#it was a tense time to be a haruka fan

[doctorbunny]

Hi! I hope you don't mind the sudden question, but i got really into Milgram recently and was wondering: What reasoning did people give when they voted Haruka guilty in the second trial? Like, generally speaking, what did the consensus seem to be?

Haruka is a character i strongly relate to, so i have a lot of Thoughts about him.

Firstly: Wow the start of the second trial was that long ago, huh 😅

Secondly: I need to explain that Haruka's trial was a bit different than most Not sure how recently you joined but in a normal trial, the MV will upload the same day a CD releases, and stuff like the instrumental, DECO covers and most importantly the voice drama will be officially uploaded at the same time

But for Haruka, due to some unspecified CD issue, we were getting the MV as planned then wouldn't get the voice drama for another two weeks This will be very important to his voting

Thirdly: Going into his trial, things were uncertain, a lot of people really liked Haruka and were very worried for him due to his new relationship with Muu. Whom many saw as a potential bad influence or threat. I won't get into it too much, but before this trial it was definitely more common to have a.... soft image of Haruka as a harmless little guy who had gone through a lot, who just made some mistakes because he didn't know any better

Its worth remembering that without the context of AKAA, Weakness is a very dream-like MV and not many were sure which parts were real or imagined One of the biggest debates about weakness was about if the blue haired child was a younger bother or Haruka himself It all seems quite quaint from here Some people thought Haruka might not have even killed a person, just animals, I was even considering a theory suggesting Haruka was in milgram for his own suicide (in the words of Danganronpa 'killing the person who is most important to you: Yourself') The girl with the plait wasn't thought about much as other than a possible childhood friend due to her being shown running next to young Haruka.

Fourth: The premiere of AKAA was super emotional and intense, it was a beautiful MV But like Purge March later, it would contextualise parts of Weakness we didn't expect it to Mainly the animal murder and the girl's death.

But without the voice drama, many were unsure what verdict would be best for Haruka Despite the failure of T1 Amane, many still thought we could fix the prisoners through voting right Some people saw this vote as a chance to get Haruka to break up with Muu if we played our cards right Overall people were confused and conflicted and couldn't wait for the voice drama to come out I think the best summary of feelings is a comment from the top of the AKAA comments section

This was posted right after AKAA came out and reflected a common mood

This part of his voting period was very strange. Because of the uncertainty, people were pretty split People didn't think he deserved an innocent verdict, but they didn't want to punish him so harshly with a guilty one either And it turned into an interesting situation: What happens if a prisoner gets exactly 50%? It was an unlikely truce between two passionate sides but for about 2 weeks straight, 50-50 was sustained Or more accurately, it was a constant flux of 49.9-50.1, changing by the hour if not minute (I actually dreamt up a fic of this causing Haruka to get a migraine but like most of my fics it never materialised)

Then the voice drama released

At the time I was the mod of the second biggest milgram server (rip Fancult - unfortunately that place got nuked so I'll have to go off memories alone) so I got to watch as a lot of people gathered and listened to the VD at the same time We were still waiting on translations, but still people could appreciate the acting and pick out key words like the prisoners' names and... other common phrases

お母さん, "Okaasan" The Japanese word for 'mother' or 'mum'

By the time we got to here it was Harukover 😔

Then a second Okaasan hit the verdict

And this giant mess ended with the suicide threat that's been haunting us for the rest of the season...

Needless to say, people were not too pleased

The 50-50 pipe dream was immediately shot down and betrayed

This graph (by paiplushie on twt) shows it pretty clearly

One thing to keep in mind is that even before Muu's MV was out, people were certain she'd be voted guilty, there was a fervour for it (mostly because people saw her as having taken advantage of Haruka and having the wrong attitude towards her verdict)

For some reason, voting Muu innocent was never really considered an option

It was 'Haruka threatened to kill himself if we vote Muu guilty, how do we stop him doing that after we do' [personally I voted him innocent because I had a pipe dream that if both Haruka and Muu were inno then they'd be obnoxious about it but unharmed]

People justified voting guilty in different ways, some thought it'd make him break up with Muu and not want to die for her, some just didn't want to enable his action (threatening suicide is awfully manipulative) and some people genuinely believed that physical restraint was the most effective way to prevent him from attempting suicide... which all I'll say is I disagree with that logic

But yeah, once the VD was out it never really showed any signs of returning to inno

[littleplantfreak]

Roadtrip headcanons

I had these in a draft for two weeks until @the-bofurin-digest started talkin about how amazing Togame would be on a roadtrip so I'm dedicating them to you ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ (I was gonna let them rot in my wip docs before i saw the post)

Umemiya Hajime

- It depends on the trip but most likely he's prepared everything to a T. If something doesn't pan out in regards to travel time or itinerary he's the type to take it in stride and just enjoy being with everyone.

-Starts up conversations with random people at rest stops/destinations they visit and has to be dragged away because dude we've been here for half an hour and all they have are vending machines.

- Not so secretly likes being a passenger princess. I mean he'll drive no sweat but he loves watching everything passing by the window or turning around to make conversation with everyone. He will help the driver with anything they need tho whether it's a change in station, drinks, or navigation.

-Has the most insane ideas/questions for in-car games. No Sakura doesn't know what he'd do if Ume turned into a worm, but now he has dreams about it.

-If he's not driving he usually knocks out immediately on the way back home. (watch out he drools)

Hiragi Toma

-Please don't let Umemiya sit up front while he drives. In fact, put him in a whole other car (depending on how many of them go that may actually be plausible.)

-Super reliable driver, though if he claims he has a handle on his road rage, he does not. It doesn't affect how he drives nor is he usually yelling, but you can see his shoulders become increasingly tense the more bad drivers he spots. Needs to be fed medicine occasionally for his stomach.

-Not a snacker in the car but he won't turn down a coffee.

-He's good with directions, so whoever rides with him is in no danger of getting lost. Also no soldier is left behind when Hiragi is in charge and he check frequently after every rest/bathroom stop to make sure everyone and everything are in the car. -If the trip is to the beach or some other place where he can relax, he'll definitely take a power nap esp if they left home early.

-Plays his music on the way back home when everyone is sleeping.

Tsubaki Tasuku

-It's a great time no matter where Tsubaki is in the car. She drives and sings or sits passenger and sings. It's impressive how many songs she knows by heart actually. Chalk it partially up to her close relationship with Shizuka.

-When she's not singing, she has a thousand different stories to tell, so no one ever really gets bored. Opts for silence only when necessary, however if she's driving, she really would prefer someone talks to her.

-Kotoha's her go-to passenger in the front, but if she's not there/in a different car she'll just choose anyone not prone to sleeping the whole trip.

-Has a preference for cookies or sweets as an in-car snack.

Kaji Ren

-Sticks with his lollipops as a snack in the car.

-Not a fan of driving even when he has his license. Passenger or back seat for him please.

-Brings CDs and lets people use them but keeps his own headphones in most of the time, which is fine because he's not one for just talking about whatever for hours in the car.

-He curls into his hoodie when he passes out either to or from wherever the trip is. Even if the driver hits a pothole and his head bounces off the window, he stays knocked out, which is both concerning and hilarious.

Sakura Haruka

-Gets motion sick if he's not in the front, either as the driver when he's older or as the passenger. Unfortunately did not know this until the trip started and struggled to hold it in before making everyone stop by the side of the road while he dry heaved.

-If he's at driving age, he's actually a relaxed driver after the first few months of him getting his license. Prefers country driving to city no question though. It ends up being therapeutic for him to take long drives when he's older.

-Don't ask him to use the fancy new car radios that only have the screen, he'll end up with the heat on somehow in the middle of summer instead of changing the station. It's funny to watch him try and work it out until everyone's sweating buckets.

-Perks up if he sees a good food place and remembers it so they can stop there on the way back. Eats whatever he can grab in the car so long as he isn't sick.

[animehouse-moe]

Pride Month Manga Recommendations: Currently Releasing

It's the first day of Pride Month, so why not find some LGBTQ+ manga to read to kick off the start of June? Take a look through this thread of 10 currently releasing manga and light novels to find a new series to pick up, starting with-

The Summer Hikaru Died - Soon To Be an Anime!

Yoshiki and Hikaru were best friends, until Yoshiki notices a change in the boy and comes to find out that he's been replaced by some sort of monster that proclaims his love for Yoshiki.

A fittingly disturbing affair, The Summer Hikaru Died does wonderful work as a horror manga, and expertly intertwines Yoshiki and "Hikaru's" emotions and feelings for one another with the dark and foreboding tone of the series.

Whisper Me A Love Song - A Currently Airing Anime!

Yori Asanagi is a girl better at guitar than love, but what happens when underclassman Himari Kino falls in love with that guitar work? Well, a string of misunderstandings appears that sets in motion this love song of a story.

Whisper Me A Love Song is certainly a bit close to cliché or melodramatic, but with Takeshima Eku's art, it becomes quite the appealing series. Certainly for fans of a more typically-styled love story, Whisper Me A Love Song is a very fun read!

I Married My Female Friend - from the author of Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon

One day at a festival, Kurumi and Ruriko made a "promise" to each other: in 5 years, if neither found a partner, they would get married. That period elapses, and Ruriko comes racing back to Kurumi with a marriage certificate in hand.

I Married My Female Friend is both a lighthearted yet emotionally aware manga that feels like a spiritual successor to Doughnuts Under a Crescent Moon, skipping the challenges of finding love & heading for the difficulty of being in love.

Seaside Stranger - Also A Major (Animated) Motion Picture

A story of two young men estranged from their parents, Seaside Stranger finds a difficult love blossom on a remote island that begins as confinement for the pair as they work through their challenging feelings and pasts.

Kii Kana's art is really something, and studio Hibari's adaptation is equally beautiful- extracting the most out of this dramatic (and steamy) romance. I might add though that it's not quite for those brand new to BL thanks to explicit content, but it's a great read nonetheless.

Otherside Picnic - Both An Anime And Manga

Sorawo Kamikoshi, a university student, spends her free time exploring a creepy pasta-esque dimension she calls the Otherside where she meets Toriko Nishina as the two narrowly escape the clutches of death, starting their journey.

While it's certainly quite the slow-burn of a romance, Iori Miyazawa's horror-filled world is bursting with passion and discomfort in equal amounts, making for a riveting read with a romance that feels impressively real. There's also an anime.... but it doesn't quite deliver.

Cinderella Closet

Haruka's a "plain jane" who left the countryside to live a bright and fashionable life in Tokyo- which she struggles with before meeting her "fairy godmother" Haruka- a young person with an incredible eye and interest for women's fashion and makeup.

In a sense, Cinderella Closet is a very loud depiction of romance in "the big city", throwing curve balls and both romantic & emotional challenges at every turn. In the end though, it remains a very positive and encouraging story with each turn, making for a great read.

The Contract Between a Specter and a Servant

On the worst- and final- day of Masamichi Adachi's life, he's hit by a car and left to die in the streets at night... until the enigmatic Shino offers him a contract to save his life.

While in the same genre as Otherside Picnic, this light novel certainly leans more into traditional horror as it explores a tense but intriguing relationship between Masamchi and Shino. A unique and engaging (re-released) light novel, it's an easy choice for fans of horror!

I Want To Be A Wall

Though Yuriko and Gakurouta are married, no love blossoms between them, as Yuriko is asexual (and a fan of BL) and Gakurouta stills holds feelings for his oblivious (male) childhood friend close to his heart.

Sporting a wonderfully unique concept, I Want To Be A Wall is a story that more so focuses on the wedded couple's humorous day-to-day lives than anything. A very light and enjoyable series, it's very easy to recommend to just about anyone.

Confessions of a Shy Baker

Toshimitsu Yamamura owns a real estate company and is a baking fanatic- spurred on by the sweet tooth of his boyfriend Gonta. One day however, Toshi gets pushed towards advertising his services as LGBTQ-friendly, forcing him to reconcile with how this move that would help others might out himself as gay.

A manga that delicately balances the societal struggles of being gay with a bright and heartwarming romance centered around baking, Confessions of a Shy Baker is a great jack all of trades manga.

Our Not-So-Lonely Planet Travel Guide

Overly serious Asahi Suzumura and equally laid-back Mitsuki Sayama made each other a promise: together, they'll travel around the world, and when they return to Japan they'll get married.

A beautiful story that throws readers out into the world through destinations and stories, this is a manga that does everything it can within its pages. A forbidden love, a forgotten partner, struggles with laws that forbid love- together they explore this world and each other.

And that's all the recommendations for today, if you have any more you'd like to add feel free to share them here!

[aresmarked]

now that 'and now i wear this ribbon' has officially finished, and we've got official TLs, I want to examine Mafuyu's card story. I think it's a powerful insight into the progress Mafuyu's made, even as she's not entirely, cognisant of it.

TL;DR, even while she's not yet facing the pressure of awareness of how her mother is hurting her, she does unconsciously recognise that her mother's care is not the same as others, even here (specifically, before she comes to know other parents i.e. Ena's mother.)

So for those who don't have the card, someone's done a fan TL here. (If reading the transcript would be easier, you can go here.) The major parts leading in are Mafuyu being a bit more tense in her home, having to guard against her mother finding out she's still making music, her being a little more conscious of how she feels when she's putting a persona, and Shizuku being keen-eyed, noting she's not her usual self, which leads to her checking Mafuyu's temperature and this exchange.

So first, yes, ow, they kept that deliberate change of wording from Mafuyu starting to call Shizuku 'motherly', stopping, and changing it. Even if she couldn't word it precisely, consciously recognise how her mother is harming her, it's clear Mafuyu does recognise her mother's care is different than Shizuku's own.

It's important to keep in mind that before this there hadn't yet really been many times where we've seen Shizuku looking out for Mafuyu (though as Draw Your Bow shows us down the line, she certainly wishes to return all that she feels she's received). The closest is their interaction from Mafuyu's Mirage of Light card, where Shizuku is the first to note Mafuyu's not feeling well, and wondering if it's from overwork, as she's reminding her of Haruka who also has a bit of a persona and tends not to put it down unless deliberate efforts are made toward that. Which, lol. Lmao even. Love that perceptiveness.

Putting that aside for the inevitable Shizumafu rambles, the fact just from two times Mafuyu can say this speaks volumes about how she Knows the care Shizuku gives differs from her mother's.

The story continues going, saying how Shizuku thinks Mafuyu would be an excellent older sister, from how she's always looking for folk (which as we know isn't an untrue thing) but Mafuyu is caught by surprise by that—and that at times, Shizuku's felt like she hasn't been a good older sister, with how being an idol perhaps took her away from Shiho when she might've needed support, and how she's felt she hadn't given as much as Shiho'd given her.

