#ichikawa. when i catch you ichikawa.

[leafuxxtea]

god the announcement of hnk (houseki no kuni/land of the lustrous) has got me in shambles,,, i haven't read the chapters after the 10 000 years hiatus so i gotta catch up (actually I'll probably re-read the whole thing)

‼️rambling incoming‼️

imo, hnk is one of the best series for deep psychological analysis,,, it had such a deep impact on me when i first read it (like 3 years ago) and still remains in my top best/favorites series 🥹🥹 i could ramble abt it for so long,,, the process of one losing bit by bit the parts of themselves and replacing it with something else (both physically and metaphorically) in an endless need to help others, but also as an own selfish wish to become better than who they used to be. Then looking back, and realizing things were so much simpler back then, and mourning that past self. (The fact that all of this revolves around their self-hatred and the belief that they're worthless is just. It's so heartbreaking to me. They've become so desperate for affirmation and yet still keeps getting hurt, by others and by themself too.)

i have too many feelings about the manga 😭😭 im losing myself to the brainrot, help-

[lehguru]

AND I WONDER + KAIJU NO. 8

what is the thing you say/do that affects them the most feat. kafka hibino, leno ichikawa, mina ashiro, soshiro hoshina, gen narumi

info: tried to make it as sweet as possible bcuz i love all of them <3!!; not proofread

hibino is a grown man and he's often seen as the backbone of whatever place he becomes a part of, there isn't much things that you can say that would affect him. but, try to hug this man once to see how he would simply melt. he didn't get that kind of affection very often throughout his life – his dating life was nowhere near as active as he wished it to be –, so you showing any kind of physical affection towards him, would make hibino's heart flutter in his chest. he always adores when you randomly hug him and he is constantly thinking about when you're gonna give a 'hug attack' again.

leno is very sensitive to any praise you send his way. he is often being praised and complimented on his skills, but there's something about you praising him that just... makes him impossibly shy. whenever you give him any words of affirmation, his cheeks flare up and he tries to hide his face from you, he says something along the lines of "don't be silly" and tries to leave. even if he behaves like that, whenever he accomplishes something, his mind always drifts to what you will think of it – and what are the praises that will come with your acknowledgement of them.

mina doesn't fall hard for words, no matter how smooth or soft you try to be with it. the thing that always catches her off guard is you keeping any promise you make her. no matter how small or big the promise is, if you keep it, it will shake her to her core and bring out the small child that once made a promise – that was broken – with her best friend. even if she doesn't think often about your shared promises, you will never truly know the extent that they matter to her. you will never know how much you matter to her.

hoshina adores, and i mean adores, when you laugh at his jokes or laugh at the same things he laughs at. more often than not, people reprimand him for laughing during serious situations, but when you came into his life and started to laugh with him... that instantly made you win his heart. some would say that saying he is a good fighter against monsters would be something he prefers, but the way that you accepted and enjoy a side of him that no one else really seems to enjoy, that matters so much to him; without much time, you entered his heart and mind, and you're definitely not going to leave soon.

narumi seems hard to please, but he's quite the opposite of that. he will eat up any praise you give him; above everything though, he would adore to have you show that you two are equals. whether it be through your words or actions – you don't have to show that you're stronger, any sign of confidence works –, he would love to see you showing dominance and going against him sometimes. he knows you want only the best things for him, but if you're not afraid to call him out for his truly bad actions, that would always make him feel that he has someone that he can share a little of his burden with.

2023 © content belongs to lehguru, but the characters used in them belong to their respective creators!!

[mojonder]

Ichikawa when I catch you

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 105 Thoughts:

Hello everyone. I hope you have all been well, considering the hectic and honestly devastating month this has been for many people across the world. It's sad how awful real life can be. I'm so sorry to everyone who is affected directly and indirectly. Though words can only do so much, I sincerely hope things get better for you all.

Now then... regarding this chapter.

This was definitely a spectacle. So much happened and though we had an idea of where the chapter was going to go because of the last pages from the previous chapter, it still managed to catch me off guard. I don't think anyone saw a literal "deus ex machina" ship to appear, but at the same time... of course that would happen. Ms. Ichikawa loves pulling stunts like this. Whether it's good or not is up for debate. More on this later.

But the one thought that came to mind after reading this chapter was: "Finally." We are truly now in the final stretch of Phos's story, and I couldn't be more happier for them... BUT that feeling got muddied when I saw the bottom of the final page.

Another hiatus.

Sigh. I'll also touch on this in this post. But for now, I'll share my thoughts on this chapter with you. These posts always end up being longer than first intended so sorry in advance! As always, please feel free to share what you think on here too!

(Just so you know, I was extremely tired when I wrote this so it may be convoluted in some areas. I'll likely tidy it up later after I get some proper rest. Hope you enjoy it regardless!)

The Deus Ex Machina Ship: Why??

Was anyone else surprised that the object Brother Eyeball was carrying was a piece of Lunarian technology, that seems to only activate under the extreme heat of a sun that's about to consume the planet? I certainly didn't see it coming at all and I don't know how to feel about it at the moment.

Based on everything up until this point and Phos's comments here, it's evidently clear that Aechmea planted it there for this specific occasion. My question is why? Why did Aechmea bother in leaving this for Phos?

Perhaps Aechmea hoped Phos would take the new remnants of humanity and create a new society once again on a new planet, sort of like what Adamant did for the Lustrous. Maybe this was some twisted/backhanded way of thanking Phos and giving them another second chance of surviving? I don't know, but if it's the Lunarians' weird way of trying to save Phos, it's kind of pointless. Like Phos said, running to another planet would only be a temporary solution since everything was going to be consumed by the dying stars eventually. Even though the little rocks and Eyeball still take the ship in the end just to survive a little longer, I don't really see the point of it either.

(Edit: Made small change here and included the page that I forgot to add.)

The only reason I can come up with for this ship to being there is that Aechmea knew of another place in space that wouldn't be affected by the dying suns and he wanted Phos and their new remnants of humanity to go there. But I honestly I believe that theory fully, so I don't know.

What do you guys think? Is there a reason why the lotus flower ship was intentionally left behind, other than Ms. Haruko just wanting a reason for Phos to be along again? To me, the only thing that was clear was that this ship was left for Phos and whoever else was with them that would only activate when the planet was going to be destroyed.

But this leads me to my next questions and segment...

Burning the Bridge: Phos's Final Actions

Unlike the lotus ship, Phos's actions in this chapter did not come as a surprise to me. Phos had long accepted that they were ready to finally disappear. And before the ship, it looked like the other beings were fine with it as well.

It was only when the ship appeared that the others expressed their desire to exist just a little longer, which completely understandable and I don't fault them for feeling this way.

It's touching and sad how Phos made sure that all those beings, including the final pebble that was introduced in this chapter, made it onto the ship so they could escape while Phos choose to stay behind. More on that in the next segment.

But back to Phos and their final decision to stay behind. So, we know that the ship was intentionally left for Phos by Aechmea and the Lunarians. And though it was used in the end, Phos chose to stay. Now my question is... was Phos's final decision to stay on the planet still part of Aechmea's plan, or was it part of the Professor's plan?

I've hypothesized in an older post that I thought that while Aechmea was a frightfully powerful being who was able to predict Phos's actions and successfully manipulate them, he wasn't truly omnipresent nor omnipotent since he couldn't predict everything and there were individuals that were not totally under his control.

I want to believe that Phos's final actions fall into that category. Part of me really wants to believe that Phos not getting on the ship was a final middle finger from the Professor through Adamant to Aechmea and everything he stood for.

But then again... this could have been an outcome Aechmea expected, too. It's honestly hard to say how much of everything that had happened was still going according to Aechmea's grand plan since it wasn't made clear if Aechmea knew of this memory of the professor that Adamant held onto.

Sorry for the ramble. I'll just say that unless I'm told otherwise, I'll believe that Phos's final actions was their final act of defiance towards Aechmea, in the name of the Professor.

I can only hope that Phos will finally be at piece once that bridge is burnt to the ground.

So, now that it seems like Phos's story is going to end, albeit in several months... there are still some elements in this story that have not yet been resolved. But after re-reading this chapter, I have a theory for one of them.

The Identity of The Last Passenger of the Lotus Ship (my silly theory)

This is a silly theory I came up with to try to explain one of the last mysteries of this story. It's been proven untrue, but I still want to keep it here because I still like it and had fun coming up with it!

One plot point that many others have brought up before, that I've admittedly forgotten over and over again, are the Ice Floes. These mysterious creatures played a unique role in the beginning but had quickly lost their relevancy in the story.

Now that the planet is about to be destroyed, it seems the Ice Floes will forever lose their significance in this story, though they hadn't been relevant in a long while. Well... I have a theory and it relates to the last member of Phos's little pebble family.

In this chapter, Ms. Ichikawa made it a point to have Phos collect this one last pebble and put on the ship. Though all of the pebble beings are unique to one another, this one is the most different from all of them. For one, it's significantly smaller than the other pebbles, almost the size of a grain of rice. And unlike the others, it hasn't spoken once, though Phos could sense its very faint presence, so it is sentient to a degree.

With all of this in mind, I couldn't help but wonder why Ms. Ichikawa included this in the story now? Why did she make pages dedicated to Phos collecting this pebble right when the planet is about to die? She had to have done it for a reason, but why? Why is this teeny pebble important?

Well, here's my theory: This teeny tiny pebble is what's left of the Ice Floes.

I came up with this theory based on a few things.

My first clue is the location where it was found. Judging from the details in these pages, this tiny pebble was in the middle of a dried up ocean.

The second is the type of rock I think it is. Ms. Ichikawa incorporated a lot of rock and mineral information in this story for her characters. I'm not sure if that's the case in this instance, but please allow me to indulge in my rock nerd side for a bit. I strongly believe it is a sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rocks are formed when bits of pre-existing rocks, inorganic material, and/or bits of once organic life forms accumulate and gradually get compacted and cemented together. This type of rock is found everywhere, but especially in the ocean.

