#i just think that the happy ending we see at the end of yyh

[basedkikuenjoyer]

More Like a Wibbly-Wobbly Timey-Wimey Egg

1093 is a pretty action heavy chapter, so it leaves a lot less to ruminate on. The Kizaru fight is oodles of fun. The Dawn Stamp to all the illusions after getting them lined up is a classic, reminds me a little of Kuwabara vs. Byakko from YYH. And I love how much Luffy looks like a lil gremlin when he goes big. He'll always be just a lil guy to me. We'll also see a lot more of Egghead as we jump around and sadly nothing that bolsters the idea this was Toki's island. We even add a new Egghead-specific vegetation in some happy lil Diablo cacti. I think we've seen them already but you know...hard to remember every plant you see. And now I kinda want to take this break to talk foliage on various islands. Remember the spotted flowers would be the golden hint.

Still, I wouldn't toss that idea just yet. We only saw one bay on Toki's unnamed island. The placement still adds up, as does the timeline for Vegapunk getting started on his projects.

We did play with this area another way though, since Bonney incidentally gave us a detail about the timeline. And this is the big gun from this chapter. I've backed off of pointing out shared themes because it was getting repetitive, but this is a huge one. Type of thing where even non-obsessive weirdoes like me are catching on. We strongly imply Bonney's actual age is younger than first assumed. This is why you never horndog about people with skewed time. I do see people stumbling on this so keep in mind Bonney could be a "young girl" and like...14. This would all make sense.

That makes Bonney a humongous tie with Momonosuke as well as Kiku & Yamato who play with that theme in different ways. So tomorrow we're having a fun Tale of Two Hannya about that. Ooh, and while we're at it lovely Thriller Bark callback in Luffy thinking of Perona's ghosts with Kizaru's illusions. It's a long crescendo but the type of stuff we've been looking at all along is still escalating.

Sentomaru looking cool as hell here, and I'll say Vegapunk's reckless abandon rushing to save Bonney is reminding me of Usopp in the Raid. Good on him actually, he's seemed to be a little careless about allies all arc and knowing Bonney is actually a child makes a lot of sense out of how he treats her.

Last thing I'll say here is this. These have been some big chapters fleshing out Jewelry Bonney. We've been keeping an eye on her all Egghead because of her basic setup lending itself well to picking up Kiku's thread. Just remember...we took a lot of arc to get here. We've done the same so far with Stussy and Sentomaru and Vivi in the cutaway. Bonney being an actual child pushes her more towards ending up in a "family" structure as an ending. Happy end for Kuma, Vegapunk taking responsibility, something like that. If it were just her in all these side story spots I'd be over it, because I like Jewelry Bonney a lot actually...but when it's juggling multiple stories like this that play with established Wano themes, you can't ignore when someone who threads the needle on all of them was the one with the strange ending.

[maiji]

fight / flight: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 (this is it!)

Alt text, full transcript and commentary continue below the cut.

A YYH North Bound story. This is “fight / flight" part 5 of 5 parts. This takes place after I Heard A Cicada Cry and Survive.

[page 32]

*A flame on a stand flickers in a room. A pair of hands wring out a piece of cloth. Hokushin, hair loose at his shoulders and upper body and arms bandaged, is sitting up in a simple floor-bed, his armour off to the side. Tomoe Gozen, her back to him, is just to his left with the cloth over a wooden pail.*

[page 33]

Hokushin: Lady Tomoe... Thank you, but… I cannot help but feel that your efforts with me are wasted.

Tomoe: Was it not you who told me you were commanded to seek out a master to serve long and well? Are you going to fail him now?

[page 34]

Hokushin: *Tomoe's words sink in, and his expression is devastated. He lowers his head, face in his hands* Ha... ha ha ha... ha ha... *he lowers his hands* Lady Tomoe, I owe you a great deal-

Tomoe: You owe me nothing. You have saved the lives of a number of our men, and of Lord Yoshinaka himself, enough times. This is the least I can do. 

[page 35]

Tomoe: You may be a demon, but… *she gets up and walks over to Hokushin, cloth in hand, as he looks up soberly at her* I have seen the words your actions speak. And now you must go.

[page 36]

*Hokushin says nothing, only continues looking at her*

Tomoe: *closes her eyes and turns slightly away from him* I know what you are thinking. I heard what Enma Daioh’s emissary said. I will not leave.

Hokushin: It will likely be the path to your death.

Tomoe: Ha! You forget, rokurokubi. I am human. Every day I live is the path to my death. And what of you? Would you not have stayed with Semimaru till the end, had he not tricked you into leaving?*Hokushin looks devastated again*

Tomoe: *abashed* Ah, I did not mean- 

[page 37]

Tomoe: *reaches/sits down and places both hands over Hokushin's hand* …but you understand my feelings. My place is here with Lord Yoshinaka. Fighting at his side is everything to me.

[page 38]

Hokushin: And what if he commands you to leave?

Tomoe: *looks stricken, then determined* Only if he commands so. And even if he does, I will still fight before I depart his side. *she gets back to her feet* As for you, you must go. So that you can find the master you are destined to meet.

*Hokushin nods*

[page 39]

*A horse paces restlessly. Hokushin, hair tied back again and in full armour, reins it in and turns to Tomoe Gozen who is seeing him off.*

Hokushin: Lady Tomoe. If our paths should cross again, may it never be as enemies. *He reaches his hand out to her*

Tomoe: *grasps his hand* May that be so.

*Hokushin rides off through the tall grass, into the distance*

*fight / flight end*

---

Happy New Year!! I dddiiiiiddd it!! This is the last (planned/that my conscious brain is aware of lol) flashback of the North Bound prequel!! We now return to main prequel time with Raizen and Hokushin and Seizan. Or we will once I get around to drawing the next story. Every year we inch ever closer to the climax! Inch inch inch.

I love the idea of Hokushin and Tomoe Gozen building a relationship from suspicion and survival to a deep, platonic understanding full of mutual respect and support, especially due to their like-minded roles as loyal retainers wholly devoted to the ones they love/serve. I didn’t realize till after I had firmed up the script, but Tomoe’s response to Hokushin that “Fighting at [Yoshinaka’s] side is everything to me” is exactly Hokushin’s answer to Yusuke on why he follows Raizen. It just fit perfectly, and makes so much sense to me as a narrative reference. In this universe and version of events, we can imagine Hokushin’s words to Yusuke are tied to his memory of this conversation… 

Japanese history/culture buffs will probably notice that the irony(?) of Hokushin and Tomoe’s conversation is that Tomoe would soon find herself in pretty much the situation Hokushin warned her about. According to tradition, Kiso Yoshinaka refused to let Tomoe stay with him. Shortly before he died in his final stand at Awazu, he forced her to leave his side, saying her presence as a woman would only be a burden. Harsh words for such a trusted, valued warrior! Though by some accounts Tomoe was at the time pregnant with their child, which one can extrapolate would have been an influencing factor in Yoshinaka’s actions.

If you’re wondering what ultimately happens to Tomoe in this universe, there is a very big hint in the fic We Walked Through the Past, Carrying the Future when Yusuke, Keiko and Hokushin check out the museum. This is not the last you’ll see of Tomoe Gozen!! Assuming I get North Bound far enough...

EDIT: Sneak fixes as I realized after the fact I forgot to draw Hokushin's magatama necklace! It has no importance to this story, but is a detail I care a lot about...

[i-heart-hxh]

Hello again! In your opinion, how much more of the manga would need to be completed for a new anime to be produced picking up from the 2011 anime? Not until HxH officially ends? Or do you think the odds are if they ever do produce another show, they reboot it again from the beginning? Has there ever been any rumblings in the Japanese media about wanting to reboot/continue the anime? Thanks for taking the time to answer all these questions!

Hello!

At the very bare minimum, I think the current arc would have to end in order for there to be any consideration of the anime continuing. It simply wouldn't make sense to start adapting an unfinished arc with no fulfilling place to leave off, especially with how unpredictable Togashi's pace is with releasing new chapters.

With Togashi's pace in mind and the uncertainty about how much more of the series remains, I do think there's a chance they would consider adapting the next arc, if it leaves off with a reasonable stopping place.

I'm sure the Madhouse (2011 anime) team would be happy to continue the series if they have the opportunity; with how enduringly popular Hunter x Hunter is, it's guaranteed to be a success, and the 2011 team seems to absolutely adore the series so I'm sure they'd jump at the chance to continue working on it. It's just a matter of actually having at least an arc completed to work with, which the manga in its current state can't provide.

I think a reboot of the series any time in the near future is highly, highly unlikely. The 2011 anime licensing seems to be quite active, there are still events related to the 2011 anime happening and lots and lots of merchandise being released. With that in mind, another studio obtaining permission and licensing to re-adapt it within the next decade is probably nearly impossible and wouldn't make much sense, especially with how extensive the series is up until this point and how much already got adapted in the 2011 anime. Making a long series, even a popular one, is a huge investment, and having a pretty well-done and satisfying one done recently enough that people are still watching it and merchandising is still active means it would be highly unusual and strange for a reboot to happen so soon.

(I actually think the odds of a Yu Yu Hakusho anime reboot are pretty high within the next ~5-10 years, with the current popularity of re-adapting older series and the age of YYH's anime.)

I wouldn't entirely rule out HxH getting a reboot someday, though I think a continuation is more likely, but it depends on a lot of factors (like what happens with the manga and Togashi and whether an anime continuation happens or not) and a reboot would likely have to be quite a few years down the line. 15-20+ years from now, maybe...?

In short, the situation with the anime continuing is very complicated right now. If you hear anyone spreading news about the anime starting back up again, there's like a 99.99% chance it's fake. There's always the chance something unconventional will happen, like Togashi working directly with an anime crew to continue the series, but I wouldn't count on something unusual like that happening. There's also some small possibility of things like new original anime movies, but TBH without Togashi's heavy input, I'd have mixed feelings on seeing more of those.

All we can do for now is continue to be patient with the manga coming out and hope that someday it'll reach a point where more can be adapted. I would love to see the anime continued someday or even rebooted, but my first priority is seeing what happens with the manga.

Thanks for asking!

[ligbi]

Yet Another Comparison Of  ‘90-’99 And ‘14-’23 Anime Girls

Used in-episode screenshots and semi-neutral expressions to keep some semblance of consistency for accurate comparisons, and only used tv anime so no golden boys or makoto shinkais

Feel free to comment on this post or add to it- I know I had a lot more children's anime in the 90s than in the 10ishs but there were also a lot less shows back then

List of series and thoughts under the cut

90-99

knights of ramune \ nadia

goldfish warning\ future gpx

dog of flanders\yyh

akazukin chacha\slam dunk

tenchi universe/ eva

escaflone/ those who hunt elves

kero kero chime/utena

akihabara/ devilman lady

tenshi ni narumon/gto

14-23

yuki yuna/garo

rakudai kini no cavalry/ nisekoi

kuma miko/ maisou gakuen

urara meirochou/tsugumomo

a place further than our universe/ happy sugar life

endro/carole and tuesday

bna/ interspecies reviewers

drugstore in another world/blue period

lyrocois recoil/birdy wing

revolution magical world yuri/ ice guy and cool colleague

I tried to keep it younger characters/older characters for the 90s and that was not an option for the recent anime series because

There are way too many damn anime nowadays. 

