#go go drama cds go!

[mymp3]

so, you're not a fan of p3 movies and how they handled minato (understandable tbfh) but can I ask what you think of the stage play/manga/drama CDs or even spin offs like PQ, specifically minatos portayal in each of those? is there one, not counting the games, that resonates with you? would really love to hear your opinion!

This is a really interesting question, so thanks for sending it my way anon!

Before I start let me preface by saying I feel like it's really difficult to nail a character as well as P3 Hero in supplementary content. If you want more of a grasp on his personality, nothing will ever beat the game itself. I'm not treating these as replacements of the game, rather their condensed take on the game character, making a new character in it's place. Also, just because I dislike a characterization does not mean i dislike the game or media itself.

-- The stage play is super cute and has a lot of charm. I understand 100% why people swear by it. Unfortunately Sakuya Shiomi is not my guy. He's essentially the "I don't care" machine.

Game Hero does say it often, but it's kind of Sakuya's only thing and eh. Not for me. He's a little too uncaring a callous in a lot of situations. It gets to a point where I'm watching and I go "Woah, what the hell Sakuya?". He feels mean for the sake of being mean. In a lot of aspects stageplay Sakuya mirrors movie Makoto in the ways they're characterized and the reasons I don't appreciate them as much.

-- The drama cds are one of my favorite favorite favorite bits of Hero characterization in supplemental material. I really like how Hero interacts with everyone. He's sort of led around, does things that people ask him to do, has a bit of bite, and banters well with his teammates. Probably my favorite alongside-

-- The manga characterizes Minato in a similar way to how the drama cds characterize Hero. It's probably why I find myself enjoying their two takes on him more so than others.

He's sweet, kind, caring, a little floaty and keeps to himself while still going out of his way to help others. Even if this means he's uncomfortable. Man man man the way he interacts with Yukari and Aigis are so sweet, you can tell he really cares. Although I do have a couple of complaints.

Manga Minato Arisato isn't really mean. He doesn't bite, doesn't self isolate. He's a little too palatable. He's sleepy and unobtrusive. People don't really have any issues with him, he's just a bit of a normal guy. Odd in only the smallest of ways. This leads to manga Minato being off put by every supernatural thing happening, he even runs from Death. Not to say I don't believe he's not scared of it, but manga Minato doesn't find comfort in these things period. On the 31st he sees Thanatos and accepts him because he's Ryoji and they were friends. Not because he deeply loves or even likes Thanatos. He doesn't have that deep connection to the unknown.

-- I haven't finished Q or Q2, they're not my style of game. But from the things I've seen It's just same old same old "I don't care" machine. Spinoff games and their tendency to flanderize the characters because it has to appeal to the widest audience possible will never appeal to me. So yeah..

Hope this answers your question though! Also hope it's okay I didn't go too far in depth with all of them. Realized while typing the Ryoji ask game that if I spend that long on every ask I may just die.

[reikurusu]

Five Times Rei Protected Kazuki + One Time Kazuki Protected Rei We all know there were more

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

They would have made Xiao Xingchen pull the car over at least once an hour if they ever did a road trip together.

[mcclens]

Kazuki: I could never be with a guy [who shows sloppiness]!

Canon info for valentines on how to win Kazuki over:

Bonus

[tillman]

I just think every gg fan should check out stuff thats not xrd/strive sometime there r some real fucking gems of characterization for characters fucked over and deemed “boring” by those narratives . All this to say let ky kiske and millia rage into your hearts .

[chireila]

teiko kids should have an autobiography book called "shit we do as junior high schoolers 'cuz we are the generation of miracles except people think highly of us as if we were emperors (that's true though) but honestly we just wanna vibing around"

the author? daiki, of course.

[written in katakana]

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

Comte’s Drama CD: Track One, Prologue

Since I got the Comte drama CD and there’s nobody around to stop me from inflicting that on everyone else, it’s time.

The premise of the entire recording is that MC and Comte spend a day together, so it’s basically Comte non-stop simping for nearly an hour. As you can imagine, I had an excellent time and I hope you will too.

I will say I did enjoy a few of the tracks more than others, only because he’s the most dramatic man alive and I love him. His head is empty and he’s the only one for me!!! More seriously though, there are also a lot of sweet moments that really speak to how vulnerable and real he is with her--and I’m always really drawn to that duality in him. Yes we all mask the true nature of who we are to a degree, but I think there is something to be said for the effort he makes to be honest with her; especially considering how deeply rooted that instinct to conceal is for him.

