#honami suzuki

[kanataueda]

[redsamuraiii]

Later...

Samurai Gourmet / Mangaban Nobushi no Gurume (Ep 8)

🤣

[osharenippon]

The Muses of 1980s JJ

JJ and the Rise of the Akamoji-kei

In the early 1980s, the most glitzy clubs, restaurants, and boutiques were taken over by "JJ girls," and JJ's influence was palpable. 

During this period, the magazine shifted away from relying on haafu models and instead featured full-Japanese women as its primary models. This shift represented a move from exotic beauty to models who resembled the average reader more closely. Many of these models were also active college students attending prestigious institutions.

The first JJ muse of that period was 20-year-old Ryoko Takahashi, who replaced Marie Krabin as the cover model in 1981. Takahashi possessed a refined and classic look that seamlessly complemented the "newtra" fashion style heavily promoted by the magazine.

She got married and retired when she was still in her 20s. After a long hiatus, she returned in the mid-2000s to Kobunsha fashion titles targeted at women in their 40s and 50s. She now goes by the name Ryoko Tamai.

21-years-old Chikako Kaku took over as JJ's cover girl in 1982. That same year, she made her debut as an actress in an afternoon drama. From a traditional wealthy family, she graduated from the Joshibi University of Arts and Sciences Junior College.

Although her tenure as the primary model lasted only a year, Chikako made a return as a cover girl for three issues in 1985 and also appeared several other times to promote her acting projects. Remarkably, at the age of 60, she continues to be active in the entertainment industry, maintaining her roles as both an actress and a model.

Chieko Kuroda, known as Chieko Kashimoto at the time, stands out as perhaps the most prominent JJ model of the 1980s. While most models typically held the position of cover girl for about a year, she maintained her role for over two years.

Chieko made her debut in the magazine while still a student at Seijo Junior College. Initially, she was discovered by the editor in charge of the sports fashion section, and her appearances were primarily confined to the sports pages. However, readers quickly grew fond of her, and her presence in the magazine expanded. Ultimately, in 1983, she was appointed as JJ's cover girl. Her rise to prominence paralleled the ascent of the editor who had initially spotted her, and he eventually became the editor-in-chief.

At the age of 24, Chieko retired from modeling and pursued a conventional career. She got married at 28, and the following year, she welcomed her daughter into the world.

In 1995, a decade after her departure from modeling, Kobunsha decided to launch a groundbreaking fashion publication, the first one aimed at married women in their 30s. The former JJ editor-in-chief who had originally discovered her invited Chieko to lead this innovative project. She accepted the offer and came out of retirement. The magazine, VERY, achieved tremendous success, reestablishing Chieko as a fashion influencer for women in her age group.

As of 2022, she continues to be actively involved in the entertainment industry, working as a model, actress, and TV personality.

In 1985, Towako Kimijima, then known as Towako Yoshikawa, became the new "signboard model" for JJ.

Similar to her predecessors at JJ, Towako received her education in prestigious institutions. Her journey into the world of modeling began during her junior high school years, where she appeared in influential teen publications like MC Sister and Seventeen. At the age of 19, she was appointed as the star model for JJ. Towako concluded her tenure with the magazine in 1987, and the subsequent year marked her debut as an actress.

Following her JJ graduation, she had an eventful career marked by a lot of family drama.

In 1995, she publicly announced her marriage to dermatologist Akira Kimijima, who happened to be the son of the renowned fashion designer Ichiro Kimijima. Although initially planning to retire from the entertainment industry after their lavish wedding, their union instead opened the doors to a series of family dramas that drew intense media scrutiny. Akira, raised by his grandmother as an out-of-wedlock child, found himself entangled in conflicts with his siblings over their roles in the Ichiro fashion empire. Tragically, Ichiro Kimijima passed away from a heart attack in 1996, further intensifying the feud. Eventually, Akira assumed control of his father's empire, though it was laden with substantial debt.

Towako's personal charisma proved to be the savior of the family's fortunes. Her striking beauty and impeccable style allowed her to successfully establish herself as a leader in the beauty and fashion industry for women. Her cosmetics and skincare line enjoyed remarkable success, solidifying her position as an authoritative figure on aging gracefully and embracing girly, "conservative" fashion. What made Towako particularly groundbreaking was her ability to maintain popularity among women in their 20s, despite the ageist nature of Japanese society, while she herself was in her late 30s.