I tried to just get a general assortment of different character designers for both but feel free to tell me what a bad job I did for the modern stuff. Pretty sure I don’t have any dupes for the 90s ladies

personally the issue with modern anime is less ‘uwu moe moe kyun isekai harem bullshit’ and more ‘heres a single cour cheaply made no ending adaptaion of a manga or light novel why don’t you go check those out’ big budget ads of which there are too many

i’d like to run the numbers to see if the percentage of original anime has gone down or if the original works are just being flooded out by the sea of overworked nothings that are being constantly rushed out the door

yes obviously not all original works are good (or finish well rip wep) and there are good adaptations but when people think anime once they're past shounen jump series 1-500 the biggest names are original works and sure you might end up with an fma or ouran but your bebops your evas your utenas are originals. or media mixes which are weird collabs we could get into but let’s not today 

i won’t disagree that there’s too many anime nowadays targeting lolicons (yeah yeah any anime for them is too much but we’re talking about comparing eras not judging content here) but I /think/ 80s and 90s relegated that type of stuff to OVAs generally. Don’t have the data to back that up but between ovas nowadays being only just for porn and the lemony history of ovas since the 80s.... there were just More ovas back when as well

doing a loose count on mal of all ovas from 90-99  1050 to about 750 total for 14-23. given the tv ratio for 95-19 being  around 1:6

yes yes these numbers are fast and loose and theres chinese animation in there and we can get finicky about What Is Anime but this was a conversation about what era of anime stylization is better

it’s the late 90s btw

but that’s a personal preference of course because art is subjective blah blah blah 90s character driven comedy fantasy/scifi ova are peak

PER SON A LLY

did I have more thoughts?

probably

i started this over two hours ago make less anime

Make less anime and put more effort into what you do make

less anime. more episodes. more pay. more breaks. take longer. more original stuff

stop remaking shittttttt. you already wasted time and money and effort on a mid anime adaptation of a manga. don’t do it againnnnnn

anyway watch kero kero chime 

appended thoughts the next morning less on art style and more on volume

as of mid 2023 for completed series we are at halfway of all anime having been made after ~2011 this adds up to a reddit post I found with some very nice data https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/lvvexe/chart_of_number_of_anime_per_year_over_time/  40 was a nice number of series a year about 10 a season starting and older ones continuing. 200+ is. 

yes numbers are iffy with second seasons listed as different series like sailor moon r s supers stars and mha 2 3 4 5 6 ect so for accurate numbers a human touch would be needed there is semi-finite air time to work with- obviously some companies could make new tv and satellite stations just to house their garbage but i think there is a cap somewhere in sight if anyone did crunch the numbers more accurately, total episode count is necessary. one 80s robot show of 60-80 epis is equal to 4-6 modern single cour isekais

make less anime

[strywoven]

I know I could have been a better writing partner with me bringing extremely late replies and whatnot. Still i want you to know that this year has been a treat for both me and Yusuke. It's always nice to see when a lover can keep up with his antics and one that absolutely LOVES his cooking I really hope you open this year out terrifically cause you're great like that.

end of the year thoughts , perchance ? // @thuganomxcs

JAYYYY !!  First of all , please never think any less of things because of being slow.  I mean , have you noticed the fact that I am only just n o w able to get to everything but STILL have a backlog ?  It’s totally fine.  No matter however long it takes , I am always happy to see a reply from you or hear from you.  I have always loved YYH ever since I was a wee thing , and interacting with your Yusuke has kept that passion for the series in me alive ; you give his character such life and I think you do him such justice.  I know we don’t talk all that much , but you’ve always been an amazing writing partner and a good friend.  Kaen and I love you two to pieces ( & genuinely , I've always really enjoyed their dynamic ) , and I look forward to many more interactions for the future ( threat ) .  Thank you for the well wishes , though , I appreciate it !!  Likewise , I hope your coming year is great ( as much as peaceful ) and please don’t be a stranger , feel free to come hop in my IMs any time !!

[sadisticyouko]

i actually hc that yusuke and keiko get a divorce a few years down the line of them living together, getting married, and after having one or two kids

he’s just not suited for “human” life. never been the type. he was at his happiest fighting demons and challenging his own physical strength. being a detective gave him a purpose and put him in an environment where he was truly free to be himself.

at first he tried to fit in. really gave the whole “husband” and “father” thing a shot, but I think even keiko could notice the eventual dulling of his eyes. his lackluster attitude and eventually everything just seemed to make him mad. make him lash out.

and he’d never mean it like that. really. he’s a nice guy, they both know that to be a fact. but he’s just off. not really feeling this whole “living” vibe anymore and he thinks again maybe it’s because he’s not really supposed to be alive

but keiko knows better. it becomes obvious with age and it’s something she learns not to force on him. not anymore, at least.

i think they’re both happier after the divorce too. now that they can stop pretending and forcing their own ideas of “normal” on each other. yusuke mostly resides in the demon world, switching back from time to time and always visiting her. it’s kind of like they’re dating again.

she never remarries or even goes out with anyone else. her heart belongs to him. and his to her. they’re just better worlds apart from time to time.

she sees him smile more often. the energy around him is completely different when he’s set free. when he can fight and train and let himself be. and it’s a little sad that she can’t share the life she always wanted to with him. the one she’d picture after watching corny romance movies while he’d be away. but then again, she always knew they’d be kinda different. yusuke was always different.

their different works for them.

[stillness-in-green]

How are you still sticking to the story? I thought you’d be offended by how little the writing cares about grey matters beyond the surface.

This one’s pretty simple, anon, so apologies in advance if I sound preachy, but: it’s the characters. Of course it's the characters.

I know I talk a lot—in length if not in frequency—about the systemic issues of the series; this is because I enjoy worldbuilding minutiae. However, I don’t read stories for worldbuilding minutiae; I read stories for characters. I love Shigaraki and the rest of the League. I love Re-Destro and the MLA. I’m very fond of Gentle Criminal and La Brava and Nemoto and Monoma and Tokoyami and a whole host of others. And even if I don’t love a character, I can still find some interest in them and what they bring to the story—a lot of the heroes and kids fall into this category.

That being the case, if it feels like a story is just writing off characters I like, or not engaging with their issues the way I thought it was going to, sure, that can be frustrating. But there are plenty of stories out there that I’ve been perfectly happy to just pick a few favorites from and then read their chapters and shrug off the rest, especially where long-running shonen is concerned. I’ve been active in fandom for over twenty years now; I know I’m not always going to get everything I want out of a work, and that’s fine. That’s what AUs and fix-it fics are for, and people to talk about a series with. If we never see Re-Destro in this story again, sure, I’ll be disappointed, and I’ll complain, but ultimately, I really only care about the body of the canon as it exists to provide me interesting characters.

I’ve got dealbreakers in how a story handles certain plots, sure; everyone does. But also, those dealbreakers look different when I'm 350 chapters into a story than when I'm three chapters in. Also, I don’t actually require a work to perfectly handle every issue it raises for me to enjoy it. Again, I’m more than willing to bitch at length when I think a story is failing to handle the topics it itself raises with appropriate gravity, but the fact is that My Hero Academia being willing to raise and engage with those issues at all already puts it ahead of a lot of its peers, and particularly its predecessors.

This is going to be very subjective based on one’s cultural lens, but I think it’s worth keeping in mind that My Hero? It’s actually got its share of detractors in Japan among people who think it’s too sympathetic towards its villains; it’s too influenced by Western tropes. There are people in the U.S. who’re all too happy to call the series copaganda, or Horikoshi an abuse apologist, but they don’t see e.g. the President of the game company that makes all the Naruto Shippuden games posting on his public Twitter about how he thought My Villain Academia was in poor taste and villain growth arcs in a Shonen Jump manga should be taboo; they don’t see the Japanese fan talking about her hopes for the end of the series riding on her perception of Horikoshi as being relatively progressive and sensitive.

Ultimately, HeroAca is running in a magazine aimed at teenage boys, one which has strict and unforgiving guidelines on how to write a series. For me, that has meant that there’s been the palpable feeling of an impending trainwreck hanging over it ever since I started reading it. I always wondered just how far the series could go with the seeds it was planting about its sympathetic villains and its flawed society, because I always anticipated a point at which Horikoshi’s editors would put their collective foot down and say, “No more; this is getting too radical.” And that would not be Horikoshi’s fault.

I recently read a translation of some comments by Yoshiro Togashi, author of Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter X Hunter, about why he ended YYH the way he did—an ending that was famously abrupt, inconclusive, and involved the main character losing in the series’ final tournament arc. He talked about burnout, about the pressure to make every arc bigger and better and splashier than the one before. Most strikingly, he talked about reaching a point in the story in which he felt that he had run out of material. He realized that the only thing he could think to do with those characters anymore was either keep telling the same story over and over again—which he didn’t want to do—or deconstruct them—which the powers-that-be at Shonen Jump specifically refused to let him do. So he chose to end it instead.

Every work that runs in Shonen Jump is fundamentally compromised by dint of running in Shonen Jump. Especially the popular ones.

In that light, yeah, sure, I’m frustrated with the way the series handles some things. But I don’t know the reasons behind those shortcomings; we may never know. Still, I can look at a series that at least had the audacity to raise the issues BNHA has and be glad that it did—and that it did so while giving me so many characters I truly love.

If I have to disavow everything post-Deika—or post-War, or post-climax, or, hell, even post-USJ—if I have to run off into the sunset with these characters at the end because I hate everything the series does with them? Well, I guess that’s just how it’ll have to be. At least I’ll have the warmth of knowing that there is nothing Horikoshi or his Shonen Jump overlords can do to stop me.

[idontblushsrry]

Request fic

Anon asked: 

Would you do a Hiei from YYH fic where Hiei and the reader are in "will they won't they" stage since they clearly like each other but she's not going to push Hiei and Hiei wants to ignore his feelings but he can't once he gets blatantly jealous when Shishiwakamaru makes a comment about her during the Dark Tournament after she turns him down for "not being her type"?

A/N: I kinda messed with somethings because I haven’t seen Dark Tournament in a hot minute.

Word Count: 1624

“Hiei, you’re glaring again.”

“Shut it Kurama. I’m not glaring, merely observing.”

An exasperated Kurama smiles at his friend who despite, verbal assurances that he was “merely observing” seemed to be growing increasingly irritated. Demonic aura rolling off his friend in waves as Hiei’s hand twitched to grab his sword.

The object of Hiei’s ire stood there completely unaware of the death looming over his head. Or maybe, he was all too aware. Shishiwakamaru had no issues when it came to taunting his rival team. You were no exception, the fact that you happened to actually catch Shishi’s eye was nothing more than icing on the cake.

The fact that Hiei looked ready to turn him into a sword sheath made this interaction all the more sweet.

All the while, you were caught in the crossfire between the 2 demons’ mind game/ ego contest. You continued your conversation with Shishiwakamaru out of pure politeness, every question he asked, you answered bored and disinterested, each answer getting shorter and shorter as time stretched on. To be truthful, you’d rather be back at the hotel, you were wasting the team’s precious training time by being here. You tried to shoo them off but Kurama insisted for the sake of being a gentleman and Hiei stayed because he wanted to “scope out the competition”.

Now the competition had more than ended and neither of them had any real valid reason to remain here, demons long gone, any stragglers you’d be more than able to avoid on your way back to the hotel. But you figured the same reason you were still here was why Hiei stayed around. Kurama probably just stayed behind to make sure Hiei didn’t add any extra charges to their long list of crimes.