Without further ado, I will go through each track with little snippets of actual dialogue in the CD. Please note again, I am by no means a professional or a perfect translator; I’m just too obsessed to be stopped. 

The rest is under the cut to avoid spoilers, also because it’s long meta/squealing fest:

So the first track is called “Prologue” and as you can imagine it is exactly as it sounds. There really isn’t a whole lot to this one, as he basically recaps all the things we learn in his main story route. I do want to comment mostly on the beginning and the end of it though, since it’s exceedingly cute and makes me want to kiss him.

His spoken lines at the beginning are as follows:

So this is where you were. Were you looking at the moon from the balcony?

…Indeed, it’s true. It’s hard not to be captivated by such a beautiful crescent moon.

Usually it would be time to go to bed, but it’s such a lovely moonlit night. Let’s stay up a little late tonight.

We could have a glass of wine, or play a game? What would you prefer?

...huh? You want me to tell you a story?

Like. There are so many moving parts here, I don’t even know where to begin. The fact that he’s always seeking her presence (this can easily be corroborated by dozens of event stories). The way that he’s also drawn to the moon, the little silence there speaks to his thoughtfulness and musings of his own that are unknown to us. What does it evoke for him? Is he, too, reminded of the night they first met (hoping MC is thinking of the same)? Can you tell the thought alone is killing me?

The fact that he wants to spend that time with her, lingering beside her and unwilling to part. The way he always gives her a choice, always wants to know what she wants too. The audible surprise when he’s like ????? Storytime? And mind you I don’t think it’s because he thinks it’s immature, rather that he wasn’t expecting it. In a life surrounded by people--both purebloods and humans alike--that are entertained by so little, it’s heart-warming to be with someone who looks for something deeper, something closer to the soul. That, in a way, she’s asking for the gifts of his mind and voice, two things entirely unique to him.

I weep.

He goes on to say:

(his laughter SOBS) That’s a very sweet request…not at all, of course I don’t mind. 

I am neither a playwright, nor a novelist. I don’t know if I can tell a good story.

I hope I can fulfill my princess’ expectations.

…Hm, what should I talk about?

Well then…what about a man who lives forever?

So many things going on here, and no I will not remove my commentary because it’s essential to recreating the experience for the poor souls who will never hear the majesty of his seiyuu’s acting. Truly Horie-san exists to bring Comte to life and I hope he knows I owe him a blood debt.

ANYWHO so like. The way he’s delighted to indulge her (screaming and crying and throwing up why is he so cute??????). But not only that, the self-conscious bent of how he says “I don’t know if I can tell a good story.” I feel like it’s easy to forget that Comte is very much the type of person who prefers to blend into the background; he doesn’t seem to like or be in the habit of drawing a great deal of attention. He likes MC’s attention but I think that’s not really comparable, he’s very specific about who he shares himself with/seeks attention from.

Also I will say. I’ve never really been the type to like the term of endearment “princess” (he literally says hime in the CD) but. Because it is Comte and his adorable face that I want to squish between my hands, I will allow it. He’s a silly goose and he’s more than enough, I love him sm.

Following that he goes into his life up to that point, and because a lot of it is a bit repetitive I might leave bits and pieces out. I do want to highlight a few lines--mostly because they give insight into his character construction that might not have been as obvious in the main story.

A long time ago, so far away that even memories can grow dim…a man was born into a certain aristocratic family.

The family had a great secret. They weren’t human--they were pureblood vampires.

A person who was born with the promise of eternal life.

A person who had the capacity to pursue every pleasure in this world forever.

…But there are always two sides to everything.

…The endless life was, in other words, a prison made of time.

To have met and parted countless times with his loved ones,

The man’s chest ached with loneliness, overwrought by the emptiness.

He had no choice but to watch the world pass him by in endless hours.

I think there is. Something so haunted and fascinating in the words “But there are always two sides to everything.” Even more so because in his literal main story, he openly says “The brighter the light, the deeper the shadows”; always returning to this idea that all things in life are dual in nature. For all that you see one quality, the opposite exists as well. Interesting too because I feel like it explains a lot of his deep-seated anxieties about waiting for the other shoe to drop. Where love exists, loss exists as well. Where joy exists, so does pain. Where fulfillment is possible, so is emptiness. I think it makes a lot of sense that, when you live in an endless expanse of time, perhaps the scariest aspect of it is the constant fluctuation and change. Life is fun when things are going well, but what happens when the painful parts stretch so long? How do you cope?

Just things that keep me up at night yk.

