#is way more popular than yaoi. like what goes on. huh? what?

[venomgender]

korean bl vs japanese yaoi discourse is stupid as shit for obvious reasons but its also just so baffeling to me because like. what makes bl more "pure" than yaoi.... for every loveless there is a killing stalking. like...

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Zombieland Saga 7 - 8 | Merc Storia 6 | SSSS.Gridman 7 | Double Decker! 9 | Golden Kamuy 19

Zombieland Saga 7

As much as I worry about Junko…where’s Ai?

Parts of the OP have changed since I last paid attention to it, huh? Now there’s a segment where all the zombified (i.e. undead) versions of the girls appear. Then there’s a new bit where you see Romero looking at Kotaro, wagging his tail. Then there’s a bit with the zombie-idol girls together in an AKB48 sort of pose in a 70s-style room…I think that’s all the new stuff, really.

Come to think of it, last time the episode was Datte Sentimental Saga, this time the episode is Keredo Zombiemental Saga. Both somehow become “Because It’s [fill in blank with appropriate word] Saga”.

I’ve noticed a pattern – every idol show I watch causes me a considerable amount of stress as I worry about whether the characters will be able to deal with their problems. It’s nice that they develop their characters so much, but it’s bad for me…

I feel like hearing Miyano’s delivery over the lines “Kicky blammo!” kind of softenend the funniness factor of the line. (i.e. It was funnier when I had the volume off.) But his mouth-wide-open face is funny.

I wonder…as touching as it is to have Kotaro give this pep speech, it almost seems out of character for him. Maybe it might’ve been better to have Junko come to the realisation herself, rather than have something to grow mushrooms over? But that’s just the opinion of someone who thinks ranty Kotaro is how he is 100% of the time. I’m also fine with more sensitive Kotaro, I just wish I could’ve seen that side when he was dealing with just Sakura.

So Ai didn’t die at Saga Rock…hmm. I take my words from the previous episode back.

Truck-kun Strikes Back, this show should be called. Truck-kun Strikes Back.

I just noticed that’s the Cygames building…and Cygames is a sponsor of Zombieland Saga.

Well…we’re back with the CGI it seems. It’s not entirely bad, but could be a lot worse.

Merc Storia 6

Well…I think this Halloween special is a few weeks too late…

This stuff about carrying a rock…just make Bright Stone necklaces. That way you free up your hands!

Cosette? Like Les Miserables?!

Interestingly, in stories like this, parents always get pulled into the dreamland after their kids do (see Junkers Come Here for another example).

Tatsuhisa Suzuki? Takehito Koyasu? Man, I so didn’t pay attention to the voices this episode…

SSSS.Gridman 7

RIP Special Dog…round 2.

“I think nothing.” – See, Samurai Calibur is best boi!

Why does Alexis meeting Yuuta look like a Meeting with the Parents (y’know, one of those meeting you have with a girlfriend’s parents to see if the boyfriend is suitable for their little darling)?

This pointy thing in the air reminds me of Eva…like an Angel, y’know?

I think the pause for Vit’s reaction went a little too long…I thought my video was glitching, but reacted slightly too late to pause it.

The blood of Anti was way too orange…but I guess that’s better than having red blood which makes people puke…and gets the BPO to complain, to boot…

Update: The missile movements looked familiar…that’s because they were an Itano Circus (which is the same as the Macross Missile Massacre I believe I mentioned in a previous episode).

Update 2: I just watched the source short and there was a bit of animation copied from there! The bit where the bike rattles in its bindings!

Double Decker! 9

(something along the lines of “you’re just going to use the view hack to peep on us, right?”) - Owwch, I can feel the Apple Bieber burn from here!...But why does Sophie slur her words slightly so that they come out as “Twavis” etc….?

Randomly, Doug has a moustache! Wahaha…sorry, this isn’t very informative, huh? I only have two sets of reactions: the insightful ones which have all my knowledge behind them, or the reactive ones which don’t amount to much…

I find it interesting Kirill says “Ore ga idea ga aru”. Why? Because 1) Kirill uses “ore”, likely as a way to assert his masculinity even with his feminine-looking face and 2) there is a kanji for “idea” (teian), but he uses the katakana version, likely to indicate how young he is in comparison to (most of) the other investigators (he’s 20 remember). Or alternatively, he’s meant to be speaking English. Or both those reasons.