The third and most supportive piece of evidence was Phos's comments on page 16.

Phos recognizes that this pebble is similar to the other rock life forms AND it's consciousness had been there since the beginning of the earth, meaning it's much older than nearly everything on this planet, including Phos and Eyeball. To me, this cemented my theory.

Of course, this is just me guessing. And I'll admit, when I went to look up the Ice Floes again, the HnK wiki states that Eyeball and the Ice Floes are connected, so I could very much be wrong. It was still fun to theorize haha

Please tell me what you think!

Edit: Well, it looks like that theory was incorrect. Oh well! I still had fun coming up with it. Thank you @laloyoungblood for letting me know.

The End Is Near and Yet So Far...

I've said it many times before and I'll say it again: I can't wait to see how this story ends. And if the story is going to end at 108 chapters, I'd be so happy, and the ending of this chapter had me excited for the final climax of the story...

Until I saw the excerpt at the bottom of the page.

Houseki no Kuni won't be returning until the spring of 2024... And we just barely came back from the other hiatus...

Now don't get me wrong, waiting through hiatuses is nothing new for me and I'm glad more mangaka are trying to prioritize their health and happiness than trying to rush their stories because of a deadline.

But these hiatuses are a bit annoying, I'm not going to lie. If there's one thing I know I won't miss with this series, it's the many, many hiatuses Ms. Ichikawa had done.

I know it'll be okay in the end. There are more important things going on in my life now, so I know I won't dwell on it for much longer. But at the same time, I just want this story to finally cross the finish line. We're so close to the end, and yet the goal post is moved again.

I just want to see this story end soon. And I hope it'll be worth it.

Okay! That's all for now. Thank you to everyone who reads and responds to my posts. I love all your responses. I don't know how many of you will stick around when I stop doing these posts, but I'm honestly really grateful to you.

Hope the rest of the month goes well for you all! Stay safe out there.

[dropintomanga]

Kaiju No. 8 - The Beauty of a 32-Year Old Hero

When it comes to shonen manga, almost every protagonist is either a teenager or at most, a 20-something year old. However, in one shonen series, someone in their ‘30s is the main star. That manga is Naoya Matsumoto’s Kaiju No. 8 and its hero is a 32-year old man still trying to make his dreams come true.

Kafka Hibino, the protagonist, was once someone who aspired to be a member of the Defense Force to fight against kaiju. He has a childhood friend, Mina Ashiro, who had the same dream. Mina would achieve her dream by becoming a high-ranking Defense Force officer, while Kafka ended up becoming a kaiju disposal worker. One day at his job, Kafka meets a young, aspiring Defense Force member named Leno Ichikawa. The two formed a quick bond despite their age gap. Leno then tells Kafka that the age limit to be a Defense Force soldier was increased to 33. Kafka thought about chasing the dream again, but then he and Leno were attacked by a monster. Kafka saves Leno, but the monster somehow ends up inside Kafka’s body. Kafka suddenly gains the ability to become a very powerful kaiju as a result and decides to join the Defense Force with his newfound powers and catch up to Mina despite being the “enemy.”

It’s pretty cool to see this because there’s not enough middle-aged main heroes in shonen series worth highlighting. This is true in most Japanese media. Either they’re young or old. There’s no in-between. However, I will note that almost every shonen series is about chasing your dreams. Kafka is the same.

You can arguably say the important message from Kaiju No. 8 is that you’re never too old to still chase your dreams. Better late than never, right? I think of the people who have a lot of goals and dreams, only for them to stop chasing them or just be crushed by the weight of them. And then I remember something someone once said to me, “Sometimes, they were never given the opportunity to dream again or be able to chase it.” In Kafka’s case, meeting Leno and getting kaiju powers were those opportunities.

We’re all so bombarded with often mundane responsibilities that seek to limit our dream-seeking and our potential to help one another during times of great stress. We’re not built to be cogs for a world that won’t always think the best for us.

What shined for me with regards to Kaiju No. 8 is Kafka’s enthusiasm and the vulnerability that comes as a result of it. Because he is so ambitious about protecting people, Kafka has insecurities about what to do if he can’t protect anyone. There was a moment in the story where his kaiju powers were getting the best of him. While fighting a powerful kaiju, Kafka starts to become afraid of transforming out of fear of going berserk on his Defense Force comrades and hurting innocent people. One of Kafka’s fellow comrades, Kikoru Shinomiya, snaps him out of it by telling him not to think so little of those who are strong enough to handle themselves. Learn to trust others who can protect themselves.

I think the older we get, the more we tend to dislike a lot of people. It’s different in Kafka’s case, but I really like that this is a middle-aged character with a bunch of enthusiasm about helping people in need. I think Kafka is a timely character because we have a lot of anime/manga fans aging into their ‘30s and some still have that shonen mindset of wanting to make things happen.

While not giving up is always aspiring, the environment we’re placed in can sometimes make someone want to do so. That’s why I believe it’s important that institutions provide resources and opportunities to make middle-aged adults still feel like they matter. 4 years of college in your 20s’ should not be the end of learning and growing. I say this because ageism is still a huge problem in the world. There’s definitely cool people like Kafka out there, but sometimes, they just need a chance by others to prove themselves when they can’t find it themselves.

What’s interesting to me is that Kaiju No. 8 came off the heels of another property featuring a middle-aged hero in a genre that normally has young protagonists, Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The game starred a 40-year old former yakuza, Kasuga Ichiban, who falls out of luck with his triad family in Tokyo and tries to rebuild his life in Yokohama. It’s also a turn-based Japanese RPG, where middle-aged characters tend to be in the supporting roles. A lot of people (especially older adults) found this game refreshing because it’s about a group of middle-aged adults taking the stage to fight against a huge political conspiracy. The game’s sequel, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, continues this trend of older JRPG protagonists that are relatable to middle-aged adults.

Much like what the Like a Dragon games did for me, Kaiju No. 8 and Kafka show that adults can still do some great things despite some limitations. Sure, the other characters in the manga are great, but Kafka being the chosen hero at the age of 32 who can save everyone is what some readers and I are looking for. Naoya Matsumoto gave a great message about the manga’s appeal in that it’s for people dealing with the complexes of reality who are trying to create a future worth having. It’s not just about chasing dreams; it’s more about having some kind of realistic optimism for life and the people who are doing their best.

No matter what age we’re at, we should be given a chance to decide what we want to better ourselves and the world.

[yuzukahibiscus]

Aizuki Hikaru’s Research 100

This was taken from the Aizuki Hikaru photobook, as kindly scanned by a mutual. At this time, Aichan was still in Cosmos Troupe.

PROFILE Name: Aizuki Hikaru 愛月ひかる Troupe: Cosmos Trouope Birthday: August 23 Blood type: A Nickname: Ai, Chan-san (愛、ちゃんさん） Hometown: Chiba Ichikawa

Height: 173cm Vision: I don’t remember for which eyes respectively but it’s a 2.0 and 1.5 Finger size: 7 Boot size: 25.5-26cm Charm point: dimple Strengths: I’m honest. I’d be honest with what i say for my strengths and weaknesses. Weaknesses: I’m thinking of what to say (laughs) Catch phrase: I don’t want to go back to the past.

FOR MYSELF I’D SAY... 1. Alphabet —> It’s still A, because of Ai. 2. Number —> 2, i’ve heard when i was little that 2 is a good number. i like the shape of it, and my birthday also has that number. 3. Country —> Now i want to go italy 4. Colour —> White. they say because my skin looks very white. 5. Season —> Summer 6. Animal —> Rabbit, because of my larger front teeth

CHILDHOOD THINGS 7. The name you got from childhood —> It’s always been aichan 8. What kind of child are you at home —> Someone that works alone quietly, separate from the adults, i’m a quiet kid 9. A hairstyle you want to try —> Braid, and maybe i’ll use a little of the perm and make it into wavy hair 10. A toy you used to play —> Rika-chan dolls or Barbie dolls, I’d play these dolls a lot. 11. A tv program you used to watch —> “Okaasan to issho (お母さんと一緒）” 12. First love —> Kindergarten, a young boy i met when going to a family trip. 13. Clubs you entered —> Primary school was entering a tea club. secondary school was sign language. Even though i’m not familiar with at all, when i auditioned for takarazuka, I wanted to show that but in the end, i wasn’t given the chance during the interview. 14. Best and worst at which subjects —> no matter what it is, it’s got to be something literature related. As far as I remember, I’m good at social sciences but bad at math. 15. Favourite idol —> Primary school would be ducky 16. Dream job —> Kindergarten times was thinking of opening a cake house. Later after wanting to enter takarazuka it changed to ballerina or model, then in primary 5 it was just entering Takarazuka.

AT HOME 17. After I wake up the first thing I do is —> Wash my face 18. When I return home, the first thing I do is —> Wash my hands, gargle my mouth 19. Average sleeping time —> Around 7 hours or so 20. Skincare routine —> I don’t quite have it (laughs) but I’d definitely be a little more diligent in using the cleansing water, foam and cream. 21. Morning or night person —> Morning person. i sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, but i get back to sleep immediately. it’s easier for me to get up and decide what i have to do. 22. Shower in hot or warm water —> Hot water. But I can’t be in it for too long, so I’d be quick. 23. Daily habits —> Watch something related to Takarazuka at least once a day. I watch sky stage every day! 24. Favourite aroma —> Bergamot 25. Good at doing this chores —> Cleaning up 26. Recommended stretching exercise —> Stretching your quadriceps

FOOD 27. How much sugar you put in coffee and tea --> Straight, it’s 1 sugar cube for each time I drink... 28. Japanese or western food —> Japanese food 29. Favourite snack —> Salted plum 30. Good at doing this meal quickly —> One-person hotpot (laughs) 31. Something you can handmake the best till this moment —> shrimp wontons, but the most difficult would be paella 32. Favourite wine? —> I don’t drink 33. Favourite side food —> Seaweed 34. Breakfast menu —> I belong to the “absolutely with rice” party. if there’s miso sauce with rice, i’d be happy. 35. Meat or fish —> I love both but since entering Takarazuka it was meat. 36. Eating this a lot recently —> Plum flavoured soft candies, I’ve been eating a lot of gummies food lately.

