#but after watching whole season of Beastars

[gracefireheart]

Made a little fanfic about how Heavy and Medic's first interaction in my TF2 x Beastars AU went down.

If you don't know what Beastars is, I recommend watching at least a little of the anime to get a feel for it (tho' some of the things I mention in the fic will reference certain things that's shown in season 2, so be warned ig). It's on Netflix, but you can also just pirate it if you don't have a subscription. You didn't hear it from me tho' :)

Anyways, onto the fanfic below the keep reading line. It's over 3k words long, and 'cause of that (and how I don't have an a03 account), I'll just use pics instead for what I wrote in order to not go over the character limit :]

[alabasterandpitch]

So call me a furry but I picked up Beastars again after remembering theres a new season.

I'd watched the first one, despite being somewhat skeptical of the obvious furrybait, but ended up getting sucked into it by some oddly compelling element that I couldn't place my finger on.

Ye gods has my recent journey into sexuality and kink shed some light on why I enjoyed this show so much, even if I didn't realize/admit it at the time.

All the horny ass imagery about predator and prey animals, themes of sexual and emotional repression and just the whole dynamic of coming to terms with parts of yourself that may unsettle you has definitely struck me from a new angle this time around.

Not to mention the protagonist, I mean c'mon. Legoshi the melancholic sexual disaster bottom(?) who, despite being a good doggo, has that deer-in-the-headlights rizz and freezes up and whimpers when the 'school slut' undresses in front of him but somehow manages to unconsciously maintain a insanely homoerotic yet submissive sexual tension with the leader of the drama club (who is a stag 😍) for the whole first season.

Speaking of the stag, Louis, yeah definitely another closet bi moment there, 'nuff said. I like antlers, call it an occupational hazard 🫣

I swear I'm not a furry

[oh-cawsh]

9 people to get to know better

thanks for tagging me @ghostradiodylan !!

1. Three ships: Rylan my beloved they do no wrong. theyre the epitome of awkward bashful and honest gay summer teen romance with the perfect contrasting note of horrific life threatening monsters which is unsurpassable genre peak. and yeah ngl its pretty rare that i get behind a ship but two others i can think of are amity/luz from the owl house (but mostly in season 1 because they do cute anxious crushing stuff and after that they just kind of turn into supportive gf A and supportive gf B), and legosi/louis from beastars because how do you just gloss over neurotic homophobe slut ptsd theatre twink x weird brooding puritan loser freudian pervert and the fact that it does WORK too like hello

2. First ever ship: i wanna say gregg and angus from night in the woods?? i remember i was in that weird sexual orientation puberty where you literally know you're gay but it's not like a consciously meaningful part of your identity so i remember seeing them and thinking wow that's cool that they're boyfriends i guess idk. also i'm inexorably drawn to their existence for some reason and my lockscreen is them cuddling with the lazy morning light peeking through the curtains

3. Last song: My Kink is Karma - Chappell Roan, im a sucker for moody electronic pop and that album DELIVERS

4. Last film: i watched the first three movies in a pirates of the caribbean marathon with some friends which ngl after the first one feels like trying to suck sugar water out of a sock 😶 the last film i personally chose to watch was the 1976 Carrie! it was nice being able to watch it and appreciate it as an adult with an education and not a teen recluse going "yeah carrie you show those villain highschoolers what's what"

5. Currently (re)reading: Shakespeare's Twelfth Night! i have my old copy from highschool open next to me and the 2012 shakespeare's globe production up and i just sit and sift between watching and reading and analysing it, just like when i first learned it in class. i'm not really sure why i wanted to reread it again in the first place, but i find it kind of soothing to read older texts where the language and culture's a little ways off from its modern successors. i find it calming to kind of pull those stories back in a way we can understand with its old contexts and writing, and see more and more of that timeless human experience shine through. sudoku for english nerds i guess LOL

6. Currently watching: my watcher's stamina has actually gotten so shit im ngl like i actually haven't watched a show in months 😭😭😭 the last show i watched was bluey (which was pretty good! (and pretty indicative of the kind of attention span ive got these days 😂👌))

7. Currently consuming: this horrible like nutraloaf nightmare bowl i made because my appetite was really poor today and at 5 pm or so i was like ugh well id better eat something quick and dense if im not gonna have a proper meal so i insulted God and put together reheated smashed potato (in the microwave so they lost all their crunch and flavour) + dried roasted edamame beans + peanut butter + regular butter + cheddar + yoghurt + whole salted almonds in a bowl and had a slice of walnut fig cake as a side. that thing needed a censor bar like i was in the trenches trying to get that down im ngl. eating that meal took more energy out of me than what it gave back like i knew i made something unholy and then immediately paid for it like it was so frankenstein and his monster right there on that kitchen counter

8. Currently craving: literally anything after that like god damn 😭😭😭😭😭 otherwise ive been hankering for a good chana masala and naan combo cus there's literally never a day where i'll turn south asian cuisine down like aw man i shouldve just gone out and got some of that to eat today ugh god damn it

also im ngl i don't really know who to tag cus i only started having a presence on tumblr like barely a month ago and ive only meaningfully interacted with like 3 people since then so um!! whoever's out there lurking around on my blog if ya wanna participate feel free! and either way, thanks for readin my ramblings regardless :)

[dragimal]

Fave Long Fics

good ol' @arahir is asking for everyone's fave long fics, so here are mine!

sorry if the rambling is a bit long, I just want to express my love <3

🌟: denotes a fic that belongs in the literary equivalent of the Louvre-- a stunning piece of writing even outside of its contribution to the fandom

JJBA

🌟 scheherazade -- shylittleghost; Josuke/Okuyasu-centric, but multiple POVs; canon-compliant prequel/sequel to part 4, necessary to read/watch part 4 to understand

this is one of those fics that not only elevates the original work in several ways, but it's a stunning piece of writing as a whole. the flow and tone of the piece is so unique and difficult to describe, with a fitting balance between mystery/horror and deadpan humor, and uses the narrating voice to play with the 4th wall in a really fun and satisfying way. oh, and one of the last chapters is a little RPG game, adding a bit little multimedia twist <3

BEASTARS

🌟 Mongrels and Strays series (mainly Mongrels and Lockjaw)-- HassouToby; technically Mongrels' primary ships are Legosi/Haru and Louis/Juno, but it's more genfic with multiple POVs. Lockjaw is Pina/Riz-centric; canon divergence from ch 156 of the manga, so it's necessary to read at least that far to understand

I have a complicated love/hate relationship with Beastars, but this fic honestly retroactively makes Beastars a better experience, imo. it not only enhances the source material, but engages and challenges its implications in ways that I frankly think Beastars itself failed to, introducing a new final antagonist, new thematic tension, and new challenges for the main characters to face. more than anything though, Mongrels feels like what the end of Beastars should have been. this fic isn’t afraid to up the stakes and have actual consequences, making the central conflict feel like a real threat to both individual characters and society as a whole. this fic is intense and brutal, and it’s not afraid to make the characters you love hurt

Homestuck

🌟 Detective Pony -- sonnetstuck; Dirk-centric(??); it's an extension of a one-off joke in the comic, but it's not necessary to know HS to read it (but it's def more satisfying if you're at least familiar with the Alpha kids)

does this fic even need to be stated, for any HS fan? this is a classic of classics, the best rec any HS fan could give. a fic that starts off with a goofy joke from the original comic (a Pony Pals kid's book that Dirk has edited with silly commentary), which gradually snowballs into a much deeper story. a stunning piece of writing, I rank it among the best works of metafiction literature of all time. this fic does an incredible job of imitating Hussie's writing style (specifically Dirk's voice) and the multi-media presentation of HS, it almost feels like it popped straight out of the comic

