#i had a tough time coloring this. imagine me if you will. keeping the manga by my desk and flipping thru it like a bible | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sarahjtv · 3 years

Text

BNHA Chapter 319 Spoiler Analysis: Found Family

Holy crap what a phenomenal chapter! This arc in general has been great, but this chapter might be one of my favorites of the arc. Not just because it focuses on Class 1-A (I’m so glad to see the kids again), but because of the growth we see in these kids in general especially Bakugo and Shoto IMO. Like, holy shit ESPECIALLY BAKUGO! I stand by my opinion that Bakugo is one of the best developed characters in the series. There’s so much I want to say about this chapter and I’ll try my best to do so if my poor injured left hand will let me 😭:

The chapter starts off with the first of 3 colored pages we’re going to get over the next few weeks to celebrate 7 YEARS OF MY HERO ACADEMIA!!! CONGRATS, HORIKOSHI-SENSEI!!! This series revived my love of anime/manga and really helped me in some really rough spots in my life. I will forever be grateful towards Horikoshi for bringing this series to life and blessing us with such an incredible story full of beautiful characters. MHA may be a little overrated, but I still think it deserves all the love it can get.

Anyway, the color page. It shows Uraraka, Iida (who has red eyes here, so IDK why the anime gives him blue eyes though I do think they work better for him personally *shrugs*), Shoto, Tokoyami, and Bakugo after basically figuring out where Deku went. Bakugo is shown tearing up his letter (which says something like “Thank you for being there, Kacchan”; there’s more but I can’t translate it 😭) and you can kinda see some bandage wrap around his arm where he was stabbed. Also, both Bakugo and Shoto still have some visible injuries on their faces and Bakugo’s hands, so they’re still recovering from the War. It’s a really pretty page in general and I can’t wait to see what the next 2 color pages are going to look like. I also kinda want Horikoshi to take a break after this too again so he doesn’t overwork himself. Maybe he’ll treat himself to the MHA: World Heroes Mission movie 🍿.

So, Shoto and Bakugo have figured out that Deku is most likely with Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist. Problem is that none of them are answering their phones. I like that Bakugo calls Best Jeanist “Pair of Denim Pants” 😂 and Shoto’s image of Endeavor is still a very angry version of his old man. Shoto’s still making amends with his father, but he’s still not THERE yet. Regardless, these kids are smart enough to know that something’s up. Especially since All Might hasn’t returned to UA either.

It’s basically confirmed by Ojiro that because classes have been suspended, our Class 1-A kids are still 1-A; they haven’t moved into their second year yet. That clears up the confusion on whether we should still refer these group of kids as 1-A still or not.

Now Bakugo’s showing how much of a genius he really is despite his personality. Bakugo figures out that the Top 3 and All Might are working together as a group based on how they all connected with each other back at Central Hospital. Also, Bakugo concludes that All Might snuck Deku’s letters under their doors while Deku started running. Ultimately, Bakugo does know more about Deku and All Might more than anyone else does. He’s been around his childhood friend and he’s admired his idol longer than most people have. Bakugo understands how bad the situation is and he’s ready to take action.

As are the other kids. You can see how determined they are and you can see Kirishima’s black roots coming in 🥺! Even Uraraka gets some shine here by bringing up the idea to trick Endeavor to come via getting help from Principle Nezu as Endeavor was a UA student. It’s really interesting to see Ochako in a more serious roll than usual, but I actually like it. I hope she’s still as bubbly as she always was at the end of the day, but she’s definitely matured and grown a lot over the corse of the series. Even the simple things like her hair show it as it’s not as floaty as it was before. I love it when Horikoshi shows small details like this. It adds to the characters and stories a lot. Also, the art in this chapter is amazing.

And now it’s Endeavor vs. Class 1-A in a much needed conversation. All the kids are wearing their school uniforms to make this as formal and serious as they can. EVEN BAKUGO IS PROPERLY WEARING HIS TIE YOU KNOW SHIT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN!!! And, I must say, Bakugo looks damn good with a tie 😳. You can also get a decent height measurement on the kids here if you want. Ngl, sometimes I forget that Shoto’s about 2 inches taller than Bakugo. It’s definitely the hair.

Shoto’s the first to step up and he scolds the hell out of his old man. Rightfully so tbh. Endeavor shouldn’t have ignored Shoto’s calls even though I kind of understood why. Shoto reminds Endeavor of their plan to stop Dabi though thankfully that’s what’s pushing Endeavor forward so he hasn’t forgotten. Shoto calls his father “Endeavor” and gets mad at him fro leaving Deku and All Might alone. The rough translations say he called Izuku “Deku” here too btw. Endeavor has no response. I think this anger Shoto’s unleashing is very justified and has been burning inside him since Deku left UA. His best friend just up and left him and his friends with nothing but a letter to kinda explain things. Also, Shoto and the rest of 1-A (minus Bakugo) have basically been lied to for about a year. I’d want answers too if someone did that to me.

Bakugo steps in by putting a hand on Shoto’s shoulder (🥺) to calm him down a bit and to say his piece. Ultimately, he thinks what Deku is doing is right, but that the way they’re all doing it is wrong. I love Deku and All Might, but they’re sacrificial idiots. They care more about others than they probably ever will themselves. That’s how All Might lost his OFA in the first place. It’s because of that that All Might doesn’t have it in him to stop Deku from going down this path. They shouldn’t have been left alone. Someone should’ve kept a closer eye on them. I know the Top 3 were all worried about getting too close to Deku before, but really, someone should’ve been watching them closer on the sidelines.

The next page is a really cool drawing of Endeavor flinging his phone to the kids to catch. The previous panels showed Endeavor with this face that’s regretful and I think he realized something: That Bakugo is right and that the kids might be better off finding Deku than he is. So he basically gives the kids his GPS on his phone. Those are just my thoughts, but it does look like that. I don't think Endeavor’s just going to up and give up though. He’s probably going to start rethinking things though.

As Sero manages to catch Endeavor’s phone, he and the rest of the kids think about how even though they’ve only known Deku for a year, they still think of him as family and cannot let him go down this thorny path alone. They’ll carry the OFA burden with him if they have to. They can’t smile without Deku around. These kids truly have become a family over the year. It’s amazing to see. Everyone’s like a brother and sister and it’s really nice to see. I just love Found Family stories, guys 😭❤️

And really quick, I want to focus on my ❄️🔥 boy, Shoto, really quick. As he’s thinking about Deku, he mentions how shocked he still is about Deku keeping OFA from them and how Deku thought just a letter would suffice. He has this sad look on his face like he’s trying to say: “I still can’t believe my best friend hid this from me for so long. Why? Did he not trust me?” That’s just my interpretation. Still, I can’t imagine how upset Shoto must feel. I think he still cares a lot about Deku enough to go out and find him, but he’s gotta feel some sort of betrayal. More so than the other students outside of Bakugo because, again, Deku was essentially Shoto’s best and closest friend 💙😭

Endeavor is rightfully worried about letting the kids out in the state of Japan right now, but now Principle Nezu speaks up and praises the kids on growing up so well. He’s also took into account Deku's feelings about his mission which is why he agreed to the team up. Also, Deku’s still welcome back to UA whenever he wants thank god ☺️. He’s a student who has to be protected. There’s a cute panel of Uraraka and her mom crying happily after getting her acceptance letter too. Not 100% why this is shown other than Acceptance Letter part, but it’s cute to see. Maybe Ochako realizes how much Deku needs to be protected or something.

As for the refugees, Nezu had the security system strengthened in time for the Cultural Festival earlier, but they never used it before. It’s call The UA Barrier. God, how strong is this thing? Is it strong enough to stop Shigaraki who was able to Decay the last barrier? This seems like something that’ll be used in the final battle TBH.

So, Nezu trust the 1-A kids to bring Deku back home. Which is exactly what they plan to do as all 19 of them enter Kamino in a badass full page. I actually wasn’t sure if all 19 of them were there at first since I couldn’t find Shoto for the life of me, but then my eyes saw the BIG-ASS ICE WALL IN THE BACK AND I THOUGHT “OH THERE HE IS!!!” LOL 😂

The next panel actually does show Shoto with Momo as they capture the villain from the last chapter. Momo politely calls Bakugo “Bakugo-san”, but Bakugo demands that he be called his insane hero name: “GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT”! I CAN’T WITH THIS DUDE SOMETIMES WHY DO I LOVE HIM SO MUCH 💥🧡

Deku sees his friend and wonders why they came. Ochako answers because that they were worried about him, but Deku tries to convince everyone (including himself) that he’s fine. He’s obviously not and Bakugo calls TF out on him! He even drops a good F-bomb for good measure. Bakugo mocks Deku for trying to act like All Might and asks Deku if he can even smile right now. I actually really like it that Bakugo’s calling Deku out on his shit. I think Deku needs some good tough love right now to knock some sense into him. Who would be better to do that than Katsuki Bakugo himself?

As Deku is trying to convince everyone that’s he’s fine (while still looking like a demon btw), there’s a small focus on Iida. Actually, a few panels this chapter have focused on Iida. Maybe he’s remembering the time Deku saved him back when they went up against Stain. Deku saved him then so it’s now Iida’s turn to save Deku. Also, Iida hasn’t gotten much focus lately and I really like his character, so I’m glad he’s being brought back to the forefront again. Also, I like hearing Kaito-san’s voice in general so I’d be happy to hear him again (thanks for that one, Haikyuu).

The final spread shows Deku telling everyone to move away while Bakugo, Iida, and Ochako get ready to stop him. IT’S DEKU VS. CLASS 1-A!!! WE’RE ENTERING CIVIL WAR FOLKS!!! Seriously, though, this is great. I was thinking that it would be just Bakugo and a few other students finding Deku. Instead we got the whole class. And looks like that “helping hand” thing will happen later because we got a battle to fight first.

Bakugo’s become a damn fine leader and I love to see his growth every freaking time🧡! I like how Iida has his hand on Bakugo’s back to support him btw. It’s weird that Shoto’s not in this page though. He’s one of Deku’s best friends, so I would think he would be in this page along with Bakugo and his first 2 friends (Ochako and Iida). Maybe Horikoshi’s saving Shoto for a more 1-on-1 conversation with Deku. God, I hope that happens because I think along with Bakugo, Shoto deserves a good talk with Deku the most.

Honestly, I’m not sure who would win this battle. I’ve been going through scenarios in my head on who would win, but I can’t come to a solid answer. Class 1-A has 19 versatile Quirks under their belt and they have more energy than Deku to fight, but Deku still has 6 insanely powerful Quirks that he’s been practicing for a while. The kids could probably win if they strategize enough and use Deku’s exhaustion against him, but again, Deku has OFA and multiple other Quirks. If he could beat Lady Nagant, one of the best snipers around, he might be able to beat the 1-A kids. He could just escape with Smoakscreen, Black Whip, and Float if he wants to really. That would put 1-A on another wild goose chase. There’s also Deku’s Danger Sense which will be a pain to deal with. Also, Deku said that he’s as strong as All Might was in his prime with Fa-Jin and OFA combined. Only AFO and Shigaraki were strong enough to take on THAT. Plus, we still don’t know what the 2nd OFA Holder’s Quirk is yet. Deku might use it in this battle. God, I have so many theories in my head now. I think this battle will be awesome, but ultimately, I want Deku to come home 😭💚

Me reading and loving My Hero Academia:

47 notes · View notes

wrienne · 3 years

Text

My Cheating, Amnesic Fiancé

Chapter 5: Amnesia

“‘Amnesic’?” you echoed.

“Yes, amnesic,” Kim Sejin confirmed. “It’s made the situation much more complicated than it normally would have turned out. He won’t sleep and refuses to eat or take any painkillers. It was a miracle he accepted any medical treatment at all.”

“Amnesia merely affects your memory,” you said confidently. “It shouldn’t disturb his basic intelligence.”

Last year, Se-Eun had been fanatic about a manhwa or manga about a protagonist who had suffered that exact ailment, which resulted in her reading up on everything about it. And of course, she had poured all of that so very necessary - no, not really, not until now - information into your brain, so you were feeling pretty up to date about the condition. There were two main types of amnesia, but neither of them would make a person lose all of his senses.

“Well, to clarify, he mistrusts everyone.” Sejin averted his gaze, then continued quietly. “The kid doesn’t even recognize his group members. It was really… tough seeing that, though it was even tougher when I was forced to send them home with him being the way he is.” He cleared his throat, then met your gaze again. You thought you saw a glimmer of tears in his eyes before he blinked and it was gone. “He barely speaks. He won’t sleep if someone is in the room. And even though he can’t eat with his broken arm, he won’t let anyone feed him.”

“The last might have something to do with hospital food in general,” you said, trying your best to lighten up the mood. In all honesty, you felt as if someone was twirling around your intestines with a giant, hot fork. “Have you tried something else? Sweets? Fried chicken?”

“Nothing works,” Sejin said bitterly. “Not even the nurses or the doctors can win him over. He’s… a bit out of it, if you ask me.”

You undid your hair and ran a frustrated hand through it. “Why call me?” you exclaimed. “Why not his parents?”

“His parents have been contacted,” he began, “but nobody has replied. And it wasn’t exactly my intention to call you. Your number was the only unfamiliar one Taehyung found among Jungkook’s contacts. Neither of us thought it would be you, considering the ID, though I am glad it was.”

“Why?” you asked, only fleetingly wondering exactly what kind of nickname you had had the misfortune of receiving on Jungkook’s phone that had made both Sejin and someone named Taehyung so surprised. Demon fiancée? The spawn of Satan? A better question would also be how he had gotten your number in the first place. You didn't have his.

“What exactly do you think I might accomplish that none of you haven’t already thought of?” you went on. “We’re just family friends. Why not get any of his other acquaintances? Or why not his girlfriend?” A little bit of your earlier jealousy trickled into your voice, weighing it down. It broke painfully, reluctantly. You cringed at the pitiful sound.

“He’s been asking for you.”

You paled. “What?”

Kim Sejin wore a dead-serious expression. “As soon as the kid regained consciousness, your name was the first thing that jumped out of his mouth. And I did call Yi-Jae almost first, but when she arrived, he couldn’t recognize her either. It really broke her.”

You almost didn't hear him. Jungkook had called for you? He remembered you out of everyone?

“I'm going in,” you said and finally opened the door.

Sejin looked like he had wanted to say something else but you were already halfway inside. Sitting on the edge of one of two hospital beds with his booted feet planted firmly into the floor and back toward the doorway, was a lonely guy dressed familiarly in a large t-shirt and loose-fitting blue jeans. Layers of bandage encircled his head, his right arm rested in a basic splint and you noticed minor scratches and bruises across his body that had mostly been patched up. A few spots of maroon sullied the otherwise white of his t-shirt. Other than that, Jeon Jungkook looked completely fine.

As soon as you entered, he spun around. What had initially been an expression of suspicion across his features melted into a face of recognition - and joy.

“(Y/N)!” he exclaimed and abruptly stood and made a movement to go to you before stopping himself. His eyes darted to something behind you and his features stiffened.

Kim Sejin had walked in after you. You were quick to gather yourself and cleared your throat. “I think I should handle this on my own,” you told Sejin. “If you could just wait outside…?”

He nodded once before quickly leaving, closing the door after him. You had still caught the hurt in the man’s eyes, however.

“Took you long enough!”

Jungkook continued toward you, grimacing slightly when he had to lean on his left leg. But he was smiling again. At you.

“Sorry, I was watching paint dry,” you said automatically, your brain and tongue having gotten used to quick retorts with Jungkook. You couldn’t believe your eyes. Jeon Jungkook was happy to see you?

“Because that seems healthy to do.”

“Heard you got ran over,” you said, ignoring him as you tried to get a grip of the situation. He was amnesic, you would have to keep that in mind all the time. He had probably lost at least the last five or so years while with BTS. That would explain why he remembered you, since your relationship practically predated the dinosaurs.

But when had there been a time in your life when you two were happy to see each other?

“Yeah, accident,” Jungkook said as he halted in front of you. “Or so they tell me.”

This close, you could see some dirt still left underneath his ear, and he smelled of alcohol, the city and disinfectant. You tried not to look too concerned, adopting a casual pose with your arm crossed over your chest. But inside, your emotions and thoughts were in turmoil.

“You do look great for someone supposedly hit by a car,” you admitted after conspicuously eyeing him up and down. “Barely a scratch.”

“That’s what I was trying to tell them.” He lowered his voice and leaned closer to you, almost causing you to flinch backward at the sudden lack of space between you. “I don’t trust anyone of them. I mean, I get that my arm needs bandaging and that I need rest. I can feel that, physically. But there were six or so guys crowding me just recently, people I have never seen in all of my life, that were all incredibly concerned. They were telling me everything would be alright, that they could help me get better and that they were happy I wasn’t dead. But all I could think about was: ‘How long have they just been sitting there, watching me?'”

“What’s so bad about that?” you asked and frowned. “Even if you don’t know them, didn’t it feel great waking up to people waiting for you?”

“No,” he said quietly as he averted his gaze. “Not when I don’t know them and they keep telling me how much I do.”

There it was: fear. You could read it in his mere voice.

“Then I guess it’s my turn to try and convince you,” you said carefully. “You’ve gotten amnesia, Jungkook, that’s why you can’t remember them. But for years now, you’ve spent almost every day with six guys, training, performing and living together. They are your hyungs. The seven of you are BTS, one of the biggest, most popular K-pop groups in the world. You stood on a stage in a completely filled stadium just a few hours ago. Are you sure you don’t even feel a tiny bit of recognition?”

“No. All I know is you.”

You felt your breath hitch in the back of your throat and your face flush with color. That had been an unexpected response.

Jungkook seemed as if he were waiting for you to reply but you couldn’t find your voice. With a frustrated sigh, he backed away from you and sank down on the ledge of the same hospital bed he had sat on when you entered. He leaned his torso forward, placed his elbows on his thighs and rested his head in the palms of his hands. You remained standing, as paralyzed.

“You are all I can think about,” he murmured after a long pause, then grimaced. “I think I was angry with you and that I had something really, really important to tell you. I was… I was going to see you but that’s about all I can recall. Everything else is too blurry. It hurts just trying to think about what I had for breakfast - I can’t even begin to imagine having been friends with those guys, even less performed with them a couple hours ago. I am just so confused and paranoid and--”

His voice broke, and he ceased talking. Your heart ached seeing him like that. He didn’t react when you moved closer, or even when you sat down next to him. He simply hid his face in his hands. You were tempted to reach out and touch him, comfort him, but even before you raised your arm, you recalled his eyes when he had looked at Park Yi-Jae. You recalled the ease with which he had moved to let her kiss his cheek.

This was wrong. Everything had gone so terribly wrong.

Still, you draped an arm over his shoulder blades and gently squeezed his bicep with your other hand. He tensed slightly, then relaxed as you began speaking.

“We’ll sort this through,” you told him softly. “One step after another. I don’t know how, and I doubt I’m even nearly enough qualified to help you, but I will do my very best. I refuse to see you break because of this.”

“I… I have wanted to become a singer for so very long...”

His voice was only one step above a whisper. It took all your willpower not to embrace him and hold him until he told you to stop. You knew it wouldn’t be right.

“I know,” you replied. “I won’t let you lose this opportunity. I’ll help you through this, Jeon Jungkook.”

One of his hands found yours, and clamped around it. “Even though I’ve been horrible toward you for the last ten, fifteen years or so?”

“Oh, so that you remember?” you asked while laughing. “I was starting to think you were a lost cause. Well, shoot, there goes the plan I had for using your pretty face to make money in a very illegal way.”

He chuckled, but wouldn’t show his face yet. “That’s dark, (Y/N). Cruel too. You don’t need any more money.”

You laughed again, feeling tremendously better now. “I’m just trying to lighten up the mood. We’re in a hospital, you know.”

“Thank you for telling me,” he said sarcastically. “I wasn’t aware of that until just now.”

“No problem.” You couldn’t help but smile, even as you tried to regain a serious tone. “Jungkook, even though you can be a stupid brat more often than not, I have to admit that you’re one of the most head-strong, unyielding and hard-working people I know. If you can’t make it through this, I don’t think there’s anyone out there who can.”

Finally, he lifted his head and turned to look at you. There were no tears staining his cheeks, but his cheeks and nose were rosy and his brown eyes glittered, like he were just on the brink of crying. You gave him your gentlest smile then scooted away, feeling your heartbeats hasten and your skin grow warm underneath the weight of his gaze.

“Thank you.”

His hand wouldn’t release yours. Your heart was racing and slammed against the inner side of your ribcage so hard you thought it was trying to break out and run away - at least you were in the right place to get a cardiac arrest.

But still, he had simply thanked you. Why were you getting so weird because of that?