FASHION 37. Always wearing this colour —> Alas usually when I pair it up, black is a lot. 38. The system for your outfits are --> Something that otokoyaku wear, but not exactly menswear. something different from what women would wear but worn by otokoyaku. 39. For outfits i like to add this item —> Hat 40. I prefer this for my clothing style, monotone or colourful —> Monotone 41. Favourite type of boots —> Short boots

FAVOURITES 42. Must-have in your interior design in house —> A comfortable sofa 43. Must-bring for vacations —> Something plum flavoured. When I take the plane, I wont have chocolates but rather salted plums with me (laughs). Also if it’s going to overseas, I’d bring rice crackers that i can’t buy from there. 44. Must-sing in karaoke —> Not at all. I never go to karaoke. 45. Lock screen in phone —> now it’s the photo of Anri/Henry (my dog) (According to Mutual, it was named after her role Henry in her bow hall lead, “sanctuary”) 46. Line sticker i use —> Rabbit 47. The time i use in my smartphone —> Super short. I can live my day totally fine without it. sometimes i’m not able to contact people easily, to the extent that my classmates (douki) also say that it’s fine, even if we don’t meet a lot. 48. Newspaper or magazine —> magazine 49. Hot or cold —> Cold 50. Favourite genre of movie —> Something action related or spy related. mission impossible and 007 are good movies for me. 51. Songs —> Takarazuka songs. On my way back to the revue, I’d hear “passage” and “rose garden”. In the “Eagle with two heads” period, I’d listen to Ishi-san’s (Yuu Todoroki) voice and be like “Ah, it’s Ishi-san” and i think about that every day (laughs). 52. Stage —> takarazuka! 53. Book —> I love Higashino Keigo and Minato Kanae’s books. i’d read them within 2-3 days.

TOP 3 FAVOURITES 54. Favourite places —> My flat in Takarazuka is the best place. I love it more than my actual home now (laughs) and also hawaii. maybe because I love to see Mukogawa, the grand bridge of Takarazuka. I love taking a walk there. 55. Favourite foods —> White rice, salted plums, mushrooms (any will do) 56. Foods I dislike —> Green peppers, carrots, coriander 57. Favourite animals —> Dog, giraffe, flamingo. Because I already have a toy poodle at home, before i had a a miniature schnauzer with a beard. that little serious face it has gets me. 58. Scared of —> Ghosts, cockraches and moths are a NO. 59. Treasure —> When I entered takarazuka as an underclassmen, the feelings and handmade crafts i received are all treasure. 60. If you could use magic —> I want to go overseas all the time. also want to have a magic that after one touch, I’m done with my stage makeup (laughs). maybe having these two will be enough.

ON STAGE 61. How nervous are you before going on stage —> Not so nervous. I think that’s a good type of nervous when you go on stage. 62. Favourite part to do stage makeup —> Eyes. But I’m the most nervous when I have to draw my eyebrow. a slight error would change the whole look completely, so the eyebrows is something i pay attention to. 63. How much time in the makeup dressing room —> Makeup would be about 30 mins. Including hairstyle would be 40 mins. 64. Focus point on black swallow tail coat (kuroenbi) --> Is the front part too loose that it’d fall apart if i bent forward? Also when I dance, for the other costumes as well, I’d be very careful not to move too much so that i’d be careful with how i use my upper half of the body. 65. Do you remember your first line —> “Raindrop fall on roses” that I have to say the line “big boom in the sound projection room”. i still remembering having to shot that loud and clear like “big boom!” and something like that. 66. The most embarrassing till now. —> Falling from above from the grand staircase. It was a ken-3 tokyo performance and during the show prologue. the stage wings was still moving. i only have to be in the prologue in that day, but because of my mistake, that kinda happened. 67. Do you have jinx —> Not at all. I don’t have it. 68. How far can you see from the audience —> Maybe 10 rows. only if the stage lighting is bright enough that i can see. 69. What do you do when you can’t remember the lines? what’s your backup plan. —> I don’t think i have a time where i’m completely blanked out on the lines. 70. Are you good with adlibs? —> Yes! i do say them (laughs). Lucheni says something different every day (laughs).

OFF STAGE 71. What’s the first thing you do after performance—> Remove my fake eyelashes and take care of them 72. After the performance the first thing you’d drink is —> It’s not a must decide drink. but water, coffee can do. 73. Entering rest rooms, and leaving rest rooms —> I enter early and leave late. when I finish performances, I’d remove my makeup and from that moment on, I’d relax.

SPECIAL SKILLS, RECORDS 74. Longest sleep time —> I don’t remember~ I don’t think i’ve slept so long, but it may have been 12.3 hours? 75. From wake up to leaving home it would be —> 1 hour and half, around that time or so. 76. Special performances —> I love special performances, nothing in particular. But if you tell me, I’ll do it (*special performance is like a skit or skill you do of your own) 77. Licenses or certificates —> Driving license 78. Better at sprints or long distance run —> Sprints 79. The most difficult experience so far—> "Elisabeth” rehearsal

PRIVATE 80. Last cried during —> Rehearsal for Lucheni. It’s a deep answer (laughs). I was touched when the curtains opened. I rmb Wataru-san (Kozuki Wataru) being (Lucheni) before and describing that the stage “rumbles like thunder” under the applause. 81. Last angry about —> I was not angry recently. Not at all~. 82. Now i want the most is —> Rest 83. Destressing method —> shopping. when I see things i want i get excited and i’d go buy stuff i want. 84. Always affected by them —> Mother. because mother’s been taking me to watch takarazuka stages since i was small, the first thing i think about after entering takarazuka is my mom. 85. How I spend my off days —> Basically it’s cleaning up. I’d watch some takarazuka stage videos (laughs). Maybe go to some singing lessons or massage. ultimately I’m an “indoor” type. 86. Staying in resort or tour around (for vacation) —> I like touring, but now it’s going to resorts. 87. Mail or telephone —> Mail. I don’t listen to my phone even after rehearsals i don’t use it a lot. but i’d be excited for mail. 88. For shopping you’re quick to decide or frustrated —> Quick to decide. 89. Group or individual activity —> Group activitiy. I’m surprisingly not the best when alone, I’d feel lonely at home, so I want to go out with everyone else.

IF 90. If you’re born again, what would you be —> Born as a girl again and enter Takarazuka (laughs). 91. If you have a time machine what would you do —> i don’t want to go to the past, but the future is also scary, so i don’t think i’ll use a time machine. but i’d want to go to the rococo times in the palaces of “rose of versailles” (laughs). 92. Future children hope to be girl or boy? —> Girl is good. 93. What would you do on the last day of earth —> Watch Takarazuka while rumbling at home and feeling it.

STAGE LIFE 94. Favourite song —> “Monte Cristo” Newcomers’ Performance (Shinjin kouen) “Take Your Hand Out” 95. Dance —> Recently the challenges are the finale number in the “elisabeth” and the “rose of tango” in “Rose of Versailles”, these are traditional dancing numbers so dancing them are fun. but there’s still a lot of dances that leave great impressions in me. 96. Scene —> Last scene in “Sanctuary”. when dancing with Yuuri-chan (Reimi Urara) who plays the princess, the waltz that we both dance has this tense vibe that i love so much. also from that scene to the part where my douki Aishiro Moa-chan said those lines, and every time our eyes met, i cry every time. 97. Costume —> That navy blue military outfit in the second act of “Sanctuary”. i also love beddini’s pyjamas in “Top Hat”. 98. Still photo —> Franz Liszt from “People who have Wings” 99. Lines from “A Beautiful life” said by Ishida Mitsunari when the autumn leaves fall from the Lake Biwa: “Rather than flowers blooming without knowing that they will fall, I think I love autumn leaves that know the end and turn their colours.” it needs some flow of imagination in this scene so I really love it. that line paints something in my heart. 100. Role —> Ishida Mitsunari in “A Beautiful Life” in newcomers performance. He lived a good life, and he’s a very righteous role.

[shinsengumi-archives]

Okita’s topknot

Speaking of Okita Souji, that characteristic chonmage (samurai topknot) hangs behind his sakayaki (shaved head) without putting the chonmage on top.

In general, it is no exaggeration to say that chonmage = Okita Souji, but what was it like in reality?

This is considered a portrait of Okita Souji.

(Source: Bakumatsu Guide)

I don't even know his face, but a portrait? You might think it is, but of course it’s not him in person.

This was created with the face of Okita Souji's older sister’s grandson, Okita Kaname, because she said that his face was "somehow similar to Souji".

(By the way, his sister Mitsu saw this portrait and said "it doesn't look like him”...)

Regardless of his appearance, there’s a chonmage.

It’s an example of a chonmage.

This chonmage was the hairstyle of Tsukigata Ryunosuke who played in the movie "Swordfighter Okita Souji" (剣士沖田総司) released in 1945 .

Probably the first movie with Okita Souji as the main character.

The above portrait seems to have synthesized Kaname's face with this hairstyle.

So why did "Swordfighter Okita Souji" use this chonmage?

I couldn't find any material that mentions that point, but I remember seeing an article in the past saying, "That was the hairstyle that was popular among the shishi at the end of the Edo period. It was like a warrior’s style, so they used it."

Certainly, this was also the chonmage of a young shishi played by Ichikawa Raizo in "Tsukigata Hanpeita - Hana no Maki / Arashi no Maki" (月形半平太　花の巻・嵐の巻) in 1947 .

There may have been some visual freshness, but Okita Souji opposed the shishi.

Having the same chonmage is a little strange.

