#kizuna encounter

[the2dstagesfg]

"Highway (Night and Day)"

From "Kizuna Encounter" (SNK/1996)

[ve-ris]

SNKarajo dump

Here's the artwork I'm talking about 🥺

[mvfm-25]

" Fusion and evolution of systems... This is a hybrid fighting action! "

Neo Geo Freak Magazine n18 - November, 1996.

[spainscrownprinceofchaos]

“Yeah… Rothbart’s make up can be pretty spooky sometimes.”

[lord-tiki]

SHIN SHISHIOH

[z2z-gaming-and-random-art-ai]

Console Fighting Games of 1996 - Kizuna Encounter Super Tag Battle

Kizuna Encounter Super Tag Battle is a 2d fighting game is the sequel to SNK's 1995 release Savage Reign, unlike its predecessor Kizuna Encounter Super Tag Battle ditches the secondary horizontal plain and reverts to a more traditional single fighting plain.

[yyh4ever]

Hello, Does yu yu hakusho also have Drama CDs?

Yu Yu Hakusho DRAMA CDS

There are two "Yu Yu Hakusho Shueisha Drama CD" released in 2004 and 2005. The voice actors are all the same as the anime version.

CD 01: December 2004

TRACKS

Spirit Detective Saga: the encounter between Yusuke, Kurama, and Hiei

01. Sanbiki no Youkai (Three Youkai)

02. Kizuna (Bonds)

03. Jagan no Otoko (The man with the evil eye)

TWO Shots Gaiden

04. Sesshoku (Contact)

05. Kyoutou (Joint Struggle)

CAST

Yusuke Urameshi: Nozomi Sasaki

Kazuma Kuwabara: Shigeru Chiba

Kurama: Megumi Ogata

Hiei: Nobuyuki Hiyama

Keiko Yukimura: Yuri Amano

Botan: Sanae Miyuki

Gouki: Norio Wakamoto

Shiori Minamino: Kumiko Takizawa

Mirror of Darkness: Tomonichi Nishimura

Maya Kitajima: Yuki Matsuoka

Yatsude: Osamu Kato

Hedoki: Ikuo Nishikawa

CD 2: March 2005

Inter-dimensional Cannon Arc (events from the epilogue of the manga)

Yusuke is spending his peaceful days running a ramen stand when he receives news that Genkai has collapsed. Furthermore, the Gate of Judgment in the Spirit World is occupied by those who seek the elimination of youkai from the Human World and the re-establishment of the barrier between the Demon World and Human World. If their demands are not accepted, they say they will fire the inter-dimensional cannon into the Human World. Yusuke and his friends gather together again and head to the Spirit World, but...

TRACKS

01. day by day

02. Reikai e (To the Spirit World)

03. Gekitotsu (Clash)

04. Noru ka Soru ka (All or Nothing)

05. Sore kara (And then...)

06. Messages from the VA: Nozomu Sasaki, Shigeru Chiba, Megumi Ogata and Nobuyuki Hiyama

CAST

Yusuke Urameshi: Nozomi Sasaki

Kazuma Kuwabara: Shigeru Chiba

Kurama: Megumi Ogata

Hiei: Nobuyuki Hiyama

Genkai: Hisako Kyouda

Botan: Sanae Miyuki

Keiko Yukimura: Yuri Amano

Atsuko Urameshi: Yoko Soumi

Shizuru Kuwabara: Ai Orikasa

Yukina: Yuri Shiratori

Otake: Hidetoshi Nakamura

It's great that after more than 10 years, "Two Shots" and "All or nothing" were finally made into OVAs in 2018.

There's also an original mini drama story written and directed by Shigeru Chiba (Kazuma Kuwabara VA). Part 1 was released in the Music Battle Edition 2 (1994), and Part 2 in the Yu Yu Hakusho Memorial CD BOX (1995). The cast is Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, Kurama and Botan.

"Yu Yu Hakusho Special Mini Drama ~ The Hungry Warriors" (Part 1 & 2)

This is a drama that makes fun of the lack of eating scenes in anime, where Yusuke and his friends argue over what to eat. Among them, Hiei wants to eat monjayaki. In the manga, when Hiei melted Bui's axe, Kuwabara says "It melted like chocolate''. In the anime, his line was changed to "It melted like monjayaki''. So, it was probably an in-joke between the voice actors, using the mini drama as reference.

