#katsugeki why

[moonartemisia]

MIKAZUKIIIIIIIIIIIII 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

[mishkakagehishka]

Another thing i like ab touken ranbu is that it makes me feel like i'm playing with barbies again. Sure, they have their set personalities and pasts. But they gave me a bunch of dolls and a vague setting and it is a bit nice to be able to just make up my own idea of it all

[hoodie-prince-kid]

there's 24 episodes and if im to assume it's the same runtime/studio as katsugeki...

[cat434]

Him

For starters, I know... I know very well how easy it is to just call him Kane-san... BUT there are 3 things that were engraved in my mind the day I saw his pretty face for the first time in my life:

THE Katsugeki screenshot (iykyk)

That long hair (can I talk about the pretty braid and his earrings too?).

His name was too long and I remembered him as the Izumi-something guy

So ever since that faithful meeting (bless you Mudae for that), he's been stuck in my mind as Izumi

So I call him Izumi most of the time on my own (I also like the sound for some reason) but I know how everyone calls him so at this point is a constant switch. Still though, in Dawn, Akemi calls him like I do, which is Izumi (if she ever dares to actually call his name because I noticed how I don't like to call names either for some reason?).

Anyway, surprise! I adore him to pieces...

Yes, I know he's silly. I know he's a headache and we both need Mama Hori to take care of us (he's still waiting that raise I promised him since we re-started Dawn)...

But I can't help it, he's a sun and I have my reasons to call him everything that comes to mind and I will finally explain why I love him that much despite not aligning with every other character I've loved before (actually, I found the core reason and he fits that too but I'll keep that for later).

This may not be all that objective or cold-analysis based but I think that's not the approach I needed to make this interpretation either.

Starting from the basics... Who is Izuminokami Kanesada? Sure, a cool, strong and stylish sword. Yet, he wasn't made by the highly-praised 2nd generation of Kanesada blacksmiths but rather by the 11th or 12th generation... And he doesn't have any complains about being born...

Now, that's a half-lie. Sure, complaining and mulling over it is different, as well as is shoving aside certain thoughts and pretend that is just focusing on your duty. And why am I accusing him already? Because he won't ever say a single word. He'd rather bite the ground than to say that he has doubts. After all, you can't be confident in yourself if you don't think you are right in whatever it is that you do or choose.

~(Been there, done that. Sweetie, you need more to fool me)~

Now, not saying he's arrogant (he's damn lazy tho). But have you heard of that "Say it until you can make it"?

That is exactly the type of person he is, I think. Say it, repeat it, hear it from someone else and surely, you'll know you are right. You'll know your efforts are worth something and are taking you towards what you want to do.

So that overwhelming confidence is like a wish (cue to that song I love that he sings with Hori from the katsugeki extra songs).

The wish to be strong, to overcome whatever it is that gets thrown at you and always stand proud... I think it's a beautiful wish, one that I have too.

But can he live up to that?

He's a sword, yes. He fought at the side of his past master, yes. But, what was that for? He couldn't even bring victory in the end. Heck no, he wasn't even there. If he could have had the chance... Would that change anything though? In a world where time flows and even a famous sword eventually finds its place as nothing more than a reminder of past glory while new weapons and technology develops...

Watching Katsugeki, one would think that the core of his character is his regret towards not being able to be with his master in the front lines. But I think that, while it is ONE reason, it's not all. And even his letter says something along those lines on how "his core is about missing the past".

~(It also took me long to figure you out, I wonder if at this point I'm also a blockhead when it comes to feelings)~

Now, what does he miss? Everything. To live in the era where swords thrived, when he was needed (man is actually a tachi 👀☝ so ofc he eventually would be set aside in favor of more practical swords that are smaller to carry around, hence Horikawa sticking around for longer with their former master). And tachis became more like a symbol of status at some point with the introduction of guns and the sort (that explains why he dislikes Mutsu yet they are still very similar in that they had to face the change in times but each with their own perspective).

At that point, one would question their own worth.

"What am I here for? What am I supposed to do just staying here? It's not even the end yet I'm already being put aside..."

Swords have different stories associated to their names, in fact, that's what gave them their name. Sliced something? *insert the name of the sliced object and add kiri*

But him? He was made by a Kanesada, sure... Still a famous blacksmith but... even their reputation was declining. In fact, it's almost as if everything he's surrounded by will end anytime. And so, he never got his chance to make a name for himself. He never got a name other than the one inscribed in his blade because the time he had was too short.