At that time, in the testimony of 御隠居 [T/N: daughter of a Kyoto kimono shop owner?] who loved Okita Souji:

"He always tied his hair properly with purple motoyui (paper cord), and... his hair was in a ronin’s topknot, which was fashionable at the time."

I don't know what the ronin style is, so when I look at the ronin at that time:

Sakamoto Ryoma and the Kaientai (Source: なんでもまとめサイト海援隊まとめ)

Kiyokawa Hachiro (Source: Bakumatsu Guide)

Inoue Mita (Kaoru) (Source: 幕末写真の時代)

Ito Shunsuke (Hirofumi) (Source: 幕末写真の時代)

Many of them have a full head of hair (a chonmage without shaving the forehead).

(By the way, I looked at some old photographs, but I couldn't find anyone who had a "warrior-style" chonmage. Was it really popular? It's a mystery.)

And from these two people who are very close to Okita Souji:

Kondo Isami (Source: 幕末写真の時代)

Hijikata Toshizo (Source: 幕末写真の時代)

Kondo Isami also has a full head of hair.

There is no photo of Hijikata Toshizo before the hair cut, but in the first year of the Meiji era, with this amount of hair, he probably had a full head of hair before.

I don't have any materials, but I think that Kondo Isami's adoptive father, Kondo Shusuke, also had full hair.

Kondo Shusuke was not a samurai, and he was a master at catching a snake and eating it raw.

I don't think he cared too much about his appearance.

Shusuke is a great teacher who taught Okita Souji from an early age.

Considering that his respected young mentor Kondo Isami and his peer Hijikata Toshizo also had a full head of hair and hated furu (a relaxing bath), it seems that Okita Souji may have had a full head of hair from an early age.

And, as for his motoyui..., this post has become too long, so I will continue next time.

References

秘蔵古写真 幕末　日本カメラ博物館 監修　山川出版社  2019-04-21

幕末 : 写真の時代 第2版　小沢健志 編, 渡辺義雄, 小西四郎 監修　筑摩書房

Bakumatsu Guide　https://bakumatsu.org/

幕末奇談 (中公文庫) 　子母澤寛　中公文庫  寛中央公論新社  2014-01-23

沖田総司・おもかげ抄　森満喜子　新人物往来社 満喜子 1999-04

沖田総司伝私記（2007年刊行） 　菊池明　新人物往来社  明中経出版  2007-03-23

なんでもまとめサイト　海援隊隊士まとめ　https://we.eek.jp/matome/

Wikipedia

[comic-bastards]

Review: Kaiju No. 8 vol. 1

By Dustin Cabeal

The quick and straightforward way to describe this is a Kaiju take on Marvel’s Damage Control. Damage Control asked the question of “who fixes the city after a superhero battle” and has varying degrees of seriousness and success of the years. Kaiju no. 8 begins by asking the question, who cleans up after a giant Kaiju is defeated? Certainly not the people that put the monster down, that is for damn sure.

The story follows Kafka Hibino who works for a cleanup crew that hacks up and gets rid of defeated Kaiju. He is assigned a new part-timer to train, and they share an awkward exchange when it comes out that Kafka wanted to join the defense corps before setting into his role as a cleaner. The new kid, Reno Ichikawa, is interested in why Kafka gave up and at first, they do not particularly like each other. Eventually, they find themselves a ground zero for a new Kaiju appearance and Kafka saves Reno and vice versa. The two men end up in a hospital and talk about joining the Defense Corps together as Reno and reignited Kafka’s interest. Which is all great until a bug looking Kaiju flies into Kafka’s gaping mouth and turns him into a Kaiju.

The two men end up fleeing together as Kafka discovers his newfound powers and eventually turns back into a human. They story then flashes forward several months as the two men get ready to take the practical test of joining the Defense Corps. They meet a prodigy girl that’s only sixteen years old that wipes the floor with all the Kaiju, which is until another humanoid Kaiju shows up and revives all of them making them more powerful.

Having the second volume of this series already it was incredibly difficult to stop myself from reading it. Manga reviews tend to get messy when you have too much story material to pull from and I really wanted this first volume to get its fair shake before I dove into the second volume. While I want you to read this review, I also want you to stop reading it and go check out the story as it has the makings of the next big thing from Viz. There are only a handful of stories that I have had this same desire with, One Punch Man, Black Clover and Twin Star Exorcists. Those are all heavy hitters in the manga and anime world.

What is nice about the story is that for once it is not about a high school kid. It is a dude in his thirties deciding not to give up on his dreams and getting a second lease on life. He is not trying to be the best; he is trying to be a part of a team that he feels makes a difference in the world. During the practical test he plays a support role knowing that without his Kaiju powers he can only do so much. Yes, there is the childhood friend storyline in which he is trying to catch up to her, but at least right now he is not trying to be best or the top dog. He is just trying to get a role on the team.

While the writing and characters are nothing particularly new, they are masterfully written. Well written character types will succeed every time because it is good enough to hook you and that is what happens with Kaiju No. 8. Frankly, I would have been happy with the story sticking with Kafka cleaning and gutting monsters, but where it went was enjoyable and relatable.

The artwork is well-balanced. It does comedy well, but then it also stays serious when needed as well. The two share a style rather than one breaking from the style like it often does when comedic elements are added to a story. Kafka’s Kaiju form is detailed and very cool looking. There is definitely some recent manga and movie influences on the design which gave the Kaiju a distinctive look. Overall, the action and designs are wonderful.

Simply put this has the makings of being the next big manga. It is not a perfect first volume as there are several wasted pages introducing a character in the least interesting way possible, but overall, it is an addictive read. I cannot wait to see what happens in the second volume and I will likely return with a review when I do. For now, it scores extremely high, but falls just short of a perfect score.

Naoya Matsumoto Viz Media

Score: 4/5

[sword-dad-fukuzawa]

The Curious Case of Kagami Jishi

Manga spoilers, as well as for the latest translated chapter. 

As things tend to happen, a niche and obscure topic happened to catch my fancy. Fukuchi’s ability name is “kagami jishi”, translated literally as “Mirror Lion” but also as “Lion Dance” in earlier versions. A quick Wikipedia search won’t actually tell you what Kagami Jishi actually refers to, though, as the article on Fukichi is rather short and doesn’t have a detailed bibliography.

So I went to wikipedia.jp, and Google’s auto-translate was really my best friend at this point. Kagami Jishi refers to a kabuki dance, not a novel or poem like I originally assumed, for which Fukuchi wrote the lyrics. By jumping links, the plot goes like this:

A servant is ordered to dance. She does so, emphasizing her youth and beauty, and she portrays watching cherry blossoms and camellias. But then she gets a lion mask, and there appears to be a struggle between her and the lion. Eventually, the lion takes her over entirely, and she becomes the lion. Butterflies appear, which taunt the lion. The climax is when the lion shakes his mane. 

I’ve never watched a kabuki performance, and I don’t know much about it, but this did intrigue me. So I thought I’d look to see if Kagami Jishi was performed recently, or if there was somewhere I could read the lyrics. A cursory search turned up a blog post, which detailed one person’s experience of watching Kagami Jishi at Carnegie Hall. The post was from March of 2016, which isn’t actually that long ago. 

They mentioned that the person performing it was Ichikawa Ebizō XII. A quick wikipedia search shows that Ebizō XII...died. In 2013, three years before the post. I can only conclude that it was a typo and they meant Ichikawa Ebizō XI, his successor, who is still alive.  Ebizō XI, according to wikipedia, did perform at Carnegie Hall in February, 2016, so the timeline matches up. 

I’m not likely to go watch anything at Carnegie Hall or to go to Japan anytime soon. But I did find out that there was a documentary made for Kagami Jishi, filmed in black and white in 1936, called by the same title. Did I find a copy of this movie, made nearly 90 years ago? Hell yeah I did. It’s on YouTube! With English subtitles! Here!

The funniest part of the narration is when the very proper narrator says that the actor’s greatest asset is how he’s...corpulent...which lets him play curvy women. 

Please do note I know nothing about kabuki dances, and these are the observations of an outsider. If you watch the dance, it starts off fairly slow. But the point when the lion spirit takes her over shows in how it’s dragging her by the hand, even as she stumbles trying to get away, and into an empty room off stage. She’s frenzied, almost desperate. It strikes a contrast between her slow, careful moves with the fans from the previous parts. Watching it was an interesting experience.

Sidenote--while Jiraiya, from Naruto, is heavily based on The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya, his aesthetic and kabuki-inspired character design comes from this particular kabuki dance. 

My new goal in life is to get my hands on the lyrics and get them translated. All I have right now is a single page, also gotten off of a wikipedia link. 

Why am I so obsessed with this random kabuki dance? No idea. But wandering through the Japanese side of the internet like a lost maiden in the woods was surprisingly educational. What I am interested in, actually, is whether or not Kagami Jishi reflects Bungou’s Fukuchi. Asagiri, after all, does do his homework. 

We learned in the most recently translated chapter that Fukuchi’s whole deal is that he was “born” on the battlefield, bearing witness to many unspeakable horrors and committing many of them. He thinks that the existence of nations is the reason war exists, and seeks to bring them all down. Basically, he’s a bit of an anarchist. 

Reading about Kagami Jishi, and the woman who was taken over by the lion, reminds me of him in a way. She used to be happy and human, but at the climax of the dance, she loses that humanity and exchanges it for pride. And isn’t that the ultimate prideful thing, to believe you know what’s best for the world? It isn’t her fault, but it happens all the same. 

I’ll leave you all with that thought. Hope this was interesting, at the very least! Stay safe.

[houseki-no-suffering]

Some additional thoughts on ch 81

i know ive already written a few analysis about this last chapter but there are a few things that id still like to mention, starting with the artbook because this

this is a free ticket to uncanny valley. chibi gems? a smiling cinnabar? a happy yellow diamond? genki phos laughing like a happy child, surrounded by the love of their people, flowers, rainbows, stars and frilly things? 

this is the creepiest thing ichikawa has pulled out of her pencil since the cairnmea wedding night. ill be having nightmares about this for months.

but yeah back to the actual chapter

“How long as that been there?” 