I don't know if there's any translations. I remember someone told me they were translating the mini drama, but I haven't heard anything since then. Does anyone know if there's any translations?

[digitalgate02]

(Rough) Fact Checking on Rui & Ukkomon's statements in 02TB

Tbh I'm kinda concerned about people taking Rui's statements for granted and not realizing the movie is unclear what is legit and whatnot.

This is not Kizuna-like levels of screwed up, but this is still bugging me as i've been discussing about this movie with friends who managed to watch it before me, and once i watched it by myself i completely understood their thoughts and theories regarding the movie and the Rui & Ukkomon lore.

We still got no actual news of digital releases or EN subs (tho i believe fansubs might appear once the JP Blu-Ray/DVD is released in May) or any other country digital release (or Blu-Ray/DVD ones) so i can’t completely make a detailed lore busting post about Rui’s statements and what we know or were presented in the original Adventure’99, 02 and their extra materials like Drama CD and movies.

But i do remember tiny bits of the movie… And stuff said in the pre-release stream.

I’ll do my best here.

[WARNING FOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

The movie staff released a timeline for this movie, which indicates Rui met Ukkomon in February 29 1996 → I don’t think this is a contradiction, because if the Korean interview with SekiP is reliable (i mean, we can’t check what she said in JP, and the telephone game from JP to KR and to EN means something might have been lost in the process!), she said they changed a bit of the lore for this movie. Btw, the OG lore of Digimon Partnership count starts in 1995 and then it doubles year by year is still present in the movie, as there’s a scene where the current number of partnerships in the year of 2012, but the number stated is not exact since the movie takes place in February only. So of course the count wouldn’t be the full year number, which is 131,072 partnerships in total.

Rui and Ukkomon form a bond, and Ukkomon grants Rui the wish of having many friends, which he tells the 02 group that partnerships with digimon were the result of this wish → This is completely uncertain, and it is also doubted by the 02 kids in the movie. In Adv’99 and 02 we learn that there’s multiple sources for becoming a Chosen Child: Homeostasis (Adv Eight, possibly their predecessors); Holy Beasts (Daisuke, Miyako & Iori); unknown sources (Menoa, Meiko, Ken, Wallace, Worldwide Chosen, Dark Seed Children perhaps?)

Rui claims he’s the first person who was partnered with a digimon → Well, this is not wrong! Now, if he were claiming to be the first to have met or interacted with a digimon… He would’ve been wrong: The first human to get in touch with the Digital World and the digimon were actually two – Oikawa Yukio and Hida Hiroki (yes, Iori’s late dad), in the 1980s. Despite that, they never had digivices at all. Then in 1995 we possibly had a double digimon encounter happening: Wallace meeting Gummymon and Chocomon briefly ¹, and the Yagami siblings meeting a Koromon. This could mean Rui and Ukkomon were actually the fourth digimon encounter in the timeline. But what is correct is that he became Ukkomon’s partner first because he got the very first digivice in the world. Taichi and Hikari weren’t partnered with that same Koromon ², but they got their own partner digimon + digivices in 1999. And Wallace probably became Terriermon’s partner years after, possibly in 1996 and after Chocomon’s disappearance ³, or post-1996.

Rui claims Ukkomon is a special digimon because he can grant wishes → Okay, but i definitely remember the 02 Kids going like “sounds cool bro but we doubt it” when he said that. And the movie itself quite shows the opposite later: Ukkomon did not cure Rui’s father, and he was possibly manipulating everyone else like puppets (besides Rui’s parents i meant) – so what kind of digimon who can grant wishes is this?! He has no magical god-like powers at all! And his null lore (Bandai’s) profile points out that part of granting wishes are just rumors. But you know what said profile mentions too? That Ukkomon is able to hijack the opponents’ minds. It’s his species’ special move – Liar Dream – besides spinning like a beyblade to attack (Whirlpool Spin).

