#jeet kune so

[i-am-trans-gwender]

Rest In Piece Jackie Chan

(He's not dead he's just dead to me)

[sazandorable]

akai shuuichi

For nearly a year now I have been plagued by awareness of and lust for Akai Shuuichi from classic manga/anime series Detective Conan, of all things. It never stops. It keeps getting worse. My friends with me in the fandom are angels of patience, indulgence and gentle teasing, but for everyone out of that loop I need to explain.

Akai Shuuichi.

He's got striking green eyes and identifiably long lashes.

He is so tall, wears leather jackets, and often has one or both hands in his pockets.

He's left-handed.

He smokes.

He drives cool cars.

He has lived in the UK, in Japan, and in LA.

He used to have princess long hair he was super proud about. He chopped it all off after "a bad breakup" (more on this later).

Most of the time he looks like death badly warmed over in a prehistoric microwave oven. Bags under his eyes, sharp boney facial structure that makes his face look like a skull, an entire scene dedicated to him dropping a can of shitty coffee in dramatic slow-mo, apparently out of exhaustion. I want to bundle him in a huge duvet and spoonfeed him chicken soup.

He is so fucking smart.

He is so fucking funny in a deadpan way.

He looks so serious but does the wildest shit like it's a normal (and easy) thing to do.

He is a sniper. An absurdly good one.

Also excellent physical fighter. He's so cool, he doesn't do karate or judo like the protag's close allies or even boxing like Sherlock Holmes -- he does Jeet Kune Do like Bruce Lee.

He is good at everything.

He's FBI, one of their best.

He doesn't say shit but understands everything.

At any given point you have no idea where the fuck Akai is and what he's doing, but he'll always be where he's needed.

Hottest trait: reliable. Unfailingly reliable.

He infiltrated the big bad meanie shadow organisation at the heart of the series' overarching plot and became a very high-ranking member of it.

Now that he's been found out and burned, the common reaction to Akai Shuuichi from members of that organisation is "shit, he's our biggest threat, kill kill kill".

A guy from the organisation once realised he was being chased by the Akai Shuuichi and immediately shot himself in the head rather than deal with him.

Another shot himself after having been dealt with by Akai Shuuichi.

To be fair, it's apparently the guideline of the org to not leave loose ends and not get caught alive, but still. This doesn't happen with other characters.

He was a honey pot.

His seduction method was to let his target hit him with her car and then hit on her when she visited him in the hospital.

He ended up catching genuine feelings for her. Then she got killed, so now he has angst about that.

He refers to wanting to avenge her death and kill the guy that killed her as "I'll make my girlfriend cry tears of scarlet blood in regret for ever dumping me".

He says to himself "Hi, my precious, precious lover ❤" while sniping at the man who killed her through that guy's own sniper scope from over 700 yards away.

Hits him, too. 600+ episodes later the guy still has the scar on his cheek and touches it occasionally.

He also dated a FBI colleague, whom he first met when they bumped into each other and he pointed out she should apologise too because "the blame was 50/50".

She was super offended. And then she dated him.

Another, male, colleague once referred to Akai Shuuichi as "my wife".

The official resident Pretty Boy fanservice man is obsessed with him because he believes Akai caused the death of his own childhood friend(/boyfriend).

It was actually the pretty boy's own fault. For incomprehensible reasons, instead of ever telling him that, Akai "the blame is 50/50" Shuuichi takes on that responsibility and even tells him he still feels sorry about it, and lets this incredibly dangerous man repeatedly try to out and/or kill him and put so, so many people in danger in an attempt to get his revenge. It is all incredibly homoerotic.

He still humiliates this guy every time they meet, and sometimes when they don't.

He's so sweet about so many upsetting things like this or his own honeypot girlfriend incident, but also so ruthless about others. He'll do anything to get a foot into the shadow organisation. He'll use himself as bait. He'll use a colleague who idolises him as decoy (with his knowledge and consent). He'll use a 6yo as scout. He'll use a comatose woman, her little brother, your crush's dad, your dad, his ex, himself again.

"No, Conan-kun, don't get your loved ones entangled into this, what we do is dangerous and sometimes we get people killed. Anyway let's use this entire hospital full of injured civillians for a high-risk trick." - Akai Shuuichi

He's so sweet and also such a dick.

He also has daddy issues because his father was MI6 and seems to have died on the job in mysterious circumstances.

He's an oldest brother.

Because of his choice to start a dangerous job after what happened to his father and various other plot reasons, he is estranged from his remaining family they don't even share a last name anymore.

He and his little sister barely know each other, but she's emulating him and looking for him and trying to know him and it's so sweet. He can't let that happen for both of their safety, but also he's being a dick about it.

He faked his death.

So he's currently on his 4th name (that I know of).

He's now pretending to be a 5 years younger phD student with pink hair, glasses, and turtlenecks.

The turtlenecks are for hiding the fact that he's constantly wearing a voice-changing device. The device is a metal choker.

He's now living his best domestic quiet life at the hero's parents' manor-like house, reading their books and drinking their booze.

The hero's dad, who is a very popular author, wrote a book inspired by him. The book inspired by him got adapted into a movie and won an award.

The hero's mom, who is an incredibly talented and famous actress and a total hottie, has a crush on him. She taught him to cook.

Sometimes he drops by the neighbours' to share a meal he cooked with the old man and little girl living there and the kids often visiting. The kids told him his curry was not that great so he's working on it.

For another meal that failed to satisfy, he read cookbooks then asked an old lady to teach him the special recipe that had emotional value to her.

Man who is good at everything is not good at cooking. So he's learning that. From the women in his life. For the kids in his life.

He's so fond of the hero. They get each other and they don't usually run into anyone who does. They like each other so much. Autistic to autistic communication.

The hero is in the body of a 6-year-old. Akai is so impressed with him and thinks he's so cool and talks to him like an equal.

One time they went fishing and for a cover the hero called him "daddy".

Akai Shuuichi knows he's a weapon of destruction and can do pretty much anything. He's not a brag about it, just practical. He is basically the hero's on-call guard/attack dog now.

When the hero needs help, he calls Akai-san, and Akai says yeah, I followed the situation, I was waiting for your call, I know what you're going to ask me to do. Point me at the target and I'll take care of it.

And then he just does that.

In the latest movie, the hero needs to take care of an armoured submarine that is currently underwater and doesn't get picked up by radards. Akai goes "ok, I can handle that".

He shows up in a helicopter with an American rocket launcher and is like "ok, just show me where it is". The hero just has to light up the submarine for a couple seconds. Then Akai one-shots it. From the helicopter. While it's still underwater.

Then he goes home.

(To the hero's parents' home.)

This is Akai Shuuichi with little resources and lots of constraints, such as being an FBI agent in Japan not supposed to be there or do anything, certainly not use weapons, and by the way legally dead and cannot let the organisation know he's still alive because that would endanger several other people.

He plays the accordion.

[idkhowupdates]

dallonweekes: Sometimes what you’re saying is so important that you need all the microphones.

And then you showcase your skills in Jeet Kune Do to show everyone that you mean business.

-📷 andymcginnis92

[coffeeviolinist]

Once again thinking about the rise and fall of the Akai family.

Little baby Akai who was his parents' pride and joy from the moment he was born.

Mary and Tsutomu boasting to all their friends about their son who at just a few months old is already showing signs of just how terrifyingly clever he is. He says his first word at just four months old, and by seven months he's talking in full sentences.

Baby Akai who was the spitting image of his mother in terms of looks and personality (minus the dark hair) but loved his father more than anyone in the world

He was always such a good boy. Reading his books and waiting patiently for his parents to come home every evening.

Four-year-old Akai learning that Shukichi is on his way and immediately taking his responsibilities as a big brother very seriously.

At nine years old, walking his baby brother to school for the first time, holding onto his hand tightly so Shukichi doesn't accidentally wander into traffic.

The brothers sneaking into their parent's room to wake them up on Christmas morning

Like all older siblings, he teased and pranked Shukichi all the time but would absolutely throw hands if anyone even looked at his baby brother the wrong way. At ten years old, he got his first suspension for beating one of his classmates into the ground after said classmate wouldn't stop mocking Shukichi, who was always a bit timid and didn't quite know how to stand up for himself yet.

He probably tried to teach Shukichi a few of the Jeet Kune Do moves he learned from Tsutomu because "you need to learn how to protect yourself in case I'm not there". The results were mixed at best, seeing as Shukichi really wasn't into learning martial arts, but Akai did at least manage to drill a few basic self-defense moves into his head.