Now in her late 50s, Towako is a mother to two adult daughters. Her cosmetics and skincare line continues to thrive and is distributed through her husband's company.

Analyzing the history of JJ cover models reveals a significant cultural shift between the 1970s and the 1980s. Interestingly, every cover muse from the 1970s has long since retired from public life, with limited information available about their activities after leaving the magazine. During that era, the "shelf life" of a young model was quite brief, and societal expectations often pushed women to marry at a young age and leave their careers behind. Even Momoe Yamaguchi, a top idol and pop star of the 1970s, chose to retire at the height of her career in 1980 to fully dedicate herself to married life.

In stark contrast, nearly all of the 1980s stars who graced JJ's covers remain active in various fields. While a few, such as Reiko Tatami and Chieko Kuroda, briefly retired, both eventually returned to modeling once their children had grown up.

However, some of JJ's stars from the 1980s have chosen to maintain a degree of anonymity in their post-modeling lives. This is particularly true for Kae Miyadai, JJ's "super dokumo" from the early 1980s. Miyadai is the first and only "dokumo" to ever grace the magazine cover, which she did 3 times between 1987 and 1988. Since then, however, very little is known about her.

Risako Miura, formerly known as Risako Shitara, held the distinction of being the last JJ signboard model of the 1980s. Her modeling journey began in 1987, and she maintained her status as the magazine's top model until 1991, marking the longest tenure during that era. Interestingly, she appeared on the magazine's cover relatively few times, with just seven covers to her name. This was because her tenure coincided with a period when actresses and celebrities were prominently featured on the front covers.

Risako left a lasting impression on JJ's readership. Born in New York City and the daughter of a Mitsubishi director, she completed her education at Tamagawa University. In addition to her modeling career, she ventured into acting in the early '90s. In 1993, she married the renowned soccer star Kazuyoshi Miura in a lavish ceremony attended by numerous celebrities.

Following her marriage, Risako devoted herself to family life for a few years. However, in 2000, she stepped into the role of the main star for VERY Magazine, succeeding Chieko Kuroda, and continued in this capacity for six years. Since then, she has occasionally returned to modeling and remains active on social media platforms..

Mariko Ishihara played a pivotal role in the evolving landscape of JJ magazine when actresses and young celebrities began dominating the magazine's covers. During the period spanning 1986 to 1987, she held the distinction of being the magazine's primary muse, gracing its cover on six separate occasions.

Ishihara's most distinctive feature was her thick eyebrows. In the late '70s, Brooke Shields, known for her appearances in commercials for cosmetic company Kanebo and others, gained immense popularity in Japan. Her signature unruly brows were an integral part of her appeal. Mariko Ishihara demonstrated that this striking look could also work on Japanese women, significantly influencing beauty standards of the era.

She is also widely remembered by her role in the TV drama "Fuzuroi no Ringotachi," which revolved around a group of college students navigating the complexities of love. As an actress, Ishihara projected an image of innocence combined with a wild and unpredictable streak. Over time, her untamed personality began to overshadow her acting career, and in recent decades, she has become more recognized for her involvement in media scandals. Nonetheless, her legacy as a fashion and beauty icon from her past remains indelible.

In the summer of 1988, Fuji TV aired a drama called "Dakishimetai." The show style gained the moniker of "trendy drama" because everything in it was very trendy: the settings, the actors, and the outfits. It really captured the glamour of the bubble years of Japan. And it was a success, especially among young women, turning the show's lead actresses -- Yuko Asano and Atsuko Asano (who, despite the same last name, are not related) -- into the most prominent fashion influencers in the country.

Fueled by the "W Asano" boom, Atsuko and Yuko became cover girls of all akamoji titles between 1988 and 1990. And JJ was no exception. Atsuko graced JJ's cover 5 times, while Yuko (center) amassed 4 front covers, giving "W Asano" a total of 9 covers between 1989 and 1990.

Honami Suzuki is the actress with the most JJ covers, gracing the front of the magazine on a remarkable 10 occasions spanning from 1987 to 1992.

Her first appearance was in the June 1987 issue, shortly after she debuted as an actress. Throughout her ascent, she kept being featured in the magazine. Honami finally reached mega-stardom in 1991 when she starred in "Tokyo Love Story," one of the most popular TV dramas of all time. At the peak of her popularity, she retributed the magazine support during her ascent, appearing 3 times on the cover. Her last appearance was in the October 1992 issue. 