Rui claims he killed Ukkomon a long time ago → Also not totally true. Rui tried killing Ukkomon, but he couldn’t commit to it. He tried to destroy the digivice, which resulted in his injury in the right eye. Ukkomon did not… “die” apparently. Yes, he was melting, but one detail you might not know is that when a digimon dies, everything from their body, or their weapon is also erased too. Check Adv’99 death for Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon. The eye Ukkomon slapped into Rui’s face was still there after his “death” so this was the biggest hint for the audience. It was also implied in the Audio Drama #3 (released in the Japanese theaters, and soon in the BD/DVD deluxe box as bonus with the other two theater ones) – But it’s okay, he possibly never had a contact with another digimon or even a Chosen Child before meeting Daisuke & co, so we can’t blame him for believing he had killed Ukkomon.

In a flashback, Ukkomon tells Rui that he’s connected to something bigger → This might be the only legitimate truth he had told Rui, besides that Rui was the first person partnered with a digimon. Somehow, Ukkomon is connected to some god-tier entity because once BigUkkomon is destroyed, the digivices are not needed anymore. This part might be completely confusing for everyone else, but it’s not confirming Rui’s claims that the digimon partnerships were caused by Ukkomon, and yes the part of Ukkomon’s claims to be related to some higher up god-like entity.

The notes within the text:

To my biggest surprise… Wallace never mentions when his mother found the egg. But he definitely mentions when Chocomon disappears – 7 years before, which means 1995. I’ve seen many people think this movie goes against the canon in different ways… But now i’ve reached the conclusion that what Wallace meant is that he met Gummymon and Chocomon in the same year Chocomon disappeared in the flower field. Plus, Wallace is shown in those flashbacks as a 4 years old kid (stated in the Memorial Chronicle) and we know via a CD bonus card that Wallace’s age is 11 years old in 2002 (same as Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari and Ken) – so i guess if he had gotten the egg before 1995 he would’ve been too young to remember it (unless you opt for 1994, but i think this wouldn’t be possible…)

The Koromon who met Taichi and Hikari is implied to not be the same who was partnered with Taichi 4 years later in Adventure'99: the TV series Agumon knew Taichi’s name because of the data inserted on his egg by the Agents, which were also manufacturing the Crests and Digivices, according to Homeostasis’ analysis on the children from the Greymon vs Parrotmon fight.

Since Chocomon went missing, i suppose Wallace became partnered with Gummymon only, but if we go with Adv’99 and 02, the Chosen Children can evolve non-partnered digimon as well: Leomon mentions he only managed to evolve into SaberLeomon because of the Chosen Children’s digivices being used on him previously in the series, and in 02 we witnessed the Digimon Kaiser using his digivice to dark evolve Agumon into both SkullGreymon and MetalGreymon virus (the latter only when he created the Evil Spiral, of course).

[yurimother]

Otherside Picnic Manga Volume 3 Released in English

On Tuesday, Square Enix Manga released the third volume in Eita Mizuno's manga adaptation of Otherside Picnic (Urasekai Picnic) in English. The manga is based on the light novel of the same name by Iori Miyazawa.

Otherside Picnic is a Yuri science fiction thriller series that follows two young women, Sorawo and Toriko, who venture into a strange world known as the "Otherside." There, they encounter many dangerous creatures from Japanese internet folklore and urban legends as they work to unravel the secrets of the other world.

The publisher describes the manga:

The hunt for Satsuki continues, but Sorawo begins to have second thoughts in the face of Toriko's heedless urgency, leading to a heated argument... And when Sorawo loses her way in the space between reality and the Otherside, only to run into another mysterious entity—the Time-space Man—she discovers that Toriko's crossed to the Otherside without her! Unable to locate Toriko, Sorawo must put her feelings about Satsuki aside and enlist Kozakura in the search for her missing friend...

Otherside Picnic began serialization in Shounen Gangan in 2018. Square Enix publishes nine volumes of the manga in Japanese. The manga is based on Iori Miyazawa's novel series of the same name. The novels are illustrated by Shirakaba and published in English by J-Novel Club.

Critics and fans celebrate Otherside Picnic for its world-building, science fiction elements, use of horror and isekai themes, and characters. A television anime adaptation of the series aired in early 2021. Takuya Satou directed it at Liden Films and Felix Film.