And does he complain about that? No, of course not... But do those questions or thoughts come to mind? Most likely often...

He may never say a word but that doesn't mean he never thinks of it. He just has other things to focus on or at least tries to focus on those other things... Does it work though? Who knows...

And that would be the 1st part (I would probably write an actual essay on him, wow)

I haven't even got to the point of my own impressions but surely... some... day... hehe...

[topazadine]

I was lying in bed last night psychoanalyzing myself, as I often do, and I finally came to the realization why I fucking hate Honebami so much, beyond that shitty moment in Katsugeki where he doesn't want to help the widows

It's probably because he reminds me of myself before I worked through (most of) my trauma, and I just vomited my Bad Life Experiences all over everyone even when they didn't ask or care, and I was also fucking miserable and emo all the time

Like there's a time in healing for a lot of people where they just can't shut the fuck up about what happened to them, and while it's totally understandable and a perfectly normal process, it's also very embarrassing and uncomfortable for nearly everyone around them. And it's also embarrassing to look back at, and of course a lot of the time, when something makes you uncomfortable about yourself, you absolutely HATE it in other people.

But he's a fictional character so I can hate him all I want, lmao Honebami Hate Train 2k22

[mihotose]

i think its really funny that its like the worst investment to actually spend money on online. like theres myu and sute and hanamaru and katsugeki and musou and anthologies and nendoroids and wanpaku and pitanui and clothes and sake and replicas why would you ever choose online of all things

[swordboiis]

Katsugeki episode 11 reaction

Horikawa is the focus of my reaction this time really rip.

This Horikawa drama is… kind of bugging me. I mean, I’m glad to see Katsugeki focus on something solid but this doesn’t feel like Horikawa. The whole show, this Katsugeki Horikawa doesn’t feel like Horikawa. Of course, I believe Horikawa can be incredibly serious and reflective on the morals of what they’re doing, there’s no problem with that. How do I put this into words? He feels less likes a character and more like a plot progression. What does Katsugeki tell us about Horikawa? That he shares a former master with Kane, that he’s a rookie, that he has a lot of doubt and hesitation in their battle. And that’s about it. To be fair, I think Katsugeki has done a horrible job with most of the characters. I’d probably ramble on too much if I was to go into depth about that but I’ll save that for when the series is over.

But back to my point, Horikawa is a plot point. It genuinely feels like he is there to serve a role rather than be a character. At first, he served as the audience surrogate, through him we were meant to understand the world and what they are fighting for. And now, he’s just an excuse for drama. The stuggle of what is right and wrong, sure. That’s believable but when they make it about Horikawa putting Hijikata above all else… It really does feel like a weak imitation of Yasusada towards the end of Hanamaru. But with Yasusada, we knew his devotion to Okita was strong to a fault, that it was strong enough to sway his desire to serve the Saniwa. But the Horikawa we know doesn’t think about Hijikata, he thinks about being a good partner to Kane. And the fact that he is willing to against Kane is just more towards how wrong he is being portrayed.

I’m glad this episode at least expanded on Horikawa’s reasoning and had Mutsu point out he was so shaken because of Kane’s tears but it still feels weak to me. Especially since Kane even verbalised how important he found preserving history even if it hurt him to think about what he would be letting Hijikata walk into. As I said, it’s a plot point. His motivation is a mess and makes him not feel like Horikawa.

Maybe I’m being stubborn and I should be open to different takes on the characters but this just doesn’t feel like Horikawa. I’ve never been particularly fond of Horikawa so maybe I’m just biased but it doesn’t sit well with me. I guess I’m just disappointed finding someone like Horikawa who is arguably the third main character, when the main two are handled so well. I’ve sung praises for Mutusnokami every chance I’ve gotten and Kane has been treated much better than in the first few episodes, but Horikawa is just unrecognisable to me.  

Guess I’m complaining a lot this time but the set up making Mutsunokami and Kane split up with the rest of the unit felt like an obvious move to get them out of the way… I mean especially with Tsurumaru, why bother including them at all as characters when they’re treated so badly? Again, I’ll save a full-on discussion about the characters when it’s all done.

