#love the old manga feel to your style dude!!!

[lyss-butterscotch]

Hey— you!

I noticed the interests in your thing, what other series you didn’t mention there yet you like?

Oooh okay okay so im just gonna mention the medias i like / that stuck with me for long / have good knowledge of

Games :

Rain World - love the lore, the procedural animation, detailed bg and ecosystem

Hollow Knight - my first ever computer game, 112% full achievement it 3 times (twice pirated, once in steam), love the art style, mechanics, and lore

Ultrakill - Fulfilled the aggression i got from HK's godhome but 100x over. I love the simplicity over everything and the smooth rewarding combat mechanics. Also The OST

Genshin Impact - Mild interest in the lore, but i love the character, environment designs, and the OST, one of my 'go to for design ideas' media

Celeste - EVERYTHING ABOUT IT, the story the artstyle the music and THE MECHANICS, i love going nyoom and i love being able to conquer difficult things in games that is purely skill based

A Hat in Time - Very cute feels good games. Its old timey but in a good way. Love the characters, artstyle, and the BANGER OST

Inscryption - Aesthetics goals. I love the atmosphere, the sfx design, the story. I just really like how snappy and satisfying every move is

Stardew valley - comfort game :)

Project Moon Games (Lob Corp / Library of Ruina / Limbus Company) - I love Lob Corp in particular because of the monster designs and the batshit mechanics and lore, I love the other two because the lore is onpar with whatever homestuck got going on but like... it actually makes sense. TLDR its SCP but worse /pos

Resident Evil (Specifically RE7 above) - I like the horror vibes, character and environment designs inspos

OFF - Weirdcore but in a nice way. I love the sketchy artstyle

Oneshot - 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Funamusea Games (The Gray Garden / Wadanohara / Mogeko Castle) - Funny lil stories, mostly love it for the character designs since the artist makes alot of OCs

Animes :

Madoka Magica - AMAZING WRITING ANIMATION CHARACTER DEPTH OST EVERYTHING, What i strive for when writing characters, the collage facked up witches is also such an inspo

Ghibli Movies (HOWLS MOVING CASTLE, Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, Princess Mononoke) - Animation, Artstyle, Background art, Story inspirations. Theyre so feel good while also being illegally pretty and heartfelt

Kill la Kill - really fackin brash but i love the OST and the fluid lively animation, just a fun watch

Houseki No Kuni / Land of the Lustrous - Its really pretty, it has AMAZING WRITING, the 3d anime for it was SO GOOD, the manga broke me, aesthetics of all time

Saiki K - No reason in particular, the dude's just a constant mood

Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun - I just really like the aesthetics and the artstyle its so pretty, aesthetic goals

Other medias :

Homestuck - I was there when [S] ACT 7 dropped. I know its like shitpost 70% of the time but it inspires me to see how it started and how it ended

Epithet Erased - I really like the art style and the simple yet lively tweening, the rare animations are really good too. I love the character designs alot

Wakfu - Animation, artstyle, and aesthetics goal. I never finished it and the story is a lil wonky but the artstyle stood out alot to me

The Owl House - The animation and characters and environment designs are so good. The story is really nice too they got to end it well despite being cut short.

Alien Stage - I love the art style. I LOVEEE THE MUSIC ITS SO GOOD AND I LOVE THE CHARACTERS, THE STORY IS WRITTEN THROUGH SHORT SONGS BUT DAMN DO THEY HIT

Analogue Horror (Backrooms, Mandela Catalogue, Local 58, Gemini Home Entertainment) - I love the vibes and creative story telling. World building inspos

[sugarcryztal]

Hello I was wondering if I can request a romantic matchup for mha please? And I also request some nsfw headcanons as well? :)

I’m a 25 year old woman and my pronouns are she/her. I am bi, but I do have a preference for men. I’m 5’4 with a curvy/chubby body type, which I’m very insecure about. I have wavy dark blue hair that’s just passed my shoulders as well. I have many piercings (ears, nose and lips) and I have a tattoo on my left thigh as well. I also have big tree eyes and I wear glasses.

I’m shy and awkward around new people. But once I feel comfortable enough to break out of my shell I’m much more talkative, bubbly, playful, giggly, sarcastic, sweet and a bit moody/sensitive at times. I do have a spicy side where I can be super sarcastic and petty. But that only happened when I’m upset. I prefer to stay home than going out, even though I enjoy traveling. I love to help others out and make them feel welcomed and included. My sense of humor is often dry, awkward and a tad bit dark. So most of the time it’s just me laughing at my jokes lol. I suffer from mental health issues and need someone who can be patient and understanding of that. I can be social when I want to, but I’d rather be more reserved and observant of my surroundings during social settings.

Sexually, I’m much more submissive and I’d rather have my partner be the more dominant one. But I can be a bit bratty as well. My kinks are light choking and spanking, dirt talk, brat taming and restraints 😅.

I enjoy reading, traveling, makeup, fashion and shopping, playing instruments, singing, anything spooky and paranormal, tarot readings, food lol, going on walks, nature and napping! I can literally sleep for hours on end. I love animals and kids as well. I have two cats of my own and would like to have kids in the future. I also hate spiders, crowds, loud abrupt noises, being belittled, and rude/inconsiderate people.

I do enjoy teasing and banter though, so I need someone who can dish it out as well lol. I’m not much of a touchy person as being randomly touched by people triggers my anxiety. But I can be very cuddly and clingy with my partner.

Thank you so much and I hope you have a good day/night~!

Your MHA match is . . .

HAWKS !

SFW:

Oh boy where do I even start? Pre-relationship? Pre-relationship.

- Before you and Hawks officially got together I feel like you guys would, for lack of a better term, friends with benefits that definitely had some romantic tension. He definitely thought you were a baddie. 🙏

- Bonus: When he had a crush on you he was probably kind of scared because he didn’t wanna lose because what would he do without your shy and snappy personality!

- Even though he seems like a pretty outgoing dude, he’s also pretty content with staying at home with you! He says he doesn’t need to go to parties because he’d rather be with you anyway. (I imagine him having a bit of separation anxiety.)

- When it comes to your mental health challenges I can imagine he is willing to overcome them with you. Though he may not get it sometimes, he plans to make you his wife someday. And happy wife or no life!

- If you are prone to anxiety attacks and touch is a specific trigger, he is literally body shielding you from everyone. He doesn’t like watching people touch what’s his anyway.

- If you do break down every so often, he is always there to pick you up. Well, not always because of his job, but he tries his best. When he is home he will lend his shoulder to cry and lean on as you talk about what happened. After all of that he likes to treat you as comfort! Snacks, movies, games, manga, whatever you would like you shall have!

- If you guys wanna go travel I can imagine you just hopping onto his back and using h wings to fly to your destination LMAO

- Don’t worry too much about if you’re heavy or not, he reassures and proceeds to pick you up bridal style to prove his strength. He loves carrying you because he can hold you as close as he wants!

- Wants to do ALL of your hobbies with you.

- He learns how to play an instrument, he lets you practice make up on him or he practices on you, you guys host mini fashion shows for each other to decide what to wear on dates, if you did a tarot card reading on him he will be slightly freaked at the accuracy, but overall support you, watching horror movies with you, and, his personal favorite, taking naps with you. He loves spooning you and stuffing his face into your hair.