“If you’re done wasting oxygen, Shishi, we’d like to head back now.”, Hiei, fed up with Shishi’s persistence speaks.

“If you’ll excuse me, your presence is no longer required. I can escort my Y/N back to the hotel if you’re that busy.”, Shishiwakamaru was all too aware of the underlining irritation in Hiei’s voice, more potent than his usual cadence.

That seemed to be the tipping point for Hiei because he grabbed his sword and nearly lopped off Shishiwakamaru’s head if it weren’t for Kurama placing a hand on his shoulder with a look that said ‘save it for the arena.’

Alright, this had gone on long enough, “Actually Shishi, I was thinking of heading back with them, it’s getting kinda late and I don’t wanna be here at night with just you...”, you mumbled the last part out a little awkwardly and gestured towards the exit where Hiei and Kurama stood.

Your “excellent” moderator skills seemed to have worked though because Shishi didn’t put up a fight. He smiled at you before gently taking your hand in his and placing a kiss on the palm of it. “Until we meet again Y/N, you hold my heart in your hands.” With a final smile directed at you, ignoring the way Hiei’s glare intensified, he walked away, leaving you to deal with the aftermath of his actions.

The aftermath being one pissed off fire demon named Hiei.

As you all made your way back to the hotel, you could tell that Hiei was very pointedly, ignoring you. He trailed behind you and Kurama before completely disappearing into the trees going who knows where.

The walk back with Kurama was silent but not unpleasant. You were mainly lost in your own thoughts, Kurama offered you a sympathetic smile but otherwise didn’t bother you. Any advice he could’ve given you would be repetitive, the both of you being closest to Hiei and knowing how he operates.

Upon coming back to the hotel, you note with nary a concern that Team Urameshi’s common room was completely empty. Fine, you needed to be alone with your thoughts anyways. All you wanted was tea, after that, you’d leave.

It did not appear that the universe was on your side as Botan appeared by your side with a cattish grin that said she’d found a new piece of drama to prey upon. 

“So, Y/N, me and the girls were playing truth or dare. Since everyone else is out, we were wondering if you’d like to join us?”

She said that all too innocently, it seemed she was either trying to lower your guard or she’d finally put her paws away. It did sound nice though, hanging out with Keiko, Yukina, Shizuru, and Botan in a situation more relaxing than hoping your boys don’t die every time they go out to fight.

“I’m sorry, I have to say no. I’m feeling a little tired from today and honestly, I’m just gonna pass out on the nearest surface, preferably a bed.”

She looked a bit disappointed, but understanding. “It’s just that I wanted you to see that Yusuke’s spirit beast had finally hatched.” 

“Oh, good for him, but I’m sure I can see it tomorrow. Aren’t the best things worth waiting for?” She looked a bit confused at your usage of the quote and you took that as an opportunity to leave. As interesting as Yusuke’s spirit beast sounds, you honestly were hoping to wait up for Hiei so you could talk to him about today.

Mind made up, you sped to your room, catching the faintest sight of a black puff of hair atop a blue...blob, before closing the door. You set your tea down to let it cool while you changed into your sleepwear. Pacing all the while and triple checking that your curtains were pulled back and your window was open.

“Why do you look so nervous?”

The sound of Hiei’s voice causes you to jump up in fear, tea cup almost spilling and dropping to the floor as a result. You turn around and see Hiei, perched on the windowsill, as dramatic as ever but also as serene as he’d ever been.

“Hiei, y-you’re here.”, a little caught off guard, you beam at the sight of him.

“Why wouldn’t I be here?”, he states that as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, the implied affection doesn’t go unnoticed by you either. He jumps down from the window and enters your room, but that’s it. He puts his hands in his pocket and makes no moves to get closer to you beyond that.

Is he-? It’s faint but if you squint and the moonlight hits him just right, you could swear he was blushing. Hiei? Blushing?? You must be more tired than you thought because in what world does Hiei blush?

He opens his mouth to say something before closing it and you’re reminded, this is the world where Hiei blushes. The same world that forced him to compete in a tournament that could cost him his life. And the same world where he cares for you and you him but neither of you acting upon it.

“Hiei I-”

“Y/N look-”

At that you both laugh, feeling some of the tension in the room ease a bit after doing so. You try to urge Hiei to go first but he insists you speak, so you do. 

“I just wanted to say that I don’t have any feelings for Shishiwakamaru.”, you figured being blunt would be the best approach, Hiei appreciated it despite him being one of the most roundabout people you knew, “You know I only have eyes for you right?”

At your honest admission, Hiei looks a little guilty, eyes flitting about the room before settling back on you. His blush intensifies as a pout forms on his face, “I know that, I’m not an idiot like Kuwabara.”

Despite him looking like he wants you to finish this conversation for him, you remain silent. He had more that he needed to say to you, even if he didn’t know it.

His eyes took another trip around the room and he fixed you with a glare that said ‘seriously?’. You just smiled innocently and waited for him to continue.

“Listen Y/N because I’m going to say this once.”, he clears his throat, standing up straight and removing his hands from his pockets to point at you. “I find that you’re more tolerable than others. If I let my guard around you...I trust that you’d watch over me.” As soon as he finished, he looked away and plopped onto the floor, legs crossed.

You tensed the slightest bit, this subject was new to both of you, before forcing your body to move and making your way across the room to Hiei. You sat in front of him and placed a daring hand atop his.

To your relief, he didn’t seem opposed and even tangled his fingers in yours. Now both of you were staring into each other’s eyes, waiting for someone to make a move or say something. 

An unrestrained smile broke out across your face as you savored the feeling of Hiei’s hand in yours, the warmth of his calloused hands sending a fresh stream of butterflies up your arm and into your stomach. 

Hiei smiled too, a smaller one than yours but the happiness in his eyes more than making up the difference. It seemed like the two of you would sit there lovesick forever until Hiei, in an unprecedented show of boldness, leaned in and placed the gentlest kiss onto your lips.

It was clumsy, too firm at one point and angle a bit awkward, but it was so remarkably Hiei. The kiss was so brief that you were left dazed and wanting for more.

Hiei didn’t oppose when you pulled him in for another kiss, nor did he oppose the many that followed.

[telehxhtrash]

I originally wanted to make two separate posts about this but i’m actually making a single one : the overarching theme of love, redemption, second chances and Togashi’s overall positive and optimistic writing are leading me to believe a few things concerning Killua and Gon’s relationship, namely that we’ll get an explicit romantic confession to canonize their relationship, but also that Gon is actually the one who fell for Killua first.

First of all, I know I say it a lot but I really, really do believe that by the end of the manga, Killua and Gon’s relationship will be a canon romantic one. I wrote a short post about this already, but I’m gonna explain briefly my point of view on this as I believe it’s important and relevant to the points I want to try and make in this post.

• Killua is pretty much canonically in love with Gon. There’s just too much subtext concerning this matter, and the “shinjuu” line single-handedly canonizes that fact. Togashi is a very, very smart man, and doesn’t throw random words around, he knows the weight of the word shinjuu and what it implies, and the entire chimera ant arc focuses on Killua’s feelings towards Gon, so there is no doubt in my mind that Killua canonically has romantic feelings for him. These two tweets live in my head rent free because it’s so wonderfully written, so here you go :

• I also deeply believe that Togashi would never leave this ambiguous. I wrote a full post about this if you want to read it, but basically, it doesn’t fit Togashi’s writing style. A lot of people say that Togashi’s queer rep is ambiguous in HxH, but it’s unfair because HxH is literally not over yet. There are still ambiguous things because the manga is still developing. Thing is, Togashi has put queer characters in his previous works, and it was never ambiguous. It was always explicitely stated. Same goes for the relationships between his characters. There’s no reason to believe this wouldn’t be the case for HxH.

• Togashi’s positive writing is echoed in Killua’s story arc, in the sense that Killua reflects Togashi’s optimistic writing style and the overarching theme of love, redemption, second chances and the power human connection. 

Killua’s character arc is one of slowly changing your life around, becoming your best self with a little help from someone to show you the way, it’s about positive growth, healing from trauma and going against what people think of you. It’s about healing and becoming your best self, no matter what.

It’s a very positive character arc, and one that’s been thoroughly demonstrated during the entire story.

That’s why Killua’s romantic feelings towards Gon could never stay unrequited one way or another, because it just would defeat the entire positive narrative of Killua’s character arc. Because Killua’s character arc is about healing and growing, and even though you thought you could never do that, learn how to love. It’s about finding love after abuse. 

And to me, the only way to complete that story arc, when we know that Killua canonically has romantic feelings towards Gon, would be for Gon to return those feelings. Because Killua’s character arc isn’t only about learning how to love someone no matter what, but also about being loved in return. That’s how you complete Killua’s positive story arc. 

I’ll come back to this theme a bit later on, though.

• There’s no way Shonen Jump can intervene and censor HxH. Now, I think I’m one of the few meta writers who actually believes this, but I’m 100% convinced that Shonen Jump always knew that HxH is queer work. I wrote multiple posts about this : the first post I linked mentions why SJ probably knows ; on the general gay subtext in both anime adaptations ; on 99 specifically and finally on the fact that it’s weird that gay subtext was emphasized in 99 anime when there was none in canon material only for it to appear later on in the manga.

But to summarize, there’s just no way Shonen Jump doesn’t know. 

First of all, Hunter x Hunter is published right after Yu Yu Hakusho. Thing is, Togashi ended YYH for a few reasons, but one of them was because he didn’t feel free of doing what he wanted to do with his story, because Jump kept on declining his ideas.

This led him to completely drop the story. Now, if you’re a manga writer who’s been deeply disgusted by how your last manga was controlled, what would you do ? I’m sure you would make 100% sure you could take your next story wherever you wanted. And I’m certain that’s what Togashi did. Because to be able to write his story the way he wanted, he had to make sure SJ would allow him to go anywhere he wanted. That includes his characters and their relationship dynamics, which are the basics when you pitch a story.

Togashi also emphasized in one of his interviews that he’s free to do whatever he wants.

Furthermore, Togashi’s editors and Shonen Jump aren’t dumb. They can definitely pick up on the gay subtext. If they didn’t want gay things in HxH, they would’ve never let Togashi publish some chapters, ESPECIALLY the chapter where Killua declares he’ll commit shinjuu with Gon. SJ isn’t dumb. Shinjuu hits HARD, especially in japanese, so they definitely know what it means (it’s literally the equivalent to saying them dying together would be like Romeo and Juliet).

Finally, and that’s half crack-theory half serious, but one of the main reasons I believe SJ knows is because of the 99 anime adaptation. It was HxH’s first anime adaptation, and Togashi was involved in it to some extent. Now, 99 is extremely gay. I linked the posts where I talk about it above, but basically, it’s rainbow flags overlay on top of the characters in the opening, gay opening and ending song lyrics, over the top gay lines and situations.... which is interesting. Because like i mentioned in one of these posts, it’s interesting that this gay subtext was present and highlighted in the anime adaptation when there was none in the manga at that stage. It’s very, very interesting that gay subtext appeared later on in the manga, after the anime adaptation went crazy with it. I firmly believe it’s because Togashi pitched his manga as gay to the 99 animators, and if so, that’d mean SJ would also know.