I also think it’s fascinating the way he speaks about his immortality. In Leonardo, we see him address it as something that is monstrous and unnatural. He feels it is an abomination, something to be rectified or removed, almost. Comte doesn’t seem to share that view entirely. He says “He had no choice but to watch the world pass him by.” The removal of agency here is something that I want to highlight. Leonardo sees immortality and his identity as something that has to be reviled; there is a self-retaliatory nature to it in my view. Since he can’t fight against it, he fights against himself. Comte’s words speak more to dissociative terror; to force disconnection from your own body/mind because the pain of your entrapment or the threat to your life is so great. And tbh it’s brilliantly tied back to his lifestyle.

Comte uses the repercussions of his trauma two-fold. To seek out parties and novelties on one level expertly cloaks him in the mien of someone who is a devil-may-care product of overwhelmingly sustained privilege. But on another, I think it’s reasonable to argue that he seeks these things out with two other motives in mind; protection and grounding. He openly tells MC that his greater motive in attending parties is to seek out information to understand who to support on the world stage. This tells us that he does operate on a political level, if only to ensure the safety of his family--but I suspect it is also his way of moving the tides of fate around him in more benevolent directions. Furthermore, keeping himself engaged in something ensures that he is not left alone with his thoughts for too long and keeps him rooted in the present moment, something he also admits to struggling with. (And is a core feature of more extreme dissociation, the endless struggle to live in the present moment.)

I suppose I’m just incredibly interested in the way Leonardo regards himself with such self-hatred and revulsion, where Comte just seems so…removed. Not that Comte is empty of self-contempt, only that it does not feel quite as charged as Leonardo’s. I guess for me it more evokes the image of a child locking himself in a secret hideaway. Where Leonardo lashes out, Comte is the opposite; he retreats/hides. The only time he chooses to fight is when he’s protecting someone else (screams and cries, pls don’t get me started on his righteous fury I could go on for years, every time I remember Jeanne’s rt I’m 👌🏼 close to sobbing).

I also still don’t know how to reconcile the fact that his room is deadass filled with hourglasses (bruh), yet he says “…The endless life was, in other words, a prison made of time.” Like. Something something is his room considered the prison made of time ????? Because if that’s the case my god I’m throwing them all out. Then again it could be his attempt at controlling that which he fears, which I can respect considering I too delude myself into thinking I can control shit I can’t to face the impossibilities of the universe…

After that, Comte starts to explain the agreement he and Vlad made. Honestly it really is a summary for the most part, but there is a section I find worth discussing:

They wanted to create a person who would not die, and would continue to shine with their unique talents.

Without realizing how arrogant it was, they tried to find meaning in this life lived forever.

But…it didn’t go well.

Until there was a sizable rift between the old friends--and they parted ways.

They both loved humans, and worried about their future…they should have felt the same way.

…regardless, all that was left was a door that could cross time and space freely.

What I find interesting about all this is how Comte processes the conflict that transpired between them. Granted there is always the possibility that he’s not addressing everything he’s feeling (the man is REPRESSED) but there’s something that stands out to me when he says “they should have felt the same way.” I feel like when people have a fight with someone they tend to be pretty preoccupied that the other side was wrong; Vlad certainly is desperate to prove he was in the “right.” Comte doesn’t seem interested in that at all. He seems more confused, as if he simply doesn’t understand who Vlad is anymore. Like he doesn’t recognize the person who once cherished human life as much as he did (which I do have some contention with; I’m really not sure Vlad ever did love humanity the way Comte did. Perhaps Comte had believed it was so because he so deeply wished to have friend to comfort and understand him in his pain). I don’t think it’s that Vlad isn’t capable of caring about humans, more that--following the massacre of his clan at the very least--he has too great an interest in retaliation to be able to interact with them without power abuse happening.

I do say this fully understanding that Vlad probably saw some fked up shit, I’m just saying objectively the man sees humanity in an adversarial lens, an oppositional force. Comte tends to be more neutral/positive; he’s more interested in working to a common goal and identifies more closely with them psychologically speaking.

I also find it interesting he says their goal was “arrogant.” Recently I’ve been thinking about the complexities of arrogance. I think it can be easy to oversimplify it as shallow motives that are only focused on self-aggrandizement, but I think it can develop in even more complex situations--often with the best of intentions. I think Comte is trying to say that, while they wanted to preserve lives that were inspiring and uplifting to others, there is folly in the idea that only a few people can manage that. 

People and life in general are multi-faceted things; so many influences and variables act upon them. It is more sustainable to be a single unit of immovable, radical mindfulness and extend that outwards. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people working together to achieve that goal, only that the responsibility for changing the world can’t fall on a handful of shoulders. It requires everyone to care and think more critically about their behavior, with the help of the people around them (ideally). There is arrogance in the belief that they had control over the fate of the world--an arrogance Vlad will not relinquish, one that continues to get him into trouble and lost him his oldest friend.