In the subsequent year, JJ departed from featuring celebrities and returned to showcasing their signboard models as cover girls starting from 1993.

[idleminds]

[wdlabo]

[dragonsorceress22]

Manga Rec!

I liked the main story a lot; it's really cute. And there's really not a bunch of sex or anything at all graphic in it, which I liked as well because the story didn't need it. I'm kind of sad it's just a one-off and not a series.

(There is some other little bonus story about some other characters and plot line that they tossed in at the end of this book but I didn't like that one at all.)

[mikunology]

Locations in Sapporo

things in my personal life has calmed down somewhat for the time being so I figured I'd write up an easy lore post that I completely forgot I could make so here we are

I wanted to list some common locations found in Sapporo as featured in Vocal Android! I haven't actually talked about the setting too much and while I'm kinda bad at designing locations, I figured I could at least talk about them a little

But, yeah, I'll do my best to explain, so some lore under the cut?

Crypton Laboratories HQ/Crypton Towers: The place where the CVs live and where Meiko and Kaito work. A huge white, gray, and cyan building shaped like a C if you look at it from above, it's home to Crypton's various research labs. The building has floors entirely dedicated to be Miku, the twins and Luka's living spaces, and they each have their own color-coded rooms and living areas. There's a recording and dance studio in the building for the CVs to do their idol work and music playing, as well as a virtual reality training room. There's also the CVs' very own superhero base of sorts, which Gumi helped design, and allows the crew to oversee the city in case danger makes itself known (it's also a convenient place to hang out and take a nap). There's also a sizeable garage below the building, where Rin keeps the road roller.

Kenmochi Academy High School: Miku, Rin and Len's school. A large, clean campus made of three V-shaped buildings with their points pointing towards each other and hexagon-shaped windows. A pretty high-bar school with a lot of recent technology, it's one of the more popular and well-known high schools in town (and thus, an excellent candidate for Meiko's goal of having the CVs interact with humans their age). It is headed by Principal Sasaki. (Current Student List: Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Rin and Len, Kobayashi Matcha, Masaoka Azuki, Yumemi Nemu, Hibiki Lui, Akira Kano/Arsloid, Otomachi Una, Sato Sasara, Suzuki Tsudumi, Kokone Aime, Kizuna Akari, Futaba Minato, Hoshino Ichika, Tenma Saki, Hinomori Shiho, Mochizuki Honami, Koharu Rikka (formerly), Suzune Ring)

Ichikawa Academy High School: Gumi's school, a high school on the eastern side of the city. It's a more "normal" high school, less flashy than Kenmochi and looking more typical, but still has a few good programs to its name, including its science program (which Gumi tries to participate in). (Current Student List: Megumi "Gumi" Nakashima, Kotonoha Akane and Aoi, Tohoku Zunko, Gahata Meiji, Kamishiro Rui, Kusanagi Nene, Tenma Tsukasa, AiSuu, Tsuina-chan)

Utahako Elementary School: The local elementary school a block or two away from Kenmochi. It's a modest little elementary school, having been newly refurbished from an older building. Many of the students that go there end up graduating to Kenmochi later. Kiyoteru teaches here. (Current Student List: Kaai Yuki, Oliver Twitchell, Rana, Macne Petit, Tohoku Kiritan, Otomachi Unagi, Ryuuto Nakashima)

The Macne Cafe: A fresh-looking little internet cafe that sits in the town plaza and is the CVs' favorite hangout spot. Established by the Macne Family, it's become slowly but surely known around town for its delicious green apple cheesecake and desserts. Nana has been trying various ways to spread their customer base further.

The V5: A swanky nightclub and bar that is also in the plaza, run by four friends: Amy, Chris, Kaori and Ken. Many of the adult characters come there to drink and chat a bit.

UTAU Studios: A record label company and radio studio stationed in the industry hub of town, notable for its large staff and loooong list of talents. The studio runs a daily radio broadcast that's fairly popular, and their top talent is Namine Ritsu (or it was, anyway).