Well, that’s (the rollerskate getaway) a getaway I thought I’d never see in a cop show…it looks almost as if it would work better in Cardcaptor Sakura than here! (I’m laughing, but also engrossed in the show, don’t worry.)

I still can’t tell what the lyrics are to Buntline Special…but if I’m not mistaken, some of the initial lyrics are “Don’t give a s*** now”. Or…I could’ve just misheard that. We won’t know until official lyrics are out, y’know?

Oh dear, they’re going into biology territory next time! Time for my biology contact to strut their stuff! (See WordPress for more on that...the info I’m talking about is in one of the roundups.)

Golden Kamuy 19

I find it interesting that only now Sugimoto is exploring the nature of greed…both the living and the dead’s meaning of it.

As much as I find it entertaining that Koito seems to be getting flustered (in what way? *raises eyebrows*) about Tsurumi praising him…why does the 7th always seem to opt for making the skins they get into shirts? I thought that stuff was over after Edogai died and the earless twin got his ear  made into a thing he wears on his head…

Monkfish.

Once again…a character I thought was “pure” (in the context of this series anyway) turns out to have been a killer since he was young. For some reason, Ogata is popular with the ladies in Japan though…I don’t quite get it myself, but hey. What can I do for stats outside my control?

Apparently the ED visual, where Asirpa listens to Sugimoto’s heartbeat, was Noda-sensei’s idea.

Zombieland Saga 8

Ooh, I’ve read enough spoilers about Lily to only want to know the portrayal of how it goes down at this point…

I just realised the onsen was called Ureshino Onsen = ureshii no onsen (happy onsen, i.e. an onsen that brings/gives happiness).

Franchouchou ad for Drive-In Tori on the TV, I see…

Even if I don’t know the lyrics of the OP all that much, I definitely know when to join in with a SA-GAAAAAAAAAAA! at the end, right? That OP’s grown on me, but it’s nowhere near my favourite.

Kyoseki Park. It literally means “giant rock park”, so that’s where the boulders come from.

Have you noticed Kotaro isn’t actually blowing into the shell and he’s verbalising the noise he thinks will come out of the shell? That’s a silly touch, but one I appreciate.

A yak…? Oh right, a yakuza!

I love the rolling sobat so much, I found it again on Reddit!

Lily actually uses the word “Pappy”, which is uncommon for Japan…they tend to use “dad”, “father” or “papa” instead.

Tiny Kotaro really sells that first eyecatch.

Nyoki is the sound effect of something popping out of the earth. It’s the same for mushrooms, y’know. I love mushrooms. (Even Tae’s going nyoki…haha!)

When the SFX went “twang”, I thought that was the end of that, but Kotaro is actually holding an instrument to make his own SFX again! Genius, man, you’re an absolute genius!

I’m sorry for laughing during a dramatic moment, but if Takeo’s face can be covered by his hand like that…he has darned Yaoi Hands! Hahaha! Okay, I’m sorry. Carry on.

I remember reading on the official site Lily died in 2011, so…more recent than Sakura. So a TV-hating man like him would be pretty obvious in a day and age like that.

Aw…I shed a tear or two for Lily, too. Update: Or 10. I’m not crying. You’re crying…

Wait, does this mean Kotaro is also a lyricist? And/or a songwriter? That is a man of many talents!...Aaaaaaaaaaand now I need a tissue box. Brb.

Oh wow, that next episode title has a lotta words! I thought it was going to be about Yuugiri, but it could be about Saki…hmm…or anyone we haven’t seen in the spotlight yet. Who knows? Only those who watch it or make it! Oh, now that I’ve watched it through, it does seem to be about Saki!

[zee-isaiah-pugnacious7-blog]

The Case of Yosuke (Theory)

Ah, Yosuke Hanamura--- the discount Junpei Iori of Persona 4 (my boyfriend’s word, not mine!) Fun-loving, hard working, loyal friend, and all-around womanizer...