Endangered -- Mortior; Dirk/Hal, Dirk-centric; robot-apocalypse AU, not necessary to know anything about HS

rly fun au, and one of my fave whump fics, for any whump fans out there. it's also one of my favorite depictions of an AI personality, like the approach to relationships and perceptions feels believable

The Magnus Archives

🌟 Two Ships Passing -- pyrites; Gerry Keay/Jon Sims-centric; a canon-divergent au starting before canon which slightly shifts the flow of the original story, so it's not strictly necessary to be familiar with TMA, but it helps

I must admit I never got around to finishing this one after it finished updating (😭), but trust me when I say this fic is stunning. some scenes still grip me 'round the throat to this day even just thinking about them. and the additional lore/background-building for certain characters is so so fitting and satisfying, it adds so much depth

To The Moon and Back series (main fic is Banned Book Week) -- verboseDescription; several different POVs, though BBB is Gerry/Tim-centric; the main fic diverges from canon after season 3, so I suppose knowledge up to that point is fine

another one I need to get around to finishing someday (idk why I dropped off a bunch of TMA fics specifically...), but this one introduces some interesting new character dynamics, and additional lore-building for many of the characters that adds fun new depth. also a few OCs whom I simply adore <3

What Belongs to the Sea -- TwoDrunkenCelestials, WhyNotFly; starts Elias/Jon, with Jon/Martin endgame, Jon-centric; "Jon is a selkie" au, and the fic implies/explains the rest of canon well enough to read without being familiar with TMA imo

this fic approaches canon worldbuilding from the direction of a different species, giving a unique new perspective on established truths of the setting. I also love the way Jon's character is so different, but still fundamentally the same kinda guy-- "fuck around and find out"-ass man lmao. not to mention Elias' fucked-up dynamic with Jon is ramped up here in a really delicious way, it rly puts their canon dynamic into perspective

Danny Phantom

🌟 Phantom of Truth / Shadow of a Doubt -- HaiJu; Danny Fenton & Maddie Fenton-centric; "what if" scenario divergence from an unspecific point in canon, would prolly be best to be familiar with the show but u can prolly get away with some wiki skimming

this one's a classic, and one of the big contributors to the "dissection/vivisection" genre of whump in the DP fandom, haha. it's such an intimate analysis of Danny's relationship with his mom, and it refuses to pull punches on Danny's situation and resulting trauma. I think it also does an excellent job challenging Maddie's perception/ethics in genuine and fundamental ways

Rise of the Guardians (movie)

🌟 Shadows and Light series -- not_poignant; Jack Frost/Pitch Black, Jack-centric; canon-compliant sequel to the movie (can't speak for book canon), u can prolly get away with reading a wiki summary if u don't wanna watch the movie

one of my fave fics for a decade now, I absolutely LOVE what this fic does for ROTG worldbuilding. so much thought is put into the politics of the fae community, and how magic functions both practically and thematically. and it introduces a ton of cool fae ocs, many of which now have their own stories, as the author has used their fae world here in other original stories as well (would also recommend!!). and the relationship between Pitch/Jack is excellent of course, with a lot of interesting BDSM elements to their dynamic (a common trend in this author's other writing as well)

Mob Psycho 100

🌟 A Breach of Trust -- Phantomrose96; Ritsu, Mob, & Reigen-centric, but multiple other POVs as well; diverges from canon before the start of the canon story, so knowing MP100 isn't necessary

this is a really fun "what if Reigen and Mob didn't meet when they were supposed to?" canon-divergent au. it pushes basically every character to their worst, most self-destructive ends, and it makes me want to throttle some of them (affectionate <3). the fic isn't done yet (as of posting this), but it promises to end satisfyingly-- it just has to put everyone through the wringer first lmao

Welcome to Night Vale

🌟 run, run, fast as you-- -- (orphaned); Cecil/Carlos, Carlos-centric; compliant with early NV lore, mostly diverges in some of Carlos' background and motivations moving to Night Vale. familiarity with s1 would be useful, but not strictly necessary

really really stunning fic, I love the additional lore-building for Carlos and Cecil here, so much is added to their characters. since this is such an old fic, some of the lore here ends up being retroactively false, as the podcast introduced different lore later on. but I almost wish some of the lore here was canon b/c it's just that good (like Cecil's whole thing with the orphanage, and how the orphanage even functions OUGH!)

The Devil Went Down To Georgia (you heard that right, the country song)

🌟 The Devil Went Down to Georgia (And Then Went Down on Johnny) series -- notbecauseofvictories; Johnny/The Devil, Johnny-centric; I guess a modern take on canon, kinda treated like an original story tbh, but like. you can also just listen to the song beforehand

the author clearly has a deep knowledge and passion for music-- especially country music-- and it rly shines through in this fic. the celebration of music and community and country culture here is just. idk, it's like being invited to the table, somehow, I love it. this whole fic is poetry and it makes me ache

Portal

Blue Sky -- wafflestories; Wheatley/Chell-centric; canon-compliant sequel to the second game, necessary to know the games to understand

I must admit it's been several years since I've read this one, so my memory of it isn't quite as strong. but I remember it being a very loving rehabilitation of Wheatley and Chell's relationship, and I believe it's considered a classic by the ship's fans.

How To Train Your Dragon (movie)

I Hear Him Scream -- Rift-Raft; Toothless & Hiccup-centric; diverges from canon at the point when Hiccup downs Toothless with the net at the beginning of the movie, so watching the movie isn't super necessary, tho I imagine most of us have seen it (as we should!!)

I don't know that I would call this one particularly well-written-- it can get kinda awkward and jarring at points, and the end of the story kinda goes off the rails for me. but the premise and worldbuilding make up for it, imo. but I admit I love xenofiction, so I love seeing the deep lore about dragon culture/society this fic presents

Kekkai Sensen

Fleißiger Junge -- TheLennyBunny; Klaus/Leo, Leo-centric; demon/angel au, not necessary to know KKSS

I really love the demon/angel worldbuilding in this one, with a delicious twist of horror that's so fitting to canon /chef's kiss/. and the way Leo's family is characterized (with several OC characters) is so so fun and charming. good eating for the starving Klaus/Leo fans out there 😭

RWBY

🌟 Teaching Qrow -- ByronNightshade; Qrow-centric; a canon-compliant prequel to the canon story, a bit of knowledge about the setting and Qrow's backstory are kinda necessary

I fucking love what this fic does for Qrow's character, it treats him with way more nuance and understanding than canon ever has (tho tbf, most Qrow fans do, lol). and all the additional OCs and building on the subtle implications of RWBY lore... AUGH it's good

My Hero Academia

Hero Class Civil Warfare -- RogueDruid; genfic with multiple POVs; "what if" scenario divergence from an unspecific point in canon, prolly necessary to at least be familiar with the world/characters to a point

really fun "what if this class exercise got got a bit too intense, haha~" au. it introduces a ton of fun new dynamics between the characters, and lets Izuku shine as a badass, chessmaster "villain"

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

Imaginary Truths -- Mythril; Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk-centric; actor au, not necessary to know ORV

this fic does an excellent job translating the canon relationships/dynamics to this setting, and keeps the core of the story/themes intact in rly interesting ways.

new game (+) -- illusionedwhite; Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk, Yoo Joonghyuk-centric; role-reversal au, and since it starts from the beginning where where canon would have started, I guess it's not technically necessary to read ORV first? but ORV provides more context

this fic is rly careful about the particular way Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk switch roles-- it's very much about their story roles. their core characters/themes remain intact, they're just interpreted through a new lens here. this is for the fans that read ORV and thought, "what if I want to read ORV again, but slightly to the left?"