I've less to say about this part isolated, but I think it's interesting that the writers chose to use as much of Mafuyu's card talking about the Hinomori siblings' relationship. But it does make sense, because it communicates to Mafuyu the reciprocity in their relationship, and causes Mafuyu to reflect on that Ena is an older sister (and to a lesser degree, Mizuki is a younger sib), specifically...

The thing Mafuyu takes away is that the care is clear from the older sisters she knows. From Shizuku to Shiho, between Ena and Akito for all she calls him 'cheeky', and from Ena to her... Mafuyu lingers on how that care shines through.

It's Mafuyu of course, and her reflection cuts there after Shizuku leaves with a 'siblings huh... well time to go to class'. What Mafuyu's takeaway is not spelt out for us. Does she wish for a sibling who would've looked out for her like the older siblings around her do, or does she just wish the care she gets was more like that? Whatever the ambiguous specifics, it's clear even here how they check on her is something she wishes she had more of... and given the set up up until this point, that she'll definitely get from her friends.

[stepswowdsen]

KuroEne AU: Route Idea where Kuroha baits Konoha using Hibiya

(KuroEne with implied KonoEne)

KuroEne AU rambles. Wrote this a few days ago but forgot to post.

Was just thinking of a KuroEne AU with a Route set-up similar to Manga Route 2 Kuroha/Saeru baits Konoha by using Hibiya, and meets Ene.

Kuroha/Saeru baits Konoha by using Hibiya, and meets Ene. Basically, he baits Konoha on purpose by putting Hibiya (who he's currently possessing) in danger, counting on the fact that he knows Konoha will risk his life for his friends, and then takes the opportunity to jump to possess Konoha's body.

I didn't write KuroEne love/hate sex this time, since these rambles are just SFW, but that'd be fun to write more of, too. Ene should put him in his place!!!

...

I initially wrote these as tags but I'm just gonna copy paste to post them here instead.

My canon-verse KuroEne AU is angsty, but it USUALLY starts more lighthearted and tame then eventually ramps up while approaching the fated date.

But this Route idea really takes the cake omfg

I love writing both fluff and angst… I think when juxtaposed together, they become really interesting. In general, I also think that conflict and tension are the spice of life in ships, so I love writing interesting kinds of conflict and tension and hostility, of the compelling kind.

It isn't KagePro without angst and tragedy after all ^^

But gosh I do think my other ships show how my tastes mellowed out over time cuz my KuroEne AU is so angsty. KuroEne has a delicious set-up and unique context that makes the ship interesting.

While my other fandom ships still have spicy kinds of conflict and tension, they are still very soft and tender and filled with warmth and companionship.

I think KuroEne have moments of tenderness and warmth and companionship, too, but they have the most tense relationship of all my ships due to Kuroha's role and set-up as the big bad evil snake who's the cause of the time loop tragedy.

I put more rambles under the cut, as usual!

Me: (Me while writing for my KuroEne AU)

I love angst!!! And also fluff!!! Yayyyyy!!! 🥰💞

My friends: HOLY SHIT your KuroEne AU is so angst fuel I love it... But you are really so evil for this Sen /lh /j 😭

Context Rambles and Some Thoughts

I decided to add context at the beginning for anyone who'd like to tune into the rambles.

In most Routes, Saeru (Snake of Clearing Eyes) possesses Kenjirou (Ayano's father) and then at the end of a Route (on the fated day of August 15th), the Heat Haze Day, jumps to Konoha's body.

Konoha's body is advantageous for him. Due to the nature of Haruka’s wish to have an “ideal” body to make friends with, Konoha’s body has superhuman strength (ie. Konoha can punch craters into walls, jump across buildings, and heal from fatal wounds).

Because of this, for him (Saeru), it's the ideal body to carry out the "Tragedy" with.

Ty to the KagePro fan-wiki for compiling sm of the lore and resources 🙏 Incredibly useful.

It's also because as Konoha, Haruka’s body is host-less. It doesn't have a human host, so he can jump from the current person he’s possessing to Konoha’s (as long as his current vessel manages to touch Konoha), and overtake the body with ease, overtake Konoha’s consciousness and possess him.

According to Novel Route, due to the wide degree of knowledge he carries, Kuroha/Saeru can even use Konoha’s Awakening Eyes to “rebuild the body molecule by molecule”

In Manga Route 2, even when he’s crushed by a landslide, he can heal and regenerate, no problem. This guy is absurdly OP as Black Konoha.

His extremely cold and calculated way of thinking and usage of "resources" is interesting to me.

But I also think it makes sense that the being who’s basically the embodiment of “Knowledge/Wisdom” can pull these things off.

I would say that it's because it's advantageous to him.

In most Routes, when Saeru possesses Kenjirou, waits until night to possess Kenjirou so that he doesn't draw suspicion.

Kenjirou is an adult male researcher/scientist, so that means that Saeru can gather funds and resources and influence while possessing him. Saeru overtakes the consciousness of the person he possesses, so they don't remember the things he does while possessing them.

It's within the nature of an Eye Ability Snake to works towards fulfilling their current host's wish, so he works towards his host's goals, while also working towards his own goals.

Iirc, it's because of Saeru's influence that the deaths of Haruka, Takane, and Ayano, who all die on the same day, don't get mass reported to the media.

Because 3 high school students dying mysteriously on the same day would be a HUGE thing, but he seems to take advantage of the body he's using to convince others to keep their deaths concealed so that the news is not wide spread.

...

In Manga Route 2, both of Ayano's parents die (instead of just her mother, Ayaka), but Kenjirou doesn't enter the Kagerou Daze in this Route.

So, Saeru has to possess Hibiya (the youngest MekaDan member at 11 years old), and Hibiya's body is much more inconvenient for him, but he still does fine with hiding from the MekaDan cuz no one suspects him until it's too late, and he kills Momo by throwing her off the rooftop in front of numerous MekaDan members.

KuroEne AU: Route where Kuroha baits Konoha on purpose using Hibiya

Would be interesting if there are Routes similar to Manga Route 2 where Kuroha possesses Hibiya's body in a KuroEne AU

Saeru baits Konoha on purpose by throwing Hibiya's body (that he's currently possessing), knowing that Konoha will try to save Hibiya, his friend, due to his nature (good will and selflessness)

If he's feeling especially cruel, then he just throws Hibiya's body into oncoming traffic as he jumps to possess Konoha's body.

Otherwise, he'll just leave Hibiya's body as soon as there's touch/contact between his current host he's possessing, and Konoha's body, and then jump to possess Konoha

Saeru just lets Hibiya get killed when he leaves the body after baiting Konoha, and jumps to possess his body.

I imagine Ene is in the android body in the real world for this one.

Imagine if there's like a scene with KonoEne before where Konoha tells Ene he's going to go after Hibiya and that Ene should stay put and "get away from here as far as possible" and escape to the cyber world, because he doesn't know if the Clearing Snake will endanger any more people.

Ene tears up and stubbornly says, "Idiot!!! I'm not leaving you alone!!! I can't... I can’t lose you again…!" And just thinks to herself how she can't let Konoha slip out of her grasp just like Haruka did 2 years ago.

She's not leaving him alone to deal with the evil snake, someone so dangerous like that, and clings onto him by wrapping her arms around his waist to try and keep him in place, so that he doesn't go.

So Konoha just gently picks her up and finds a safe place for her to be. He gives her a gentle smile and tells her he'll promise to come back with Hibiya safe and sound, and then starts jumping across the rooftops in search of Hibiya.

Ene doesn't stay put and runs after Konoha in the direction he went trying to find him.

Konoha tells Ene that he'll make sure to "save Hibiya and rid him of that evil, no good snake" and runs after Hibiya. Ene tells him to stop and wait cuz she has a bad feeling about this... She can't catch up to his superhuman speed, but runs after him anyways.

When Ene finally sees Konoha in the distance and catches up to him, Ene can only watch as black spirals start to envelop Konoha, and Kuroha emerges from it.

KuroEne AU: Kuroha and Ene's 1st Meeting in this Route (Dialogue Script Ideas)

Ene: What…… Konoha...! What happened to Konoha...!?

Ene: YOUUUUUU...!!! 💢

Kuroha: Hello... This is the first time we meet, yes? How do you do? (^-^)

Ene: Looks like you’ve finally shown yourself… You evil snake!!!

Kuroha: I've been waiting to meet you for a very long time...

Ene: Fine… Let’s talk, Snake of Clearing Eyes.

(Some snippets I wrote above ^^)

KuroEne AU: Rambles

Ene just thinks about Konoha's words to her that he'll be coming back safe with the two of them, and just mutters to herself that he's an "idiot" for not keeping his promise.

Ene realizes that Kuroha/Saeru baited Konoha into coming after him using his selflessness and love for his friends against him.

Ene glares and growls at Kuroha and he just smirks and says that he "likes and feeds off of the hatred in her eyes, strong emotions solely being directed towards him."

Ene is just like "What are you doing!? What kind of monster are you... That boy was innocent... He had nothing to do with this!"

In regards to Hibiya's death, Kuroha just tells her that a little collateral damage in the process feels inevitable, so why stop it? It's much more entertaining this way.

First time they meet in this route? Yes. But not the first time ever, and he knows that. They've been through this "dance" before.

Kuroha also makes that comment because of the time it takes from the beginning of a Route to get to the present day. This mf seems patient af... Yes, he's been waiting to meet her again.

This is honestly one of the most angstiest ways that they [Kuroha and Ene] could meet in a Route, cuz usually, my KuroEne AU first meetings are more lighthearted and tame in that Kuroha finds Ene himself, and decides to play nice at first (in the beginning stages of their relationship, while getting to know each other).

Though, in my KuroEne AU, Kuroha/Saeru possessing Konoha's body THIS early, does mean that he dumps the body of whoever he was possessing, MUCH earlier compared to canon.

Like he leaves the body he was possessing earlier prior to meeting her, but NOT right in front of her (so she's blissfully unaware). Like he shows himself, and introduces himself to her as Black Konoha.

The Eye Ability Snake acts as a surrogate life for those who've died and obtained Eye Abilities, so him leaving the body just straight up kills the person

[lesser-mook]

Kamen Rider Amazons (Brutal, good content) *light spoilers (mainly cause of the gifs)

I AM NOT a fan of live action tv shows, I prefer animation, easy choice.

But when it's good, it's good. Second time binging this this year, it's a solid full circle.

This is the show that put me on Kamen Rider. (Earlier this year *2023)

Season 1 is best. Good writing, good pacing, only 13 episodes.

Haruka is a good mc. He's basically Kira Yamato, except his arc is better handled.

Why? Because he gets called out, he has people teaching him, criticizing him, challenging him. And in a sense, he grows the fuck up.

My favorite development of his is combat prowess evolution.

His lore, his background, what he is. Amazons really is his story, while it does balance other plot threads and characters. Haruka was a consistent focus.

How multi-faceted he is, he's a good kid, yet he's a primal beast.

The Amazon Riders as fighters are some of the most animalistic Tokusatsu out there, and they're not the first KR Series to go dark (not even close) but they did make the brutal/bloody aesthetic more trendy in recent memory.

Good writing, decent characters, the music is pretty good.

My main gripe would be the recycled use of some songs & sfx, but on my second watch, it wasn't that bad.

And the empty streets sometimes actually was an artistic choice to emphasize the haunted nature of the world, but there were civilians here and there throughout.

But the ghost town vibe, i found was actually (the point).

Chihiro is the weakest part of the entire series for me. His obsession with Iyu (while explained) still made ZERO sense.

It's the Ochaga situation all over again, that level of investment when your exposure to this person was nothing but negative or in this case- minimum. You have zero impression to go off that warrants that level of dedication so what in the actual fuck is going on?

It woulda been better if he knew her from school, or he they dated before, or they met somewhere or something.

Set up is how you avoid contrived bullshit

Overall, it's a good series. Season 2 wasn't as strong, the movie too but they're still solid. They both add some good lore. And while Chihiro was annoying sometimes, he was a tragic character that had his cool moments.

Jin Takayama became my favorite this time around, he has this very anime energy where he smiles & talks cheery, until he doesn't and then shit gets tense.

He's the older model, the seasoned Rider. Father of the Amazons in a sense, you'll see why when you watch.

The man is the T-800 of Kamen Rider, he'll hunt ya down, not bullshit. No compromises. You caught lacking, he's right there.

Watched twice, had a good time. Violent, dark, doesn't drag (each episode is good in isolation even if you don't binge), decently written, the costumes look cool, the lore is interesting. Movie wraps up everything appropriately, wasn't ideal but it fit.

Amazons is solid.

[datheetjoella]

Fantober 2020, Day 22: Demon/Angel

Author: DatHeetJoella Fandom: Free! Pairing: MakoHaru Rating: T Part: 22/31 (read the full collection here) Word count: 1,612 Tags: Canonverse, Established Relationship, Fluff, Filters, References to Sexual Content Read at: AO3, FFn, or right here!

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Fresh out of the bath, Haruka walked back into the room. Makoto was sitting on the bed with his back against the wall, engrossed in his phone.

"The bath's free," Haruka said, but Makoto didn't respond. Instead, he opened his mouth slowly, not saying a word, then he chuckled under his breath. With a frown, Haruka went over to him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Haru!" Makoto said as though he hadn't even noticed he was here. He patted the mattress next to him. "Come sit. I want to show you something."

Haruka plopped down beside him and scooted over until their thighs touched. When he peered onto Makoto's screen, he frowned. The front-facing camera was open and he stared back at his own face. He didn't quite understand what was so remarkable about this. "What?"

"Now open your mouth slowly."

Another incredulous look was sent Makoto's way, but Haruka did as he was told and let his jaw slacken. Instantly, a rainbow waterfall cascaded from his mouth while his eyes grew big and his cheeks were tinged pink. The furrow between Haruka's eyebrows deepened. "What is this?"

Although they'd had their smartphones for almost half a year, Haruka still didn't understand all the functions it had. There were only a handful of things he used and the camera was one of them, but he had never seen this before.

"It's an app that puts filters over your face so you can take pictures or videos with it," Makoto explained, "You know my friend, Hayami-chan, who posts a lot of sparkly selfies on social media? She was taking some earlier when we were studying, so I asked her how she gets those effects on her pictures and she showed me this app. I've been playing with the filters while you were in the bath and some of them are pretty funny. Here, look."