Sapporo University: The local college. A bit of an older building since it's been there basically forever compared to a lot of the rest of futuristic city. Has a small, colorful dormitory community next to it where students stay. (Current Student List: Galaco, Po-uta, Tsurumaki Maki, Shirosaki Yuudai; Utatane Piko isn't a student but he lives there)

Kamukura Shrine: A humble shrine that's only a little ways away from the beach, and is where most of the cast goes for holiday celebrations (such as New Years). It's headed by Kigashima Sourin and his protégés, Kurono Takehiro, Wakamatsu Akashi, Aoyama Ryuusei and Shirakami Koutarou, who are training to be proper priests. They also have their shrine maiden, a fussy teenage girl named Lumi who claims to be a jellyfish kami from the sea. Her antics tend to bring a lot of visitors.

SEKAI Auditorium: A venue a few blocks away from Crypton HQ and the main place where Miku and friends perform locally. Very spacious and known to host tons of acts, including smaller ones like local bands, singers and theater shows. Also functions as a sort of convention center at times. However, it's tendency to get raided by supervillains (mostly in pursuit of Miku and co.) has given it a bit of a weird reputation.

The Nebula: A recently-established nightclub in the plaza run by American DJ CYBER DIVA (and her partner CYBER SONGMAN), who is also the headlining act of the place. Used to have a bit of a rivalry with Miku, but they're both over it. Gets a lot of younger customers than the ones at the V5.

Dr. Momone's House: A modern house in a quiet neighborhood next to the industrial part of town where Dr. Momone, Momo and Defoko live. Their neighbors consist of Yufu (who lives down the lane), Eru (who lives at the far end of the lane), Tsukishiro Hakupo and his servant bot Kunishiki (who live next door) and Sensei.

Gumi's Apartment: Gumi, Gakupo and Ryuuto's small apartment in a building not too far from Crypton HQ. Not the nicest apartment that ever was, but it's homey.

Gin no Hana: A old-fashioned restaurant that has reasonable business and is popular due to the comfy atmosphere. Managed by Ginsaki and his wife, Koharu.

The Old Soul Theater: An old theater in town that's mainly still in the city for the sake of preservation, but still has small plays and acts now and again. Has been turned into an acting school of sorts by Miriam Stocks, a theater connoisseur.

Ruko's candy shop: A hole-in-the-wall shop in an alleyway managed by Yokune Ruko, where they sell candy, snacks and cheap cups of drip coffee. Totally not shady in the slightest. Is almost constantly out of coffee-flavored hard candy because Ruko keeps eating it.

Meiko's apartment: Meiko's home, a simple apartment in a simple complex where she crashes after a long day at the lab. The CVs have never been to it.

There's probably more than this but yeah :>

[powerpolyculeshowdown]

CANON POLYCULE SHOWDOWN

this is a contest for canonically confirmed polycules or polycules that have a lot of hints to a possibility of them being canon, even if the authors might not have intended that way!

Beware of spoilers!! Some of these only become polycules later in the media they're from, and some of the descriptions describe a tragic fate for the polycule, so keep in mind there will be spoilers

rules can be found here

bracket can be found here

honorable mentions can be found here

links for all the match ups as they go live can be found in the MASTERPOST. it will be updated each round, but i will also tag every round to make them easier to find

help me w descriptions for the honorable mentions!

Round 2 part 2 finished.

Round 3 will go live on May 19th!

(#canonround2 or #pollycule if you want to search for the polls)

tags:

#canonpolyculeshowdown - for relevant updates and the polls

#pollycule - (yes double L) specifically for the showdown polls, to make it easier to find. doesn't include the prelims cause I only thought to add this after, sorry

#canonpropaganda - for, well, propaganda. ill post asks, reblog posts and maybe reblog reblogs

#honorablemention - for the ships that did not make it in (i will still make a post introducing all of them)

#tournamnt poll - the generally agreed on tag for blacklisting purposes. let me know if i forget to use it! i cant edit polls but it will remind me for the following round

#canonroundN - N being the number of the round we're in. so, for example: canonround0, canonround1, canonround2, etc. from the quarterfinals onwards, they'll also include the specific tag (#quarterfinals, etc). Check the post's tags for that ome if you want to look at all polls from that round!

list may be updated as needed.

if you submitted something that did not get in, nor was it posted as an honorable mention, and you wish to know why, feel free to send an ask.