Eita Mizuno is known for her 1999 mystery drama series Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning (Spiral - Suiri no Kizuna), published in English by Yen Press, and her manga adaptation of Otherside Picnic. Iori Miyazawa is a celebrated Yuri science fiction author known for his novels Side-by-Side Dreamers, published in English by J-Novel Club, and Otherside Picnic. He has also written stories for SF Magazine.

You can check out Otherside Picnic (Manga) Volume 3 today in English digitally and in paperback: https://amzn.to/3vnf0gs

Reading official releases helps support creators and publishers. YuriMother makes a small affiliate commission from sales to help fund future coverage.

[fukuokanodivision]

OverDrive is Fukuoka’s representative rap team. It consists of Butler Yuno Kamora, Professional Dancer Mai Yousei and their leader, Idol Eko Seishin.

Their theme colour is electric blue, hence being similar to the natural element electricity. But it also highlights their drive to reach their ambitions.

The groups symbol is an electric blue music note that all 3 members have on an accessory; A chain on Eko’s watch, a design on Mai’s hat and a clip on Yuno’s bracer. The groups hand sign is the palm slightly down, which in body language means dominance.

Eko, Mai and Yuno are all childhood friends, as their strong ties put them together. In this sense, their rap styles are similar, but have their originality. All of them have had encounters with the hypnosis mic, which drives them to reach their goal through the hardships they’ve faced alone and as a team. They decided to entire the DRB to get closer to Chuohku and overthrow The Party of Words for good. (Asks/Collabarations are encouraged here.)

Masterlist:

Character Profile Family Profile Timeline Moodboard

Character Profile Family Profile Timeline Moodboard Belated Birthday Event 2024/Mixtape

Character Profile Family Profile Timeline Moodboard

🎶 Extras: Character Inspirations Before & After Team Dynamics Voice Claims Profile Cards Extra Wardrobe Isekai Outfits Valentines Day 2024/Chocolates

🎶 Drama Tracks: Track 1 - Part 1 Track 1 - Part 2 Track 1 - Part 3 Track 1 - Part 4 Track 2 - TBA 🎶 Songs: Survival Of The Illest Hoodstar Division Battle Anthem Kizuna/Bonds Division Rap Battle Rhyme Anima’s Mixtape -Fukuoka- Alternative Rap Battle Glory Or Dust Hang Out! SUMMIT OF DIVISIONS Next Stage Rhyme Anima 🎶 Albums: 1st Album 🎶 Mixtapes: Valentines Day Mixtape Spring Mixtape

[the2dstagesfg]

“King of the Monsters” from Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (SNK Playmore/2005)

[snowdust64]

『黎明の轍』 (Reimei no Wadachi)  romaji + English translation

Artist: VΔLZ Music and lyrics: Maeda Kanro, Minamida Kengo Translation by Snowdust64

===============

The title translates to “Trails of Dawn.” For the romaji, I kept most of the original punctuation and put English words in all-caps. Implied pronouns are in brackets – for a lot of them, first-person, first-person plural, and second-person could all fit.

Scroll to the end for the translation notes, which correspond to numbered lines in the lyrics.

===============

aimamieru mirai kotae wa GOD ONLY KNOWS…

Ah, the future that can be seen now     (1)    The answer God only knows

kikaina WORLD risō to genjō ganjigarame no yoru

Bizarre world A night enchained by idealisms and present reality

yonda kai? kokoro no airo ni mayowanaide RING YOUR BELL

[You] called? Don’t waver in the bottleneck of [your] heart     Ring your bell

karamaru zen'aku o himotoite namida wa maishin de azanatte osorezu nobasu te yo todoke

Unraveling the entangled good and evil Tears are quelled by pushing forward Extend your hand without fear and reach it

sō sa   nando mo   nando mo don'na “kyō” ga osotte mo tsuyoku te o musubi, tatakae

That’s right, again and again No matter what “evil” may attack Firmly join hands, fight on

mamoritai shōdō ga   kizuna e no shōmei da kurayami no naka de tadotta shingan mai ochiru tame to   saku hana wa nai darou? kōsai o abiru tame hana hiraita kiseki o mamoreba