Anyways ! In short, I believe Killua and Gon’s relationship will become canon by the end of the manga because there’s no risk of editorial meddling since SJ probably knows this is where the story is going. Killua’s romantic feelings are also pretty much canon, and the only way to complete his positive character arc would be to have Gon return those feelings and prove that you’re worthy of love no matter what. Finally, Togashi would never leave it ambiguous, because that’s something he’s never done before, and Killua and Gon’s relationship has never been portrayed as ambiguous nor subtle, it’s still developing.

Now !! This was just an introduction to what I wanted to talk about in this post, I’m sorry you still have a bit more reading to do HAHAA

But ! 

With this belief in mind that Killugon will be canon in the end, there are two things I want to talk about.

• First, I genuinely believe we’ll get a romantic, highly emotional love confession scene between the two of them. For the sole fact that it’s something deeply intertwined with Killua’s character arc.

Like I mentioned above, Killua’s arc is about overcoming trauma and having a second chance at life, a chance to be better, a chance to be your best self. His arc is about opening up his heart to new experiences and new feelings, and learning how to love and pass that love around. His story arc is representation for trauma survivors that things can and will get better, and you can overcome anything, turn your entire life around, heal, and thrive.

And to me, the completion of that story arc is definitely to show that not only can you learn to open up your heart and love someone, but that you can be loved for who you are. That someone can look at you for who you are, accept you and love you no matter what. You can be loved by someone the same way you love them, in a romantic way.

To me, that’s where the story is going. Considering Killua’s canonical romantic feelings, and the overall positive themes surrounding his character arc, there’s no doubt in my mind that this is the message Togashi wants to convey.

And in my opinion, this message wouldn’t be delivered ambiguously or subtly. This narrative of being loved has always been enforced through highly emotional scenes throughout the manga, to highlight the message that yes !! you, trauma survivor !! can be loved for who you are !!

It’s been expressed through that emotional scene where Nanika tells Killua she loves him, for example.

It’s also been displayed in the countless scenes where Gon expresses his love for Killua, expresses his admiration for him, how he’s glad he’s met him, how happy he makes him, how Killua is his best friend in the entire world.... It’s been conveyed through the stargazing scene on Whale Island, through the entire Zoldyck Family Arc where Gon waltzs in the Zoldyck Mansion to rescue Killua, through the scene in Greed Island Arc where Gon tells him he’s glad to have met him, through the dodgeball match scene where Gon declares that it can only be Killua holding the ball, through the moment Gon says that the first thing he’ll do when he sees Ging is introduce him to his best friend in the whole world, Killua. 

Togashi could have chosen to show and not tell that Gon cares a lot about Killua, and that he finally found someone who loves him for who he is. He could’ve made them hang out normally, and we would’ve understood that Killua found someone who accepts him. But no, this has always been the main theme of HxH. Seeing the both of them grow closer and closer and grow and heal together. He chose to highlight the fact that he’s loved and cared for through words of affirmation to emphasize the narrative of being loved after surviving trauma. For the purpose of providing an extremely clear message of love to trauma and abuse survivors who identify with Killua : that you can find someone like Gon, someone who will love you for who you are. Togashi wanted to make it explicitly clear.

So now, since all of these words of affirmation were “platonic” (i’ll come back to the quotation marks in the last part of this post), but still highly emotional :

Wouldn’t it make sense that the romantic application of this narrative would also be portrayed through a highly emotional scene ? 

For the sole purpose of highlighting the final message of Killua’s story arc of overcoming your past and being loved and accepted for who you are, in a romantic way this time ? Of being loved the same way you love ? 

Since we’ve had so many platonic reaffirmations of this idea, I think it’d be fitting for the romantic part of the narrative to be conveyed through a highly emotional scene. Like a confession scene under the stars that would parallel the stargazing scene on Whale Island, for example, since stars are thematically fitting since they are linked to Killua’s story echoing Tanabata. 

An open love confession would be the final and ultimate way to cement that narrative of loving and being loved. A highly emotional scene, just like we’ve always had, to demonstrate the romantic application of the theme of being loved after experiencing trauma. The ultimate, non-ambiguous message of unconditional love for trauma survivors. 

Showing that you, trauma survivor who identifies with Killua, can learn to love yourself, love someone else and be loved in return.

• Keeping Killua’s character arc in mind, I want to adress a final point that I deeply believe is true. 

To me, Gon is the one that actually fell in love with Killua first.

Thing is, Gon is that type of character that acts first and thinks later on. He always does things on instinct, only giving it thought after the thing happened. So it 100% makes sense that it would apply to romantic feelings too. That’s why, to me, it’s very likely that Gon fell in love first but just didn’t realize it was romantic feelings, because he’s 12, never really thought about it and feelings are confusing. And to me, Togashi is setting up feelings realization on Gon’s part.

Gon has always behaved very intensely with Killua, always reaffirming how much he means to him. He’s always taken onto that role of providing Killua with love from the moment he met him. He accepted him for who he is, and always made him feel cared for. 

Togashi definitely planted the seeds for a possible interpretation of this idea of him falling first. The stargazing scene on Whale Island is just.... so romantic in nature. Gon tells Killua that he’s happy when he’s with him under a starry night sky, tells him he wants to travel the world with him and stay with him, because his presence next to him fills him with joy. Then we have his constant words of affirmation towards Killua, and how cool he is, how amazing and strong he is...

But to me, what really convinces me that Gon fell first is Greed Island arc. Gon’s behavior towards Killua during this arc was extremely emotional. It was deep, deep care and love for his best friend. We get to see him blush as he tells Killua that he’s really, really glad he’s here with him and glad he’s met him.

We get to see him declare that the first thing he’ll do when he finds Ging will be to introduce his amazing best friend to him.

But honestly, what made my brain explode is the dodgeball scene. 

Because as I mentioned in this post, the phrasing Gon uses is one that is used in romantic contexts to confess to someone. It’s a love declaration, literally. And I don’t believe Gon meant it as romantic, because he probably has no idea his feelings are romantic in nature. But. Togashi is a troll. He really, really enjoys toying with his readers. 

To me, the fact this sentence is romantic in nature could be Togashi putting Gon’s feelings right in front of our faces, hiding it in double meaning but still plainly there for us to see. It could be Togashi toying with us in the process of setting up Gon’s feelings, so that when it gets canonized that Gon fell first, on a re-read of the manga, you go “oh. that sentence is romantic. it was literally right in front of our eyes the entire time”. I’m probably reaching !!! but!!!! the fact is, this sentence is still romantic in meaning. It’s still coated in romantic subtext. And that’s intentional on Togashi’s part.

I’ll link this magnificent post by Quintessence that basically explains what I just said much better.

In short, it would totally make sense that Gon fell first. It wouldn’t come out of nowhere, since Gon’s behavior from the beginning of the manga can definitely be interpreted as romantic in nature. The countless emotional scenes where he asserts how much he cares for Killua can definitely be read as romantic, and Gon’s behavior can definitely be explained by him having a crush on Killua, despite him not knowing.

Now, the thing that makes me further believe this is true is the fact that symbolically speaking, it makes sense that Gon fell in love with Killua first. It would enforce the narrative of Killua’s character arc of being loved for who you are and not having to earn love.

It would literally dismiss everything Killua believes about having to earn the right to be loved. About having to earn his place right next to Gon. About having to change to be good enough for Gon.

Because if Gon fell first, then Killua was loved for who he is from the beginning, from the moment they met. Killua didn’t have to earn his love, like he thought he had to, especially in CAA, because he was loved the same way all along.

It’d show that Gon didn’t start to love Killua because Killua earned that right by changing for Gon. He didn’t start to love Killua when he started to heal and change his life to become a good person. He was always loved for who he is because Gon always saw him and loved him no matter what.

And that would once again highlight Killua’s character arc beautifully. It’d show that you are worthy of love even if you literally just came out of years of abuse. That someone can look at you and instantly fall in love with you, no matter how broken and unworthy of love you think you are. You never, ever had to earn that love. It was always here to begin with.

It’d break Chimera Ant Arc completely, it’d break Killua’s belief that he was unworthy of staying by Gon’s side and that he had to earn his place. Because he was always loved and never had to earn his right to stay by Gon, because Gon wanted him there all along. 

And that is a beautiful, deeply symbolic meaning that would complement Killua’s character arc perfectly.

It’d be Togashi showing trauma survivors that you can heal and love yourself, learn how love someone else and be loved in return. 

Showing trauma survivors that you don’t have to prove your worth to be loved. That just like Killua, even if you came out of years of abuse, a broken, scared person, you’re always worthy of love. That you’re worthy of love at any stage of your healing phase. That you’re worthy of love no matter how broken you feel you are. 

Someone will always love you and accept you for who you are. 

Anyways !! Thank you for reading this !! Those two headcanons are really precious to me and I really do believe they could come true. Because it’d make sense in so many ways ! 

I know it’s hard to imagine such a thing happening, because queer representation has always been ambiguous that it’s hard to fathom a manga being openly gay, but I really want to be optimistic about it. We got the subtext, the author interested in LGBT-rep, the positive narrative and virtually no risk of being censored. 

So I want to stay optimistic on this and believe that we’ll get a romantic love confession as a way to canonize their relationship, and that it’ll become evident one way or another that Gon fell in love with Killua first.

Thanks for reading !! 

[glowingbadger]

Happy Birthday! I just thought! Can we send them for kurama?! :D

If so:

Hey! Hope you're okay :) miss you so much!

The beds so cold without you to warm me up ;)

Maybe when you get back you'll let me ride you? I really badly want to grab your hair and pull on it \\\>.</// you're so distracting even when you're not around me haha!

Stay safe, I love you!

P.s I checked in with your mother like you asked, she's fine, we had tea. She asked to pass on that she's hoping you visit when your back from your 'trip'.

She's looking forward to hearing about it just to give you a heads up :)

It cracks me up to think that the cast of YYH will absolutely live in the smartphone era like, 10-15 years after the end of the show looool

[He's careful not to read the full message until he's alone. He skims it to make sure you're okay and it's not an emergency- but once he's alone, he wears a private smile as he reads it through]

Kurama: Thank you for spending time with my mother. She doesn't like to admit it, but I know that even with my step-father around, she does get lonely when I travel.

[he pauses after this to return to your earlier messages- and to indulge in the mental image of you straddling his hips, fucking yourself on his length as you cling to him. As much as he favors a position of control, letting you be on top may be enjoyable enough. Besides, you deserve a reward for being so patient when he's away.]

Kurama: as for the other matter on your mind... I believe I could be persuaded. Though if I recall, generally by the time you absolutely need me inside of you, your legs are trembling far too much to do anything of the sort. I suppose we will see what you're capable of, my love.

[adamnedmartyr]

Golly Walden, why do you get to have [ over 40 ] muses?

I just love and connect with a lot of characters in a variety of ways, and when they start living in my head rent-free, they tend to get a blog. Nevermind my poor best friend on discord who deals with an even bigger cast as we spin new verses and aus and everything else.

As an aside, I tend to cycle through my fandoms based on whichever has engaged the writing part of my brain at that particular point in time. I may leave for a bit, but it's pretty much guaranteed that I'll cycle back so long as the fandom and/or my old writing partners are still there. Just have to wait for that particular hyperfixation to return. 😂

I also have tended to end up in extremely small fandoms where there may only be one or two other writers who write one or two characters, and I end up gathering several of the others I enjoy so that we can further develop the world/our stories (i.e. Queen of the South, Tolkien, Rise of the Guardians/Guardians of Childhood, etc.). Or its just me––to my knowledge––and I'm writing multiple characters from the same fandom into crossovers with other fandoms (i.e. Rurouni Kenshin, Miami Vice, etc.)