Genshin Impact

🌟 Begin Anew, O Lost Child -- DarthPeezy; Childe/Zhongli/Guizhong, Childe-centric; a time-travel au that diverges from canon at the battle with Osial in the Liyue chapter, so familiarity up to that point is necessary

there's something about circularity and connection, here. about reaching across expanses of time to connect with those you love, and those you lost. about the horror of fate, and the hope for a future in spite of it. idk, this fic did something to me

we were lovers -- ThirteenSocks; Kazuha/his unnamed friend, Kazuha-centric; "Kazuha loses his vision" au, with a few twists. this fic doesn't really touch canon involving the traveler, but familiarity with Inazuma is necessary, so at least up through that chapter in-game.

what else can I say except this fic is beautiful-- it has the same melodic quality that I associate with Kazuha himself, so it feels perfectly appropriate.

To Be or Not To Be (Human With You) -- lilbittofmatcha; Aether/Scaramouche, Aether-centric; diverges after the end of the whole Sumeru chapter, familiarity up to that point is necessary

I really really love Traveler fics that acknowledge that the Traveler is essentially an otherworldy alien being, and was perhaps even godlike(??) before landing in Teyvat. I especially love Aether's characterization here, and the obvious comparisons to be made with Scara's situation

Sinking Ships in Liyue Harbor -- whereherbonesareburied; Diluc/Kaeya, Diluc-centric; a "what if Kaeya left" divergence from canon sometime after the events of the Mondstadt chapter. it's necessary to be familiar with Kaeya and Diluc's relationship, so reading up on their lore is best, though familiarity up through the Liyue chapter will help with this one

something about the pacing and framing of this fic really charms me. like, Diluc's journey to find Kaeya is kinda framed as a series meetings with several new people, like snapshots from a photo album? it's fun to see so many different, brief impressions of characters through his eyes

Osomatsu-san

Dissociation Disease -- PyrrhicFiend; Karamatsu-centric; technically features multiple AUs, but the core story is show canon. not strictly necessary to be familiar with the show

a fic I never ended up finishing (someday..), but I remember it being incredibly trippy and bizarre in the best of ways. though it may not be the best fic to read dealing with dissociation themself, because it grapples a lot with warped perception and hallucinations

🌟 Frater, Ave Atque Vale -- (orphaned); Karamatsu/Osomatsu, Osomatsu-centric; fantasy AU, not necessary to know the show

this one's perhaps on the razor's edge of not being long enough for this list, but I'm counting it anyways. there's something about 'brief' writing styles that often captures me, like parsing a scene down to its bare essentials makes the tone/emotion land more powerfully. this fic is probably my favorite example of this style

Voltron: VLD

The Rites of Courtship -- calibratingentropy; Keith/Thace, Keith-centric; canon-divergence from the end of s1 ep12, and it's kinda necessary to be familiar at least to that point, though u might be able to skim the wiki

a rarepair I never woulda considered if a friend hadn't recced this fic to me way back, haha. this fic features some of my favorite alien worldbuilding, with a lot of thought and care put into Galran culture and biology, I think about it a lot as a specevo creator myself

The Favored Champion -- sugarapplesweet; Sendak/Shiro, Shiro-centric; canon-divergence before canon, while Shiro is still a coliseum fighter

real fucked-up Stockholm Syndrome abusive relationship, Shiro goes thru the wringer </3. I love the way the relationship with the Lions is depicted here too, the chapter where Shiro basically screams at the Black Lion grips me by the throat. another great example of cool Galra worldbuilding too, not as heavy on the bio side as the last one but fun to see either way!

Tokyo Mew Mew

The Deal -- RizuOnceAgain; Ichigo/Quiche, Ichigo-centric; canon-divergent from an unspecified(?) point in canon, and I um. I've never watched TMM and know very little beyond TMM's basic premise and main characters? so take that as you will

I don't often read fics from things I'm not familiar with, but I trust my friend's recs with my life, and this one did not disappoint. I can't speak on how faithful it is to the original, but Ichigo/Quiche's dynamic here makes me go crazy nutso bonkers!! it has me banging on the walls and chewing furniture, oh my god!! it almost makes me wanna watch the show even tho I know I won't like it nearly as much as this fic 😭.

[walkingcorpse03]

hi!! I loved your anime recommendations, especially the ones about romance, I watched them all and I agree with you on them! so I wanted to ask you if you have more recs on the same genre :) or just ones that you really like please! thank you in advance!

Hello !!!! thank you so much for the ask !! I’m happy you liked the recs :)  I’d like to know more about your thoughts on them if you're comfortable because they are some of my favorites,, 

anyways, I’ve taken a break from anime for a while, but I do have a few more recs for you if you haven’t already seen them:  (this is a very weird mix of anime btw, the themes can jump from complete fluffy goodness to emotional damage so sorry in advance for the very mixed bag I have constructed for you)

1. Sasaki to Miyano

I love this anime so much, it’s so wholesome and it’s always refreshing to me to see lgbtq+ pairings that aren’t absolutely toxic. It follows a boy named Miyano and he slowly starts gaining feelings for Sasaki and coming to terms with his sexuality. All of the characters are super lovable too which is always a plus. Its short, light on angst, and a super cute watch! (Genre: Slice of Life, Romance / 13 Episodes) 

2. Orange

Orange put me through some things I’m not gonna lie. It was a very emotional watch for me and that’s why it’s so high up on the list. it’s a bit of a slower anime and it has a lot of layers, but I really enjoyed it personally. It kind of had similar vibes to My Little Monster, but it does have a darker plot. It also has a cool time travel/sci-fi twist without making it to technical (just how I like it). You can really feel for a lot of the characters and I think it makes for a very captivating story. I would recommend it to anyone. (Genre: Drama, Slice of Life, Romance / 13 Episodes)

3. Umibe no Etranger/The Stranger by the Shore

This is a movie, but it’s absolutely stunning. The art and animation is so cool and as an artist I really found myself appreciating the amount of detail. Every scene is gorgeous. It takes place on an island where two people re-connect and fall in love. There’s angst, happiness, and a really pretty vibe to the whole thing. It’s not my favorite, but I do think it’s worth a watch. (Genre: Drama, Romance) 

4. Beastars

okay hear me out-- This anime is a little out there, but genuinely really good. The characters being animals threw me off, but the story and the world is insanely well planned and thought out and I was hooked from episode one. It’s definitely not your typical romance, in fact it’s barely a romance, but its definitely present and a part of the the main storyline. It has dark themes and the storytelling is really good. I give this anime an 11/10 and I say that with my full chest. It's just really different from other shows and my pattern-scouting brain can normally guess the plot of an anime by episode three, but not this one, I genuinely had no idea where it was going.  (Genre: Drama, " Coming-of-age Drama Fantasy” / 2 Seasons)

5. Horimiya

Just a silly little anime that I did really like. Sometimes I like taking a break from stories that really drag me into the plot and the emotion and just watch lighthearted things that can take my mind off stress for a little bit, and this anime falls into that category. The characters are very modern and the story was actually really refreshing so if you're looking for something like that then this is definitely an anime you should consider watching,, the art style is also gorgeous.  (Genre: Romance, Shojo / 13 Episodes)

6. Romantic Killer

A funny/lighthearted anime to mix in with the group incase you would rather save yourself from any angst. It was corny and fun to watch and the art style is really bright and pretty. I also really liked the character designs. I really had to give the anime a good fighting chance, but I did like it after a few episodes. It follows a girl who finds herself stuck in all sorts of stereotypical/trope type romantic scenarios with multiple love interests and she’s just like “this is a no from me” the entire time and it made for a fun watch. It helped take my mind off the day to day, and it’s nice when a show can do that. (Genre: Romantic comedy, Comedy drama / 12 Episodes)

That’s all the romance/romance-ish recs I have at the moment, sorry it took me second to respond I wanted to sit down and answer it correctly when I had the time to do it,, but like I said, send me your full thoughts about them if you're comfortable I’d love to hear and I hope you like some of these ones as well!! 