Yeah. that’s a legitimate question. more so when you think that goshe hasnt been around the other gems much (they say so themselves when they say they havent touched a gem in a long time, which im also very curious about cause thats a pretty specific thing to say), so they have been with the lunarians. 

why havent they noticed this building for 220 years then? has aechmea been keeping padparadscha away from the gems on purpose?

this reminds me of how padpa’s fingers break when they pull out one of their replacements. 

gems of the same kind shouldnt break when touching, so why did padpa’s finger shatter when they touched a piece of themselves? it could be a symptom of a general weakness due to shinsha’s mercury, the same weakness that makes it so padpa cant stand up on their own or it could also mean that the synthetic gem used to repair padpa has some downsides to it

now to phos. 

it pains me to no end to see phos reduced in this state. a literal monster, barely human-shaped just when we know they have become human. which is too ironic not to be on purpose. during this chapter phos reminds me almost of a scared animal or an infant (which would make sense if theyre indeed being reborn as a human, even on a simply metaphorical level)

like a spider or an insect, a wounded animal, phos just runs away, crawling toward the cave. they dont speak, they dont even shout. they barely look themselves anymore.

Naked, running away without uttering a single word, it looks like they lost the ability to think and feel complex emotions, like they have reversed to some primordial state of the self and of the mind. will acquiring the seventh treasure mean that phos has to re-learn to do a lot of things? are they literally being reborn? 

also, during this chase they lose so many pieces of themselves. half their head is gone, the agathe legs are gone almost completely, a huge part of their metal is scattered around the school and the island and so a huge number of phosphophyllite fragments. it makes me wonder if phos’ silence during this chapter and the way they run away without thinking is connected to reaching a point of non return in their journey.

we know that the more pieces of themselves they lose, the less similar to genki phos they’ll be. they are losing so much of that precious phosphophyllite that makes up less than 40% of their present body, and yet their torso, the only part of phos that is still the original phos, is the most intact.

yet phos is still conscious enough, ‘phosphophyllite’ enough to recognize the cave and reach out to their old notebook. 

i dont know what phos wanted to find in it, why they tried to pick it up. maybe they only hold a faint memory of what happened more than 322 years ago, maybe they forgot about cinnabar and their promise, and yet they look sincerely sad when the notebook breaks.

the notebook and the cave are symbols of phos’ promise and the fact that cinnabar is there no more and left the notebook behind are symbols of cinnabar moving on from phos’ words and finding purpose on their own. 

i think it’s very significant that, even if it was cinnabar who left the notebook behind, it is phos who breaks it, just like they broke cinnabar’s trust.

finally id like to point out that rutile runs toward padparadscha to catch the piece of synthetic gem. they dont refuse the ‘gift’, they dont act hostile.

padpa is doing for them what rutile tried to do themselves in chap 70, when they tried to carve out padpa’s synthetic replacements. rutile is just speechless, shocked. they run towards padpa, they catch the piece and then they sink to the ground, overwhelmed by emotions. 

just like padparadscha doesnt hate rutile, rutile doesnt hate padparadscha. their obsession with padpa wasnt intentional and they still care a great deal about their former partner.

this last panel looks like the final stage of a battle, the end of a war and possibly of rutile and padpa’s arcs. padpa’s body is lying on the ground like a dead knight and rutile is crouched near them, hugging a piece of padpda to the chest, silent, defeated by emotions.

[abitscripturient]

Sneak Peek of Vena Cava

Medicinal Love Book 2

Kyoto, Japan 2003

It was quiet in the majority of the regal-looking Ichikawa mansion that was surrounded with all-around views of peaceful gardens. The silence was brief as the sound of piano notes raised to a crescendo before coming down to a softer volume. The notes came from inside a hangout room where three to five guys were lounging around with various women. The only man without a girl beside him was Ichikawa Takumi who sat playing at his sleek black grand piano.

The notes were music to Mizuno Hikaru’s ears, though if anybody were to pass by where he was seated on a couch they wouldn’t have guessed. Three young ladies, all with midnight hair sat around him too pleased to take advantage of him. He let them rub their hands all over his chest-exposed from his open button-down shirt and he sighed happily feeling like an emperor surrounded by his concubines. His world was full of ecstasy and lust and he didn’t care who was inadvertently a part of it. His hands and mouth were occupied in many ways.

His right hand caressed and squeezed the breast of Aki; a girl who didn’t care who she opened her legs to just as long as she got off in the end. Hikaru had gotten her off many times before and she just came back for more of his skill. His left hand was hidden underneath the dress of Chise, who was just as promiscuous if not more so than Aki. She let out a moan that nearly matched the softest note of the piano from the way Hikaru’s hand teased her soft folds mercilessly.

The third woman, Mizuki who matched Hikaru’s nineteen years sighed passionately as he kissed up the smooth column of her neck. She was pretty new to the neighborhood but that didn’t stop her from making her mark on the group. She was persistent and confident. Attributes that attracted Hikaru to the beautiful girl. He moved his hand from Aki’s breast to direct Mizuki’s mouth to his. His slick tongue breached her soft lips dancing around with hers and he was rewarded with a deep throaty moan from her. If he had the chance he would kiss her lips all night.

Takumi ended his song, leaning forward to appreciate what he had just played. He moved to get up from the piano seat, putting a hand through his red-brown hair to move it from his eyes. He witnessed the sexual show and smirked; his best friend was quite the playboy and while it normally didn’t bother him he felt that he just needed some time with his best friend. Between him going to college and Hikaru having his own dealings with medical school, there was barely any time.

He clapped a few times to get everybody’s attention and when he succeeded said, “I’m glad you all have had a good time, however, I need for everybody but Mizuno-san to go home now. Oyasumi. Goodnight.”

Hikaru nearly groaned at the timing of his best friend’s eviction and after giving Mizuki a stare that promised more released her and Chise from his hands. The women situated their clothing and got up, giving Takumi a bow of departure before leaving. Others left as well and soon it was just the two.

Hikaru smiled as he sat in a relaxed pose with one arm over the back of the couch. “But why did you have to tell the women to leave, Taku-kun? There were three of them! More than enough to share.” He asked in an agonized tone. He made a face to make it seem as if he just wouldn’t live without sex with them.

But Takumi knew his best friend better and said, “You’ll survive, Hikaru-kun. I’m sure of it.” He came over to him and took a seat next to him, chuckling as he watched Hikaru fix up his unbuttoned shirt. “Besides, I told you. I’m done with that. I want to just have…”

“Shitte iru, I know…a woman of your very own. Like Briseis.” Hikaru grumbled.

“It couldn’t hurt to try, right?”

He flashed Takumi a wide grin and when he heard him laugh, gave a laugh of his own. Takumi, for a long time, had been drooping around like a lovesick puppy ever since he met Briseis Kennedy a few months before. He didn’t understand why Takumi wanted to just have one girlfriend. That idea just sounded so boring to him. Why have a cup of milk when you can have the whole cow? With Hikaru, there was no telling how many women he had been with already in his life, but none had ever gotten the status of girlfriend.

“You did you see the stare that Mizuki gave you when she left?”  Hikaru heard Takumi ask as if he had read his mind. He glanced up at him. “No, I was too busy staring at her ass.” He answered with the whole truth.

Takumi rolled his eyes. “She was staring at you something bad. Almost like she was in love with you.”

Fingers frozen over the button he was currently fixing, Hikaru was silent but then he smiled. When his shirt was buttoned, he said to Takumi, “She’s a nice girl…”

“But?”

“But you know me. I’m not like you, Takumi. I have too much going on to be worrying about just one woman. Med school takes enough of my time as it is. I can’t imagine fitting in dates and relationships in the mix.”

Hikaru shuddered at the thought of that and Takumi noticed, giving him a pat on the back. “You don’t know unless you try. You might just find that one woman that gets you more than you get yourself.”

Hikaru gave a soft chuckle before he let it grow into a full-blown laugh. The idea of that was so far-fetched to Hikaru that it was too hard to even imagine without laughing. He stood up and when Takumi did the same he walked with him out of the door saying, “Oh, that was a good one, Taku. Here, let’s talk it about it more over dinner. We need to catch up anyway.”

Takumi shook his head smiling. “What I said wasn’t meant to be a joke, Hikaru. But I can take a hint. Do what makes you happy.”

“Likewise.”

Before walking down the sidewalk, Hikaru looked at his best friend with the most serious face he could give him as he declared, “I know you mean well, but there is just no way you are ever going to see me with the love of my life.”

[red-dia]

So.. Since the lunarians arent the bad guys anymore, who are the antagonists?

Weeeell…. It’s a bit more complex than that..First, I’d say the lunarians are NOT 100% innocent - while their actions are understandable, abducting and killing sentient beings remains a pretty shitty thing to do, to say the least (and don’t get me started on what they’re currently doing to the admirabilises either). Even if some lunarians could potentially disagree with these actions, it looks like most of the workers are happy to catch and grind gems, and even consider it as some sort of.. sport ? That’s the feeling I got when they caught Phos, even if their arrival probably changed the lunarians’s opinion on gems. Anyway, to me the moon people remain bad guys to an extent - they aren’t as threatening as they used to be, but they’re still shady on many levels.

So, to answer your question, who’s the true antagonist ? Bad news : there’s no real villain. An antagonist would be someone opposed to Phos, the protagonist. So, you could define phos’s goal as “talking to/attacking sensei so he starts praying”, and therefore define sensei as the main antagonist for obvious reasons (and potentially add the Earth gems, but they don’t seem to know as much as Phos so they have legitimate reasons to be against them).But ! Getting sensei to work is part of the solution to a bigger problem, which is, the Lunarians attacks. Phos wants to save their kind, and so does every other gem. The Lunarians are attacking because they consider it a last resort, so they’re working towards a way to make it stop. And sensei… Well, we don’t know why he refuses to/is unable to pray, but he’s very protective of the gems, so he most likely supports this idea as well, therefore he can’t be considered an antagonist either.