Even more complaints maybe I shouldn’t watch anime when instead of sleeping or Katsugeki could just be this frustrating. Either way, the guys suddenly acting like Horikawa and Kane are like brothers??? Even suggesting they’re close is weak since Katsugeki’s only real relationship building is the rivalry between Mutsu and Kane. They didn’t even do well at establishing Honebami and Yagen as brothers. I guess there was a slight nod to Yagen respecting Tsuru but I still feel I was reading too much into Tsurumaru’s grand entrance. Listen there was little strong interaction between Kane and Horikawa. Maybe I’m recalling wrong but in their first episode Kane is teaching Horikawa but that whole episode was a mess. We’ve been shown scenes of Horikawa thinking about Kane and being concerned about him, but nothing about Kane caring back until now since it’s something so dramatic. It felt one sided before and out of nowhere now. Just another thing that’s frustrating me. I mean c’mon Horikawa seems to have a stronger relationship with Mutsu rather than Kane but I’ll stop already.

The best part of the episode was Mutsunokami’s goodbye to Sakamoto. Ufotable treats him so well, it was a short little thing but made me feel strongly and for the first time this episode my feelings weren’t just frustration.

Ok one last Horikawa complaint, I’m probably being too hard on him. I should see it as a good thing that Ufotable gave him more attachment to Hijikata and appreciate the angst in him clearly remembering Hijikata’s death. But I’m just getting bothered, if Horikawa really cared so much about Hijikata and was by his side in his final moments he should understand better than anyone. Understand that Hijikata was the embodiment of his ideals, he was a samurai. He no longer had a master to serve, but rather than die a coward’s death like the warrior he was he had to fight with all his strength with everything he believed in until the end. Horikawa refusing that and not understanding just really bothers me. It makes me feel he didn’t understand Hijikata at all and again, I think his emotions and motivations are a total mess.

If anything, maybe this Horikawa corruption whatever the hell is going on is Ufotable’s answer for a villain. I think it’s safe to say Kane didn’t cut Hori down and that we will see a proper physical confrontation between them next episode. What will come from it I really don’t know.

I complained a lot this episode sorry but a lot keeps bothering me. Maybe I’m being too hard on it but I had such high hopes for Katsugeki… I still don’t know the episode run length we’ve officially been given for Katsugeki but I feel next episode is probably the finale?

[yukihime03]

Ryohei-san as Kane-san must have been かっこ良くて強い! 🥰

[rexcaliburechoes]

basically the tl;dr of my rant is “if you compare the Izuminokami from the beginning of the series and then compare him to at least the midpoint of the series you’ll be able to see a change resolve but at the very end is where his newly forged resolve is put to the test in the finale. Also, he really needs to hive Horikawa a hug because really they’ve both gone through Trauma and they need therapy”.

Might still post the rant after I finish it- depends on how I honestly feel about it and how confident I’m feeling in me understanding characters and if I’m going to Assassinate Character Motives if I post it or not

[qaanngi]

Husbandsada 💕

[catbot158]

Katsugeki Touken Ranbu announced its English dub cast, and it is unfortunately not the original Funimation cast. Full list here. 

Kind of disappointing for me personally. While there were problems with it, the Hanamaru dub was still enjoyable and I would've loved to hear that cast take on Katsugeki’s more serious tone. But it’s Aniplex, so what are you gonna do? :/

[tsurumaaru]

“Why can’t we even  s a v e  the people we  c a r e  about?”

[hoodie-prince-kid]

why is the katsugeki tag nothing but gifsets, untranslated mangacaps, and discourse? :(

[carnelianwings]

Sorry for being so quiet lately; been busy with work on top of getting dragged kicking and screaming into Touken Ranbu hell.  (Don’t worry though, this is, and always will be, the main blog, and I will continue to record and stream Tales.  Especially Rays.)  If you’re looking for the crazy train of art reblogs, meander over to my multi-fandom side blog, @soymilksattic.  What finally did me in was 1) seeing Izuminokami all over my dash, 2) realizing it’s Kimura Ryohei who voices him, 3) seeing a few other favorite seiyuu in the game (read: Midorikawa, Toriumi, and Ohsaka), and 4) oh and Izuminokami’s in-game artwork is drawn by Shiramine.  And then I watched Hanamaru and now I’m just like “. . . why did I do this to myself”.  At least I now have both Izuminokami and Shishiou on my main team and all is right in the world again.

In other words, everything loops back to Tales, but I will never turn down an excuse to go beat things up with characters voiced by my favorite voice actors.