- Will tease you, but never with things you’re insecure about. You guys made this board where if someone successfully teased the other and flustered them that would give them a point and whoever has the most by the end of the week gets one favor from the loser.

-When he heard you wanted cats he was like “omg same!” and then you guys got a tuxedo cat he WANTED to name Nuclear Missle, but you protested and settled on the name Tux instead.

- Tux hates him by the way. Whenever Hawks tries to play with Tux he always comes back covered in scratches, but if you play with him you’re just fine! Favoritism smh.

It was a quiet afternoon in your and Hawk’s apartment. The sun outside was slowly setting with each minute passed. It was tranquil and calm as you read a new novel you got into by the window.

That was until you heard the loud shattering sounds of a vase and hissing noises. You quickly got up and rushed to the living room and lo and behold, your boyfriend was holding your cat as it scratched at him while hissing.

You sighed deeply and gently took your cat from him, setting him down before tending to the scratches on Hawk’s face. He whined, “Babe, it’s just a scratch! Now come on, give me a kiss!”

You huffed a stern no at him and he whined more. He was your boyfriend, didn’t he deserve a bit of affection?

“You’re a fool, you know that?” You mumbled at him.

“Hmm. Yeah. But at least I’m your fool~” He replied in a teasing tone. He gently swatted your hand away from his face as he cupped your cheek and dragged you into a slow and passionate kiss.

(SORRY THAT WASN’T LONG 😭)

NSFW

- DEFINITION OF MAN IN THE STREETS AND A FREAK IN THE BED!!!!

- When you guys are in bed, he loves pressing his face against your stomach or into your boobs and thighs. You can whine all you want, he’ll still do it.

- LOVES using his quirk to pin you down to the bed so you can’t move while he ruts into you! Also loves tying you up in ropes or handcuffing you to the bed.

- Oh, and don’t even think of mentioning insecurity to him. Because he will fuck you so hard that you forget everything about it.

- Either loves missionary or prone boning you. Prone boning especially if you were being bratty earlier.

If you’re to fucked out to speak: “Oh? What’s wrong baby bird? Getting dumb on my cock? Yeah that’s what I thought. Too rough? Should’ve listened to me before then.” He wraps a hand around your neck from behind, lightly squeezing your throat just enough to produce tears and have you begging for more.

If you still decide to be a brat: “You wanna be like that, brat? Ass up. I’m not going easy on you now.” And proceeds to spank your ass until it’s a little red, not enough to do serious damage though.

- Don’t listen to him when he says he’ll be gentle. 9/10 times he’s lying. It’s really not his fault! You’re just so warm and soft!

- You said you wanted kids? Oh he will definitely give you kids. If he pulls out and sees any of his seed leaking out, he scoops it onto his fingers and pushes it inside of you.

- And you guys aren’t stopping until he knows you’re pregnant!

- Aftercare? Aftercare!!!!!

- After letting you rest a bit, he’ll get up and prepare things like your favorite food and/or drink. A nice bath for you both to soothe any achy muscles, and matching pajamas for a movie marathon!

Thank you so much for requesting!

08.21.24

[lavenrain]

Chapter 2 - The BMW Devil

Our next story features a sisterly pair. Well, I guess not anymore. Captured by a serial rapist of all things, poor girl; they don't do on screen deaths of the woman, but every first crime I'll now assume they're dead-on arrival.

Aside from calling the kidnapping of a high school girl a waste (because she isn't old enough? xD), he decides its best to meet their client at a... host club? I'm not immediately familiar with Kabuki Cho style places but it looks like a strip/night club to me. Not surprised they know him by name!

You did go. No one to blame but yourself here, even if your introduction is less than professional.

Oh yes, the famed XYZ cocktail! Although, I feel like if we were a little more serious you could've explained the meaning and given her a little faith. This man is all theatrics. If we're going off of last time, the looking down her shirt, pulling her bra open, groping of her thigh and less than appropriate flirting will save her 190,000 yen.

Yeah so, like last time even though he knows the bar is the perfect place to find information, there's some random 3rd party crook there to prove how competent he is. Which, okay, this kind of stuff probably happens a lot because Shinjuku is the closest thing to Detroit I can think of, but dude. "Imagine if Ryo wasn't here," said everyone in the district.

So, understandably, the guy sees Ryo and is like, well well well Mr. GUN user. Are you bold enough to shoot me in front of all these people knowing the bullet we go right through me, fufu. Very valid argument that I hadn't considered. Human flesh is not dense enough to stop a large caliber bullet, but Ryo did have some fancy slow bullet last chapter. Take that petty criminal-

Lady do not fall in love with this man. Do not. I hope it hurts more than I think it does.

You know what's on his mind, Makimura. And it's as I said with a twist! He did all that to bring the killer to light. If I were the killer I'd stay as far away from that place as possible, but then again, to be a serial rapist who kidnaps in broad daylight you've lost all rational thought.

So, I assume they live in a dingy apartment because that's the norm for most hitmen... not really but you can tell who decides to use their wealth and who doesn't. I did not expect him to have multiple stories at his disposal. The woman gets to sleep there too to prevent her from being attacked? Great! Now prepare to get no sleep while this man tries to assault you at- oh, sorry.

His lady friend got to you first. His lying lady friend at that. You knew that wasn't Ryo. And that brings up an interesting point(s) because right after, he says sends her home to her own room. Why not keep her around if you're going to continuously flirt with your client anyway to make sure she knows your perviness is directed to someone to reciprocates? And, more importantly, she lives there?! Is she another client or a woman from the bar?!

First mokkori! I think more people would benefit from this kind of separation. I'm not sure if I could handle it, but if I'm looking for less than ethical means of avenging my sibling or lover or whoever, I'd also take the bad with the good. At least he's decent looking.

The guy does show up eventually, which hurray for us. Not sure how he went all the way to Ryo's room without bumping into his other tenant or tenants probably, but manga magic it is! The curtain effectively saves the woman, but the guy absolutely dumps bullets into Ryo's sleeping body, allegedly. We all know it's not him, but where is he?

Smart. No one knows what the guy is up to at night; an extra layer of mystery to beef up the appeal! Also, what do you mean wake you all up, it's still the middle of the night!

He was under the bed. I have to wonder what he was thinking the whole time between her silently asking for him to join her after all and the cockiness of the killer. Dude was probably giggling his ass off. And I guess he has a point if he's hiding then he has no way to look at the killer's face... that certainly didn't have the potential to backfire.

I do admire a sense of justice! He'll make those bastards pay for the death of those 5 girls, while giving the sister peace of mind. Warms my heart.

Love me some "you mess with the wrong motherfucker" shenanigans.

And

you

definitely

did

Ouch.

I love him. No matter the weapon he's an excellent marksman, his explanations are fun to reach and his method, at least here, is noble. Shooting a guy with arrows that if he removes them will permanently damage his vital organs and deep tissue, all to do even a small fraction of the trauma he's undoubtedly made the other 5 (almost 6) girls go through in their last moments. Saeba Ryo , you angel.

Kaboom! Good riddance.

Uhuh....