Young Akai just living a normal, happy life.

And then his father disappears. And he doesn't come back.

His favorite person in the world is gone. And Akai can't just let that go. He needs to find out what happened, if only so that he can finally lay a ghost to rest.

So at just fifteen years old, he leaves behind everything and everyone he's ever known.

He goes to sleep in an unfamiliar bed. His parents don't come into his room to turn off his bedside lamp and take the book off his face that he fell asleep reading. His little brother doesn't wake him up at some ungodly hour in the morning telling him that he had a nightmare and asking if he can sleep with him for the rest of the night.

He tries to maintain contact, he really does. He misses his family so much it hurts. But he's busy with his life in America, and his mother and brother have their own things going on, and it's always been in his nature to withdraw when he's in any type of pain. So the phone calls, the letters, and the Christmas and birthday cards slowly start dwindling, little by little until one day they stop coming altogether.

He gets a baby sister, but he doesn't meet her for seven years. He treats her coldly at first, which is something that he'll regret for the rest of his life–he genuinely didn't mean anything by it, but his first interaction with his mother in years ended in a fight, so he was in a bad mood and unfortunately, little Masumi got the brunt of it.

And he still has his mission to worry about, so while he tries to be there for Masumi as much as possible, he can't be a big brother to her the way he was to Shukichi. He misses so much of her life and milestones, and most of the things Masumi knows about him are stories she's heard, either about his status as an ace sniper or his Jeet Kune Do prowess.

Sometimes, Akai wonders if she would still admire him if he had been a little more present in her life.

Now, Akai is 32 years old and still going to sleep in a place that isn't home. His father is still missing and is most likely dead. His brother isn't an Akai anymore. His sister is essentially living on the run with their mother, who was shrunk by the same drug that killed Haneda Kohji which led to their father being taken away, and both of them believe him to be dead.

His family was whole once.

Now, only time will tell if they can ever be that way again.

[jetspikepub]

I scanned Extra Session book and added to my archives like... 2 years ago?.. I didn't pay close attention to the details but my follower Anastasiya (sorry tumblr can't find and tag you) analyzed Spike's bio and asked about his past. Well, I was surprised to find out something about his parents, even if it didn't make it to the final version of the show. Automatic translation of complicated text sucks, so I asked @nanairoarts, as a native speaker, for help 🤩

Born on Mars, he’s 27 years old, born June 26, 2044. His sign is Gemini, blood type O. 185cm tall, he hates being bossed around (told what to do) and likes to solve problems using his own strength (power). He worships Bruce Lee, uses nunchaku and is a practitioner of Jeet Kune Do. Former member of the Red Dragon organization. This is his background during the planning stage (of the project). His father worked in the underworld (they don’t really specific, but I assume it’s akin to the mafia like yakuza, or perhaps gangs and gangsters), but was already dead by the time Spike was born. Spike’s mother was killed during a conflict between organizations (a gang war) when he was 10, but Spike was told that she died in a transit accident (it doesn’t say by whom). He joined Red Dragon when he was 17, where he met Vicious, who was the same age. They became rivals. He also met Julia, Vicious’ girl, at the same time when he showed up wounded at a bar she worked at. Though she didn’t know him at the time, she hid him from his pursuers. In the middle of all this, Spike is given a job to assassinate the boss of an Arabian mafia. If successful, he will be named second in command of the Red Dragon organization. However, Spike didn’t like being tied down and he doesn’t like the organization’s customs. Also, after learning the truth about his mother’s death, he decides to run away from the mafia with Julia. However, Julia never shows up at the agreed location and Spike’s whereabouts are unknown for the next 3 years.

[ebisul]

Clone Martial Arts HCs!!!

Now that the poll has ended and I’ve done my own further research I wanted to share my headcannons for what Martial Arts I think Commander Cody and by extension the other Clones prefer. Keep in mind Im not an expert by any means so if this shits inaccurate thats my b

Now, The clones as a whole I think would be trained in as many martial arts as possible due to the obvious reasons.

Cody

For my beloved Commander Cody, I genuinely believe, while he utilizes many techniques from different disciplines and also makes shit up as he goes bc he truly is a feral overachiever, in my heart and soul i think Cody favors Muay Thai for personal use.

I know the poll said Taekwondo, however, while i think he has trained in it, he’s way more punchy than we give him credit for and i think he would prefer a more versatile art. While Taekwondo does have a focus on kicks and punches(depending on the ruleset apparently), Muay Thai utilizes punches, kicks, elbows, knees, and more. Muay Thai is also more effective in self defense due to the range being closer in comparison to TKD

I also think clinching, throws, and sweeps are all things Cody would utilize in his preferred art

I’ve always headcanoned Cody as boxing in his freetime for a while now and Muay Thai is just the specific form of boxing ive decided, followed closely by kickboxing.

Im also a sucker for any fic where Jango trains Cody personally so by extension I think Jango also prefers Muay Thai and Cody hangs onto that.

Rex

From here forward I didn’t plan on involving any more of the clones so be warned. I do think Cody is one of the only clones where his hobby is specifically training in a martial art but the rest probably have their favs too.

For Rex, I think japanese Jiu Jitsu is his style being designed for samurai and the battlefield. The specification is important to me. He’s tired of fighting all the time so its purely out of practicality and doesnt really pick up a martial art the way Cody does to blow off steam.

Rex is also a little unhinged, due to working under Anakin and Ahsoka of all people, so i do think he has some unconventionality to his fighting the same as Cody.

Wolffe

Wolffe strikes me as a Krav Maga guy. Thats just his vibe i guess. I think he would have picked it up after his encounter with Ventress becasue of its efficiency for self defense, practically, and because of the weapons defense.

Does this translate well to lightsabers? Idk does any of this translate to star wars? Theyre usually fighting droids so i dont really care. None of these actually exist in a Galaxy Far Far Away.

Fox

Fox I decided was Jeet Kune Do guy. JKD was conceived by Bruce Lee to be simple and direct and free which speaks very Fox to me, yknow?

Its all about intercepting the opponents attacks, responding or countering incoming attacks, and conserving movement and energy. Its a practical self defense technique and the principles are designed to help practitioners to make snap decisions, among other things. It all just screams Fox imo

Bly

Bly is into Hapkido. Specifically the deflecting attacks and using that against the opponent for joint locks and takedowns while also being more aggressive in comparison to Aikido. Im a big fan of fighting styles that use the opponents against themselves and i get the vibe that Bly is the kinda fighter who would favor that in a martial art.

I do think Bly also dabbles in Aikido as well. He definitely shows off to Aayla.

Ponds

Ponds is a hard one but im slapping TKD on him. Is it practical for war? Not really. I think the emphasis on the self discipline, respect, and mentality would make him a great pair to Mace Windu tho. I think he practices for the mental level of it all rather than the physical.

This got longer than i intended it to get but ive spent the past few hours on this. Mostly researching. If you want me to do more of these let me know!

[the-red-thread-that-strangles]

Alright. Let's talk about Akai's and Furuya's fighting styles, control, and the ferris wheel fight, featuring some tangents on professionalism.

The second reason is the implied: Akai is (in general, probably not in this situation, because he is going along with the fight Rei wants) a professional, and professionals do not fight. A professional will either ambush or assassinate (you know, like the sniping Akai is so well-known for), and generally do everything in his power to avoid a fight. It's about gaining the advantage, pressing and keeping it, to maintain control over the situation. For comparison, fights are between people of roughly equal footing, and fighting follows rules. As a person who lives in the world of actual violence, Akai does not need the fancy dances of a fighting sport, he needs his rifles, guns, and a self-defense technique for when things go really bad and personal. (Incidentally, a professional will also plan, won't let his emotions get in the way, stay calm, and keep working in bad conditions - we also see these traits in Akai.) I can remember two instances of Akai fighting (there might be more)- the ferris wheel fight, and the one time he knocked out the people after Yumi (and arguably, they didn't really have a chance and it wasn't really a fight). Other than that, he's just coordinating and providing tactical support.