[genshinarchives]

AaAA- I saw your request are open so may I ask a small scenario centering around the "I'm a villainess but I'm not evil!" casts? There's only 5 characters for your request so you can choose which characters would you like to write :]

Ah as for the prompt : what if villainess!reader ignores the casts for a while, too busy attending her duties as a heiress and the new-found problem in the onigasaki clan.

Kamisato Ayaka, Gorou, Arataki Itto, Thoma, Naganohara Yoimiya / female reader.

Synopsis: You ignore them because you're too busy with your heiress duties.

Author's notes: Ask and you shall receive~ This is an AU where villainess!reader is the characters’ S/O, and it takes place in the Katsugeki Arc which happens one year prior to the current events of the game.

I’m a Villainess but I’m Not Evil! (Navigation)

#KAMISATO AYAKA

Ayaka let out a quiet sigh, catching her older brother’s attention. With a single eyebrow quirked up, Ayato set his brush beside the document he was about to sign and laced his fingers together in front of him.

“Is something on your mind?” he inquired, though he already knew the reason behind her being in low spirits today. It’s quite obvious if you think about her close relationship with Onigasaki’s heiress and the fact that the latter has been kept busy solving the case of Yuito’s poisoning.

“Lady (y/n) hasn’t responded to any of my letters, and I feel like I’m being ignored,” Ayaka confessed, her eyebrows furrowing.

Ayato clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You know what a busy woman she is. Her brother was poisoned recently, and she didn’t sleep at all just to make an antidote for a poison nobody knew the cure to. She even had to take over in solving the case on her own, and don’t get me started on how busy she is with her duties as the heiress.” He shook his head at Ayaka in disappointment. “You could try to be more understanding of her situation.”

She visibly deflated at his chastisement. “That doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be upset... and maybe feel a little selfish for once.”

The head of the Kamisato Clan rubbed his temples. “If you’re that desperate for her attention, then why don’t you send her a letter to give her your support and encouragement? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it, and maybe you’ll even get a response.”

She immediately perked up at her brother’s suggestion. “That’s a wonderful idea! I should get started on the letter right away-” Gracefully rising to her feet, she then pattered towards the door and called for Thoma the moment she slid it open. “Thoma! Please prepare a blank sheet of paper, a brush and a pot of ink in my room!"

Once she had left to write the letter for (y/n), Ayato mused, “Oya oya... My sister’s love for Lady (y/n) knows no bounds.”

#GOROU

"(Y/n)."

Said woman didn’t bother looking up from the document she was reading at her desk and ignored him. Quietly approaching her side, Gorou nudged her arm in hopes of getting her attention. She merely hummed in response and moved her arm away from him.

"(Y/n), look at me. Please," Gorou implored. He never begged because it was unbecoming for the General of Watatsumi’s army; it simply didn’t suit his image, but he was growing desperate as the days passed. Ever since Yuito got poisoned, she didn’t spare Gorou a single glance and was preoccupied with finding the fool that dared to harm her only family.

As a sharp sigh slipped past her lips, (y/n) finally looked at her fiance, though with a frown instead of her usual smile. “Gorou, go to sleep. I’m busy."

“You’ve been ignoring me for five days!” he snapped, having had enough, “I asked Her Excellency for a one week break specifically because I wanted to visit you. I missed you, yet you don’t seem to care that I came all the way from Watatsumi to see how you’re doing.”

(Y/n)’s eyes widened for a moment before she averted them guiltily. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to make you feel neglected. What with Yuito’s poisoning and me officially becoming the head in a few months, I have a lot on my plate right now.”

He sighed quietly and took both of her hands in his, making her meet his softened gaze. Leading her towards the futon he had already laid out on the floor, he then forced her to lie down and soon joined her as he pulled the blanket over their weary bodies.

“You’re obviously tired and frustrated, (y/n). Please, just rest with me,” Gorou quietly pleaded whilst pulling her against his chest, his chin nestling itself on top of her head, “You worked tirelessly to create an antidote for Yuito. You deserve a break."

#ARATAKI ITTO

"Arataki-san, you can’t just-”

“Step aside, Jin!”

(Y/n) almost dropped the conical flask in surprise when Itto unceremoniously barged into her lab. Spinning around to face him, she then narrowed her eyes into a glare, unhappy at the fact that he just entered without her permission. She let out a huff as she set the flask on the counter.