Overall review

The case story was more put together, the art style is still breath taking and the everyone's reasonings are sound. I came out of here with a lot of questions that are probably too specific to be answered but that's what headcanons are for!

I've already warmed up to his character here, so anything past this point will hopefully be a bonus. So far Ryo is painfully dramatic, but the kind where I can't fault him because plot reasons say all of his antics are for the good of the client. We also got to see more of his versatility as a professional sweeper too!

Until next time!

Prev | Next

[minmin-pal]

woah, it's definitely going on my watch list now, few posts i've seen talking or reviewing jjba always used complicated gargon so i could never properly pay attention to what they were saying but reading your post was v nice and i can assume you like it a lot, when did you start watching if i could ask?(/notforced)

also thank you for avoiding the spoilers lol, i'm tempted to search up spoilers but now i just wanna enjoy this series and the manga properly so i'll avoid those (really the only 'spoiler' i've ever seen is the "it's me dio" meme, if that even counts as a 'spoiler'?) 

out of curiosity i just searched what j giel looked like, interesting design choices? ig? ;; (/halfjoke) but once again ty for the major spoilers warning, i'm kind of itching to find out for myself now haha

i never realized the artstyle of jjba has changed so much actually? i've seen late 3-early 4 artstyle so finding out about this style diversity is actually so cool, it really matches the years they were in well, early part 1 reminds of me some of the hero comics i've seen from around those years as well. this chart manages to show the changes v well though, it looks so pretty

and now that you mention it, kira dude does look like david bowie now that i think about it, and woah he has an entire season/arc? is he a major character or some kind? (/genquestion) i'm looking forward to watching that season now, the 'slice of life/detective drama' combo sounds interesting and i've never thought to combine those before so i'm hyped (/gen)

i just searched rohan and joseph's designs too, they look super cool! could I ask whose your favorite and disliked characters in csm?

(long post,,,,, dont press read more if u dont really care cuz . long post)

yes it should!!!11! i started watching/reading it in... 2019/2020 i think. it was when i lived in my old house so it was sometime around there my brother actually recommended it to me!! we watched it together, and we've watched every season (other than the latest- stone ocean. we watched it separately for that one) together and it honestly probably is part of why i love it so much because i generally associate him with it haha

you shouldnt spoil it AT ALLL its such a great series and stone ocean was so bad for me because i already knew the entire ending (cuz i read the manga) so watching the anime. was intensely sorrowing because it was all so stunningly beautiful and heart moving and yada yada but i knew what was gonna happen!!! all the suspense was gone!!!

and and and. i feel like even with j geil it just shows how DYNAMIC or whatever the art style is.. like

hes DISGUSTING but it fits!!! even when you watch the show the overall style change may really not register until you sit back and think aboutit because its like a gradual switch, a really pretty switch though since it really just shows the magaka (hirohiko araki) growing and learning with the series its really beautiful

im slightly sure kira was based off him but i really cant be sure his design can 100% be since alot of things in the show starting part 3 i think are like references to bands and songs-- kira for example's power, killer queen, like the song by queen has a power called bites the dust and sheer heart attack, just like the albums/songs from queen aswell its really smart isnt it?? and kira really is important. i wont elaborate but hes really important in season 3/part 4 (season one has the first two parts, "phantom blood" and "battle tendency" then every part after is its own season-- probably because part 1 and 2.. well.. are different to the rest- youll see why) if u watch it youll either love him cuz hes kinda lovable when u ignore his Biggest "Flaw" (a character flaw, like a trait not flaw as in story flaw). or youll love him cuz every scene with him atleast to me is really. uhh i forgot the word in english : D enthralling? rohans designs are honestly. the best designs in jojo to me and the main reason for that is kinda cuz theyre pretty not bizarre (in comparison.)

it also has to do with part 4's coloring aswel, like i cant find the image but his hair is just. blue one time (and purple i think) just cuz they never really do that uch after part4 which is so sad.. but its okay because it makes part 4 more unique also. rohans outfits change it might not seem like much but rohans outfits. change probably becuz hes araki's self insert so hes always making him cool (like in stone ocean where,,, uhh.. basically something happens and time is speeding up a bit, and no mangakas can make manga becuz their ink drys up too fast, and rohan is the only mangaka whos still pushing out manga- cuz of his powers) Im. rambling. UHH ive started chainsaw man only recently so i cant go as in depth as jojo but once ive finished. well if i finish ill definitely have new opinions for now though i love kobeni

shes just. she shes!! MEE :sob: shes just so relatable i love her so much (SAME WITH ASA. BUT I JUST. LIKE KOBENI MORE) i also HAVE to say i like denji for the same reason i like joseph really hes just hilairious (though it really depends on your sense of humor. if u dont like dark...? i wouldnt say dark... humor, but definitely not for like. 12 year old or something you know. u might not like denji- or csm in general

the character i dislike has to be...... uh makima i guess i wont say why cuz. MAJOR SPOILERS!! but shes kinda :thumbsdown: to me HER WRITINGS GOOD AND I LIKE. HER EXISTING but as a person.......

[skelegun]

I watched “The Cockpit” last night, which is a 3 episode OVA from 1993 based on a manga by Leiji Matsumoto. What’s notable about is that each episode tells a different story about an axis soldier during WWII. Leiji Matsumoto, for those who don’t recognize the name, was a famous mangaka with a very distinct art style, best known from Galaxy Express 999, Space Battleship Yamamoto, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and in the west for Interstella 5555.

Anyways, the first episode was titled Slipstream. It had the most promising premise but ended up being the least interesting. Plot is that Germany has developed the atomic bomb first, and is getting ready to test it. A luftwaffe ace named Erhadt is tasked with escorting the bomb to Peenemünde. However, he encounters his old flame who has been working on the project, and of course she looks exactly like Maetel from Galaxy Express 999, she convinces him that it would be better for humanity if the atomic bomb was destroyed on route to the test site. Yaddya yaddya yaddya, he lets the bomb get destroyed by enemy fighters on purpose, the end. This episode is extremely melodramatic in typical Leiji fashion, if you know you know.

Episode 2 was titled Sonic Boom Squandron and follows Ensign Nogami, a kamikaze Ohka pilot who fails his first mission by being the only survivor of the bomber he was on. He gets assigned to a new bomber, and talks with the new crew about how he wished to have been the rocket scientist and to be the first man on the moon, but now because of the war he has essentially turned himself into a rocket. Of course there is also a tall weepy woman he has feelings for, though this time Leiji resisted making her blonde. Anyways, next day comes, and he proudly and successfully kamikazes himself into an American aircraft carrier. Somehow the photo of the woman he loves ends up on the bridge of the American ship, and the captain says that Japanese must be crazy, he then receives a call report that an atomic bomb has just been dropped on Hiroshima, shortly before the ship explodes. They make a big deal in this episode by talking about how the Ohka was a highly feared weapon by the allies and that once launched from their parent bomber they were essentially unstoppable by allied countermeasures. This is incredibly false, American forces derisively referred to the Ohka as a “Baka Bomb” and most of them never reached their targets because they were usually intercepted. I also want to point out here that Hiroshima was bombed on August 6 1945 and the last documented Kamikaze attack using Ohkas was on June 22 1945, and they were all shot down before reaching their targets.