Makoto swiped through the little images at the bottom and selected another filter. Dog ears and a nose adorned his and when he opened his mouth again, a tongue appeared on the screen. Haruka still thought it was a bit silly, but this one was kind of cute. Not that he would ever admit that.

"And look, it stays on your face even as you move around."

"This one suits you," Haruka said, biting his bottom lip to suppress a smile, "Nagisa was right after all."

"About what?"

"That you're like a golden retriever."

"In that case, this one is perfect for you." Makoto tapped on the search bar and typed something. When he pointed the phone back at Haruka, his whole face was replaced by a cat one that was, unlike Makoto's cartoon dog features, incredibly realistic. The stripes of fur moved along with his expression and the eyes blinked when he did.

"Now this is just terrifying," Haruka said with a snort.

"I quite like it," Makoto said with a cheeky grin. "It's cute. My two loves combined into one."

That made Haruka seriously question both Makoto's taste and his sanity. "How is this amalgamation anything but creepy? This is actual nightmare fuel."

"If you hate it that much, I'll pick out another one for you," Makoto said, "How about this one, a flower crown? Oh, or this one, a halo with angel wings. These are nice, right?"

They were better than the cat filter, but that didn't say much. While Haruka didn't see the fun in it, Makoto seemed to be enjoying himself. As long as he was happy, Haruka would gladly play along. "Do they have an Iwatobi-chan filter?"

A cheerful laugh left Makoto's lips. "I don't think so. You'd have to be the one to create it if you want one."

"Too much effort," Haruka said with a shake of his head. "What about a mermaid filter?"

"Hm, I'm not sure," Makoto mumbled as he thumbed through the options. "I would say no because most of these are aimed to use on your face, not your whole body. I'll ask Hayami-chan about it the next time I see her."

Haruka nodded, then he reached onto the screen. "What's this?" he asked; the preview picture was too small for him to make out what kind of filter it was.

"It's the devil filter," Makoto said as he pressed onto the image. As expected, two red horns popped up between his brown locks. "When Hayami-chan was showing me earlier, my friends said this one suits me."

The crease between Haruka's thin eyebrows returned at that. "How so?"

"They said I look and act so sweet that I must be hiding a secret, demonic side and that the filter is a reflection of my true nature," Makoto said in a spooky tone, but he ended it with a giggle that broke the spell.

Haruka had to summon every bit of self-restraint not to scoff at that. If there was any filter that reflected Makoto's true nature - besides the dog face - it was the angel one. "That's ridiculous. Your friends clearly don't know you as well as they think."

"What, you don't think I have a darker side to me?"

"No?" Haruka said, confused as to why Makoto sounded offended when he was defending him. "You couldn't even pretend to be evil when we were making the swim club recruitment film."

"It wasn't that I couldn't pretend to be evil, I was just nervous about acting in general," Makoto said, discarding his phone on the duvet, "Besides, Shizuru-kun thought my evil king was convincing."

"And he was the only person who thought that," Haruka said, "Makoto, you were crying this morning while watching a cat video. Does that sound like something a person with a dark side would do?"

"But it was so sad and cute!" Makoto said, "At first, it seemed like the kitten wasn't going to make it, but everyone took such good care of her that she made a full recovery. Isn't that heartwarming?"

The tears that welled up as Makoto recalled it did not support his case. "I'm pretty sure my point stands."

"I can be devilish," Makoto insisted as he crossed his arms, "Want me to show you?"

"Sure," Haruka said, curious to see what Makoto would come up with to prove himself. "Show me all you've got."

Before Haruka could as much as blink, he found himself pinned to the mattress by his wrists, arms raised over his head. His jaw plunged in surprise as Makoto hovered over him, a sly smirk wickifying his features, but he didn't want to admit defeat just yet. So he shot Makoto a challenging look back.

Makoto's expression didn't shift as he moved one hand from Haruka's wrists to his belly and, without a second of hesitation, started to tickle him. This was a low blow, but Haruka wouldn't give in that easily. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing and stared right back into Makoto's eyes.

Alas, this was a battle Haruka was doomed to lose, for Makoto knew all his most ticklish spots. After a solid minute of tensing his abs, he couldn't hold back any longer. Loud laughter erupted from his stomach and he kicked his legs.

"Stop! Makoto!" he managed to get out between fits of giggles, desperately trying to break free. "Stop!"

As nefarious as he was, Makoto quit the instant Haruka told him to. With a self-satisfied grin, he sat back. "Well, how was that?"

"This does not count," Haruka said when he caught his breath. "This is teasing at best, not devilish. People tickle each other all the time but that doesn't mean they have a dark side."

"Oh, so you want something of a higher caliber?" Makoto said, scratching his chin as if in deep thought. He leaned over Haruka again, reclaimed his hold on his wrists and lowered his face next to Haruka's left ear. In a low, husky voice he murmured, "You want to see my true, sinful nature?"

The words in combination with his hot breath fanning against his ear shell and neck sent goosebumps down Haruka's spine, spreading tingles across his body. Now this was the type of sinful he could get behind. "As sinful as can be."

Makoto didn't need to be told twice. He stroked his fingertips lightly over the inside of Haruka's bare arms, down his torso to his thighs. Then, he spread Haruka's legs and lined up their hips, his face inches removed from Haruka's.

Haruka's heart pounded faster and faster with anticipation as Makoto's hands played with the hem of his pyjama pants. Makoto's nose brushed against his, their lips only a whisper apart. All the while Makoto didn't break their eye-contact and a look that was more than familiar to Haruka shone in his hooded green irises.

Just when their lips were about to connect in a passionate kiss, Makoto was gone.

Confused, Haruka pushed himself up on his elbows and watched as Makoto leisurely strolled to the bathroom. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to shower. I'll be taking a while, so you don't have to wait up for me and can go to sleep first. Good night."

With that, he shut the door behind him.

This had to be a joke. He couldn't leave Haruka here like this. Surely whatever he had in mind before was much more fun than taking a shower.

Haruka waited for Makoto to come back, but when he heard the faint sound of dripping water, he realised what had happened.

With a loud, frustrated groan, Haruka grabbed a pillow and slapped it over his face.

Perhaps Makoto's friends knew him pretty well after all.

[shinadog]

Alright, here’s my first attempt at writing something Yakuza related - inspired by a freakin nightmare I had, here’s MOB! It’s a multi-chapter plot oriented story based on an alternate ending for Yakuza 5 (so be careful, it will spoil that game).

Summary : Something happened after Haruka’s concert.

PART 1 - The Crowd

The crowd was completely silent as the girl spoke.

No one really knew how to react - how could they? This is not what they wanted to hear. They came here tonight (they paid an exorbitant price for a ticket, for the right to stand in a pit with hundreds of others) for one thing only. To hear a trio of teenagers sing about love, dreams, and all kinds of other nice things. Not to have one of said teenagers make a heartfelt but ultimately uncomfortable speech about…

About what, by the way?

The fact that she, Haruka Sawamura, was now standing on a stage, something most people would KILL for, and that it wasn't what she wanted? That the beautiful moment she had lived tonight just wasn't good enough for her. That she wanted to go back home. To her family.

When she started to explain what she meant by family is when she really started to ruin the mood, though.

It's not that the people in the crowd were cruel.

If you asked them "can a former yakuza turn over a new leaf and raise a kid", they'd probably say yes. If you asked them outside of an idol concert that was now pretty much ruined, that is. For some reason, hearing that girl talk about her love for her criminal of an adopted father didn’t sound as reasonable when she was standing on a stage and the crowd was standing beneath her, forced to listen. Forced to realize the perfect little picture they had in their mind, the cute upbeat innocent girl who came here to sing nice songs and thank them for their attention, never existed.

They felt cheated, somehow.

Still, they said nothing. There were a few whispers here and there, some questions asked a bit louder, but other than that, Haruka bowed down and left the stage in an unnerving silence. Her two co-stars eventually left too, and for a moment, the crowd was lost.

Was this it?

That was the moment people were starting to show the first signs of agitation. When the crowd started to feel less quiet. As the staff started to get them to leave, apologizing profusely, more and more people were starting to object. They paid to be here, to spend a nice wholesome moment, and all they got left with was this vague feeling of disappointment. Worse than that, they felt betrayed.

That girl practically told them, to their faces, than this dream, being an idol and having the incredible chance to perform at the Japan Dome, an once in a lifetime opportunity, wasn't good enough for her.

That's not how it was supposed to go.

The crowd was lost.

Eventually, they had to move. Hundreds and hundreds of angry, upset people walking into each other to get out of here. A human wave, grumbling and complaining about how short and ultimately upsetting that whole experience had been.

But they were reasonable, well adjusted citizens, after all. They would leave without making a fuss. Go back home, make some angry social media messages about the concert and move on.

That would have been nice. Reasonable.

Instead of that, the crowd ran into a fleeing girl who, like them, was trying to get out of here.

There was an awful moment when they stared at each other. The idol and her fans. The girl who rejected them and the angry people who felt as if they had been personally betrayed by someone they loved. Someone they swore they knew.

It wasn't clear who started it.

Who threw the first punch.

Who pushed who.

Who first started to run.

When the crowd of reasonable, civilized music enthusiasts became a mob.

When instead of cutesy pop tunes, the air was now filled with the screams of people being caught in the stampede.

No matter how it happened, in an instant, chaos had erupted. The mob was a loud angry wave now, crashing into itself, stomping mercilessly on the poor souls who had the misfortune to fall.

When asked about it, later, well after the dust had settled, people who had been part of the mob will say they don't know what happened. They'll say they were scared - and they were. The threat of being crushed by other people in the absolute chaos of it all had been terrifying. They'll say they were sad that it happened. That the girl didn't deserve that.

They'll never admit they felt a self righteous anger that almost turned them into monsters.

After all, they were well-adjusted, normal people.

******************

Kiryu was not smart.

A smart man wouldn't have run to fight some asshole all on his own after being shot and punched a bunch of times, only to collapse in the snow like a moron trying to get back to home. Hell, a smart man wouldn't have joined the yakuza at 16 just to run after the respect and love of the man he wanted to call father. And, of course, a smart man wouldn't have been convinced to abandon his family so that his child could become a pop star.

While he wasn't smart, Kiryu had a good instinct. He knew when something was up, deep in his gut. So when he woke up in a hospital bed, his whole body screaming as the pain woke up with him, he knew. Something was wrong.

Not because of the pain. That, he expected. He had no idea how long he had been out, but it hadn't been long enough to heal, that much was certain. Every muscle in his body felt sore, and the burning ache where he had been shot was still there. If Kiryu had to guess, he'd say he wasn't unconscious for more than four days. Not that he cared about that right now. What he wanted to know was why he woke up with this feeling of dread. With an alarm blaring in his head, warning him that something was wrong. It might have had something to do with the friendly yet incredibly worried faces in front of him.

Saejima, standing with his arms crossed near the room's door, and Akiyama, sitting on a chair near the end of his bed, were both staring back at him, stuck in an uncharacteristic silence. It was especially jarring for Akiyama, who had opened his mouth when Kiryu had turned his head in his direction, closing it just as quickly, as if he didn't know what to say.

Kiryu frowned.

Then all the things that were wrong with this scene struck him at once.

The way Saejima was standing, stiff and tense, completely still even as their eyes met.

The small "fuck" that finally escaped Akiyama's mouth, and the way he immediately stared at the door, as if he was hoping for some needed interruption.

The wrinkled clothes, still covered in blood in places, that both men were wearing and the heavy bags under their eyes, as if they had been up for days.

The fact that they were the only two people in that room, when Kiryu remembered separating from three companions on that fateful night.

The blurry memory of a man making the promise he'd protect his daughter. A man who was not here today.

The horrible realization that Haruka was not here, either.

And, finally, the fact that the heavy, oppressive silence was still here as his brain painfully connected the dots.

"What happened?"

All things considered, his voice didn't sound as weak and shaky as he would have expected. It wasn't his usual voice, though, it was tainted by the panic that was now compressing his chest, making it sound way less threatening than usual. Maybe it was weak and shaky, after all.

He was met with more silence, and it both scared and angered him.

"Shit, he woke up?"

Majima's head poking through the open door startled him.

Not that being startled by Majima was anything special. The man had found many ways to surprise him through the years, and hearing his shrill voice was usually enough to make Kiryu brace himself for whatever was coming for him. He was less of a wildcard these days, sure, but Kiryu had learned it never hurt to be on his guard anyway.

Still, Majima's sudden appearance in the room wasn't what made him suddenly straighten up in his bed, ignoring his body's complaints. No, it was the way his expression shifted as their eyes met. That weird horrified look, one he never saw in that lone eye, as Majima dragged himself inside the room, closing the door behind him - now THAT was startling.

"What the FUCK happened?"

Alright, so his voice was definitely shaking. It wasn't weak anymore though, he had pretty much roared that question, trying to get up despite the pain being hard to ignore by now. He was a mess. He didn't care, he needed some kind of answer. Akiyama’s hand was on his shoulder, he wasn't sure when that happened. When he spoke, the man's voice sounded lower than usual, and that hushed tone did nothing to calm him down.

"We can talk later, that's the first time in eight days you've been truly awake, maybe you should take it slow."

Eight days, huh. Not the four days he imagined earlier, but still not his worst. It didn't tell him what happened while he was out to make everyone stare at him like that. Kiryu had been awake for what felt like minutes and no one had done anything to give him an answer. Which only made the alarm in his head blare louder.

He strained his neck to look at Saejima across the room, still motionless:

"Saejima, please."

Kiryu wasn't sure why he was singling him out. And if the way the man raised his eyebrows was any indication, Saejima was surprised to hear him call for him, too. Maybe it was because both Akiyama and Majima were already starting to tell him to calm down and consider going back to sleep, the former mumbling something about fetching a doctor. Maybe it was because he had the feeling Saejima wouldn't lie to him.

Eventually, the tall yakuza made a few steps to stand near the end of the bed, his expression unreadable as he started:

"Our plan mostly worked, but-"

"Where is Haruka?"

Kiryu thought he could let him talk - he wanted too, even, but the second he had started explaining, he had to interrupt. He had to know. Saejima looked at the others for what felt like an eternity, and finally-

"She's alive."

No one in the history of the world had ever said "she is alive" to talk about someone who was safe and sound. He couldn't have picked a more worrying wording if he had tried. Kiryu focused on the man in front of him, ignoring once more his exhausted body begging for him to at least lay down again.

When Saejima started talking again, he didn't dare interrupt this time, horror taking over with each words:

"The concert, uh, it happened. Shinada got the shooter, and we took care of shit at the Millenium Tower too."