Tl;Dr : everyone wants the same thing and seems to have good intentions, but the lack of communication and some missing elements creates conflict. Of course, you could consider someone an antagonist for some less “important” actions that harmed phos/the gems in general (bort/shinsha/paddy for attacking in ch70, cairngorm for the same reason, sensei for refusing to discuss with the Lunarians, etc etc) but almost every significant character did some debatable things at some point. I think ichikawa simply intended to create a story without defining clear roles for her characters - you could try to interpret their actions and assign them as protagonists/antagonists, or not worry about it too much because so far it seems like everyone is doing what seems best so it’s pretty hard to judge objectively

[neni-has-ascended]

Watching Lostorage conflated WIXOSS...

Five Episodes in, I have the following comments (Beware of spoilers):

So, um, are Hanayo and Midorko actually Hanayo Unjou and Midori Ichikawa again, or just detailed copies made from Yuzuki’s and Hitoe’s memories? Hitoe and Yuzuki sure act like it’s really Midori and Hanayo, but it’s never made 100% clear, which is frankly confusing. After all, if the real Midori and Hanayo went missing, wouldn’t their friends and family be in turmoil too? This needs addressing, show!

Chinatsu being a good person now is so nice to see. Also, the fact that she and Suzuko are happy and in a healthy friendship/relationship now. It’s satisfying. These girls deserved this outcome and I hope they can keep it by the end of the show.

Related: Tama living as Ruuko’s adopted little sister is adorable as all hell. It’s so good to see Tama just living and doing normal person things, a dream she didn’t even dare to entertain back when she was LRIG. Now, I know she’ll have been in battle again at least once by the time this show is over, the OP spoils as much, but for now it’s good to see she enjoys being human and that the Kominatos have accepted her with open arms.

Generally, all the friendships are great. In the previous seasons, the Anime always had such a “every (wo)man for themself”, bleak kind of tone, but this time it really does feel like people are working together, which gives everything a sort of flair more typical for card game Anime. I like it, I feel the show was sorely missing that until now. 

Good Writing: Dona’s fate. Seriously, every time Dona is on screen, it’s heartwrenching. I am so glad they didn’t forget about her after Lostorage. The fact that she’s forced to live the life of a friend she’s lost, having to pretend that she’s him is so sad and the show handles it well. The way she keeps wanting to honor his memory (pun not intended), even if it means meddling in things she’d rather stay away from and putting her own safety on the line is just so endearing. Dona is a good girl. It’d be wonderful if they could get Shouhei back and let Dona live in a body of her own, but I know that’s a pipe dream. (Please, just don’t get captured, Dona-) Talking of which...

Everybody’s getting kidnapped left and right. Seriously, so far this is “Kidnapping. The Anime.” Frankly, I don’t care too much about Milulun and Anon, they had it coming, but I seriously feel very sorry for Midori, Hanayo and Yuzuki (especially if the former two are the real Midori and Hanayo). Those girls just can’t ever seem to catch a break, can they? Only reason Hitoe hasn’t been completely screwed over yet is probably so she can inform Ruuko of the damsels to be saved.

Talking of which, everyone morally decent but Ruuko, Suzuko, Hanna and Kiyoi continues to be awful at WIXOSS. (No seriously, it’d be nice to see Hitoe win a game for a change. Pls. Make it happen.)

Related: Layla is OP as hell, pls nerf. She’s giving me some serious Yami Marik-style “I CAN DO WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT BECAUSE I AM INSANE AND ALSO ANCIENT EGYPTIAN VOODOO”-vibes, and it’s kind of annoying. (Also, Layla and Carnival seem kind of like redundant characters. I hope there’s a purpose to having two characters this similar in the show.)

Why is Akira still insane? I thought the ending of spread implied she was getting better after hooking up with Iona (the real one). Did Iona dump her? Oh boy...Somebody, just, send this girl to therapy already.

Are we finally gonna see Ruuko’s LRIG form? If we do, is she gonna look like the artwork of “Gothic Boundary”? 

Where is Remember?She’s in the opening. You can’t fool me, show. It’s only a matter of time. I am counting down to supreme bullshit character whom I love to hate.

Where is Yuki? Like, I assume she’s just chilling out somewhere, minding her own business and being happy, trying to not involve Ruuko and Tama in anymore craziness, but I sure hope the girl is doing alright. She deserves so. Given that Mayu’s spirit seems to be calling out to Tama, there’s a chance Yuki might get involved again as well...Maybe as a surprise appearance in a later episode. Ohhh boy.

[nagatsukinura119]

AKB48 49th Single Senbatsu Sousenkyo report

Well… I couldn’t write this report as soon as after I was done watching with this year’s SSK, because I had a total headache as I watched the whole thing and suffered internally. Even right now I can’t think straight due to lack of sleep and I need to catch a flight in an hour. Sorry for lack of pictures because this year I spent most of the time chatting with other fans. Also, I don’t think I’m that fully invested in this year’s SSK, I’m so sorry with my lacking passion but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t spend some money on votes this year. But, enough about me and let’s start with this year’s SSK report.

Aside from the fact that the morning event was cancelled thanks to the staff’s wise decision to choose Okinawa as the venue during TYPHOON SEASON. One word for this year’s event: crazy. It was simply CRAZY. Lots of changes in members ranking in as well as the ranks of regular participants. It feels like this was some kind of bingo game and members were just randomly selected into their ranks. No, that was not right, I actually considered to think that this year the rankings were rigged, I’m not gonna lie that this was how I felt. Honestly, I don’t know about 70-75% of the members who ranked in because there were some Kenkyuusei members who managed to get in and NGT members are starting to grab some ranks from other members. This isn’t actually a big deal and it’s great that these members were able to rank in for the first time and they deserved it and kudos for them. But on the other hand, because I didn’t know most of these girls it was hard for me to enjoy and focus fully on the event. Sure, later on some recognized names were mentioned like Sato Yukari (AKB48), Sato Sumire (NMB48), Ichikawa Miori (NMB48) and so on.

Nevertheless, there were really great rises and first appearances from members that I support like. First, I’m gonna mention some names that I recognize and pleased to see rising up.

Kato Minami #71

Girl has rose with 5 ranks from last year. Not really a huge gap considering that she was deemed the face of NGT initially, only to have another member as the group’s Center (I smell AtsuMina kind of relationship). Nevertheless, I believe she still has more to show to us and she’ll rise more and more as time goes on.

Oguri Yui #51

I’m still not a fan of Team 8 but something about Yuiyui keeps on calling for my attention. Perhaps it’s because of AKBingo when she was often called. So, when she was ranked from unranked to 51th place it was really pleasing to hear. I really hope she’ll grow more and catch more hearts at the same time show more of her talent.

Taniguchi Megu #69

YES! Naachan’s waifu rose 24 ranks and didn’t disappoint me. I knew that this year was gonna be Megutan’s year for SSK. I think she’s one of those members who gradually and slowly rise up through the ranks as well the hearts of the fans. I have a feeling that she’s not really there yet but she’s still young and I believe she still has chances to raise her popularity. Considering AKB’s current condition I really hope she will be one of the members along with the 16th generation girls to bring AKB to the top again.

Fukuoka Seina #32

Just like Megutan, Seichan’s rose of 65 ranks is utterly AMAZING! I seriously didn’t expect she’d rose so high and frankly speaking I didn’t have that much hope with her. I’m just really glad that she’s there and she’s one of the few members whom I lay my eyes on.

Honorable mentions for this category are Yokoyama Yui Team A #7 (rise 4 ranks) and Takahashi Juri #11 (rise 4 ranks) and Iwatate Saho #42 (rise 9 ranks).

So those are the members whose ranks I’m satisfied with. Now onto the WTF moments that almost made me feel infuriated. These members whose ranks that I didn’t expect coming from them and really, really dropped my jaw.

Kitagawa Ryoha #64 (same rank), Shibuya Nagisa #60 (drop 4 ranks), Tomonaga Mio #35 (drop 12 ranks)

Take note that these three names are Tentoumuchu members and for me, they were ranked quite low and this was a shock. I’m upset that Uha and Nagisa have lost their momentum and ranked low for their standard. It’s saddening enough that Miki’s no longer around but seeing members of Tentoumuchu fell this low is just heartbreaking. As for Mio, I’m not sure if she’s lost her momentum or this just wasn’t her year. Regardless, during her speech she looked like she was about to collapse which was really heartbreaking to look at. I can’t say for sure what to expect from Uha and Nagisa next year, but I believe Mio’s fans will try to avenge her next year and bring her to senbatsu or at least Undergirls because I believe she belongs there.

Mukaichi Mion #17 (drop 4 ranks)

This was a major shock. I think this was one of the biggest shock for me coming from this SSK. This is like, FUCKING MION, man. How on earth did she drop out of senbatsu? As much as I’m pleased that Naachan surpassed her but her drop is INSANE. It almost felt like somebody rigged her votes to drop her rank purposely. I can’t even say much about this expect that this is just too mind-blowing.

Komiyama Haruka #52

Biggest shock of the night for me. I can’t- I mean- WHAT!? When I heard her name, I was appalled that I thought the announcers read the card wrong or something. I remember her face being so appalled as she got up the stage to get her trophy. Frankly speaking her face was literally saying, “What the fuck am I doing here? Is this seriously what I’m getting?” and she looked like she was ready to kill someone. Ironically, I wished that when she received the mic, she’d go apeshit and just blow her mind out, or simply drop the mic out of discontent (lol). Surprisingly she did really well in her speech and retained her smile and remained professional and mature which made me clap my hands and feel proud for her. I really thought that Komiharu’s gonna fly this year since she had a promising year and so did many fans. In fact, most of us expected she’d be in senbatsu, so what gives!? I haven’t discovered what caused this huge drop from 21st place but I really hope that next year she’s gonna make a huge comeback and not disappoint the fans because I believe she has the ability to do better.