Akai using Jeet Kune Do for fighting is an interesting choice. It's not as well-known as many other fighting styles (hell, it's not even a fighting style, it's a self defense technique and really more of a philosophy or a principle), but it has a couple of key values that characterize him well. First off, it's hugely individualistic. Practitioner's are encouraged to find their own way, to find what works for them, which really is Akai in a nutshell, doing what he wants. Secondly, it is described as a highly efficient way to fight. There are few, if any, rules to Jeet Kune Do, you're expected to use whatever technique will help you the most in the moment. For this reason, it is also highly adaptable, and requires an appropriate mindset to use. This latter point, I think, really mirrors the approach the FBI has in the series - do what you need to in order to get the results we want, at whatever the cost.

The fact that it's a self defense technique is important for two reasons: one is the immediate one for our context - Akai's defending himself from an angry Rei on the ferris wheel.

With all that out of the way, let's get into the ferris wheel fight, and what we learn about them there.

For contrast, let's look at Rei. It's almost funny how little professionalism Rei has compared to Akai, when it comes to the world they're living in. Rei's choice of fighting style is boxing, and he's practicing a rather straightforward, aggresive version, with barely any defense, at great personal risk. That point about professionals not letting their emotions get in their way? Well, either Rei has never heard it, or he's deliberately ignoring it. Either way, it really holds him back from gaining and maintaing control.

(I would be remiss not to point out that boxing is also done for show, fitting for this show-off.)

Boxing might honestly be good for Rei in order get out his anger and to up his pain tolerance, but for the purpose of keeping him alive, it sucks. It's up close, it's personal, and it's dirty (that tagline might as well describe Furuya himself). A threat who's gotten into that range is already a problem. Sure, usually - though not in this instance - he's also got his handgun, with its limited reach, limited firepower. For his purposes, it might suffice - he's not supposed to be a fighter, and the advantage of his gun is in its concealability. I suppose he gets a couple points in professionalism for that choice, and for often bringing back-up, whether he's working for the PSB or the BO. For what it's worth, he's also likely trained in Kendo or something similar, as we see in Wild Police Story, but he doesn't really use it. We see Rei fighting rarely, but it happens; with Matsuda at the beginning of WPS, casually inflicting violence on a kidnapper, and now here on the ferris wheel.

It's so interesting to me how they interact here.

Despite both of them bleeding, it starts to feel like Akai is in control, or at least not dated by the fighting - he gets Rei good with Jeet Kune Do's signature One Inch Punch, but has enough presence of mind to casually grabs him so he doesn't fall to his death (which gets him shoved off with a foot. Give Furuya an inch, and he'll try to take your head). Furuya's meanwhile clearly enjoying himself, might have even entered the zone, a sort of battlejoy/trance, asking for a second round (here we go again, this is a fight, with certain rules, like rounds), and Akai, well, he's beaten up, but it doesn't look like he'd surrender to get Furuya off his back - despite it being an option that would end the fight early. We see both of them smiling at points in this exchange, and I think it speaks to both of them, inherently, being thrillseekers. Putting all they are into the outcome of this fight against a dangerous enemy is a thrilling brush with mortality.

Them fighting at all, on top of the ferris wheel, is stupid, plain and simple. They expect the BO to show up any minute, and they'd better be in peak condition - instead they indulge in this fight. Really, it's Rei launching himself at Akai, who's mostly dodging and defending where necessary (I say indulge, because he is armed, and could probably escalate/end the fight early). Fights happen for a variety of reasons, usually social (because otherwise we'd be talking about violence, not a fight), and this implies Rei sees Akai as roughly equal/wants him to have a fair fighting chance, following the social contract of announcing his presence. He launches the attack, takes the initiative but the distance is so large, and he telegraphs his intentions clearly enough that his advantage is minimal.

Akai has the distinct disadvantage of carrying his rifle case, protecting its contents, because he'll need them later. He is, as the series lets us know, a capable fighter (described stronger as Masumi, who can deal with Ran, an established capable martial artist), and we can see it in this fight. He's reading Rei's movements and blocking most of the hits - for what it's worth, Rei's style seems more focused on quantity of attacks over quality. He does get Akai with some unconventional angles of attack (like swinging up into a kick from falling), and mostly this initial struggle is about them fighting for control.

When we cut back to the fight, they're still at it. I find it interesting that Akai tries to talk Rei down throughout the fight. Because the presence of mind necessary to form coherent sentences in a fight is not nothing, and the fact that he at least tries to go for a different solution is noteworthy, even if it is ultimately useless.

Then Conan calls Akai. This is in a small pause to the fight, because, surprise surprise, fighting takes effort (another reason professionals avoid it). It is really funny to me how Rei respects the rules of a fight, but he also sees an opportunity in his opponent's distraction, and seizes it (at the cost of also throwing himself down into a chasm, the self-sacrificial bastard).

Only at this point does it feel like Akai is taking the fight more seriously. I'd wager this is a) because Rei has displayed the willingness to destroy himself to take Akai with him, b) due to the enclosed space - less space to dodge and c) because at least he is aware time is ticking. They're both injured, and the enemy is coming soon. This fight better be over quick.

They only don't fight each other to the death because of Conan's timely intervention. He calls to Akai for help, and just like that, the conflict is resolved, for now. Akai wordlessly rejects Rei's request for a second round, which Rei just...accepts. Allows Akai that level of control, and the control of the flow of information (namely, they don't tell Conan they've been at it). It baffles me, but then again, I suppose it is a fight, the fight has rules, and, clearly, something more important takes precedence. Then again, this whole damn exchange makes no logical sense. Rei has sworn bloody revenge on Akai, who just saved his life today, and instead of doing something about the BO they're fighting a little. Logic is nowhere to be seen, all of this is emotional. On both sides.

I guess bonus points in professionalism for working together for the rest of the rest of the movie, even if they're sharing intel with/depending on a literal child for the solutions to their problem. It's a very unusual set of circumstances indubitably not covered by their training, granted, so what can you do (I'd still love for the adults in this universe to do their job, sue me).

Last point of note for the movie, in my opinion, is Akai waiting after all the chaos is over for Rei to spot him. Is this a case of checking in and simultaneously showing that he, too, made it out alive? He is clearly noticed by Rei, and only then walks away. And Rei just lets him. Akai is in control, in the end.

[omnitheist27]

The 40 - A starting point

@the-ravenclaw-werewolf and @purplemochi20055

So, after reading the fan comics created by purplemochi20055, I wanted to get my own crack at some potential future scenes in The 40 fanfic.

P.S. I'm also a cartoonist looking for work in illustration, visual storytelling, and character design by the way (although I don't really keep up my drawing skills every day)

----

For this scene, Spike is currently teaching Izuku Jeet Kune Do and they had hit a snag early in the latter's training. While Izuku is a serious student and pays close attention to Spike's lessons, the problem that plagues Izuku's ability to properly learn the martial art is that he keeps subconsciously trying to fight with brute force and strength, as a way to imitate his idol and future teacher, All Might. Seeing the problem and knowing what had Izuku told him about All Might's fighting style beforehand, Spike instructs Izuku to come at him with all he's got and promptly flips the broccoli-haired teen on his back.

As Izuku's murmurs at what had happened just now and slowly gets back up, Spike critiques his tenseness compared to his calmness, and due to Izuku applying excessive force, Spike can control that force through the fluid motion. All thanks to Spike being relaxed in full body and reacting without resistance, without thought. Concluding by asking Izuku if he saw it now, like clear water, and that Jeet Kune Do isn't about relentless offense.

While Izuku does understand the principle, he admits that he's still having trouble fighting differently from All Might. In response, Spike gives Izuku two important lessons that will play a big role by the time he goes back to his own world: 1) He needs to stop comparing himself to someone whose body structure, fighting style, and personality are very much different from his and 2) Spike quoting Pablo Picasso's famous saying: "Good artists copy, great artists steal." as an indirect way for Izuku learn and gain a revelation, with the moment foreshadowing his canon counterpart learning "Shoot Style" from All Might's own indirect lesson.

----

Anyway, that's all I have drawn for the moment, and planning on doing another fan comic that'll be pretty interesting regarding the climatic and dramatic scene where The 40 witness Matsuda almost killing Light Yagami.

Hoping that the final chapter of Main Character Syndrome comes out soon!

[thefinalcinderella]

Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 4 - Old Friend (Part 1)

this chapter broke into my house and robbed me. this chapter punched me in my stomach and proceeded to kick me as i was down

anyways we meet Seiya's brother Gaku. Gaku seems to be a gnc person but is still referred to as Seiya's brother so i will be using he/him pronouns for him

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

1-18. The explanations of the puns were so long that i decided to make a separate post for them. tbh you can just skip the puns and go all the way to the end of this section

Previous | Next

It was a certain day off.