Episode 3 is titled Knight of the Iron Dragon, and was surprisingly my favorite of the 3. It follows two privates in the Imperial Japanese Army during the battle of Leyte. One is an old geezer and the other is a young boy, the younger one has a motorcycle (the titular iron dragon), and is determined to make it back to his comrades, the older fella decides to accompany him in the side car, even though they both secretly know it’s already too late. I think I liked this episode the best because it lacks much of the melodrama of the first episode and isn’t strangely propagandistic like the second. For example this episode treads similar ground to the last episode, they are both about Japanese soldiers carrying out suicide missions at the end of the war, but in this episode the mission really is portrayed more of a Quixotic act of folly, unlike episode 2 where the dude takes out a fucking aircraft. The only kinda notably weird thing in this one is there is a part where they get false flag attacked by an American piloting a Japanese plane, which like I can’t find any documented evidence of that being a thing, and the idea of doing a false flag attack in an active war zone when your side has an overwhelming advantage seems like a good way to just get yourself friendly fired.

Overall the animation was great, but the writing was kinda meh. They deal with controversial subject matter, and but the only one that actually felt a little questionable was the second episode which portrayed the Ohka as a desperate but highly effective weapon when in reality it was an abject failure, also the way the crew of the bomber proudly cheer Nogami on as he launches is like probably historically accurate maybe but it’s still is kinda bruhhh. Also while it was based a manga, each episode was directed by a different director, so without having read the manga I can’t say how accurate this OVA is to Leiji’s vision. So yeah idk, if you like anime and WWII, or strange OVAs from the 1990s, I would recommend it I guess.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

No because I think about this every so often like…Otoya you have two sisters and you act this way??? Stark difference between two boys with sisters we have Karasu and Otoya LMAOO It fr makes me wonder bc I’d imagine his older sister would knock some sense into him?? Like yes use those eldest sibling privileges….but anyways

And you’re sooo right for that!! Honestly I love it when people make jokes like “you guys act like you’re an old married couple” etc as a way to show how close two people are even when they aren’t romantically involved?? I usually just find it funny but it’s like I’ll look at the comments of a post and people take it literally (which they’re free to do! I’ve just never seen it so honestly real with that western influence idea..) It’s funny because I’ve had convos with friends before and we laugh like if we were in a show we’d definitely be shipped so hard bc of how close we are LOL

Honestly I wonder if maybe his proportions were done that way intentionally to make him more villainy in addition to maybe the changing art style of the manga?? Or maybe I’m looking into it too much and it’s eightbit being eightbit oops

Ok wait yeah I didn’t think of that a lot of designer clothes are like the most unwearable pieces I’ve ever seen like…wow…it’s like he exclusively buys the most ridiculous most expensive outfit in shop I could see him saying something like “wealth is always in fashion” LMAO

Tabieitaken keeping it real, so true!!! Honestly yeah I love how they add a bit of like slice of life realness like these are just teenage dudes LOLLL Now that you mention it it is really interesting!! Third selection ranked them as the top players in BLLK but it’s not like their life depends on soccer alone which I honestly appreciate sm too! This just reminds me of Karasu saying like “if you only ever do soccer you’re just mediocre” in the light novel and then he goes on to talk abt stocks and city building games LMAOOO

Had to look up what a Great Pyrenees is and 1) SO THATS WHAT THAT DOGS CALLED?? 2) YOURE SO RIGHT??? I retract my statement this is even more like nagi than the samoyed…I feel the fluffy bear vibes!

I interpreted the globe emojis as Rin having disproportionately giant eyes (like that hamster) oops LMAOO But that green blue = teal makes sense now too HAHA and OUU second lead Rin would actually be really interesting….im kinda curious about who you’d consider putting for main lead! I know sae is an obvious option but I feel like that’d be like ripping Rin’s heart out and stomping on it LMAO and also maybe a bit cliche…

And OOO THATS SO COOL! I can imagine jumps being stressful and possibly a bit dangerous if not done properly!! It’s amazing you get to work with horses though they’re so gorgeous and intelligent!!! I got thrown onto horsetok for a bit and just seeing all the horses they’re so cute and goofy too sometimes LOL and awww that’s too bad about your horse! :( Hope you’ve been able to make some cute memories with the ones you work with now! I can imagine it getting super hot I see all the fits and gear people wear and I’m like wow I would sweat sm in that

Pause the horse talking makes me think back to that one BLLK jockey collab..? It was just in passing so tbh I have no idea what it really was but I think it was nagi chigiri Isagi and Barou as like jockeys??? I don’t know enough about horses to do this but I wonder what horses tabieitaken and hiori would work with….like imagine instead of soccer its equestrian LOL would make for a good fanart prompt perhaps…

LMAOOO a different breed frfr You look for real men I write up mine kinda energy I love it HAHAH But you’re so real for that honestly fwtkac Karasu raising my standards like I don’t see you guys existing irl sooo come hit me up when you learn the art of hairwax and surprise dates….

IM SO EXCITED FOR THE NEXT PART whenever I see works above 1k I clap because I LOVE reading longer works like I’m being fed too well… In Mira we trust o7

LMAOO Imagine him pulling up a stocks review podcast in the car I could NEVER but you’re so real for that…it’s either that or the most random music like a few select songs amongst the other podcast episodes about stocks finance inflation….i honestly can’t imagine him being a SUPER big music appreciator…? Like bro gets dragged to karaoke by Otoya and knows NOTHING except the super popular songs that get blasted on the streets or something….on a side note I do have some friends who are just like “I don’t listen to music” and I’m like “??? How do you survive in car rides??” But that’s besides the point LMAO

OMG YOU HAVE A RINGNECK!!! WHAT COLOR?? They’re so adorable even if they don’t talk hehe but I love seeing people post their ringnecks on social media hsjshsjsh also wait you’re onto something with the cockatiel…I think it’s the crest matching his hair too… and I LOVE conures!! I actually had a green cheeked one in the past but sadly had to give him to a family friend due to some circumstances :( they’re so cute and playful though ugh I just love birds (maybe this is why we like Karasu LMFAO)

I patiently await your next masterpiece o7 I’ve reread fwtdac like 5 times already it’s just too good!!! Take care of yourself and good luck on any upcoming dressage competitions you have!! And don’t overheat I can imagine it’s getting real hot right about now!!