- Have a nice day !!

[luckystarchild]

Do you know why Jojo part 6 released in three batches of 12-14 eps many months apart instead of weekly like the previous parts?

Disclaimer: I'm not working on that series and I don't work for or with Netflix in any capacity, so please know everything I say here is just educated guesswork based on my experience in the anime industry at large, plus some logical observation thrown in.

But tbh? I'm guessing it's due to Netflix's dogged adherence to binge-model streaming.

In recent history, Netflix began licensing anime from Japanese licensors in a bid to enter the very lucrative anime space (valued in the tens of billions as of 2021). They kept their licensed titles in "Netflix Jail" until they could release the entire series in a binge-ready batch, foregoing weekly releases entirely. The "binge model" of streaming has worked well for them in the past, and they saw no reason to break from this tradition when they first started licensing simulcast anime in-season.

Carole & Tuesday, Beastars, and others received this treatment. The shows aired in their entirely in Japan, and months later, Netflix finally released them (with multiple foreign language dub options) in a big batch. Alas, anime fans accustomed to same-day simulcasts weren't happy they couldn't watch these series weekly during their seasonal debut (hence the term "Netflix Jail" entering anime community parlance). Because Netflix wanted to do batch-releases, fans missed out on the initial hype concurrent to the series' Japanese TV debut as a result.

I imagine most fans who wanted to watch a series would just pirate it rather than wait for Netflix to release it from Netflix Jail and drop the whole thing at once months after it aired (I know I did with Carole & Tuesday). Because there was no legal way to watch the series, these series weren't as widely reviewed for American audiences during the peak of the hype surrounding them. The lack of media hype + rampant piracy likely ate into Netflix's bottom line once the series were released on the platform. People had already watched the shows by the time Netflix released them from Netflix Jail, making them old news.

Since Netflix is a business, they were likely interested in figuring out how to better monetize their content and prevent preemptive piracy. That leads us to current-day-Netflix's behavior surrounding anime simulcasts.

The series I talked about above were largely licensed by Netflix. Licensing a show means buying the rights to these shows after the shows are funded (AKA produced) by Japanese producers, licensors and studios. Netflix owns the rights to stream these series, but they don't own the shows themselves. They couldn't prevent them from being aired in Japan since they didn't actually own the shows.

More recently, Netflix has been installing themselves as a producer on shows, rather than just a licensor of them. That is, rather than buying the streaming rights to a series, they've been putting down money up-front and funding the production of the anime they've been buying. They are co-producing, which gives them more control and power over the series as a whole. In short, they own all or most of the series.

Two recent series come to mind: Ooku the Inner Chambers and JoJo Part 6. Both of these series debuted on Netflix (Ooku is an exclusive Netflix production and ONA). In the case of Jojo Part 6, it was shown on Japanese TV after it debuted exclusively on Netflix.

Because Netflix has a controlling stake in these shows, they can control how and when they are released. They're going to release the series in the way they think will make them the most money. Because batch-releases and the binge model have worked well for them, they organized the release of JoJo Part 6 around this strategy. They premiered it on Netflix in a binge-ready batch of episodes, rather than rolling it out weekly. Then, afterward, they gave it a weekly release on Japanese TV. By preventing the show from airing on TV before it arrived on Netflix, they basically prevented pirates from "leaking" the episodes before Netflix could get a bite at them. This move made Netflix the first and simplest place to consume these series.

Basically Netflix wants to stick to their binge-model when possible. With anime simulcast licensing, you just can't do that without missing out on simulcast seasonal hype and inviting piracy of shows before you can air them. Anime simulcasts are basically incompatible with the binge model...

... unless you're rich enough to change the game, and turn "Netflix Jail" into just... Netflix.

If you own the show, you can control how it's released. Netflix removed JoJo Part 6 from the simulcast game completely and structured its release on what they thought would make them the most money. They think (and probably have numbers that suggest) people subscribe in order to binge new shows. By breaking Part 6 up into batches, they have three "binge cycles" that'll earn them customers each time.

Long story short: Netflix controls their content based on what they think will make them the most money, and for them, that's the binge model.

Obviously they're doing SOME weekly rollouts (mostly with their reality series), but Netflix still appears to be prioritizing bingeable content, and they haven't shifted over to weekly simulcasts for anime.

In the future, I expect they'll back away from simulcast licensing and do far more co-producing when it comes to anime. We'll likely see most "Netflix anime" being released as platform-exclusive (or ONA) content with a delayed TV release in Japan. Licensing simulcasts that get stuck in "Netflix Jail" earns them ill-will from fans who prefer same-day simulcasts. Owning the series by co-producing, rather than just stream-licensing, makes more sense for them and their binge-model business practice since they can escape the simulcast and piracy trap baked into the simulcast model. They can do whatever they like with the series they own... even if it flies in the face of anime fans who prefer simulcasts to the binge model.

Capitalism ruins the party again, I suppose. Hope this helped!

(Disclaimer: I understand there were long delays between the parts of Part 6, and that could be Netflix trying to drag things out, but it's also likely there were production issues. I can't say for sure, but the anime world is still suffering a lost of delays because of COVID, so... throw that in there and you have a recipe for long-delayed batch releases. But I can't speak to the specifics of this project.)

[13eyond13]

What are your top 5 fav manga or anime? Why you love them?

omg see I'm kinda bad to ask for this one because I didn't get into anime or manga until my late teens when I watched Death Note (due to no regular TV and very strict rules around what I was allowed to read/watch growing up). I'm also really picky about it, and usually don't finish the series if they don't grab me pretty immediately or if I lose interest in them! So I'm gonna have to include ones I haven't fully finished just to round out this list, but:

Death Note - obviously! And I'm forever yelling at everybody to read the manga, because though I also was first introduced to it via the anime and think there are TONS of things to love about the anime it just has to be experienced in its original format to get the most out of it writing/art-wise, imo

Beastars - ngl I thought this series seemed really cringe when I just watched the first episode of the anime, like Zootopia meets Twilight, and the cheap-looking cgi animation kinda turned me off of it too. But once I switched over to the manga instead I was really charmed by the art style and by how clearly years of love and thought had been poured into this world and the characters by the mangaka, and how strange and dark and complicated the social dynamics of it all were. Finished the whole manga a couple years back, definitely recommend, particularly for the later parts where it moves past just being a high school drama/romance kinda thing

Yuri! on Ice - maybe the only other anime I ever fully finished watching, now that I think of it? Not perfect, but extremely cute and charming, and I loved Yuri as a character a lot

One Punch Man - I didn't watch past the first season, but this show made me lol constantly, and I loved Saitama so much (he has a lil bit of L energy at times). It also got surprisingly feelsy at times, like with Mumen Rider's part!