The five boys of the Kazemai High School kyudo club gathered at Minato’s house. It was a study session to prepare for a regular exam, and since Minato’s father wasn’t at home because of work, they occupied the living room.

Seiya smiled.

“Ryouhei, if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me. I can help you with most of the liberal arts subjects.”

“Woo! I’m so glad that I have you, who’s at the top of our class, as my childhood friend.”

“I’m happy to be helpful to everyone.”

Nanao, hearing that, waved his mechanical pencil with a frog on it. There was also a pencil case with frogs in traditional Japanese design on the table.

“As expected of President Mustache. You really give off the composure of someone worthy of a mustache. Maybe I should have chosen science classes too, though it’s a bit late for that now.”

“Apparently, nowadays there are some universities where they don’t divide the courses into the sciences and liberal arts, but allow students to take both.”

“This is what they call the age of diversity. Our future is shining brightly. Exciting, sparkling!” Ryouhei also chimed in.

“Sparkling! This humble one is also excited!”

Next to them, Kaito put down his pen.

“You two! Those Yotubers’ ways of talking are rubbing off on you. Nanao, stop playing with frogs and focus on your problem set.”

“Yeah, yeah, Kacchan. Follow your own path.”

After checking on everyone, Minato went to the kitchen. He returned to the living room with a drink in hand.

Minato’s cup was purchased on the return trip from last year’s regional tournament, and it had the illustration of a dormouse on it. In his left hand, he held the dormouse mascot that Masa-san gave him. The dormouse was a small mouse that was a natural monument and also called the spirit of the forest and the guardian deity of the mountains. Masa-san gave him, who was suffering from target panic, the dormouse mascot in place of a talisman, but Minato had no way of knowing the prayer it contained.

When the five’s cups were emptied, the intercom sounded. When Minato looked through the camera, he saw a young woman standing there. “Hello?” he answered.

“Mii-chan, it’s me. It’s been a while.”

“Oh! I’m opening the door now.”

When Minato opened the door, the woman suddenly hugged him.

She was in her twenties. She was gorgeous and bewitching, but also cute—she was a superb beauty who made one feel that gap. She was dressed in a stylish outfit, and her straggling hairs fell gently.

The beautiful woman exclaimed in joy.

“Mii-chan, you smell as good as ever! Is it rosemary? It’s different from a vegetarian’s scent. The fact that you smell like this and don’t use antiperspirants or perfume is nothing short of a miracle.”

“Can’t you do something about that quirk of yours?”

“I feel so refreshed when I smell your scent, Mii-chan. ‘Mina-huffing’ is way better than cat huffing!”

Minato grimaced, looking fed up. Since he knew that the other person only looked slender in clothing and was actually a Jeet Kune Do master, Minato didn’t disobey her and stayed still. It was a martial art where the opponent was defeated within six seconds. He wouldn’t be able to stand a chance if he was hit in a vital spot.

“I’m studying right now.”

“Oh, that’s right. I came here for something else. Let me just come in for a minute.”

The woman left Minato and went into the living room without hesitation. She opened the door with a bang.

“Who’s that?” Just when Kaito muttered in his mind, Seiya shouted, “Onii-chan!”

Kaito let out a splutter.

Rather than the fact that the person who he thought was a woman was actually Seiya’s brother, he was more shocked by the fact that Seiya calling him “Onii-chan.” Seiya’s brother completely ignored the dumbfounded Kazemai High School kyudo club members and made a beeline for Seiya.

“Seiya, you completely ignored your phone even when I called you. I came back home after all this time, so keep me company for a little bit at least.”

“Why are you coming in all the way here, Onii-chan? You’re as restless as ever.”

“Can’t you be a little more affectionate towards your beloved brother? Something like, it’s been so long, I missed you, Nii-san!”

Seiya made no comment. His eyes were glassy.

“Ugh, you’re such a prickly kid. Everyone, sorry for interrupting your studying. Nice to meet you, I’m Seiya’s older brother, Takehaya Gaku. I do the branding for ‘Hanayoi,’ which promotes Japanese style merchandise. You over there, that frog pencil was also one of the things I had a hand in.”

“Whoa!” Nanao said. “I know Hanayoi. You did a collab with Yumihiki Douji recently.”

“You watched it? I’m so happy to hear that.”

Gaku sat down in front of the table.

“I’d feel bad about staying here for too long, so I’ll just tell you why I’m here. Everyone here should also listen. I chose the path I liked, so Dad wants Seiya to inherit the hospital. He says he wants Seiya to start preparing for that soon.”

“You’re talking about that again? And this isn’t something you talk about in front of everyone, you know? Onii-chan, you do what you want, and yet you expect to me to obey you.”

“Mom and Dad always respect our wishes. But in their hearts, they think that you’re suited to becoming a doctor. This is the countryside, so doctors are absolutely needed. They want you to contribute your service to the community. They won’t back down until you say yes.”

“There’s no point in using martial arts on me. I know your weak spots. It’ll be no trouble for me to defeat you.”

“Ugh, Seiya, how invincible are you? Well, it doesn’t matter. I plan on staying here for two or three days longer anyway.”

Gaku stood up, then stared at Nanao, who had been listening with his chin in his hands.

“…Magnificent. You’ve caught my eye since the moment I entered this room, but you’re so beautiful. How would you like to become our new brand image character?”

Gaku’s eyes roamed over Nanao’s figure, then he raised his hand and inhaled the scent deeply. Gaku’s sense of smell was unusually developed, and he was an eccentric who judged people based on their body odor. It was said that only one in five people could sniff out asparagus smell, which was the smell of urine after eating asparagus. He was one of them, and he was also a perfumer.

“Mm, mm, what a pleasant scent. It’s sweet, heartrending, and strong—. You fit the image perfectly. You’re the very picture of the crowned Frog Prince.”

“Hold on a minute, I can’t see what you’re talking about.”

“There is no one better suited for this role than you. This is a big project that will be expanded overseas. Don’t you think it’s a great opportunity?”

“No, no, no, the more skillfully someone speaks, the more I’m on guard.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being cautious. Please give me a reply in three days.”

After only saying what he wanted to say, Gaku left. In the calm after the storm, the five boys remained silent.

Ryouhei moved to break the silence.

“I was so surprised to see Seiya’s brother. He got even prettier than I remember. What will happen if Nanao takes on that job?”

“I’ll be okay, but it might be tough for Nanao to balance his thing with kyudo,” Seiya said.

“Huh!? Can’t you wait for a moment? Then I’m against it. You agree with me, right, Minato?”

“…I will respect the two’s wishes.”

“Huuuh!? Kaito-kun, you of course are also against it, right?”

“I dunno. It’s up to Seiya and Nanao.”

“What? Why aren’t you stopping them? Don’t you all want to stand on the same stage together again? We can only be high school second-years once! Well, you can be held back a year, though!”

Seiya opened the reference book on the table.

“Sorry, guys. My brother’s always like that. He throws everyone around him into confusion and immediately leaves. Nanao, you should think about it carefully before responding to him.”

With complicated feelings, the five boys faced the table again.

After the study session finished and everyone left, Nanao went to Kaito’s house.

He took two teacups in the kitchen and poured black tea, milk, and sugar into them. His brain needed sugar to work. He put the cups on a tray and went to Kaito’s room on the second floor.

“Hi, Kacchan. Today, I’m specially making this tea for you. Be thankful.”

“Yeah, yeah, Frog Prince.”

Nanao put the teacup on his desk and sat down on the bed. He flicked the frog-shaped clock by his side with his finger. The second hand was moving as usual.

“Kacchan, what do you really think about what Gaku-san talked about earlier?”

“I already said that I don’t know.”

“You didn’t put a stop to it this time.”

“Hah? Did something like that happen? If I say anything, your judgment might be affected, so I kept quiet.”

“You could have at least given your cousin some advice. What a useless man.”

“Shut up. Neither you or Seiya are little kids anymore. It’s the truth that by the summer vacation of your second year in high school, you have to decide on your career path to some extent.”

“That’s so early. I feel I only just entered high school.”

Seiya was also faced with the dilemma of choosing his career. Kaito was probably feeling nervous on the inside. Even Minato should be wondering whether he should encourage or discourage him.