-Karasu anon

EXACTLYYYY i trained my little brother STRICTLY so he knows better than to treat a girl as anything less than a queen…i wonder if maybe otoya’s older sister is like a LOT older than him so she just dgaf what he’s up to because she has like a career and whatnot already??? regardless honestly eita gives me the vibes where he’ll do his womanizing nonsense without any regret but if someone else DAREDDD to do smth even slightly off to one of his sisters/someone he cared abt he’d lowkey freak out LMAOAOAO. truly friends to lovers is the only trope that i could ever believe working out w that man…crazy how he and karasu are besties because they have like. opposite views on women 😭 karasu still remembering his first crush from like ten years ago vs otoya not even remembering who he dated last month PLSS

HE LOOKED SO DEHYDRATED both in the manga and anime!! i think it’s mostly because the art style was still being developed back then though because nagi also looks a little odd (still cutie ofc) in his first appearances during team z vs team v. but omg barou was just so skinny for some reason?? idk how to put it LMAOAO like they had my man dejuiced 😔 but he gets it back w INTEREST later on so i cannot complain too much

“wealth is always in fashion” HELP MEEEE HE WOULD SAY SMTH LIKE THAT TO ZANTETSU PROBABLY and zantetsu would be like 😲 i actually love him and zantetsu’s dynamic they’re so funny together i feel like reo’s true personality really blossoms around him!! to me they’re kinda like nagibarou but a more chill version

tabieitaken are probably the most bearable of the bllk boys irl. like i’m sorry but if i had to talk to sae “idk abt anything but soccer” itoshi i would be so bored because i am not that into soccer 😓 but tabieitaken all feel like they could hold a normal conversation and actually be entertaining to talk with regularly!! plus not only are they good at soccer, they have normal interests and lives (model yuki + stock manager (??) karasu + serial dater otoya). they’re also on the older end for bllk (yuki and karasu are both 18 already and i think otoya is abt to be 18 as well)?? so that might be a factor…meanwhile rin is in his angsty phase so he’s saying random nonsense because that’s just how puberty goes.

HAHA no it was definitely meant to be that as well!! a double representation ig you could say hehe. he’s staring at you with flashlight eyes and you feel vaguely unsettled…like did you do smth to wrong him?? is he going to beat you up?? why are his eyes so teal??

if rin was the second lead i’d probably make nagi or one of the older boys (not sae because that’s boring to me) the ml!! nagi because i love him obv but one of the older boys (tabieitaken, barou) just because i think the idea of the reader being a bit older than rin which worsens his inferiority complex has sm potential. like her treating him like a child because she thinks of him like a little brother (kinda like fwtkac y/n w hiori) vs him being madly in love with her and doing his best to get her to view him as an equal/adult (almost how he does with sae) but failing miserably every time would probably crush him and i love crushing my characters. tbh even nagi is a year or so older than him i think?? honestly anyone but chigiri/hiori could work given that setup…but nagi and tabieitaken + barou are my favs that i would also actually want to write as main love interests so it would probably be one of them!! sae shidou and isagi def not though because i think that’s been done a lot before and none of them are particular favs of mine so i couldn’t justify it

OMG I JUST LOOKED THAT ART UP HAHAH I think karasu would be a foxhunter (though he would only go on hunts where the scent is laid and no live foxes are hurt #ethicalking) because it’s very traditional and it makes him feel cool…otoya DEF just pulls up to horse shows to pick up girls (it is a very female dominated sport at the lower levels and i guarantee if a hot guy pulled up at a show he’d leave with at least five or so phone numbers) and yuki would be an eventer because imo he’d enjoy the rush of cross country. hiori i can see working with racehorses but only as a groom because he’s way too tall to be a jockey!! he’d sneak them treats whenever possible hehe

JDJDJS EXACTLY like i’m sorry but if you’re not willing to pay attention to everything i say and face your greatest fears for me then i don’t want you. my standards are too high but oh well i’m not abt to settle 🙄

i don’t think i’ve ever written anything UNDER 1k!! i’m just incapable of it i’m p sure. meanwhile i have several longfics over 100k and two of them at around 200k 😭 i think this installment (bllk vs u/20s + the two week break) is going to be even longer than fwtkac itself HAHA mostly because the cast of characters is bigger and it’s over a longer period of time so there’s lots to get down!!

PEOPLE WHO DON’T LISTEN TO MUSIC SCARE ME but fr w karasu it’s either podcasts, random obscure dad rock songs, or like super basic radio songs which pisses otoya off because he def has a super carefully curated music taste. i bet the two of them sing “my heart will go on” as a duet on karaoke nights because it’s the only song karasu reliably knows and they get SO into it to the point that everyone else is like concerned for them 😭

YES he’s the bright green kind!! very basic parrot over in india because they’re so common there. one thing abt me i WILL love a bird themed character and if none exist i will create my own (in one of my jjk stories the main character has powers based on hummingbirds). my fav animals are actually swans!! so yk i’m locked in w birds like that 🤞🏻

i was hoping to post the next part tn but based on how long it’s ending up it might be a bit more time before it’s up 😭 oh well at least there will be a LOT to read when it comes out!! rn it’s looking like it might end up at over 10k words but i don’t want to make any promises so don’t hold me to that jic 😔 and thank you sm you’re so sweet!! my mother comes to my shows and buys me peach dragonfruit slushees from 7/11 so the heat gets cancelled out and it’s all good 😪 def can’t wait for it to cool down a bit though!! fall is my fav season so i’m excited for that october chill to come around

[adelha-mathilde]

Finally watched Trigun Stampede.

It is glorious. Exactly what I wanted in all the ways that matter to me. Studio Orange brought their heart and souls to sculpting this series into a masterpiece of colors and animation of the most sublime quality. The redesigns of some of the characters left me awestruck.

My mom made a few points that the animation reminded her a lot of the movie "Treasure Planet" several times. She also really likes the opening intro and noted, "It feels like the intro to a James Bond movie."

To be completely honest, I really do still wish they had gotten Jeff Nimoy to voice Wolfwood again. I first fell in love with Trigun through his depiction of Wolfwood. (Yes I first got into Trigun when it was first airing and proceeded to grab each manga volume as they released I am that old) But the first few full lines this new VA did convinced me he was a perfect match for this depiction of this character. Also, the VA for Knives absolutely just blew my mind with how sublime he is at portraying malice and that 'this dude be crazy psycho' aspect. Roberto is also perfect for the story in the role he fills narrative wise. My mom agreed with me that he is a needed change that made the episodes flow with more focused punch.

Also, bonus points for giving Legato the same styled haircut as Child Vash. I did see that and I knew why the second it clicked. Also. Melanie is perfect and I seriously do want to see her in the actual story if or when season 2 gets made.

Getting a Trigun OVA made by a sublime quality studio has been at the top of my bucket list for almost two decades. But Trigun Stampede is more than I ever hoped and prayed for. Everyone who was a part of bringing this series to the fans, I am so thankful to you for your hard work and effort. I lift each one of you up in prayer to the Lord that you feel the gratitude and self accomplishment of creating such priceless art and story to life. If this is all we get, I will simply say thank you very much.

Vash the Stampede has actually gotten me through my most depressing moments and life altering trials. I know I would not be here today if it wasn't for the manga and these characters getting me to see tomorrow as a blessing and to value who I am and what I have already survived.

Trigun Stampede is a fantastic addition to this series. Please give it a full watch. I do suggest reading the manga first. To kind of prepare a newcomer to the serious tones and grit. The original anime is a classic and I love it a lot. But it is more silly and lighthearted than the other two. So do take that into account.

[hokuto-no-pen]

The Origin Of Hokuto No Pen! (hi!)

It's honestly surreal to me that I'm going to be turning 27 on January 4th, 2023. My life has gone through so many changes. My father recently passed away on Christmas, and the 15th anniversary of when I started to become serious about being an animator was only some days ago.

