a bit difficult to get that message across.

J: Well, yeah...

K: To get that across as the point.

T: Yeah.

J: Hmm, yeh. Another thing I was unsure about was the response from the mass media. When this kind of news appears, they use the phrase 'the cm is under fire/recieved a backlash'. But as far as I could see, I had a look at the comments, they seemed a lot more like false accusations, or like harassment. So if you use that to say the CM is under fire, it makes it seem like the fault lies with the CM. All I could see was harassment from the right-wing. And its probably not a lot of people writing this stuff. Its more likely to be a few people from one group doing it. So I thought it was a bit wrong of the media to present the issue as if the CM is under fire, as this makes it seem like the problem it the CM itself. It seemed to me like just a lot of false accusation.

K: Hm, well, they made this CM, knowing it would be an easy target for accusations. So, its kinda hard to see what their aim was with this.

J: Yeah, I see.

T: For example, if they had made the protagonist a really famous sports star, it might have been easier to get the point across..with their story. But because the CM features these 3 kinda abstract characters, the meaning gets a bit vague.

K: Yeah, yeah, I agree. Im not entirely sure what they are trying to say with this.

J: I see, yeh. You think there is room for criticism in that sense?

K: Im not sure about criticism, but for the CM itself, I wasn't sure what they were saying, although Im sure there are people who understand the meaning of it.

J: So as of now, the CM has not been shut down, so if anyone wants to watch it, they still can if they are interested. If any of the viewers have any thoughts on it, please leave a comment on this video.

T: Yeah, they are definitely not showing off their shoe performance with this CM. Though their specific goal isn't obvious, I reckon this is fine. If it starts debate, then its good.

K: Well, yeah, if it creates the opportunity for debate, then its good.

Kami: Um, there is a lot to debate about this cm, but Nike shoes are cool, right?

J: Ah, he joined us.

Kami: Do you guys all have Nike shoes?

T: Yeah, I do.

K: I do.

J: Ahh, I havn't bought any Nike shoes recently.

T: I've always worn Nike. The basketball one's, Jordans.

K: Oh, I have those too.

J: Are they like the low-tech ones?

K: What do you mean by low-tech?

J: Like, not the Air Max type.

T: Well, yeah, they don't have air in them.

J: Right.

Kami: No, the Air Max ones are good.

J: He likes Air Max, haha.

Kami: The Air Max ones are easy to get on, and you don't get tired. Is it different for you guys?

K: No, well, they're ok yeh. Haha. I can't deny that.

J: Right, yeh. Kami, you are a fan of the Air Max ones?

Kami: Yeah.

T: People used to go hunting for Air Maxes, do you remember?

J: Oh, yeah, they did.

T:...when they were really popular, in the 90s. Kami probably bought some of them then.

Kami: I did, I did.

J: You hunted for them?

Kami: No, I didn't hunt for them.

J: Imagine Kami going hunting for Air Maxes.

Kami: I didn't hunt for them. I just bought them normally.

J: Ah, ok. Haha, if you did you wouldn't be a god at all.

Kami: You can only get them through lottery these days, right?

K: Yeah.

J: Oh, really?

K: Yeah, the popular ones. Airmax, and other types like Jordans.

J: Oh, right.

Kami: I don't buy those types though.

J: Oh, you don't buy those?

Kami: No.

J: Ahh, you just buy the normal ones, without lining up or doing a lottery and stuff?

Kami: Yes.

T: There are some that cost a huge amount of money. Collaboration items and stuff.

J: Ehh.

Kami: I shop in Shibuya ABC Mart.

K: There was a collaboration with Dior.

J: Nike collaborated with Dior??

K: Yeah, they are about ¥1million yen.

J: Ehhh??

T: Yeah, they are.

J: Ehh? Its not even leather.

Kami: Shibuya ABC store is good!

J: Hahaha

K: Ahh, yeh, its good.

J: Of course, right? Kami, do you shop there?

Kami: Yeah, cause they have a lot in there.

K: Haha, yeah...ABC does.

J: It does, yeh.

Kami: You can buy whenever you like.

J: Well, yes, thats true. I havn't bought any sneakers recently though.

K: You don't have that kind of image.

J: Thats right, I don't. I usually buy leather shoes.

K: Dr Martens?

J: Yeah, Dr Martens. I worked with Dr Martens last year. Would love to again this year!

K: Should we all go out and buy some? haha

J: To ABC Mart? haha

Kami: I also buy them on Amazon.

J: Eh?!

K: I bought some on Amazon just earlier

J: Oh, you buy them on Amazon?

T: Aren't there a lot of rip offs on Amazon?

J: Hm, are there?