Kaito got his phone out and started playing a game. Lately, he had been absorbed in a city building game. He had built a kyudojo, a library, and a concert venue just for Japanese rock. Once, he had cried tears of gratitude when the avatars of the bands he liked in the real world performed there.

Lucy the cat rubbed against Kaito’s back and showed her belly. Kaito petted Lucy without looking away from his game, and Lucy kicked him as though to tell him to look at her.

Nanao remembered when he and Kaito visited Tokyo together in middle school.

Kaito had let out a big yawn.

“Ah, this is such a pain. I only care about kyudojos and kyudo stores. Are there any nearby?”

“Don’t say that, Kacchan. Let’s take the classic course first.”

He stuffed his mouth with crepes and peered into a store where everyone was lined up. At the storefront where accessories were arranged next to each other, he could see a man giving out rings as a gift.

It was fun to walk around the city. The place where they lived was surrounded by mountains, but this place was full of man-made object and people. It was a stimulating and lively space.

A little further away, there was a man running through the crowd.

“Why is that guy running?”

“Who knows, maybe he forgot something.”

As they were talking, the man quickly approached them and handed him his business card. The name of an agency was printed on the front, and the names of the talents affiliated with the agency were printed on the back.

Talent scouts really did exist. He thought it was an urban legend.

Kaito’s eyes flashed in their usual way. From his point of view, the person approaching Nanao was nothing but a suspicious person who deserved to be guarded against.

“Sorry, we’re in a hurry,” they declined and started walking away.

As they continued on their way, eating snacks, someone called out to them again. Nanao didn’t know if it was a scout or someone trying to pick him up, but he completely ignored them. However, some people were persistent and would stubbornly keep talking to him. Thanks to that, they walked faster and faster.

“Hey, hey, you over there. You’re a shining diamond in the rough. Could please just listen to what I have to say?”

“If you put it like that, I might be a little interested.”

“Tell the kid next to you to consider it too. I really think he’s got what it takes. Getting famous with videos is fine and all, but I recommend that you join an agency that can manage you properly.”

“No, thank you,” Kaito answered.

“Why don’t you join with him, then? I think a combination of two different types is also a good idea.”

“…”

“You might have to pay for the lessons, but we also have plans that are better than other agencies.”

“Shut up! This guy won’t leave our hometown!” Kaito shouted and grabbed Nanao’s hand, then started running.

Masquerade.

This was a city where you could meet a different version of yourself.

A doll-like girl spinning on a music box and a man holding a fake sword studded with sequins. Were the woodwind instruments being played foreign? Many boats floated on the meandering river, and the two went against the current. Was this really reality? His feet felt unsteady.

“Let’s leave this place quickly. There’s too many people and we’ll keep getting bothered.”

“You’re right.”

The sounds of people bustling about was comfortable.

Kacchan said that there were too many people here, but everyone was nose-deep in their phones and no one’s looking around. No one’s paying attention to us. No one knows who we are.

I will protect Kacchan. In this city, he’s the only who knows me, and I’m the only one who knows him.

I will never forget Kacchan gripping my hand.

It seems like he forgot about it, though.

That’s fine. This is a memory that only I remember.

“Kacchan, I wanna eat chips. Go and buy some.”

“What, go buy it yourself. I think we have some downstairs.”

“Can I eat them?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks, Kacchan.”

When Nanao got up, Lucy let out a small meow.

After the study session, Seiya and Minato watched Ryouhei leave until they could no longer see him.

“Minato, I’m going to go shampoo Kuma. Wanna come?” Seiya said.

“Of course!”

Minato went to Seiya’s house. He rolled up his sleeves, took off his socks, and Kuma, who realized what was going to happen, ran around excitedly. When Kuma was still a puppy, just getting him to soak his paws in the bathtub full of hot water was a difficult task, but now it was one of his favorite times. They wetted his fur in the shower and lathered up the dog shampoo.

“Kuma, doesn’t that feel good? Do you feel itchy anywhere?”

Kuma tilted his head left as though to say, “Here,” so they focused on that area. As they were rinsing off the later with the shower, Kuma shook his whole body.

“Kuma, don’t shake!”

“Kuma seems to be in high spirits,” Seiya said.

While they were shampooing Kuma, they saw a gecko on the windowpane of the bath. It had a light pink belly and the base of its tail was heart-shaped. The edges of its five tiny fingers were transparent and beautiful. It didn’t so much as twitch even when Minato touched it through the glass. He once saw one in his own house, and he had captured it and let it go outside. The gecko was still clinging to the window even after they finished shampooing Kuma.

Seiya’s brows lowered when he saw Kuma leaning against Minato as he wiped his wet body.

 “Kuma, you sure are making a nice face. Even though I’m your master.”

“Kuma likes people.”

The two and Kuma went out for a walk. As they walked toward the red sun, the indigo sunset approached from behind. The first star of the evening shined in the evening sky, and it matched the speed of the two boys and dog. When they stopped, the star also stopped. The large yellow moon shined on the horizon.

On the roadside, bees gathered by the fleabanes, and butterflies gathered by the milk thistles. A loud chorus of frogs could be heard from the rice fields that had just been filled with water. There were also baby praying mantises in the purple thistles, shortawn foxtails, and ixeris flowers. Though their bodies were only one centimeter long, they were vibrating them like adults. They seemed to be imitating the appearance of swaying leaves, but it was said that only two percent of two hundred eggs could grow into adults. Minato sent thoughts of encouragement for everyone to survive safely.

Minato patted Kuma on the head.

“It seems that there is a family of wild rabbits living in Shuu’s garden. At first, when we saw each other, they would run away like rabbits do, but lately, they are the ones who have been approaching me.”

“With that house, I’m not surprised about anything that lives there.”

“To tell you the truth, I once asked your dad a question. I asked him, aren’t you worried about Seiya quitting Kirisaki? Is there anything I can do?”

“…No way, really?”

“He told me, ‘There’s nothing to worry about. Worrying would mean that I don’t believe in Seiya’s strength. Both Seiya and his brother are people who don’t see hardships as hardships and can blaze a trail forward.’”

“Dad said something like that? I didn’t know.”

“You have a great dad. He’s really cool.”

“Yeah, he is, thanks. My brother’s a weirdo, though.”

“Kuma’s cute too.”

“My brother isn’t cute, and I don’t listen to what he says.”

“Brothers, huh. I’m a bit jealous.”

Minato looked up at the sky. The full moon was changing from yellow to silver.

“The moon is beautiful tonight.”

“…Yeah, it really is. Minato, do you know the anecdote about Soseki Natsume?”

“The one where he had a habit of pulling out his nose hairs when he got writer’s block and line them up on his manuscript paper?”

“That’s what came to your mind? It’s the one where he said that when Japanese people convey their love, they don’t say ‘I love you,’ but use another way to express it.”

“Sorry, I don’t know that one.”

“You and Kaito really don’t waver, huh.”

“What will Nanao do? Kaito was clearly shaken.”

“The two of them are probably discussing things right now. It might be something that’s hard to talk about in front of us.”

“You’re right. Oh, I saw two dormice in that tree hollow ahead. You wanna go see them?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

The two boys and dog went to the woods. When they went into the woods, Kuma took the vanguard position, probably with the determination to protect his masters.

When the wind shook the leaves, white-tailed skimmers spread their wings.

The wind blew through the blue yamichi of Kazemai High School’s kyudojo.

After the prefectural tournament qualifiers, the club members headed toward the targets as they pleased. Not thinking about unnecessary things and simply releasing arrows with all your strength was also a pleasant feeling. They surrendered themselves and rode the updraft.

When they generally finished shooting their arrows, the signal to gather was given.

“Today, we’ll be having a special class today. Let’s warm up before inviting our speaker. First question, what day is September tenth?”

Ryouhei immediately raised his hand.

“It’s Kyudo Day!”

“Correct. Now, the second question. Does anyone what day is August tenth, a month before that?”

“Yep, yep, it’s Masa-san’s birthday!”

Kaito turned to Minato and grinned triumphantly. Masa-san smiled in embarrassment.

Tommy-sensei continued. “Third question. What day is September first?”

“The questions suddenly got harder. Seiya, do you know?” Minato said.

“Hmm, is it famous?”

“Oh? Takehaya-kun not knowing something is surprising. Let’s get into the main topic. Self-possession is necessary for kyudo. Learn the best techniques to stay calm in any situation. That’s right, it’s all about words, it’s about how you perceive events positively through words. Here comes the specialists. Come on, everybody!”