LIST OF CONTESTANTS:

Nathan/Vlad/Ursula (Hunger Pangs)

Rilla/Arum/Damien (Penumbra Podcast)

Nathan/Gabriel/Annalise (The Bastard Son and the Devil Himself)

Ben/Ryn/Maddie (Siren Freeform)

Arthur/Guinevere/Lancelot (High Noon Over Camelot)

Quanxi/Pingsti/Cosmo/Long/Tsugihagi (Chainsaw Man)

Wu Zetian/Li Shimin/Gao Yizhi (Iron Widow)

Caleb/Astrid/Eadwulf (Critical Role)

Sadie/Walt/Anubis (The Kane Chronicles)

Rajan/Wolfgang/Kala (Sense8)

Princess Glisselda/Seraphina/Lucien (Seraphina)

Tess/Jacomo/Margarethe (Tess of the Road)

Logan/Jean Grey/Scott/Emma (X-Men)

Uzui/Hinatsuru/Makio/Suma (Demon Slayer)

Megaera/Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades)

Dianda/Simon/Patrick (October Daye)

Haruka/Michiru/Setsuna (Sailor Moon)

Asmodeus Alice/Clara Valac/Iruma Suzuki (Mairimashita, Iruma-kun!)

Aizo/Yujiro/Hiyori (HoneyWorks)

Kyle/Rogelio/Lonnie (She Ra)

Dashawn/Steve/Jose/Cupe R III/Otto/Arturo/Gregory/Quackers McQuack (Bojack Horseman)

Fluorite (Steven Universe)

Miss Piggy/Kermit/Gonzo (Muppets)

Sherlock/Watson/Mary (Sherlock Holmes movies)

Ichika Hoshino/Saki Tenma/Shiho Hinomori/Honami Mochizuki (Project SEKAI)

Tree Trunks/Mr. Pig/Alien Husband (Adventure Time)

Daniel/Sam/Jack/Teal’c (Stargate SG-1)

Mukai Naoya/Saki Saki/Nagisa Minase (Kanojo mo Kanojo/Girlfriend Girlfriend)

Eddie/Venom/Anne/Dan (Venom)

Peter Quill/Aradia/Mors (Guardians of the Galaxy)

George/Gilda/Thomas (Design for Living)

Leif/Thorn/Kale (Leif and Thorn)

Kieran/Ray/Gemma (Trigonometry)

Eugene/Rapunzel/Cassandra (Tangled the Series)

Jack/August/Rina (The Wicker King)

La’gann/Coral/Rodunn (Young Justice)

Syenite/Innon/Alabaster (Broken Earth)

Enrique/Hypnos/Sofia (The Gilded Wolves)

Max/Jack/Anne (Black Sails)

Pyrrha/Commander Wake/Gideon the First (The Locked Tomb)

Neptune/Venus/Jupiter (We Know the Devil)

Quincey/Jack/Arthur/Lucy (Dracula)

Amber/Reese/David (Adaptation)

Will/Tessa/Jem (The Infernal Devices)

Kieran/Cristina/Mark (The Dark Artifices)

Winter/Moon/Qibli (Wings of Fire)

Camille/Nyra/Dendro (Muted)

Sasha/Anne/Marcy (Amphibia)

Neal/Peter/Elizabeth (White Collar)

Turtle Heart/Melena/Frex (Wicked)

Emiya/Saber/Rin (Fate Stay/Night)

Sofiane/Victor/Luisa (Mortel)

Taylor/Theo/Josey (3)

Jack/Emma/Izzy (You Me Her)

Keiko/Miles/Kira (Star Trek)

Jade/Dave/Karkat (Homestuck Epilogues)

Anzu/Kazuki/Junta (Romantic Killers)

Shikimori/Izumi/Ai (Shikimori is Not Just Cute)

Camina/Michio Pa/Josep/Serge/Berthold/Oksana (The Expanse)

Breq/Mercy of Kalr/Seivarden/Ekalu (Imperial Radch)

Roguish Semiotician/Infamous Mathematician/Player Character (Fallen London)

Alphonse/Seth/Listener (Bittersweet)

Storm/Helen/Mira (Love and Luck Podcast)

Nicky/Joe/Andy/Booker/Niles (The Old Guard)

[444lpblue]

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End #1-4 - It was... Perfect

Episode 1 - The Journey's End Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Keiichirou Saitou Episode Director: Ayaka Tsuji Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Key Animators: Junko Abe, Shin Ogasawara, Ran Kamezawa, Jun Sekiguchi, Daiki Harashina, Kanata Yanagisawa, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Xujian Li, Odashi, Keisuke Kobayashi, Shinji Ootsuka, Hayato Kakita, Toshiyuki Satou, Ayaka Tsuji, Yoshiko Matsumura, Emi Yamazaki, Kanako Yoshida, Kerorira, Kou Yoshinari