T: I had a look on there before to see if there were any Air Maxes, and there were complete rip off versions going for as cheap as ¥2000. When its normally ¥12000, thats cheap. When you look, its not actually Nike, but 'Ni-kay' or something.

J: There are rip offs of Dr Martens like that too. They look exactly the same but super cheap. I saw two pairs going for ¥5000. They were so cheap, I bought them, and when they arrived they were no good at all. They looked the same as the real thing, but they leather was artificial..I thought, 'Aghh!'.

K: These days even brands are making things like copycat products, aren't they?

J: Yeah, yeah. Like putting out fake versions as the real product. Thats also interesting, its like a totally different approach. It has an effective punch, 'Fake!'.

K: Well, anyway, is that about it?

J: Yep.

K: Thank you for watching this week too. Please subscribe.

*1 Not entirely sure I've got that right.

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[argumentl]

The Freedom of Expression Ep 10 - Stir caused as Don Nomura uploads a photo of his father, Nomura Katsuya's corpse.

K: This is Dir en grey's Kaoru, starting another episode of The Freedom of Expression. Joe san, Tasai san, welcome.

J, T: Thank you *1

K: Can we have the topic for this episode, Joe.

J: Yes, 'Don Nomura uploads a photo of his father, Nomura Katsuya's corpse to Twitter. Twitter is on fire with calls to delete it.'

Well, the former baseball manager Nomura Katsuya died on the 11th of February, and the photo of his corpse...Well, we say its his son, but they are not related by blood right? Its Nomura's wife, Sachiko's son (*from a previous relationship*). Well, anyway, they are family right? He took a photo of the corpse (*at the funeral*) and uploaded it to social media. Many voices have been raised saying it looks scary or creepy, so 'please delete it'.  Well, how should we think about this? It was a theme which caught my interest.

T: In Japan, we don't generally do that, do we?

J: We don't. Even with the death of close relatives, we don't tend to take photos, do we?

T: Right, we don't take commemorative photos with everyone gathered.

J: No, we don't. I think we tend to give the deceased more of a solemn send off. But I have lived in America for a little while, I mean, not all American's are like this but, you could say for Christianity, they have quite individualistic funerals. Also, when they say goodbye, they sometimes kiss the corpse and so on. Thats normal, and some people even take photos, but the circumstances might change if someone were to upload a photo to social media for all to see. Kaoru, how do you feel about this?

K: Well, lots of people can see it, so maybe its ok to bothered about it...but i don't really mind.  I mean, its his relative, it might be different if it was a stranger...but he's not just some wierdo. Well..I have a feeling its....????*2

T: I've covered Noumra san while I was a sports journalist, and when I was shown this recent photo, in my heart I thought..hmm, his face looks nice, he looks at peace.

J: I see. Well, opinion is very divided on this, but another thought I had about this one photo is...For a while I was chief editor for the magazine Days Japan. Its a photo journalism magazine, and it quite often included war photos. And in that case, well, for war in the middle east etc, the bodies of people who had died were visible in them, so there was a lot of debate about whether or not we should run them. At that time, one line that we took was that, for example, we would not run photos of people who had died in natural disaters, but in relation to war, we thought we must think about why it happened, and that the bodies might hold a message in relation to that. Obviously, we avoided very grotesque photos, but we did run numerous photos of bodies for this reason. Another thing I also conversely thought is, well at this point I don't know if movies do this, but there is a documentary movie called, 'Utanohajimari', I went to see it recently and was quite surprised. At the beginning of the movie, there is a birth scene, and there was a message warning viewers about the scene, that it wouldn't be censored. It was written that you will be watching it uncensored. So I thought, oh ok, but at the same time, in relation to birth and death, the two biggest events in a persons life, the start and the end...in this country we can't quite express ourselves freely. Its essentially a culture of trying to hide these things...I vaguely thought about this. We can get whatever  information we need to live our lives from all sorts of places, and if we don't have that we are seen as falling behind. But, as humans we need to think about why we are here, why we die, where did we come from, where are we going...well, its getting a bit philosophical, but we are living in a comparatively blinkered fashion in this respect. If you upload a photo like this to social media in a country where this type of thing is always concealed, you don't know if they is gonna be a kind of allergic reaction to it. In music and the arts and stuff, there are themes of death, and other things that we should be thinking about, but I think community in this country is missing these expressions....I mean, this photo is not intended  as a work of art, is it, Nomura san's body? Ive kinda thought about that.

K: I thought so too, you don't see it often do you? There was that...???*3

J: Ah, yes yes

K: There was a lot in that. Compared to that, this is..

J: Well, its true, in this country birth and death aren't exactly 'taboo', but we deal with it....Well, we are not a particularly religious country, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Kami: As for me..

J: Oh, he's here.