Aight and because that’s enough of my brainworms, this track ends with:

And the door brought another important encounter…that’s you. :> 

Now, you know what I mean, don’t you? That’s right…that’s the story until you and I met each other in our destiny. 

But that was only the beginning…now, we move forward together.

Our very sweet, and happy love story.

I just…………like I know I say it over and over again, but the way he just fills me to bursting with uwus. Another important encounter, a life-changing one for him…that a new story is being written, one that they get to write together. That “we move forward together” in a “very sweet, and happy love story.” It’s nearly like a fairy tale but somehow it doesn’t feel contrived or hokey when he says it, it just fills me with warmth. I think I just love that, for all his initial hesitations, he really doesn’t waver when he’s decided on something he wants. And if MC is willing to bet on him, he’s ready to up the ante.

All right well that about sums up track 1, next one to come is track 2! Enjoy these musings until then~

[dolphelecat]

Ok, but hear me out. Cornley puts on The Boy in the Iceberg by Pu-on Tim and previously performed by the Ember Island Players.

[lesbiangiratina]

[dnangelic]

@toadmiretoweepover asked: "ah, i didn't realize the great phantom thief would limit himself to just face on jeans." [ mercutio, as if the ph series isn't getting some nendos in this unholy year of 2024. ]

he doesn't see your face ANYWHERE , ( the fact he's not at all looking irrelevant ) so who are you supposed to be again ?

[houndfaker]

right what was up with them

[danmeichael]

yuki kaji is fantastic for binghe's voice you guys just got too used to describing binghe as having an ultra-deep sexy sultry voice and it made you unable to open your hearts

[lunarlegend]

....does this glitch happen in English too, or is it just the Japanese VAs who sound like they were recording...something else?? 🙃🙃

(Ignis please, my shy ears can't take it 😭😭)

[rosemirmir]

I've been thinking about Hajime a lot lately.

When you are a bug, destined to destroy everything. And at first feeling like you can never understand humanity, and feel you must fight on your own because of this.

But over time, you find family, you find love. Human connection becomes a part of your life, something you once thought it was impossible for you to ever understand and have.

You want to protect those connections that have come into your life. And desperately fight against the destiny that was set out before you. It's a hard fight, a immensely painful one.

But in the end you were able to fight against your fate and defy it because of a massive sacrifice. Stemming from the fact that someone loved you and cared about you so much, that they couldn't stand to bear the thought of you dying!

Kenzaki cared about Hajime so much, that he sacrificed everything for him. Now he must travel this world alone and not see him again, going far away from him, and everyone. Lest they fight again until one of the two of them dies.

But to Kenzaki, such a massive sacrifice was more than worth it.

Because he loved and cared about Hajime so much, that he wanted him to be able to enjoy life with his newfound family in Amane and Haruka.

Hajime at one point thought he would never be able to connect with anyone. But in the end, connection and love was what ended up saving him...

[teh-inggris]

LOOK AT THIS!!! LOOK AT THIS RIGHT NOWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ridiasfangirlings]

When you watched K for the first time, what part/scene made you feel like the show is gonna be a favorite of yours?

Technically…none of them XD I actually wasn’t a huge fan of the show on first watch. What got me were the drama CDs, after the show was over. I suppose technically you could count the end of season one as grabbing me more or less, in the sense that I honestly hadn’t expected them to kill off Mikoto and was surprised enough by it that I decided to check out what the fanbase’s reaction was afterward. That’s when I ended up downloading one of the drama CDs, specifically the one with the Yata/Fushimi interview and the Private Hero drama. That’s actually the real point where the series grabbed me — the interview is fun but also had some points where I found myself suddenly very interested in Fushimi (that ‘nothing’ when asked what he likes is funny but also ouch). 

Private Hero was a killer too, I think I’ve sung its praises before but there is so much great character stuff going on there. You get some funny moments with the whole ‘ha ha Fushimi is chasing Yata around everywhere he goes’ start but then it quickly goes into a very good dialogue between them that hints to a lot of things without saying it outright. My absolute favorite moment (and probably the moment this series pretty much had me for good) is when Yata says something along the lines of  “I feel sorry for you. You couldn’t find someone to save you” and Fushimi responds with “You? Feel sorry for me?”. The absolute bitterness Mamoru Miyano fills those words with is fabulous, perfect, no notes. At that point I moved on to the other side materials and pretty much never looked back.