You cleared your throat and pointedly looked at his hand. Jungkook eyes widened in surprise and he quickly let go of you.

“So,” you began as you stood up, eager to get some distance between you two. “The first thing we need to do is get you something to eat and drink. And then you need to sleep. By the way, why aren’t you in a hospital gown?”

“I’m not hungry, and I don’t want to wear one,” he replied. “It makes me look sickly and dying, which I’m not. I’ve just injured my arm, that’s it.”

“Well, I don’t think sweaty, bloody clothes are the most optimal to rest in. I will have to find some new clothes for you to wear,” you said, scrutinizing him from head to toe. He was athletic and lithe, yet tall enough that he probably had to size upwards in most brands. While spending a moment trying to figure out the most optimal clothing store, you realized that since they lived together, his group members probably knew where he had his wardrobe. You decided you would go there as soon as possible.

“You don’t need to spend money on me,” he said, his voice suddenly harsh, his face hardening to stone.

You frowned, but decided against prying. He needed to sleep as soon as possible.

“Don’t worry,” you told him, “I won’t. I’ll find something fresh you can loan by tomorrow. Are you hungry? Should I return with some fast food or something first?”

“You’re leaving?”

You nodded and checked your phone. “I have to go to school in less than six hours. I can try to come at lunch tomorrow, but most likely, I won’t be here until late afternoon. So you’ve got to tell me now if you want fried chicken or not. I’ll even buy some Pepsi if you’re sweet about it.”

You stood with your back against him as you searched for your parents’ driver in the contact list. You were waiting for him to pick up when Jungkook spoke.

“I won’t be able to sleep without you here.”

You opened your mouth to make fun of him when you saw his expression. It was that frightened expression you remembered from a long time back.

You knew you couldn’t leave him.

“Fine,” you said as you canceled the call. “But I will have to leave early in the morning. I can’t miss school.”

“As long as you wake me before you go.”

Jungkook looked at you with eyes you could not help but sympathize with. Yet you understood, he had to rest.

“I will,” you lied.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Satisfied, he began lifting one leg after the other onto his bed when you stopped him. After taking off his boots and helping him with the paper-thin blanket, you washed your hands, face and mouth in a basin that was in the room. By the time you thought you wouldn’t smell like noodles anymore and you started drying yourself with a paper towel, you heard light snoring from behind you. You couldn’t stop yourself from smiling. Jungkook must have fought back sleep for a long time while mouthing off the doctors and nurses.

You unzipped your jacket and hung it over one of seven chairs in the room, together with your purse. You set an alarm on your phone and plugged it into a socket that until then had powered an ugly bedside lamp. And finally, you found yourself sitting next to him on the other hospital bed in the room, watching his peaceful face.

You weren’t in love with Jeon Jungkook. You truly weren’t.

But you might have just begun falling for him.

#wrienne #ao3 #bts fanfiction #MCAF

11 notes · View notes

aquanology · 3 years

Text

BL recommendations pt.2

Yo so I'm back to spaming your notifications and no you cannot stop me even if you wanted to, so this was kind of stuck in my mind for a while and I wanted to make a second part where I can give more BL to everyone, keep in mind that this could help people who are too busy or too lazy to find a new BL and maybe you can find new ones that you didn't know about

Small Warning: so I will put a summary on the BL's that I will recommend and I will put my own opinion so if you don't need any of that you could just take the names of the BL that will be written in a different color and search still I will put the gener's down so there is no worries ;))

Your wish is my command

Summary: Hi! My name is Cheon Chiwoo (27 years old). I have a crush on Danhwan, who I've been close to since I was a kid. Confession? I can't imagine such a thing in my situation. I was so anxious that something appeared in a secret package…”Hello! I'm here to grant your wish!”

Stats: still uploading with 37 chapters for the time being

Genre(s): Yaoi/smut/supernatural/webtoons

Author(s): Sagold

My opinion: so this is a really good manga (for some reason i Don't feel comfortable calling a manga) it was made by our beloved Sagold and of course it has a very good plot with a beautiful Artstyle so I really do recommend it.

Warning/spoiler: might get darker later on...all the more plot I suppose (?)

The New Employe

P.s: This is not the cover of the Manhwa but its something like that the actual cover has a low quality so I wish you understand, and the summary I got was taken by a well known website that I can't say the name of...safety is good after all don't you think? (Its still is a similar cover to this when you search it on that one website)

Summary:

29 years old - Gay. Job Hunting - Fail.

A man who has nothing that even small and medium businesses do not accept, 3 months ago, I officially got my master's degree from a famous university. Seunghyun officially went to work as an AR project intern.

Seunghyun in his 20s has experienced a terrible unrequited love, now he doesn't want to give his heart to anyone who works in the same field as him. But he was shaken by Kim Jongchan, a tough-looking head who was very affectionate.

Unexpected first love at the company, the first love battle in life, can Seunghyun pass safely?

Stats: still uploading there is 22 chapters for teh time being

Gener(s): yaoi / Romance / slice of life / webtoon

Author(s): Zec

My opinion: so this is a very chill story I've been watching it for a few months now and it really is good, its more neutral and so very cute I do think its worth reading and Moscaretos' other stories are goof too so go watch them.

Nitta- Kun Chuuihou

Alternative name( English name): Nitta-Kun Alert

Summary: Two short stories about an unexpected situation that turns into something more for both parties involved

Stats: so it started recently and it's updating in a weekly base (thats what it looks like) and it has two chapters for now

Gener(s): Yaoi /delinquent / smut / Bdsm

Author(s): Ototo

My opinion: so this was so funny when I watched the first chapter yet it was surprising!! It's so interesting yet something or someone feels a little mysterious (maybe its just me) but I'm really looking forward to it!!

Duke's Private Tutor

P.s: sorry the cover is low quality but I couldn't find the a good quality one...

Summary:Jace, an Academic Honours student, once had a very bright future! However, his life has gone downhill ever since he punched a noble classmate... When he finally manages to gets a chance to work as a private tutor... The duke is so handsome that he cannot concentrate!

Stats: its still uploading and has 27 chapters for the time being

Gener(s): Yaoi / comedy / Historical / webtoons

Author(s): Mepi

My opinion: Yes as you guessed its time to give you something that you will regret reading for your whole life- I'm joking so calm down this one is somewhat special I tried at first because I had nothing but oh boy its interesting as hell I pretty sure you guys would like it, it might look simple which it is ( in a good way)

Fluffy love

P.s: so this is the cover on webtoon...if you don't have webtoon or Don't like to use it just search the name and you will find the same character in a different position and a different colths, still go support the Author on webtoon

Summary:There are delinquents in every school. Ashen is one of them. To make it worse, his father is a powerful politician, meaning he can get away with basically anything. To Sarith, who just wants to lead a peaceful school life, Ashen is someone that should be avoided at all costs. But what happens when they’re forced into situations together and Sarith sees a whole different side of Ashen - One which is cute and needs to be protected? Chubby Kind Seme x Cute Feisty Uke

Stats: from my research I have noticed that it uploads every week on webtoon sometimes one day before its a week but still its very convenient, it has four parts for the first chapter on webtoon (it counts differently in other websites) for the time being.

Gener(s): comedy / Shonen Ai / Yaoi

Explanation: so for those who doesn't know how Webtoon work i will faster explain, every chapter has parts and the parts are posted alone the parts numbers will depend on how many pages are there in one chapter so have a fun time waiting~~

Author(s): Papadamn

My opinion: This is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life!! I don't really want to know why in the hell you didn't see that but I will definitely recommend it, I mean it's cute fluffy unique and it looks promising so go watch it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yo so if you're wondering why I said yo again its because I take days to make this so I will put this small note here which I have been making this one for three days (less or more) and I ended the post on March 8th at 12AM which makes alot of sense when I talked about the stats and teh number of chapters anyways have fun searching for these BL's~~

P.S (just in case): if any of the information provided are wrong you can always contact me so I can fix anything that I might've made mistakes with.

#BL RECOMMENDATIONS TIME BABY!!#your wish is my command #Sagold #The New Employee #Zec #Nitta-Kun Chuuihou #Ototo #Duke's private toture #Mepi #Fluffy love #Papadamn #this is exhausting #my tears went into this

30 notes · View notes

eskalations · 4 years

Link

"This is about my pride, Riza." Roy reasoned, taking a few steps closer to her desk. His palms were up, as though it was the simplest explanation in the world. "If Rebecca knew I was incapable of this, she'd never let me hear the end of it."

A series of oneshots documenting the life and times of the Amestrian First Family.

A/N: Alright, fam - this was tough. I don't know WHY this was such a hard chapter to write, but it was. I had a rough week at work, so my writing muse wasn't as strong as usual. That being said, I'm not exactly happy with this chapter. I hope that despite that, and any other mistakes there are, that you still at least find this chapter somewhat readable.

Also, fun fact, that I forgot to tell you last chapter. I've always considered Xingese, the equivalent of Chinese in the FMA universe - so, when Elizabeth refers to her little sister as "Mae Mae", it's actually a reference to the Chinese term "Mei Mei" which means "little sister".

Thank you so much for reading!

"Of all the times we spoke of hell, this is not what I imagined – "

At Riza's unimpressed look, Roy clamped his mouth shut. He knew his dramatics were not going to earn him any positive points with his wife at the moment. She was far too tired to deal with his own childish commentary.

" – however, I would do anything to keep my wife and daughters happy." Roy finally finished – a near visible sweat drop forming at the start of his hairline. At the change of conversational direction, Riza gave him a dubious look from over the documents in her hands.

"You're sure you can handle it?"

"No," Roy answered quickly, too quickly for a man who was usually so confident. "But I don't see any other choice."

"I could ask Rebecca – "

"I would rather you didn't."

With a single blonde brow raised, Riza regarded her husband in confusion. "I don't understand why you're so against – "

"You're acting like a child, Roy."

"No," Roy patted his chest, quite a sight in his military blues. It was almost amusing how seriously the Fuhrer was taking this. "I am acting like a man. A man does not back down from a challenge such as this."

Riza couldn't help the tired smile that appeared on her features at such conviction. "A challenge such as a sleepover?"

Her husband gave her a withering look. "Don't say it like that, you make it sound ridiculous."

His petulant expression had laughter bubbling up in Riza's throat. The sound caused Roy's heart to soar. She hadn't been laughing much in the past few months, so it was nice to hear such a happy sound coming from her lips – even if it was still tinged with exhaustion.

Before Riza could respond, she was interrupted by a cry coming from the makeshift crib that lay in the corner of the room. Without a second thought, the First Lady of Amestris was on her feet and comforting the child that lay within the soft pink blankets.

The scene had Roy sighing in defeat. The main reason for their current dilemma was the same precious bundle that was now being cradled by her mother.

Mae Mustang had certainly turned their lives upside down.

Winter had come and gone, and with it, so had the illnesses that pestered the Mustang household all season long. Following the solstice, it seemed like the girls came down with a new round of sniffles every week. Nothing hit the family near as hard as the flu that had preceded the solstice – however, both Roy and Riza had certainly had their hands full with both their daughters and their duties.

On top of all the sickness in the house, Riza's moods had not improved much over time. With an extremely colicky baby, the woman had felt as though she were doomed to never get a normal night's sleep ever again. She was quick to anger and extremely lethargic – two things that no one who was part of their circle had ever known her to be.

Once she had brought up the issue with her doctor, the woman assured her that it was a normal to feel this way after some pregnancies. Given the fact that Mae was also a very fussy baby, it was to be expected that she would feel like she was at her wit's end for the first few months of her youngest daughter's life.

Though her words had been unconcerned and gentle when she had spoken with Riza, Roy would never forget the serious expression she gave him as she pulled him to the side.

'Keep an eye on her,' she had said with concern evident in her eyes. The soft warning in her tone was enough to have Roy breaking out into a nervous sweat.

He had already been concerned, but after that, he was really concerned.

That was why, nearly four months after their second daughter's birth, Roy insisted that Riza continue to work from home. While Riza normally would have argued against this, wanting to be as close to Roy as possible at Central HQ, she had simply nodded and agreed that this arrangement was her best option for now.

While working from home, the First Lady was able to sleep in and attend to her infant daughter throughout the day. Roy had suggested hiring a nanny temporarily, just to give Riza more time on her own – however, that idea had been quickly shot down by his wife.

'Are you saying I'm incapable of taking care of my own infant daughter?' Riza had snapped at him, absolutely appalled by the suggestion. Knowing that his wife was wrought with insecurities when it came to her parenting, Roy had dropped the subject rather quickly after that.

The man hated feeling useless, but there was only so much he could do to help his wife when he was several blocks away at Central HQ. The woman refused to let him tend to their daughter at night, citing that he needed his rest in order to attend to his duties as Fuhrer. Thus, that left Riza to take care of everything, from night feedings to bathing their young, infant daughter.

In the middle of all this was poor Elizabeth, who was certainly beginning to feel slighted by all the attention that was being given to her sister. Though she had always loved the baby and wanted to be around her whenever she was home, Roy could see that the tolerant child was beginning to grow weary at the lack of attention she was receiving from her usually doting parents.

Hence, the sleepover.

Elizabeth's birthday had always been cause for great celebration in their household. While typically they held a party with both friends and family alike, Elizabeth had requested something different this year. Though her time spent with the Elric and Havoc children had been nice, she wanted to invite her own friends over from daycare for a different kind of party.

A sleepover party.

The idea was foreign to both Riza and Roy. Riza had never concerned herself with birthdays during her adolescence, since her father thought they were nothing more than another day of life and that there was no real reason to celebrate them. Roy, on the other hand, had celebrated many birthdays during his formative years – however, despite having grown up with a multitude of foster sisters, was completely unfamiliar with the concept of a sleepover.

Though both her parents had been quite hesitant of the idea at first, Elizabeth's sweet little pout and tears had finally convinced them in the end. If this was what she wanted, then this was what she was going to get.

However, Roy had not expected that he was going to have to run this gig solo.

Three days before Elizabeth's sleepover – Mae had started showing signs of teething, and suddenly the sleepless nights of colic, became something a little more.

In the past several days, the frazzled mother had maybe gotten a total of three hours of sleep. Between keeping up with Mae's feedings and comforting her as she sobbed from both the pains in her stomach and her mouth, Riza had very little time to rest. Roy could see, as the days went by, that the usually dark circles under his wife's eyes, were continuously getting darker. Not only that, but the healthy glow of her peach-colored skin, had changed into a sickly pale pallor.

It was obvious. She was exhausted.

On top of all that, Riza was still performing her duties as Amestris' First Lady. She continued to move forward with her plans for the new school she was commissioning and had even kept up with the interviews she had scheduled to help with the hiring of its faculty.

Roy had no idea how she did it. He wasn't even sure how she found the energy to dress in the morning with all she was doing.

Hence, why he had offered to take over the planning and execution of their daughter's sleepover party. Though he seriously doubted his skills in this department, he would do whatever it took to give Riza a much-needed break.

Even now, as she cradled their youngest in her arms, Roy could see the weariness in the way she bounced their child in comfort. She had never looked further from her former self than she did now. The formidable "Hawk's Eye" – now beaten down from a rather rough patch of motherhood. It was unfair.

"I want to help you." Roy told her honestly, his voice soft as Mae's cries finally began to subside. He walked over to Riza's side, wrapping an arm around her waist. "If I'm already up with the girls, then that will give you some time to rest without having to worry about Mae."

"So, you're going to take care of Mae, too?" Riza asked, doubt evident in her words. She gazed down at their daughter – all blonde hair and dark eyes, before looking back up at him. "Are you sure it won't be too much?"

"I'm positive." Roy affirmed, rubbing a comforting hand over her back. Even through the thin material of her tapioca dress, Roy could feel the notches of her spine. She had lost more weight again. With this in mind, his resolve only grew. "Besides, I won't be alone. Breda and Havoc are going to help me."

Riza's brows rose to her hairline. "How?"

"I've dismissed my bodyguards for tonight, so they're going to stand in." Roy brought a hand up to rub a hand against Mae's fevered cheeks. "I know it's technically below their rank, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

The Fuhrer rarely made Captains Havoc and Breda his guards, unless there was something really important going on, such as the birth of his daughter. However, he had already asked the men if they could free up their Saturday night to assist him on a 'mission'.

Of course, he hadn't told them what that mission was – but Roy wasn't big on details. Besides, they weren't going to say no to their boss.

Riza shook her head at the idea. "You really think those two will be able to help you?"

Roy shrugged. "Possibly."

The woman rolled her eyes at her husband's answer. "I think you just want them to suffer with you."

"I'm wounded by your words, madam."

This had Riza laughing. Roy's chest puffed up at having made her smile again. Perhaps, this was the exact thing Riza had needed – a night off. Regardless of any of the torture he was about to face in the coming hours, Roy couldn't bring himself to regret his decision. He would do anything to keep that smile alive on Riza's face forever.

"Okay." The woman finally agreed, the grin never leaving her face. "I appreciate it. I hope you know though, that if things get tough, you can come get me at any point in time."

"Trust me," Roy assured her, pulling her close to his side. "Everything will be fine."

Everything was not fine.

Sure, things had started out alright – but Roy was pretty sure that he would be completely grey by the end of the night.

For the first hour, Riza had stayed by his side as they greeted the parents of the little girls' who entered their home. Both parents, having always been very involved with their daughter's schooling, recognized many of the adults who usually stood outside Central Children's Daycare. Introductions were made and the children were sent up the stairs to be greeted by excited exclamations from the other little girls who were already there.

That was when things took a turn for the worst.

He had no idea his daughter had befriended a child of Ishvalan descent.

Now really, he shouldn't have been surprised. Elizabeth was incredibly loving and friendly, so any differences between her and others, were usually swept under the rug by the innocent mind of the unprejudiced child. Even after the situation with Miss Abra at the daycare, Elizabeth still knew nothing of the history her parents had with Ishval.

Roy and Riza had just been wishing one of the girls' parents farewell, when a hulking figure of a man walked through the door. His appearance had both the Fuhrer and his wife pausing – though it had nothing to do with his height or the rippling muscles that peaked through the fabric of his shirt.

It was the white hair and telltale red eyes that caused their greetings to catch in their throats. Not only that, but the stern look on the man's face made it obvious that he wanted to be just about anywhere else but there.

From behind his leg – a little girl poked her head out to look up at the parents of her friend. Like her father, the girl's hair was white as snow with eyes the color of blood. They shared the same dark features – except where there was an expression of near hatred on the elder one's face, the little girl's expression held nothing but hesitance.

Riza was the first to recover from her surprise. Behind her, Roy could hear the sound of Breda and Havoc shuffling, as though preparing for a fight.

"Hello," Riza spoke softly, as she crouched down to the young girl's level, Mae still absconded in her arms. The child shrank back a bit behind her father's leg, but continued to stare at the pretty blonde woman before her. "What's your name?"

The girl had just opened her mouth to answer, when a flurried set of footsteps made their way down the stairs.

"Etha!"

From out of nowhere, Elizabeth scurried past her parents, already sporting her light pink pajamas. Disregarding her friend's timid disposition, the Fuhrer's daughter tugged the girl from out behind her hulking father's leg and pulled her into a tight hug.

At his side, Roy watched as Riza stood from her crouched position, ready to reprimand her daughter for being so rough with her friend – however, her words died in her throat.

Etha was smiling.

"Hi Lizzie," The young girl's voice was much quieter than her friend's, but just as excited. "Thank you for inviting me."

Elizabeth pulled back to smile at the girl. Standing together, they couldn't have been more different. With Elizabeth's hair dark as night and eyes nearly the same shade, she was a stark contrast to her white-haired and red-eyed friend – yet, none of those differences seemed to change the way they regarded the other.

The girl's father, on the other hand, seemed almost hyperaware of the differences between the girls in front of him.

At the top of the stairs, the five other girls who had already arrived, called for both Elizabeth and Etha to make their way up to the second floor. They were shouting about something that had happened on the popular children's radio show Roy had already set up for them to listen to.

"Come on, Etha!" Elizabeth tugged on the other girl's hand, dragging her over towards the stairs. "It's the good part!"

The little girl went to follow her friend, holding tightly to one strap of her backpack. Before she started her ascent up the stairs, she turned around to throw her father a quick smile and wave.

"Bye, Daddy!" Etha called as she was hauled up the staircase by her overenthusiastic, newly six-year-old friend. As they reached the top, the other girls squealed before grabbing their hands and tugging them back towards the nursery.

The three parents watched the two children as they were dragged off by the others, an awkward silence hanging over them following the exit of their respective daughters. Once again, Roy could hear Havoc and Breda shift nervously in their boots at the tension that seemed to engulf the room.

"I expect her to be returned in one piece."