Kami: I saw that photo, the photo of him wearing his uniform, and I was moved.

J: Oh he was moved.

Kami: Mmm, I though 'Ah, its Nomura san', and like, 'Oh, The Swallows (*baseball team) .

J: I see. Instead of Rakuten, right?

Kami: No instead of the Hawkes where he got a triple crown. Like, he was greater when he became a manager. Like with Yakult. He kind of raised those teams.

K: He was worldly.

T: If he'd been wearing Hanshin or Rakuten uniforms it would be a bit....right?

K: Yeah. He'd say, 'No, not those!'.

J: I really think so.

K: I think Nomu san had great power with Hanshin and Rakuten. Later Hoshino san also had a lot of success, but yeah, think Nomu san had great power.

J: He made them, right? The base for a winning team.

K: But of course, the Swallows...

J: Yeah, whatever you say, Nomu san was there, and raised Furuta. At that time, we didn't know how far the word 'ID baseball' would go.

T: Thats right.

J: I think its amazing how that penetrated the world.

Kami: Its amazing how he got a triple crown as a catcher. But he didn't really boast about that during his active years. People are thinking of the Swallows when they see him in uniform now right? Thats what i imagine anyway. He wasn't like 'Look at me!', he was more like one of the team. I feel it deeply, I feel the art.

J: Certainly I think it has that kind of message.  By the way, do you become a god after dying? How does it work? Are you born a god? I've always wanted to know this.

Kami: Gods?  Gods are there from the start.

J: Oh from the start? You are born a god?

Kami: No, we're not born, we just are.

J: Oh its like that?

T: Thats complex

J: I see, thats deep.

K: They already are, right?

J: Yeah

Kami: Gods don't have a beginning or an end.

K: Wow

J: Is that so?

K: I want to try saying that.

J: Right. ..He hasn't even proved once that he's real though.

K: But it means you must be around for billions of years.

Kami: Its not billions of years, iｍ ever-lasting. 

K: Oh, again.

J: Out it comes. He came out with that.

Kami: You guys just can't understand it.

K: No, we can't, not at all.

J: He always says it in a really cool voice too.

T: If i said that to my wife, she would laugh at me so much.

J: 'Im ever lasting too'.

*K laughs*

J: She'll usually say 'whats wrong with you?!'

This is really terrible. So, Kami, you don't die, you are not born?

Kami: Yeh, im timeless.

K: But you have an hourly wage, right?

*J laughs*

J: He has no concept of time but he works for an hourly wage!

Kami: Yes, thats right.

J: He's so stupid.

T: An incredible god.

J: I mean it. A god who needs money, like he needs to eat.

K: Its realistic right?

J: Yes, realistic.

K: He drops in just like that, doesn't he.

J: Im thankful for him...Well i have some sympathy for him, he's ever lasting, but he still has to eat, and earn a living. I don't know if im thankful or not thankful.

Kami: Thats why people call me a cheater.

T: He worries a lot about getting called a cheater.

K: We hear it a lot though.

T: Right, its hitting him where it hurts.

J: He says it everytime, I think if effects him a lot. But like Kami says..wearing a Yakult uniform...right?

K: Yeah

J: And his face looked really peaceful. I think perhaps, living in this country, we are a bit too indifferent towards birth and death.

K: There were probably quite a few young people who have never seen this kinda of thing before, so they won't be used to it if they are seeing it for the first time.

T: Its quite a complicated feeling coming into close contact with death or a dead body like that. When my relatives, or my grandma etc have died...I can't put that feeling into words, when you see them..what is that feeling. Do you have that experience, Joe?

J: Well, yes within my family, or friends. You can't put it into words...

T: Its a kind of lonliness, but not quite..and also a bit frightening. Its very difficult to express...the feeling when a person dies.

K: In those times, its like there is an atmosphere of trying not to say anything wierd. Like, there are certain set greetings like 'Im sorry for your loss'. There's this kind of pattern. I think that creates this kind of atmosphere.

J: Yeah, maybe.....I know a lot of people in bands, and when that type of person dies, thier funerals are quite individualistic..its kind of a relief to see. There are different ways to pay respects or connect with a death, and I think we ought to consider that more. I don't think its right to make death into a taboo.

T: Recently, Uchida Yuya san had a very 'rock' send off, didn't he?

J: Yes, he did! ...so I had these thoughts and picked up on this news.

K: Well, lets finish up here. Everyone please subscribe.

T, Kami: Please.

J: Thank you very much

*1 Im wondering what's the best way to translate 'よろしくお願いします/yoroshiku onegaishimasu'..

*2, 3 These bits frustrate me, as I can hear what he's saying, but i can't seem to figure out what he means. I feel like im missing something really obvious.