Episode 2 - It Didn't Have to Be Magic... Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Tomoya Kitagawa Episode Director: Tomoya Kitagawa Chief Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Animation Director: Ayaka Minoshima Key Animators: Junko Abe, Nobuhide Kariya, Toshiyuki Satou, Harumi Takagi, Daiki Tanaka, Masaho Hori, Yutaka Minowa, Kanata Yanagisawa, Xujian Li, Fuuko Abe, Kyousuke Ootori, Takahito Sakazume, Jura, Yuka Matsumura, Yukiko Watabe, Hayato Kakita, Hiroyuki Kobashi, Jun Sekiguchi, Airi Takahashi, Daiki Harashina, Ayaka Minoshima, Kouta Mori, Shinichi Yoshikawa, Aoi Ootani, Naoki Katou, Sanae Shitaya, Shinya Segawa, Zihan Liu

Episode 3 - Killing Magic Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Daiki Harashina Episode Director: Daiki Harashina Chief Animation Director: Reiko Nagasawa Animation Director: Daiki Harashina Key Animators: Daiki Harashina, Junko Abe, Shin Ogasawara, Mai Toda, Kanata Yanagisawa, Daisuke Shibukawa, Kou Yoshinari, Fei Hung Donghua, Hanwen Ye, Tooru Iwazawa, Honami Takeuchi, Yoshiko Matsumura, Xujian Li, Yukiko Busa, Nonno

Episode 4 - The Land Where Souls Rest Screenplay: Tomohiro Suzuki Storyboard: Yoshiaki Kawajiri Episode Director: Kento Matsui Chief Animation Director: Reiko NagasawaAnimation Director: Ayaka Tsuji Key Animators: Shin Ogasawara, Hiroyuki Kobashi, Toshiyuki Satou, Harumi Takagi, Rie Arakawa, Yuka Koiso, Masahiro Yufune, Pinqiao Hui, Norifumi Kugai, Ayaka Satou, Jun Sekiguchi, Miyuki Inoue, Shuuji Maruyama, Ryuuguu-san, Yenxin Fan

Last week was utter hell, with a new class, a new schedule, and my sleep going out of whack. I'm still trying to readjust, and let me explain why I'm mentioning all of this. Almost nothing would have motivated me to get out of my zone and type this post except for Frieren. Frieren is one of my favorite manga series. If you've talked to me about anime/manga before, you would know this. So, ever since it was announced, it has been one of my most anticipated series. To add to that, Keiichirou Saitou was announced as the director. He's a great example of an upcoming new-gen director who has excelled in everything he's been a part of. From the beautiful and abstract EDs he created for The Executioner and Her Way of Life or Boogiepop, to the mesmerizing, dreamlike episodes he directed for Sonny Boy, and the expressive, now very popular Bocchi the Rock. He was a perfect choice as a director for a series like this, and let me tell you, he delivered fully.

Just from a quick glance, you can see how the show looks. Everything is eye-catching, making it almost hard to focus on one particular element because they all just look so good, and no, it's not just the chromatic aberration causing the lack of focus. The various departments responsible for compositing, the background, and the overall color design have done an outstanding job, creating a beautiful and cohesive piece of art. Seeing someone you might consider a less experienced director pulling off such a complete and harmonious experience is incredible. In terms of design, the whole show is aesthetically pleasing. It's not the experimental work you saw in Sonny Boy; it's going in a totally different direction, like a beautiful painting that should be framed on a wall.

It works very well when paired with, you know, how Frieren is as a story. The fantasy world they are in isn't an extremely unique one. You've seen it before; it's fairly typical in that sense. But that's not truly the point. The main focus is showing the day-to-day or year-to-year life of this immortal elf girl, Frieren, and how she views time, how she remembers her past. It's not an incredibly grand adventure, but with the small lens we have on these characters, it feels like a cherished moment, something that should be captured in a photo or painting. It's beautiful in a very simple way. It's not a series made for extremely large moments, I think Frieren has always been focused on a simpler view of life, much like a painting. The smaller details of such a straightforward approach are highlighted so well. The trees in the environment, the squirrels just moving around—there's so much life in each scene. It really all comes together for me like a piece of art.