The man's voice was deep, the sound of it rumbling in his muscular chest. The threat laced in those words went without being said, and while Roy wished he could be offended by such a vicious accusation, he couldn't say the man's worries were born from nothing. What he had done in Ishval could never be erased from the minds of those who had been made to suffer because of his actions.

"Of course, sir." Riza responded easily, though Roy could hear the tightness in her voice. She too was upset by the man's words. "Etha will be treated just as any other child in our home."

The man glared at Riza, as though measuring her words for any sign of deception. Roy could feel his spine straighten and fingers twitch at such a threatening stare. Although the Ishvalan father had many inches over him, Roy would not hesitate to defend his wife should it come to it.

Lucky for him, such a fight was not to transpire that night.

Without so much as introducing himself, the man turned on his heel and made his way out of the house. The door slammed behind him, causing all four adults left in the room to jump at the loud sound.

"Well, boss," Havoc drawled, walking up to his two old friends with a toothpick between his lips. "That went quite well."

Roy glared at the man, raising a dark brow in challenge. "I would really hate to know what you consider bad, then."

Havoc smirked in Roy's direction. "A pancake-shaped Fuhrer."

Breda tried to hide a chuckle behind his fist, feigning a coughing spell instead. At his two subordinates' behavior, Roy rolled his eyes.

"I know you two are upset that I didn't tell you what was going on tonight – " Havoc gave him a look that clearly said 'you think'. Roy ignored this and continued on. "However, I expect you to remain professional just as always. Keep in mind, this is a very important mission."

"It's a sleepover."

"It's a girl sleepover." Havoc corrected Breda, gesturing wildly at their military blues. "And here we are, decked out as though we're facing ole' Bradley."

Riza butted in, quickly – cutting off her husband's surely snide remark. "If it's really that much of an issue, I don't mind taking care of it."

Both Breda and Havoc went silent at this. From beside Riza, Roy was glaring at the two men, his eyes telling them that they better not accept such an offer. Both soldiers knew better, though. They had seen how different Riza had been upon their trips to the house, they knew she needed this reprieve more than anyone.

"Nah, Riza." Breda finally said, sending a supportive smile her way while shoving his hands into his pants' pockets. "Like I've always told you, we'll do anything for you."

Havoc nodded, agreeing with his friend's words. "Even if it means putting up with a few female brats for a couple of hours – we'll do it if it's for you."

Riza smiled gratefully at the two men, while Roy's expression turned sour.

"Are you saying you wouldn't do this for me?"

"Nope."

"Not at all."

Such insubordination had the Fuhrer's eye twitching – however, a loud bang and a yell from upstairs caused a pause in the conversation. Before any of them could react, a round of giggles broke out, the sound traveling down the stairs. Roy groaned at the thought of what that noise could have possibly been.

Riza was about to say something, when Mae began to fuss from her place in her mother's arms. Roy gestured for her to pass the baby over, but Riza shook her head.

"Let me bathe her and feed her before you take over." The woman bounced her daughter, as her fussing got louder. "That way you'll have an easier time putting her to sleep."

Roy was going to make a comment on how nothing seemed to help Mae sleep, even after four months of life – however, Riza had already started to make her way up the stairs. Even from his spot on the ground floor, the Fuhrer could hear his wife cooing at their daughter as she rounded the corner towards the master suite.

"So," Havoc drawled, clapping a hand on his boss's shoulder. "Is there a reason you didn't employ Becky to help you with this little venture?"

Roy glared at the man behind him. "Shut up, Havoc."

If Roy thought that the night couldn't get any worse than the awkward interaction that had kick-started the party, he was sorely mistaken.

The cake cutting had gone alright, besides a few cases of dropped icing and misplaced forks. One of Elizabeth's friends, Grace – if Roy was not mistaken – had shared offhandedly with the man as he passed her a piece of cake, that she was deathly allergic to nuts, causing Roy to pause in his action.

Elizabeth's cake was chocolate with nuts added into the icing of the middle layer.

Narrowly avoiding a potentially harrowing situation, the man had fished out a cookie from the pantry to give the girl instead while the other children enjoyed their cake. The small, blonde girl nibbled on her sugar cookie while telling Roy about the time she had nearly died after eating a sandwich that unknowingly contained peanuts. At the description of a swollen throat and difficulties breathing, Roy could feel himself growing pale.

Havoc simply laughed from behind him, watching as the Fuhrer's face grew more and more horrified. Breda would have laughed, too – however, he was distracted by his own piece of cake.

With that situation successful avoided, Roy actually felt like he was doing pretty good on his own.

After cake had been served, the girls had been redirected to the upstairs nursery. While Breda helped Elizabeth pick up her fallen dollhouse – the culprit of the loud sound they had all heard earlier – Riza entered the room with a freshly bathed Mae.

Upon the appearance of a baby, all the girls immediately turned their attention to the Fuhrer's wife.

"That's my sister, Mae!" Elizabeth told them excitedly, following the girls as they crowded around her mother's legs to get a better look. "I like to call her Mae Mae!"

Riza herself was already dressed in a pair of soft white pajamas with hair wet and cheeks flushed from her recent shower. Roy couldn't help but think she looked absolutely angelic as she began to approach him.

"She's all ready to go." The girl's mother said as she passed him the bundle of blankets. Mae didn't even fuss as she was transferred from the warmth of her mother to that of her father. "I've already fed her, so all she'll need is a good rock before bed."

"I can do that." Roy assured her, noting the worried look in her tired, amber eyes. "Go get some rest. I'll bring her to the cradle by the bed when we're done in here."

Though she still looked worried, Riza could not hide the near visible relief that suddenly flooded her body. Giving her husband one last grateful pat on the cheek, the woman kissed her young daughter's forehead, before taking her leave of the room.

Roy turned towards his men with Mae now cradled in his arms.

"So," He started, wincing visibly as Elizabeth and Etha squealed over something that had taken place over on the other side of the room. "I'm going to go put Mae to – "

"Uh, no you're not." Havoc reached out for the baby, his hands making a grabbing motion as though Roy were about to pass over a weapon. "You're staying here, boss. I'll take baby duty."

"If you hold her like that, you'll drop her!" Breda commented, also moving forward to get in on the action. The auburn-haired man didn't want to be stuck in the nursery with the young girls either. "At least give her to me, so she can rest in peace."

"Excuse me?" Havoc asked, turning to his friend, Mae completely forgotten. "What is that supposed to mean? I have four boys!"

"Which I have never seen you hold!"

"What?! That's bullshit!"

A chorus of tiny gasps caused the men to pause in their argument. Looking over to where the seven girls were crowded around the dollhouse on the opposite side of the room, the men were met with the shocked faces of each and every one of them. Havoc almost swallowed his toothpick in fear, scared to turn and see the dark look that was surely developing on the Fuhrer's face.

"Breda, take the baby."

Havoc winced at the Fuhrer's flat tone, not even turning to watch as Mae was placed in Breda's arms. The man made himself scarce as he opened the door to Mae's small room without even throwing a glance behind him.

While the girls continued to stare, Roy clapped Havoc harshly on the back. To the girls, it would appear to be a friendly gesture – however, Havoc knew better. Instead of retracting his hand after placing it on his subordinate's back, the Fuhrer continued to hold on to the fabric of his jacket.

"Hey, Lizzie?" Roy called out, prodding Havoc to step forward and towards the girls who were still staring in their direction. "Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to play doctor?"

Havoc gulped as a round of cheers erupted from the other side of the room.

He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Roy had thought that forcing Havoc to partake in a game of doctor with the girls would somehow end up saving him from a similar fate – however, he had been wrong.

While he was already worried that all Elizabeth's friends would go home and tell their parents that the Fuhrer had some very foul-mouthed subordinates, he was even more worried that Etha's father would come and pound him into the ground for allowing his daughter to be exposed to such language. After all, the Ishvalan people were very religious, and he couldn't remember a time when he had ever heard any of them curse.

So, to distract the girls from the word that Havoc had let slip, Roy went about helping them create a makeshift "stretcher" to put the very unhappy man on.

Serves him right, Roy thought to himself as he fluffed up Havoc's pillow a bit more aggressively than any medical professional ever would. The blonde Captain gave his superior a withering look.

"Really, sir?"

Roy shrugged, allowing the young girls to take over from there, already having gathered all their "equipment" to perform a successful "surgery". The man found it all very amusing, until a tiny tug at the bottom of his jacket had him turning.

"Mr. Fuhrer Mustang, sir?" A small, black-haired child, who he believed was named Abigail, was pulling on the fabric of his coat. "Aren't you going to play with us?"

Roy opened his mouth to say no, when Elizabeth – appearing out of nowhere – began to tug at him a little more aggressively than her friend. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Daddy come play!"

"Lizzie, I don't – "

"Yeah, Daddy." Havoc mimicked the voice of a young girl from his spot on the floor. Grace was sat on his chest with a plastic stethoscope, trying to listen to the man's heart. "Come play with us."

"Havoc," Roy warned as his daughter continued to tug on his hand, leading him over to a second "stretcher" that the girls had prepared. "I don't ever want to hear those words from your mouth ever again."

The blonde man rolled his eyes, wincing as Grace reached out to hold his lids open to shine a light into them. From behind her, a young Alice scribbled away on a notepad, appearing to take notes as Grace shouted out random observations to her.

Roy was forced to remove his coat as his daughter pushed him back on to the pallet. He was suddenly surrounded by Etha, Abigail, and Lizzie, all who had donned white robes from his daughter's closet to give them the appearance of medical physicians. Two sisters, Helen and Margaret, rushed from the room to go retrieve something from Elizabeth's craft table.

"Hurry!" Elizabeth shouted after them, taking her plastic stethoscope from Grace to listen to her father's own pounding heart. "We're losing him!"

Noticing the wide-eyed stare of her father, Elizabeth leaned down with her hands on her hips. The look she gave him was quite stern. "Daddy, you have to at least act like you're dying."

Having been on the brink of death many times before, Roy had no problem playing the part of a dying patient. After heaving a sigh of resignation, the man relaxed on his back with eyes closed, mentally counting down the hours before he could finally force the girls to go to bed.

Despite the flurry of activity going on around him, and the poking and prodding courtesy of his daughter, Roy was able to get pretty relaxed atop the pallet. After a long week of talks related to a skirmish with Aerugo along the border, the man was definitely ready for a long night of rest alongside his wife.

He almost allowed himself to get lost in the image of her soft, warm body against his – when something cold and wet landed squarely on his forehead. The sensation caused his eyes to pop open, only to be met with a curious blue pair.

Helen had returned with a wet cloth and had been instructed to place it on the Fuhrer's head in an attempt to "lower" his "fever". The girl was the youngest of the bunch and the smallest as well, following the orders of the older children as they continued to move around him in mock concern.

Before Roy could comment on the water dripping into his eyes, another cold, wet sensation made him pause at it made itself known through the fabric of his shirt. From across the room, he could hear Havoc let out a yelp of surprise, as well.

"Lizzie?" Roy asked, as he tilted his head up to see what his daughter had just put on his stomach. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he watched her draw a circle with red paint over the area where his burn scar resided. "Lizzie! Where did you get that paint?!"

"Shhhh," The girl warned him, never pausing in her actions. "Daddy, we have to save you. I'm performing Alkahestry."

Roy groaned, knowing his wife was going to be unimpressed with the state of his shirt when she caught sight of it. "Lizzie – please, be careful. We don't want the paint to spi – "

Before he could even finish his sentence, a gasp broke out from the girl beside his daughter. Margaret, the dark-haired sister to the young child keeping vigil by his head, looked down at the floor in horror. The red paint can that had caused Roy such weariness, was now lying over on its side, its contents covering both the sheets of Roy's pallet and the side of his blue pants.

All the girls went silent as they stared at the mess in shock. Then, suddenly, a wail broke loose from Margaret.

"I didn't mean to Mr. Fuhrer!"

Roy, still surprised by the spilled paint all over his pants, hurriedly sat up to comfort the crying child. "Margaret, it's okay."

"Please don't arrest me!"

"Margaret," Roy reasoned, careful not to shift too much, lest he displace more red paint on to the floor of the nursery. "I'm not going to arrest you."

"I don't know, Margaret." Havoc commented from his spot on the other pallet, looking quite amused by all of this. "He's a pretty mean guy!"

"Havoc!"

The man's words only had the girl crying harder. "I wanna go home!"

While all the girls rushed to comfort their distressed friend – Roy groaned, while laying his head back down on the pallet. He was really starting to consider enlisting Rebecca's help, when the cold, wet cloth from before was placed back on to his forehead.

Looking up, Roy noticed that Helen was the only child who hadn't rushed to help her sister. Instead, she had remained by the Fuhrer's side with a bowl of water and a cold compress.

Wait a minute…

"Helen?" Roy asked, trying to gain the girl's attention. "Where did you get that water from?"

The facets were high in the manor's bathrooms, making it almost impossible for a small child to reach them unless there was a stool present. Even then, Elizabeth still had trouble reaching the knobs of the sink without the help of one of her parents. It made Roy wonder how a child of such small stature could have filled a bowl under one of the bathroom facets.

Unless…

"The toilet."

Times like these, made Roy wish he had birthed boys.

Breda returned to the room to find both Roy and Havoc sat on the floor and covered in paint. If he noticed the reddish tinge of Roy's freshly washed face, he said nothing.

The girls had convinced Roy to do "pretty" braids in their hair, after having seen Elizabeth come to school with them on more than one occasion. It was one of the perks of having grown up with a multitude of sisters. It was definitely something Riza was thankful for, since she had little experience with hair that was not her own.

Currently, the Fuhrer sat braiding Margaret's hair, the young girl's tears finally dried after having had her friends calm her down. No longer scared of the man behind her, the girl had agreed to let him braid her hair. Elizabeth, who sat beside her with her dark hair already braided, pointed excitedly at something in the book that lay before them.

Havoc stood from his place on the floor to greet Breda, pointing towards the mess of sheets and paint on the floor. "Want to give me a hand?"

Breda didn't even ask questions as he walked over to assist his comrade.

"I think Felix is really cute." Grace was saying, playing dolls with both Alice and Abigail. Helen scooted over so that she could watch the scene unfolding. "We shared paints last week."

"Ohhhhhh!" The two other five-year-olds giggled, their faces flushed with the idea of young love. Roy couldn't help but hope it would be a few years before he caught his dear Elizabeth saying such things about the males in her class.

As it was, his daughter seemed rather preoccupied with her book, gesturing for Etha to come over so she could show her something as well.

Roy smiled at her actions. His daughter certainly took after both him and his wife – always curious and always learning. It wouldn't surprise him, if in a few years time, she approached him about wanting to learn alchemy. He still wasn't quite sure how to feel about that one.

Once all the girls had their hair braided and their sleeping mats had been set up, Roy employed Breda to read them all a bedtime story in an attempt to tire them out. Though, from the look of their drooping eyes, it didn't seem like the men were going to have any trouble getting the girls to sleep.

While Breda and Havoc acted out the scenes from a bedtime story, eliciting giggles from the young girls curled up on the floor, Roy went to go check on Mae.

The infant was resting peacefully in her room that lay adjacent to the nursery. Roy was surprised that the noise hadn't disturbed her – however, with all the crying she had done over the past few days, the man figured she was just about as tired as her mother was. Careful not to disturb her rest, Roy picked the girl up from her crib to transport her back to the master suite.

After depositing his daughter into the small crib in his bedroom, Roy returned to the nursery, surprised to find it quieter than before.

The sight that lay before him had the Fuhrer nearly bursting into laughter.

Havoc and Breda were sat in two small nursery chairs, snoring loudly with both their heads thrown back. From the looks of it, all the girls seemed to be asleep as well.

Chuckling quietly to himself, Roy made his way over to where his daughter lay in the middle of it all. The man leaned over quick, pressing a gentle kiss to the skin of her forehead.

"Happy Birthday, Lizzie."

Roy was about to stand up once more, when a quiet, little voice had him pausing.

"Thank you, Daddy." Lizzie murmured before turning over, her new doll clutched tightly to her chest. It had been a present from her great grandpa Grumman.

"You're welcome, Lizzie." Roy replied, giving his daughter one last kiss to the head before turning the lights of the room off. With Breda and Havoc watching over them, Roy was sure the girls would be more than okay for the rest of the night.

After washing up and changing from his now ruined uniform, Roy was finally able to make it into bed to join his wife in blissful slumber. She had looked so cozy when he had moved Mae to their bedroom earlier, that all he had wanted to do was forego his nightly routine to join her.

Careful not to disturb Mae where she lay in her crib, Roy quietly reentered the room and made his way to the bed. After situating himself under the sheets, the man turned towards his wife and pulled her close to his chest, nuzzling his face in her hair.

Riza hummed tiredly. "How'd it go?"

Roy was too tired to explain the dramatics of the night. Instead, he pulled his wife closer and snuggled deeper into her embrace. "It went fine."

"Thank you." Riza kissed his chest tiredly, rubbing her nose against the skin there. "I needed a break."

"I know." Roy rubbed her back in comfort. "I certainly didn't mind giving you one."

Riza gave no response, already slumbering once more. Roy was just about to join her, when a shrill sound broke him from his semi-conscious state.

Mae had started to cry.

Fighting back a groan, Roy was just about to lift his head off his pillow when the door to his bedroom burst open and Elizabeth pushed her way through.

"Daddy!" The young girl exclaimed, ignoring the cries of her younger sister as she rushed over to her father's side. "Helen threw up on the floor!"

Now, Roy did groan.

He was really starting to hate sleepovers.

#royai #roy mustang #riza hawkeye #fma #fullmetal alchemist #fmab #fullmetal alchemsit brotherhood #royai fic #royai fanfic #royai fanfiction #fma fic #fma fanfic #fma fanfiction

13 notes · View notes

olivenight17 · 4 years

Text

Fluffvember Day 13 Part 2- Soulmate

Hello! I’m here to bring fluff and a wonderful sunshine boi! It uh... it got sad, I’m not gonna lie. It’s not total angst, everyone’s okay in the end. It’s just a little bit sad lol, I’m sorry! My mind ran before I could stop it. And hey @literally-just-mirio-headcanons I know you love Mirio, so have this! I’m sorry I made him sad lol

And, I’m not sure if this soulmate au actually exists, but I thought this up in my own head. This is my original soulmate au, where you can see the emotions your soulmate is feeling and it changes as their emotions at that point in time do. It affects how you see the world as you can only see the world in the various tones of whatever emotion your soulmate is feeling. You can tell when you’ve met them because they’re the only ones not affected by it, they’ll be the only ones who look normal and not in the same colors as the emotions. Also, if the soulmate is dead or unconscious, the world reverts back to how human sight and colors usually work. Hopefully that makes sense 😅

Also, I should probably put this here WARNING: This contains some manga spoilers about Mirio, so if you’d like to stay manga spoiled free, I’m afraid this won’t be quite for you.

Well, have fun you guys! Gotta say I like how this turned out, hopefully you do too.

———————————————————————

Mirio x Reader “Soulmate”

For a majority of your life, you had always seen the world in yellow hues. It was as if someone had put a filter over your eyes and the color was everywhere you looked. There was an occasion or two where the world turned blue or red, sometimes even gray, but it always seemed to leave as quickly as it came. In those moments, you created your own happiness, hoping to put some yellow back into your soulmate’s life.

It was comforting, having that sign of happiness in your life. However silent it was, it encouraged you to push through tough times and even helped you figure out your goal to help people. That goal started with UA. You took a deep breath as you walked through the school. The world around you was practically glowing with golden colors, and you couldn’t help but grin, apparently both you and your soulmate were having a good day. Peering down at your schedule, you checked one last time which classroom you were headed to first, looking up in confusion when the yellow was so bright you could barely read the words on the paper. Then, warm hands clasped around your shoulders.

Before you stood a blond haired boy with bright blue eyes and an even brighter smile. You felt your jaw drop in shock. You could see him in full colors, his figure not being filtered in yellow like your surroundings.

“Hey there! You’re my soulmate! Wow, you’re way prettier than I imagined. Not to say that I didn’t think you wouldn’t be pretty, because I did! You’re just more beautiful actually seeing you…” He started to ramble, but you weren’t quite getting everything, still coming to grips with the fact you had finally met him. This was the person giving you so much energy and support these past few years without even knowing it. Eventually, he paused and tilted his head with a smile. “Well, everything around you is starting to go white, so your mind’s either going blank because this is kinda surprising or you’re showing me how much of an angel you really are.” He gave you a lopsided grin as you felt heat spread across your cheeks like a wildfire.

On top of being energetic and happy, he was apparently also charming.

Trying to clear your head, you stuck out your hand. “Well, I don’t give out answers like that until I know your name. I’m (Y/N), it’s nice to meet you.”