I will say, two things I worry about when I post my full blog lists is that people will think that, because I have a ton of muses, I don't put a lot of effort or thought into them, or that I'm not willing to write with anyone who writes one of the muses that I do. I can promise you that neither of those things are true.

Before I ever make a blog, I have put so much thought into them that it really isn't funny. I have whole notebooks of headcanons for some characters. When I say they are living rent-free in my head, they are in fact doing so with no inclination to leave, even when I end up rotating to another fandom. I have entirely lost very few muses over 10+ years. They've all just decided to stick around in my head and continue to party like it's 1999. 😂

I am also absolutely willing and excited to write with others who write the same characters that I do. Everyone comes to their characters with a different take, and they're all super unique and interesting! Not to mention the fact that I love my multitudes being able to interact with each other more than just in my head or in background of my own posts. For example, if someone writes Hiei, I would be happy for my Kurama to interact with them. If someone writes Kurama, I would be happy for my Hiei to interact with them. I am super chill about duplicates and ocs and everything, honestly. I'm just here to write and have fun and share my enjoyment of the various fandoms and characters I love with people who love them, too!

[ As a second aside, you'll also likely randomly see artwork when something has engaged the drawing part of my brain as YYH and InuYasha (specifically Sesshomaru) seem to be trying to do at the moment. 😂 ]

[kurameshii]

😩

Gee ok. Here. You asked, you got it.

- they are very gentle with each other.

- silent understanding.

- they trusted each other in first meeting.

- they haven't connected through fighting. they havent earned the respect of the other by fighting or because of their power. they earned the respect of the other by unknowledging that they are worth having around, that the other's life is important. that they are worth givin their life for but to live for as well.

- they just connected in a special way to me.

- when yusuke said that he looked straight to kurama's eyes and thought he wasn't a lying that he was a good guy, and how botan seemed very surprised to see Yusuke say that, it really make me feel like they were gonna end up close friends.

- how they parallel each other in some way. both about thinking that their mothers wouldn't missed them if they were gone at first, similar traumas through the chapter black, ended up being trapped between two worlds, and such. Pls tell me if i miss something about this.

- the fact that it's kinda implied that they talked a lot in between scenes. (Ex how Kurama knew yukina was hiei's sister. Yusuke told him after the fight with team masho)

- also that conversation might have been quite interesting knowing how Yusuke reacted to Kurama being beaten up and almost destroy everything.....

- the hair cutting scene. (In which I KNOW that Yusuke asked Kurama a lot about the fact that now he's a demon and such....)

- when Yusuke said he was sorry for not going to shiori's wedding and Kurama said "that made me happy" I'm sorry I don't remember any other moment when he directly said that he felt happy. Other than being with his mother.

- you know because important people to Kurama is 1) his mother 2) Yusuke and kuranoe obviously.

- Anyway Yusuke makes the top important person in any character in Yyh and myself. I know for a fact Yusuke changed his life. Absolutely. That's cannon.

- that scene when Kurama suddenly appear behind kuwabara and said that he was there for quite some time, seemly hidden. He was secretly observing Yusuke IMO. Haha let me have this. They guy likes to stalk people. that's just his thing.

- Kurama's hand belongs in Yusuke's waist. I make the rules.

- idk i feel like Yusuke can feel a little vulnerable but comfortable talking with Kurama who doesn't judge him or just simply being close to him.

- the fact that it's so hard to think about them fighting......... And wonder why Togashi haven't shown them fighting in the first place. A fight between them when it was implied the idea of a war in the makai would have been so cool to see. Uuuh interesting.

- when koenma said "you guys have a strange relationship" and Kurama said " we prefer to take action rather than conspire in secret" that stayed with me for some reason. Kurama is a puzzle.

- they have an entertaining dynamic. Sherlock and Watson. Perfect crime solving duo.

- im guilty that the latin american dub helped quite a lot to make me ship them at first, but when i saw it again in japanese it only confirmed everything to me. sometimes the english dub also has its times which i like, but it lacks the dramatism that the original voices has. yusuke changes A LOT. for example in the way he talks about kurama in the preview of the episode of his fight with shigure.

- subtext baby all delicious subtext.

There's more but i don't remember. Little stupid things.

Now let's keep on drawing pretty pictures before I bore you all with my ramblings.

[itsclydebitches]

YYH Recaps: Episode 4 “Requirements for Lovers”

Hello, everyone! It's been quite a while, huh? Ah, the endless cycle of wanting to write and yet, astoundingly, not writing. I know it well.

Good ol' writer's block has skedaddled for a time though, so let's make good use of that and dive into Episode Four: "Requirements for Lovers." 

Ohhh, YYH getting spicy with its titles 😏

Actually wait, I shouldn't be making dumb jokes just yet. First I want to acknowledge a slight change to future recaps: YYH, RWBY, and anything else I might try my hand at. Namely, a lack of pictures moving forward. A few weeks ago — months? I honestly can't keep track — tumblr implemented a new limitation where no post can have more than ten images in it. It's a move that, while I'm sure has its justifications, makes sharing analyses of visually-based media all the more difficult. I'll be doing my best moving forward to describe scenes as needed, as well as combining connected images together to stretch out my limit, but I'm not going to pretend that it'll be the same as getting the visual play-by-play we’re used to. 

Tumblr certainly is a website, huh?  

Anyway, we open on Yusuke once again lamenting the difficulty of hatching a spirit beast that doesn't immediately devour him from the head down. On the one hand this is an admittedly easy way to reset the story over the course of this arc — the storytelling equivalent of waking your character up each morning — yet I cannot deny that if I were undergoing a resurrection test, it would consume my every thought too. Can't really blame Yusuke for endlessly bringing the conflict up when the conflict is this deadly.

Well, deadly for a ghost, anyway.

Specifically, he's worried about how embarrassing it would be to get eaten by something that came out of an egg this tiny. I'm torn between reminding a fictional character that things grow — a pissed off chicken could kick my ass and it started out in an egg too — and just shaking my head over the absurdity of worrying about embarrassment when, you know, you would cease to exist. It's not even a matter of, "What if I die and then I'm embarrassed about it in the afterlife :( " Yusuke is already IN the afterlife. He's got nowhere to go but oblivion!

Luckily, Botan takes a more practical approach to these worries, pointing out that he'll be just fine provided he does some good deeds. Yusuke starts a rant about how do-gooders are only ever out for themselves.

Yusuke, you dumb-dumb, you're a do-gooder now. What was all that help for Kuwabara, hmm? As said, these early episodes exist in a semi-reset loop, where Yusuke needs to stew in his main character flaws for a while before any real growth starts to stick. Those flaws being, primarily, "I'm a pessimist" and "also I hate myself."

Case in point, Botan accuses him of always seeing the glass as half empty. Which, while true enough (outside of his confidence in fighting, anyway), by now we've got a pretty good sense of where Yusuke developed this attitude. He affirms this by talking about how Koenma's got him by the balls, "just another idiot abusing his power!" With an alcoholic mother and those teachers from last episode, it's no wonder Yusuke thinks this way. Mr. Takenaka's interest and Keiko's care aren't enough to combat the rest of Yusuke's experience, not when Takenaka is an outlier and Keiko is Yusuke's peer. Her desire to keep him on the right track reads only as an inevitability at best (the downside of having a perfect childhood friend), or a legitimate annoyance at worst. Or, as we'll continue to see in this episode, a way for them to flirt.

Is it any wonder Yusuke would sneer at Koenma's offer then, expecting the worst? The fact that Yusuke is still undergoing the challenge at all, no matter what he says, speaks volumes to me.

However, Botan is less than comfortable with his criticisms. She panics a bit at Yusuke insulting the (junior) ruler of the underworld so blithely. That, and the fact that he's carelessly tossing his egg around.

(Yes we’re using precious picture space for memes are you SURPRISED?) 

Anyway, Botan isn't just concerned for the sake of concern. She cautions Yusuke against speaking too freely because there may be investigators checking in on his progress. No sooner does he ask what those investigators look like than one appears.

Thunder! Lighting! An energy so intense that Yusuke is briefly blinded! It is, as he says, quite the entrance. What kind of being could possibly be at the heart of such an astounding show?

Why, this teeny-tiny cutie, of course.

Remember, few appearances in YYH coincide with the character's true self. Would you ever assume this is the all-powerful investigator who holds Yusuke's future in her hands? Of course not. That's the point.

The investigator introduces herself as Sayaka and immediately demonstrates that she has no more patience for Yusuke's attitude than Botan does. "These damn kids," he mutters and my brain briefly blue screens because Yusuke. You're fourteen.

Plus, Sayaka and Botan clearly have some sort of eternal youth situation going on, so there's that too.

Sayaka is, in a word, fantastic. She pulls no punches with Yusuke, teleporting away from him with what can only be described as a shit-eating smile, all while refusing to tell him what exactly she's investigating. “I’m sorry, but that’s a secret!” However, Keiko is clearly at the forefront of her interest. She refers to her as Yusuke's "girlfriend."

Botan is more than happy to point Keiko out — because of course they're still following her around! — and pulls a Et tu, Brute? on Yususke, leading Sayaka right to her. Like most of the Underworld, Sayaka is rather shocked that the pretty, popular, scholarly girl is supposedly into the delinquent. It's the power of childhood friendship, you fools! Specifically, Sayaka references the "positive markings" that Keiko has accumulated, but the audience already knows by now that such markings are suspect at best. Yusuke himself is proof of that. So if his terrible marks don't preclude him from being a young kid's savior, should we really view Keiko's as proof of superiority?

I mean, Keiko is fantastic, but that's not really the point here.

Starting her own investigation into Yusuke's life, Sayaka begins with one hell of a bombshell: "There's no point in doing [the resurrection] if the people closest to you don't care." WOW. Not only is that a harsh assessment, it's one I don't think I can personally get behind. The offer to restore Yusuke to life is built on the acknowledgment that their system is flawed (even if there's no work to change or dismantle that system): they thought he was worthless, his sacrificial death seems to have proven them wrong, and now they want further evidence, in the form of this trial, that Yusuke is a good person at heart. The whole point of this challenge is to give him a second chance, with testimonies like Mr. Takenaka's emphasizing that Yusuke has always been capable of more, so long as he applies himself. This, as we'll see throughout the series, applies to relationships too. The Yusuke with one friend he play-fights with, a distant mother, and a school worth of kids who are terrified of his very name is not the future Yusuke they expect him to become, so... why base his resurrection on what he's already (not) accomplished? Granted, the show is very unclear about what, if anything, Sayaka will do if she decides that Yusuke doesn't have a life worth going back to (even if I have my own theory discussed at the end), but the fact that this is suddenly a factor at all seems grossly unfair, not entirely unlike Kuwabara's rigged promise. We as the audience know that people love Yusuke. Yusuke himself is beginning to acknowledge that. But if this fourteen year old delinquent truly had no one that wanted him back from the dead... isn't that all the more reason to allow a resurrection and give him the chance to build a life where he would be missed? 

This stupid shonen got me thinking too much istg. 

Yusuke, ever the self-deprecating pessimist, bypasses all of the above thoughts and jumps straight to, "It's clear if [Keiko] had any sense she'd want me gone." I'd find that attitude incredibly sad if I wasn't distracted by how cute Botan and Sayaka are, sitting on the oar together. The spirit girls who fly together, thrive together! 