“Itto, didn’t I tell you to never step inside my lab unless I gave you special permission to do so? There are a lot of dangerous chemicals in here that you don’t how to-” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence because the half-oni had grabbed her wrist and was already dragging her out of the room. “Hey- Hold on a second!"

Itto didn’t halt his long strides until they had exited from the Onigasaki Estate - and for the first time in days, (y/n) greeted the warmth of the afternoon sun, the gentle breeze that whistled past causing the tail of her lab coat to flutter behind her legs. She suddenly felt the tension in her body dissipate, and he turned his head to her with a grin splitting his face in half when he felt her relax.

“About time you touched grass!” he exclaimed, using one of the phrases she had taught him before, “When you ignored me for a week, I thought I did something to upset you.” He rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “I was going to serenade you with the gang’s help tonight, but this morning your cousin told me that Yui-bro got poisoned and that you’ve been holed up in the estate, working your butt off to nurse him and to find the perpetrator.”

(Y/n) pressed her palm against her forehead as she said, “I’m really glad Lord Hidemune stopped you from embarrassing yourself.”

He laughed loudly, drawling out, “Come ooon~ Don’t say that.” Releasing her wrist, he then cupped her face with his large hands and gently bumped their foreheads together. “It’s fine to work hard and all, but don’t forget to breathe in some fresh air once in a while, 'kay?”

#THOMA

Thoma expelled a deep sigh when he was answered with silence once again. He had made mitarashi dango this morning in hopes that she’d allow him to see her, even if it’s only for a few seconds; alas, his efforts were ignored. Was this how she felt when he shut her down every time she tried to explain why she had poisoned Yuuko? Biting his bottom lip, he crouched down and left the plate of dango just outside of her room.

“I’ll leave the dango out here,” he announced, standing up again, “Please don’t overwork yourself.” When he didn’t hear a response from the other side of the door, he let out another sigh and then walked away.

Thoma was becoming increasingly worried for (y/n)’s mental health since she had shut herself away in her room after Yuito’s poisoning a week ago; she was no doubt working hard to identify the person behind the murder attempt, and with the addition of her becoming the new head of her clan... she must be very stressed.

But that’s why he’s here.

He has plenty of connections within Inazuma, so catching the culprit should be easy as long as he probes into the right places. If he has to get his hands a little dirty to lift some of her burdens off her shoulders, then he’ll gladly do it.

A shadow cast itself over Thoma’s eyes as he strode out of the Onigasaki Estate, murmuring, “I’ll get revenge for you, my aster.”

#NAGANOHARA YOIMIYA

Spinning on her heels, Yoimiya stamped her hands on her hips as she stared at (y/n)’s bedroom window from outside of the estate. This is the third time she’s been turned away from seeing her beloved, and nobody would even tell her why! Although she did overhear about Yuito’s recent poisoning and that (y/n) has been stressed with her duties as the clan’s heiress from the gossiping servants, she wanted to hear it from (y/n)’s own mouth.

Yoimiya tapped her foot on the ground whilst humming pensively. If (y/n) is going to continue ignoring her until an entire week has passed, then Yoimiya will just have to lure her out herself, right? As she formulated a foolproof plan in her head, a mischievous grin grew on her lips and she then rushed off to set it in motion.

Night soon fell, and (y/n) left her room to check up on Yuito. As she dragged her feet through the hallway, the panicked shouts of her servants in the courtyard caught her attention.

“What the hell is going on?” she muttered. Just as she was about to walk in the direction that she came from, Jin was seen briskly approaching her from the other end of the hallway.

“Lady (y/n)!” he called, appearing exasperated for some reason, “Yoimiya is-” The moment (y/n) heard Yoimiya’s name, she wasted no time in racing to the courtyard; as soon as she stepped foot outside, a loud bang resonated across the sky above, prompting her to lift her gaze. Her eyes widened.

Fireworks bloomed in the night sky, forming a familiar red flower that she recalled as the villainess’ favourite flower - the dendrobium.

“Yoimiya... She must have started a commotion to lure me outside so she could set them off for me to see,” she mused, giggling softly. (Y/n) then smiled at the fireworks burning brightly in the darkness, the blooming sparks shining down on her like the morning star.

Taglist: @coco-goat-milk @m3gitsune @bouquetofrosehearts​ @melkxsh @irethepotato

[topazadine]

Katsugeki Tsurumaru just serving pecs for breakfast