He took your hand, shaking it gently but eagerly. “The name’s Mirio, it’s nice to meet you too.” His eyes trailed down to the schedule you still had in your other hand and he was quick to take out his own. “Hey, which classes do you have, maybe we have some together!” You switched schedules, only to find you had just about every class together, save for homeroom and math. “Darn, I was hoping to get to know you more on the way to homeroom, but I’m in the opposite direction. Oh well, I’ll see you in English though!”

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm as you both began splitting off. “Don’t keep me waiting!” You called out, waving as he turned to face you.

“I can’t make you wait more than I already have.” He joked with a wink before disappearing around the corner.

The days seemed to fly the more time you spent with Mirio, only three years had passed and yet it felt like you had known him your whole life. Hanging out with him and the rest of the big three, goofing off with him, it all felt right. It was like everything finally clicked into place being with him, knowing you treasured him as much as he treasured you.

You hummed quietly as you thought about it, dropping some ramen noodles into your cart. Mirio had been on a lot of patrols lately and he said something about a secret mission he was handling. Though you were curious, you didn’t want to get him in trouble talking about something he shouldn’t be, which resulted in the surprise dinner you were making him when he got back tonight. It was a small reward for working so hard. Just as you dropped the last item in your cart, the world switched from yellow to a somber red. Mirio was probably getting ready to fight or save someone.

Thinking nothing of the change in his emotions, you went to the checkout area and began pulling out your money to pay.

“That’ll be $36.78, ma’am.”

“Alright, here it all-” Your body froze as the world changed color once again. Everything around you flashed a bright white before black overtook your surroundings, it was so dark you were sure you had gone blind. You dropped the cash you were holding, something was wrong. Something had gone horribly, horribly wrong.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” The cashier leaned towards you cautiously as you blinked.

Quickly, you collected yourself and managed to find the money, putting it on the counter. “I’m fine, I’m sorry. I just remembered something.” You told her briskly.

She nodded at you and the second she handed you the bags, you were out of the store, fishing around in your pocket for your phone. You pressed call at least five times and each time you were left with no answer. Panic was already bubbling inside of you, twisting and churning your gut. Nejire and Tamaki said they hadn’t seen him and you were at your ropes end when you saw a tv through a store window. There was a bunch of rubble where the reporter was standing, then you saw the headline. “Young Hero in Training ‘Lemillion’ Injured.”

Your blood turned to ice, and you were forgetting how to breathe. Glancing over the subtitles, you caught the name of the hospital and took off running. You pushed the doors open, frantically looking around to see if you could find him, fighting against the nurses urging you to sit down. “No, my boyfriend, he’s here, he got injured. His name’s Mirio Togata, his hero name is Lemillion, where did you put him? I need to see him!” You shouted at them, desperately trying to wrench your arms out of their grasp. “Get off of me, I need to see him! He has to be alive, I...I can’t see his emotions.” The realization all but slapped you in the face as you looked around. The world looked...normal. There wasn’t a strong color presence, it all looked ordinary. Bile began to rise in your throat.

The strength in your body left you and you all but collapsed into the nurses arms as they dragged you to a chair. You gripped onto one of them. “Can you at least tell me he’s alive?” You rasped, blinking back the tears that were trying to fall.

The nurse gave you a pitying look. “The last I saw, he was in surgery. We’ll tell you if anything happens.” After that, the nurse was gone.

There was a cold emptiness that stayed with you as you waited, sitting in that chair for hours as you hoped and prayed that he would be alright, that he’d be alive. Scenarios circled in your mind to save you from the despair that was threatening to crash over your head to drown you. Walking in the park with Mirio, going to get ice cream, laughing at all of the ridiculous faces he made to get you to smile. You were so lost in your own head, you barely registered the nurse in front of you, or the gray tones that were overtaking your vision. Slowly, you looked up at her. She had a smile on her face. “Mr. Togata is out of surgery, he’s resting well in room 203, you can visit him if you’d like.” Practically jumping out of your seat, you thanked her as you began to look for the room, but she caught your arm. “There’s one more thing you should know… he got hit with a bullet, this bullet had special properties and he no longer has his quirk.” She explained, letting go of you.

Stiffly, you nodded, before going to find him. When you found the room you were looking for, you stepped in, finding Mirio’s figure facing away from you, hunched over in a sitting position on the bed. “Mirio…?”

He turned to you, face almost completely covered in bandages, as well as the rest of his body, but he still had a smile on his face. “Hey, Sunshine.” He chuckled weakly, barely getting the words out before you rushed towards him, hugging him as tightly as you could. “Woah, it’s okay. I’m okay.” His arms wrapped around you, finally settling your frazzled nerves.

“I was so scared, you were passed out, I couldn’t see your emotions. I-I thought you were…” You trailed off, sniffling as you buried your head into his shoulder.

“I know, but I’m not. Everything’s fine, I’ll be in tip top shape in no time.” He tried to reassure you, but you could hear the emptiness in his words and the heavy gray that surrounded you suddenly became more prominent.

Taking a deep breath, you started thinking of happy things. Puppies playing in the park, the prank Nejire had pulled on Mirio last week, every good memory you could think of flooded into your head all at once. You were almost starting to giggle about it. “Sunshine, what are you doing?” Mirio asked and you pulled back to look at him with a smile.

You took his hands and you squeezed them, rubbing your thumbs along the skin in a comforting manner. “Mirio, before I even met you, you made me happy. Even on my darkest days, when I wanted to curl up into my bed and stop existing, your feelings of happiness kept me going. Even though all you could do was give me the color yellow, you gave me hope that things could be better and encouraged me. You gave me happiness when I couldn’t even muster any for myself.” Your eyes met his as you continued. “So, I think it’s only fair that I repay the favor. I know what happened, and I know it’s going to take some time to come to terms with this. I’ll be your support until then. You won’t go through this alone.”

You leaned your forehead against his, and kissed the tip of his nose. There was still a shaky smile on his lips and his eyes looked misty before he leaned in, capturing your lips with his. You happily complied, placing your hands on either side of his face. Eventually, he pulled back and brought you into a tight hug, clutching onto you like a lifeline and burying his head in the crook of your neck. You rubbed his back gently.

“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be okay…”

#bnha #mha #fluffvember #fluff #bnha x reader #mirio #mirio togata #mirio x reader #mirio togata x reader #bnha mirio #bnha mirio x reader #minor angst #manga spoilers #soulmate #soulmate au

140 notes · View notes

makeste · 5 years

Text

BnHA Chapter 243: Happy New Year

Previously on BnHA: The government was all “shit what are we going to do about Shigaraki Tomura and his Actual Fucking Army of villains, oh I know, why don’t we draft some child soldiers” and so they brought back internships and made them mandatory. Class 1-A had the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties, featuring 20 unique custom-tailored Santa costumes, enough chicken to feed Tomura’s entire Actual Fucking Army, and one (1) giant sword that somehow made its way into the hands of Eri, First of Her Name. Tidings of comfort and joy were had by all, and to cap things off, Shouto invited Bakugou (who by the way was having a lot of thoughts about how Best Jeanist asked him to reveal his new hero name the next time they met, because Horikoshi knows what kind of angst I like) and Deku to come intern with him at the motherfucking Endeavor Hero Agency and make everyone’s OT3 dreams come true.

Today on BnHA: Deku visits his mom on New Year’s Eve and the two of them ball out at the Make Me Cry Olympics. There is a whole plotline all about Hawks getting coffee, and I’m trying to figure out if it’s really just coffee or if THE ENTIRE SERIES SECRETLY HINGES ON THIS ONE SCENE omg. The next day at the Endeavor Hero Agency, Endeavor is all, “welcome! fuck you,” which may or may not be setting the tone for this whole arc. There’s a brief flashback to All Might congratulating his sons on their internship and saying foreshadowing things like “your new quirks probably won’t go fucking apeshit again” and “you’re a lot like Endeavor, this internship will be good for you!” Back in the present, Endeavor dramatically leaps over a railing and blasts off to go fight Monk Gyatso with the disaster trio hot on his heels. Hawks then shows up out of nowhere and the text is literally all, “WHAT’S HAWKS DOING HERE?” and seriously though. What are any of us even doing here. This arc has only just started and I already have no idea what’s going on and I fucking love it.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, and added a few ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

loooool

is she going to be all right

-- also! WE’RE GOING TO SEE THE PARENTS AGAIN HOMG YES. HORIKOSHI YOU’RE ON FIRE WEEK AFTER WEEK YOU MAD DOG

(ETA: literally the only way he could end his streak was by going on fucking hiatus. son of a.)

oh shit I forgot that they had the cover and a color page this week! this is great

by the light (ba da dum ba da dum) of the silvery moon (ba da dum ba da dum) I want to spoon -- holy shit, what. do you ever look up the lyrics to a song you vaguely remember from your childhood twenty-five years later in order to make a bizarre joke in a manga recap and you’re like “!!?!?” lol what the fuck. this shit is from 1909. old timey pervs

anyways this may be my favorite Jump cover ever. colors are amazing, art is super cute, it’s the whole package. Aoyama and Iida are killing me. I need that Iida ball in real life, I would seriously pay real money

and now the color spread!

where can I buy that U.A. hoodie. I’m not kidding, I need it in my life. the U.A. logo is great because it doesn’t scream “LOOK AT ME I’M AN ANIME FAN” unless the other person also watches said anime, in which case that’s awesome because the two of you can become best friends and bond over how you’re both nerds with impeccable taste

Kacchan out here holding a fucking root beer like we don’t all know the truth. yeah tough guy you go to bed at eight-thirty and you’re third in your class at the top high school in Japan. but you keep on trying to preserve that image. also this kid is singlehandedly making wifebeaters high fashion I swear to god. it’s a talent

Kirishima looks so good in v-neck shirts yes you go Kiri!

Mina is here!! Mina is part of the main character squad now, everyone! that’s right!! Iida Tenya was booted out after he refused to partake in this photo shoot due to moral outrage over the fact that they’re shooting this at what appears to be a crime scene. a vacuum cleaner was murdered in cold blood omg

Ochako not smiling is such an unusual look for her (and Mina and Kirishima too for that matter) but holy shit. I like it

TODOROKI I’M TRYING TO REACH THROUGH THE COMPUTER SCREEN AND UNBUTTON YOUR TOP BUTTON. HOLY SHIT HOW CAN YOU EVEN BREATHE. RELAX

so the new character book is out October 4, eh? I think we knew this already, but maybe this time the date will actually stick in my mind. anyways, so doing the math, that leaves Kacchan three more chapters (including this one) to reveal his hero name. boy you have a deadline get to work!

YESSSSSSSSSSS

MY NEW YEAR’S ARC MAY NOT BE HAPPENING, BUT AT LEAST WE STILL GET TO SEE THEM RING IN 2217 HOORAY

damn that’s a lot of narration in the first panel

“while accompanied by guards” oh shit. and yet, I get it. I like how they refer to it as “the chain of events that led us to move into the dorms” rather than “that time Bakugou got fucking kidnapped.” they are not letting that happen again. good

IZUMAMA YESSSS

at least he’s being open with her about it! come on Inko, push through this. he’s already got 240 other things he’s still not telling you, don’t give him any more reason to keep being secretive

oh my god now Deku is like “anyways do you remember Eri?” and he’s reaching into his pocket now, holy shit?? WHATEVER HE’S PULLING OUT IS GOING TO BE SO FUCKING CUTE, ISN’T IT

oH MY GOD!!!!!

THIS SON OF A BITCH IS JUST GONNA KEEP ON AMASSING A COLLECTION OF ADORABLE AND HILARIOUS LITTLE KID LETTERS, ISN’T HE. LISTEN HERE DEKU YOU MOTHERFUCKER!! THAT PIC OF “MISTER DEKU” IS -- I’M -- !!!!

“I was hardly able to do anything for her” ?? you SAVED HER LIFE?? you BODYSLAMMED OVERHAUL INTO THE GROUND?? YOU GOT US ALL OUT OF THAT ACCURSED BASEMENT? listen here you modest little shit you need to stop doing this. you even taught her the true meaning of quirks for crying out loud. you are the actual best

god the way he is staring at this letter is giving me too many feels for a Thursday afternoon. these are like Saturday night feels. this manga never goes easy on me

same Inko same

oh my god now Inko is launching into a speech about Deku’s sad childhood I can’t with this, MA’AM PLEASE

“covered in bruises” oh my problematic ship. oh this nuanced manga with its intricate layers of feels. this is the lasagna of mangas

hello page 3 is just one big assault on all my emotions and I would like to report this to someone help I am being besieged

oh my fucking god Midoriya family. I’m trying to process all of this and just!!

like. she’s known all this time how big his heart is and that he doesn’t care about himself and just wants to protect others. but for the longest time he was powerless to do it. but still he kept dreaming and she kept looking on waiting for that day he’d finally give up, ready for his heart to break, bracing herself. and then this miracle happened and he got a quirk and all his hopes came true and he got to go to his dream school, and now he’s training to become a hero just like he always wanted

and everything special she always saw about her boy is shining so brightly now, and everyone can see it, and he’s become so strong. but also he’s growing up so fast. he’s gone from being someone she had to protect to someone who’s strong enough to protect not only her, but everyone. strong enough to carry the world on his shoulders

just. can you even imagine. how much pride she must feel, in addition to the relief she’s expressing now. but also the loneliness of knowing she can’t hold on to her baby boy forever and he’s on the verge of going out into the world and leaving her. in fact he basically already has. anyways I came here today for some Three Musketeers antics and now I’m sitting her with Izumama empty nest feels, what is this

-- yo, what?? he’s starting the internship on New Year’s Fucking Day? U.A. doesn’t fuck around, goddamn

(ETA: seriously, no rest for the weary here. both Endeavor and Hawks are as busy as ever too. poor Hawks, who never wanted to be a hero to begin with, spent New Year’s Eve undercover trying to drown his sorrows in sugary coffee. of course, Jeanist is spending his New Year’s either in hiding or dead, so.)

anyways so he’s bidding his mom goodbye and getting onto a bus, and he’s all bundled up in a scarf but can’t be assed to wear a jacket, apparently. whatever Deku

AHHHH WHAT IS THIS NOW

AND OH MY GOD LOOK WHERE HE IS

THE LEAGUE OF PLIFF’S HEADQUARTERS AT THE OL’ OVERLOOK HOTEL. watch out for the elevators. Toga probably really likes them though

“where did you run off to number 2” um, he’s still a top ranked pro hero? what, do they just expect him to never do his job ever again? even if they think he’s on their side, they must realize that he needs to maintain his so-called cover

anyways, fucking Slidin’ Go is back, guys. when is someone going to punch this slippery bitch in the face

wow he’s seriously chewing Hawks out for flying off without permission. can someone please just deck this mouthbreather already

oh my god

this motherfucker really truly believes he is Hawks’s senpai. imagine having the same power as a fucking banana peel, and being so deluded you actually think you outrank a double agent of indispensable value, who also just so happens to be Dabi’s best friend, and oh yes, THE NUMBER TWO FUCKING HERO. I don’t even know where to begin with you, Slidin’ Go

oh snap but he’s immediately being called out on his BS lol this is great

twenty microdevices?? holy shit. that’s gonna make it really difficult for him to actually report back to the heroes

maybe if the PSC gives him twenty of their own little spy cams. then the only challenge is for him to try and remember which are which

lmao look at this little metaphorical drawing

isn’t this the Hyrule Castle level from Breath of the Wild

anyways don’t mind me, I’m just sitting here trying to figure out if there’s a double meaning to these two panels

is Skeptic just really bad at making small talk, or is there something here that I’m totally missing?? did he witness something during Hawks’s coffee run?

(ETA: this seriously reads to me as some kind of coded threat, but it makes no sense given the rest of the conversation. he goes on and on about how useful Hawks will be in helping them spy on the heroes, but then calls attention to him sneaking out to buy a single can of coffee. in conclusion I am probably overthinking this way too much, but it’s odd. maybe he really is just trying to be nice and coming off as weird and creepy.)

now we’re flashing back to Hawks’s last report to the PSC

if this is after he met up with Dabi then why does he still have the bag? WHEN WILL THIS STOP HAUNTING ME. I’M SO TIRED OF WAKING UP AT NIGHT IN A COLD SWEAT ONLY TO SEE HAWK’S BACKPACK STANDING THERE RIGHT NEXT TO MY BED, WATCHING

-- SDLKGHSLDKHFL

lmao this scared the shit out of me. Enji what the fuck

yesssss it’s mah boisssss

wow, he’s pretty weirdly enthused about the whole thing, huh? I expected him to bitch about it more. since Shouto basically offered his friends the gig all on his own without any consultation whatsoever. that’s called nepotism Shouto but it’s okay I forgive you

anyways. so are the Endeavor offices located in THE FUTURE. or what. is this Epcot

DKFJWELKFJL

LOL THAT’S MORE LIKE IT. FOR A MOMENT I THOUGHT WE HAD SLIPPED INTO SOME WEIRD ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

hahaha exactly

well I’m glad I’m not going crazy, at any rate. anyways though, Endeavor trying his best to be a good dad and caving in to his son’s ridiculous demands because he’s trying to make up for TWO DECADES OF BEING COMPLETE GARBAGE is pleasing to me as always. deal with it Endeav

HE SAID DEAL WITH IT!!

oh my god Katsuki is saying something holy shit, the next few panels will set the stage for what could be the sleeper hit character dynamic of the year. ghghkghhhhhh

( ⁰ o ⁰ )

oh my god

(ETA: Katsuki I have written whole essays about how perceptive you are and then you just. sob. now that he’s finally starting to ease up on the whole Angry Asshole thing, his inner dumbass is really shining through.)

YES HE IS AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO, YOUR BOURGEOIS SON HAS FALLEN IN WITH THIS CHURLISH ROUGHNECK FROM THE HOOD, DIE MAD ABOUT IT!!

lmaooo

that mental image omfg. HE WILL PUT UP WITH THIS SUFFERING IN ORDER TO GET CLOSER TO HIS GOAL. what a sacrifice. the pros outweighed the cons. it’s logic. I can’t, I

and Endeavor being so fucking mad that Shouto picked this asshole to be his new best friend sob. YOU CAN’T STOP THEIR BROMANCE IT IS UNFOLDING BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES

anyways I love everything and I’m all set for the mentoring to begin. bring it onnnn

so now Deku is being surprisingly earnest and thanking Endeavor for accepting them into his agency

and we’re getting our first glimpse of Deku’s Upgraded Feelings About Endeavor oooooh juicy

Deku is so good at seeing into people’s hearts. and so forgiving. we already knew he was -- the inciting event that led to the whole fucking series wouldn’t have even happened if he wasn’t -- but I’m honestly still so impressed every time I see it

(ETA: and also, this means that he still went and told him off during the sports festival even though he was scared of him. kid is the fucking role model to end all role models.)

also I’m already sensing that this chapter (and indeed, this entire arc) is going to prompt more Discourse up in the ol’ fandom. that’s going to be fun. anyways, I’ve already essayed more than once regarding Endeavor’s redemption arc, so I’m not going to spend too much time hashing out the same old points. but basically my stance is I’m fine with it. I think it’s good to show that people can change no matter how far they’ve gone down the wrong path. it may not be easy, but if they’re genuinely remorseful, and if the desire is there, then why not? I’m not gonna get up in arms because someone is trying to become a better person. the alternative is that they stay terrible, and that doesn’t help anyone

anyway, so now we’re flashing back to what appears to be a conversation with All Might, and oh my god

but you guys. listen. Katsuki is there, again. they’re not even discussing OFA this time and he’s still there! elbowed his way into this mentorship like the determined little shit he is, and now he’s not leaving and you all just have to deal with it. oh my god it’s everything I ever wanted, someone please pinch me is this real??

lol and now they are discussing OFA, but that’s okay. it’s only natural that would also be on the agenda

really, All Might?

you consider that “just fine”? that bloop? just as planned?? I know you love your son, but maybe consider raising the bar for him just a little bit. he is capable of so much more, and now of all times is not the time to go easy on him

and he’s still talking about the SIXQUIRKS as though unlocking more of them right now would be a bad thing. I really think this is the wrong approach. maybe I just want to see Deku go buck wild and fucking lose it though, idk

Katsuki has no patience for this either

“I don’t doubt it.” please Deku we’re not worthy of you and your wholesomeness. and he’s so sincere, too?? how does Kacchan continuously absorb all of this shameless admiration and affection day after day, week after week. how is he not humbled by it

anyways time to shut up about that though because All Might is now mentoring Bakugou directly and this requires my full fucking attention

yessss let the character development commence! I’m so excited ddhkshl

and now we’re back in the present and the conversation is taking a very interesting turn!

YES! HE DID! DO YOU REMEMBER? YOU WEREN’T REALLY PAYING ATTENTION BEFORE BECAUSE YOU WERE STILL IN ASSHOLE MODE. what do you have to say about it now?