Botan starts teasing Yusuke about having a crush, which just feeds his temper and Sayaka's confusion. Deciding that she needs to gather more info, they follow along for an average day of school because these earlier episodes are, apparently, ghost-stalk Keiko hours. 

We see her reading aloud in class from Heart of Darkness (not the easiest book for some middle schoolers), scoring a point during volleyball practice, refusing to let one girl cheat off her homework, but happily helping another who runs up with a question. So she's pretty, athletic, and academically successful, the trifecta for any good love interest. Sayaka is impressed not just with her "nearly perfect" scores, but also the maturity that Keiko demonstrates, such as maintaining her morals about cheating while remaining compassionate. 

Actually, I really love the contrast this provides for us, the viewer. Meaning, Keiko is shown to be at her least mature when in Yusuke's presence. Not that her responses aren't justified, but watching her dramatically snatch gum from his mouth, slap him across the face, or pull crazed expressions as she yells at him is a far cry from this calm, poised, soft-spoken Keiko. It's a way to visually show us that she's comfortable in his presence, despite the suspect humor attached. Not that the Keiko we see at school is faking or anything — she is legitimately that kind and articulate — but we see that being with Yusuke allows her to relax in a way she doesn't with others. School!Keiko is, as Sayaka says, pretty much perfect, 24/7. Yusuke's Keiko is a little rougher around the edges, in a way that implies a multifaceted personality shining through. 

However, the only conclusion our trio draws is that, given Keiko's accomplishments, any attraction must be one-sided.

Poor Yusuke lol. 

In a plot move that is so ridiculously contrived, just as Yusuke is grappling with the accusation that Keiko couldn't possibly like him back, a "handsome boy" arrives to ask Keiko out. He says that he couldn't bear it when she stopped reading Heart of Darkness because he's fallen in love with her voice. "Will you be my girlfriend?" 

Please excuse me while I lose my shit over how ridiculous this is. I legitimately straight up cackled when I watched this scene. 

Luckily for Mr. Absurd, Keiko takes him seriously — and lets him down easy. She says she can't be his girlfriend and when he presses the "Why?", asking if she already likes someone else, Keiko confirms that she does. This is done through a shot of her feet. Not a POV shot given the angle, but close enough that it feels like we're stepping into Keiko's shoes (haha), shyly staring down at the floor in embarrassment and regret. 

Rejection complete? The guy screams. 

I mean he screams. 

I mean this nobody we're never gonna see again unhinges his jaw and lets out an unholy shriek the likes of which makes me shriek in utter GLEE. 

It's insane. It's wonderful. I'm going to use one of my coveted image spots to show you his face: 

Look at that and tell me this show isn't amazing. 

Okay, I'm focusing again. As Keiko runs off Botan and Sayaka start dragging Yusuke, teasing him about how Keiko chose him over that "charming handsome boy." 

...Please scroll up and look at that image again. I find YYH's definition of "charming" and "handsome" to be hilariously wrong. 

Yusuke, as per usual, throws himself into damage control, claiming that Keiko didn't say who she liked, so really it could be anyone. They're not buying it. “'I like Keiko' is written all over your face!” Botan crows. Meanwhile, Sayaka is scribbling in her little investigator's journal that feelings on both side are severely misunderstood. "Suggest serious counseling." 

Fantastic idea, Sayaka. I'd personally suggest counseling for the whole dying/best friend getting resurrected thing... but relationship woes work too! 

We cut to later when school is out and Keiko has gone over to Yusuke's. To say that Atsuko has done a poor job of keeping the house clean lately would be a serious understatement. 

Keiko points out the old food and broken glass specifically, cluing us in that this isn't just a messy environment, but a dangerous one as well. This is proven when she accidentally knocks a stack of books over and a used bowl falls onto Yusuke's face. What's interesting is that Keiko says that things are "back to normal" now, though I'm not sure if that's in reference to the state of the house, or just the note Atsuko left behind, asking Keiko to take care of Yusuke while she's out. I'm inclined towards thinking it's just the note, partly because of Keiko's shock when she first arrives, because the house wasn't shown to be in this state prior to Yusuke's death (first image above), and because the note is accompanied by a great voiceover that makes Atsuko sound quite sloshed when she left. That's what's normal, the drinking and carefree attitude, not the state of her home. If we buy that reading, it allows for another fantastic look into Atsuko's mental state. If she's already an alcoholic, the trauma of her son's death and the following revelation that he's coming back might make her struggle in other ways. Like finding cleaning to be an impossible task. 

She's depressed. It doesn't excuse the state she's left Yusuke in and, as previously acknowledged, YYH is definitely not a show interested in this nuance, but I still find it fun to take what little we've gotten and run with it. 

However, Keiko is firmly on team "WTF Atsuko." She hurries to make sure Yusuke wasn't hurt by the falling bowl, bemoans him being "covered in garbage," and says that leaving him in this state should be considered a felony. Knowing it's far beyond her power to fix Atsuko's failings, Keiko swears to come here after school every day until Yusuke regains his body. It's as she's cleaning him of the dust that's gathered that Keiko becomes entranced with Yusuke’s features. Particularly his lips. The soft lighting returns, their theme song swells, and Keiko gets thiiiis close to kissing Yusuke for the first time. 

Which is a little weird, right? I mean, we know why Yusuke is freaking out. Beyond the embarrassment of a middle schooler receiving his first kiss while two ghost girls eagerly watch on, he's made a hobby of denouncing his interest in Keiko to anyone who will listen. But for the average viewer — for Keiko herself — don't we care the he's, you know, dead? Or if not technically dead, very unconscious? Don't get me wrong, I fully understand the appeal of this situation in a generalized, cultural sense (with the side disclaimer that I'm reading a Japanese product through an American lens). Sleeping Beauty exists for a reason and there's definitely an element of that here: a gender-reversed setup where Keiko’s kills may break the "curse" of Yusuke's untimely death. Even his in-between state of being mirrors the "death like sleep" of the fairy tale. But when you strip away those Disney-esque thoughts, we're left with a girl about to kiss an unresponsive body, not as a common gesture of care (the parent who kisses their child while they sleep), but as a first time, romantic milestone. 

It's a little weird lol. 

But embrace the romance! As well as its inevitable interruption. Just as Keiko is about to land a peck, the neighborhood watch committee announces a heat and fire warning, startling Keiko out of her thoughts about Yusuke's "beautiful face." (There's another gender reversal for ya.) She gasps at her almost-action, conveniently remembers that her mom wanted her to do some shopping, and hightails it out of there before embarrassment can really kill them both. 

So she runs off for food... in a sweater? The outfit is cute and all, but I wonder what the animators were thinking, putting Keiko in a puffy pullover during an episode all about a heat wave. 

It's about at this point that the plot goes from cute romance to absolutely buck wild. The fires the neighborhood watch committee mentioned are not, in fact, due to the overwhelming heat, but an arsonist that's going around tossing molotov cocktails through open windows. Why is he doing such a thing? I don't know. Arsonists be doing arson, I guess. The important bit is that Yusuke's place is his next target, considering that Atsuko forgot to lock the windows when she went out. Within seconds all that garbage is set ablaze, quite obviously putting Yusuke's resurrection chances at an all time low. 

"Wake up, stupid!" he shouts at his unconscious body. Mood, Yusuke. That's me every morning. 

So this is a full scale emergency now and everyone is scrambling trying to think of something to do. Yusuke comes up with the idea to possess himself like he did Kuwabara — nice attempt at a loophole there — but since it would technically count as his resurrection, no dice. Botan decides to go get Kuwabara himself, even though he's too far away to do anything. It's still worth a shot. Sayaka, meanwhile, watches all this unfold with a somewhat clinical detachment. She's not quite indifferent and she's definitely not cruel... she’s just not as emotionally invested in this as the other two. Which not only re-emphasizes her purpose here, as an observer judging Yusuke, but also highlights the bond Botan is forming with him. As mentioned before in regards to her hanging out with Yusuke rather than ferrying souls, Botan is well past someone assisting Yusuke simply because it's a part of her job. He's her friend. 

We get some shots of the growing fire which includes a hazy texture to the animation I quite like and then we cut to Keiko several blocks away, shopping bag in hand. Word of the new fire spreads, with one bystander mentioning that it's the twelfth today. 

"This is eerie.” 

“Yeah, I can’t help feeling we’re under attack.”

That's because you are! Someone stop that man! 

Sadly, I don't think the arsonist is mentioned again, let alone captured. We'll just have to relegate that to my incredibly niche fic wishlist. 

Keiko also overhears that the latest fire is on fourth avenue, which of course is where Yusuke lives. Recognizing that he might be in trouble, she takes off at a run. 

Meanwhile, Botan finds Kuwabara practicing his kicks against a Yusuke dummy. Amazing resemblance, right? 

Watching for the purpose of recapping, I'm picking up on a lot of details in the animation I quite enjoy. I don't think anyone would claim that YYH, at this point in time, has the most impressive or flashy animation (the fight scenes later are another matter entirely), but there's a clear love for the product that shines through. The scared expression on Kuwabara's dummy. His unexpectedly dainty kick, complete with pointed toes. Botan's more translucent coloring to emphasize her supernatural status compared to Kuwabara. There are a lot of nice touches despite the overall simplicity. 

Plus, you can't forget the lovely irony of Kuwabara fighting a defenseless "Yusuke" while the real guy actually lies defenseless amidst a fire. We already know that despite his tough talk, Kuwabara would be horrified to learn that his friend rival had died (again) in such a manner. 

Capitalizing on that transparency, Botan runs a hand through Kuwabara's back to catch his attention. He gets his "tickle feeling" and instinctively looks around towards Yusuke's house, seeing the smoke. "Something tells me I should go that way." Gotta love a guy who drops everything to chase a vague, supernaturally induced hunch. 

As Kuwabara leaves we cut back to Keiko arriving at the house, staring in horror at the blaze. We get an audio flashback to her talk with Yusuke where she promised to take care of his body until he got back. So she tries to run in, only for a couple of the onlookers to snag her, quite correctly keeping her from undergoing a suicide mission. We learn later that Keiko absolutely would have died without Yusuke's sacrifice, so her "You cowards!" is born more of emotion than justified accusations. It's not cowardly to look at the raging inferno in a small apartment and realize that recklessly running in will only result in two dead teens, not one. 

I mean, the flames are already right there, licking the door. Even if Keiko somehow managed to avoid burns, the smoke alone would do her in. Still, Keiko tries to mitigate the damage by dumping a bucket of water over her head. As a kid I remember thinking this was the smartest thing ever. Utterly inspired. Keep that in the back of your mind, kid Clyde, for future reference. As an adult... I have no idea whether this would actually help or not lol. Any firefighters doubling as YYH fans? 

Recklessness and iffy precautions aside, I can't express how much I appreciate the story giving Keiko things to do. Yusuke recognizes that she's the only one with the maturity and open-mindedness to believe in his resurrection. She's the one picking up Atsuko's slack regarding his day-to-day needs. She never hesitates for a moment, heroically throwing herself into this blaze for Yusuke's benefit. Yeah, a lot of that still falls into the emotional/domestic sphere — what we expect of the love interest in a 90s anime — but too often action stories don't have a clue what to do with their non-action characters, not even when it comes to just supporting the fighters. They're simply... there. Keiko, however, isn't window dressing. Whether it's helping Botan survive an upcoming, supernatural plague, or cheering the team on at the Dark Tournament, Keiko is an important part of the story, despite lacking the fighting prowess of the rest of the cast. 