I have been watching animation since I was a child, the first being Disney's Pinocchio. While I was mesmerized by the lifelike qualities of the characters and the way they moved, I'll admit I was sort of impervious to the storytelling of most western animation and some anime here and there. Part of it, was that Pinocchio is literally the greatest animated film in the world, and finding anything that wasn't downhill from there was hard. The animation is flawless, the gags timeless, and the characters incredibly appealing. However I was starting to get sick of these animated western movies that all had the same premises (I'll go into this in a later post. Look for Talking Animals, Talking Objects, and Superheroes.)

I certainly went through a manga and Pokemon phase like many children at that age, where I was genuinely interested in the idea of making a comic in the style and format of a manga, but most of my ideas then were sort of childish and cringeworthy like most elementary and middle schoolers. I loved playing Gameboy games, and valued my prized collection of Pokemon. I have so many fond memories of taking my Gameboy to summer camp to play Pokemon Leaf Green, and trading with my friends. I was certainly making art at the time, but was more focused on having fun and had no clear goals. After all, I was still a kid.

I clearly remember a big change culturally in 2006 when the English dub of Naruto premiered on Toonami for the first time. It was like a genuine break I saw from the same themes and characters I was seeing in western animation. I was just in shock that there was this cool TV show where there were these dudes flying around fighting in mid-air, with all these powers, tremendous worldbuilding, and of course loud grunge music that blasted every time it aired on TV.

At that point I had come to a very strong conclusion that I wanted to be a manga artist. So I spent most of my free time writing stories, but not in the way most other people were doing in. I would write the stories in a very simulated fashion, much like a director does takes of a stage play. I would treat it like I was a kid playing house, and I played the roles of all the characters, would voice them out, and truly test the characters I was writing to see how they could grow and become more interesting. Little did I know there was a film out there that would absoulutly blow my mind and make me drop being a manga artist all together in favor of making animation.

It was when I was 12 years old in December of 2008, I remember being invited to a friend's birthday party, where we watched two films: Hideyuki Kurata's original video animation, Read or Die, and Steamboy.

We watched maybe the first part of Steamboy before we got distracted by cake, but it was Read or Die that literally changed the course of my life forever. For the first time, I saw an animated story that moved me like nothing else had in my life, and created a burning fire in my heart that since has literally never left me.

To me, Hideyuki Kurata was a master at animated storytelling, and he made you feel like your were watching magic you could not explain. Not that it couldn't be broken down or explained, but you were so entertained you couldn't be bothered. It seemed like this man could make a story out of anything, and do so flawlessly. In a moment of being exposed to him, I realized that if I wanted to I could create media that had that kind of impact on myself. I wanted more than anything to do what he was doing.

In the following years, I became obsessed with Read Or Die and the media surrounding it, and began to research Hideyuki and his artistic process, which were like a guiding light to me in tough times.

It was around that time that I had started writing a multimedia project called Inspector Obvious. I kept writing scripts, rewriting, and figure drawing and creating art every single day. I would be submitting my portfolio to animation colleges in hopes that I could learn how to become a better animator. I worked hard in art classes, but was extremely bored and wanted more stimulation and more knowledge about animating from real animators.

I studied Japanese and even visited Japan in high school to the greatest of culture shock, and took my after school art classes as seriously as I could for an average high schooler.

Later in life, after various personal struggles I will refer to in another blogpost with content warnings, I finally worked up the courage to apply for an animation school despite the challenges I faced, and was accepted into Don Bluth University in 2020. I studied under Don Bluth for an entire year over zoom, along with a small class of wonder artists and animators at various skill levels. Don, despite being incredibly old, showed full mental sharpness and attention to each and everyone of us. For the first time, I got real advice about what I was doing wrong, and learned how to think like an animator, more so than I ever thought before.

Studying with Don Bluth changed my life. Since 2021 when I graduated from the program I have been working on my demo reel, and my Inspector Obvious multimedia project which I hope to share with the world someday.

This blog is a culmination of my adventures, and my specific knowledge I have gathered from various old animators overtime, and my nerdy rants about anime or whatever else I think people should know. I feel like I worked really hard to gain this knowledge, and want to share it with everyone.

I also taught myself how to cel paint, and will be discussing my methodology in detail on here.

Syd Fox - January 3rd, 2023

[halt-kun]

Hunter x Hunter Chapter 126 - September 10th (3)

Okay let’s see Gon pass !

Seven people

I’m still sad the girl with a ponytail won’t have a more important part 

AND THAT’S OUR BOYYYYYYYY

Tsezguerra wanted the whole building to come down or what ???? Is it insure ?

That wall is THICCC and resistant, Gon was able to destroy walls easily in the spiders hideout

I LOVE THEM

Greed Island is my fav arc because we get to see a lot of their relationship growing with a lot of moments far from danger

I also love to see their nen developing and learning bits of trivia

Anyway, a shintoist or buddhist monk,a punk guy and some american native who might just be some random white dude appropriating a culture

Wow leaving the same day as you gave the contract ???

CHEEEEERS

the points of the contract are quite fine

Thanks for your adulting Leorio, can’t let 12 year old sign papers by themselves

I’m pretty sure HxH will end when cannon time has gone four years from then and he is a doctor and Gon an Killua are 16

We’re “already” halfway there in the manga

Killua is good at reading between the lines

LEZGOOOOOOO

A new adventure begins

The LAN game at the old castle

GEEZ, can Battera go to the toilet without risking to die ????

Okay so they definitely still have room for new players if we look at the front row there is enough room for 21 people

Does he really need more copies ?????

I love Togashi having to explain stuff in 2000 about internet and networks

so funny

And Gon being just a clueless kid

“Of course we’re going to play in the same place” 

NOOOO BUT IN THE GAAAAAME NOT HERE

good luck Killua

once inside the game it’ll be your main mission

Gon can finally shine at his main skill !

Rock Paper Scissors

Tsezguerra knows most cards are deleted when you leave the game and all are after some time so of course he can’t be more advanced than youuuuu

LEZZZGO

ISEKAID

I love how there is a distinct style to each arc

I’m sure most people could guess what arc it’s from how the background is drawn

It always feels exciting

[kuronekonerochan]

Hi...how are you? If you don't mind me asking what are your top 5 favorite danmei novels (until now)? And why? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....

Hi, sorry for being slow at answering!

In no particular order:

Ok, so I liked the 3 from MXTX:

 - Grandmaster of Diabolic Cultivation/ Mo Dao Zu Shi 

This one I loved but it has a particular style that ppl might not like in that it feels jumpy, confusing and with information gaps while reading, even though eventually everything that matters does end up being explained...in other works this would probably be just lazy writing, but here it is clearly an intentional choice bc 1) she doesn’t do this in her other novels 2) this is in WWX’s pov and dude has heavy ptsd and adhd, plus he tends to pretend to take everything lightly as a coping mechanisms...all this put together and it’s easy to understand why the story has such an unreliable narrator that even the other characters constantly point it out. I ended up loving this extra layer of storytelling.

 - Heaven Official’s Blessings/ Tian Guan Ci Fu

If you’re in the mood for a saga type long ass novel with a ton of interesting side stories and side characters with a main character who is a true cinnamon bun in sweet romance with a side dish of sweet sweet aaaangst.

- Scum Villains Self Saving System

The most entertaining out of all of them. It manages to be a parody of two genres, both danmeis and wuia/jianghu harem het novels (fighter of destiny style) with OP leads, while also being its own cute and funny story with a heart to it.