...

mysterious

what

(ETA: “is he always like this?”)

lol what

hahaha. this arc is off to a fucking hysterical start

oh snap y’all look at this

100% chance Deku is right fucking behind him lol. probably they all are

YEP

BITCH, WHO THE FUCK DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DEALING WITH. YOU THOUGHT THESE WERE JUST ANY OLD INTERNS?? FUCK YOU, THESE ARE PREMIUM, CLUB-LEVEL, OCEAN VIEW INTERNS, YOU UNAPPRECIATIVE LOUT. YOU INGRATE

lol but he’s not missing a beat though, and he’s ordering them to stay behind and watch him oh shit. what is even going on

now we’re cutting to some fucking yogi bobbing around town in a lotus position screaming about a divine revelation he received from fucking space. okay

AHHH WHAT

HAWKS IS ALREADY GETTING IN ON THE ACTION, JESUS CHRIST. DOES THIS FUCKER EVER PUT ON THE BRAKES?? THIS ARC IS LIKE TWELVE DIFFERENT PLOTLINES INTERSECTING ALL AT ONCE AND I CAN BARELY KEEP UP. THIS SHIT IS A TRAINWRECK WAITING TO HAPPEN AND I’M STANDING HERE MESMERIZED

BUT!!!

cue Celine Dion’s “All by Myself” while I fall down dramatically nooooo. the lord giveth and he taketh away. YOU OPENED A DOOR AND CLOSED THE WINDOW YOU BASTARD sob why

well shit. and that means that Katsuki has only one chapter left to reveal his hero name, too. (ETA: keeping track of the important things here lol.) and somehow I don’t see that happening unless the focus of the next chapter takes a very dramatic shift, since we seem to be launching into full plot mode before any of us even have our seatbelts on. not that I’m complaining about that because sdkljk

anyways. see y’all in two weeks I guess. the My Plots Academia arc sure is off to a crazy fucking start

107 notes · View notes

duhragonball · 5 years

Text

Dragon Ball Z 176

The Cell Games start now. Goku wanted to fight first, but Mr. Satan thinks he’s the protagonist, and he’s got the zany hair to prove it.

Goku tries to warn Mr. Satan, but he won’t listen. Jimmy Firecracker asks Larry to zoom in on Goku, calling him “that dimwit.”

Smile, Goku, you’re on Dumbass Cam.

Meanwhile, at King’s Castle, King Furry is checking all of this out. His attendants agree that this guy doesn’t know anything, but King Furry thinks he might resemble that boy who saved the world from Piccolo years ago. Of course, Goku’s hair and eyes look different, and King Furry’s had that kid on the brain for a while now. Furry was one of the few witnesses to Goku’s battle with King Piccolo, and while he never learned Goku’s name, he’s hoping that he would return to put Cell in his place.

Also, he notices Piccolo in Goku’s group, which strikes him as odd. Well, that’s Piccolo Junior, to be specific, and he looks a little different, and the cape and hat are enough to throw King Furry off, but he knows something’s up.

I dig how most of the world knows nothing of the Z-Fighters, and they all admire Mr. Satan instead, but imagine being King Furry, and being vaguely aware of all this cool Dragon Ball Z stuff, but not having he full picture. Like, you sort of know who Goku and Piccolo are, but you have no idea that they became best friends forever, and teamed up with a bunch of other super-cool dudes to yell a lot and punch monsters. That’s kind of sad.

So Krillin convinces Goku to just let Mr. Satan go first, if only to get him out of the way, and Goku agrees, so it looks like we’re finally going to get underway when...

This big pink helicopter thing shows up and these three characters jump out of it. Say hellow to Piroshki, Caroni, and their manager Pizza.

Wait, is this a Yukio Ebisawa episode? Yes it is! I thought Piroshki’s legs looked awfully triangular. The hips don’t lie.

So here’s the deal. These three weren’t in the manga at all. I’m pretty sure Toei invented these characters because they wanted to devote a whole episode to the Cell/Satan fight, and it’s pretty short, even with all of the posturing. Piroshki and Caroni are Mr. Satan’s apprentices, and Pizza calls them the second and third strongest fighters in the world. They’re so caught up in the hype of the Satan/Cell showdown that they believe Cell isn’t worthy to fight their master, so they ask to take Cell down themselves. Satan agrees, they lose of course, and then Satan steps into the ring to proceed with the events in the manga.

The hitch is that Pizza, Piroshki, and Caroni never actually leave after they get beaten. So they end up sticking around with Mr. Satan, Jimmy, and Larry, watching the Cell Games from a safe distance. This is why it’s not a simple thing to say that you can just skip all the filler in Dragon Ball. Yes, there’s entire episodes of filler, and there’s filler scenes that you can skip, but sometimes the filler is so interwoven into the anime that you can’t separate it from the canon material. In this case, everything Mr. Satan says and does from here on, he’ll have Pizza and his two apprentices hanging around next to him.

Dragon Ball Z Kai is often described as a re-edit of DBZ with all the filler cut out, and that’s mostly true. I’m pretty sure Maron never appears in Kai, because you can cut all her scenes and lose nothing. But they had to keep the stuff with Pizza and the others, because the alternative would be to edit out almost every scene with Mr. Satan, and we need those, because he’s important to the story.

On the other hand, when Team Four Star did their abridged version of the Cell Games, they went ahead and had Cell destroy the apprentices helicopter before they could jump out. It was hilarious, because I never expected that to happen. I just figured they’d be forced to do something with those characters, since the only alternative would be to painstakingly edit them out of every Mr. Satan scene afterwards. Turns out, that’s exactly what they did, all through DBZA Episodes 58-60. I’m guessing that’s why it took so long for those episodes to get made. Was it worth it? I’m not sure, but I do like that there’s a sidekick-free cut of the Cell Games episodes, even if it’s just a parody version. It’s just interesting to see.

Don’t get me wrong, these guys are cool. I like how Piroshki is clearly modeled after wrestling legend Big Van Vader, and Caroni looks like every pretty-boy wrestler from Gorgeous George onward. And Pizza’s pretty cute. Also, it’s just cool that Mr. Satan has students, and they’re just as ridiculous over-the-top as he is.

The problem is that it reaaaaallllly kills the pacing of this story. The whole gag here was originally that Mr. Satan would show up as a joke character, try to fight Cell, and get beaten easily. Then Goku would get in the ring and we’d get down to business. It’s a good gag. Once. But Toei wanted to fill time, and so we’re now getting the same joke repeated three times.

And Pizza provides color commentary alongside Jimmy Firecracker. It’s just redundant. Why do we need two people calling the action here? It just slows things down. Jimmy worked fine on his own in the manga.

I remember watching this episode and getting really impatient, because they had already established a ten day waiting period before the Cell Games. So we had to spend Episodes 166-175 marking time. And those episodes are good, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re watching it for the first time, you just really want to see Goku mix it up with Cell. By this episode, the tension was unbearable. Goku’s here, Cell’s here, the Cell Games are officially on, and then Mr. Satan insists on going first. Okay, fine, let’s get him out of the way... no wait, two other guys have to go ahead of him. And guess what, each of them have to do their own pre-fight shtick and cut their own promos and so on. And then Pizza and Jimmy have to comment on their fighting styles and attributes. And before you know it, the episode is over, and you have to wait for the next episode to see Goku fight Cell.

And when I was first watching these, Cartoon Network was airing DBZ like four times a week. I can only imagine what it was like for some Japanese kid in 1993. Those poor kids must have been going nuts.

Nonetheless, these two are still fun to watch. Cell beats Caroni by using his ki to shove him up into the air in mid-jump, causing him to land out of the ring. Then Piroshki is up, and he removes his cool Vader helmet and CRUSHES IT IN HIS BARE HANDS! Awesome!

Then he EATS IT. Ha ha ha, this is wild! This is weird wild stuff we’re seeing right here. Piroshki came to play.

But he can’t beat Cell either. Cell uses his ki like some sort of invisible force field, and when Piroshki charges him, he can’t even get close. He finally gives up and rolls out of the ring.

At ringside, Mr. Satan calmly explains how both of his students lost. For all his skill, Caroni is prone to overdoing things, so he believes that Caron accidentally launched himself out of the ring when he put too much oomph into his leap. As for Piroshki, Satan suspects that Cell may have covered his own body in green pepper juice, which Piroshki despises, and that’s why he couldn’t get near Cell.

So now it’s finally time for Mr. Satan to fight, right? Not quite. First he pulls out a capsule, which contains a bag, and inside the bag are roofing tiles. Toei really milks this for as much time as they can get. They really don’t want Goku fighting Cell in this episode.

So Satan breaks 14 of the fifteen tiles he brought, and his hand smarts, but he’s still pleased with himself because that’s an insane number of tiles, and he pulled it off.

So all that’s left is to beat the shit out of Cell. Satan jumps the big cat and just lays into the guy. I mean, he throws kicks and punches and all sort of offense on the dude. I’m not expert on power levels, but I’m pretty sure a lesser opponent, such as Frieza, would be turned to jelly by this vicious onslaught.

Then Satan goes for the coup-de-grace and Cell swats him away, sending him into a nearby hill.

Amazingly, he’s still alive after that. Mr. Satan’s built Ford Tough.

Krillin’s been all smug throughout this farce. Look, I love you Krillin, but you smashed that remote. None of this would even be happening right now if you could have focused for like two seconds.

The audience is stunned. As far as they were concerned, Mr. Satan was the first, last, and only fighter who could win this thing for them, and he just got clobbered with one hit. In particular, this extremely triangular woman in red looks very upset. I think we see more of her later, so I’m gonna start calling her Triangle Woman.

Cell’s like, “Goku get your ass in here this instant.”

And Goku’s all “Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy, I get to punch him now!”

Yes, surely this will be the decisive match of the Cell Games, and put an end to this nightmare once and for all. Right? Right?

#dragon ball #2019dbliveblog #goku #cell #perfect cell #cell games saga #mr satan #piroshki #caroni #pizza #krillin #yamcha #gohan #jimmy firecracker #larry #piccolo

26 notes · View notes

engekihaikyuu · 5 years

Photo

Hyper Projection Engeki Haikyuu – The Strongest Team

Karasuno Memorial Cross Talk

Full interview translation and more photos under the Read More! Please do not repost my scans and translations.

Past

From taking on the responsibility of the character to the present

For those who have continued to play your characters from the very first production in 2015, what kind of emotions do you feel now for each of your characters and for Gekidan Haikyuu? Kenta: For me, Gekidan Haikyuu is “a place to go home to.” After playing Hinata in that first show, my life has always had Haikyuu at its center... One thing I remember well from the early stages was when I’d gone to work on some other productions and then came back here, I felt like I might have forgotten Hinata, how best to play him, that sort of thing. But before long, even that feeling disappeared. Now I just have to read the script and I’ll start to remember how to be him, and because I’ve done it for so long, I feel like I’ve unconsciously developed a “Hinata brain.” Moreover, I really love this group. Whenever I had a tough time with other work, I could always get through it because I’d think to myself, “Well next I’ve got Haikyuu!!”

*Gekidan Haikyuu refers to the Engeki Haikyuu ‘troupe’ for a literal translation. However, they use it to refer to not only the cast, but also the staff and everyone involved in making these shows. They also use it warmly more often than not, and so the meaning has strong connotations of ‘family.’ I very regularly opt out of a translation for this because of all the meanings wrapped up into the word.

But Engeki Haikyuu is also a fairly tough production. Kenta: Ah, but physical difficulties are totally fine. Both our rehearsals and the tour itself are always so fun, negative feelings don’t really take hold... I mean there’s still a little bit sometimes (laughs), but not really. It’s my place to go home to, and the fact that it exists is a blessing.

What are your foundations for playing Hinata, what’s something that’s become the core of this character for you? Kenta: Hinata is someone who takes in the influences around him and grows, his specialty is “absorption,” so at some point along the way, I realized that I can’t do too much in one particular way. Even in the manga, his expressions are totally different from scene to scene, and his attitude changes too. When I look at myself from that first production, I worked so hard on Hinata then, but already it’s become something I can barely look back on because it’s not enough. (laughs) Even my voice was too low. Probably at that time I thought, “This is all I’ve got,” so that was the logical result. Even if I now think that I was making a certain expression, the way I do it has changed little by little since then... The story too has changed from being about one person to being about everyone, so my options for how I play Hinata have increased, and when playing him for so long, a lot just happens spontaneously, and I think I’ve naturally become able to do more as Hinata in that time.

When it comes to Hinata, I remember when you previously said, “I say some of my most important lines with my back to the audience.” That left a deep impression on me. Kenta: Ahhh. I did that in the first show with, “You!!! You’re the ‘King’ that controls the court!!” And in ‘Start of the Giant’ with the line, “Then we must be like concrete or something??” Kazuma: The last scene when you were facing Shiratorizawa was the same too. Kenta: Yeah. Those opening scenes have a sort of “unshown aesthetic.” Kouhei: To sort of make the audience imagine what your expression might be? Kenta: ...there’s that, and sometimes it’s just that I should face the person I’m actually talking to. After that... I do think it’s cool if I can get my acting across to the audience without everything above the neck. I think? It’s not really an aura, but sometimes when I’m acting with my body in a space, there are moments when my facial expressions might even be a distraction. So those scenes just naturally turn out like that. I may keep doing that.

Kageyama-san, you joined on for “Summer of Evolution.” Kage-chan: When Kenta said that his life has always had Haikyuu at its center, I’m exactly the same. Once I started playing Kageyama, it doesn’t matter what else I’m working on, I’m always thinking back to Haikyuu. At first I did feel a lot of pressure for joining late, but because I had everyone, and because of this atmosphere that everyone creates, I’ve made it this far. It’s like living together... The sense of camaraderie is really strong.

Is there something you feel you have to stick to when playing Kageyama? Kage-chan: When I’m acting, when I’m reading the manga, the one thing I always feel is that he’s definitely a high-schooler. The awkward parts of his personality, the way he single-mindedly pursues sports, those are all things that I personally experienced at that age, so I have that image of a high-schooler. He’s not an adult; on the canvas of his life experiences, there’s still a lot of blank space. In other words, he’s still young. And he’s the type that wouldn’t notice until he wasn’t young anymore. Or so I think. (laughs) Kageyama’s right at the height of that stage in his life. Ryoutarou: Umm, this is something I’ve thought before but... Engeki Haikyuu is like a “road.” Everyone: ....... Ryoutarou: Eh? Um... So for example, when you move to a new place, that’s like the first show. Right after you move, it takes a while for you to get home from the station because you’re not used to it. But during that time, you can mess around on your phone and then before you realize it, you’ve arrived home. And then you gradually get used to your new route. And then as more time passes, there might be things like, “Oh, a new supermarket,” and little things gradually change along that same route. In the same way, Engeki Haikyuu is like a “place you finally reach” = “home” and I think we’ve all pretty much decided on that definition, but we make new discoveries on that road home every time... For me, it’s a lot of things related to acting, and all the while that I’m learning and finding new things, I always make it back home, and that home-like existence is Engeki Haikyuu. Kouhei: What? Home? Not the road? Which is it? Ryoutarou: Ah, ehhh, well... “home,” then. Everyone: (explosive laughter) Ryoutarou: My sense as Kosaka Ryoutarou is that I’ve basically gotten used to that road now that I’ve been back and forth on it so many times, but as Tsukishima I feel like I still have a long way to go, and there are still new discoveries to make and more research to do.

During breaks in interviews, I often see Suga-san pointing out the shortcomings in your acting with you listening carefully, all smiles. Ryoutarou: Yeah, well that definitely never changes. When it comes to acting, I always listen carefully to anything Kenta-kun has to say, and I always want to do as much as I can to get better... But of course it’s not like I’m just straight doing what I’m told, I think carefully about it, digest it, adopt it... That’s why he’s the dad of this house, Kenta-kun I mean. Kenta: Ehh, noo. (laughs) Kairi: (laughs) For me, Engeki Haikyuu is my beginning as an actor, and... I didn’t know left from right, I was basically starting from zero, and of course I still have a long way to go, but I’m surrounded by great senpai, and I feel like I’ve become able to perform little by little.

When it comes to the topic of “growth,” it’s possible that Miura-san had the greatest sense of struggle both for your character and for yourself personally. Kairi: It’s true. Even in Engeki Haikyuu, Yamaguchi is a character that has a lot to improve upon. He’s had this small, steady progress from the first show onward, and then there’s this sudden growth in “Summer of Evolution,” and at that time I... I might have been the only one to think this but... As an actor and as a person, everyone in Karasuno was cheering me on, saying things like, “You’ve really improved.” And I was finally at a level where I could get critiques that I’d never gotten before, and that made me really happy. I felt like I’d finally become a part of the team... or that I’d finally become an equal.

And as you kept working on these shows, the relationship between Tsukishima and Yamaguchi also grew deeper. Ryoutarou: We used to talk things out a lot in our off-time, but now we’ve gotten to the point where we don’t have to say anything and we can do it. The relationship between our characters has become very natural. Kairi: Yeah. We’re the same age, we both debuted with Engeki Haikyuu, and because our circumstances were so similar, of course we’d end up with a close relationship; and we’re very aware of each other. When Ryoutarou’s being praised, I might even think, “Damn it.” (laughs)

Shiota-san, you’ve been a member since the very first show. Kouhei: I think the best way to add color to life is to combine “memories of the past with new encounters,” but at the time when I was first cast as Tanaka Ryuunosuke, he didn’t have a past, and his memories and his backstory grew as we kept on doing these shows. To create more memories is to create more emotions, so the character himself was growing in complexity too. Similarly, his relationships with everyone around him also grow steadily deeper... In Engeki Haikyuu, I think we’ve given birth to some things that could only exist because we could be these characters and be this team for three years. Of course, the newer people who join us help us create new memories that add that final finish, and they provide inspiration. To be able to play this one character of Tanaka for so long has become a great blessing in my life as an actor.

A character who gets along with everyone he sees. Kenta: Yeeeah, Shio-san has been amazing from the start. Kouhei: There are a lot of aspects of Tanaka that resemble me when I was young, so I think playing him was easier. It was different work figuring out the relationships within the team, but personally I think I could always play Tanaka pretty comfortably. When I switch, I do it completely. When I’m not working on Engeki Haikyuu, Tanaka’s locked away. Then when we start up again, I pull him out. It’s a smooth transition. It’s the result of having played him for so long, I think.

Fuchino-san, you joined the team with “Summer of Evolution.” Fucchi: At first, I actually didn’t know Nishinoya. I was taking over after Hashimoto Shouhei-kun, and everyone on Karasuno had spent time with Shouhei-kun’s Nishinoya... To clarify, basically everyone who’d been in Engeki Haikyuu before knew more about Nishinoya than I did. That’s why for both “Summer of Evolution” and “Start of the Giant,” everyone on Karasuno helped me out a lot. The biggest moment for me was during “Start of the Giant,” which features Ennoshita as the main story... and there was a scene that was centered around us, the second-years. Depicting the second-years’ story in detail is something you just can’t do unless you understand the depth of their relationships. But Kazuma-kun and Kouhei-kun were there for me, saying, “Because it’s the three of us, we’ll do it this way.” And when we were able to really showcase our relationship, it felt like Nishinoya’s character had finally taken shape inside me. Even though I wasn’t the one to play him in earlier shows, I felt like even the Noya-san from then was incorporated... Even though that wasn’t me, I tried to feel like it had all been me, like I’d accepted all versions of him in me, and play him that way. And now I feel like I can really enjoy being Nishinoya now.

Kawahara-san, you’ve also been a member since the very first show. Kazuma: Ennoshita is... He’s a character that’s changed a lot from that first show. (laughs) During that first tour, it didn’t really say anything in the script about what kind of person he was and how I should play him. And that was true of the manga too. Usually when a manga is turned into a stage play, it’s oftentimes easier if the actor visually resembles the character or maybe if he has a similar voice to the character from the anime, but Engeki Haikyuu is a little bit different. With Worry-san at the head of it, his main goal was, “Let’s create a magnificent 2.5D show,” and we just started from nothing. This work in particular has a lot of good lines that surely the audience are expecting, and in order to really move their hearts, you know there are so many points that can make them feel sadness or joy, and it’s just not interesting to simply imitate how the characters say those lines. In the end, to really convey those messages to the audience, we have to present those words using our own feelings while living as those characters, to present what we can do as this group, as this troupe. And everyone had those thoughts in mind as we worked to create these shows. I actually thought it resembled youth that we could be at rehearsals and create this new type of play for our generation. It’s a really wonderful atmosphere to be with everyone when we all have the same goal, eyes shining... I can feel it even now.