This urge to protect is proof of [our] bond An ardent wish [we] chased in the depths of darkness No flower blooms for the sake of falling, right? To bask in the dazzling glow, the flowers blossomed     (2) If this miracle can be protected     (3)

UNDERGROUND fuon'na ryūsei   sotto kirisaku yoru

Underground A disquieted meteor softly pierces through the night

NOISY HEART hibiwareta   mangekyō no yōna sora

Noisy heart The sky like a cracked kaleidoscope

dare mo sorezore no kotowari o seigi to shinagara omoi no wadachi o   furikaette wa

Everyone takes their own principles to be justice Looking back at the trails of [my] thoughts     (4)

kitto   nando mo   nando mo kon'na “ai” deau darou soredemo kono te o hanasanai

Surely again and again [I] will encounter such love/sorrow     (5) Even so, [I] will not let go of this hand

mamoritai kōkei wa harukanaru shōkei ka? tomadoi no naka de tada hashitta “dakishimeta kōkai o kutsugaesu kaigō da” zankoku na sekai e to sakebu no wa    tashikana kokoro da

Is the scene [I] want to protect a distant aspiration? In the midst of confusion, [I] just ran     (6) “This encounter overturns the regrets [I’ve] held” Screaming out to the cruel world is this true heart     (7)

sō sa   nando mo   nando mo don'na sadame demo musunda kono te o shinjite ─

That’s right, again and again No matter what has been preordained     (8) Believe in these tied hands ─

ima o mamoritai shōdō ga   kizuna e no shōmei da kurayami no naka de tadotta shingan “dakishimeta kōkai o kutsugaesu kaigō da” zankokuna sekai e to sakebu no wa    tashikana kokoro da

Right now This urge to protect is proof of [our] bond An ardent wish [we] chased in the depths of darkness “This encounter overturns the regrets [I’ve] held” Screaming out to the cruel world is this true heart

kawaranu kokoro da

This unwavering heart     (9)

===============

Translation notes. A big pile of them.

Heads-up for anyone unfamiliar with this: A single kanji character can have multiple readings, and a single spoken word can be transcribed in different kanji to add certain connotations or double-meanings. There were a lot of creative/obscure kanji substitutions in this song that even native speakers would not be aware of without seeing the text of the lyrics.

(1)  The first line is written in hiragana instead of katakana and kanji, making it more cryptic to read.

(2)  Instead of the more common ​花 used for ‘hana,’ meaning ‘flower,’ the kanji here is 華 which has the added connotation of brilliance/splendor. Interchanging these is not as unusual as the rest of the substitutions discussed here.

(3)  The kanji used here for ‘kiseki’ is 日常 instead of 奇跡, which means 'miracle.' 日常 is typically read as ‘nichijou’ and means ‘daily life.’ Therefore, daily life = a miracle.

(4)  Since ‘wadachi’ appears in the title, I decided to elaborate. This word usually describes the tracks, trails, or other imprints left by wheels rolling over the ground; there’s something tangible left in the path of the journey.

(5)   Yes, the official lyrics gave two kanji characters for one spoken syllable, ‘ai’. 愛 means ‘love’ and 哀 means ‘sorrow.’

(6)  The kanji used here for ‘hashi’ is 疾走 instead of 走.  疾走 is more specific and means running very fast.

(7)  The kanji used here for ‘kokoro’ is 己 instead of 心.  己 is more directly translated as ‘me/myself.’ Based on the written lyrics, the line may be interpreted as ‘Screaming out to the cruel world is my true self.’

(8)  The kanji used here for ‘sadame’ is 運命 instead of 定め.  運命 is directly translated as destiny. 定め usually refers to rules and hierarchies created by humans.

(9)  The kanji used here for ‘kokoro’ is 信念 instead of 心.  信念 is more directly translated as ‘faith.’

This was the hardest lyric translation I've ever done because the annotations took so much extra research… I loved the process. As always, please let me know if you find any mistakes.

Thanks for reading!!!