Kiryu couldn't care less about the events at the Millenium Tower. If he had to guess, he'd say Majima and Saejima had to fight, maybe even fight each other, as they were sporting a variety of bruises. All he wanted was to know what went down at the Japan Dome.

"At the end of that one song, Haruka, she…" Saejima took a deep breath, and Kiryu swore his heart had stopped. " She made a speech. ‘bout ya. Said she wanted to go back home and stop the whole singing thing."

Uh.

That wasn’t really what Kiryu had expected. Months ago, he would have been overjoyed to hear those words. Days ago, even. But right now ? All he could hear was the voice in his head yelling that it wasn’t right, that something terrible had happened. He managed to mouth a small "...and ?", urging the other to continue.

At this point, Saejima looked as if each word was costing him a lot. Kiryu would have felt sorry for him if he wasn’t on the verge of having a bloody heart attack. Majima must have felt his brother’s distress, because he eventually took a step to get closer to the bed :

"The concert got to an end, people were pretty pissed about it, and Haruka, she just ran away. Tried to come get ya."

"It’s my fault." Akiyama blurted, looking more serious than Kiryu had ever seen him. " I’m the one who called her. To tell her you left for HQ and that we didn’t know what happened there. I’m so fucking sorry."

Asking "sorry for what" was on Kiryu’s mind, but somehow he didn’t manage to form those words – there was a heavy lump in his throat by now, and he felt so tired that he was afraid he was going to faint before those fuckers finally spit out the truth.

It eventually came, from Majima, his voice horribly serious for once, deeper and full of pity, which Kiryu realized was awfully scary to hear :

"When she got out, she ran into some folks from the audience, and a fight broke out."

"It was more like a stampede than a fight," Saejima added, contempt in his voice. "Those stupid motherfuckers just started running and they crushed everything in their way."

Kiryu was finding it harder and harder to focus on what was being said. Or to picture what happened. Or to just stay awake at all. He knew his body enough to know that he was about to drop and sleep for a couple more days, and he knew that he couldn’t. Not before he knew-

"Four dead and too many wounded to count."

He blinked. He wasn’t even sure who had said that. Akiyama, maybe. Kiryu somehow didn’t register a voice, just a number. And the word "dead" ringing in his ears. Saejima said she was alive, he told himself. She is alive. Four poor fuckers were dead, but she was alive. She had to be.

"Haruka ?" He asked, his own voice sounding like it came from far, far away. He was really starting to lose it, he was out of time-

"The mob got to her before any staff member could react, she was already outside and there was too many fucking people…" This time he was certain it was Akiyama’s talking. Probably. The scene was getting pretty blurry, by now. Words had mostly stopped making sense, but he still listened. "By the time they got her out of here she… She had been through a lot."

"She’s in a coma right now. Doctors said her vitals are good, she has a good shot at waking up"

The word "coma" still made sense.

In fact, it made so much sense that it made all the blurry noise surrounding his senses disappear, leaving him with nothing but dread.

Dread and stupid, impulsive anger, of course.

He got up.

Well, he tried to.

He almost managed to put one foot on the ground before Saejima shoved him back in the bed, humiliatingly easily. "Don’t fucking do that. I know it ain’t easy but you need to calm down."

"I need to see her."

"We’ll go once you’re strong enough." Akiyama said, his hand uselessly pressed on his shoulder, as if Saejima needed any help to keep him pinned on the bed. "Date is with her right now, so she isn’t alone. It’s probably better if we wait a bit, she’s… It’s a lot to take in."

You don’t fucking say, he wanted to shout.

"This isn’t how it was supposed to go..." Kiryu heard himself say, his voice breaking slightly, before a new spike of anger made it get louder. " Where the fuck was Shinada while all that shit was going on ? He said he’d protect her !"

"Well, when it started getting bad he did try to find a way through the crowd, but…" Saejima shook his head, looking more tired than ever. "It was an angry crowd, Kiryu, I’m sure he did his best, but it was too much. No one could have done anything."

Kiryu is vaguely aware that he kept talking after that. That he said Shinada was still alive after being pretty much crushed by the stampede, and that he was in a room somewhere in the hospital.

He didn’t care, though.

No one could have done anything.

The last thing Kiryu thought of as he passed out was that HE could have done something.

No angry crowd could have stopped him. He was certain of it.

He could have prevented this.

He should have.

[hotarutranslations]

TRUMP Meet!

Evening Its Ishida Ayumi

 Last year we had a

 “TRUMP Meet”

 Somehow “hold” is the word I used,

Its like it was a real event lol

 Those of us that appeared in LILIUM and,

Tamura Meimi-san appeared in Marigold,

TRUMP and Grand Guignol,

 The works of the world created by Suemitsu Kenichi-san

 A big fan of the “TRUMP series”

Funaki Musubu-chan started it

 Oda Sakura-chan Kaga Kaede-chan Kudo Haruka-chan the 5 of us previously had the meet

 We held it a second time--!!!

  Wa---i!!!

  Funa-chan!!

 (I forgot to take a photo with everyone…)

 Its unfortunate but this time,

Duu-chan wasn’t able to participate,

 So it was the 4 of us!

 This time there was a new work,

“COCCON One Moon’s Shadow Star”

 Since Funa-chan bought the DVD,

We got to watch it together

 I actually went to see the performance ‘of “star”

But I didn’t get to see “moon”

And, from Funa-chan’s insistence,

 I want to see it soon!!!

 We talked about it at the Harocon,

But we decided on a date to hold it relatively quickly! It was fun~

 Before watching COCOON,

We also watched LILIUM!

This is actually the first time I’ve properly watched the DVD… Its pretty hard to watch myself, I’m such a person, who is tense about it! That’s how I felt while watching it

 The scenes where I come out playing Cherry,

 Everyone is laughing a lot,

 I was kinda relieved lol

 Moreover, even watching myself,

I can notice the wonderful parts of the work,

 I really thought that I was glad I watched it! I get to really evaluate the LILIUM performance now, as a result, I realized that I was a bit grateful for it, thank you very much…

 Well, if there isn’t another opportunity like this,

I’m going to watch my own works on my own,

 Look after all,

 I want to have a DVD appreciation event!!!

 Concert DVD’s are fine,

Plays are also fine,

 I wonder how we would do that

  Ah this time’s TRUMP meet we had a sleepover

 Wa-i! Wa-i!

 Lol

   Tomorrow is “Youngtown Saturday”

 I’ll be appearing as a guest! The Valentine’s broadcast! I’m glad! That they called on me for it!! Since last year I wasn’t selected! Lol

  Wellllll,

 What will I make this time!?

 Also I wonder what the reactions will be!?

  Definitely, please check out the broadcast

  However,

 Akashiya Sanma-san,

Murakami Shoji-san,

 Are really kind, wonderful people

 Tomorrow, look forward to it

 See you ayumin ❤

 https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12575188270.html

[dennou-translations]

Finally, the last one. I sure took my sweet time with these.

← Previous || All Broadcasts

[traffic sounds]

Ene: Master... the radio... has come to its last episode, huh~?

Shintarou: Yeah... that’s right.

Ene: Thinking back, a lot happened, right~? Master turned macho, chased after Chupa-cabra and we went all the way to South America...

Shintarou: Something like that... happened.

Ene: I failed at share trading, used Master’s house as collateral and fell into deeper debt...

Shintarou: Aah... I didn’t... hear about that. What were you doing?!

Ene: But, one way or another, the radio was fun, wasn’t it~? I, too, was somewhat able to get lively for once in a long time~!

Shintarou: Yeah, true. I was wondering about what would happen at the beginning, but we somehow managed to get through to the last episode. Really, I’m grateful.

Ene: Now, Master! Shall we stop soaking in feelings and do that thing for the last time?

Shintarou: Oh! Then let’s go. One, two...

Ene/Shintarou: Mekakushi Radio!

[Daze starts playing]

Ene: LADIES AND GENTLEMEN~~!! YOU, MILLIONS OF ANIME FANS IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY!! ARE YOU ALL LISTENING??! Now, now, Mekakushi Radio has started tonight as well!! The ones who will act as personalities are me, member number six, Ene-chan, and member number seven, as in Master, Shintarou!! Yay, yay~~~!!

Shintarou: H-HEY!! You won’t let me do my self-intro?! I had it in mind that today was the last episode, so I’d thought up a lot of things!

Ene: Eeh? You were going to use a Kansai dialect as usual anyway, right? Breaking your character is already getting old, I tell you!

Shintarou: That’s not it! I was thinking about going for a Miyagi accent today...

Ene: That’s not much of a change, is it?! Master, you’re repetitive. Repetitive!

Shintarou: Haah?? This... You... I was desperate to make this radio exciting—

Kido: Hey, hey! Today is the last episode. For how long are you gonna be arguing uselessly?

Ene: Huh? Danchou-san, you were here? I to-tally didn’t notice!

Shintarou: Yeah. I also to—tally didn’t notice.

Kido: Don’t emphasize it! That hurts... Honestly! I even came to see if you were doing things properly.

Shintarou: “Doing things properly”, you say... Was there any time where you did a decent broadcast?

Kido: Huh? What’re you saying? Mine and Kano’s episode was quite a decent one, wasn’t it?

Ene: You’re lax, Danchou-san. You can’t say it was a fun broadcast just by it being decent! On that matter, the episode where you had a scary time was great! That one was surprisingly popular. And so were Danchou-san’s cute screams that we rarely hear~!

Kido: You... wanna be squeezed crushed again?

Ene: *robotic voice* Understood. Ene... will not say bad things anymore.

Shintarou: Speaking of a good episode, I think... mine and Haruka-senpai’s episode was good. We talked for once after a long while.

Ene: Eh!? There was an episode with Haruka?! W-When??

Shintarou: W-What’s with you? You’re too tense...

Ene: Eh? Ah. *laughs nervously* It’s nothing...

Kido: Speaking of which, there were episodes where Nee-san appeared too.

Shintarou: By “Nee-san”, you mean... Ayano also came??

Kido: Seems like it. By the looks of it, she made Kano go through terrible moments...

Ene: Ah, that’s right. Shall we play a song~? The season has completely turned into summer, so let’s go for some uplifting song... Erm... Ah, all right! Now, please listen to it! From Mekakushi M’s, Kuusou Forest~!

[Kuusou Forest starts playing]

Shintarou: How can I put it? It seems the last broadcast is about to become the first decent one.

Kido: Isn’t it fine to do things at leisure at least during the ending? This radio is normally too tumultuous.

Ene: My~! Really, we sure managed to air thirteen episodes with that much tension! There was some tension pretty hard to understand last week, huh? You two boys kinda... checked the color of your underwear! Riiight, Master~?

Kido: *whispers* You...! Even though people can only hear our voices, what were you doing in a national broadcast??

Shintarou: No, last week, there were ill intentions aimed at the personality, right?! I was fretting too!!

Ene: An unemployed young man confirming the color of his underwear with a grade school boy...

Kido: You’d undoubtedly be arrested, huh.

Shintarou: HEY, HEY, HEY!! I don’t wanna make my Mom cry any more than that, so cut me some slack!!

Ene: No, wouldn’t your mother be happier if you came back home after tidying up~? There would be more free space in the house!

Kido: That’s right. Do a self-evaluation, Shintarou. Also, put on some clothes.

Shintarou: I DO HAVE CLOTHES ON, DON’T I?! Don’t say stuff that will cause misunderstandings!!

Ene: Ah. You’re ruining it, Master. You’re ruining it.

Kido: You’re making dirty jokes in the last episode? That’s some protagonist.

Shintarou: WHAT’S WITH YOU GUYS?! Do you have a grudge towards me or something?!

[Days starts playing]

Ene: Ah? It’s already ending time, yeah~?

Kido: It was a blink of eye, huh...

Shintarou: It felt pretty long for me...!

Ene: Anyway! To the people who listened through all the thirteen episodes of Mekakushi Radio, really, thank you very muuuch~!! My~! Being granted such a wonderful opportunity makes me nothing but grateful!!

Kido: That’s right. Well, I wasn’t told a single thing about this radio until midway, though...

Ene: A-About that, did I not tell you I was sorry~??

Shintarou: Really, do this kind of thing after planning it out a little more...

Ene: I get it! Well, I don’t think a next chance would come just like that...

Kido: This is a world where you don’t know what will happen. We might... get a revival or something soon.

Shintarou: That alone would be rough.

Ene: Well~, that being said, really, thank you very much for everything until today~!! Let’s meet again somewhere~~~! These were member number six, Ene-chan...

Kido: ...member number one, Kido, and...

Shintarou: ...member number seven, Shintarou. And...

Ene: ...the whole Mekakushi-dan has delivered this to you~!

Kido/Shintarou: See you! Ene: SEEEE YOOOU~~~!!

[broken-clover]

12 Days of Whump- Delirium

Here we are! And close to Chrimbus, too. Merry Christmas, here’s some more pain. I kid, I kid. I still hope you like this one! Thanks for tuning in, I had a lot of fun with this project!

Day 12 of the 12 days of Whump- Delirium, with Amang!

Sapphire eyes watched intently, keeping close attention on the dozen and a half boys working in front of him. His gaze was just as much worried care as it was calm observance. While the children nailed planks, looped ropes, and drilled holes, he made sure everyone was remaining safe, with no loose extremities getting snagged or nicked or banged up.

“Well done, boys, very well done!” Amane smiled warmly, offering a little clap. “I couldn’t be more proud. We’ll be as good as new in no time! Haruka, watch your sleeve, I don’t want you getting snagged on the tarp.”

“Ok, papa!”

“Sora, try to keep your arm straight when you hammer, it’ll make it easier to aim.”

“Got it, Ama-san!”

The dancer caught a blue-haired old boy as he was walking past with a box of tools. “Madoka?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I’m going to step out for a little while, can I trust you to be in charge?”

His dour expression lit up immediately. “Absolutely, sir!”

“Wonderful. Be good while I’m gone.”

As soon as Amane turned and began walking away, he heard Madoka make a panicked squawk. “Yuji, put the saw down right now!!”

He laughed at that, knowing full well that Madoka was overreacting as he tended to. Amane didn’t even break his gait as he walked away from the half-repaired caravan and towards the nearest building. Ronin-gai really was a pretty little place. He really would have liked to visit more often, when they weren’t using it as a place of refuge while the caravan was being fixed. The locals were always good at making them feel welcome. He attributed it at least in part to the open-hearted nature of their leader, even if that was a little biased.

The house he entered was simple, modest. There was very little obstructing Amane between the front stoop and the bedroom. The feeling of tatami under his feet was familiar as he kicked his geta off by the entrance. It had become an odd kind of comfort, a sensation associated with a familiar place and a familiar face.