Just as important, this episode establishes a core equality between her and Yusuke. We just watched Keiko reject a (presumably) accomplished guy for him, telling the audience that these surface differences — academics, power levels, popularity, looks — don't matter to them. Yusuke is not Keiko's lesser just because he doesn't have the same scores in Sayaka's book and Keiko won't become Yusuke's lesser just because she doesn't have spiritual power like he does. The only important thing here is that they love each other and they're both willing to sacrifice everything for the other. In the span of about ten minutes, Keiko nearly gives up her life for Yusuke and, in turn, Yusuke gives up his resurrection for her. The level of care they show towards one another is balanced, despite those differences. 

They’re a good ship, y'all. Even if this recapping's got me noticing Yusuke/Kuwabara potential lol. 

To get back to the plot, a drenched Keiko charges into the fire, yelling Yusuke's name for the drama of it because we all know he can't respond. Despite the audience (hopefully) recognizing Keiko and Yusuke's equality, that memo hasn't reached Yusuke yet. "You're a lot more important to this world than I am!" he yells, hammering home that despite everything — knowing he instinctively saved a child, watching his loved ones grieve for him, helping Kuwabara just because he can — Yusuke still, deep down, believes that he doesn't deserve to come back; that he doesn't measure up to those around him. The self-sacrificial nature this insecurity produces shocks Sayaka. She points out that if Keiko doesn't save his body, he's not coming back. "What's the point of being alive if Keiko has to get killed for it?" 

Keiko means more to Yusuke than the rest of his living existence. Jot that down in your notebook, Sayaka! 

Kuwabara arrives and runs into one of his friends who informs him that Keiko just went inside. “Yusuke’s girl? The one we saved from those thugs?”

BOY does that tell us a lot about their rivalry! I mean yeah, we've already established several times over that Kuwabara — just like Yusuke himself — is not the cruel street thug he'd like to present himself as. If these characters actually wanted to hurt each other outside of a martial arts challenge, don't you think Kuwabara would capitalize on the "Yusuke's girl" bit? Everyone seems to know that they have feelings for each other, but Kuwabara never once wields that as ammunition against Yusuke. There are no taunts about him not being good enough. Or rather, I should clarify there are no serious taunts — Kuwabara is well known for his teasing. There's also no attempt to steal Keiko out from under him, the common treatment of the love interest as a "prize" that many stories fall into. Indeed, later this episode YYH will deconstruct this a bit. Yusuke sees Kuwabara grab Keiko's hand and yells that he better not be getting "fresh" with her. But it's purely Yusuke's worries shining through. The audience gets a crystal clear picture of the situation and knows, categorically, that Kuwabara has only the most innocent of intentions in holding Keiko's hand. 

(Well, running from the police isn't innocent, but...) 

I keep getting sidetracked. Plot! Keiko makes it to Yusuke's room and finds that he is already on fire. She then proceeds to try and put it out by patting it with her hands. I take back what I said about Keiko's smarts in this scene. Now we know where that supposed recklessness comes from though. Apparently they're both immune to fire! Nothing to worry about here, folks. 

JK she's actually in danger, despite the animation choices. By this point everyone, including Keiko, realizes that there's no way out: the fire has blocked the door. Sayaka then reveals that there is one way to save her. If Yusuke throws his egg into the fire, the energy of the spirit beast will release and guide her to safety. The catch? Hatch the egg early and it won't complete its intended function of guiding him back to his body. This beast is gonna guide one person and that is it. 

Cue Yusuke's near immediate decision to sacrifice his life for Keiko's. Granted, it's not precisely one life for another. Yusuke's resurrection was always contingent upon the beast not devouring him whole — something Koenma claims would have happened at the end of the episode — meaning that it's not technically a fair trade. Yusuke might have sacrificed Keiko's life for his own... only to fail to get that life back anyway. (There's a tragedy for ya.) To say nothing of how Yusuke is currently dead and has been for at least a couple of days, whereas Keiko very much is not. There's some sort of philosophical discussion there about potential being pit against current reality. 

BUT that's not the point! The emotional point is that he sacrificed his life for hers — the potential of his resurrection, the potential of that life he might have led — all technicalities aside. And I, for one, think that's very neat of him. 

A blue light shines as the egg's energy is released, providing a lovely contrast to the fire surrounding them. A path forms to the door and Keiko, recognizing Yusuke's presence, follows it. "We'll make it, Yusuke," Keiko says, which is one hell of a sucker-punch now that we know she's just carrying a corpse. Unbeknownst to Keiko, Yusuke is very much not making it. That's the only reason why she is. 

Kuwabara appears to help them the rest of the way which is also a pretty awesome thing considering that, from everyone else's perspective, the fire is still raging and blocking the door. Despite his spiritual awareness, Kuwabara gives no indication that he noticed this strange light, or Yusuke's hand in the rescue. Which basically means he lunged into a bunch of deadly fire for Keiko and doesn't question how in the world he isn't burned. 

Keiko's hands are fine, Kuwabara's whole body is fine... fire immunity must run in the friend group! 

Yusuke has another rare moment of vulnerability — "They're both okay" — and I cackle happily at the "both" because see. You love Kuwabara too, Yusuke! All this bluster about hating him and finding him annoying. The second he rushed into that fire you were crawling up the walls. 

Except then that happiness gives way to something that sounds a little more shocked. Devastated. "Well, I sure am... relieved..." Kudos to Cook's voice acting. You can hear the exact moment Yusuke realizes what he's done. Not that he regrets it, but the consequences are finally sinking in. He's relieved that they're safe, yes, but now he's never going to be able to rejoin them. 

As Yusuke has an(other) existential crisis, Kuwabara peels back the blanket Keiko had wrapped Yusuke in, revealing his face. “What are you doing with Yusuke’s body?! Are you some type of sick grave robber?” he shouts. God I love when a story actually keeps track of who knows what. Kuwabara, for all his recent involvement in the plot, doesn't actually know what's going on. From his perspective Yusuke died, he made a scene at the wake, he saved "his girl" from a bunch of thugs, lost a huge chunk of time only to wake up with her randomly hugging him (then slapping him), participated in a bet with his awful teacher and had a couple weird, Yusuke related dreams while studying, and has felt the presence of ghosts perhaps a little more frequently than usual. Now he's trying to help save Keiko from a fire only for her to reveal she risked her own life for Yusuke's body. Of course he's freaking out! What's she doing with that? 

What's utterly fantastic though is that Kuwabara takes all of five seconds to process this and then enters immediate Ride or Die mode for Keiko. She's been hoarding Yusuke's body for undetermined reasons? Well, who is he to judge? The important thing here is that people are arrested for keeping bodies, so they've gotta skedaddle before the firefighters show up. 

Hence, hand-holding and avoiding arrest. 

As Yusuke starts threatening Kuwabara not to get "fresh" with her, Botan sadly reminds him that he no longer has a say in who Keiko does or does not fall in love with. The switch in tone is jarring. Whereas before Botan would have teased him mercilessly for the crush, now she knows that nothing can come of that — and it would be cruel not to remind Yusuke of that too. 

"Oh no. I didn't think..." Yusuke whispers, further establishing that he knew the risks of using his egg, but hadn't allowed them to sink in yet. Now they have. 

He gives a fake little laugh with, "Just when it was getting good" and I cry at the development in the span of just four episodes. Despite what I said at the beginning about the show resetting each week, there has been a lot of change thus far. Yusuke wants to live now! He wants to be there for Keiko! He looks down on his tiny family and screams at the unfairness of it all! They're talking about how they can't wait for him to come back and now that's never gonna happen!!

It hurts, friends. It hurts a whole lot. 

During this conversation between Keiko, Atsuko, and Kuwabara, we see that a couple of hours have passed (it's nighttime now, the fire is out) and Atsuko is apologizing for putting them all in danger like that. And by that I mean yes, she does technically apologize with an "I'm sorry" and everything, but it's also a one sentence apology pit against... well, near death for the three people standing (and sitting) before her. Atsuko seems just as concerned by Keiko losing her hair as she does Keiko nearly burning to death and she kneels by Yusuke's wheelchair, baby-talking to him about how he forgives her, right? I love Atsuko, she's great, but objectively speaking she is not a good mother. Not right now, anyway. 

Oh yeah, and just to reiterate that: Keiko's hands are fine after patting down Yusuke's on-fire body, but her hair, which I'm pretty sure never catches, has to be cut short. Ah, anime logic. Funny thing is, YYH isn't the only story to take the love interest and give her a cool, short cut thanks to a traumatic event. Anyone read Ranma 1/2? 

During this conversation we also learn that, sometime between the fire and now, Keiko filled Kuwabara in on everything that's happening with Yusuke. Makes sense. He kneels beside the wheelchair, joining the others in telling Yusuke that they'll wait patiently for his return. Yusuke, above them, continues yelling about how they're waiting on a dead man. 

“It can’t be helped. He made this decision on his own." 

Except it can, in fact, be helped!

Just as all hope is truly lost, Koenma appears and announces that Yusuke will be returned to life. Why? Because sacrificing his egg for Keiko is a better indicator of his worth than the egg itself could have been. Despite feeding on his negative outlook and heading towards biting Yusuke's head off — something the animation backs up by showing us teeth during the fire

— Yusuke's act demonstrates a tendency towards being a "decent human being" that is "so rare." Wow. That's depressing. Still, yay that Yusuke has those qualities! And this, to my mind, helps explain Sayaka's presence. Koenma recognized that judging Yusuke couldn't be left to the egg alone and indeed, Sayaka took note of his worth before he ever threw the egg into the fire. First it was questioning why someone as amazing as Keiko would go for him, then it was solidified through the shock of Yusuke announcing that coming back to life was meaningless if she wasn't in it. Even if Keiko had somehow, miraculously escaped the fire before Yusuke's sacrifice, I bet Sayaka's report would have tipped him in resurrection's favor anyway. 

Everyone is, of course, overjoyed and my heart swells at the intense gratitude Yusuke displays. My favorite part though is when Koenma cryptically says that “Your added experience with death could make you very useful" (a nod towards future events that goes right over Yusuke's head) and his response to this is a yelled, "YOU THINK I'M USEFUL?" This poor kid. The God of everything ever is chucking out revelations left and right, about resurrections and spirit beasts, but the only thing that really penetrates is the realization that someone thinks he's useful. Talk about relatable. 

You know, I've been thinking about why this moment works so well. I mean, there are a lot of other stories where undermining the consequences our hero faces — either with humor, or by erasing them completely — can feel like the audience was cheated. I think YYH dodged that with a couple of crucial factors. First, Yusuke's consequence isn't something new that he's now avoided, it's just a permanent extension of something he was already dealing with. We did get to watch him inhabit the space between life and death, grappling with whether he'd ever be able to return. The story didn't deny us that growth, it just confirmed something we all instinctively knew: this tale won't end here with Yusuke permanently going to some afterlife. Second, the Deus ex Machina fix doesn't happen too soon. Yeah, it's only a couple of minutes in a single episode, but we (and Yusuke) still get to sit with that outcome for a while, soaking it in before its removal. Finally, there's no doubt that Yusuke earned this reprieve. Koenma's timing might be sudden and (if you're not genre savvy) unexpected, but looking back at the series as a whole thus far, we're able to agree absolutely that Yusuke deserves this. Far from feeling like we were cheated, this solution invites just as much celebration as we're seeing on screen, for the simple reason that we can buy into Koenma's reasoning. We know now that Yusuke is a good person. We saw him selflessly sacrifice his future for Keiko. We agree that he deserves a second chance. 