OR SO HE WANTS US TO THINK!

I’m here to give my two-cents on how the P4 Protagonist’s best buddy has been putting on an act this whole time... and the ways he blew his cover.

“But Zee, Yosuke is our best buddy! He wouldn’t lie to us!” fellow fans may say... But what if I were to mention he wasn’t just lying to us, but also himself?

What kind of secret has the cyclist student been keeping hidden?

The fact... that he’s got a thing for guys. 

Now you may all call “BULLSHIT!” on this right away, as we’ve seen Yosuke fawn over girls countless times... Yet have you’ve ever noticed he hasn’t been trying hard to impress them?

Think about it...

On the camping trip--- Yosuke pretty much guilt-tripped Chie and Yukiko into wearing bathing suits. 

Then there’s the culture festival--- how he signed up all the girls to be in a beauty pageant.

During both these cases, the girls were beyond pissed with him. Why, if Yosuke wanted to score with the ladies, would he do stuff to piss them off? Why not use some debonair charm to make them feel good about themselves, rather than make them feel embarrassed?

Perhaps he was just picking on them. Perhaps he wanted to live out some perverted desire.

OR...

Perhaps he was trying to impress the guys... mainly the Protag! 

From Day 1, Yosuke has been doing everything to be your (Protag) number-one best bud--- that would include pulling stunts in order to help you check out girls! 

“But wouldn’t that backfire? The Protag dates all the girls, after all...” you may say. 

Well, of course  Yosuke thought of this too... and managed to get you in trouble with the girls during his scheme. However the fault is on the Protag for going along with it (especially in the anime). In the end, the girls are mad at both of you... but hey, at least your best-bud helped you get a good view.

Basically that’s all Yosuke wants from the Protag--- he wants to give him the best experience of his life. Even if his buddy likes other girls, they’ll still have a tight bond.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, let us address the elephant in the room: Yosuke’s Social Link.

At the start, it mainly focuses on Yosuke griping about work as well as trying to overcome the loss of his senpai, Saki Konishi. Yet as it goes on, he manages to conquer his grief and let go of his grudge of living in a small town working at Junes... all because of you, the Protagonist. 

Hell, he pretty much confesses it! “You’re special to me, y’know?” -Yosuke

Then there’s one thing that not only leads to a clue of his sexuality, but also dubs him as a hypocrite: His interactions with Kanji.

Oh yeah! Don’t act like I wasn’t going to bring my main-man into this debate!

First, lets get this out of the way--- the first time we see Shadow Kanji on the Midnight Channel. 

How ironic it is that the night before Yosuke was asking you which girl you prefer (Chie or Yukiko), then the next night we’re both seeing some steamy Kanji fan-service! *no pun intended*

Now in the anime, the Protagonist was staring at the screen, stunned (pretty sure all of us players were on the ground laughing and trying to remember how breathing works); Then Yosuke calls up... and he is just a sputtering mess! It takes him a minute to try to make a clear sentence!

Alright, alright, I guess a few guys would be surprised if the punk-next-door suddenly appeared on TV half-naked and talking like Grell Sutcliffe... but why would someone be so shocked that they could barely speak?

Compare it to when he saw Rise--- his surprise doesn’t even come CLOSE to how he reacted with Kanji! 

“Then why didn’t he want to go into the bathhouse, huh?!” the question would go, and that is a fair point. In the anime, neither he nor the Protag wanted to go into the bathhouse, same goes for his reaction to it in the game.

My thought is... he’s a virgin. Sure he can make the perverted jokes and lewd comments, but when the situation comes up where he has to go into a *ahem* ‘sexualized’ environment, his nerves rack up and he immediately wants to bail. 

Doesn’t help that Shadow Kanji was overdoing it with the ‘yaoi’ dialogue; hearing that, it would be no surprise Yosuke wanted to back out--- no virgin wants to feel pressured or teased into hooking up with someone. No different than someone being at a club and suddenly some yut comes up spouting ‘sexy’ lines in order to score, when actually they’re just scaring them off. 