The bedroom’s curtains were pulled back, letting in the sight of the afternoon sun and falling leaves. Amane hardly paid the sight a look as he knelt down by the bed and reached for a wet cloth.

“This one’s gotten warm, hmm?”

He dropped it in the bowl by his side, fishing around and pulling out another one that was less warm to the touch. After wringing it out to keep the material from dripping, Amane replaced the one he’d taken. Almost immediately after, he had to move to put it back in place, due to the displeased squirming underneath.

Amane frowned. “Bang, please hold still.”

He got no reply, of course, because the man was still half-conscious as best. It didn’t stop Amane from talking to him either way. “I’m going to replace the bandage now, so just try and stay calm. I promise it’ll only hurt for a minute or two.”

He tugged down the blanket that he’d tossed over Bang after the last time. The arm nearest him was wrapped in a stained bandage, which he eyed with concern and faint disgust. Despite his hesitance, he unpinned the end and began unraveling the material.

The task gradually grew more difficult as more came off. Even without being awake, Bang started wriggling and squirming, which only made the whole ordeal take longer. Amane tried not to flinch as the layers grew more soaked underneath, with rust-colored flakes of dried blood flaking off onto the tatami.

“Oh, Bang…”

With a bit of morbid curiosity, the dancer leaned in a little, slender fingers lightly fanning over the too-warm, reddened skin. He didn’t dare drift too close to the large chunk of flesh that was missing, more than slightly due to the unpleasant-smelling muck that stained the wound.

Amane discarded the old bandage immediately, using his Drive to summon some extra fabric. He continued to glance at the injury between measurements, trying to determine how long to make the new strand.

“Don’t I always tell you to not be so reckless? I’m just trying to look out for you.” The man sighed, slicing off the end of the new material with one of his hairpins. “...Then again, you did save my boys. I think Koichi would have lost his whole arm if you hadn’t jumped in the way.”

One end of the strand was carefully placed by the wound’s edge, and he began wrapping it back up. “I’m not sure why bandits keep trying to attack us. Perhaps now they’ll learn not to try. Even if they do bring wolfhounds with them…”

He laughed a little at his own poor joke, but it petered out in the otherwise quiet room. Amane leaned over to stroke a warm cheek, burying fingers in the shaggy sideburns.

“Litchi will be here soon with the antibiotics. Just hold out a little longer for me, okay? You’re strong, I know you can do this. Please.”

As he finished wrapping up the infected wound, he felt muscles tensing under his touch. He tried to be gentler, thinking that the roughness was making the injured man recoil in pain, he pulled back in shock when Bang started sitting up, rubbing at his eyes with his good arm.

A moment later, he caught sight of Amane.

“T-Tenjo-sama?”

Amane tried to push him back down, gently but firmly. “It’s alright. Just lie still.”

The ninja complied, but he continued to stare with wide, feverish eyes. After a moment, he began tearing up.

“Oh, no, no…” Amane’s face fell. “Shh-shh-shh, it’s alright. You’re alright.”

“Ten-Tenjo-sama…”

He tried to think of something to say. How bad had the fever gotten? “She’s busy right now. She’ll be back as soon as she can. I’ll look after you until then, alright? I promise I’ll take good care of you.”

In spite of his efforts, Bang sat back up. And to Amane’s eternal confusion, despite his teary eyes, he began to smile.

“Tenjo-sama! Tenjo-sama! You came back!”

“I- what?” Even with all the oddness he had seen, Amane was utterly lost. He’d heard Bang mention his beloved master before, but he didn’t have much to piece together aside from her cruel death and the fact that Bang had a great fondness and respect for her. He assumed, though the infection and fever, the man had gotten a little delirious and begun hallucinating.

He was proven wrong rather quickly, as a pair of arms wrapped around his lithe body is a bone-crushing hug. “I missed you so much! You’re finally back!”

Amane glanced around, not entirely sure how to react. He managed to push Bang off and briefly looked over his arm, just to make sure the bleeding hadn’t worsened.

The ninja tilted his head, a smile still on his face. “Aren’t you happy to see me, Tenjo-sama?”

“Ah...y-yes, that’s right. Were you good while I was out?” Amane spat out without really thinking.

He nodded fiercely. “Uh-huh! I did all my lessons! And I’m getting better at climbing walls! I managed to scale the west edge without falling once!” His grin somehow grew even wider. “So you know what that means!”

The dancer put on a nervous smile. “O-of course I do, Bang!”

“Pat my head! I did good, so that means I get a head-pat!”

In spite of the confusion and awkwardness of it, Amane had to stifle a laugh of his own as he ruffled Bang’s hair. He seemed positively elated by it, practically bouncing in place.

“Haha! I missed you so much, Tenjo-sama! I’ve got a bunch of stuff to tell you!”

Amane figured, if he kept the man talking, he wouldn’t do anything reckless. And if he was very lucky, it would tire him out enough to make him go back to sleep.

“Oh? Why don’t you tell me everything, Bang?”

“Ok! Ok!” He clapped his hands together. “I met a really cool new friend! His name’s Amane-kun! And he’s got pretty purple hair just like yours!”

He was starting to put the pieces together. It seemed that in his delirious mind, he looked just enough like Tenjo to have them confused. It took him far too long to recognize the rest of what had been said.

“You think I- that he’s ‘cool?’”

“Uh-huh! Amane-kun is super super cool! He’s got a fancy scarf too! Not as cool as my hero scarf, but he can do magic with his, and I can’t do that!”

Amane was torn between blushing and laughter, so he did a bit of both. “Aww. He sounds interesting. Is he nice?”

“Mmm…” Bang paused. “A little scary. But he’s really nice when you get to know him! We sparred under the big tree the other day!”

He could vaguely recall that fight from a few months back. He also distinctly remembered the part where they both crashed into each other, with him landing on top of Bang in a very...awkward position.

“Well, I’m very glad you’re making new friends, Bang.”

“I really like Amane-kun! He’s awesome! He can fight and is really pretty and he dances with a bunch of people, an- and he promised to show me sometime!”

That Amane recalled much more thoroughly. In fact, it had been the reason they’d been heading that direction in the first place. He had finally wanted to put on a show at Ronin-gai.

If he didn’t know better, he would have said that Bang was blushing. But with the fever, it was difficult to tell. “Are you alright?”

“Can I marry Amane-kun?”

“Wh- I-” The dancer was at a loss for words, with a blush of his own overtaking his face.

Bang hardly seemed to notice, turning away and picking at one of the tatami panels by his bed. With a few attempts, he managed to pull it back, and retrieved something from a crevice underneath.

He gave Amane a conspiratorial look as he turned back around, keeping something concealed in his big hands. “Can I show you something super-super secret?”

“I...of course you can, Bang. You can always trust me.”

With shaking hands, the ninja revealed a little blue box. He flipped the top open, revealing a beautiful silvery ring, set with a glimmering sapphire stone.

“I wanna marry Amane-kun! Then we can be heroes and dance together and stuff!”

Amane felt like he was experiencing something he wasn’t meant to. He suddenly felt much more aware of the fact that he was more-or-less impersonating someone who had been dead for at least a decade and being privy to his own surprise proposal. Then again, he wasn’t sure just how much of it had to be real, and what had to be fever-induced babbling. The ring was clear as day, though. Was it really for him? Could it be?

Just as quickly, Bang closed the box and stashed it back away. “Shhhh! You can’t tell him! It’s super-secret!”

Still, Amane nodded. “Of course. I won’t tell a soul.”

“Haha! Thanks, Tenjo-sama!”

Before the dancer would think of something else to say, he watched Bang stretch, letting out a noisy yawn. He flinched, grabbing at the bandaged portion of his arm.

“Bang, are you alright?”

“I think I hurt myself today.” He replied, tone swiftly saddening. “I think I hurt myself real bad, Tenjo-sama. Am I gonna die?”

With a little smile of his own, Amane reached out to pat his head again. “No, Bang. Just as long as you get plenty of sleep. Can you do that for me?”

He nodded affirmatively, though it was sluggish. “Can I sleep in your lap again?”

Amane tried not to go red again. “You’ve gotten awfully big. I don’t think you’ll fit.” He noticed the man slump immediately. “Ah- um, but you can rest your head on me, if you’d like! But you’ve got to go to sleep right away.”

That seemed to be enough of a compromise. “Ok!

He moved to help guide the man down, to make sure he didn’t slip or hit his head on anything. While initially a bit hesitant about the concept, Amane found the feeling remarkably pleasant. Bang found a comfortable spot leaning up against the other man’s leg, and quickly settled down.

“G’night…Tenjo-sama...”

Amane let his fingers get buried in dark brown hair once again, gently petting it until Bang fell asleep in his lap.

[recentanimenews]

Ogata's Voice Actor like's Golden Kamuy Because Both Humans and Animals Get Skinned!

Golden Kamuy's official website is releasing a series of interviews with cast and staff over the course of the Spring season, which we're translating and brining directly to you! They started things off with the character designer, Ken'Ichi Onuki, followed by animal designer, Ryo Sumiyoshi, the art director, Atsushi Morikawa, firearm designer Koji Watanabe, prop designer Shinya Asanuma, composer Kenichiro Suehiro, and director Hitoshi Nanba.

But they didn't stop there! They interviewed Kamikaze Boy from MAN WITH A MISSION about Golden Kamuy's opening theme, "Winding Road" and THE SIXTH LIE, the creator/performers of the ending theme "Hibana"! They're making their way through the voice cast, starting with Chikahiro Kobayashi and Haruka Shiraishi, the voice actors behind Sugimoto and Asirpa, Hochu Otsuka, the voice of Lt. Tsurumi, Jouji Nakata, the voice of Toshizo Hijikata, and now Kenjiro Tsuda, tho voice of the cold-hearted Hyakunosuke Ogata!

  Tell us what you thought of the original manga.

It was a big, energetic story, with a lot of unique types of characters and a really dense plot. It doesn’t feel like a modern story somehow, which actually makes it more interesting. All of the expressions in it are so powerful, and it just has this incredible sense of passion in it. I think one of the reasons for that power is that it’s set in old Japan, not the modern era, and in the Hokkaido frontier.

What was it that left the biggest impact on you?

The strong characters, I think. Tsurumi especially is incredible [laughs]. The hero, Sugimoto, is covered in scars, and I think that appearance contributes to making his character what it is. Also, it’s a story about ripping off people’s skin in order to find gold nuggets, so the story itself packs a punch. The people in it are like wild beasts. They kill and skin lots of animals, and they’re willing to do that with humans, too. Maybe taking off a human’s skin isn’t that much different than taking off a bear’s pelt if you’re trying to survive in the Hokkaido wastes. It’s a tough story to read, but it’s really interesting. I think the fact that a lot of the unnecessary humanism you’d see in another manga has been removed is what makes this one so great.

Tell me how you felt when you got the role.

The character and the story both seemed really interesting, so I was very happy. I was so excited, saying, “Oh, wow! This looks so fun!”

What was your impression of Ogata?

He’s a very cold, unemotional character. He never lets his emotions surface. Of course, there are a lot of emotions he’s feeling underneath, but they never surface in a way you can see. It feels like when he’s talking to you, he’s not really communicating anything at all. Compared to conversations with normal people, it’s just a little more low temperature, you could say.

You mean when he talks, it’s hard to tell how much real emotion he’s putting into it, right?

Correct. There’s a scene in episode 9 where he talks with Tanigaki, but it’s hard to understand what he’s actually feeling [laughs]. In that scene, Tanigaki can’t figure what position he’s speaking from. As the story continues, you start to understand where he fits in, but at the start it’s really hard to tell the difference between the lies and what he really thinks. That mysterious aspect of his nature is what makes him so attractive, I think. And his cold character makes him the perfect sniper, which I also thought was kind of neat. But he also likes to lead people on, which makes him a really intersting character.

  When he comes back in episode 9, what did you think of him?

I thought it fit the character very well. Tanigaki comes back home to Huci’s house, where he’s been staying, and Ogata is there. But he doesn’t know why he’s there or what he wants. Then Ogata leaves without doing anything, but it’s actually a feint, and he tries to snipe Tanigaki from outside [laughs]. I thought it was a really wonderful scene.

When you first read the manga, did you think Ogata would be this big of a character?

Not at all. The first time I read the manga, he felt like somebody whose role in the story was to give the heroes someone to defeat [laughs]. He falls off the cliff in the battle with Sugimoto, and then doesn’t come back for a long time. In episode 9, he comes back after a long absence, and I think anime viewers were in for a big surprise.

Did Director (Hitoshi) Nanba and Audio Director (Jin) Aketagawa give you any special instructions with regard to the role?

They mostly let me do my thing, I think. He’s normally just a very cold, calm character. But when you read the manga, every panel his expression changes, and sometimes he actually looks kind of happy. For those lines, I consulted with the director, and we decided to keep these nuances. For episode 2, I was a little too expressive, and he gave me some advice to tone it down.  For a character like Ogata, balance is everything. He’s not the type to just go all in one direction. He’s kind of delicate. But that doesn’t mean that he’s extremely on edge, either. He’s a human being too, so it’s interesting as to when he has feelings, which means that the question is how you play out those feelings on top of his base character.

Are you the type who comes up with a plan for the role before you start recording?

I do come up with a basic idea, but not much more. I think when you’re actually recording the lines, they need to fit in with the other dialogue around them, which is why the director makes those decisions from an overall standpoint. Sometimes, even if it might seem just fine to play a certain scene unemotionally, if you look at the flow of the overall story, it’s better to be more dynamic. In that sense, I try to leave a lot of blank space in my acting.  

There’s a lot of really famous people on the cast. Tell us what it was like at the studio.

The story’s pretty tense, but it was very relaxed at the recording studio. The atmosphere was great. All the older actors seemed to be having a lot of fun, and the main stars, (Chikahiro) Kobayashi and (Haruka) Shiraishi, were cheerful and down-to-earth in a way that really spread to the rest of the cast.

Are there any scenes or lines that you thought really got at the core of who Ogata is?

He hasn’t had a lot of screen time yet, but I’d say the line in episode 9, which was in bold in the original manga: “Time to go Tanigaki hunting.” From Ogata’s perspective, trying to kill Tanigaki is the same as a hunt. When I played the role, I wanted his cold, cruel nature to really come across. In episode 9, he talks a lot more than he did before, right? During his first appearance, he barely had any dialogue. When I was recording episode 9, that felt like the first episode to me.

I think we should all keep an eye on Ogata as the story proceeds. Let’s end with a message for the fans.