When I watched “Start of the Giant,” I thought how glad I was that Ennoshita was there for everyone, I felt it from the bottom of my heart. Kazuma: That’s... I think that’s due to everyone else. As myself and as Ennoshita I felt honored, there were moments when I felt the weight of that as two people... and I really am grateful to everyone. For these past three years, I was constantly thinking about how to make Engeki Haikyuu better and I kept thinking to myself, “I’m a Gekidan Haikyuu member. This is home.” Just having this kind of place to belong to really saved me.

Tanaka Keita-san, you were in the first production, then you left for a while, and came back in “Start of the Giant.” Keita: When I was cast as Sawamura Daichi for the first show, and I was building up his character, I felt like I could slip into that role pretty smoothly. I played volleyball in middle school and high school, and when I was in high school, I was the captain, so I really understood Sawamura’s feelings. For example, because my team doesn’t have very many people with volleyball experience, mostly all beginners, the first thing we have to do is raise the team’s standard. You have to think about improving the people at the bottom before working on improving yourself, and you still have to make sure to consider people whose levels are sort of in-between, and there’s still the dilemma of practicing on your own so that you can improve yourself. At times you might unconsciously think, “Maybe if I could’ve gotten into a stronger team, I could improve more personally.” I think Sawamura must have had those kinds of feelings too. And there are people around you who might quit partway through out of frustration, and I can very much understand their feelings as well.

From the beginning you’ve worked on this role with a sense for the actual things the character goes through. Keita: Yes. And while I was away, there’s the Sawamura that Akisawa Kentarou-kun created, and when I came back, I was personally greatly influenced by Akisawa-kun’s Sawamura. In “Start of the Giant,” there is a moment when the spotlight is on Sawamura, and it was such a different feeling from that first tour... I want to become a Sawamura that incorporates the feelings of Akisawa-kun, everyone who’s been in the show up to this point, and everyone who’s newly joined.

And how did you stay connected to Haikyuu while you’ve been away? Keita: I have always held the conviction that I am also a Gekidan Haikyuu member, that’s never changed. I always thought that I wanted to cheer them on 120%... when I’d watch them, I had the time of my life, and it was so wonderful to see everyone steadily improving, I was really proud. But I also felt like, “If that were me, I wonder how that would’ve turned out,” or “I really want to be up there with them.” Then when I actually came back... they’d really established their Engeki Haikyuu method, so there was pressure. But everyone welcomed me back so warmly, I was glad.

Tanaka Naoki-san, you joined the team with “Start of the Giant.” Naoki: This is only my second production with Engeki Haikyuu so my time spent with everyone will amount to just about one year... But when I first heard the news that I’d been chosen for Sugawara, I was really very nervous. To play Sugawara, I think you have to first be able to really look at the people around you... He’s not someone that stands out and stands way way in the front, but even so he’s not someone that just hangs in the background, he’s more like one step forward... standing in front of everyone. For example, when he stands next to Daichi, I think he looks like a guy that can protect everyone, so even at rehearsals I’d observe everyone on Karasuno closely both as an actor and as my character, noting things like, “Ah, this person is a little bit irritated right now” (laughs), or “it’s ok if we just mess around a little here.” How should I deal with this, how should I tie these things together, I think about those things a lot. Then if I can make the best use of the things I observe and work closely on those relationships at rehearsals, then that’ll be reflected on-stage as well. After that, it’s obvious that Ino Hiroki-kun’s presence was enormous, since he created Sugawara from the very first show onward... I was definitely influenced by all the good parts of the Sugawara he left behind, and there are a lot of things that were transferred over. And then I would add my own personality to it for something new... that kind of thing. Of course there’s pressure in taking over a part, but I thought to turn it into a weapon instead because there’s the strength of two people behind this character, together with Ino-kun, there are two people’s ideas, two Sugawara Koushis that can be shown. This year has been dyed in the color of Engeki Haikyuu. Conversely from everyone else, I’ve continued to spend this short time in focused pursuit of Sugawara. Kenta: ...and now, next up, Jas. We’ve really kept you waiting! Justin: Ha ha ha. Ummm, well, at first I thought that Azumane and I were really similar. That’s why at first, instead of working to create his character, I would just be me as Azumane and I thought that I would then just gradually get closer to the character, but what actually happened was that I ended up becoming more like Azumane. Recently I’ve started to think that. The more we do this, the more Azumane takes over, and little by little, it starts to feel like I can even lead the kouhai through the tournament. I feel like I’ve really become like a third-year... That’s probably because, like Azumane, I myself have been doing these shows so many times, and as we continue to have all these new people, I’ve started to think that I have to help pull them along. I want to take the initiative at rehearsals, I want to throw out ideas, and that way of thinking is different from how I used to be a while back. The way I am at rehearsals has changed quite a lot. Kazuma: And everyone else has learned to rely on you. Kage-chan: His personality’s become really mellow. Kouhei: But you know, Justin’s the only one of the third-years that hasn’t changed? That’s honestly huge, so that’ll do a lot to mature you mentally. Kenta: Is that it?

He has to be the center since he’s the point of continuity. Justin: Yes. Well... I don’t know if I managed that exactly. But it was a huge relief to have Keita come back. We’ve said this in a lot of other places, but “The Strongest Team” will be a show where you can also see the shadows of everyone who have already graduated Engeki Haikyuu. I’d like it to be a show loaded with all those memories and emotions. Right now, these two are working hard with the baton they’ve been passed, and right now I think it’s really great that you can see this particular group as the third years.

Incidentally, which show left the strongest impression on everyone? Kouhei: Oh that definitely has to be “Winners and Losers.” Justin: Yeah, I agree. Kenta: We can’t get away from that one. Keita: For me it’s the first show. Kazuma: That’s a good one too. Kenta: But we really can’t forget “Winners and Losers.” Justin: Yeah, I definitely can’t ever forget that one. I always remember it. Kenta: “Winners and Losers” is one where I don’t even listen to the soundtrack. Kouhei: ...it was really too hard. Kage-chan: Was it really that tough? Kenta: Yeah. Even just with the intro it was already tough. Kouhei: Just hearing it is enough to make your heart start pounding, honestly. That do do do do do do... Kenta: It’s really true with that one. But that’s also the coolest opening. Other than that, the rest of it was seriously painful. Kouhei: Seriously traumatic. Kazuma: It wasn’t that hard for me, but that story, to be in that place as the ones who lost the match was really heartbreaking. Kenta: It really felt as real as a documentary. Somehow... I don’t know why but every time, my body was moving as though we could’ve had the chance to win. It was weird. Justin: Yeah. You sort of forget that we’re acting out a play. Kenta: That’s why losing was actually really hard every time, and we could honestly just cry.

What about your memories from the first production? Kenta: Right up until the curtain went up, I was really scared. And then after the first act was over and we went to the break room... Kazuma & Kouhei: BOOM! Kazuma: When we could hear the cheers from the audience, we were like, “Hoooo wow~” Kenta: That moment made it feel like everything we’d done at rehearsals was the right thing to do, and we were really relieved. Then we relaxed. Ryoutarou: We did. Keita: Yeah, we were really glad. Justin: But even so, we’re nervous on the opening day of every tour. Kouhei: Well yeah. But both our nervousness and the commotion from the audience were the most intense during that first tour. Kazuma: Yeah, it just can’t really compare to the others. Kenta: We make that one our reference point. Kairi: We do. Kenta: That’s why we always try to get even just a little bit close to the feeling from that first tour’s first show... I think. Kouhei: I don’t think we’ve ever surpassed that feeling. That audience response, that impact. Kazuma: We haven’t. We really can’t forget that first day. Kenta: Everyone said, “It felt like we’d seen something new,” and that commotion spread. Keita: We were shaking even. Kouhei: I really can’t forget that. Fucchi: That sounds amazing. Naoki: It really does.

To everyone who joined the production midway, before you joined, you did go see the show at some point, didn’t you? Kouhei: Yeah. How was it? Seeing Engeki Haikyuu. Kage-chan: I saw the press preview showing for the first tour, and I felt like I’d been knocked out. Kairi: Seriously?! Kage-chan: Like, really... I was envious. Justin: Ohhh. Kazuma: I’m really happy that you felt envious of us. Keita: Really. Kenta: I mean, we did several full run-throughs during rehearsals. Kazuma: We did! Kenta: Tens of times. Kouhei: Even twice in a day sometimes. Ryoutarou: Since this was my first production, I did actually wonder if that was normal. And I thought, if this is the norm, then I’ll maybe adjust my schedule to do fewer plays. Kenta: No, that was excessive. I thought I was going to die. Kouhei: Kenta and Tatsunari would argue for us to only do a full run-through once in a day. With the staff I mean. Kenta: We did~. We were like, “Do you understand how much work this is for us?!” to everyone, Worry-san included. Kazuma: Yeah. There was stuff like that. Kouhei: Growing pain arguments.

Isn’t it a bit unusual for actors to speak to the staff so frankly? Kouhei: Yeah. But that probably came about because of the feeling we all shared of, “We made this.” Kazuma: It was our ideas... the result of all of us twisting our brains to come up with things... Justin: Honestly. There were moments of, “We made this scene.” Keita: A lot of moments like that. Kazuma: At rehearsals, we’re not just actors, we had to overlook everything and think about it objectively and give ideas, and we all felt like directors too. Kouhei: It’s normal for us as actors to think about how we’re going to play our parts, but we were above and beyond that, we were “directors” too. Kenta: When we start those discussions, Justin always flips a switch. Justin: It’s true. I can’t stop talking. (laughs) Kenta: That’s why Worry-san’s role is to then artistically synthesize everything together. Kazuma: In the end, if we can make it happen, anything goes.

But if you can coordinate all of that then the actors’ potential can be amazing. Kenta: You can’t help but do well in those conditions. Kazuma: And then because we made that first show up from nothing, we all developed a lot of respect for Worry-san like, “Wow, he’s amazing.” So when we start giving shape to an idea of ours that he accepted, we have to compensate for anything that doesn’t work... Kenta: Sort of like a parent-child relationship. (laughs) Kazuma: Yeah. When you really respect your director, everyone can also love him sort of like he’s the father of this large family. Kenta: But you know, our ‘dad’ has a pretty weak physique. Like when he was teaching us how to move like high school girls, “They move like this. Uwaaaa!” Justin: And he’d kick his leg out behind him. Everyone: (explosive laughter) Kenta: We can say this now, but Shio-san and I would do this “Worry observation log,” and we’d leave rice crackers on his desk. Every time we did, he’d eat them really soon after. Everyone: (laughs) Kenta: We’d secretly watch him and go, “Uwaahhh, he’s eating it, he’s eating it,” and then leave another snack for him.

I do remember him saying once, “I get fat at rehearsals...” Kouhei: It’s because we’re feeding him. (laughs) Kenta: We’d tease him about it too, going, “Today you consumed x pieces of chocolate.” Kouhei: He’s such a beloved director~. Justin: He’s a weirdo! Kazuma: Exactly, he’s weird. But because he’s weird, he has a lot of charm.

But it’s because of all this that you could all give birth to something like Engeki Haikyuu, which really doesn’t look like any other stage show. Kenta: But you know, it starts with a really interesting script. We have no idea how it’ll look to just “fly through the sky” or “sink under the waves.” The stage directions are written in like these are just totally normal things. Kouhei: There are a lot of descriptions that are just hard to picture. Kenta: To transform regular volleyball to stage, to bring to life things from the original manga, and to write it like that... I think probably only Worry-san does that. Kouhei: There are some things written in that script that are probably impossible. But making those things possible is due to the amazing abilities of the support staff. Kenta: I do think that the staff probably think that there aren’t many other settings as fun as ours. Kazuma: The happiness of solving a difficult problem. Kenta: I can feel that everyone loves this place at every turn... the same as us. (laughs) Keita: I agree. (laughs) Justin: If they didn’t, we wouldn’t have Wada-san this time with the live music. Ryoutarou: True. That was an amazing decision. Naoki: When I watched previous shows before I joined, the first thing I thought was: What must their rehearsals be like to have made this final product? I’d performed shows in little theaters in Kansai, and because Worry-san is also from Kansai, I’d seen some of his other shows in Kansai too. And even with all the information I’d gotten beforehand, when I finally saw Engeki Haikyuu, it just felt like Engeki Haikyuu was the only one of its kind, almost mysterious and hard to imagine. When compared to everything I’d experienced before, I just kept thinking, “How did they produce this? What was going on in their heads?” And now that I’ve gotten to see and experience the other side, it almost feels like deja vu. The choreographer, Tsuto-san will say, “This, we’ve done this before.” Even Worry-san will say things like, “Look, we’ve done something like this once before.” And when they do that, I’ll start to remember, “Ahh, is this the thing I saw them do in the rerun tour?” And then I’ll think, “Oh, so this is how they came up with that!” and it’s a lot of fun. Kenta: Fucchi was basically thrown into the deep end. Fucchi: Well at first I just couldn’t figure out the counting... “Summer of Evolution” was really difficult. I mean, there were times when the instructions were just counting. “This will be one, then the next one you hit on fourth eighth note...” or “The next five counts are...” and for me it was just a world of “What are these people even saying?!”

Well the conversation is a lot about the accumulation of experiences, so maybe because you joined the team midway, your comprehension is struggling... Kenta: Maybe, that might be true. For the rest of us, it’s just become a normal thing. Fucchi: No... I just hate counting. (laughs) I think I’ve gotten a lot better though. But there are times when I still can’t get it. Seeing it and doing it are still totally different. Naoki: It is.

Present

The cast’s frame of mind as they face graduation

Rehearsals have now started for “The Strongest Team.” What’s your condition as of now? Kazuma: Right now with these members, we’re the most enriched we’ve ever been... as actors. And because of that there are definitely some things that we want to show off, and we don’t really want to think about the end right now. We all feel pretty strongly about that. Justin: That’s right. Kazuma: It’s a given that it’ll be sad. Kenta: “The end” is definitely... yeah... Kouhei: This is an idea of Worry-san’s, but our direction for this show; basically, ‘what is it we want to do here’ is this: We want to fight. By definition, a play is essentially a lie, isn’t it? But we want to remove as much of the lie as possible. Kazuma: Everyone is alive on that stage. That’s why we want to say our lines with as little lying as possible, we definitely don’t want to do anything boring, and that desire is stronger than ever this time. Kouhei: Even with our movements and choreography, if it’s convenient but the formation is off, that’s seriously the worst. We might change up presentation techniques so that we can really grasp the best way to show off our form both in terms of the play and in terms of volleyball. Justin: But... Up to now we’ve always been allowed to throw out all sorts of scattered ideas and suggestions, and it’s difficult to know when it’s too much. Kenta: Yeah! To know that limit as an actor is something that I’m, right now, I keep hitting a wall there... Justin: But I guess it’s still better to just let out what thoughts we have. But is it ok to just say that we’re going to surpass the extent of what we’ve done? I think that might be our egos showing a bit. Kouhei: If we just preface with, “I’m gonna get pretty deep,” and then discuss it, that’s fine, right? Justin: Yeah. Well, in the end the only person who can decide which opinions to use or not use is Worry-san. But just being able to fling them out is a good thing. Kenta: Then I’ll... Maybe I’ll write a letter. Kazuma: Anyway, for right now it’s fine to just try expressing what we feel honestly and one-on-one with Worry-san. We know what kind of directions Worry-san tends to give for our acting. When he says things like, “I want to show it in this way,” we already know mostly what he means and what he doesn’t. But we should speak up when we think, “But we want to try doing it this way.”

So Worry-san has things he considers absolute musts, and then wherever possible, everyone else takes the initiative to fill in the gaps, the cracks, the between-the-lines... the free-zones. This will now be the grand sum of those efforts, and you want to polish it even more, you mean? Kenta: As the actors, it’s our job to work on our characters and anything regarding our acting and each other’s acting before Worry-san can tell us anything. Only after that’s been done can we say anything about how we’d like to do something. Kouhei: That’s a given. Kenta: When it comes to how to do what... those are points of concern. And that’s even when we’re comparing ourselves with other teams too. It’s not good to interrupt or meddle to give advice. Justin: That’s... actually really difficult. Kazuma: I won’t say anything hasty when we’re in the middle of something. If I’m going to meddle, it’s better to do it carefully at the end. Fucchi: I never say anything. Kouhei: Yeah, you don’t. Everyone: (laughs) Kenta: Well that’s fine. That’s also a part of the balance Karasuno has. Kazuma: It’s because we all acknowledge each other’s capabilities as actors that we can say these things and also listen to each other. Kouhei: When it’s discussions with other teams though, that also has its difficulties. Kenta: That’s true. Justin: It’s tough when they think that anything Karasuno says is the right thing just because we’ve been doing this for longer. Keita: Because you want them to hear the advice and then think about it. Naoki: I mean if I say something, I might be wrong. Since I joined later, I think my standpoint is more like people on other teams. Kazuma: Yeah, it’s about how you influence the others. While we’re all together at rehearsals, sometimes I think it’s better to lead by example.

I think this time, Yamaguchi has quite the big highlight scene coming up. Kairi: At rehearsals, I still haven’t reached the core of that scene yet, but I’m imagining it in my head as I read and re-read the script... But even then I still don’t know how it’ll be staged, so it really is something I can’t do just on my own. Everyone has a connection to it, so I think we can finalize it if I borrow the strength of everyone around me and proceed that way. Kenta: That’s so unfair~ Kairi. No honestly, that jump floater is so unfair. Every time, he changes it up just a little and it definitely... I’m so moved. Everyone: (laughs) Kairi: That... can I say just one thing? The jump floater is a special skill like the Rolling Thunder. It’s something you have to work your own body to pull off, but once I hit that jump floater, the ball just takes off on whatever trajectory it wants, so even I can’t predict it.

You just end up leaving it to the ball. Kairi: Exactly. Kazuma: So then what Kairi has to think about is how to express that with his body, maybe? How to physically express that jump floater, how to hit it, that kind of thing. Kouhei: Ahh, that’s good. Kazuma: It’s a really dramatic part so Worry-san probably has a plan for it too, but will Kairi rush headlong into it or not is the question... Kenta: Nahh, this time I want Kairi to rush into it. Right into Worry-san’s bosom.

Is he normally the type to not do that? Ryoutarou: Kairi doesn’t say much. He’s just like, this is me. Kairi: Ah, yes. Kazuma: That’s why I want everyone to see Kairi’s passion here. Kenta: I wanna see that. Kairi: I’ll do my best. (resolutely)

How is everyone physically? Are you taking countermeasures against injury or performing regular maintenance? Kenta: That varies with each individual but in all the tours we’ve done we’ve never had any major injuries on Karasuno and I think it’s a miracle that we’re all still healthy. Kouhei: But we do nothing but take care of ourselves. In our daily activities during the tour. Kenta: During the tour is when we’re at our healthiest. Because we’re fussing about it. Justin: But... I still can’t lose weight... Everyone: (laughs) Kazuma: Back during the first tour, Kouhei could only open his legs about 90 degrees, but now he can open them pretty wide. Kouhei: Now it’s about 150 degrees. The result of stretching. Kazuma: You’re too stoic during warm-ups. Even though he’s just jump-roping constantly. Kouhei: Well I’d always liked jumping rope, but with Engeki Haikyuu I’ve gone and made it a habit. Kenta: That’s a thing. Back during the first tour, I never did warm-ups, but now that’s impossible. And now those warm-ups include more and more items from the performance. And then Shio-san will tell me things like what types of massages are good. Kouhei: Now that Keita’s come back, he’s introduced us to even more cutting-edge techniques. Keita: Mmmmmmmmm, I’m constantly doing them. I can’t tell the difference between the dressing room and the massage room anymore. (laughs) Naoki: He even does aromatherapy for us. Kazuma: It’s sort of nice. That mental relaxation feels like wellness too.