=============== Edited 3/3/24 to fix a formatting glitch

[spainscrownprinceofchaos]

“Bee? Bee!! You wanna weigh in on this?”

@fear-my-giggles

[historyhermann]

Otaku Elf Review

Otaku Elf, also known as Edomae Erufu, is a fantasy comedy anime. It is based on a seven-volume manga illustrated and written by Akihiko Higuchi. Directed by Takebumi Anzai, it is produced by C2C, a studio founded in April 2006. This post will have spoilers.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the thirty-fourth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on June 5, 2023.

This series focuses on a sixteen-year-old named Koito Koganei (voiced by Yuka Ozaki). She becomes a shrine maiden, known as miko, at a shrine in Takamini after the death of her grandfather. As a result, she becomes the caretaker of Eldarie "Elda" Irma Fanomene (voiced by Ami Koshimizu). Elda is an immortal and beautiful elf summoned from another world. Koito encounters challenges as Elda is an otaku and hikikomori/shut-in who fears going outside the shrine following an unpleasant interaction many years prior. Even so, she attempts to get Elda to enjoy life outside the shrine.

Originally, I had not been planning to write a review of this series because I'm already reviewing nine other series this season, either about magical girls (Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure and Tokyo Mew Mew New), legendary warriors (Unicorn Warriors: Eternal), VTubers (Kizuna no Allele), a yuri-themed cafe (Yuri Is My Job!), golf girls (Birdie Wing), idols (Oshi No Ko), or other subjects (Alice Gear Aegis Expansion and Skip and Loafer). One motivation for writing this review was because of Sailor Moon, which I'm currently watching, for the first time. It features Rei Hino as a shrine maiden, when she isn't Sailor Mars.

The animation style, comedy of an immortal elf being an otaku meeting a normal person, and the centrality of food, drew me in. The latter is primarily grounded in the cooking by Koyuzu (voiced by Hitomi Sekine), the younger sister of Koito. The same can be said for Koito and Elda's stories often becoming intertwined. Also, there are characters which are portrayed as "cute", like Koito's friend Koma Sakuraba (voiced by Haruka Aikawa).

I liked that every episode of Otaku Elf has some story about past Japanese culture, especially from the Edo period. Of course, Elda does all she can to impress Koito no matter what. This is despite the fact that although she has a laptop, she doesn't know how to use a cell phone. When she does use it, she texts so much that she angers the spirits! Elda does not know everything, however, and doesn't pretend she is all-knowing. She is wise, but not omniscient.

Yordeilla "Yord" Lila Fenomenea (voiced by Rie Kugimiya) and Himawari Kohinata (voiced by Teru Ikuta) are a good addition to the series. Yord is a dark-skinned elf, who is bad at directions, and has an absurd rivalry with Elda over an equivalent of tic-tac-toe. Dr. Akane Sasaki (voiced by Yumi Uchiyama) was similarly a positive character. In fact, she is shown in the seventh episode with Kadoi, getting drunk at a bar, with both of them as an interesting pair of characters together.

There is undeniable yuri subtext in this series, specifically between Koito and Elda, especially shown in the fifth episode. Otaku Elf has a degree of intimacy it can turn to and expand in each episode. As such, the series centers on the importance of spending time with others above everything else. In that way, Otaku Elf is special.

In marked contrast to Birdie Wing, the value of studying, and education as an extension, is emphasized through Koito's intense studying in the sixth episode. The importance of taking breaks and not over-extending oneself is an interrelated theme.

I like the slice-of-life nature of Otaku Elf. This makes it different from magic-themed series such as Healer Girl and Management of a Novice Alchemist. Similarly, it is nothing like recent slice-of-life anime. The latter includes Let's Make a Mug Too, The Aquatope on White Sand, Teasing Master Takagi-san, and Laid-Back Camp.

The series differs from YuruYuri, Gabriel DropOut, Is the Order a Rabbit?, Kin-iro Mosaic, Non Non Biyori, K-On!, and Azumanga Daioh, in the same genre. Elda is a living history resource, who is good at origami, but can have awful nightmares. There's occasional casual alcoholism. But, it isn't as present as it is in Bocchi the Rock!. The latter features a sick bassist named Kikuri Hiroi, who spends most of her money on booze.