The ones who appeared at Tommy-sensei’s signal were two elderly men. Question marks popped up over everyone’s heads.

“These two are acquaintances of mine. They are alumni of the ‘Kazemai High School Bad Puns Association.’”

Seiya’s glasses flashed. Kaito had a bad feeling.

The class began.

“Bad puns are things that have ‘creativity and impact,’ and enriches communication between people. We take advantage of the infinite ‘attraction’ of puns, and our wish that bad puns will bring color and richness to life and delivers salvation to the world is embedded in September first.”*

“…I can already sense that this is going to be a disaster.”

Kaito was in agony, but Seiya straightened up even more and listened attentively.

“A barrage of dad jokes that follow up on each other. This is indeed ‘jab-jab’ humor, Kacchan.”*

“Na-na-o, not you too!”

As the cousins’ comedy routine unfolded, practical training began. First, they were asked to tell the bad puns they already knew.

Keyaki went first. “The principal’s in good form!”*

Kanbayashi went second. “The dog’s so nervous that it’s wetting itself.”*

Himuro went third. “Suki kuu mushi mo tadetade.”*

Everyone’s eyes widened at the fact that Himuro spoke, but only Seiya sighed by himself.

“It’s no good, first-years. You can’t just say such excellent bad puns.”

Keyaki shrank back.

“What exactly is an excellent bad pun…? It’s too difficult for amateurs. I feel like successfully pulling off a bad pun is more difficult than the path of the bow for me.”

“First, we must learn the classics. I’ll give you some examples. ‘6:30 is the best time on a clock, hands down.’ ‘Thanks for being so grape!’ ‘Camping: like many of the best things in life, it’s tree.’”*

The two teachers applauded.

“Wonderful! As expected of the club president, you have a very good understanding of this. Oh, you over there, you say a pun too.”

“Me too?” Masa-san said.

“Of course. To us, you’re also a Kazemai kid, Coach Takigawa.”

“Then if I may be so presumptuous, I will contribute one pun. ‘My back is kaino at kai.’”*

Seiya inadvertently laughed, but then made his face serious in an effort to hide that he laughed.

“Recreation is a form of communication and relaxation that’s also used in free schools, and it is also a way to train people to think in a way that softens their stiffened heads. Now, we pros will show you how it’s done.”

“What kind of sport is kyudo? The kind of sport that makes your chest squeeze tightly and impresses the people around.” “If you draw a bow in Yamagata, your arrows will bend.” “Ah, I hit the inside of the curtain.” “Hakama wa hakanma.” “What are yuu going to the kyudojo for?” “I get angry when I don’t do the uchiokoshi well.” “When I do uchiokoshi, you go to the front.” “Let’s have a third party look at our daisan.” “Ya o hanatsu to yugaeru kero.” “Zan, shin!!”*

Kaito quickly stood up.

“They’re cold, they’re too cold! Are we in Siberia or Alaska or something!?”

Unable to endure it any longer, he left.

Tommy-sensei chuckled. “…Good reaction, Onogi-kun.”

Before they went home, they received a large amount of broad beans from the teachers, who had grown them in their home gardens.

“Hey, hey, what are you going to do about Seiya’s brother, Gaku-san’s offer?” Ryouhei asked Nanao.

“Oh, I think I’m going to turn him down on that day.”

Kaito’s face relaxed.

“You’re giving your answer too early. You might regret it later that you should have accepted it.”

“I won’t regret it, and even if I do in the future, so be it. I’ll consider it again at that time. The current me has decided not to do it. My dream has already been fulfilled. I wanted to become a normal high school student.”

“A normal high school student?”

“Don’t you think it’s amazing? Frogs and birds risk their lives to get food every day, but we normally eat our lunches in our classrooms, normally make side trips on our way home from school, and normally groan about bad test scores.”

“Is Nanao really a high school boy? You have a pretty philosophical view of things,” Seiya murmured.*

The second-year girl, Hanazawa, writhed in agony. “Takehaya-kun, don’t just smoothly insert an old man joke here.”

“The only old man we need is Takigawa=san,” Shiragiku said.

“Putting aside the fact that our club has a high concentration of old men, I don’t know how a guy with a fan club could be called normal,” Seo continued.

“That isn’t something I wanted, but I’ll properly fulfill the role given to me. I don’t want to disappoint the girls who love me.”

“Wow, you’re like a real prince.”

When Ryouhei looked at him with eyes full of respect, Nanao gently lowered his eyes. If the fan club girls were here, they might have fainted on the spot.

When he opened his eyes, a strong gaze appeared there.

“I want to become a carpenter. I want to start with design. Kacchan, let me build your house.”

Kaito’s eyes widened.

“This is the first time I’m hearing of it.”

“Of course it is. Because it’s the first time I told someone. Before I came here, I asked the teacher to let me switch from the humanities to the sciences.”

“That was fast! I didn’t know you could change it.”

“First, I want to build a round wooden frog house in a green forest. The eyes will be the windows, where you can see the starry sky through them at night. The Summer Triangle of summer and Orion of winter. It’ll be amazing to gaze at them while lying down on the floor with everyone. Right now, I’m researching the costs.”

“You’re really moving too fast. Where are us students gonna get that money from?”

“It’s not about whether you can or can’t do it, it’s about envisioning it first. I don’t think it’s that difficult.”

The first-years applauded.

“As expected of Kisaragi-senpai’s super positive thinking. He has a dream!” Kanbayashi said.

“I will try thinking about what I really want to do,” Keyaki said.

“I want to continue doing kyudo even after I graduate. Have you decided on what you’re going to do, Narumiya-senpai? Are you going to go to a university with a strong kyudo club?”

Minato looked indifferent.

“All I thought was that I should probably go to university. On the career preference questionnaire, I thought about my family finances and wrote down the names of several universities I was interested in, including a local public university, a department where I could study Japanese culture, a university with a Shinto course, and an agriculture department.”

Seiya pinched the corner of his eyes. “Our teacher is probably very confused, thinking that Narumiya-kun is supposed to be in the sciences.”

“I’m interested in what Shinto priests do, but I don’t know if I want to do it as a job… To be honest, I’m at a loss.”

Tommy-sensei, who had been silently listening to them, laughed out loud. Masa-san was also next to him.

“Ah, the worries of vibrant youth. Try talking to yourself, not others. It might be a good idea to try drawing a mandala chart. By the way, the goals I set when I was fifty were to walk eight-thousand steps every day, learn the names of flowers and plants, and take pictures of clouds. Please look at my work.”

Tommy-sensei showed them pictures of clouds in the shape of soft-served ice cream, candy, and dried squid. He told them that they weren’t edited images, but actually floating in the sky.

Ryouhei’s eyes sparkled.

“What’s that, it looks tasty!”

“Ho ho, there’s Pucky here too. And even a Koala’s Dash.”*

“Whoa, I wanna try searching too! Nee-chan, Shuu-kun, and Sae-chan would definitely love it if I show this to them.”

It seemed that Tommy-sensei taught them a simple game once again. Minato thought that the people who could laugh at bad puns and were curious no matter how old they were might be the masters of life.

When Seiya returned home, he told his parents this.

“I’m going to be a doctor. But right now, kyudo is my top priority, so I might become a ronin.* Mom, Dad, will you still support me?”

“Yes, of course we will.”

“Do your best, Seiya-kun.”

Previous | Next

[dynared]

I've been hammering on Transformers Earthspark a lot lately (partially because I think the Energon Universe has shown the fandom there's a better way to bring in new fans and excite older ones), but even beyond the superiority of the Energon Universe and the hope it gets animated one day, something I've discussed with people that annoys me about it is that while the show is not devoid of good ideas, it often pays mere lip-service to them, and is shockingly insistent on tackling concepts it does not have the ability to tackle. Case in point, an episode around Kali of all things.

Kali, for those of you who don't know (because it's not like Earthspark bothered to explain it!) AKA Arnis or Escrima, is a Filipino martial art based on both weapons and hand-to-hand combat, favoring sticks and knives. It actually became popular in the martial arts community when Dan Inosanto, a student (some would argue the most prolific student) of the late Bruce Lee, began teaching it alongside Jeet Kune Do as part of his "JKD Concepts", an attempt to expand Bruce's Jeet Kune Do with additional ideas from other martial arts. The old Fight Quest show on the Discovery Channel tackled Kali in its second episode, showing training methodologies and the philosophy behind the art with the two hosts, including an ending where the hosts have to engage in sparring with stick fighting, which is as rough as it sounds.