Mob Psycho 100 - another one I fell off watching whilst waiting for season 2, but I think it's so good and has extremely likable characters and a fun little world to explore (I am just THE LAZIEST about watching shows, so me stopping watching it doesn't mean anything much). It's a bit sweeter and also angstier than OPM, but for some reason I have fonder memories of watching OPM, so that's why it's ranked below it here

Some Bonus Ones I Like but Haven't Finished Enough of Yet to Feel Comfortable Ranking:

Naoki Urasawa's Monster - Very good! Very grim. Very realistic and tense. I am reading the manga rather than watching the anime, and I think it's definitely one I'd recommend if you really like the heavy themes and moral conundrums and crime thriller genre and whatnot that DN incorporates (though it's much less goofy than DN, which is maybe why I have a harder time finishing it... my appetite for goofy/depressing media is tremendous, but my appetite for solemn/depressing media just isn't very big)

Neon Genesis Evangelion - I watched about 1/3 of the anime and read the first 3 volumes of the manga! Really enjoying the manga, but have to wait to make more money before I can pay to read the rest hahaha. Idk how to explain that it kind of gives me David Lynch vibes?? Similarly weirdly dreamy and dark feelings to it. I love Shinji so much too. Idk it's definitely not a feel-good time, but I think it will be one of my top 5 faves after I finally get through the whole thing

[irvinenewshq]

Trigun Stampede Reboot Will get Comical Second Trailer

Picture: Studio Orange/Crunchyroll A couple of months in the past, the information broke that the fan-favorite 1998 anime Trigun (based mostly on Yasuhiro Nightow’s 1996 manga of the identical title) was getting a reboot courtesy of Beastars’ Studio Orange. Often known as Trigun Stampede, the brand new present made itself distinct from the unique proper out the gate with a flashy 3D artwork type and wild new search for its hero, pacifist gunslinger Vash the Stampede. Now a brand new trailer reveals off extra of the upcoming collection and introduces a number of the characters Vash will cross paths with. TVアニメ『TRIGUN STAMPEDE』PV第二弾 Nicknamed the “Humanoid Storm” and with a excessive bounty on his head, Vash arrives on the planet of No Man’s Land and shortly finds himself moving into hassle with bounty hunters and the locals. After being saved by a pair of reporters who had been investigating him for a narrative—that will be Meryl Stryfe (Sakura Andou) and Roberto De Niro (Kenji Matsuda)—the three discover themselves and priest/undertaker Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Yoshimasa Hosoya) certain collectively as Vash tries to seek out his brother, Knives Hundreds of thousands (Junya Ikeda). Didn’t develop up watching the unique Trigun rising up, so I can’t gauge how this seems when in comparison with that. However taken by itself deserves, I dig it. The artwork type is beautiful (nearly each shot within the trailer seems like it will make for wallpaper), the characters look expressive, and it simply seems enjoyable. With the latest return of Bleach, together with a latest anniversary video for Naruto, this trailer is coming on the proper time for these wanting again on the anime they grew up on as youngsters. Trigun Stampede will launch on Crunchyroll in January 2023. With new and returning collection within the type of Nier Automata’s adaptation, the second season of Tokyo Revengers, and the fourth season of Bungou Stray Canines, the month is seeking to be a lot crowded for anime followers. Need extra io9 information? Take a look at when to count on the newest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s subsequent for the DC Universe on movie and TV, and the whole lot you’ll want to find out about Home of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy. Originally published at Irvine News HQ

[lazy-blue21]

I blame Beastars for this...

[themissinglynx]

Potentially hot take: adaptations of written media should act as, in some way, fix-it fics of their source material.

What with the new WCAnimated casting call, it got me thinking about the future of the project and the nature of adaptations as a whole.

Let me get into a side-tangent, I swear this is important.

I watched the anime Beastars back when it was released in 2019 (well, I watched it in 2020, but shortly after it was released). Excited for the next season, I went ahead and read the manga up to its latest release.

Then the manga's ending came out. And people were rightly pissed at the series' resolution. Character arcs were foregone, societal notions went in backwards directions, and I'm having a really hard time wording this without spoiling anime-only fans.

Now that the anime has a complete manga to draw from, it has every opportunity to take what the manga failed in doing and avoid that or rework it. Although in all honesty, they really should've written the snake out. What narrative purpose does she serve? Nothing. You can write her out and replace her scenes with something else with the same result.

I've been rereading The Prophecies Begin, and there's a lot of bad writing, illogical plot directions, lore that never gets touched upon, and a heavy dose of Early Installment Weirdness on top of it that drag it down. In light of this, I desperately wish that WCAnimated does what it can to add fix-it fic elements to its adaptation of Into the Wild (and, if it's doing the rest of TPB, to the rest of its plot).

Some suggestions I'd make include:

Enable Dustpaw and Sandpaw to become warriors before Firepaw and Graypaw. Also wait about three more months for Firepaw and Graypaw to be apprenticed. At the bare minimum, two months.

Let Frostfur's kits all be apprenticed at once. Not in Fire and Ice. Similarly, let them all graduate at roughly the same time.

Write the kittens (Frostfur's babies, Brindleface's babies, Swiftkit, Lynxkit, and Mistlekit) to have more of a presence.

Similarly, give Rosetail a presence, or say she died before Into the Wild.

Write the nursery more like the modern nursery, Frostfur is there because she has her babies to take care of while Speckletail and Goldenflower are "perma-queens" as the fandom likes to call them. May I propose the name "matriarch"? Brindleface isn't pregnant yet, and hasn't had any children of her own, so she can be a warrior in Into the Wild.

Have Lionclan, Tigerclan, and Leopardclan come into play more often. Let Fireheart hear of more tales of the Mythical Clans rather than just being mentioned every other book and then forgotten once the arc's over. One could take the Watership Down approach by having the mood of the tale play into the upcoming events, much like the placement of the story of El-ahrairah and the Black Rabbit of Inlé. It's more interesting than the thirty-thousand hunting and patrol scenes where nothing of import happens.

Have Fireheart tell people things, but have people not act upon his warnings for damn good reasons, or at least have them try, but fail to do so in time.

If you're keeping all of Graystripe's actions from Fire and Ice to A Dangerous Path intact, I strongly recommend he should not be chosen as Firestar's second deputy. Instead, I'd advise the team to make Longtail Firestar's deputy for sticking to his Clan, actually investing more than enough time into his apprentice, and it'd close up a nice little redemption arc for Longtail. In this vein, I'd like Longtail to get a proper redemption arc.

Kill Brokenstar at the end of Into the Wild or Fire and Ice. This BS about "If we kill him, we'd be no better than him" is stupid and they should've just shoved yew in his mouth the moment they had him. He murdered kittens, and he later went on to provide the tools Tigerclaw needed to throw his coup. Kill that heartless son of a bitch.

Instead of exiling Tigerclaw, sentence him to death. He can get away from his execution and cause fear and worry like normal.

Snowkit still has a good shot at being a warrior, so let him live long enough to be apprenticed. Brackenfur's willing to take him on, let him. Speckletail doesn't have to move to the elders' den since she's too old to care for kits. She can move since she's just old, and still care for her son.

Let Sandstorm mentor Fernpaw or Tawnypaw. Preferably Fernpaw. Fireheart gave Ashpaw and Fernpaw to Dustpelt (good choice) and Darkstripe (bad choice), then took on Bramblepaw's training and gave Tawnypaw to Brackenfur since he was scared Tigerstar would lash out at her.