The seventh Otaku Elf episode was one of the best in the entire series. It primarily focused on Koyuzu and her desire to spend more time with her sister, Koito. Some of the funniest sequences in the episode was when she charmed people in a wholesale market so she could get fish for free.

The latter episode was only rivaled by the eighth episode. It focuses on Elda meeting another elf, named Haira (voiced by Mamiko Noto). Some of the best parts were having the historical remembrance shown in anime style resembling wood block art.  The episode features another miko, named Komari, the same age as Koito. Haira is an elf with beauty only matched by Elda. She is older than Elda and Yolde, treating them as her younger sisters. The episode implied Elda is a lesbian, as she said she liked all the teahouse girls during the Edo period.

By the end of the episode, it is clear that the series is uncritical of the fact that Komari was a social influencer and that Haira was a gambler. Even though Komari was critical of Haira for gambling, she tells Koioto that if Haira is doing what she likes, it is ok. On the one hand, this makes sense as Komari had been with Haira since she was young, allowing her to take candid photographs.

On the other, Otaku Elf, by saying that Haira's desire to be a gambler is ok, implies it is a non-issue and downplays it as a problem. Most gambling is prohibited in Japan. There are exceptions for some motor sports and horse racing. The latter is something that Haira said she wanted to do during the episode.

There is an ample culture of gambling in the island nation. The island has a difficult relationship with it. There is inconsistency between reality and law. Some have pushed to completely legalize gambling across the island. Even so, some people, and groups, have objected to expanded gambling in Osaka. They have argued that crime and addiction (to gambling) will rise as a result. Those caught gambling illegally in Japan can face fines or jail time. This hasn't stopped gambling from becoming pervasive, nor the millions afflicted with gambling addiction. The series could have done a better job with this topic.

Despite the problematic approach to gambling, the series often highlights the importance of remembering the past and preserving it. In the ninth episode, Elda reads a manga that has been published for over 30 years. She reorganizes her room due to a ceiling leak (with the help of Koito) and finds an old videotape. Often series only focus on new technology. They act like anything deemed "analog" isn't worth bringing up. In some cases, there is a blend of the "old" and "new". In the case in Steven Universe, a videotape of the protagonist's mother (Rose Quartz) plays an important role in the series.

Similarly in Otaku Elf, Koito sees a videotape for the first time, and goes to her grandmother, who has an old Betamax player, excited to watch a tape of something recorded from before she was born. She learns that her mother, shown on the tape, was also a miko of Elda as well! In a typical scene, Elda embarrasses Koito. She thinks she will be picked up in a "bridal style" pose and runs away as a result. The latter is part of the ongoing yuri undertones of this series, even though Elda and Koito have more of a master-student relationship than anything that is romantic.

Otaku Elf is much more than a series with endearing character dynamics. It has a protagonist (Elda) who deeply cares about the town she lives in, a neighborhood of Tokyo, I believe. Unlike some other anime this season, such as Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, there's no fan service. Nor are there any characters which are "one-off jokes". In fact, the series, in some ways, counts as an isekai. It has a "genuineness and pleasantness" which evades many anime these days.

The show's animation studio is known for producing over 16 series, including two I'm familiar with: Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu (based on a manga by Katsuwo who also wrote Mitsubishi Colors) and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina. None of the story elements in either of those series are present in this series.

The voice cast of Otaku Elf is just as strong as the show's opening song. Ami Koshimizu, who voices Elda, also voices the caddy of Aoi in Birdie Wing (Amane Shinjо̄), Mizuki Nakahara in Lycoris Recoil, Makoto Kino/Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon Crystal, Shiori in Princess Connect! Re:Dive, Yang Xiao Long in RWBY: Ice Queendom, and Konomi Yurikawa in Yurikuma Arashi. Yuka Ozaki, the voice of Koito, has lent her voice as Asuka Toyama in BanG Dream!, while Hitomi Sekine, voice of Koyuzu, voiced characters in Teasing Master Takagi-san, Konosuba, and Ms. vampire who lives in my neighborhood.