From other authors:

 - Meatbun’s 2ha/ Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun 

What if someone took a look at the parody that is SVSSS and said...”no, you know what? This really deserves to be an epic, long ass, and I mean, topping old classics’ length novel packed with angst, filled with pain and topped with despair...and then we’re sprinkling some funfetti on top to fool y’all”...and you know what? that’s some good cake. (If you’re into cdramas SVSSS is to 2ha what The Romance of Tiger and Rose is to Goodbye My Princess).

- Priest’s Sha Po Lang:

Steampunk China plus creepy voodoo tribal ritual magic, involved in internal and external wars over petrol (with a different name) and with our leads in Iron Man suits, fighting, among other enemies hot young(er) hands on, on the field, western troop General, the Pope, that I can only visualize in my head as Jude Law. I tell you all of this nonsense just to say that instead of the ridiculous fun this should be, it ends up being a very compelling romance with lots of scheming and heavy plot and some heartbreaking scenes.

- The Golden Stage:

This is a court drama type novel with friends-to-rivals-to-lovers that is just the right length and compelling with not too many plot twists but two main characters who are really great both individually and together and this is the one out of all in the list I feel like re reading the most. It really is a solid read and I feel like I’m selling it short, bc it really is good. It is similar to Sha Po Lang and To Rule in a Turbulent World, a simpler version of those but not worse for it.

(Since you said top 5 and I’ve said 6, I regretfully cut down Heaven Official’s Blessing bc even though I love it, unlike MDZS or SVSSS, it didn’t feel like a standalone novel because some of the several storylines of the side characters that I loved were left open ended (although the main characters had a complete story arc), as if this book was supposed to be the first of a series and those characters would have their own spinoff books where I’d know where their story took them...except this really is a standalone, and so the lack of resolution bothers me).

>> Honorable Mentions:

- To Rule in a Turbulent World

This one doesn’t go in the top 5 list yet bc it’s not fully translated, last time I checked (tho it’s very near the end). As an ongoing novel, I adore it. If the ending isn’t terrible it might be in my top 3. It’s similar to the two above in plotlines but it has a quality to it that it takes care to make every character in it multidimensional. There are no good and bad characters, even the ones on the opposite side are given something that makes them relatable and human. Plus, the characters all change throughout the novel, most of all the protagonists and the novel gives itself breathing time between events where you just chill with the characters and learn about random things like agricultural practices. 

- The Wife Is First

This one is just that light fluff feel good one that is great to pick up from time to time since it’s on going. Dumb Jock husband did everything wrong in his first life, gets a re-do and from then on it’s adorable respect the spouse juice and awe of said spouse smarts. Cute. Also, there’s a baby pet tiger.

>> Others I did like, just not in the top 5:

 -Faraway Wanderers and Lord Seventh/Qi Ye by Priest:

Qi Ye is similar to To Rule in A Turbulent World/The Golden Stage/Sha Po Lang. I really liked it still, just a tiny bit less than these. Since it’s the same author as SPL and I think it was written earlier, I have to say, the writing only got better.

Faraway Wanderers is a short read, but you’re only gonna like it if you’re ok with amoral main characters (I guess that is true for many on this list but it’s more obvious in this one bc the novel and the characters are unapologetic about it).

- YuWu by Meatbun - Still reading it, but is isn’t grabbing me like 2ha did.

>> I assumed you only wanted danmeis as in period fantasy bl novels, but if we go modern, fantasy or not:

 - Silent Readings by Priest:

I love crime fiction novels (love Ding Mo’s novels) and this is that type of conspiracy, murder novel with smart criminals and smart investigators. Little romance, but still there.

 - Guardian by Priest: 

Priest is hilarious and except the last part that gets a bit heavy on the lore this is just a joy to read. Also pretty short.

- Advance Bravely:

I read it a long time ago and it’s okayish, with some cute and some weird, problematic characters. 

- Addicted/ Heroin:

Also read it (this is 2 books) ages ago...and this one is NOT cute. It starts out as a pretty normal, but kind of toxic very typical oldschool drama/manga romance right down to the step brothers’ trope....and then it keeps escalating to new levels of WTF am I reading?!! All I have to say for this one is, that while I cannot recommend it per se, nor say it’s good, the title really is fitting, bc it is addictive as f.

[haleigh-sloth]

So I know FMA and Black Butler are manga women have written... what other ones are there? In your recent post I saw you have another favourite manga made by women excluding FMA, what is it?

I personally enjoy reading female authors depending on the story. Of course I can’t speak for them all, but I notice they don’t over-sexualize characters, even the men in their stories. Not saying it’s all male authors who do this, but they seem to over-sexualize characters more in their stories then women? What always gets me is when men say they don’t know how to write women but yet some women do it so easily... I feel men overthink it. We are opposite genders, not an alien species 👽 Like, just write a character and just label it a women?

Gonna answer all of these together.

First anon-yeah, idk dude like just create a human being and make them a woman. I’m not a writer tbh so I can’t say much more than that—but that seems pretty simple enough. I’m gandering that he just has no interest in incorporating female characters into his story unless it’s to draw them super sexualized in a very detailed way—because he sure as hell puts a lot of detail into it when he does this 🙄🙄🙄 I haven’t really made much commentary on this issue of his because it’s just...A Thing™️ that happens in manga and it is definitely NOT okay, and if we all really wanted go into it-our conversation could last for days about women in general being over sexualized in manga, and also just not being written into the story properly or utilized as an actual character—BNHA is absolutely not the only manga with this issue. I’m not excusing Horikoshi by any means but I’m just almost desensitized to it at this point. Isn’t that sad? Anyway.

So FMA is written by Hiromu Arakawa. Surprise surprise—FMA is one of the greatest stories of all time—in art, story telling, characters, and most importantly (to me) the ending is fuckin STELLAR. I say it a lot—top tier ending. I really hope we get one like that for BNHA.

In that particular post I mentioned my two fav manga of all time but I’ll list a couple more because they’re also written by women—but they’re Shojo so they may not be up you guys’ alley.

Fullmetal Alchemist is my top favorite manga of all time. I read that story in middle school—I didn’t leave my couch for three days and I was up all hours of the night because I couldn’t put my laptop down. And the anime FMAB is amazing also. At least once a year I get in a mood where I need familiarity and I just rewatch FMAB from beginning to end and I fall into the rabbit hole again for several months lol. It just has a very special place in my heart and it will never be replaced. This last panel reduced my 12 year old little to tears.

My second favorite of all time may end up getting replaced by BNHA depending on how it ends—but as of right now it’s still D. Gray-Man. D. Gray-Man is written by Katsura Hoshino (who I recently found out has the same birthday as me 🤭)

D. Gray-Man is still ongoing and it’s coming out on a quarterly basis due to the mangaka’s carpal tunnel. I started this one in high school it was my hyperfixation pretty much all throughout—but due to her health the chapters started slowing down and then eventually went on a very long hiatus. But now they’re coming out regularly—just sparingly. But D. Gray-Man is a very VERY good story—like breathtakingly so. It’s been ongoing since 2004. Almost 20 years and I’m still following it—and I’m gonna see it through til the end even though I’ll probably be like 30 lol. Possibly older. I recommend it but just know the chapters are currently coming out slowly. But Hoshino’s are is just—

Her artistic talent is unreal. Her coloring style HEAVILY influenced mine. The coloring style is very present in my current drawings. And Arakawa’s drawing style influenced mine as well.