Properly explain the family tree and have characters react to each other with those proper dynamics. Have Bluestar and Whitestorm properly act like aunt-and-nephew (with that undercurrent of adopted mother vibes). For the family tree's sake, I'd advise to ignore Dustpelt being Ravenpaw, Frostfur, and Brindleface's brother (and Ravenpaw being the girls' brother for that measure). Treat Redtail and Sandpaw like actual father and daughter (it's your decision if you want Brindleface as her mom).

After getting comfortable living as a barn cat, have Ravenpaw either drop the -paw and just go by "Raven" or gift himself a proper warrior name like "Ravenwing".

Tigerstar could actually be faking the fact he's blessed with nine lives, threatening Runningnose into silence about it. Scourge doesn't kill him nine times over, it could just be an incredibly grievous wound.

In that vein, Nightstar could have eight lives like Sunstar did. Maybe because of his age and with greencough and carrion-sickness ravaging the camp, he dies multiple times over. Maybe Tigerclaw discreetly kills him?

[threecheersforinking]

Top 2021 Anime

Hello! At the end of the year I love making lists of my top anime I watched this year and the top new anime I watched this year. Unfortunately I didn’t watch a ton of newly aired 2021 shows even though a lot of them caught my attention, because I just had older anime on my to-watch list that were more of a priority. Regardless, I did still end up having a few favorites. So here are my top anime that aired in 2021!

OddTaxi

When I first heard about OddTaxi it gave me off-brand Beastars vibes, but Mother’s Basement recommended it and as I generally trust his obscure/less popular picks I figured I’d give it a shot. I surprisingly really ended up liking it, and I’d recommend it to anyone else who likes mystery shows and shorter length anime. I was intrigued by the mystery the whole way through, and the characters were really developed and interesting.

To Your Eternity

On the other side of the spectrum, it didn’t surprise me at all that I enjoyed To Your Eternity as the story was written by Yoshitoki Oima, one of my favorite manga writers. This also was the only new 2021 anime that I knew about beforehand and was looking forward to. I don’t want to say much more as I’ve already written a recommendation post of it, but I love this show and I’m so pumped for season 2. It’s just a very unique concept that I haven’t seen done before and I was super compelled by the story and the protagonist.

Wonder Egg Priority

I have a love/hate relationship with this show after its incredibly disappointing finale, but I did have a lot of love for it at the beginning of the series so I still felt like mentioning it here. WEP tried a lot of things and failed at many of them. It really seemed like it was on the path to being one of the better shows that try tackling difficult subjects and a horror genre at the same time, but it fumbled last minute. Still, the first and last episodes of the main series (NOT including the special) are just really incredible episodes of TV. I still love many things about this show despite its flaws.

In conclusion, there were a lot of great anime this year including ones I haven’t watched. Blue Period and Ranking of Kings, for example, are on my radar but I haven’t gotten to them yet. Let me know what your favorite shows were of 2021 that I might have missed. Thanks for reading!

-threecheersforinking

[mazojo]

Winter 2021 Anime Opinions

As always its that time of the year I pretend to be an anime connoisseur and leave my review on this seasons anime so take it with a grain of salt asdfgh from the one I enjoyed the least to the most.

Wave!!: Surfing Yappe!! (TV)

You are seeing currently the only probably best thing about Wave asdfghj Tanaka bby I am SO sorry you got stuck here,,,,, Its bad because I had so many expectations for Wave but it just...... isn’t very good? The characters feel 2 dimensional, animation is veeeery average and the plot is all over the place? Dont even get me started on the Shou situation plot device that they just brushed over and went on with and,,,,,big sigh

Urasekai Picnic

To be honest is not very fair to compare this one to the rest as ive only watched the first 2 eps but ill catch up eventually asdfghj its not bad just that the plot didnt capture me as much as I hoped but the two main characters cutiess the plot just confuses me asdfgh but I don't have much to say about it

Yakusoku no Neverland 2nd Season

So uh anyways Chile I don't wanna talk about it the only reason this is not dead last is because RayEmma cute moments but yeah don't watch this clown show go read the manga for self care ✨

Jaku-Chara Tomozaki-kun

The only reason this is here is because she. The main girl I cant remember the name of sucks and main dude is very normal asdfgh the plot is basically “Want people to like you? change everything about yourself and become a normie robot!!!” ASDFGHJ Like its so over the top and cringe at times it becomes very confusing but hey I am not caught up either so I may change opinions (x doubt tho)

2.43: Seiin Koukou Danshi Volley-bu

From this point onwards I basically like everything. 2.43 Started suuuuper strong for me, definitely thought it would be one of my favs this season but as the eps went by I just.... kinda lost interest asdfgh? Like its not bad, but its a sort of mix between Stars Align and Haikyuu where I would have loved a more character based story with dark subplots like Stars Align but got the parts I always criticize about Haikyuu were there was a point I didn't really knew any of the characters? ASDFGH like the enemy team is super cool and Love their designs but if you ask me to tell you anything about them I already forgot rip. Its still cute and the animation is cool but yeah it kind of disappointed me in the end a bit ;w;

Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season

AOT Is so sexci because it keeps on hurting me and I come back every-time for it ASDFGHJ Not much to say that hasn't been said, characters are super interesting, plot is a bit confusing at times for me to follow but amazing and I just :))) could go on about certain characters :))))) but I wont :))))

Wonder Egg Priority

Wonder egg priority is very talked about right now so I wont get too much into it other than definitely give it a watch if you like the more philosophical and “makes you reflect on your life choices” sort of anime ASDFGHJ the visuals are stunning and the characters very well build, although I am very confused at times I am still enjoying it tons ^^ Trigger warning however for some heavy topics I recommend checking the warnings before watching it <3

Kemono Jihen

I LOVE THEM OKaY? asdfghjk Kemono Jihen gives me the found family topes and I eat them all right up, I love the characters , their designs, the plot, everything. To be fair tho, I did enjoy the manga more than the anime but maybe its a pacing thing? idk but I definitely recommend 100% taking on the manga and maybe after watch the anime but I am enjoying it tons!!

Kai Byoui Ramune

This one may come as a surprise lol?? Like I haven't seen a single soul talk about Ramune but like??? I am actually enjoying it a lot?? and look forward every week for the ep? asdfghj Like yes I will be the first to admit the animation isn't really the beeeeest out there but the plot is funny while also being serious, the characters are quirky and interesting to keep the flow going and I am liking the undertone heavy messages? the soundtrack also slaps imo and yeah I would definitely say to watch the first ep and if you like that sort of dynamic take it up on the rest!

I★Chu: Halfway Through the Idol

Okay I will be the first one to admit this is just me being trash for the idol shows but like?? its my list so I get to decide which found family I am screaming about next ASDFGHJ. As an avid A3 stan this gave me serious vibes of my boys (plus they were made form the same company so like not very surprised there loll) and like I think the characters are cute with adorable relationships and cute songs and its just a lighthearted show I sit down every Wednesday and smile through the 25 minutes so yes I Chu deserves a high spot and yes I recommend it even if it has like a 6.3 on myanimelist sksksks

Dr. Stone: Stone Wars

Look at Gen!!!! enough reasons to watch dr stone!!!! ASDFGH but in all seriousness I....... love them okAy? The plot is amazing and the characters are super entertaining (hiiii Ukyo Gen Senku and Chrome muak) and although it may seem a bit slower paced than first season the arc is gonna get better and better and the finale is gonna be great if they stick to the manga. Only sad that I dont get to see my pirate fuckboy but we better be getting a third season

Bungou Stray Dogs Wan!

when I say this is the happiness of all my Tuesdays I ain’t even exaggerating ASDFGHJ Does this have an important plot? no. Is it transcending to animation? not really. Is it BSD content I've been starving for? absolutely!!! Tbh I see my favorite anime characters in chibi version and I go feral, go watch BSD pogg!!