Do you change the oils daily as well? Keita: Ah, yes. I make my own blends... Kenta: Ehhhhhh, you do?! Keita: Like eucalyptus which is good for the throat, and then drop some into the hot water in the washbasin. Kazuma: And lavender. The scent is so refreshing, it always makes me feel so much better. Justin: For the older group, all we do now is talk about wellness products. Everyone: (explosive laughter) Justin: I’ve always had a pretty robust physique, so normally I didn’t used to bother with maintenance, but starting with the previous tour, I’ve started to do some pretty serious maintenance actually. Kenta: Justin’s only recently started to complain of pain. Any time he started to feel it, he was usually ok if he ate a little nugget of something. He’d show up every morning and eat a nugget. Justin: About 15 pieces. Kenta: He munches on them like they’re some kind of health recovery item in a game. Kouhei: Like an elixir? Everyone: (explosive laughter) Justin: But lately that doesn’t work anymore. I have a hunch that for this tour it’ll finally be time for me to try my hand at some wellness products. Kenta: What’ll we do if the first thing he goes to is aromatherapy? Everyone: (explosive laughter) Justin: It’s possible. (laughs) Kenta: But... it’s sort of unsettling. Because I never get tired at rehearsals and can just keep going. Kouhei: That’s probably because even if we plan to go all out, at rehearsals it’s still only about 35% probably. That’s why the first three days of any tour are the most exhausting. Kazuma: Ahhh, so we’re definitely not going all out before then. Fucchi: Even though we plan to. Justin: I remember when the first day of shows opened for the previous tour everyone was talking about that. Like, “So Karasuno definitely holds back at rehearsals, huh?” Everyone: (explosive laughter) Kage-chan: Isn’t that really really bad? (laughs) Justin: It’s not good but... When the curtain goes up on opening day everyone’s acting is totally different? Our bodies already understand that this is really tough. So they’re probably just making provisions for the actual tour. Kazuma: Then after the first day we think, “Can we even do this the next day?” Kairi: So our bodies are just holding back on their own at rehearsals? Kenta: Yeah. Definitely. I think we’re unconsciously shut off. Justin: That’s why with other teams, we don’t feel like they go wahhh and rise up even as the tour starts. It’s just Karasuno where the difference in growth is incredible. When compared to rehearsals. Fucchi: We put on a different play almost. Justin: Yeah it’s different. But of course in a good way.

This might just be something that happens for Gekidan Haikyuu? Kenta: I think it’s something that’s characteristic of Karasuno specifically. Everyone gets to be all, “Waahhh, lets go!” but then beyond that, we understand that individually, we’ve all flipped a switch. We know it when we huddle just before the show starts. That blazing feeling of opening day... Kouhei: It’s crazy, right? It feels like we’re all lions who haven’t had meat for like three days. Justin: “They changed this much?!” We get like that. Kazuma: We think that even among ourselves. Considerably so.

Is there something like a wave during the tour as well? Justin: It’s not uneven like that. Like Kouhei or Kazuma, during the tour they might suddenly change a switch in their acting, something like that. Kouhei: If someone gets more intense, someone else will change... or something. Kenta: So first there’s a switch on opening day because it’s the first time the audience gets to see us, but when it comes to the fundamental parts of the production, we add in an element of realism in places, because if we just do whatever and it’s not emotional or whatever to us, then we wouldn’t be able to convey anything to our audience either... That’s why it takes the audience being there to finally bring it to completion, but there are parts that we have to bring to completion by ourselves... it’s difficult. I can’t definitively say that it doesn’t necessarily change things to have the audience there... Whether it’s the volume of the cheers or the degree of enthusiasm, it surges everywhere, and it might heighten the intensity of a scene and make it different.

Do you remember your first standing ovation from the first tour? Kenta: Ahh~ in Miyagi. Kairi: Miyagi, Miyagi. Keita: Yeah yeah. Kazuma: Everyone remembers.

I heard that it was so unexpected that it surprised everyone on the staff as well. Kenta: That... we were so moved. Kouhei: I thought, so this is how it feels to perform in Miyagi. Kenta: The weight of performing in Miyagi is maybe a bit special. Justin: It’s like that every time. There’s so much love for Haikyuu. Keita: During the first show, they were really crazy quiet though. The audience during the show I mean. Ryoutarou: They were watching really intently. Kouhei: ? Come on Fucchi, you need to talk occasionally too. Fucchi: .....Well... I’ve been listening this whole time, and I was just imagining how the tour for “The Strongest Team” would go. Everyone: ........ Fucchi: Well for now we’ve just been talking about what we should do, what’s possible for us to do, and I was just turning it over in my head as I was looking at everyone and... I just ended up being quiet. Kenta: There’s going to be 44 shows. 44! It’s a little scary.

Adding up the 44 shows from this tour, Engeki Haikyuu will have a grand total of 256 performances by the final show in this run. Having accumulated all of that experience in your time with Gekidan Haikyuu, I think there must be a lot that you’ve gained and a lot of skills acquired... Justin: We end up pointing that out a lot at rehearsals. But actually... I’ve lately started to think that we might be useless outside of Engeki Haikyuu. Kouhei: Yeah that’s true. But I shouldn’t say it. Ryoutarou: I understand what you mean! Justin: It’s changed how we behave, at rehearsals. Not just us either; when I look at other people’s characters or the production itself with a bird’s-eye view... We’ve gotten used to it because we’ve done it for so long, but whenever we get new people on other teams, the rookies always think that Gekidan Haikyuu is a really amazing place to be. Kenta: That’s true. If you start with our kind of production, anything after it is going to be pretty different. Kairi and Ryoutarou too, they started here, and now, you do other types of stage shows, right? How is it? Ryoutarou: Lately, I feel like I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can calmly evaluate my own condition. Until recently, when working on another show and it was time to get serious, I’d just get kind of desperate. But now even if I’m working somewhere else, I can calmly think, “hm, wouldn’t it be better if I did it this way,” and feel things out in another way... Maybe if I’d never been here, I’d never have gotten to a point where I’d know to do that, and when I think that, it’s a little bit scary. I mean, I’ve been here all this time and I’ve only recently been able to finally have that self-awareness, so if I hadn’t been a part of this production, I might have never gotten there. I was so lucky to start here, I really do think I’ve been very fortunate. To be so surrounded by people who can act so well. Kazuma: When you say that we “can act,” it’s not so much because we’re talented or that we’ve perfected our skills, it’s because we’ve created these relationships where we “can act” simply by being together. That’s the strength in our abilities. It’s because we’ve created these relationships where we can really move each other emotionally when we’re within this company.

You end up being able to act just naturally. Kazuma: Yes. Kouhei: It’s not that we’re matching each other. Everyone stands on that stage by surprisingly selfishly sticking to their own guns, and in the end, I think that’s how we can manifest real emotions in our acting. Kenta: That’s why for me... no matter where I am, I end up wanting that same passion. I constantly have this craving for more of those same fireworks, and I’ve really started feeling it since working on Engeki Haikyuu. Kairi: Something that Worry-san used to say to me a lot during the first run and its rerun was, “You’re acting like an idol.” I didn’t realize I was doing it, but before joining Engeki Haikyuu I’d done a little bit of that so I guess I hadn’t really escaped it... And recently when I’d gone to go see other shows, I came to understand what he meant. “Ah, so this is what he was talking about.” I think it’s a really big thing for me to realize that sort of thing early. And maybe if I hadn’t been here, I might have ended up only being able to do that kind of acting. Justin: Well, but it doesn’t have to be just one or the other, you can do both. Kazuma: Yeah. The important thing is figuring out which direction you might be. Fucchi: And there’s understanding that comes from being told that and first questioning yourself like, “Which one am I?” Kairi: Yes. Since there were people around me who told me that, I came to understand what I want to do... The fact that this could be my very first encounter in my life as an actor is something that makes me really happy.

Future

What Engeki Haikyuu has given

Now, we could just keep talking forever, but now it’s about time to talk about the graduation. As of now, can you imagine yourself post-Engeki Haikyuu? Justin: In my room, I have the poster from the very first tour on the wall. And with every tour, it’s been fun to add to the posters on the wall... but the first thing I’ll do when it’s over is take them down probably. Since I’ll be sad. Kouhei: I’d be the opposite. I’d stare at them. Justin: Yeah. I just think I wouldn’t want to look at them for... maybe about a year? Multiply 256 shows by something like 2 hours. Add in rehearsals and the tour itself, to say goodbye to a version of myself that’s lived all that time is... really sad. Ryoutarou: Like the three years spent in high school. You’ve spent the same amount of time. Kazuma: And it was such a rich and full experience. Kenta: I kind of, don’t want to... Kage-chan: --think about it... Kenta: Right? I don’t want to think about it ending until the moment that it ends. That’s me, anyway. Kouhei: I think I’ll definitely be able to end it with a smile. Don’t cr-- Kenta: I’m going to cry! Everyone: (explosive laughter) Kouhei: Really? I just can’t think of it as really ending. I mean, these relationships will last. I think it’s gonna feel like, “We really did it, we did!” At least for me. Kazuma: Yeah. Of course I think our relationships with each other will keep going. I’ll be a mess. I’m already... Ryoutarou: Ahh... Brainstorming with everyone and working on this play with everyone, when I think that I won’t be able to do that anymore with these guys I... I’ll be a mess too. Kouhei: That’s why we have to do a “Suga Musical.” Let’s do it, Suga-Myu. Kenta: Yeah, maybe I’ll make one. I’ll start with a proper workshop and everything. Everyone: (laughs) Kazuma: It’s not just because of Engeki Haikyuu, or our characters, as actors I want us to always be connected to each other. Ryoutarou: Don’t worry. We’ll keep meeting up!!!! Everyone: Ooohhhh. Kenta: My one concern is, lately it’s gotten really painful trying to read Jump.

That’s true, since your relationship to the manga has changed now. Kazuma: I’ve already become unable to read it now. Kenta: The Karasuno that’s in there now... Even if the stage plays continue... I don’t know, but even if the stage plays make it that far, the ones playing Karasuno then won’t be us. But... There’s a part of me right now that still reads it and thinks to myself, “I wanna do this scene.” And that feeling is stronger now than back before we started the first show. Before the first show, it was more of a... If there was the possibility, if they turned this into a stage show I’d want to do it, and since there was nobody already playing him, that feeling of “I wanna do this,” was more like a dream... That feeling of wanting to do it when I hadn’t thought it was even possible is so completely different from wanting to do it now... Kazuma: Uwahh, this is so rough... Kage-chan: I’ve always enjoyed reading Jump, and I remember chatting with my manager on the train while reading it and going, “I wonder when this will be turned into a stage play?” (laughs) And then something like three months after that, I couldn’t believe there were auditions for the first show... It was too bad that it wasn’t meant to be back then, but I decided instead to just be a fan of Engeki Haikyuu. Naoki: So that’s what happened. Kage-chan: Then, when the chance came around again, to be able to join as Kageyama... So I actually have a different sense of distance from everyone else. Like coming back from a defeat. As a fan of the manga, I’m buzzing every time I read it, and I’ve been able to keep reading it just like back then. Well, honestly it’s because I’ve already sort of replaced Kageyama in my head. Fucchi: When I read it, I end up hearing everyone’s voices. Kouhei: Anyway, if after this Engeki Haikyuu continues and there’s an all new Karasuno cast, let’s all go see them together and sit in the front row. Everyone: (explosive laughter) Kenta: We definitely have to do it all together. And, let’s get really excited. To the point where we’re really annoying. (laughs) Justin: That’ll be good~ I’ve never seen it as an audience member before. Kairi: That, should definitely be fun.

And now... it’s time. Please give us your final messages for everyone. Justin: We can’t betray the expectations of such a popular series, and we don’t want to do anything to destroy that world; those have always been our feelings as we’ve worked up to this point. To everyone who comes to see Engeki Haikyuu, to our wonderful staff, to everyone in the cast... I have nothing but love for everyone who’s been involved, I’ve been so supported by them, and they’ve become my best motivation. This will be our last... Despite that, we’re going to work hard just like we’ve always done and not worry about it too much, and just like Kouhei said, I want to end it with a smile. The matches in this show progress with hope for the end. We’ll draw from all the matches we’ve fought, and I feel like we can end it all with smiling faces. I would love for the audience to see us off warmly. Naoki: I’m so proud to have been a part of Engeki Haikyuu, and to have been able to appear in “Start of the Giant” was truly a privilege. Now, I face my second production, and since I’ve stepped away from my first show, I feel like I can throw out my chest a little... I want to shout at the top of my lungs, “I’m a member of Gekidan Haikyuu!” This is my most important work, and I’m so incredibly happy that I could encounter a production that’ll serve as my pillar. I will be graduating together with everyone on this team as Karasuno, but I don’t want to think about that, I just want to fight with everything I have and seize the title of the strongest team. And I want to leave everything on that stage with a smile. Please give us your support to that end. Keita: The final message huh... At the present time, I can only imagine what the end will feel like... But imagining it isn’t the same as understanding. The first thing is to do as we’ve always done, try to surpass the previous show, and aim to create something better than before. I’m not alone. And it’s not just Karasuno, it’s because we have everyone from other teams as well that we can make Engeki Haikyuu happen, and proceeding with that remaining unchanged, I’ll be concentrating on the show. I’m looking forward to seeing where we end up and how it’ll turn out. We’re going to work hard.

Kazuma: Having been a Gekidan Haikyuu member for three years, I feel like I’ve shown everything I possibly can for Ennoshita with the previous show. As an actor, as Kawahara Kazuma, from here... Engeki Haikyuu lit the fire of passion for acting in me again, that’s what the production is to me, so this is my new starting point. And to be able to continue to play the same character for three years in this place, it’s absolutely amazing. There’s so much to this group... We’re based on an existing manga, but I think we’ve made it so that Engeki Haikyuu as a production could not have happened if not for us, and we’re the ones who’ve created Gekidan Haikyuu. This will be the last of our strength, “This is a Gekidan Haikyuu production.” And that’s what I want to show off to everyone. Fucchi: Engeki Haikyuu, Gekidan Haikyuu, every time we pull off so many amazing things, that for me to be here as one of its members, I’m sure people are objectively envious of me. That’s why right now I really want to brag to myself. (laughs) When I watched “Winners and Losers,” I was so overwhelmed I couldn’t say a word... And I’m here in a place like that. Nishinoya Yuu is a character that’s so different from me, personality-wise, Noya-san is truly a man among men. He’s so terribly cool, and probably the coolest I’ve ever been in my life has to be now when I’m playing Nishinoya Yuu... And once all the shows are over, I want to inherit all of Noya’s feelings and memories. To be a part of Engeki Haikyuu is an experience you’ll never forget for the rest of your life, it is such a huge affair. I really think that we have “The Strongest Team” right here. Kouhei: I think it may be tough to watch because Engeki Haikyuu has so much going on, but if you’re worried about where to look, please just look at Tanaka Ryuunosuke. I’ll make it so that you can understand everything that’s going on just by looking me, and I’m going to act up there without a single lie, as if I were simply living through all the events, so that if you’re ever troubled, just look at me and you’ll be able to follow the story! For me personally, Engeki Haikyuu is a production that gave me a new step forward as an actor, so this time as well, I’m going to go all out with all my heart so that it’ll be an even greater meal. From launch, it’s been three and a half years, and now it’s graduation. After this, it’d be great if I could be registered as an honorary member of Gekidan Haikyuu! Ehhh, let’s have a reunion meeting once every year. (laughs) Everyone: (laughs) Kenta: Let’s have all-you-can-eat fried food. That’ll be nice. (laughs)

Kairi: I really have nothing but gratitude for Haikyuu. To have encountered this production and to be able to play Yamaguchi Tadashi, to have met everyone on this cast, to have performed together with them... and I’ve met and worked with incredible staff whom you can trust completely. I do have a highlight scene as Yamaguchi in “The Strongest Team,” but more than that I want to work with everyone else to make the best production we can so that people can watch it and think, “This was the best so far.” I’m going to give everything I can possibly do... no, I’m going to work so that you can see even more than that. I want to contribute even more to the team and match my strength to theirs. Ryoutarou: Just as everyone else has said, I’m also very proud to be a member of Gekidan Haikyuu, and after we graduate, I think I’ll be able to live with more confidence in myself knowing that I was a part of Engeki Haikyuu. Right now, the number of 2.5D productions is steadily increasing, and someday, after five years, after ten, I want Engeki Haikyuu to still be the number one production in people’s minds, I want “The Strongest Team” to always be the best. I want that from the bottom of my heart. Please look forward to it. Kage-chan: Even if I joined later on, first I have nothing but gratitude to all the audience who’ve accepted me, everyone on this team who’ve welcomed me in so nicely, and to the creator and everyone on the staff who have recognized just how much I want to be a part of this and who have approved of me. For my life, after this I... probably do still want to continue acting, but for every day when I won’t know what might come up, it’ll be an earnest fight. This time I want to work as though I’m digging my own grave on “The Strongest Team.” Gekidan Haikyuu is going to leave its mark in the histories of Japanese stage work! Kenta: First of all, I want to say thank you to everyone who’s purchased this pamphlet. Looking back on the past pamphlets we have here, back during “Karasuno, Revival!” the main pamphlet question we answered was, “What kind of team is Karasuno?” I’d answered, “The best and strongest team.” I’m surprised. I had no idea back then that “The Strongest Team” would one day be a secondary title... But that’s the situation and, ever since that time I’ve always been aware of it, and now that we’re officially printing that as our second title, I want to say again with confidence that Karasuno is the strongest team, and I think an irreplaceable team as well. More than anything, we’re going to make sure that we overcome all of the shows with these members and spend every day performing as best we can. The Karasuno members really are my pride. I wasn’t really a stage person to begin with, but I was given the chance, the challenge to adapt a manga I love into a stage play from the beginning, and now to have made it three years... Forget about my acting career, as the human being named Suga Kenta, my days have been incredibly blessed. I love myself when I’m here, and in order to keep loving myself to the end, I have to be honest with myself and solidly wrap up this show I love, for the Haikyuu that I love. Right now I’m praying to the stage play gods, “I want this to be fun.” Kazuma: For sure! Kenta: At any rate, we still have a lot of rehearsals left to go. To the me that’s going to read this pamphlet on opening day, I want to say, “Is it fun? Make sure you turn this into a production where you can answer ‘YES’ with everything you’ve got.” Ryoutarou: That’s good, like a time machine! Naoki: You mean time capsule? Ryoutarou: Yeah. (laughs) A message to the Kenta-kun of the future recorded into the pamphlet itself. How nice. Kenta: Right? (laughs) I want to be able to say “YES” on opening day, so we’re definitely going to turn it into a great show. Everyone, thank you so much for cheering on this collection of idiots. And please continue to support us to the very end.

Thank you very much for this long conversation. Everyone: Thank you~!

===========

Translated by @nimbus-cloud Please do not repost my translations

If you appreciate the work I do for this blog and want to support my translation efforts, please consider donating a ko-fi! (x)

#engeki haikyuu #hq stage #hyper projection engeki haikyuu #the strongest Team #scans #translation #interview translation #karasuno #memorial #graduation #all together this translation took me about 20 hours #and there were parts that made me teary eyed

233 notes · View notes

secretgamergirl · 6 years

Text

Let’s talk about how Ranma is trans, and not as a metaphor.

Yesterday, I had a quick, joking exchange with a friend, riffing off the general premise that the protagonist of the classic manga series Ranma 1/2 is a trans girl.Today I woke up to a slew of hateful, low-effort comments (the C-word is always a weird one to throw at a trans woman), largely objecting to this premise, so, I’m going to sit down now and show my work.

I was actually going to do this either way, honestly. Reading Ranma 1/2 and indignantly shouting “in what sense is this a ‘curse!?’“ is a pretty significant touchstone for damn near every trans girl born after 1970 or so.

For those who haven’t read it, Ranma 1/2 is a manga series by Rumiko Takahashi, which ran from 1987-1996, which also spawned a hit anime series, which itself had a lot of spinoffs, a dozen or so videogames, and a recent live-action special. The original manga itself was one of the first to ever be published in the U.S., and has also seen a recent reprinting (with an effort at colorization which I can’t say looked great). The basic premise is that it’s a long-form comedy series whose title character is A- a super talented martial artist, B- dealing with the fallout of a decade and a half of Ranma’s father making promises on Ranma’s behalf (including multiple arranged marriages), and C- being one of half a dozen or so characters over the course of the series to have fallen into one of hundreds of adjacent springs which each curse whoever falls in to change back and forth between whatever drowned in them and their original form based on exposure to cold and hot water respectively (Ranma gets Hot Girl, everyone else gets some wacky animal, basically).

It’s great. You should read it. Maybe watch the anime too. Also I’m going to spoil the ever loving hell out of a point or two in writing this, but I’m mostly going to do it sequentially, and it’s not really a series about major plot twists and reveals. Except maybe the bit I’m sticking between breaks here:

Spoiler country: I’m literally planning to sit down with the whole series and go through volume by volume here, but the series very much starts in media res, and it’s important to the purpose of my thesis here to look at everything with some backstory context that doesn’t really come out until like volume 30-something.

Specifically, Ranma’s parents are horribly abusive scumbags. Both of them. You don’t have to get terribly far in for the running gag about Ranma’s father Genma being a terrible person, prone to physical abuse, subjecting his own child to intentionally traumatizing experiences, forgoing any sort of normal childhood for her (going with feminine pronouns here, try to keep up) in favor of a world-traveling regimen of martial arts training, and of course, pimping her out with arranged marriage promises to whoever he owes money or favors to.

What comes out later though is that a big motivating factor for Genma’s abusive parenting is that Ranma’s mother, Nodoka, made Genma agree to raise Ranma to be a “man among men,” to be enforced by penalty of both Genma and Ranma committing ritual suicide should he fail.