Am I being biased? ...Maybe. I’m just speaking from my own personal experience, though. What I’m saying is based on my viewpoint on the scenario.

Now, lets get into the part that always--- ALWAYS--- ticked me off: how Yosuke often teases Kanji about his sexuality. 

The camping trip is where it begins--- Yosuke starts questioning Kanji on whether he’s gay or not (while I’m screaming at the screen telling him to keep his trap shut so I can sleep next to my man!); in the anime, he gets the Protag in on it too, resulting in Kanji bailing on them.

[You slept with a barrier between you and the girls... you also wanted to stab Yosuke in his sleep but there were too many witnesses]

Then Teddie turns human... and Yosuke immediately asks Kanji if ‘he’s his type’, evidently taking enjoyment out of teasing the stud. 

Sure, it may all be playful fun... but why keep at it? More importantly, Yosuke, why are you teasing a guy who could bury you under the concrete?! You were scared pissless of him before, now you’re asking if he’s gay and likes Teddie?? Do you NOT want to live long enough to get a motorcycle?!

BUT, once again, I have theories! 

First, the camping trip. Why would Yosuke, right out of the blue, ask Kanji if he’s actually gay? And after Teddie comes along, why would he be asking if he’s his type?

My guess: Yosuke himself is trying to figure out his sexuality. However he’s embarrassed to open up about it... so he shifts the subject onto someone who has/had a similar complex: Kanji. 

It’s his way with coping--- he picks on Kanji for his ambiguous sexuality, because he’s insecure about these new feelings he’s developed himself. 

Of course, hanging out with Kanji only makes his hidden feelings more clear. Need we bring up the beach?

“Dude! What are you wearing?! ...I’m seeing parts I don’t wanna see!” -Yosuke

“...Then, why were you looking at those parts in the first place, Yosuke?” -Me *while taking several pictures lolz*

Moving on...

Yosuke always saw himself as a ladies-man, but once the Protag came along and all this TV World stuff happened, he’s been taking another look at himself, discovering things that he doesn’t know how to deal with. 

Finally, lets get to Rank 10 of his social link--- where he challenges you to a fight after confessing how he was jealous of you for a time. 

I think there’s more to it than that. 

After spending so much time with the Protag, learning how popular he is with the girls and eventually will be going back to the city at the end of the year, Yosuke wants to get rid of these feelings once and for all--- via allowing his best friend/secret crush to punch him in the face as hard as he can, signifying that they will be nothing more than friends afterwards.

But... maybe I’m just overthinking things. I’ll leave it up for you all to debate--- are there any points I missed? Is there evidence to rebuke or defend my theory? Have I been looking at too much SouYo fanart?

...okay that last one is a yes :P

Yosuke Hanamura: Closeted Bi, or Just Bromantic? Let me hear what YOU think!

*please be nice in the comments*

[spacetortilla]

Google Doc translated interview w/Ikuhara FROM: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pfx3TsUzcJQFC4uw4FEfhtRza4fLron6oEBLo0SZqUw/edit ----------- On Prince/Princess as illusion Kotani: Maybe this is a hard era for princes to live in, but it feels like it is still full of princesses. Lately I have started to think that the princess illusion is stronger, or perhaps I should say, that the boys are princessifying.

Ikuhara: Maybe so.

