#but yeah ... this'll be the only show of its genre i probably watch and im glad i did

[lily-liegh]

for a straight up male gaze ecchi show that panders to literally everything the male otaku fandom loves to bits, i swear the Monogatari series has to be one of the best-directed animes i’ve ever seen. it has so many flaws and things that i could so easily write it off, but like ... i really also can’t ignore that:

the story follow several characters exploring difficult, often sensitive parts of their lives, under the premise of a bizarre supernatural plot but the problems the girls face are easily applicable to real life situations (love and heartbreak, domestic abuse and familial problems, perfectionism, S T R E S S and where and how it manifests in your life, wanting to help others without sacrificing yourself)

the places where i prepare myself to criticise the heck out of it (e.g. portraying a character who was previously in an unhealthy abusive relationship) are handled sensitively for that character, such as our main guy (who has faults, lemme tell you) not pushing himself onto her and giving her space to voice her concerns

or the entire Hanekawa arc where her perfectionist complex is tackled and tied to all the stress that stems into her life, ultimately causing her to break down and accept that she can’t be perfect, she can’t please everyone, and that someday she might make someone unhappy but that 1) her perfectionist tendencies did not make her deserving of abuse, and that 2) her close friends would still be with her if she messed up

like any time i want to call out “oh watch them skip over this important plot point and brush off this character’s concerns” they ... don’t. ever.

and our main guy, the pervert that he is, is called out so, so much on his gross behaviour and. he . stops. he tries to do good and he does. 

and speaking of gross behaviours, we’ve got a plethora of characters who when they screw up and cross a line are called out on it. there’s no “it’s ok if this person does it” - the show addresses the faults in everyone, and i love that it’s not afraid to kick down someone’s pedestal without ripping into them and saying “this is the worst character ever” ... because unless you tell someone what they’re doing wrong and tell them how they can do it differently, they won’t change. change is hard. takes hard work. and needs help, support, and in this show’s case an entire character arc :3

there’s straight up two bi characters who were called the Valhalla Combination in middle school, and while their relationship ended it’s never swept under the rug that they were together, and that the two of them still have feelings for each other. no pandering around the topic, no “were they gay and in love?” nah they just say it and show it.

friends helping each other solve problems? complex friendships and relationships to the point that everyone has history with everyone in this show istg. everyone having their own unique lifestyles, often leading to characters bumping into each other a la dr/rr.

G I R L S. sporty girls, smart girls, silly girls; girls with big dreams and girls who don’t know what they want to do. girls who are friends with each other, and girls who were girlfriends. girls who help each other out. girls with pure interests and girls with kinks. girls who have their own stories to tell that are related to their characters, and that are never used solely as plot-devices for someone else’s arc

artistic art direction and word play. conversations that you think won’t lead you anywhere bc you want to just write off the whole “dialogue-heavy anime” scenario but end up being crucial often to more than one character or arc. non-chronological storytelling that never leaves you with too many questions but with each art paints a new picture.

i want to hate this show and write it off, and trust me there are many, many times that the fanservice leapt through the roof (thanks season two, why are season 2′s always so much more fanservicey, if you had enough money for the show to get another season and the audience for it i doubt anyone is specifically looking for you to up that aspect alone). but i can’t really criticise all of it bc it’s got a stronger story and more developed characters than most anime i’ve watched, and a bunch of “strong female lead” animes need to take a page out of Monogatari and not fall into the divide of “strong girl/weak girl.” trust me, girls can be both.

[taeyamayang]

hi angel ! im joining your 200 follower event. my name is pearl, and i'd like to be paired with a dude lmao. its hard to give a condensed description of my personality and still stay true to my nature, so this'll be a little inaccurate descriptiom of me. its way easie to just be my friend instead ;) but anyways, onto the matchup. i'm a short, studious little bitch who is also interested in philosophy, maths, science, history and fashion. existential crisis and debating is common (i'm a writer and a philosophy enthusiast. literally what do you expect, thats like the criteria for being insane), so my types are usually smart and witty people who can keep up with my speed of thoughts, keep me interested and preferably out of madness. indian in ethnicity, which means desi parents who'd not let me date. i love sewing, and i sew for others a lot too. i also like to write (my writing is pretty sentimental and dramatic, maybe humorous is an old fashioned way). funny at times. sleepy. i'd sleep through the apocalypse if it would happen, i'd sleep through the asteroids that destroyed dinosaurs. literally. very physically clingy. i'm trying to make this short and its hard, so lets rush through my ideal type. funny, witty, almost best friendy relationship, with some gossiping about others; maybe an ear for music too. well, thats about it for now, i hope you have a good time. thanks for being wherever you are right now, and running this blog, dear.