That is, unfortunately, a very relatable experience for a hell of a lot of trans girls. Personally speaking, my father adopted the philosophy very early on in my life that he would rather have a dead “son” than a living daughter, and starting when he first picked up on my obvious girliness, he also decided on pursuing a sink-or-swim course of turning me into a “manly man” by forcing me into a series of life-threatening situations to “toughen me up” and pushed me to start dating when I was something like 10 years old. My mother was a lot more low-key about it, at least I formally came out to her, but, yeah, I relate. It’s not hard to imagine very-young-Ranma doing something obviously girly to give her parents similar concerns, and her resulting preoccupation with being tough and nominally rejecting femininity as a means of playing along with her parents’ pressuring her isn’t me doing a trans reading, THAT much is directly in the text.

The rest of the backstory mostly comes out in the first few volumes. In order to man Ranma up, Genma takes her on this international training mission, engages her to both a friend, and a food vendor he can’t afford to pay. Eventually this trip takes them to the cursed springs (so they can do the whole spar while balancing on bamboo stalks thing), splash splash, he’s a panda, she’s an ideal-feminine version of herself, basically. And Ranma picks up another couple of rivals/maybe-love-interests on the way home, because Genma picks a weird time to head back to Japan and force Ranma to live with his friend and his 3 daughters and enforce an arranged marriage to one of them.

Now leaving spoiler country.

So, jumping right in from the beginning with all this in mind...

Volume 1, Chapter 1- Ranma and Genma show up at the Tendo’s with Ranma in girl mode. Not really a conscious choice here, since it’s raining that day, and Genma’s not in the mood to wait. What’s notable though is that (aside from obvious annoyance at all the the shocked poking and prodding) Ranma seems to be totally cool meeting these people in girl mode. She’s really relaxed, happy, makes quick friends with Akane, totally comfortable:

Honestly I could probably prove my whole point here just by running through the series and tallying up Ranma’s expressions, this is a pretty consistent thing.You would expect, if Ranma were actually a boy, that the idea of meeting new people while in girl mode like this would be awkward and humiliating, and feature facial expressions and body language more like the ones we see when Ranma has to explain the situation after a hot bath (during which she flat out has the thought “might as well go out like this, they’re going to find out eventually):

V1C2- One quick flashback/exposition later, Soun (Genma’s friend with the daughters), expresses his shock about the true horror. Ranma, irritated- “Whadya mean ‘true horror?’“ ... and then proceeds to actively dodge some hot water, staying in girl mode after both get splashed to demonstrate things live, and there’s a bit here where, Akane having walked in on her in the bathroom while in boy mode and both were naked (comedy manga and all), Ranma notes that it’s “no big deal for her to see a girl naked,” because she’s seen herself plenty of times, and has a quick prideful comment about her appearance in girl mode.

The rest of volume 1 is spent introducing the first of many rival/love interest characters. Nothing that really supports or hurts a trans reading unless you want to focus in on Ranma being a girl in this dream she has after getting groped by a creep, or already having spent enough off camera casual time in girl mode for Nabiki (Akane’s sister whose whole character is basically trying to turn a profit off how sexy Ranma is) to have a bunch of cute candid pictures to sell.

Most of volume 2 is spent introducing Ryoga, another rival/love interest (mainly just the former at first, but relationship webs for this series get weird quick), and a couple of other characters who feel really important but get dropped in a hurry (remember Dr. Tofu? The guy Akane starts the series off with a huge crush on? Because Takahashi forgot all about him after this). V2C9 however starts off with this:

Again, Ranma never looks this happy in boy-mode. This early on, we already see her just, voluntarily going girl mode to hang out all day, because she enjoys herself like this.

V3C10- After a volume spent on the other half of the brother-sister pair of rivals/love interests volume 1 devoted a lot of pages to (the Kunos, ultimately not real prominent characters), wherein Ranma will wear a girly leotard and compete in rhythmic-gymnastics-based combat, just won’t get caught doing so when in boy mode, Akane decides to teach her how to skate, which she insists on being in girl mode for because:

Yeah... there’s a definite pattern here. Stuff she’s too self-conscious about doing in boy mode, she’s comfortable trying when presenting as a girl, and it’s never about embarrassment, really, but not wanting to be seen as some sort of girly boy (for fear of violence). Appearing to be a girly girl is of course just fine, but only if she’s definitely going to pass. Again, very relatable. Later in the series, she doesn’t even bother trying to rationalize it like this, and pretty much just spends almost all her free time in girl mode, and gets a decidedly more feminine wardrobe. Oh and then they have a pairs-figure-skating duel with these two one-off characters, because the guy randomly gives Ranma her first kiss without her consent.

That rolls into the start of volume 4, which throws way more fuel out there for any Ranma/Ryoga shippers than I remembered, and then we get a big stretch of introducing new characters who stick around and are fairly major, including the remaining two characters of note with curses, without a lot of gender stuff coming up beyond Ranma switching modes to try and throw off rival/love interests in various ways. The next thing worth pointing out isn’t until the end of V5C8. Ranma ends up stuck in girl-mode because pressure point manipulation makes her a wimp about hot water. Having a fight scheduled as a guy though, she shows up with a bunch of cheesy magician’s tricks, before throwing off a big bulky robe and:

So... OK we dropped the premise of not wanting her manly image tainted by wearing a girly costume pretty quick. This is her own plan, this is in public, she chose this outfit herself. Again, super self-conscious any time she’s in public in boy mode, but when she’s undeniably a girl, she’s super comfortable with basically anything. Heck, that costume gets shredded like 2 pages later, and the quick bit of public nudity doesn’t even phase her. Oh and the next story arc (V5C10) has her just getting a cute swimsuit and hitting the public pool to relax. Plus some new casual clothes:

And formal wear for V5C11...

Again, there’s no subterfuge or convoluted circumstances behind these. She just had an excuse this volume to present as a girl full-time and dove right the hell in. By V5C12 she’s at the maximum possible level of confidence, wearing a tight swim-suit to the beach that advertises her trans status. I don’t know if I’ll ever get there myself:

Not a double entendre there, for what it’s worth. It’s really about watermelons.

After that there is a long long stretch of development arcs for secondary characters, the introduction of a dirty old man, and a lot of variations of Ranma and Akane’s relationship being tested with jealousy-inducing misunderstandings with the spare dozen or so love interests lying around. There’s a hell of a lot I could analyze here if I wanted to make a point about Ranma’s sexuality, but, I’m only really concerned with her being trans for this, and contrary to popular belief, whether or not she’s into guys at all has no bearing on that whatsoever. For what it’s worth though she’s totally bi and so’s Akane and you have to bend over backwards to argue otherwise for either of them.

That being said, I’m close to a quarter of a way through here, so I might as well keep going through the end of volume 10. Don’t want to make this more than a 4 part series if I go the distance with it. The next noteworthy thing we have is the introduction of Ukyo, the focal point of the more grounded queer content in the series. Let me just say first off that taken out of context this page resembles every conversation I’ve ever seen between two trans girls:

There are a LOT of angles I could come at Ukyo from. First off, she’s got a ton of trans coding. Ranma thought she was a boy when they were friends as kids (while their fathers were trying to hook them up). Everyone else also thinks she is when she’s first introduced, because... she dresses like a guy at school and wears a chest binder. She gets really angry about being misgendered by Ranma while having a revenge-fight with him (she’s the other girl Genma arranged a marriage with, for the sake of free food, which he just kinda stole, you see), plus as seen above, she has major body image issues. So, again, whole lot of trans coding (and that’s before HER rival/love interest shows up).

Regardless of that though, hey, the only actual friend Ranma ever had as a child, and who remains the healthiest relationship in her life is a girl, so, that’s something to note.

Also Ukyo is kind of the only character in the cast who isn’t a huge jerk. She patches things up with Ranma more or less immediately, and proceeds to try and untangle the absurd relationship web that’s already getting pretty damn convoluted. And I mean, good on her for trying, but here’s how that goes:

Yeah, that’s Ranma in a floral sun dress crashing a date between Akane and Ryoga. I believe this is V9C6. She gets way too into character and they end up making out, by the way. I defy anyone to find a way to rationalize this plan if Ranma were a cis dude OR was strictly into girls.

Oh and getting into V10C10, there’s this goofy plot about Akane accidentally swallowing a magic pill that makes her fall in love with the first guy she sees, and uh...

It’s been a while since I’d read this. It gets pretty damn on the nose. Anyway, the last storyline I’m getting to tonight starts with V10C16, which introduces Ukyo’s rival/love interest, Tsubasa:

Tsubasa is unambiguously, exclusively, into girls. Also unambiguously AMAB:

I’m actually not really a fan of Tsubasa. Ranma’s a really relatable trans girl with a well developed backstory, with some serious gender-based hangups that, while totally not cool, are totally rationalized by her traumatic childhood. Ukyo is a very nice girl whose friends are all trans, and it’s less clearcut whether she’s cis or trans. The page after this one it comes out that she previously attended an all-boy’s school though, which supports a trans reading. It makes a hell of a lot of sense to read her as a trans girl with supportive parents who never misgendered her, but only recently started in on HRT after entering high school, so, hey that’d make sense.

Tsubasa though... being unambiguous with all of this, so after the reveal with get a clumsy 1980s Japanese explanation, responding first to Akane shouting “cross-dresser!?” with "I am not! I’m just an ordinary boy who likes to dress up!” Again, very 80s Japan. Also between the into-girls reveal and the AMAB reveal, Ranma’s personal hang-ups lead to a single chapter of her trying to “fix” Tsubasa, encouraging dating guys. So, yeah, kind of an awkward stretch. On the upside, Ukyo already knows Tsubasa’s whole backstory, doesn’t find any of it at all odd or notable, and figured everyone else was also just cool like that. Again, Ukyo is just great. You can do a whole lot worse than using her as a model for realistic queer characters in fiction.

Also to end on a lighter note, when Tsubasa first shows up, the immediate battle for Ukyo’s affections (and yes, this IS immediately after Ranma passed on just dating Ukyo, letting Ryoga and Akane be a couple, and having relatively no drama) which takes this form of a competition to see who can sell more of Ukyo’s okonomiyaki. And, of course, this is Ranma’s strategy:

CONTINUED HERE

#trans reading #ranma 1/2 #ranma #trans

2K notes · View notes

comicsbeat · 5 years

Text

Continuing with our wide-ranging survey of creators from every end of the business on what happened and what’s coming. A lot of people who responded e this year talked about the development of a new distribution system or channel for comics as being a big story for 2019. It seem there is a lot of dissatisfaction with how comics are sold these days, no duh. What do you think? Is there a savior on the horizon? You can check out the other parts of the survey here.

Kwanza Osajyefo, writer

2019 Projects: H1 Comics from Humanoids and WHITE, the sequel to BLACK

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? The growth of the graphic novels among titles that don’t perform as well in the direct market.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Comic distribution becoming more multi-channel along with the direct market

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? Figuring out what is going on in Paper Girls

Who inspired you in 2018? Everyone, I think so many of our peers have been operating on ten this year. I think the flood of comics content into the mainstream has really gotten us fired up, not to get our work into other mediums but to imagine on a larger scale.

Tony Shenton. Sales rep and consultant

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? The death of Stan Lee

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? The ongoing legal battle Cody Pikrodt has started vs. small presses and creators

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? Not a guilty pleasure at all: RUN from Abrams.

Gary Tyrrell, Blogger

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? Spike Trotman. She’s tearing up the industry with Iron Circus, and she’ll be launching a YA imprint — she’s making it so a lot of future superstars have a place to start their careers.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Raina Telgemeier’s next book will have an initial print run of one million. That’s mindbending.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? Perp walks of high federal officials and Trump family members. So many perp walks.

Who inspired you in 2018? Pat Race — he and his team have put together something extraordinarily special in the Alaska Robotics Comics Camp, and it’s creating new relationships and creative networks among comics creators at all stages of their careers. The future will remember it as equivalent to the Algonquin Round Table.

Mariah McCourt, Creator

2019 Projects: STITCHED #3 and a new series for AHOY! comics

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? That comics are for everyone, stories matter, and so does representation.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Hopefully more focus on amazing creators, the diversity of content, and the continuing impact and relevancy of the medium.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? No guilty pleasures here, I’m looking forward to seeing all the new books in the works!

Joe Field, Retailer

2019 Projects: A new space to expand Flying Colors for events and sales

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? There was no one biggest story in comics. It was a thousand shards of glass rather than just one big picture window.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? Cruise to the Edge, a prog rock themed cruise in February. No cell phones, no worries, just some great people having a peace party at sea.

Who inspired you in 2018? My wife Libby continues to be my inspiration. We celebrate our 40th anniversary in late February (so good then, even better now). The non-profit work she does in helping women with crisis pregnancies while also managing Flying Colors’ back office and reveling in her role as a grandmother is so inspiring to me.

Amy Chu, writer

2019 Projects: Summit (Lion Forge), Sea Sirens with Janet Lee (Viking Press), Pros & Cons (Dark Horse)

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? Kid’s graphic novels are $$$ – Dave Pilkey 3 million print run for his fifth Dog Man book; Raina Telgemeier 1 million for Guts

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Kid’s graphic novels

Glenn Hauman, publisher at ComicMix, designated victim of “They Keep Killing Glenn”

2019 Projects: What 2019 projects am I working on that I can talk about? More omnibus editions for GrimJack, Soulsearchers & Company, and Deadbeats, and new… oh, dammit, I can’t talk about that yet. Arrgh.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? The passing of Stan Lee. We all knew it was going to happen someday, and yet… we all thought we might get a pass on this one, you know?

And speaking of Marvel greats leaving: Bendis at DC.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? The All-New, All-Different Stan Lee 2.0!

And the bankruptcy of projects intended to get money from C*****gate people.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? The resolution of certain legal proceedings.

Thomas Ragon, Publisher

2019 Projects:

Roman Muradov’s next book “The Adventures of Munich in Marcel Duchamp”.

Thierry Smolderen & Alexandre Clérisse’s (whose “Atom Empire” & “Diabolik Summer” are translated or about to be by IDW) next graphic Novel : “Une année sans Cthulhu” (A year without Cthulhu).

After Glenn Gould, Sandrine Revel’s book about Canadian painter Tom Thomson Two major sets of exhibitions, in chronological order : Blutch has several exhibitions throughout 2019 in Strasbourg, and we’re working on a monograph to be released early March. Joann Sfar will be exhibited at the Basel Cartoon Museum and Lucerne festival “Fumetto”.

Ron Wimberly’s “Prince of Cats” French edition.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? Ron Wimberly’s LAAB #0 ; The French authors collective movement to obtain better social and economic conditions from both publishers and government.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Borja Gonzalez having a worldwide success with his THE BLACK HOLES.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? Discovering new excellent restaurants thanks to my job. Discovering new great bookstores thanks to my job.

Who inspired you in 2018? Blutch and Joann Sfar are always inspiring me, in many ways.

Nat Gertler, writer/publisher

2019 Projects: While my 2019 writing projects are for other people to announce, my first publishing project of the new year reflects on the 90th anniversary of the Great Depression by reprinting a book of cartoons by the great Otto Soglow, done during the depression.

Preview pages below.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? The triumph of diversity against anti-diversity forces.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Good comics. It’s always good comics, and there are always good comics for the story to be about. All the industry games mean nothing without that.

Christian Beranek, Writer

2019 projects: Kelci Crawford and I will be wrapping up Validation and then moving forward with Tiny Unicorn. (See below) Also writing loads of prose stories.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? Black Panther. I wish its box office success translated into more sales, however. We have to find a way to turn film audiences onto the source material.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? A massive wave of quality comics bringing in new readers.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? Any time taken away from writing. I want to work as much as possible but know you need breaks. I plan on reading more books in the Foundation series. Looking forward to that show.

Who inspired you in 2018? Tony DiGerolamo. The guy is a writing machine and really understands the mechanics of storytelling. More companies should consider hiring him.

Sanika Phawde, Cartoonist

2019 Projects: My biggest project scheduled to be completed in 2019 is my newest graphic novel. The project is still untitled but it presents an autofiction story about the journey of learning to love myself, and learning to accept my body and sexuality, as a freshly adult immigrant in New York city .

The story communicates through mix-media drawings on location, memoir comics, sketchbook pages, illustrated poetry, and even a few instances of fold-out paper architecture.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? I am really looking forward to going back home to Mumbai after a year, and eating a Nescafe flavoured ice cream sandwich in the winter heat with my best friend, while sitting on the wall that keeps the Arabian sea out of the city.

Who inspired you in 2018? Julian Glander, Jaron Braxton, Veronica Lawlor, Nora Krug, Robert Sikoryak, Brian Rea, Alex Norris, Lizzo, Melissa Guerrero (practices activism through food), Janelle Monae

Christopher Butcher, TCAF Artistic Director & VIZ Media Editorial Consultant

2019 Projects: TCAF 2019 is gearing up and it’s going to have one of the strongest and most diverse guest lists in our history. It’s going to be a pretty amazing year to be there, whether you love kids comics, YA comics, Adult comics, North American or International Comics. We’re pretty hyped!

On the VIZ side of things, though there’s a ton still to be announced, several of the series I’ve had a hand in are starting or continuing into 2019. Look out for the YA LGBTQ series “That Blue Sky Feeling” to get its 2nd and 3rd and final volume next year, the amazing/disturbing BEASTARS will start next year (like if Zootopia were a little more food-chain accurate?), and the recently-debuted gorgeous SF title Ran and The Grey World will start to turn some heads.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? That’s tough. The industry is so fragmented at this point, that stories that were huge in one area barely made a ripple in others. Straddling graphic novel publishing, manga publishing, and with a toe still in superhero publishing, it’s amazing the times people would pull me aside and ask “So what was that about, exactly? All I saw was the hashtag…”

So… yeah I dunno. I think the biggest ‘story’ probably wasn’t written, but it was about the continued evolution of this industry as it happened. The house-cleaning and secret-revealing that needed to happen, some of the editorial attitudes around projects looking pretty terrible when exposed to the light of day, the continued vertical integration in licensed properties, all of it points to a maturing industry, which is both good and bad. More professionalism, but less room for the sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants stuff that made comics very, very exciting about 10 years ago.

I think most folks involved will take ‘professionalism’ any day of the week though!

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? Pogs, baby! POGS!

No but seriously, I have no idea. There’s so much up in the air right now, 2019 is going to be bumpy for sure.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? If it’s not hurting anyone, then there’s no point in feeling guilty about pleasure. Enjoy yourselves, it’s tough out there. 🙂

Who inspired you in 2018? My husband, Andrew Woodrow-Butcher, who was enormously patient and supportive while I took risks and traveled around the world, all while working 60 hours a week making sure Canadian schools and libraries have the best comic collections in the world, re-opening the world’s first kids comic book store (Little Island Comics!), sending Canadians to comic festivals around the world, and of course, programming a big part of TCAF. He’s a constant inspiration to me, I’m lucky to have him.

Ben Towle, Cartoonist

2019 Projects: The main project I’ve been working on in 2018 is a non-fiction graphic novel for the new imprint Dead Reckoning, which specializes in comics about things historical and/or military-related.

The book’s called Four Fisted Tales and it’s a collection of real-life stories about animals used in combat.

Here’s a sample page:

And here’s an in-progress rough:

I’m also continuing to work on–albeit a lot more slowly–my book In the Weeds about cooking and playing rock music in the 1990’s. It’s my first foray into the great comics tradition of “funny animals” characters. Here’s an in-progress rough from that:

It probably seems like I’ve disappeared since Oyster War came out a few years back, but I’ve been hard at work on TWO books, I promise!

What was the biggest story in comics in 2018? That’s gotta be the announcement of not one, but TWO, forthcoming books from Raina Telgemeier. When the most highly-read and most popular cartoonist in North America announces a book, it’s a big flippin’ deal. TWO books in the same year is bonkers news.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2019? OK…Well, it’s only a big story for ME, but I’m really excited about the upcoming D&Q Little Lulu reprint series. These are some of the best comics ever made and it’s going to be great to see them get the D&Q treatment starting in 2019.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2019? I’m a huge Star Trek nerd and so I’m super-excited about whatever’s brewing with this new Picard show. Supposedly starting in 2019!

The Beat's Annual Creator Survey Part 4: with art from new projects by Amy Chu, Janet Lee, Roman Muradov, Otto Soglow, Ben Towle and more Continuing with our wide-ranging survey of creators from every end of the business on what happened and what's coming.

#2019 creator survey #Amy Chu #Andrea Purcell #ben towle #Christian Beranek #Christopher Butcher #Gary Tyrrell #glenn hauman #joe field #Kwanza Osajyefo #mariah mccourt #nat gertler #Sanika Phawde #thomas ragon #tony shenton #upcoming comics

1 note · View note