The consistency lasts through all four episodes, and the staff distribution also seems fairly good, so I expect this to continue throughout the two cours. The pacing itself is perfect. I've really enjoyed how the story has been adapted to animation so far. I believe that nowadays, many anime series have fallen into the pitfalls of adapting things too quickly to capture the interest of newer viewers early on. However, the series composition for Frieren here is excellent.

This writeup might have been shorter than most people were expecting considering how amazing the anime adaptation is and how much I love the source material, but what can really be said about except just praising? I feel like even if you don't like the source material, the anime's execution is almost undeniably good. Additionally, as I said this past week has not been kind to me so my energy is a bit drained, at first I was planning to be more specific in my write up and make points more adhering to the specifics of each episode, but I didn't really have time for that. However, I will do my best to cover every Frieren episode weekly from now on. Make no mistake this is going to be my favorite series from this year.

[mymarifae]

it's the ultimate showdown.

i like a very large number of characters. and a lot of them are from the same like 3 and a half medias. but anyway which one's the best!?!? let's find out... together. take my hand 🖐🏾💕

now excuse me while i go make one billion polls (will link them here under the cut when i'm done)

edit (2/5/23): round 1 polls added!!!! :)

denji VS ralsei

vi VS launchpad mcquack

knuckles VS chara dreemurr

sho suzuki VS shiho hinomori

ichika hoshino VS spyro

mizuki akiyama VS yuga aoyama

berdly VS monika

saki tenma VS noelle holiday

kris dreemurr VS rarity

mob VS twilight sparkle

toya aoyagi VS pomegranate cookie

len kagamine VS rin kagamine

susie VS little ghost

power VS devil cookie

akito shinonome VS d.va

koyuki azumaya VS honami mochizuki

[vrysrsimportanttokushipbracket]

Total Vote Count!

Some final data for a true Eurovision style ending; counting up the votes themselves to see what the final placement is!

So, Who has the most dedicated fanbase?

Junichi Chouno/Tsubaki Shuuichi - 6 Kazuki Komon/Jun Himeya, Matoi Tatsumi/Yuji Kudo, Kouta Fukuda/Makoto Shidou - 14 Kiriya Kujou/Graphite - 19 Daimon Tatsumi/Eiji Nagase - 20 Shinji Kido/Shiro Kanzaki, Hayato Ichimonji/Amazon - 21 Parad/Kuroto Dan, Sougo Tokiwa/Woz - 22 Chihiro/Hiroki Nagase, Yuka Osada/Keitaro Kikuchi, Kuroto Dan/Emu Hojo - 25 Hikari Nonomura/Haru Tokashiki - 26 Right Suzuki/Z, Jun Maehara/Ryuusuke Ootaki - 27 Long/Rio - 29 Sosuke Esumi/Renn Kousaka, Kaoru Kino/Koji Majima - 34 Mirai Hibino/Ryu Aihara - 37 Belial/Kei Fukuide, Miyuki Tezuka/Jun Shibaura - 39 Tatsuya Asami/Ayase - 43 Lucky/Stinger - 49 Shou Tatsumi/Big Douser - 50 Kiriya Kujou/Emu Hojo - 55 Gunpei Ishihara/Hant Jou - 56 Matsuri Tatsumi/Denus, Basco ta Jolokia/Captain Marvelous - 57 Miyuki Tezuka/Ren Akiyama - 59 Haruka Mizusawa/Mamoru - 61 Homare Soya/Hiroyuki Kudo - 62 Sou Yaguruma/Shun Kageyama - 63 Urataros/Kintaros - 64 Sougo Tokiwa/Heure, Domon/Honami Moriyama - 65 Alain/Makoto Fukami - 72 Jin Takayama/Izumi Nanaha - 78 Kagura Izumi/Mio Natsumi - 81 Hayato Ichimonji/Kazuya Taki - 84 Hideyuki Kagawa/Satoru Tojo - 91 Sid Bamick/Joe Gibken - 93 Ryouga Hakua/Mikoto Nakadai - 96 Asahi Minato/Saki Mitsurugi - 97 Enter/Hiromu Sakurada - 106 Momotaros/Ryoutarou Nogami - 110 Joji Yuki/Shiro Kazami - 137 Balance/Naga Ray - 145 Ikkou Kasumi/Yousuke Shiina - 152 Yuji Kiba/Takumi Inui - 156 Ren Akiyama/Shinji Kido - 170 Miu Sutou/Saki Rouyama - 183 Shoutarou Hidari/Philip - 187 Hanaya Taiga/Hiiro Kagami - 192 Ruriko Midorikawa/Hiromi - 197 King OOO/Ankh - 202 Tsukasa Kadoya/Daiki Kaito - 203 Teddy/Kotaro Nogami - 232 Takeshi Kuroki/Masato Jin - 256 Jugglus Juggler/Gai Kurenai - 273 Shuichi Kitaoka/Goro Yura - 369 Akira Date/Shintaro Goto - 469 Yusuke Godai/Kaoru Ichijou - 485 Momoi Tarou/Sonoi - 534

Congratulations to winner of most dedicated fanbase; Momoi Tarou/Sonoi!