Kojima Mako #24 (drop 5 ranks)

This is definitely the next huge shocking moment next to Komiharu’s ranking. The moment Kojimako’s name was called, it immediately made me say the words: blasphemy, lies, sabotage and treason, because I really thought she’d make it to senbatsu this year, I mean, if not this year, when?! I’m still at a loss of words over this utter bullshit. I guess to put it simply, my thoughts for Kojimako’s ranking is the same as Komiharu’s.

Watanabe Mayu #2

Nothing much to say about Mayuyu’s rank expect for the fact that most of us have expected it but wished we were wrong. So, she secured the second place for the third time and some of us were delighted and I believe most of us were just “eh” about it. Comparing her number of votes from this year and last year, she actually dropped a lot of votes so I guess it’s no shocker that she didn’t get the first place but no one can blame her because Sasshi’s a monster. Anyway, the bigger reason why I decided to write about Mayuyu is her graduation announcement. I didn’t watch her announcement live because I was too disappointed that she didn’t win but I heard the news from live chats and despite that I expected it coming, I did NOT expect that she would announce it during SSK which was almost mindblowing as Riripon’s marriage announcement (which was a major WTF moment)

Okada Nana #9

I can’t say that I’m 100% upset and saddened that we failed to bring Naachan to her dream to reach Kami 7 this year. But her rose of ranks from 14th place and about 5000 votes is enough to show us that she has rose in popularity and likely will do much more in the future once her activities in STU48 are more prominent and she gains more fans throughout Setouchi. I think Naachan’s speech was the only moment when I shed tears throughout this SSK especially because of how she talked about wanting to be a great role model for the members of STU48. Remember that the members are young and they need a right role model to guide them, and what could be better than Naachan? She’s a promising member as well as a great leader (she may not be the best but she IS trying). Once again, Naachan mentioned that she wants to bring AKB48 on top again and I really want this to happen. This is why I shed tears along with the ‘daughters’ as they were so touched by her speech. While I’m somewhat satisfied with her improvement, I am still a bit salty that a new member managed to overthrow her and other regular members of senbatsu from Kami 7 so next year I’ll try to invest more votes for her.

Alright now that’s that, time for the same confession I did since the past 2 SSKs. Just like last year, the moment I heard Mayuyu’s name being mentioned in the second place I immediately turned the stream off because frankly I didn’t want to see the smug in Sasshi’s face, at the same time I had a feeling that her victory wasn’t gonna be that passionate, and judging from some comments I read in Stage48 and Tumblr, boy was I right. I guess the regret I had for my actions this year is that I didn’t at least stop to listen to Mayuyu’s graduation announcement. Anyway, for God’s sake I’m sick of seeing Sasshi standing at the top stage, sitting on the queen’s chair, and wearing that cape. Here’s why I don’t like Sasshi getting the first place:

1.       Everyone knows that it’s a no-brainer that she was gonna win again for the FOURTH time and THIRD time consecutively (but I still held hopes that Mayuyu was gonna beat her but NOOOOOO she got almost 100k votes higher than Mayuyu so Mayuyu didn’t stand a chance AT ALL). SASSHI, ENOUGH! STAHPPPPPPPPP! We get it; you’re the indisputable GIANT WITH A HUGEASS FANDOM THAT RANGES FROM IDOL FANS TO NON-IDOL FANS, NOW CAN YOU JUST GO AWAY!? *pant pant*

2.       I don’t think it’s necessary for her to participate since last year because I don’t see why she has to (even though she has all the rights to participate). Unless she’s being forced by her agency or manager to keep on participating and become a wall for new winners, I don’t see what’s the point for her to be there. She’s very popular and her influence has widened all the way from the idol world already. At this point I’m even considering that she’s doing this for personal gain. I think I’m just used to most members doing things NOT for themselves, but for the sake of others, so when this thought came in I just can’t help but feel like Sasshi is being selfish. Although she can enjoy the glory, fans are starting to not even bother her win anymore. I have a feeling (and REALLY hope) that she won’t be participating next year because she herself said that she won’t be in anyone’s way next year (amen to that).

I think there were more things I had in mind about Sasshi but I forgot about them as I write this down.

Another crazy thing that happened was obviously the speech of Sutou Ririka who announced her marriage. Frankly this announcement was super surprise because dating itself was already a huge deal for these girls, but MARRIAGE? What. The. Actual. Fuck? To be clear, I’m not her fan and I’m not that interested in her. But I know that she’s a sensible girl so when she announced this I just felt like this was forced and planned. And then not long after the event was over, Bunshun released the article of her apparently having a scandal. I don’t know how to react about this, because again, I’m not a fan of hers.  But I saw how fans react to this in both ways so we’ll just see how it goes for her from here on.

To finish this report, I just want to confess that I was sadly not so into it as I did during the past SSKs I’ve joined. Maybe it was because of my decreased passion due to my busy college life and at the same time there were too many members that I don’t recognize that I felt at a lost. But I guess these reasons are my fault since I needed to try and learn these members and know their charms. Well, regardless how crazy and full of BS this SSK was, it is undeniable that this was more fun and livelier because I got to chat and laugh with other fans who I befriended during our live chatroom. I will come back again for next SSK so see you guys next year!

[stacks-reviews]

New Releases 6/27/17

Happy New Release Day! This weeks consists of robots in space, everyday life of a fledgling superhero, a trip across Europe, a power called Geass, a class made of assassins, and more.

In Books --The Adventures of a Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks “What if you can leap tall buildings and defeat alien monsters with your bare hands, but you buy your capes at secondhand stores and have a weakness for kittens?” The everyday tales of a super girl as she saves people, as she updates her family on how she is doing, and as she tries to keep a part-time job but forgets to remove her mask before work. With an arch-nemesis who’s only superpower is letting our hero know she is doing the superhero thing wrong. This particular version of this graphic novel is a expanded edition. It was originally printed in 2013 but has been reprinted a few times since. This edition will include two new stories and new art. I have never read it before but I really wanna give it a try.

--Descender volume 4 by Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen One day giant robots appear out of nowhere bringing death and destruction across the galaxy. As a consequence all robots are now outlawed and are hunted and destroyed by bounty hunters. Ten years after the attack an android named Tim-21 awakens to find his home destroyed and the human boy he was bought for gone. Tim sets out to find his human along with his robot dog and a mining droid. But Tim will be hunted down as his robot DNA might just reveal how to defeat the giant robots if they ever return. I love this series. This is probably my favorite release for this week. I started reading this series early this year. It is very good and the art is amazing. Dustin Nguyen did a wonderful job with the watercolor. There’s a great cast of characters but Tim is probably my favorite character. I would definitely check it out. I recommend it to everyone that I help in the graphic novel section at work. If you love robots, robots in space, and the exploration into what defines being human (there’s rogue robots who just want to live instead of being destroyed and will fight back) then read Descender.

--The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee I first wrote this down to research it because I was imagining the worst. I was thinking something along the lines of, ‘they are not publishing a book that says treating women in such a way is okay’. But then it became so much better. Henry Montague’s days of pleasure and vice; with both men and women, are rapidly coming to an end. His father is going to force Henry to start taking care of the family estate. As a final hurrah, Henry invites his best friend and secret crush; Percy, to travel across Europe with him. When one of Henry’s reckless decisions sends him and Percy into a manhunt it will have Henry questioning everything he knows. Including his thoughts about the boy he secretly adores.  The description of this book did not go at all the way I was expecting. I’m really excited to give this a try. I love everything about it already. As long as it doesn’t end up supporting treating people like crap, basically. 

--Land of the Lustrous volume 1 by Haruko Ichikawa The Lustrous are crystalline lifeforms; each gem has unique powers, who are hunted by a group called lunarians who would turn the Lustrous into decorations.  I mostly want to read this cause I immediately thought of Steven Universe when I read the description. 

--The Waking Land by Callie Bates Lady Elanna Valtai is fiercely devoted to her King who raised her like a daughter. But when he mysteriously dies, Elanna is accused of murdering him and must flee to her homeland full of magical legends. And to her birth father who was branded a traitor. Now she must confront the powers that have stirred within her and seem to grow as she connects to the natural world. Now Elanna must stop the threat that has chased her to her homeland and rebel against the kingdom she once called home. It reminds me of Uprooted by Naomi Novik and I really enjoyed that book.

In moives/tv shows --Assassination Classroom S2P2 The conclusion of Assassination Classroom is finally out today. The truth about Koro-Sensei will finally be revealed. But once Class E learns the truth, will they be able to assassinate the best teacher they’ve ever had? If you haven’t seen this series before or haven’t read the manga yet, you should. This series has had surprisingly good character development. When I first started reading the manga I thought it would just be this silly series but then it became so much more that just silly. It’s a really good blend of comedy, action, and can be very sweet. I haven’t seen the anime yet; although I own the first season, but from what I’ve seen and heard it follows the manga very well.

--Blue Exorcist Complete Box Set (blu-ray) For the first time the hit anime is out in a complete box set. Twin brothers; Rin and Yukio, were raised by an exorcists named Father Shiro Fujimoto. One day their home is attacked and Rin finds out his biological father is Satan. In order to avenge those that were lost during the battle Rin decides to train to become an exorcist in order to defeat Satan. Blue Exorcist is a really good series if you haven’t seen it yet. I’m not sure how well it follows the manga though. I think the end of the first season was different from the manga but I’m not 100% positive. I did flip through some of the volumes when season two started and it looked like the first part of S2 followed the manga pretty well. The set does cost $159.98 but the first season is available for streaming on Netflix and both are on Crunchyroll.

--Code Geass: Akito the Exiled The OVA series of the hit anime Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. It’s five episodes but each episode should be around 50 minutes. Characters from the series will make an appearance. I’m really excited for this release but all it has made me want to do is to rewatch the original series. Characters will be returning for this but I’m not quite sure how or what part they will play. 