Kotani: They are raised so preciously, and so they, like, take a passive role; they have an illusion that happiness will come to them. Like a princess who believes that her prince will come for her, these boys believe that some wonderful thing will come to meet them. --- Yaoi - Passivity as a woman’s sexual place. Arguement thesis- Yaoi being space where challenge abusive/sexually dominant-forceful men. The emasculated male -uke- being passive sexual role but that not being a negative ??? Dunno if that’s implication. This hard! cuz talking hyper violent cases. K: There is a yaoi-themed magazine for women called _June_, it's published by the same company that publishes the gay magazine _Sabu_. Once they let authors from both magazines compete to produce a joint magazine called _Roman June_. Strangely enough, when you read it the stories written by men and women divide very clearly into two types. The ones with a structural reversal, where the man who was in control later has his life ruined, were almost all written by women. And on the other hand, the ones where he keeps endlessly abusing and taking advantage of the weaker party were written by men. Among the ones I read, this division into two types was surprisingly extreme. I: To say it explicitly, [sentence I didn't understand], women have a stronger awareness of being controlled by some kind of system. (Moderator): To give an example, maybe it's like this: if Misato or Asuka from _Neon Genesis Evangelion_ rapes Shinji, that's yaoi, but if Shinji rapes Misato that's simply porn. You don't have to invert social classes, it's sufficient to negate the idea that the woman is the passive party. I think that's the entirety of yaoi. Kotani: I get that, I think that's the number one pattern for popular characters. The characters that become *uke* are quite often the baddies.----- There's a question of reading skill among the girls. The girls whose yaoi antennas are not yet sensitive favor pretty boys, but when their skill level increases, then the moment when a *seme* character turns into an *uke*...Kotani: ...becomes erotic. It might sounds strange that such a bad-guy character would be so emasculated, but it makes for very fun reading to "twist" someone into an *uke* character Mod? Emasculation is good, huh? Kotani: Right, it's erotic.----- As the men are emasculated, the passive position of the women is gradually negated. Although there is lesbian porn manga read by men, nobody cares about *uke* and *seme*. But when women read yaoi, they care so much about *uke* and *seme* that they will even fight about it. That's because the starting point of yaoi is affirmation/negation of *uke* and *seme*. --------- On American M/M fandom ships Kotani: So I investigated a bit, and although in Japan people have a interest in *seme/uke*, particularly in *uke*, in America it shifts into more racial problems. Spock is half alien, so his features are exotic. Apparently that's felt as something very erotic. [Americans] They are interested in the non-human, in an existence outside the human, which is to say the white male. The pattern where Beauty's partner is the Beast is also popular. ---- Men - ownership over v Women- survival, maybe comfort Kotani: For women, maybe living comfortably is important. Because that's survival. Ikuhara: For women, how they live is important, but for men the living is less important than the owning. ----- Male vs Female change world idea, when women in place of having to put others over w/e individ wants she has ((((my counter- where men talk in very big terms but not really concrete detailed plans on how to get there, given hopeful they’re changing world wow! vs women where helping in immediacy. very concretely. and that help being felt NOW. But that not being respected. Not given the same hope!change!future! inspiration. Bc misogyny sexism.)))) K: Women's literature as a whole also has this kind of *gekokujō*-like tendency. It's not dramatically changing the world and creating a fantasy world, but using the wisdom of survival to making it cozier by changing the nearby things one by one. I feel it contains a kind of powerful transformation that says: this is what it would be like if all these changes gathered together. The way boys fight and the way girls fight are very different. And what they fight for. Maybe boys think of fighting as confronting the world at large, to turn over the entire system to create a new world. But girls are not yet at the stage where they fight the world, they have to survive. Because they fight to keep living, they adopt a style where they start with the nearby: let's just make this place a little easier to live in. They always think that if they let themselves get distracted for a moment they will gradually suffocate, and that unless they draw a strict boundary line between themselves and others they will disappear. But if you think about who it is that are suffocating them, it's actually the very nearby and familiar, like their parents or partners .Ikuhara: Concretely, what is being suffocated? Kotani: Before she herself thinks "I want to do it this way", she goes "you probably think we should do it this way, right?", constructing her self out of the words of others. It's like continuously being told to perform plastic surgery on your own individuality to align yourself with the social system, like being put into a defenseless state. Even before demanding "I want to do this, I want to have this", it's immensely difficult to reach the point where you are aware that making requests is an option that exists.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

ACCA 2 | Nanbaka 16 | SGRS 16 | Marginal #4 2 | Classicaloid 15 | Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga 2 - 3 | D Gray Man Hallow 1 | ReLIFE 2 - 6

The idea for D Gray Man Hallow from now on: Once all 2016 shows are done (rewatches or not), expect the 2016 ranking.

(ACCA 2)

What in Dante’s Inferno? I’m properly listening to the OP as it was intended in the anime…and it doesn’t quite look like what I expected.

I don’t like tomatoes, so no bread for me.