[an-inspired-eternity]

for the ask game: 16 and 4!

4. favorite character from each unit

^ them

16. favorite alt vocal it's hard to narrow down a single given one! so i will just say my favorite for each ^^;; under the cut so its not too unreadable

first of all i am not strongly opinionated on most vs alt vocals but i WILL mention len's lost one's weeping because it is definitively the best version of the song in the game that isnt the original rin version (and arguably sounds better than the rin version)

ichika - [1] saki - ikanaide (alternatively, from tokyo, but i picked it for honami and i was avoidng repeats) honami - from tokyo shiho - pulse of the meteor

minori - milk crown on sonechka (alternatively angel's clover) haruka - shoujo rei airi - happy halloween shizuku - romeo & cinderella

kohane - flyer (alternatively beat eater) an - machi (alternatively odo) akito - cinema. but also airhead. but also mirai. but als- toya - mirai

tsukasa - journey (alternatively literary nonsense) emu - once upon a dream nene - starry sky melody rui - literally all of them. but also as you like it specifically

kanade - saisei (alternatively idsmile) mafuyu - bug ena - nomad (but live laugh love minori suzuki's personal cover of close to grey AMEN) mizuki - lower

[dear-indies]

Hiii! I hope that you're having a day. I won't say good because of all that happens in the world, it cannot be a good day for anyone who cares.

In the midst of all this, between staying informed and sharing what I know, I'm looking for a bit of a temporary solace through roleplay.

Could you please share with me your favorite short-haired Japanese women? Any age, but 30+ would be appreciated! Thanks a lot.

And if you can't, that is perfectly fine.

I hope your day goes on alright, and that everyone you meet masks up and cares as much as you do.

Yo Kimiko (1956) Japanese.

Suzuki Honami (1966) Japanese.

Harada Tomoyo (1967) Japanese.

Suzuki Kyoka (1968) Japanese.

Horiuchi Keiko (1971) Japanese.

Matsuyuki Yasuko (1972) Japanese.

Fukatsu Eri (1973) Japanese.

Yonekura Ryoko (1975) Japanese.

Nakatani Miki (1976) Japanese.

Hasegawa Kyōko (1978) Japanese.

Fukushima Rila (1980) Japanese.

Sato Nori (1984) Japanese.

Ueno Juri (1986) Japanese.

Watanabe Anne (1986) Japanese.

Sonoya Mizuno (1986) Japanese / English, Argentinian [likely including French].

Shinoda Mariko (1986) Japanese.

Nakamura Anne (1987) Japanese.

Kana Oya (1987) Japanese Brazilian / Brazilian.

Takahashi Ai (1986) Japanese.

Toda Erika (1988) Japanese.

Miyazawa Emma (1988) Japanese.

Miyagi Mai (1988) Japanese.

Omoto Ayano (1988) Japanese.

Fujii Mina (1988) Japanese.

Horan Chiaki (1988) Japanese.

Kiritani Mirei (1989) Japanese.

Tricia Fukuhara (1991) Japanese.

Kutsuna Shioli (1992) Japanese.

The fact you were so kind made me want to answer this straight away. I hope these are useful and that you're having a day too. 💌

[idleminds]

[wdlabo]

[satellite-blossom]

I'm not sure I'll be able to make some Christmas art this year with everything I have to do this December, so have some of my older Christmas art (from newest to oldest) :

First one is from 2020, which was the year of Honamy for my art. The two ones with the blonde rabbit are from 2019 ; the rabbit is my OC Usagi (real name : Atsuko Suzuki) with her friend Alice (real name : Hana Adams), who are both Earthlings involved in Léa's story. The Pikachu creature in the last picture (originally from 2018) is Lonely Weaboo (real name : Mathilda) whose also an Earthling in Léa's story. I need to revamp those characters a bit.