Thank you for watching Golden Kamuy. I finally got to come back to the story as Ogata, and run my hand through my hair and look really cool onscreen [laughs]. I’ll do my best to live up to everybody’s expectations, and hopefully go a little beyond them, as I act out Ogata’s character. This is a fun, vast, and brutal story, and I hope you’ll watch it till the end.

---

Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[stepswowdsen]

AyaTaka/AyaEne and KuroEne AU: Rambles 🖤💙❤️

Intro

AyaTaka/AyaEne AU ❤️💙

KuroEne and AyaEne AU 🖤💙

The idea just came to me this morning but I think Ayano pining over Takane/Ene could be really interesting to think about... It's been simmering in my brain.

I love yuri with my girls!!! 🥰✨

The idea of an AU where Ayano loves Takane/Ene and Kuroha is interested in Takane/Ene... Ooogh spicy

Hama's KagePro Fanarts

Hama (@/trashout) on Tumblr was a big fan-artist in KagePro's EN fandom back during 2013 - 2015 (KagePro's prime) who was a HUGE HaruTaka, KonoEne, and KuroEne fan that was obsessed with them.

They also had secondary multi-ships on the side! I was 12 in 2013, when I found their works and looked up to their arts sm.

Hama's KuroEne fanarts was one of the main reasons why I started shipping them in the first place... I'll show them sometime since they have them all still on their Tumblr

Hama's Ayano and Ene Fanart

AyaTaka/AyaEne AU: Ideas

My AyaTaka/AyaEne AU ideas are inspired by Hama's Ayano and Ene fanart... I love them both as platonic and ship 🥰❤️💙

HAMA'S AYATAKA/AYAENE... RAHHHHHHHHH

AyaTaka/AyaEne yuri where in the present day, Ene sees a picture frame of Ayano decorated with flowers, and goes like, “A... ya... no...” with a distraught wide eyed expression

The memories of a beloved friend start flooding back to her. I need Ayano and Takane/Ene to kiss

God cuz I wanted to come up with AyaTaka/AyaEne ideas on the side too, but Ayano being alive in the present day plot in canon-verse actually messes with sm of the canon

Shhhh let's just think about a Route where Ayano is alive

Cuz if Ayano is still alive, Shintaro has nothing to grieve over. Actually, Ig he still would. Cuz Haruka and Takane's deaths would still deeply affect him

But if Ayano is still alive, then the Original Trio (Ayano's foster siblings) has nothing to grieve over. Maybe things DO get tense between them (Ayano and her foster siblings) similar to Manga Route 2

Ig it could be a Route where Ayano dies and comes back with Favouring Eyes, similar to Manga Route 2, but she still gets the chance to know the rest of the Yuukei Quartet beforehand

Cuz wouldn't it be interesting if it was the opposite way around too and Shintaro and Ayano end up grieving Haruka and Takane's deaths. The sheer devastation… So ShinAya are still alive in the present day plot, but HaruTaka's deaths lead to the creation of Konoha, and Takane becoming Ene

Considering that Ene is just Takane with blue hair, I definitely feel like Ayano would recognize her lol

Kano would use his Eye Ability, Deceiving Eyes, to disguise himself as Ayano since they worked together. Ayano would skip school days to investigate the Snake of Clearing Eyes (Saeru) and Kano would take Ayano’s place so Kano (disguised as Ayano) would interact with the rest of the Yuukei Quartet (who didn’t know)

Like even Kano recognizes her (Ene) as Takane. It's not hard to put 2 and 2 together and realize that Ene is Takane lmfao

In a conversation with Takane, Ayano mentions how she feels that she isn't good enough for Shintaro.

Ayano... 😭

"No, I'm no good for him. He needs someone that's even more selfish than him, someone energetic to pull him along… All I do is just follow behind him all the time. I can't do anything…" - Ayano about Kisaragi Shintaro

Cuz it's so interesting to think about Ayano reacting to Ene, and Takane’s upbeat exterior as Ene being the complete opposite of what she was like 2 years ago. How Takane/Ene seemed to take her (Ayano)’s advice to heart, that Shintaro needs “a person who’s even more selfish than him, someone more energetic to pull him along…” So Ene acts cheerful and upbeat on purpose to cheer him up and string him along in the hopes that he opens up more and stops isolating himself in his loneliness

Just imagine the surprise Ayano gets at seeing Ene... “Is that you, Takane-chan...!?”

In Manga Route 2, Ayano never ends up meeting the rest of the Yuukei Quartet, so ShinAya don't know each other until they meet on the faithful day of August 15th

KuroEne and AyaEne AU: Ideas

Like RAHHHH you know what could also be spicy? KuroEne and AyaEne AU. The flavour…

Kuroha → Ene 🖤💛💙🐍📱

Ayano → Ene ���️💙🧣📱

Ayano my poor 2nd wife 😭 Ayano saying “I’m not good enough for him (Shintaro)”

AyaTaka/AyaEne with Ayano's insecurity that “she is not good enough for Takane/Ene unlike Haruka,” believing that she just can't seem to match how HaruTaka bonded with each other so well, and the way Ene feels drawn to Konoha.

Ayano notices how easily flustered and embarrassed Ene gets around Konoha just like how Takane did with Haruka. Whenever she sees KonoEne together, her mind flashes back to memories of their school days together (the Yuukei Quartet), and HaruTaka, and she feels an ache in her chest. They're all things she notices right away. She wants their happy days together back…

Kuroha gets amused by Ayano’s determination and resolve to protect the Mekakushi Dan, including Ene, from him. Kuroha mocks her for her failures from 2 years ago, in failing to put a stop to him orchestrating Haruka and Takane’s deaths in the first place.

Kuroha: Despite your vow to put an end to the cycle of Tragedy... The truth is, “Favouring,” that you failed to protect anything at all.

Kuroha: You couldn't protect your friends, nor your family, nor the person you loved... (*)

Kuroha: To come back after your failure, is such a pathetic sight.

Kuroha: What do you even hope to achieve this time around? Do you really think that anything will change?

Kuroha: You couldn’t even stop me 2 years ago. You couldn’t even save them— Your friends— Haruka and Takane— No— Your precious Takane, 2 years ago. (*)

Notes:

Ayano's Eye Ability is Favouring Eyes (目をかける, Me wo Kakeru)

Kuroha's comment about "the person you loved" could be about Shintaro if you want to interpret it in a ShinAya shippy lenses, or Takane/Ene if you want to interpret it in an AyaTaka/AyaEne AU

Kuroha/Saeru refers to the Mekakushi Dan members by their Eye Abilities, with the exception of Marry, whom he calls “Queen” and “Master.” Since Marry is Azami's (his original Master's) granddaughter, and also because she is his new Master, as the current holder of the Queen Snake

KagePro Wiki:

"Ayano's eye ability allows her to project her and possibly others' thoughts and memories to other people, which she refers to as 'the power of caring'"

It's just that, in a Kuroha ship AU, he would refer to his S/O by name. In a KuroEne AU, Kuroha/Saeru calls her Ene, or in certain moments, by her real name, Takane

Like imagine Kuroha dropping the name “Takane” for the first time during their (KuroEne’s) intimate moments together… Omfg…

It’s funny cuz out of the Mekakushi Dan members, Kuroha/Saeru probably has the most tense and hostile relationship with Ayano due to him threatening/planning to kill her family and siblings.

AKDSKLSDKLDSKLL could you just imagine if KuroEne are still intimate together in this AU...

Ayano asks Ene what she feels about the Snake of Clearing Eyes, and Ene gets all fired up and determined like, “Yeah!!! I hate him!!! I hate his guts!!!” All pouty and huffy in tsundere fashion.

But then the visions start coming back to her and start flooding her memories and Ene blushes and looks away cuz she seriously can’t bring herself to tell her friend about the sex their intimate moments together. And Ayano just goes like (?) OvO all confused, thankfully blissfully unaware.

KuroEne and AyaEne AU: Kuroha being evil (as always)

In the context of a KuroEne and AyaEne AU, I think one of the most fucking evil things that Kuroha can do is to drop the mention of him knowing Ene better than anyone else, right to Ayano’s face

Kuroha/Saeru has a tense relationship with Ayano due to her actions setting back his plans in previous Routes (past timelines), so I wouldn’t put it past him. It seems like something he’d do.

Kuroha flaunts how he knows Ene, or really, Takane, and her desires intimately. “You could say I know her quite well… In more ways than one.”

And Ayano just gets mad at him like, “Not true…!” And Kuroha just smugly says, “Oh, but I do know.” And starts listing off his memories with Ene, and she realizes that he’s not bluffing cuz of how specific these recollections are

The idea of Kuroha/Saeru knowing her loved ones better than she does, due to the knowledge he carries, just hurts her heart

I'll put KagePro lore context (summarized from the KagePro wiki) under the cut if it helps

KagePro Lore: Context

I'll just put this if it's needed

Ayano's main songs:

Ayano's Theory of Happiness (Song #11)

Additional Memory (Song #16)

Ayano is Mekakushi Dan (Blindfold Gang) member no. 0, the one who founded the Mekakushi Dan in the first place.

Ayano wanted to be a good big sister to her foster siblings, Kido, Kano, and Seto, who were previously staying at an orphanage (due to being ostracized for being "strange," so because of their Eye Abilities) and taken into her family as her adoptive siblings.

She made the Mekakushi Dan so that they could play together as "heroes"

Ayano's Theory of Happiness:

Fan-translation by vgperson: (X)

Additional Memory:

Fan-translation by bluepenguin/EJ Translations: (X)

I'll link the songs with EN fan-translations (captions or subtitles) above!

Ayano falls in love with Shintaro, her classmate who was a burnt out gifted kid who was tired of life and didn't see the point of living. Ayano befriends him and tries to cheer him up by constantly making him origami paper cranes, even taping back his old ripped up test papers and making them into origami paper cranes for him.

Ayano and Shintaro eventually meet Haruka and Takane, their upper classmates by 1 year. This quartet (Haruka, Takane, Ayano, and Shintaro) is a friend/classmate group nicknamed the Yuukei (Evening/Sunset) Quartet.

Additional Memory (Summary)

I summarized the KagePro wiki lore to fact check my memory

Eventually, she finds out about Saeru (the Snake of Clearing Eyes) and his plan to create a new Medusa in the world, by planning to kill Haruka and Takane (her upper classmates and friends), and orchestrate their deaths, and killing all the current Eye Ability holders (which would also include killing her younger siblings)

In Ayano's Theory of Happiness, and Additional Memory, Ayano finds out about the Snake of Clearing Eyes’ plan to sacrifice her friends (ie. Haruka, Takane), and family, her foster siblings (ie. Kido, Seto, Kano).

(TW/CW: Mentions of suicide)

In most Routes, Ayano plans to commit suicide on the school rooftop on August 15th and enter the Kagerou Daze and gain the Eye Ability, Favouring Eyes, in order to prevent all the Eye Ability snakes from gathering in the real world.

She recognizes the futility of her plan in trying to stop Saeru, but decides to go through with it in the hopes of protecting everyone, even if she knows that her plan will only bring her misery, and how much it pains her to deny her love for Shintaro.

Because as Ayano understood it, Kuroha/Saeru’s plan was to create a new Medusa in the world (making Marry its new master) by killing all the current Eye Ability holders, so Ayano hoped to ruin his plans by dying on August 15th, entering the Kagerou Daze, getting an Eye Ability herself, and staying in there.

But then, she discovered her actions were for naught cuz he planned to force Marry to reset the world anyways, thus allowing him to “live forever” through the time loops.

After being trapped in the Kagerou Daze, Ayano comes to terms with having failed her original mission, and vows to be a spectator in the hopes of recording the events of the tragedy with her ability of showing memories to others, in the hopes that if she ever escapes, she can help her friends break out of the time loop.

Manga Route 2

Manga Route 2 has events that transpire differently from most Routes. In Manga Route 2, Seto brings Marry to Ayano's household, Ayano never meets the rest of the Yuukei Quartet (ie. Shintaro, Haruka, Takane) and becomes estranged from her foster siblings (ie. Kido, Kano, Seto) after she gets desperate and offers up killing Marry as a solution to stop Saeru's plans.

Unlike most Routes, Ayano isn't dead in the present day plot because she doesn't go through with her plan (Events of 2 years before the present)

[jemiroka]

Idolish7 part 3 story 16.4

The least tense chapter of this entire update... Summary below the cut

The person who freaks out over the celebrity in the street shows up again and Wilfred asks Nagi if she’s referring to him. Nagi disagrees and thinks it’s someone else.

Yamato is out shopping with Riku and Mitsuki for limited edition Kokona goods to help cheer Nagi up about the whole Sakura Haruki situation. They hope that a clue about his whereabouts comes up soon. Yamato was able to find out some information about Northmare, including that it is a fairly rich country since it has a lot of valuable resources and small population. In the Northmare society the nobility is also decently young. Mitsuki comments that such a person from Northmare is also an otaku and a genius amongst other things. Riku compares it to Akihabara where there are electronics stores, anime shops, and maid cafes.

The same person who freaked out earlier about a celebrity reacts.

The managers are meeting and Okazaki is offering to take care of the bill an encourages them all the to eat. Tsumugi is hesitant but Anesagi encourages her to get more comfortable around them since she’s been working so hard with all of Idolish7’s issues. Anesagi teases Banri for doting on Tsumugi and even teases him for buying a new mouse for Tsumugi when she mentioned that her current one hurts her hand. Anesagi is surprised that a man with his face would get a present like that and should at least give accessories as a present instead of a mouse. Okazaki and Banri think the mouse is cute since it’s pink and shaped like a rabbit. Anesagi is exasperated because they’re surrounded by “high school girls”

Anesagi recalls a headline that was about Gaku being seen with a beautiful woman in front of an apartment building but he was actually with Anesagi. Okazaki asks how Gaku reacted. Gaku congratulated Anesagi on being called a beautiful woman. Banri agrees. So it shows that the members don’t actually care too much about scandals.

Anesagi states that if Idolish7 were a female group they all probably would have confessed to Banri by now because of his face. Okazaki thinks that if Re:Vale were made up of two beautiful women instead it would be hectic. Anesagi asks which one Okazaki would pursue if that were the case. Okazaki thinks he’d probably pursue both (Okazaki! You dog! XD)

Banri asks Anesagi what kind of person they prefer. Anesagi almost slips by saying Nagi, but changes it to the Prince Charming type.