Horimiya

Me?? searching for that one gif of the side ship scene am obsessed over?? more likely than you think ASDFGH Horimiya holds a special place in my heart because it was the first manga I ever read and the nostalgia is stroNG,,,,,, The plot isn't anything really transcending but the way the characters are captured the feelings just,,,,,, stan!! Also Yuki x Tooru supremacy !

Skate-Leading☆Stars

Okaaaaay this is also me being a bitch for sports anime but like, again, are we surprised?? ASDFGHJ It may be my love for Hayato speaking but ive absolutely loves Skate Leading Stars, I love the group, the main characters, the ships, the routines and its so pretty and they are in love and like the competition and asdfgh its gOoD OKaY??? Watch it if anything for Hayato 👉🏻 👈🏻 My bastard bitch I love the gremlin.

Beastars 2nd Season

I think we are all sleeping on Beastars brushing it off as a furry show. I don’t speak enough about it and I am not one to go about poetic cinemaness on main but beastars is a very poetic cinema show and yall sleeping on it. Coming from someone who was uncomfortable at first with the whole animal relationships part at first, just know beastars is so much more than that, it has a complicated plot with critics about the society within the show with amazing characters, great soundtrack and animation plus banger plot. Pina, Jack, Juno and Legoshi best characters and every week I look forward for the next eps so I hope yall go give it some love.

SK8 The Infinity

If it wasnt clear from my spam every Saturday that I am absolutely in love with this show I dont know what to tell you ASDFGHJ. Sk8 has an amazing range of characters I find fascinating, specially Reki, very much so everything Reki asdfgh but yeah!! Its super entertaining with an interesting plot and its definetely becoming one of my favorite animes because the amount of times ive rewatched the episodes to cope is kind of embarrassing lmaooo, definetely give it a try although I understand its not for everyone but like,,,,, do it for Reki? 🤧👉🏻👈🏻

[subject-2-change]

Top 10 hurt characters (pt. 1)

Oh that's right, bitches. You'd better believe that, if I'm going to rank comfort characters, I'm going to rank the ones that hurt me as well.

1) Varian - Tangled the Series

Seriously? What did you expect? He can be both. The more you love, the more it hurts.

2) Azula - Avatar: The Last Airbender

This psycho was a monster the whole series, and then starts to breakdown at the end. The writers had the audacity to make us feel so hard. Every time I watch the final fight scene, I tear up. She did horrible, unforgivable things. She was undeniably a terrible person. But she had the weight of the world on her. The expectations of her father. The withholding of love from her mother. The twisted perspective she had in her nation. She was only 14...

3) Luna - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Luna made mistakes and lashed out, and just wants to atone for her misdeeds. Most of the show, after she is redeemed after Nightmare Moon, she is just there. A character to help. Another one of the princesses. Then, halfway through season 5, they drop a bombshell on us about how she has been managing the whole show. She's been giving herself nightmares every night to punish herself, and she's on the verge of breaking. She was already tragic, but my heart absolutely shattered in this episode. The guilt she feels is causing her to hurt herself. She's been suffering like that the whole show behind the scenes. It kills me every time.

4) Louis - Beastars

I adore him. Acts like a sociopath in order to survive. He fears for his life constantly. His backstory is just awful. When he actually breaks down in the season 2 finale, I lost it. I'm weak for hardened characters who never show their soft side but finally crack. Did I just put him at number 4 because of his #tragicbackstory? Yes. Should he have gone somewhere else on this list? Probably. Fite me.

5) Alice Mizuki - Serial Experiments Lain

I have to admit, though I've seen the show twice (sub and dub), I'm still not 100% sure what is happening. But HO BOY this woman. Lain's only true friend. The amount of care and patience she demonstrates through the whole show is astounding. She's the only person to really put in the effort for Lain, who has some kind of obvious developmental disorder (but not exactly). With all of that, the end just entirely DESTROYS me. I hurt so bad for her. She is the goodest girl I've ever seen in anime. That is why my cat is named after her, for she too is the goodest girl.

part 2

comfort characters part 1

comfort characters part 2

[psyga315]

How Anime Makes Second Seasons (part 2)

Kimetsu no Yaiba: See this arc? Boom, it’s a movie now. See you for Season 2.

The Promised Neverland: ... You know what? I give up. I just... give up.

Yuki Yuna Is A Hero: So, we’re just gonna make six episodes of a new story and then for the front half, we’ll just repackage those Sonoko movies we made.

Madoka Magica: You’re still waiting for Season 2? Why don’t you just watch the anime based off the mobile game?

Iron Blooded Orphans: Ha ha, monkey beats devil.

Beastars: ... Oh, right, there was that whole murder mystery thing. We should get around to solving that.

Naruto: Technically the manga was just one whole thing, but we needed to rebrand ourselves after making filler hell.

Dream SMP (I know it’s not an anime but I can’t help but make the joke): Just fuck Tommy’s shit up.

[stanharu]

beastars episode 24 thoughts!

this post got kinda long i have Many Thoughts on this one

Overall I had fun watching this ep but I could really tell it was rushed and there was so much that got cut, which makes me super sad. our fears about the finale having pacing issues due to all the added scenes & rearranging were confirmed & it rly sucks, but i'll elaborate more on that in a bit.

this week's ep covered the end of chapter 92, chapters 93-97, and included small bits of chapters 98 & 99.

so the ep starts with the ED and the latter part of the tunnel scene with ibuki and louis. i liked the visual effect they used to show that they were in the dark. louis' voice acting was also On Point. for the most part i think this scene was done pretty well but I can tell it's being rushed also. I really wish we got more buildup and narration instead of just jumping straight to ibuki telling louis to shoot him. the way it is in the anime feels less impactful imo.

also im sad we didnt get to see this in the anime

before i move on, i wanna talk a bit about louis and his relationship w/ the shishigumi and ibuki. i feel like in the anime quite a few of the lil moments that really endear you to the shishigumi and also ibuki were either cut or kinda glossed over, which is strange to me considering how much effort and care went into the ED. it's very emotional and good but i feel like maybe anime onlies are missing out only seeing the anime and the MV. but idk.

legosi and riz's fight was quite rushed as well. there's so much narration and dialogue missing from it and that really rubs me the wrong way. It wasn't all bad but compared to the manga I just don't think it's as good. I will say tho that I really liked the sequence w legosi and the moths. I thought it looked really nice and was pretty well done.

also i liked how the backgrounds had some anti-yahya graffiti, its a nice touch imo

it says "high quality horse meat"

I was happy to see legosi do the "tell me more" pose but I'm honestly disappointed that the anime took out the whole exposition about why legosi did it. like i feel like without that it's just legosi being weird when he has a reason for it!!! This is just one example of the anime taking out crucial narration during the fight.