i am pairing you withㅡOsamu Miya

↬ okay hear me out, i was torn between atsumu and osamu but i figured osamu's the the type to have witty comebacks when he's annoyed and frustrated at his brother. i also think he could be a great friend. personally, bestfriends to lovers trope is his dynamics/genre. between the twins, i think osamu is more interested in academics compared to atsumu because that boy only have volleyball running in his head 24/7 so i think osamu would make a great input about philosophy or be more opinionated on general things. finally, for me he's calmer and more in tune to his emotions.

your dream has finally come true. your foot has touched down to the land of the rising sun. you have read thousands of blogs about what to expect and what to do once you visit japan. as presumed, you listed quite a few places that you want to visit throughout your trip here.

one of those is a small yet phenomenal onigiri store located at the heart of hyogo prefecture. you fold the paper containing your list back to it's creases before pushing it inside your pocket. your hand push the doorhandle of the shop. the sound of the chime resonates within the small shop and instantly a tall grey haired boy greets you by bowing his head.

"welcome!" he says. he's wearing a black cap and a white shirt with a japanese character written on it. you have no idea what it meant but let's go just go with it.

your eyes feast on various kind of onigiri displayed inside a glass cabinet as you walk to near it. physically, you could feel your stomach grumble at the sight of delicious food.

"if you're into spicy savory food i recommend you try mentaiko. it's spicy pollack roe. but if you're on the sweeter side then you can try umeboshi. it's pickled plums." he points at flavored onigiris.

"tourist?" he adds, changing the subject. you tear your eyes away from the food only to realize he's had his eyes on you the whole time.

"yeah, im from india." you smile at him.

"is that so?" he raises an eyebrow before turning around to fetch a tray resting on top of the counter top. "ill give you free taste." he slices the onigiris into half before setting it on the tray for you to taste.

"thank you." your smile widens in delight. the door to the kitchen at the far end of the counter top blares open to a person with identical features as him. unlike the guy who gave you free food, his hair is dyed in blonde and his eyes are sharper.

"asshole, where's my jacket?" the blonde dude cocks his head at him.

"not infront of a costumer, jerk." he murmurs to himself, diverting his gaze from the other.

"you just called me a jerk infront of the costumer." the blonde puts his hand on his waist and uses his other hand to point at him as if to prove a point. the grey headed boy purses his lips before slowly turning his head up.

"isn't that your name?" he sarcastically remarks in a calm yet condesing tone. your eyes rally back and forth from one twin to the other. your mouth chewing on your second onigiri as you watch them banter.

"you are exceptionally rude and unforgiving today." the other twin wrinkles his nose in disgust.

"everyday that i get to deal with you and skip on the idea of of murdering you i develop a sense of wit to shut you down."

"just tell me where you put my jacket!" the blonde's voice increases.

"i have no idea where your goddamned jacket is!" the grey headed boy throws his hands in the air in frustration. "people who deal with you on a daily basis reduces their life sentence up to ten years. i wouldn't be surprise if i would be dead tomorrow."

you snort out laughing as soon as the boy behind the counter finishes his sentence. the twins turn their head to you in surprise.

"sorry, go on." you keep your head down as you stifle a laugh. you stuff your mouth with another onigiri to keep your mouth shut.

the chimes tied on top of the door clangs signaling that the other twin has left the place. for once, silence dominated the small store. you crack your head up.

"your onigiri tastes good." you say between chews. you have one hand covering your mouth and the other supporting your weight on the counter as you lean closer to him.

"you won the chaff." you lower your voice before winking at him. your playful behavior earns a smile from the grey haired boy. he keeps his head down probably embarrassed of what just happened.

"ill take two of every flavor displayed." you add, "im pearl."

he looks up to meet with your eyes. the right corner of his lips pull into a half smile. his eyes reflect the lights inside the store. he meekly pulls his hat down.

"osamu miya." right then his half smiles turns into a grin.

a/n: please, when you said that you only write sentimental and dramatic pieces i refuse to believe that! i mean lmao when i was reading through your ask i was giggling to myself. you have humor and it shows! btw, this is the best i can give you in terms of witty banters and comebacks cos i am the type of person to fuel the banters,, probably a few ooh's and laughs here and there to keep the argument blazing. anyway, i hope you like this one. also, the last sentence of your ask made smile. thank you, sweet soul ♡

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