Torao asks why they’re at a butler café. Touma received a coupon for the butler café so he wanted to honor it. Minami says this is typical of Touma based on his fortune telling. Touma sarcastically thanks Minami for his commentary. Torao asks why he invited them all out and Touma just wanted to deepen the group bond since they all have the day off. Minami says he has to leave soon. Haruka will stay just to eat a parfait. Touma just wants them to become more intimate with each other. Torao comments that intimate implies bedroom stuff. Haruka asks if he can get pancakes too and Touma tells him that he’s welcome to get whatever he wants (dammit Haru, how can I dislike you if you’re like this?!). Torao and Minami leave. Touma asks Haruka why he became an idol. He says that half of it is that he wants to get back at Kujo and the other is to surpass Zero, Kujo, and Tenn. Touma asks what will happen after that. Haruka says he’d probably laugh at his fans and tell them that he never liked them (wth). Touma asks what about after that. Haruka never thought that far ahead about it.

Iori is trying to buy something that would make Riku happy and enlists help from Sougo and Tamaki, but he’s thinking about getting stuff that would make a child happy like a teddy bear or a toy. Tamaki wonders if that kind of gift would be more suited for Iori. Tamaki suggests Iori get something that he would like Mimi-chan or Pero-chan and Iori gets defensive that he buys that stuff to study why society likes those characters so much and not because he likes them (LOL). They come across a rainbow colored keychain that they think Riku would like but Iori wonders if Riku would be happy with him giving the gift. Mezzo” thinks Riku would definitely be happy.

Yamato, Riku, and Mitsuki lined up to get Nagi a Kokona body pillow and he’s super happy. Riku is happy with the seven colored (rainbow) keychain Iori got for him. Tsumugi comes to visit the dorms for the first time in a while. Mitsuki asks her if she has work to do. Tsumugi came to drop off some stamina soup that she made. While the others are excited about having dinner, Tamaki asks Sougo if it’s okay not to tell the rest of the members that he’s going back to see his family tomorrow. Sougo doesn’t want to worry them and doesn’t want Tamaki to tell them either.

[natsuhikoshidou]

Invisible Ch. 2 - An Outrageous Phenomenon (Summary)

everyone hates souhei, souhei and hijiri finally interact with one another and its pure and friendly and souhei kicks some trash around

Read Ch. 1 | Read Ch. 3

Souhei leaves for school the next day late. Though he usually goes on his bike, today he goes on foot because it’s quicker. He eats some rice and egg sauce for breakfast and thinks about the last time he had cereal, bread or milk. He misses bacon.

When he arrives at school, he’s the last person in class. Though at first no one talks to him, a figure approaches him from behind...

It’s Maki! She’s wearing the school uniform too and is going under the name of Maki Tamagawa. Once he remembers who she is, he is interrupted when a girl called Sawai comes over to greet Maki. Maki responds, nicknaming her “Sawachi”, to which Sawai blushes as if she was a fan who just met her idol. When Sawai notices Souhei, she goes back to her uptight self

Souhei asks Sawai if Maki just transferred, to which Sawai responds outrageously (making a face as if she just swallowed a watermelon) and exclaming that he’s “Unbelievable!!” as Maki apparently transferred 2 months ago. Sawai drags Maki away as she waves happily.

Souhei finds it strange that Maki transferred 2 months ago. He remembers yesterday a boy was sitting in her current seat. He checks the register at the front of class during break and it also has Maki in the right seat, as if it had always been like that.

Maki is also strangely good at everything. In maths class, she writes long complicated equations on the board as the teacher takes pictures, in music she plays a complicated Bud Powell jazz composition on the piano. In sports class, she manages 3 slam dunks despite being not even 160cm tall. Souhei’s surprise turns to fear.

At break Souhei sits alone and eats some curry bread. But not for long, as Maki soon comes over and hugs him from behind, asking why he’s sitting all alone. Eventually she sits next to Souhei. He asks her “What are you?” to which she replies “Maki? Maki is maki!”

Maki asks Souhei to consider what he wants for his wish again. Soon, Sawai and some other female students come over asking Maki to play volleyball with them. Maki invites Souhei along, but he declines

A few days later, Souhei notices that Maki often doesn’t turn up to lessons. He also notices that the days where she isn’t in lesson, though he isn’t being pestered by her, he is often bullied more. Today while he was at the toilet during break a hole was cut open in his pencil case.

He recalls that the bullying used to be a lot worse, and that if it were middle school the pencil case would completely wrecked. He also recalls a time where thumbtacks were put in his school shoes and his desk was thrown outside in the hallway.

Strangely, Hijiri comes over to his desk along with two other guys. Apparently Maki told Hijiri that Souhei was acting coldly towards her, and Hijiri essentially warns Souhei to mind his attitude.

Souhei was acting cold towards her because Maki is constantly following him around, asking him about his wishes. Because Maki is popular with the class, everyone has become suspicious of Souhei.

When Maki later turns up to lesson, Souhei tries to greet her warmly, like Hijiri warned him.

Maki then approaches Souhei before returning to her desk and whispers in his ear that she will get his wish, by any means possible.

After school the next day, just before Souhei leaves to meet Othello, a girl tells Souhei that Mr Kushiwasashi (the head of science) wanted to have a meeting with him, as he’s the class manager for science this week.

The girl is called Mizuguchi. She sits behind Souhei and is also part of the handicraft club.

Souhei recalls that they are preparing for next week’s experiment in class, so there shouldn’t be duty this week. He goes up anyway.

When he reaches the prep office, Hijiri is there too. Souhei explains that he’s the class manager this week, and asks Hijiri why he’s here. He begrudgingly replies that Kushiwasashi is also in charge of the preparations for the school trip and Hijiri is an excursion manager for the class.

When Souhei asks why he’s alone, Hijiri tells him to shut up and they sit in silence for a while.

Souhei thinks about trying to mend his relationship with Hijiri. The reason why they aren’t friends anymore was because of a misunderstanding that happened when they were younger. If he can fix their relationship, he will stop being bullied.

Hijiri suddenly asks if Souhei has Haruka’s pictures. Though Souhei won’t give them to him, Hijiri says it’s fine. He starts reminiscing, thinking about how long it’s been. Souhei begins to feel uneasy and doesn’t want Hijiri to continue...

Hijiri suddenly tells Souhei that he and Haruka went out together.

Hijiri decides he’s going home, but before he does Souhei asks him why Haruka pretended to care about him, to which Hijiri replies in a sneering voice “Sympathy.”

At first, Souhei is angry. After a while he understands that Hijiri’s probably right, as the relationship between he and Haruka is nothing special (i.e. they only go the library and study together)

Just before Souhei leaves too, Kuchiwasashi appears and tells Souhei that he isn’t allowed to be in here

The next day, in study period, Souhei notices that Maki isn’t in class.

When he adjusts his chair, he scoots over something on the floor. He notices that Mizuguchi dropped a bead accessory behind him and it broke. Souhei apologizes but Mizuguchi says it’s fine.

He tries to read his book. Though he usually immerses himself in his books easily today he realizes he’s too tense and can’t get into it.

Maki then turns up. She puts her bag by her desk and then goes up to Souhei who tries to ignore her. She whispers to him “How did it go yesterday? Did you get along well with Hijirin?” and explains that, because Souhei is always looking over at Hijiri, she assumed they wanted to be friends. Souhei understands that she set yesterday up.

When she asks if his wish was granted, Souhei tells her it wasn’t and that the wish he has now is for her to go away. Dejected, Maki leaves the classroom.

Hijiri comes up to Souhei afterwards and asks him what he did to Maki to make her so upset, and that he warned Souhei that he should be more kind. Souhei, who has lost his patience, stands up and tells Hijiri that it’s not his business. Hijiri warns him to mind his attitude. Souhei tells him that he doesn’t have time for this. Hijiri asks if that’s why he doesn’t have any friends. Souhei tells him that he (hijiri) wishes that were true. Hijiri tells him that he knows everything about him, and that he’ll always be alone.

Souhei asks Hijiri if he has any friends. Hijiri laughs, saying that he considers everyone in their class a friend except him. To which Souhei responds “Among those friends, how many are you colluding with to bully me? Don't you think that kind of friendship is dirty?”.

Hijiri goes quiet. Souhei gloats at him and feels as if he’s won. When all of a sudden...

Thud. Hijiri punches Souhei in the face. When Souhei realizes this, another blow is coming his way. He manages to dodge this and they both fall to the ground. The class is shrieking.

Hijiri tries to get on top of Souhei but he holds him tightly by the shoulder, pushing Hijiri onto the ground. In this the two are kicking and punching each other wherever possible. The squabble only lasts a few 10 seconds before they’re pulled apart by their classmates.

Hijiri has a black eye and his shirt has been ripped at the shoulder. Souhei has a nosebleed and his arm is bleeding onto, what he finds out, was the necklace Mizuguchi was making earlier. In the scuffle it had fallen onto the floor.

Hijiri demands that Souhei apologizes, to which Souhei tells Hijiri that he’s the one that threw the first punch. Hijiri apologizes to the whole class, saying that he claims responsibility for what just happened. 

Souhei, feeling that the whole class is now against him, apologizes and deeply to Mizuguchi. With tears in her eyes, she tells him:

“Just... Disappear.”

Souhei goes to the infirmary to clean up and then goes home. He sneaks past his aunt, goes to his bedroom, crawls into bed, feels bad about himself, then falls asleep.

He then wakes up 6 hours later at 8 o’clock. When he leaves his room, he’s caught off-guard by his aunt who asks about his face. He tells her grumpily that he fell off his bike and that he’s already been to the school infirmary. His aunt asks why he’s mad, he says he’s not. He keeps denying it, his aunt keeps insisting he’s mad, and then finally he shouts “I’m not mad!!!” at her.

Unable to deal with the awkward silence and the guilt he feels he slips on his old sneakers and leaves the house. His aunt asks where he’s going so late but he just leaves.

With no friends he can stay with, Souhei just wanders around for a bit. Eventually he ends up outside Hachiougi station where he’s greeted by Haruka.

At first she giggles at his face. Souhei doesn’t want to tell Haruka that Hijiri did it after learning that they're going out and tells her that he fell of his bike. She’s suddenly really worried about him and reaches out to touch his wounds

Souhei grabs her hand and tells her it’s ok and that they’ll heal if they’re left alone.

The conversation shifts to what they’re doing in town so late. Souhei lies and says he’s going to the book store and Haruka tells him that she went to a prep-school workshop. She then asks if he’s free tomorrow and if he wants to study with her. 

Confused, Souhei wonders if it’s ok and mentions Hijiri. Haruka is doesn’t know what he’s talking about and on that note they depart.

Souhei starts feeling bad about himself again, coming to the conclusion that everyone’s lives would be better without him. His aunt left her job because of him, Haruka is only hanging out with him out of pity, his classmates hate him and he makes the atmosphere uncomfortable in class... He ends up at a bridge which crosses over a river near the station and listens to the water. 

He thinks about jumping from the bridge... just then a small shiny object falls onto the ground. He picks it up; it’s the cube from when he met Maki at the shrine.

From it he hears Maki’s voice -“Do you have a wish?” and “You finally decided.”

He asks where she is and she says “Here”, yet he can’t see her anywhere. The cube then begins to burn up, so hot that Souhei fumbles and drops it. Yet he didn’t hear the sound of it hitting the ground and couldn’t see it.

After that strange occurrence Souhei is about to head home when a well-built man in his mid 30′s bumps into him. He is with a heavily made-up woman. 

Souhei apologizes, saying he wasn’t looking where he was going. However the man ignores him and says “Was that a crow? Or a cat?”. The girl says she didn’t see what bumped into him either. They walk off.

Souhei keeps trying to apologize but they’re completely ignoring him. After that a woman bumps into his back and he falls over. She is wearing office wear.

She too is confused about what she just bumped into; thinking it was a sign outside a pub she kicks the sign and goes into the pub.

Souhei notices something really strange is going on. He stands up and looks into the pub window which - because it’s dark - works well as a mirror. 

However his body isn’t being reflected back. Behind him there’s a crowd of college students that pass by who are reflected in the window. The window isn’t broken; something is wrong with Souhei’s body.

A salaryman walks past him. Souhei jumps out in front of him, shouting in order to get his attention. He just walks away at a regular pace and doesn’t acknowledge Souhei at all. 

Thinking that he jumped off the bridge after all and just doesn’t remember, Souhei thinks he might be a ghost. However he kicks a trashbag over proving that he can interact with objects.

He’s able to interact with things in the outside world, but his body can’t be seen by anyone and his voice can’t be heard. There is only one explanation. That is...

He’s become an invisible person.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Kado 12 (FINAL) | Katsugeki Touken Ranbu 1 | Battle Girl High School 1 | Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun 1 | Youkai Apato 1 | Isekai Shokudou 1

Kado 12 (FINAL)

Shunina in 2D looks creepy as all get out…

I believe what zaShunina wants to get at is that we have reasoning and intelligence…which is half of what some people have feared about this show all along. The “humans are special” preach.

Gonno finally has a point of purpose, which is great.

I’m laughing. It really is Yandere zaShunina, LOL!

Funny thing zaShunina uses the words “way of living”. The characters that make up Shindo’s surname (真道) mean “true way”.

I have the feeling zaShunina can’t actually cry, and he’s faking it.

“…I’ve been meaning to punch you myself.” – In short, Kado really is just a shonen battle series in disguise.

zaShunina’s face makes me wanna cry. That’s the second time this season’s climaxes have attempted to bring me to tears…

Oh well, at least I got my broman-Huh? Shindo’s heart got torn out?! ewfefl/…

Hey, look. Origami bird in the anisotropic. I still want to know how to make one, dangit!

*wants to cry again* Shun-kun? You mean…Hanamori? This 16 year old is another Saraka?

*howling with laughter, but still at the brink of tears* Please, please stop making me ship Saraka and Shindo, since I never shipped them anyway. However, the biggest laugh this season was zaShunina’s many many expressions of rage, that probably beat out even that woman from the Emperor’s New Groove, LOL (Yzma).

Seeing old Hanamori – every single darned shot of him – makes me wanna cry. Plus, Yukika as a baby had a Takoyaki Cat bundle, haha.

*White Parasite spoilers!* A-Ah! So “White Parasite” really was an omen for where this show would go! zaShunina got defeated by his own power, just like La Luna, but zaShunina basically gained the range of expressions of a human, unlike Luna, who was killed off early. Ah…that’s sad. I predicted exactly where this would go without having even seen the show. *end spoilers*

*as the titlecard appears* I-I don’t get it…but wait, there’s more. Keep watching, people.