I also think it's kinda weird how they changed how louis shows up at the fight. im not sure how i feel about riz just charging at him like that, but i liked how legosi kicked him before they ran lol.

i dont have much to say about pina's small scene but I did wanna say that during my first watch thru of the ep i was too distracted trying to read the graffiti behind him that i didn't notice him getting his phone out of the dumpster and calling the cops lmao

it says "devour yahya"

and now... here we are... the predation scene.

overall i thought it was pretty well done but, like the rest of the ep, i could tell it was also being kinda rushed. some important beats werent given enough time to really sink in, and there's a few bits of narration taken out of this part as well that i find disappointing :^(

tho i did like how the anime called back to this scene in s1 when legosi mentions utilizing his strength.

also this part where louis is remembering ibuki had me like😭

I also really liked seeing louis cry. I was crying too sjdflskjdflsjkdf. i thought that scene was really good, its prolly my favorite part of the ep tbh. getting to hear the whole predation scene voiced made me kind of a mess lol. i really liked louis' expressions throughout this whole ep too. studio orange used their whole louis expression budget on these last 2 eps lmao.

seeing legosi instantly get all beefed up was great too. he looked a little ridiculous but i kinda loved it lol. he's so huge and poofy. i love him.

big pomeranian

anyway, im also sad they took out louis' line about being reduced to a flashback character lol. instead he tells legosi "be a hero" again which... im not sure about that change. i liked the part with riz thinking back about tem tho. tho imo the way riz realizes he's in the wrong feels pretty sudden. again adding to how rushed the whole ep feels.

before i move on again i just wanna say legosi looks so cute. even all puffed up and covered in blood. how does he do that

baby boy baby. i wanna ruffle his cheek floofs.

i think one of the things im most disappointed about from this whole ep was how the fight got wrapped up. i really like how the cops show up and totally shift the tone in the manga jslkdfjskljdf. im also really sad we didnt get this interaction

tthe anime really took out most of the sillier moments from the finale, which makes me pretty sad to think about. i know the anime and manga have different tones but pls let the boys be silly sometimes!!

the next part where legosi and louis finally establish their friendship was really cute tho ❤️ even tho it was pretty different i enjoyed it a lot.

BABIESSSS 🥺😭❤️❤️

the wrap-up for this arc and this episode gave me whiplash sdjlfkjsdf. it literally speedruns thru legosi's predation conviction, being released, louis & haru's graduation, and legosi deciding he's going to drop out of school. that is SO MUCH AT ONCE. also i was holding out hope that legosi would have his new years call with haru after the fight instead but that didnt happen!! so it just got cut!!! kinda mad about that tbh. legosi and haru having a lil scene at the very end made up for it a lil bit but that's still one of haru's few moments in this arc that's just not included.

we didnt even get the part wher legosi learns he can't marry haru bc of his conviction.

ive been really hoping for a season 3 announcement once this season ended. with all the background allusions to yahya, the added plot point of someone stealing elephant tusks, and sebun and melon's lil cameos in this season, it seemed to me that studio orange was kinda teasing a 3rd season. but now, with the dismissive way the anime ended, and paru's note from earlier today, im less sure about the possibility of a 3rd season. i'd still like to see the rest of the series animated, but i guess we'll just have to wait and see if more anime is announced in the future.

if we do get another season in the future i just hope that we swing back around and actually address the things that got completely glossed over in the last couple minutes of this episode instead of charging forward w/o touching them again.

i really think the finale for this arc should've been two episodes at least. not including the tunnel scene. i think then things wouldn't have felt so rushed. people have been saying this season really would have benefitted from at least 1 extra episode and i cant help but agree. some have even suggested a whole 24 episodes just for this arc, but i think that this arc couldve been done properly with 12 or 13 episodes if there was some better prioritizing on what to include and what to cut.

like i dont mind not getting the parts about legosi's family if they can be addressed somehow in a future season (or if theres no more future anime seasons thats a plot thread that doesnt have to be worried about). i could have lived w/o seeing sheila & peach's chapter animated if it meant more time for the focus of this arc. and was the kangaroo red herring really necessary?

adaptation wise, i dont think this season was as good as the first. i still think it did fairly well, but i know that it could have been much better. ive been excited to watch this season with my friends once the dub releases, but now im wondering if i should just tell them to read the manga instead. sighs idk. perhaps it comes thru better as a bingewatch, or perhaps im being a bit too harsh. idk. at some point ill do a rewatch and see how i feel about the season as a whole, but that wont be for a while.

if you've read this far, thanks for reading my ramblings!! it's been fun to make these posts every week and im gonna miss getting new episodes every week.

[13eyond13]

Who is your favorite mangaka other than tsugumi ohba/takeshi obata?

I haven't read a lot of manga yet honestly, as I didn't have much chance to either watch anime or read manga growing up. Death Note was my big introduction to animanga stuff back in the day, and though I've dabbled in a few other series over the years it's still the only one I've ever been obsessed with in any way. But I'll try to remember what else I've gotten into thus far.

I really liked One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100, both as anime and manga. ONE has a great dry and weird sense of humour that often makes me lol, but I stalled after season one for both of them and haven't picked them up again since. I think MP100 was cuter and had more feels, but OPM made me laugh more, and sometimes it had surprisingly emotional parts to it as well.

I also enjoyed reading all of the Beastars manga by Paru Itagaki recently, and I actually finished the whole thing, which is pretty rare for me with longer series. The first episode of the anime really didn't grab me because I didn't like the animation style at all, and I was kinda just like: "ugh this looks like Zootopia meets Twilight, no thanks" lol... But when I checked it out in manga form I really liked the drawings, and I felt like I could get a better sense of the characters' personalities when reading the story instead. I thought it was quite original and strange overall, and I especially liked that the characters were pretty complex, and the worldbuilding was really interesting and detailed too.

I loooove the look of the art made by Ryoichi Ikegami, it kinda reminds me of Obata's art a bit. I haven't read any of his stuff yet, but as soon as I can hunt some down I would like to. This video of him drawing on camera and being interviewed by Naoki Urasawa is pretty cool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbtO-rFM0ks&ab_channel=MangakaArt

Naoki Urasawa is another mangaka I like, and who I checked out because everybody always recommends Monster to people who like DN. I think I like his writing a bit more than I like his art. The first part of the story I read was well done and definitely one of the better manga stories I've read, but it is also so dark and solemn that it makes it hard for me not to get a bit exhausted emotionally by it after a while. So maybe that's why I haven't fully finished it yet.

I read some of the original Devilman manga a while back, and the art style was pretty enjoyable to me. It was definitely making me laugh sometimes as well... had such an odd vibe to it, I should probably go back and try to finish that sometime.

I also randomly own this art book by Kaori Yuki that I bought way back in the day because I liked the art style, but whenever I tried to actually read one of her stories (Angel Sanctuary) I really didn't like it and I dropped it pretty fast. Still enjoy looking at the drawings, though.

I've gotten partway through both the Naruto and Hunter x Hunter manga series now, because I'd like to at least get familiar with the popular classics like that. I thought both had really good beginnings, though without having any childhood nostalgia attached to either of them they feel a bit too young to be something that will really grab me now maybe. I'll probably finish them both eventually, but I think if Naruto keeps being a whole bunch of them just explaining their moves to each other during fights and laying out all the technicalities of their powers and so on I'm going to get a bit bored, because that's like the least interesting thing to me in this kind of story lol. Luckily it also seems like the characters and relationships and world are pretty interesting, too.

I've also read some of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (about half of part 4), and I'm kinda meh about it so far. It's sort of on the same level of watching wrestling for me in being mildly amusing for how flamboyant and eccentric and macho everybody is, but definitely not something that I feel strongly attached to or sit there and think about seriously for any length of time.

I own a collection of Junji Ito stories as well, love the creepy art so much!

Yuri! on Ice was cute.

And I started reading Sailor Moon and thought it was some of the most appealing and iconic art I've seen yet, and Usagi was cute and funny and charming as a character in the little bit I read of that.