Thus, the episode ends with Yusuke flying up to fill the screen in his joy, a far better, final shot than Harry Potter and The Prison of Azkaban managed 😰

And that's it for Episode 4, folks! See you later for Episode 5 💕

[hunterexamcheatsheet]

Omg I just your blog and I am amazed about how much you put everything into analyse. Neon is one od my favourite characters and I am so happy someone noticed her for what she is. Sorry for my bad english.

Hi, I'm glad you enjoyed it. And it's okay, your English is fine, I do not think it's bad at all! You're doing great.

I never really looked at Neon at first, but then I realised that there's so much to explore about her character. I love everything about her, she's so different from the usual female model character.

I also want to take this opportunity to show what I want to with analyses that is slightly different:

1. Explore the Japanese (or East Asian, or at least real-world) perspectives to the text. This is because, at the end of the day, Togashi is a Japanese man. A lot of times, what bothers me is that the theories are often seen from the audience's non-Japanese perspective. It's not wrong but I think it's important to look at it from the writer's angle, or the source he had referred to.

If he's using other non-Japanese cultures/phenomena such as the Italian-American mafia, I want to research and find out where he got the ideas from. In fact, I had long wanted to find where he got the idea of the Kurta clan, but alas, I cannot find it. The closest was the Sami people but I'm not entirely convinced it was the Sami people.

2. I don't want it to just be my own "gut feeling" or "what I like to happen" or "my interpretation". It creates a lot of biasness and a lot of times, I see a lot of reasonings driven by emotion and what we prefer to happen/see.

Yes, I love Kuraneo and Neon Nostrade but at the end of the day, I have to stick to actual evidence. While there is evidence that Kurapika had stayed to help Neon and Light rebuild the mafia family + Kurapika's parallel ties with Neon is interesting, I need to keep in mind that there is very little portrayal of how they actually interact with one another. He did stay with the Nostrade family from the YorkNew City arc all the way before he embarked on the journey to the Dark Continent... but we don't see how his relationship with her developed and of what nature.

Though... that's not necessarily a bad thing because a lot is left to the imagination and interpretation which makes the fanfics of this pairing really versatile.

However, even if I create fanfics, I genuinely think it's important to separate what is a headcanon and canon (or self-insert), which I find prevalent.

3. Connect the HxH ideas to his previous works. When you look at books/journal articles (not just manga or fiction), the same writer often has a pattern. It's no secret that Togashi's ideas in HxH are similar to his previous works, mainly Yu Yu Hakusho. In fact, his ideas are so similar that I even see some fighting moves being re-fined in HxH. An example that I saw was Hiei vs Bui in YYH, and the same stone-throwing moves were used in Gon vs Hisoka, only slightly different.

I want to make connections as much as possible with this when exploring theories because I believe there is a higher likelihood in Togashi repeating (and modifying) his previous ideas into HxH.

[ragequilt]

@unintentionalgenius tagged me to do this and I simply cannot resist them SO

1. How many fics do you have on ao3? - the answer is 13 and I find that alarming. I thought it was like... 6.

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? - cannot believe I’m doing math at 9:18 am uhhh 140,834??? How is this number so high??? I truly don’t understand.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? - ‘someone who’ll set my heart free’, the hades game sickfic I did not expect to still be getting kudos on to this day, all three of my Spencer Reid/Reader insert fics from 2015, and then ‘to grow a winter garden’, last year’s Jaskier/Reader fic and my longest baby to date!

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? - Generally, if it’s a comment with some depth of its own, I will! Otherwise I feel like the commenter and I will get caught in a loop of just sending love to one another (which is lovely but not Productive.) My fave comments to reply to were the ones on ‘to grow a winter garden’ — the demisexual reader character did a lot for a fair handful of people and that really means SO much to me to have done that at all, so. They get my wordvom.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? - HAHAHA I am physically incapable of writing Angst I am so sorry to everyone ??? I can’t even answer this it’s out of my wheelhouse. (that being said I think ‘come out, level up’ is going to have the angstiest scene / arc, but lord we ain’t there yet)

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? - ohhhhhh boy. what a Question for the me. Probably ‘to grow a winter garden’ but like, it’s complicated-happy (as is the nature with Jaskier, I think, love him.)

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written? - no, but I am a SUCKER for a fusion fic. See the BNHAH au, the BNHA x Boyfriend Dungeon au, the scraps of YYH fusion fic I write for every fandom I lay my hands on... alas.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic? - hmmm yes some little baby person decided to send me tumblr askbox hate over my writing for winter garden, instead of closing out the window like an adult, but nothing Big (oh also my ex boyfriend in 2014 hated the RTAH reader insert fic he INSISTED I share with him... yes I’m still mad fuck you man)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? - okay the technical answer is yes but really I just wanna know about the different kinds of smut. Like, what does this mean? I’m worried about smut genres now what am I missing here

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen? - if I have I don’t know about it!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated? - no way I’m not that big of a deal

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before? - I am effusive sounding board for @unintentionalgenius and I would be miserable without them in my corner as well... and I was beta/and everything else for Wes (Cruel Fate, Kind Destiny), but I don’t think I could actually coauthor something with someone.

13. What’s your all time favorite ship? - oh my god you can’t just ask someone what their favorite ship is. lord let me think... (ten literal minutes later) I can’t possibly pick, like. Whatever @suzukiblu does I’m invested in, same frankly for surveycorpsjean, but like... I can’t simply Pick.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? - y’all if I had a better naming scheme I would simply include a screenshot from my scrivener here because the answer is ALL of them. that being said I Do need to finish the Jaskier POV of winter garden.

15. What are your writing strengths? - I think my sentence flow is good, structurally! Everything else is garbage tho sorry.

16. What are your writing weaknesses? - all of it. but lord don’t get me started on character voice I CAN’T DO IT why CAN I NOT DO IT

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic? - @unintentionalgenius summed it up well but like — if we aren’t supposed to know what they meant, it gets a one off narrative line. If we are supposed to know what they meant and it’s a whole sentence, we mention that they’re speaking <x language> and write it in the language of the rest of the fic. If it’s a one-off word NBD.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for? - on ao3? Naruto, I think. In general? Harry Potter, aged 13.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? - honestly even if I haven’t posted it, my scrivener is full of where my id has leaked. Most stuff I either don’t care to write or I just do it. Maybe kacchako, though, I just love them.

20. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? - oh boyyyy I feel like I want to say ‘to grow a winter garden’, just bc it wrapped up so well, but there’s so much in the works for ‘come out (level up)’ that I just can’t discount it. Y’all I can’t pick like that. :(

@ofmermaidstories @cat-slippered @bobawithpomegranate y’all I would love to see your answers!!

[robinasnyder]

I caught up on the Fruits Basket Anime. Now please understand that I was obsessively buying the books as they came out when I was in high school (and reading online when things weren't caught up). It's the only Manga series where I own the full series in book form, and the only set of Manga I brought with me when I moved. I reread the series in 2019 a couple months before the anime came out. I have read this series many dozens of times. Tohru is still one of my favorite characters ever.

And I just have a few thoughts.

1. The new Anime is MILES ABOVE THE OLD ONE!

2. For the most part, if I disliked a change between Manga and anime, it was probably because there was a particular line I missed.

3. I think everything they added and changed to Ritsu's episode just made everything about that character better. I really feel like Ritsu and Mitsuru make sense from the hints we get. Mi-chan accepts Ritsu and wants to be friends and gets along with Ritsu so easily. This is one of the best changes in the show.

4. Uotani telling her back story always makes me cry. I always cry when she talks about the lights going out in the apartment window. I feel like the anime didn't follow through with that scene quite as much as I wished, but the anime showed how Kyoko and Tohru's apartment became a home for her. So when I cried at that scene in the anime, it was less because of Uo basically begging for Kyoko to come back, and instead because that very home was entirely broken and gone.

5. I've known Akito is awful for years, but man oh man, I like forgot just how bad it got! I love the character. I think Akito is super fascinating and I love her whole plotline. But she's vicious and brutal in the worst way. I know from the Manga that 1) her abuse is something awful, since Ren basically twists her all up and the people who could stop her (like the older servants) give her everything rather than treat her like the child she is, and 2) the series goes out of its way to show how none of the characters actually have to forgive her, that it's all about choices.

6. The anime really hammers home how awful Shigure is, starting early. I appreciate it.

7. Hearing Shigiraki and All Might argue because Shigiraki thinks his big brother All Might is too flighty is just so weird to me!

8. You can totally tell how much better of a VA Laura Bailey has become. I never liked her work in the original because it just sounded like Keiko from yyh too much. But now she sounds the way Tohru should sound..

9. It's very obvious how much Tohru and Kyo are flirting super early on because of the actual voice acting itself. So good!

10. Understanding that I watched 8 hours of FB yesterday and 12 hours today to watch the whole series, and was pretty much done by the time the last 5 episodes were playing, but I thought the pacing on the second seasom felt odd. This is a series I've read a lot, but season 2 seemed to drag in places, though I'm willing to say that may just be because I overloaded on it.

11. Kureno was such a non-entity to me in the manga but they did such a good job making me care about him. Despite the little amount of time Uo and Kureno spent together, their interest is clear. Also, she will be 18 by the time they actually get together. Also, also, I like age gap pairings where the younger one is actually the one with more experience.

12. In the manga, Mayu and Hatori are one of my favorite pairings. I loved them so much that even though I had created an OC to ship with him, I basically broke them up in my head because I couldn't stand Hatori not being with Mayu. I adored them so much and was so excited to see their episode. But then I saw it and it just felt... weird. Like their affection is more obvious when they talk about each other when they aren't in the room. I hate that this didn't work for me because I love them.

13. I never liked Kana, but I am actually more sympathetic to her now, especially seeing how wrecked she was when Mayu visited.

14. I really, really don't like Momiji's dad. The man is so selfish! At least with Momiji's mother, it's likely she had severe post partum depression. I didn't realize she'd tried to kill herselfm removing her memories was probably the only way to help her live. That being said, I like to imagine that Momiji's mother finds out what her husband allowed to happen (isolating Momiji and taking what he loved from him so the man could pretend to have the perfect family), that she divorces him, takes Momo away and tries to mend her relationship with Momiji.

15. I just love Tohru! I adore her so much.

16. The way the colored certain things different (or different than I imagined) is super weird to my brain!

17. While I was expecting some of the visual gags from the original anime, and from time to time miss some of them, I think not including them was for the best.

18. The part of Momiji's eye that should be the pupil is green and that's weird to me.

19. I found Momiji in the old anime very annoying to the point that I started to not like him in the manga. But I love him here so much. But I miss Momiji's song from the bathhouse episode. Also, the german accent is great!

20. They really gave Haru so much personality and I love it!

21. Seeing Yuki really loosen up is wonderful.

22. MACHI!!

23. I am very, very excited to get to see the end. It makes me so happy to know that a whole new generation of people are getting to see what an amazing series this is. It deserves all the love and the anime has been so beautiful! I am so grateful!