This is a cute…albeit unconventional way to introduce the series’ core concepts. Also, acorn berets.

Kabocha = pumpkin, while murasaki = purple. That’s made from purple lettuce, so I don’t blame ‘em for calling it that.

Mushroomhead = Rail.

I thought ACCA paid really high if he got cigarettes for free.

Oh no, is Nino going to go against Jean?

Bihinshitsu = equipment room.

2m 22 cm is over 6 foot…wow.

Walnut-topped cake filled with nuts.

The systems managers seem really incompetent…I suspect something’s up.

The guys all deilberately seem to have the same face.

A-hah. As I thought. (Dang you, title spoiler.)

If this ED were to evolve, it would be even better than Yuri on Ice’s OP. (That’s saying something.) Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be happening…

Doesn’t seem like there’ll be any title spoilers next time either.

(Nanbaka 16)

I’m less likely to skip Rin! Rin! Hi! Hi! than some of the other Ops when I’m watching. That does make it slightly unwieldy as a rewatching show, though.

“Wow, he’s trash.” – Dat me.

Samon has a brother?

In a world full of filial piety, the worst one can do is to insult someone else’s family.

I’m not very good with “kept secret” stories, which is why I’m trying to do “Next to Me” well enough…at least to my standards, anyway. My standards are very high, you know.

They must’ve done something to the snacks…

(Showa Genroku: Sukeroku Futatabi-hen 3)

The fireworks are so lifelike in this ep!

Daiku Shirabe…I found out about the story from an ANN article, so I should’ve seen its appearance coming…“Tamaya” is something you yell during fireworks displays. Apparently it was the name of a fireworks company somewhere along the line.

The flattening refers to how Yota had to bow for forgiveness, but I think I kinda explained that already.

“Shinuchissei”…Yota seems to slur the end of his sentences.

I actually went “WHAT?!” at Yota not being fazed by the big daddy boss.

Note for later: The baby (I heard his name was Shinnosuke) was born November 23rd.

The jazz soundtrack really sells this show.

...so this is the rant from Daiku Shirabe. It’s fast (compared to even the usual), but it has lots of heart. Plus the showcasing of the tattoo really did its significance justice.

I think the bridge is called Matsubashi (Pine Bridge).

Yota could’ve fabricated the shaking of his hands.…wow. Yota has such yaoi hands. Just what you’d expect from a former BL artist.

I thought Yakumo was more of a cat person. Whose dog is Hanako?

Aw. I felt sorry for Matsuda, even if I have a suspicion he feigned those tears. Well, regardless, now I know Matsuda has grandkids anyway…so win win.

I knew he was either summoning the master Sukeroku II pissed off or Sukeroku himself.

“Tou-chan” was an unexpected nickname I didn’t think Konatsu would use.

Update: I thought about it, and even Shinnosuke’s name takes after the legacy. Remember? Sukeroku used to be called Shin! 

(Marginal #4 2)

One of the things that makes this show stand out is the space-styled episode titles.

Ooh. Pretty cherry blossoms.

Pan shots. Of course.

I know this isn’t the sort of show that gets too much coverage, and I even think it looks a bit ugly at times (not to mention a bit weird) but when you’re not caught up on most of the other big idol shows, this is the best you can do.

I think game boy (orange twin…er, aka R)’s trying too hard with his terms.

Now that Atom is talking about heart, it really does look like he’s a Toshiki Masuda character through and through, although he doesn’t look very angry when he sounds angry. I’ll chalk that up to the art department.

“Don’t think, feel” seems to be attributed to lots of places, so I don’t know the original source. However, since game boy (um, aka R) cites a movie star, it’s apparently Bruce Lee (if my Google-fu serves me right).

L makes stuff sound deeeeep.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?! Rui wasn’t surprised by the juice.

Atom is such a Ryuu sometimes...

…okay, enough with the underwear jokes…The twin jokes are a bit weird. Plus the ships can be smelt from a mile away…but that’s not enough to save a show.

“Ore-sama”? I only just realised Atom uses such a term.

Enough about the lucky underwear! *flips table*

Oh, I saw Ayanokouji in the background at one point.