Chotto ittekimasu means “Out for a little bit”, which isn’t quite the same as “back later”, but I’ll take it.

W-Wah? It’s over…? Well, suffice to say, I was amazed beyond my imagining, so that’s great on an entertainment level (plus I laughed way too hard at Kado). However, the fact I ended up predicting a show I hadn’t even seen yet means it will have to get marked down appropriately.

Katsugeki Touken Ranbu 1

Finally, we’ve gotten to one of the big attractions of the season – I’m a fan of Touken Ranbu, so while seeing my boys animated in Hanamaru was a treat, fall 2016 was a bottleneck in the commentaries. Katsugeki needs to go above and beyond to take one of the 4 slots open to normal-form shows (BnHA’s already taken one slot).

It may be bleak (it’s kinda murky, colours-wise), but it’s…beautiful!!! (My precious Kane-san has properly come to life!) The star effect with the blood is a nice touch.

My memory’s a lil’ rusty because I haven’t played TR for a few months, but the things in the box are koban.

This thing’s like Kado in that it would make a great movie. I envy the people who get to see this in the highest possible res on a big screen…(“My anime club should seriously screen this!” is what I’m saying.)

Interestingly, they’ve chosen Kane-san, so this doesn’t accurately depict a player’s normal route through the game. Either that or this saniwa doesn’t want to sacrifice their starter on this mission. I know how precious my first Kashuu was to me, but I broke him because I was being too reckless…

The saniwa in this is a girl, so the subber who called the saniwa “he” hasn’t looked into the promo material much.

TR’s party limit is six, so this saniwa’s a real noob. (Not that I can say anything – I haven’t passed the Kiwame map yet!)

So Konnosuke can function as Google, LOL. That’s new, I never thought of that pesky fox in that way.

I bet because the Saniwa knew these were swords under the same master, she saw the shipping potential, LOL. Or maybe it’s because the two work well as a pair…

This looks a lot like the starting movie that DMM put in about one year after I started on TR. I bet that’s specifically what they were aiming for, so that’s perfect.

Ooh! What a controversial choice, to put a representation of the saniwa into the show! I wonder why they did such a thing, though?

Judging by this lineup, I’d say Mutsu was this saniwa’s starter. (I’d really like to analyse this saniwa’s choices and drops, as a fellow TR player.) Then again, if I knew the name of the era, then I’d get a better sense of this player’s capability (and judge whether I can really call them a noob or not, LOL).

Dangit, Saniwa! You have Tsuru and Mikazuki (two swords I currently don’t have)! I’m jealous of you!

That’s real cute and nostalgic, to put the preview like a recollection. A fine choice indeed, ufotable.

Kunihiro says specifically he has to try his hardest to not fail, which is slightly different to what the subs say.

Interesting. The words Kane-san uses for “tense” are “[Kunihiro] puts too much energy into his shoulders”.

Well, it’s pretty safe to say this is a keeper between hype and an almost-perfect performance for what I’d expect from a TR adaption. I’m just wondering, if all my hype shows go to commentary…what will my final one be? I planned to watch 14 shows from this season, Amazon axed a few and I added a few more based on ANN so the fight for the final spot may easily be the hardest one in the history of this commentary.

Battle Girl High School 1

Yet another anime I have come to not because I genuinely am hyped for it, but because it’s the satisfaction of seeing “how the bad fall”, if you get what I mean. Also, it’s a magical girl show – it’s basically Hina Logi all over again.

Every magical girl show does that “prophetic dream” stuff, I swear. It’s why I avoid that trope like the plague as a beginning.

Notice the title’s ganbari is in katakana…which isn’t how it’s normally done, mind you.

I’m so darned confused already…so. Girls. Battles. High School. *<-shamelessly ripped from ads I saw around my streaming service) Suddenly, idols…then Irous…? The idols know the high school girls? Wah?

There are only adult dudes here, which means this is probably for adult or teenage dudes…no wonder I feel so desensitised to this, haha.

That…may have been the most uninspired magical girl transformation I have ever seen! Grah! If you’re going to do an anime on magical girls, at least bother with the transformations! Both the CGI and the idol performance are lackluster, too, but maybe that’s because I muted this show (to not have to deal with my normal gripes for anime girl voices).

The video’s panning so fast over these girls I can only barely make out each one’s face! I have very good eyesight, thank you very much!

I swear there’s at least one battle the staff of this show haven’t shown us, which would really inform us about the rest of the show if we did see it. Proper storytelling is a must in any show or any entertainment medium!

Bad CGI doesn’t look like “real danger” to me, lady.

By the by, Fortissimo (ff) means “loud”. Therefore if I mute the show, ff loses all purpose, so to speak.

Okay. Girls, battles, high school, idols, magical girls and now yuri subtext. This show can’t pick one thing and deal with it appropriately, and in the genre of “magical girl” where even the weakest effort is more balanced than some other genre shows, not balancing smaller aspects of the genre to achieve the right payoff is just sad.

A training scene would have probably eased us in better than what the show actually did…just sayin’. It’s boring, but getting the groundwork correct is necessary if you want to have people pay attention to your story. Plus, girls, please…don’t do the derpy run with arms stuck on the side of your chest. No real girl runs like that.

*checks up the show* Oh, it’s based on a smartphone game! That should explain the large cast!

Whoa! These eyecatches are a little TMI. BWH measurements are for the dudes who watch for PLOT, but dream job? Yeah, for a card game, TMI.

Lemme guess…these PC/shogi gals will recruit Subaru, Miki and Haruka. As much as I’d say I’d like to side with the PC and shogi girls though, I can’t feel a reason to like ‘em at all. They’re not characterised enough for me to care about them.

What’s up with the red on that replanting girl’s hair?

That cut between Ms President in Chinese library and the magical girl battle really confused me for a second there.

I don’t get how Urara’s microphone/staff works…

When I checked up this show earlier, it said Sugitan was the teacher in glasses here. It disappoints me that his name is saddled on to something so confusing.

Now that I squint at the eye designs, these guys are trying to be Love Live. Knowing how popular that is just makes this pale in comprison all the more, even though I actively dislike Love Live.

It’s an unsaid rule of battling that whoever strikes first loses. Just sayin’.

There’s no precedent for how well these girls performed in the past, so a flashback would’ve done well this ep.

I knew hooded person was a girl (there are no boys in this show), but I didn’t know what her intentions were. Even knowing what they were made it really obvious this show was subpar, because she has little to no intentions at all at the moment.

They introduce another girl to fill up an already full cast? Yeah, nah.

…Yeah, that’s a clean drop. The magical girl outfits are the only good looking things about this.

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun 1

This is an odd choice for me, but I’m just waiting for shows (other than Katsugeki) to come on to the scene…Then again, I played soccer (because I was forced to do a sport at one point, and Detective Conan has a soccer aspect to it). I’m not up to snuff on soccer rules, but…*shrugs*

I think they’re trying to get a Sakamoto vibe going here. So far, it isn’t working…

LOL. “Team Aoyama”, indeed.

The chibi face thing is reminiscent of Royal Tutor. Royal Tutor’s style is more jarring, but it works in that show’s favour more.

So what glasses man is saying is that if Aoyama were Lady Macbeth, he’d hate himself too much…ouch.

The butt guy is weird…

The soccer ball “…” worked well. Yhe artstyle for this one is clean and fairly attractive too, which works in its favour. (However, unless you like dudes in soccer uniforms or that one guy in the OP with the abs, then…yeah, this ain’t hottie territory.)

“Richie Rich”? I’m not sure that was in the Japanese, but okay.

Miwa’s great, man. Best coach I think I’ll ever see in a show like this, and that’s ‘cos I haven’t seen many of these sports shows.

Wowee, keppeki has some nasty-looking kanji! Fun facts: The zai in Kaoru’s surname is the same as in zaibatsu, and bocchan is “young master” (as used by, say, a butler to a distinguished family’s child – it’s used to Suguro in Blue Exorcist, as he’s part of a high ranking religious family).

Umm…what’s the name of the guy who got rejected by his girlfriend Anya in YOI? Georgi! This rich kid who wants to steal away Aoyama looks like Georgi!

I…don’t think I’ve ever heard a person being called a “scrub” prior to this. Apparently, it’s old fashioned slang, which is why the word suits Takechi.

Zaizen = Kamina (Gurren Lagann)??? They certainly have the “hot blooded” bit down pat.

Yeah…Takechi. I’m with Aoyama on this one. I like abs, but not yours.

The CGI is bad, but more well integrated than, say, Battle Girl’s Irous...es? Irous? (I dunno about the plural on that.)

As I said before, I’m not up to scratch on soccer terms. So a nutmeg was a “through the legs” kick (apparently known in Japanese as “crotch punching”, LOL!) and a rabona is the crossing leg thing Aoyama did.

One touch. (Chorus in back: ONE PUNCH!)

Uh, I think the ab brandish and “treasure” emphasis was a Japanese pun, but I have the volume off so I can’t tell.

Marking.

That sky shot was be-a-u-ti-ful! That is, before the soccer cleat got in the way of it…

I have the feeling Aoyama came for the white uniform?...I dunno why, though. White is hard to keep clean.

D-Does the number 10 have any special significance? *checks it up* Yeah, it does.

Oh man, Takechi talks to his abs (as well as to his friends)? This guy is becoming the death knell for this show. I know it’s meant to be funny, but it’s even weirder than the butt guy, and that says something.

The…toilet? That was one joke that was absolutely not worth the payoff.

I don’t get this Hajime no Ippo style…or maybe, because this is a comedy manga, they’re making a homage to the Hajime no Ippo style as a parody. Ahh, that makes sense now!

I’m gonna drop this. Not because it’s bad, mind you – it’s because I get confused between soccer and football (I’m from a place where “soccer” and “football” are different things), plus I don’t get soccer injokes.

Youkai Apato 1

I call this “Youkai Apato” because its full name is too long to remember…haha. This is here because of Morose Mononokean, which didn’t do too badly last year. I thought Yushi was butt ugly, but hopefully something’ll make my stay worth it.

I’m not a person who wants to become a businessman, but hey, if you can sell me the businessman life (or the youkai life) with this show, I’ll be all set!

Who dis (dude with the long hair in OP that looks like Hase)? I want him, even though I mistook him for Hase at first.

The –sou in Kotobuki-sou means “villa” or something like that. That’s why the word for “summer house” isn’t “summer house” in katakana, but rather two kanji that represent a “separate villa”…I guess…?

Scratch the Morose Mononokean references, this is more Kamisama Kiss.

I’ve noticed Maeda Realty’s second last and third last kanji are kanji for “movement” and “not” respectively…so I find the Japanese name for it, however it’s pronounced, really ironic (because Yushi wants to move, so to speak, but moving house as a verb would be hikkosu in Japanese).

Reimei Isshiki seems to be an exclusive to this show, so hopefully this show will use its author character well (knew he’d be a speaking character judging from how he needed voice credits). By the by, based on how Yushi describes Isshiki, it seems this author’s a lot like the one for Goat’s Egg (Tokyo Ghoul).

*screams incoherently* Can’t I have my fantasy of Yushi not being a darned harem protag? The way he acts around Akine, I ain’t getting it, even though my fantasy is the truth!

What an adorable dango. It’s got a rice grain texture on it (normally dango don’t have that, as you can see here).

These round blue birds I keep seeing in this show are so cute!

I applaud whoever made the backgrounds for this show. Dang, they are good.

A bath in the basement doesn’t sound too good for ventilation purposes, but that’s just speaking out of practicality. This is anime, we can get people having baths in jacuzzis on rooftops for all we care…

The landlord kinda looks like the creatures from ep 1 of Flip Flappers! Yipes!

These birds are too gosh darn adorable! *fangirl screams*

The zombie really wasn’t much of a threat…

Ooh, there’s a guy I like (redhead in ED)! I want him, too! B-But long-haired Hase…I want…

Well, it seems like long-haired Hase’ll be here next ep, so I’ll keep the show for now. If it gets a lil’ too much with the stating the obvious, then it’ll go on the drop pile.

Isekai Shokudou 1

I just ate, so…I’m not gonna be drooling here, am I? Just by the name it sure seems I will be. Well, why am I here? It seems Re:Creators is not the only reverse isekai happening this season, and because Amazon, I have to settle with this instead.

The font around the titlecard seems to be katakana, just flipped/reflected for some characters.

Seishu is apparently another name for sake.

I love how they don’t need names - they just call each other the names of the food they’re eating.

Wait, if these guys come from fantasy worlds, then they have to pay with fantasy currency, right? That’s problematic…as anyone who’s stuck overseas with their home country’s money will tell you.

Oh gosh…the boob jiggle was completely unnecessary…

I presume the contents of the pot was more beef stew, but I can’t be sure until I’ve been shown it. Why do I always feel like there will be something more suspenseful or action-like in this? Because of the fight about what suits white rice best?...Yeah, that’s probably it.

What is “knight’s sauce”???

I thought Aletta was a centaur, like Himeno (of this season’s A Centaur’s Worries). Turns out she’s a demon…

I may not be an expert on food (I watch Masterchef for the drama, LOL), so I’ll need Google to find out what corn potage is…There’s a great description of corn potage here, if you’re not familiar with it.

If I could understand more about the chef, then maybe I’d be behind this show a bit more. There’s always the backstory of the chef involved in these shows, since cooking, like anime, is a personal experience.

What’s that on the right of the tomatoes?

The breakfast special is called “morning” in katakana, which…I’ve never heard of until now. I thought “baiking = buffet” was the weirdest Japanese food concept I’d ever come across, prior to this…

I think they’re trying to go the moe route with Aletta. Moe never worked on me, people. Remember that.

14 hours on one day? I guess that’s not so demanding for a full time job, but I was a bit alarmed by it for a second since I’ve only ever dealt with part time jobs, haha. Well, it’s like the chef said – it must be pretty rough for Aletta if she’s not used to it.

Gratuitous shower scene irks me a little. A show like this should focus on what it does best and not something more or something less. I mean, this time it makes sense in context, but fanservice ruined Izetta and Matoi for me previously…so this is a bad sign.

LOL, men’s body wash…or shampoo…or something. Couldn’t really read it.

Where did this outfit come from? Is there an existing staff member that’s the same size as Aletta?

I feel like they shouldn’t have cut out Aletta’s training day. That way, there would’ve been more love for Aletta – which is what the staff seem to want. Sure, it would’ve shoved some other things out of the way, but Aletta seems like a main character, so…

My instinct says this is a dish best binged and devoured with actual food, so let’s go with that. I’m quite open to dropping it though, because it has somewhat skewed priorities in a few places.