--Panda Go Panda (on blu-ray) A little girl who lives with a Panda and it’s baby. I didn’t know much about this title until it was mentioned in a panel at a con I went to this year. Afterwards, I found out that it was getting a blu-ray release. From what I remember our main character either thinks that PapaPanda is her father or PapaPanda offers to become her father while her family is away. Throughout the town tries to let her know that her Papa is a panda and the police and most the town try to catch them. It looks really cute. It’s only 80 minutes long. It’s two episodes.

--Sea Prince and the Fire Child (on blu-ray) One long ago fire spirits and wind spirits lived as one till one day the Lord of the Winds drove a rift between the Queen of Fire and her brother, the King of Water. Ever since then, the fire spirits and water spirits have been at war with one another. One day the Prince of Fire and the Princess of Water met and fell in love. Their only chance of living together means traveling to a distant star where fire and water spirits live in peace but they much reach the hill of Elysium by the next solar eclipse. 

--Sword Art Online Box Set (blu-ray) One of the top favorite ‘getting stuck inside a video game’ series around is now available in a box set. All 25 episodes with some special features. The blu-ray is $159.95 and the dvd set is $69.98 BUT the dvd won’t be out until 8/1. Personally, I am holding out a small, small hope that I might come across the limited editions of the parts. I have the first one but missed out on the rest. If I break and buy the set someday, I’ll probably get the dvd. Unless the blu-ray set happens to have a good sale someday. I’m in no hurry cause my heart still heavily belongs to .hack//sign. SAO has some great fight scenes but I have stronger feelings toward .hack//sign. 

--Yu-Gi-Oh Dark Side of Dimensions The original crew is back! Yugi and the gang are about to graduate from high school. Then trouble starts when a boy named Aigami arrives. He blames Bakura for the death of his mention; and former holder of the Millennium Ring, and it out for revenge. It’s up to Yugi to save Bakura and the rest of his friends. I managed to catch this movie when it came to theaters. It was great because I hadn’t seen Yu-Gi-Oh in a long time. Most of the original voice actors returned to dub it which I was very happy about. There was a minor change in a characters back story but it had been so long since I had seen the series that I didn’t notice it until someone pointed it out to me.

[andhumanslovedstories]

In 2015, I read 130 books. My goal for 2016 was to top that. I was aiming for 150, but then I discovered Dragon Age and Critical Role, which took big bites out of my free time, and also I lived in a van for four months in with my best friend as we traveled throughout the US and Canada, which I think is an experience worth like at least like 10 books. 

Anyway, here are the 135 books I read this year. Favorites are bolded. 

The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London, Judith Flanders (1/05)

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, Erik Larson (1/06)

Redshirts, John Scalzi (1/07)

Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson (1/8)

If I Stay, Gayle Forman (1/10)

The Time Garden, Edward Eayer (1/11)

Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters (1/16)

The Next Best Thing, Deirdre Berry (1/14)

Maskerade, Terry Pratchett (1/17)

Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian London, Judith Flanders (1/24)

The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett (2/01)

Detroit: An American Autopsy, Charlie LeDuff (2/02)

Waiting in the Winds, Melissa Brayden (2/02)

Born With Teeth, Kate Mulgrew (2/06)

The Price of Salt, or Carol, Patricia Highsmith (2/08)

Curious Wine, Katherine V. Forrest (2/08)

Landing, Emma Donoghue (2/10)

A God in Ruins, Kate Atkinson (2/12)

The Invention of Murder: How Victorians Reveled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime, Judith Flanders (2/23)

Pistols for Two, Georgette Heyer (2/16)

Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer (2/24)

A Mortal Bane, Roberta Gellis (2/26)

Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Lynne Truss (2/27)

Holes, Louis Sachar (2/27)

Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine (2/28)

Be With You, Takuji Ichikawa (2/29)

Both Flesh and Not, David Foster Wallace (3/03)

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, Reza Aslan (3/06)

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (3/07)

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, Anne Fadiman (3/08)

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, Cheryl Strayed (3/08)

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fate of Human Societies, Jared Diamond (3/18)

Black Moon, Kenneth Calhoun (3/10)

Making Money, Terry Pratchett (3/18)

Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel (3/19)

Foundation, Isaac Asimov (3/20)

Thirteen Stories, Eudora Welty (3/27)

The President is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman who Dared Expose the Truth, Matther Algeo (3/21)

Foundation and Empire, Isaac Asimov (3/23)

Second Foundation, Isaac Asimov (3/26)

The Icarus Girl, Helen Oyeyemi (3/30)

Danse Macabre, Stephen King (4/11)

The Now Habit: The Fiore Productivity Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play, Neil Fiore (4/1)

Foundation’s Edge, Isaac Asimov (4/07)

A Tale for the Time Being, Ruth Ozeki (4/13)

In the Land of Believers: An Outsider’s Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church, Gina Welch (4/15)

All Over Creation, Ruth Ozeki (4/18)

The Color of Magic, Terry Pratchett (4/24)

The Narcissist Next Door: Understanding the Monster in Your Family, in Your Office, in Your Bedroom—In Your World, Jeffrey Kluger (4/18)

The Lola Quartet, Emily St. John Mandel (4/20)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman (4/24)

The World Without Us, Alan Weisman (5/01)

The End of the Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light, Paul Bogard (5/05)

The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cineros (4/29)

Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention, Katherine Ellison (5/02)

Salt: A World History, Mark Kurlansky (5/12)

Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times, Jennifer Worth (5/13)

The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell (5/17)

On Immunity: An Inoculation, Eula Biss (5/19)

Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help, Larissa MacFarquhar  (5/27)

For My Lady’s Heart, Laura Kinsale (6/08) -------- ALSO THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK I READ ON THE ROADTRIP 

Ghost Story, Peter Straub (6/11)

James Tiptree, Jr: The Double Life of Alice Sheldon, Julie Phillips (6/15)

The Book of Unknown Americans, Cristina Henríquez (6/16)

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon (6/22)

Skeleton Crew, Stephen King (6/27)

Carrie, Stephen King (6/29)

Buy Jupiter and Other Stories, Isaac Asimov (7/05)

Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, Kathleen Norris (7/08)

Lewis and Clark Through Indian Eyes: Nine Indian Writers on the Legacy of the Expedition, ed. Alvin M. Josephy, Jr (7/08)

The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs (8/20)

Vampires in Their Own Words: An Anthology of Vampire Voices, Michelle Belanger (7/14)

The Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett (7/15)

Unlocked, Courtney Milan (7/15)

Unveiled, Courtney Milan (7/20)

A Hat Full of Sky, Terry Pratchett (7/24)

When Breath Becomes Air, Paul Kalanithi (7/25)

Betrayal: The Crisis in the Catholic Church, Boston Globe (7/27)

Unclaimed, Courtney Milan (7/29)

Asking for It, Lilah Pace (7/29)

Unclaimed, Courtney Milan (7/31)

Wintersmith, Terry Pratchett (8/06)

Once Upon a Marquess, Courtney Milan (8/07)

Her Every Wish, Courtney Milan (8/09)

Act Like It, Lucy Parker (8/10)

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer (8/13)

LumberJanes, Vol 4, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Shannon Watters (8/20)

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes and Other Lessons from a Crematorium, Caitlin Doughty (8/22)

The Fairy’s Return and Other Princess Tales, Gail Carson Levine (8/25)

The Governess Affair, Courtney Milan (8/26)

The Duchess War, Courtney Milan (8/27)

Frog Music, Emma Donoghue (8/30)

Still Alice, Liza Genova (8/28)

A Kiss for Midwinter, Courtney Milan (8/30)

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith (9/06)

The Heiress Effect, Courtney Milan (8/31)

The Countess Conspiracy, Courtney Milan (9/01)

Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston, Ernest Callenbach (9/22)

The Suffragette Scandal, Courtney Milan (9/23)

Talk Sweetly to Me, Courtney Milan (9/23)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot (9/28)

Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, Phillip Pullman (10/02)

A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson (10/07)

I Shall Wear Midnight, Terry Pratchett (10/08)

Bloodchild and Other Stories, Octavia Butler (10/07)

How to Catch a Wild Viscount, Tessa Dare (10/07)

The Father and the Son: My Father’s Journey into the Monastic Life, Matt Murray (10/09)

The Charioteer, Mary Renault (10/10)

The Shepherd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett (10/10)

The Bride Fair, Cheryl Reavis (10/11) ----- THIS IS THE LAST BOOK I READ ON THE ROADTRIP 

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, William Zinsser (10/16)

When a Scot Ties the Knot, Tessa Dare (10/28)

The Depths: The Evolutionary Origins of Depression, Jonathan Rotteberg (11/02)

Sex Object, Jessica Valenti (11/04)

Lords and Ladies, Terry Pratchett (11/20)

A Duke to Remember, Kelly Bowen (11/26)

Cotillion, Georgette Heyer (11/30)

Knitlandia: A Knitter Sees the World, Clara Parker (12/04)

Silhouette of a Sparrow, Molly Beth Griffin (12/06)

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel, Sara Farizan (12/06)

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruits, Jaye Robin Brown (12/07)

Wildthorn, Jane England (12/07)

Sleep, Pale Sister, Joanne Harris (12/08)

The Old Deep and Dark, Ellen Hart (12/09)

What We Left Behind, Robin Talley (12/11)

Lovers at the Chameleon Club, Paris 1932, Francine Prose (12/19)

Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminders, and Toxic People in Your Life, Wendy L. Patrick (12/13)

Fingersmith, Sarah Waters (12/20)

If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo (12/20)

Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties, Beth Kobliner (12/27)

After, Francine Prose (12/23)

The Boyfriend List, E. Lockhart (12/25)

The Boy Book, E. Lockhart (12/27)

Circle of Magic: Tris’s Book, Tamora Piece (12/28)

How to Be Black, Baratunde Thurston (12/28)