I’m with Rui most times, including the need for deduction.

I’m still questioning the sanity of someone who wrote an entire episode plot about lucky underwear.

Alright, since I feel brain dead after that, I’m going to drop it, meaning ACCA is the show that forges ahead. Well, I’m lucky I was hoping to watch FLCL to fill in the gap once I’m done with my 3 remaining rewatches at this point in time (ReLIFE, D Gray Man, Morose Mononokean). The latter two will have, from ep 7, fresh impressions, so hopefully you can look forward to them.  

(Classicaloid 15)

Selfies: a worldwide phenomenon…I never got into that stuff, but if I were to analyse ‘em, I’d say they tap into the human need to be self centred.

There’s something sad about seeing someone rejected, eve if that someone is a piece of trash like Sousuke…

The game the Classicaloids are playing appears to be a game of Life.

Unfortunately, Kanae’s right…again. Sad life for you, Sousuke.

Motz literally became a flippin’ Akoya, right down to wearing a dress. Plus, the Amazon brigade came back.

Aw, I really felt for the glasses guy, even if briefly.

“Basics of Programming”? Don’t need that for Garage Band, Sousuke.

Hanted house and cosplay café...

…eh? Tchaiko still calls herself a former member of Cla:Kla?

Oh. I never realised until now, but Hamamatsu + festival (matsuri) = Hamamatsuri.

With that song (Sousuke’s song), it’s a sad blooper reel.

(Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga ep 2)

I got a wallpaper of Shima trying not to laugh (it was from the official Blue Exorcist anime page, but only for a period around Shima’s b’day). So this ep is where it comes from.

“Bon” means “young master” anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

“…a herbal tea antidote…”

Kyoto is meant to be the imperial capital…at least around the 1700s, it was the imperial capital.

Mamushi means “pit viper”. She’s not one to mess with.

He’s got some reflexes, that Ryuji.

Uwabami is also a type of snake…I forgot which one though.

Wait, Uwabami’s the man?! Uwabami was a woman in Oumagadoki Zoo…

Seriously, are they all getting drunk on juice…? Oh, okay. So that’s what happened.

(ep 3)

Rin’s shirt says “Sankyu” in goroawase and English, LOL.

Even if you love weeds, please don’t smoke ‘em, kids.

I thought Rin was going to pull a Shaft head tilt out of nowhere when he looked back at Konekomaru.

Update: For efficiency, the tag for this one is “Chesarka watches AoEx”. However, I don’t normally refer to it as such. I’d probably refer to it as “Ao Eku” if I wee speaking (due to the season 1 DVD extras), but “Blue Exorcist” is the shortest mode of the name I’d use in typing format.

(D Gray Man Hallow ep 1)

I am familiar with this source material, so do be aware of that. However, I didn’t finish the anime the first time around, so do be aware of that too.

Sometimes the art style for this anime can be a little off. The noses can be a little too pointy and too close to the eyes, so on and so forth.Allen doesn’t even look like he’s blushing with this art style too…that’s a bit of a disappointment.

Even the golems have it in for each other…LOL.

Johnny has apparently been stealing the spotlight for quite some time, but I haven’t noticed it all that much. Probably because I read volumes 21 – 24 in one go…

I think.Cross Marian looks more like Grelle (Black Butler) than ever in colour.

Why does Lenalee have such a short skirt?

When even the masked guy has a sweatdrop, you know there’s trouble.

(ReLIFE ep 2)

Unfortunately for Kariu, I understand there is no “next time”…

I’ve found out even at 18, people don’t judge two people of different gender sitting together eating lunch…of course, cultural standards notwithstanding.

Stud earrings are fine if you play sports, I think.

According to Google-sensei, it’s only about $11, my country’s money. It’s not that much if you work…but knowing Japanese standards (which say you should focus on getting into uni before getting a job), it does seem a bit much for someone who doesn’t work and doesn’t get any allowance. So in a weird way, it does make sense to me.

...but you took Kariu’s hand when she offered you the rubber, Arata?

Hey, that joke was in Erased too.

Kazu-kun = Karamatsu…kinda. LOL.