Haruka Aikawa, the voice of Koma, previously voiced a character in Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie. Mamiko Noto, voice of Haira, voiced a supporting character named Kazuki Kosuda in B Gata H Kei - Yamada’s First Time, Hakko in Canaan, Elsa in Gunslinger Girl, Kanon's mother in Love Live! Superstar!!, Shimako Toudou in Maria Watches Over Us, Gin Todo in A Place Further Than the Universe, and Saki Arima in Your Lie in April, and many other roles.

All in all, Otaku Elf is highly relatable to the hundreds of thousands of shut-ins in Japan, which the government believes is a "new social issue", and those elsewhere in the world. It might even draw in an audience from anyone who is living at "home" with their parents, or others living a "hermit-like" existence, being social recluses from society.

In any case, I recommend this series highly. I hope that it receives a second season, even though that is unlikely considering the last nine series by the same studio have not been renewed. Often, companies try and limit corporate risk by planning out each season for only 11-13 episodes. If the show is a success, "additional seasons can be ordered" as noted by Justin Sevakis.

Otaku Elf is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[danganronpafan777]

Rei anon again - I do want to ask your honest opinion. What DO you think of Rei Mekaru? What are your thoughts on her and do you enjoy writing her? Do have other headcanons other than the Teruya and her pay Midori’s bills?

feel free to be as honest as possible, I don’t usually mind other opinions of Rei (except when it comes to ships but yknow-)

Ngl, I was neutral on her but interested in her character. Then her character development in chapter 4 trial and afterwords made me love her. I watched the series before Weeby Newz’s playthrough, so I honestly referred to her as “homegirl Rei” lol I just felt like I could relate to her and her sass. I also had to walk away for a bit after what happened in the prologue of SDRA2

She’s definitely one of my favorite characters to write!

I honestly blank a lot when it comes to hcs, but when sometimes gives a basis or idea, then suddenly possibilities seem endless (I guess that’s how requests work-)

But here:

This is kinda canon on her character sheet, but she has adorable and hilarious bed hair in the morning, and she curls her hair herself every day (her hair is also silky)

She has a secret collection of teddy bears in her room, which she’ll probably only ever show her S/o (Only close friends are even allowed in her room)

She reads fanfiction sometimes but would absolutely never admit it

In her school life, she thought Yamato was a huge idiot, but when she learned more about him, and how he’s actually a genius, with a kindhearted and dorky personality, she befriended him and was more hesitant to rule someone incompetent after one encounter

In her office, she has a You Rule/You Suck tally chart for Tsurugi (Like Robin’s for Steve in Stranger Things)

Rei admires and greatly respects Mr. Ando for taking in Kanata after losing her parents in the car wreck. She wishes her relatives could have been more like him

On some of her days off, Rei, Teruya, and Ando take care of kids at the orphanage or on the streets, Rei encourages them and teaches them to read and write, Teruya gives them warm clothes, and Ando takes care of any wounds they might have. The three of them all donate food to the kids as well

Rei likes classical music, I just feel like it soothes her

She reads the newspaper (one she deems reliable)

When she was younger, and had free time where she wasn’t studying or keeping herself off the streets, she took dance and piano lessons (She’s canonically a pro dancer and I can just picture her playing piano or violin)

As I stated earlier, I hc that Rei had a teacher that she saw as a mentor figure, who helped her despite her being held back and inspired her to become a professor

Rei probably won’t admit it, even to Minako, but a part of her wishes that she got to know Kizuna better, even if the two of them hated each other in both their school lives and the killing game (I don’t ship them, I just feel like their clashing personalities of Looks vs Smarts/Competence could have changed each other’s (At least Kizuna’s)views a bit, along with learning how to work with and open up to others)

After the killing game and the creation of the Kisaragi Foundation, Rei went back to school and graduated at the top of her class (She skipped a few grades and graduated pretty quickly) She was asked to give a speech and she dedicated it to her former classmates

Sometimes Rei can’t sleep, and stays up at night wondering why Akane saved her and Utsuro spared her and her friends

She is so addicted to coffee that Teruya tried to stage an intervention for her

[nomorepixels]

Kizuna Encounter

©️ SNK 1996

Image sourced from neo-geo.com