Now Kali gets bought up in Earthspark as part of Alex Malto's Filipino background, but the show does virtually nothing with it, other than Alex waxing poetic about his heritage in one episode and then hitting a few Arachnamecs. You'd think that the idea of training the Terrans in a native martial art would have a lot of potential, especially since Cybertron in certain continuities has martial arts, particularly Metallikato and Circuit-Su. But instead, the concept is dropped almost immediately, making it seem like mere window dressing to show that the show is "diverse" rather than actually having some substance with the main plot.

The idea seems pretty simple to integrate. Have the Terrans be put in a situation where they would deem learning a martial art necessary, either a poor performance on the field, their instructors telling them that their skills in close-range-combat are poor, or being forced to fight someone like Bludgeon or Drift, a Metallikato practitioner who the Terrans feel outmatched by and who Alex volunteers to train in kali so they can fight their opponent on an even footing. Hell, that could be directly linked to the whole issue of culture, with the Terrans finding kali far less flashy than Metallikato and kind of lame, only for its effectiveness to show itself in combat.

And while Kali isn't the only example of such, it's probably the biggest example of the issues with shows that are surface-level in their concepts, and why Earthspark seems to have utterly failed to capture the imagination of kids and casual audiences.

[ryukang1995]

Liu Kang's bio, according to the Mortal Kombat collector's edition comic book by John Tobias.

Interestingly enough, it mentions his parents, and their names are in Western order (Lee Kang and Lin Kang).

A typical Chinese name would place the surname before the given game, so technically, Kang would be his given name, and Liu would be his surname.

However, in most incarnations of MK, particularly the 1995 movie, he's often referred to as Liu, suggesting that it's his first name.

One way you can work around the name order is if you made it to where Liu Kang is Chinese-American, but of course, that seems unlikely now since Liu Kang has been depicted as full-on Chinese (even to this day).

While I am usually indifferent on racebending, I do believe there can be a case where it can work with Liu Kang (at least kind of)...

If I HAD to pick an actor influence for Liu Kang that isn't 100% Chinese (sort of as a way to work around Kang being his surname), it definitely would be Brandon Lee.

I know that I had him as an influence for Johnny Cage, but I do think he can work as Liu Kang too, especially since there are many factors that qualify him for the role.

For one, he was Eurasian (Chinese, English, German and Swedish ancestry), so even if I was picking an actor who wasn't 100% Chinese, Brandon still had enough of it in his blood.

Also, Brandon was the son of Bruce Lee, who was the primary influence for Liu Kang. Brandon also practiced Jeet Kune Do during his life time, so he'd already have the right fighting skills that would match Liu Kang's.

Beyond all of that? Brandon was a highly charismatic actor who was taken away from us too early, so he definitely had the right acting chops for the character.

For a long time, there was indeed an internet rumor that Brandon was up for a role in Mortal Kombat (1995). Some said he would have been Liu Kang, others said he was going to play Johnny Cage. However, that turned out to be false, especially since Lawrence Kasanoff got the rights for MK only mere months after Brandon's passing.

I definitely have other actors in mind for the way I depict Liu Kang (Robin Shou, Jackie Chan, and Brandon's own father Bruce Lee), but Brandon more than earned a spot as an influence for my take on the character. Hell, I even have both him and Mark Dacascos in mind for the Lee brothers in my take on Double Dragon.

If you disagree, it's all good.

[earlsocksiii]

tekken is such a funny series. like it is at its core an emotional, highly dramatic and personal story of the clash between bloodlines, the centre that holds it together is just amazing. (sometimes it’s written badly. but that’s ok). But then it’s just got a big shell of weirdness and the most insane shit a game series could ever have. I cannot figure out a good metaphor for this

most people’s impressions of tekken is the core, sure, that it’s a serious series of normal-looking guys beating eachother up, but.. it is so weird past the surface

like you got Heihachi Mishima, intimidating bastard with incredible hair falchions, who.. has trained three separate bears in his personal Mishima-style fighting karate. And he names them all ‘bear’ in Japanese or Panda. because she is a panda

Bryan Fury seems like just a normal criminal sociopath guy who is a bastard, but he’s actually just a full cyborg with an entirely artificial body. who is also a bastard sociopath guy who enjoys causing pain

the director of the series Katsuhiro Harada, infamous stubborn as hell guy, has confirmed that having the devil gene, bloodline powers that invoke the name of Devil (devil being both an adjective and a person here) prevents the Mishima bloodline from having male pattern baldness

there is both incredibly accurate and beautiful martial arts animation, of real techniques that looks like it had so much love and care put into it, Hwoarang’s taekwondo, Eddie’s capoeira, Steve’s boxing, Leo/Julia’s baji quan; so much of it is incredible. but they also put in a bunch of not very credible but. pretty cool stuff, and they make that also look so beautiful and perfect, Leroy’s wing chun, Marshall’s jeet kune do, a guy named King with a jaguar mask who does actual pro wrestling on people. just in tekken 7 they added Claudio, a fucking exorcist of a secret millenia old order who does Sirius-style Exorcist Fighting Arts and uses Real Magic. it’s all so satisfying and good

this series makes me both so excited for each narrative turn and also has like 20 different plot threads they created and forgot about (the nature of Asuka’s powers, Kazuya/Paul’s rivalry, Julia’s whole deal about defeating the devil gene, literally all of Leo, Feng and Hwoarang’s backstories in later games) (I guess that part’s because of how many characters there are, not everyone can be focused on and developed even with like a new sentence of development in their bio)

I truly love tekken and it has forever touched my heart. and also the music is real good. yodeling in meadow hill (hidden retreat) tekken 6? kinder gym tekken 7?  dr. bosconovitch theme tekken 3?

man. I can’t wait for tekken 8. I wanna play Leroy so bad.

[mayday396]

What I like about ALTA and LOK are the Fighting styles, in the former, we see more Traditional Chinese Martial Arts, the Constant Blocking and dodging and the Punches are Vertical Facing and in the Latter, we see Horizontal Facing Punches and swift Footwork to engage and Disengage like more "Modern" fighting styles.

I see alot of People saying Legend of Korra's fighting is terrible or Boring.What you all need to understand is that in LOK, it depicts what Martial Arts is like in our World Today, the Destruction and Preservation of Old and Historic Arts, the Evolution of Combat and the New Generation favouring more easier to Understand and more easily utilise styles.

It also has to do with the environment.In ALTA, the Spaces are Wider, be it Urban or Rural, this allows a far bigger range of Movements and Motions, in LOK, places are smaller and more compact, it's better to square up and keep your fists close to your Head because if you leave it open that's a guarantee Hit.

Different Situations, Different Environments, Different Wars cause a Combat Art to change and Evolve.

Traditional Chinese Martial Arts turned into Sanshou and Jeet Kune Do.

Muay Boran turned into Muay Thai.

Traditional Vietnamese martial arts turned into Vovinam

Japanese Martial Arts gave birth the whole concept of Gendai budō.

All because change happens, nothing can stay the same for so long

[dragon-ball-meta]

Since you brought up that 18's stance and martial arts skills are based on what she learned from Krillin, does that tangentially make her a member of the Turtle School?

Well, yes and no. Master Roshi's description of the Turtle School is rather similar to that of Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do, in that it's not a style in and of itself, but a collection of them. It borrows from what works in every style and teaches the practitioner to find what best works for them.

Having learned from Krillin though, she would presumably also have been the recipient of some of those teachings as well. So in a sense, yes.

[gsuschr1st]

THE FOLLOWING IS A NON-PROFIT FAN-BASED AU FANFICTION

DANNY PHANTOM IS OWNED BY NICKELODEON, PARAMOUNT STUDIOS, BUTCH HARTMAN, AND VIACOM INTERNATIONAL

PLEASE ENJOY THE FOLLOWING PHANTOM! JAZZ AU, ONE SHOT, I THOUGHT OF.

Jazz Victoria Fenton is a fresh college student and Amity Park's resident ghost superhero protector named: "The Phantom." The inhabitants of her hometown were now facing a new monster hunter developed by the guys in white dubbed "The Spector Slayer." On a roof of an unnamed building Jazz now gets into a defense karate stance and inspects the Slayer.