I always seemed to understand Hishiron, and yet also understand Arata to some extent too. Maybe I’m the perfect in-between for these two. Probably because I tend to break off friendships as soon as the year ends, and yet prior friendships are a core part to my social strategy.

Unfortuately, the downside to “minimalistic” is that it’s obvious when it goes off model.

LINE sticker…LOL. LINE’s very popular in Japan.

(ep 3)

I’ve wondered whether Yayoi Sou is a lady or not. Considering the circumstances, it probably is that Sensei is a female.

Hideyo is the dude on the 1000 note, obviously.

Ah…fitness tests. The bane of youth. No one says “stupid loud” though.

Oh. Tamarai’s there around the time of Asaji’s throw.

Lookit that rabbit on Usa-sensei’s shirt. No one says “crazy athletic” either…you outdated subbers.

Akira (Inukai) is kinda like Yurio, come to think of it, eh?

Didn’t you just say it yourself (about you being old) though, Arata?

Yoake literally had a blank face there, LOL.

There appears to be a Sato GP on the way to Aoba. Huh.

Ah…a show’s a real classic if it makes you laugh every time…

(ep 4)

Where’s the guy who does sad interpretations of OPs and EDs? (This guy.)

I know your feels, Kariu. (see the Tumblr debacle for an instance of this)

There appears to be something about whales near the fishtank.

The cityscapes in this are so nice.

There’s a map of Japan on one wall of Kaizaki’s place.

Go forth, young Kariu! Pick up your fallen balls! (teehee)

CGI balls, LOL.

It’s creepy (but also dramatic) when the lights of the eyes are the last to move.

(ep 5)

Sumire! Her name means “violet” (the flower).

There are some nuances lost in translation, like yappari and the levels of formality…but those are typically lost.

This “lecture” is probably the highest point you can get in the show (so far). It’s times like this you can really see an author’s strengths in storytelling.

The piano really sells the Hishiro/Kaizaki meeting.

What a strange angle that “lean to the left” shot is.

I’ve found out swear words have a lot of leeway when it comes to levels of “oh no”. These swar words include yabai and temee. Due to the context of Wan! and the fact it was Chuuya who kept using them, I went with the nastier variants [in my scanlating days] but sometimes a non-swearing variant is enough. However, kirai (to dislike) is pretty nasty if you use it in Japanese.

Kaizaki’s delivery of these lines really sells their comedic effect. The electronic keyboard makes it sound like night, but also makes it sound 1) like night and 2) creepy, for some reason.

Freeter is almost as bad as NEET, Kaizaki.

There appears to be a 100 man (10 thousand) coin bank behind Yoake, which makes that...1000000 yen. (chorus in back: One million yen?!)

(ep 6)

Apparently someone tried to type the same Japanese words into Google and didn’t get the same results, LOL.

Hishiron uses a Mac, LOL.

“Thanks for having us” probably isn’t the right words for it. Ojamashimasu means “sorry for intruding”, but it sounds heavily formal when translated, so I can see why the subbers did what they did though.

*laughs* MDs (minidiscs)? I know what they are, even though they’re meant to be completely dead by now. Apparently they’re a product of the 90s that never caught on..although I admit I’ve never used an MD in my life, let alone held one. It does kinda look like a floppy disc, though. (chorus in back: You poke through old stuff too much, don’t you?)

Those fadeout cups are so cool! I want one.

Ah, maths. The sad thing about my life is that up until a certain point I was good at maths. Then the hard stuff came up and I started to fail.

I thought it was Third Street Oga was talking about, but it’s 3rd chome, sort of like a suburb.

Knowing An, she may have deliberately put Oga out of the way for her own purposes…if you know what I mean.

CGI car just ruined the suspenseful mood, dangit.

Sometimes I just turn off my volume and turn on some music on Spotify. That way, you can make your own soundtrack.

Why did Arata have such a dumb face in the thought bubble?

Wow, she’s a real fujoshi, that one [An].

“Dude”? I cringe so much at her use of it, despite the fact I use it myself. 

You liar, Onoya. Knowing who subject 1 was means that I know they couldn’t have even thought about that part…