As Jazz inspected the Slayer, noticing he wore a suit designed to fit the style of a ninja-styled grim reaper, the suit looked reasonably similar to her parent's prototype super suits. Still, it had some specific variations to it.

For example, the armor looked futuristic, probably built with nanotech machines. The armor shade was dark blue, with bright white complementing the blue.

It looked like it would fit a person with a light heavyweight 6ft body stature, not overly muscular, but could fit someone with a decent, slim muscle build. The hood of the suit looked almost like a reapers hood, with it being colored jet black along with the cape attached to it. The material on the cape was probably a leather-styled material built for glider-based mobility.

The mask the Slayer wore only covered his ears, nose, and entire chin, only leaving his eyes visible. The mask reminded Jazz of the game Mortal Kombat the one her brother played a lot with Tucker, where this one character Noob had a face mask that looked very similar to the one the Slayer wore.

But what had caught Jazz's attention the most was the Slayer's eyes. They had the same navy blue color that reminded her of her missing younger brother Daniel "Danny" Vladimir Fenton.

"Danny?"

Jazz asked, shocked at the idea that this menacing figure could be her little brother.

The Slayer didn't say anything, only tilting his head in confusion, but he then readjusted himself in an aggressive attack stance, looking like a mixture between judo and jeet kun do. The Slayer's eyes harden into an intense murderous glare, making Jazz's skin crawl.

The Slayer hears a voice through his mask that is Agent O from the Guys In White. It sounds full of determined pride and disgust, erupting to reach The Slayer's ears, but only one command is uttered.

"Slayer combat protocol 432004 has been initiated. Eliminate the ghost girl."

After those words had been spoken to the Slayer, his eyes had started to dilate rather quickly, and then they were colored purely engulfed by a dark blue. The pigment shined and glowed like a new diamond.

In a flash, The Slayer moved so quickly from Jazz's perspective that it seemed like he teleported. This movement surprised her enormously as Jazz was just registering that her maybe brother turned super soldier monster slayer had. Just. Teleported. In front of her very eyes, a swift punch connects to her face hitting with a harsh Pow as the Slayer's fist lands on Jazz's face, sending her a few feet away and making her back hit a railing on the roof of this unnamed building.

"Ok… That was super painful."

Jazz says she regains her balance enters a defensive karate stance, and dashes to attack the Slayer. Each blow she tries to use is either blocked or strategically countered with a more vigorous blow from different martial arts such as; wing chun, jeet kune do, and boxing.

Each hit felt light baseballs being thrown at her at 15 miles per hour. The pressure of the punches had begun to put Jazz in a dazed state, but she needed to find a way to outmaneuver this opponent.

The Slayer dashes to connect an acrobatic jump kick; however, Jazz quickly turns intangible, making him phase through her completely. He lands in a kneeling position. The Slayer turns to face Jazz, only to see that there were now ten of her surrounding him.

"Danny, please, I don't want to fight you; it's me, Jazz remember? Your big sister?"

One clone of Jazz tells The Slayer he now just stares at each clone curiously. He had wondered why his target called him that and why she looked so familiar. Sadly, before any semblance of his target's memory could return, Agent O Yelled into Slayer's ear.

"SLAYER. DO. NOT. BE DISWAYED BY THIS THING! DESTROY HER NOW!"

After that, a sharp shock hits The Slayer. It felt as if a Taser was scratching at his mind. He grabs his head with both hands relatively in a violent tight fashion; after that, memories return. Flashes of a home, his parents, friends, and then…

"KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILL…"

The Slayer's body goes deadly stiff and limp for a few seconds. One of the Jazz clones walks up to him touching his shoulder. After she does so, The Slayer, in a blindingly quick fashion, grabs the hand, pulling the clone closer then a fast slash is heard.

Then the clone evaporates, revealing a singular scythe powered by ectoplasm.

[Authors note: Like death from Darksiders.]

Ectoplasm blasts are shot at The Slayer. Even a few clones dog pile on him, trying to pin him down to not only slow down The Slayer but also give the original Jazz a chance to think of a plan to knock out The Slayer.

Then rather aggressively, the clones that the dog piled on him are pushed off of him, sending each one far back, and then another ectoplasm-powered scythe.

Meanwhile, the original Jazz is now trying to stay invisible to find an opening to overshadow and incapacitate her possible missing brother, the clones are a decent enough distraction, but most of them are being quickly outmatched by the speed, as well as strength of The Slayer and being sliced apart by the Slayer's duel welding scythes.

Though every single clone is being dispatched, Jazz notices an opportunity. After the last clone disappears with a devasting set of slashes to aid in that predicament, Jazz from behind tries to overshadow the Slayer and try out her new special attack. Which is a strong psychokinesis attack intended to keep him knocked out for 6 hours. This attack surprisingly works.

After a few minutes, Jazz sees The Slayer's mind seeing all of his memories, which confirms her suspicions that The Slayer is her brother, and she sees why Danny went missing.

All Jazz feels now is anger. The guys in white are going to pay.

[art-of-manliness]

The Secrets to Bruce Lee’s Legendary Physical Training

Bruce Lee is a legend. He revolutionized movies and martial arts. He also boasted incredible strength and all-around physicality. Lee could place his fist one inch from the chest of a man twice his size and unleash a quick, cobra-like strike that’d send his opponent flying.  Lee could perform push-ups using just two fingers of one hand.  Lee wasn’t huge, but his lean, chiseled, defined physique was widely admired, and bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Flex Wheeler, Shawn Ray, and Dorian Yates all acknowledged the impact it had on their careers. Co-star and fellow martial artist Chuck Norris described Lee’s ripped physique as “muscle upon muscle.” A woman who asked if she could touch Bruce Lee’s flexed bicep (a common request he appreciated receiving) described it as “warm marble.” How did Lee develop his strength and physique? Was he simply a genetic freak? Nope. If you look at early pictures of the Little Dragon, he was a pretty scrawny guy. Instead of genetics, Lee systematically and relentlessly built his body with physical training. Thanks to the meticulous research of martial artist and writer John Little, we know exactly what Lee did to achieve his results. Little shares the details of Lee’s fitness training in his 1998 book Bruce Lee: The Art of Expressing the Human Body. The book is an absolute gold mine of fitness history and information, and I highly recommend picking up a copy. In today’s article, we take a look at the principles that informed Bruce Lee’s training and the components of his regimen that turned a man into a legend. The Moment Bruce Lee Got Serious About His Physical Training Throughout his childhood, Lee was incredibly active. He got in trouble at school, and his spiritedness drove him to mischief and street fights. If Lee had grown up in the 21st century, he probably would have been diagnosed with ADHD. His hyperactivity inspired his family to call him “never sits still.” To channel Lee’s energy into less destructive activities, his father signed him up for kung fu instruction under the tutelage of master Ip Man. Thus, at age thirteen, Bruce began the lifelong practice that would make him a worldwide legend. By the time Lee was in his twenties, he had developed enough physical conditioning to excel as a martial artist, but remained a skinny guy. Then came a moment that would take his physical training to the next level. In the early 1960s, Lee lived in Oakland, CA, and had begun teaching kung fu. Lee didn’t discriminate in who he took on as a student, and according to some accounts, some traditional Chinese kung fu masters in the area weren’t happy with him teaching the martial art to non-Chinese. So in 1964, they presented an ultimatum to Lee: take part in a kung fu battle against their best fighter; if Lee lost, he had to shut down his kung fu class. While different versions of exactly how the fight went down exist, according to Bruce, the fight lasted three minutes and primarily involved him chasing his opponent around a building until he forced him to submit. Despite winning, Lee was disappointed with how he performed. He was unhappy about the shape he was in and had begun to feel that the parameters of traditional martial arts were impractical for street fights. He concluded that to realize his full physical potential and become the best martial artist in the world, he’d need to move beyond kung fu and expand his repertoire of physical modalities. This moment of discontent not only inspired Bruce Lee to get serious about his physical fitness, but birthed a martial art and overall life philosophy he called Jeet Kune Do or the Way of the Intercepting Fist. The Sources of Bruce Lee’s Physical Training Philosophy In moving forward from the fight, Lee sought to develop a physical training system that emphasized “practicality, flexibility, speed, and efficiency” and drew from a wide range of training methods. While Jeet Kune Do sounds like a formal martial art style like Tae Kwon Do, Lee… http://dlvr.it/TB3vSk