I have a very very deep love for both of these stories. You have no idea.

Ahhh two more manga that were written by women but also are shojo so it’s not quite the same:

Fruits Basket and Ouran High School Host Club

Fruits Basket is good—I’d recommend it highly. They also are about to finish the anime remake that I’ve been wanting for over a decade. Written by Natsuki Takaya

OHSHC is definitely not for everybody. It’s very slice of life kind of? It’s a love story. The most interesting part about it are the two main characters—the love interests. Everything else about it is just fun light hearted stuff—no high stakes or anything. There is a climactic moment but it’s not life or death or anything lol. I recommend this if you’re just bored and need a fun read. I re-read it like once a year also because sometimes I just want a good love story—and this one is it. So is Fruits Basket. OHSHC is written by Bisco Hatori.

Also—thank you for reminding me that I need to get into black butler. I watched it but I always prefer the manga so I need to get into that one. Also another story by Hiromu Arakawa is Silver Spoon. I watched the anime and it was good so I’m gonna read it to get the full story. It’s not high stakes either so it’s more of a breather story but it was still enough for me to binge watch the anime. So yeah—those are my two favs of all time—written by ladies. Thanks for letting me ramble about my favorite things guys!

[mgsdays]

do u know any other comics/BLs like 19days? #🥪

Hey dear!

Ohh that's a good question. I don't know any quite like 19 days, an ongoing story that is ultra slow burn. I have read some other amazing BLs though. Here's some that I like:

.

Totally Captivated

• Complete | 49 chapters plus some extras

• General vibe: humor, romance

If you like the mafia background of 19 days, an amazing manhwa is Totally Captivated. Lighthearted, fun and very hot 🔥 One character gives me strong He Tian vibes, both in appearance and in attitude. Plus, the main couple has some fantastic chemistry.

Summary: Jung Ewon has always let his curiosity get the best of him, but even he could not have predicted that his latest venture would lead to him working for the mafia.

After cheating on his boyfriend and consequently being dumped, Ewon longs for the two of them to reconcile. However, his ex's new boyfriend, the handsome Eun Mookyul, begins to take an interest in him. Finding Ewon intriguing, Mookyul, a mafia boss, decides that he wants Ewon to become his underling—and that's just the start of Ewon's problems.

As the new errand boy in Mookyul's gang, Ewon must now learn to navigate the dangerous world of the mafia all while resisting the advances of his ex-boyfriend's new lover. Should he give in to his desires, he will risk more than just another heartbreak.

At the End of the Road

• Complete | 57 chapters plus extras

• General vibe: dark themes, romance, plot heavy

The summary makes this one sound pretty complicated so I procrastinated checking it out for a bit. When I finally read it I was blown away. The plot is incredible, the romantic interest is ugh so good. The entire story leaves me with a warm feeling of destiny and serendipity. It gets dark and it demands quite a bit of attention but it is definitely worthwhile.

Summary: After a car accident, Taemin finds himself in the body of Siwon, a victim of bullying at school. No longer a pushover, he starts standing up for himself but then meets Woojin, an old friend from the past. Somehow, Woojin immediately picks up Taemin's 'scent' from Siwon. What happened between these two in the past and how will it affect their future?

Walk on Water

• Complete | 62 chapters

• General vibe: romance, hot sex

Ok, this one is a delight to read. It's another one of those "straight guy goes gay for the right guy" kind of plot, but it's beautifully done. The characters' progress feels authentic. You're on the edge of your seat rooting for them. Plus, the art is amazing?? I'd stop reading sometimes just to admire it. @ the artist you didn't have to go this hard and yet you did dude!! Fantstic job.

Plus the sex scenes are just on fire. Phew 🥵

Explicit sex so don't check it out if you're under 18, stay safe, yadda, yadda.

Summary: To earn money, Ed decided to enter the pornographic industry. Secretly, he begins working under the alias of "Tommy". One day, it was suddenly decided that he would be filming as a bottom instead of a top and he's doing it with the famous Glen McQueen as his partner?

No. 6

• Complete | 9 books or 9 mangas (I read the books actually, but the manga is the same story)

• General vibe: social commentary, romance, plot heavy

My all time favorite on the list might be No. 6. No. 6 reads more like 'social political commentary ft. a couple that happens to be boys', rather than a boys love story per see. The plot doesn't revolve around their romance, their romance is also happening in the midst of the chaos. And it is beautiful to watch.

Story wise, No. 6 is a dystopic tale, and it brings up themes of consumption under capitalism, outsourcing of labor, outsorcing of inequalities and goverment control. It's not recent so you might have read it already - if you haven't I can't recommend it enough.

A PERFECT LIFE, IN A PERFECT CITY

For Shion, an elite student in the technologically sophisticated city No. 6, life is carefully choreographed. School, study, and the occasional visit with his friend and classmate Safu. One fateful day, however, he takes a misstep, sheltering an injured boy his age from a typhoon. Known only as Rat, this boy is a VC – a fugitive living outside the computerized tapestry of city control – and helping him will throw Shion’s life into chaos and start him down a path to discovering the appalling secrets behind the superficial perfection of No. 6.

Seven Days

• Complete | 2 volumes

• General vibe: school life, romance

No way you haven't read this, but just in case: seven days!! Go check out seven days!! Seven Days is the BL. School life plots peaked with this one haha It's just two volumes and the story is beautifully done. I re-read from time to time when I want a pick me up.

Summary: On a whim, high school third-year Yuzuru Shino asks out first-year Toji Seryo, who is notorious for being a weeklong lover—he’ll date the first girl to ask him out Monday morning and then promptly dump her by the following Monday! The boys start dating, and by Tuesday, the first inklings of attraction hit. Can these two put words to their feelings before Monday comes, or are old habits too hard to break?

Blue Sky Complex

• Complete | 23 chapters

• General vibe: school life, humor, romance

Another school life story for the list. Blue Sky Complex has some truly hilarious moments, with teenage fumblings that ache with how true to life they are. Zero drama, zero outside interference, just the two main characters slowly (but surely) figuring things out.

Summary: Narasaki only wanted a place where he could sit and read books in peace, but was blackmailed by his teacher into supervising a delinquent called Terashima while working at the school library.

As they spend their days in silent but close proximity, they begin to feel drawn to each other. And then...

Doukyuusei

• Complete | 2 volumes (second is called Sotsugyousey)

• General vibe: lightehearted fun

Fun fact: I went to Japan once and I wanted to buy a book in Japanese just to have it, you know? I don't speak Japanese, I just wanted a book as a souvenir. I bought Doukyuusei. Clearly I'm biased towards this story in particular haha

Everything by this author is gold. Their art style flows, the characters have a certain lightness to them that makes them almost dance in the pages. The author usually draw at least one of the leads with long hair and the hair is so well done, GOD. I could gush about the hair all day.

Perhaps one of the most realistic ones of the list, Doukyuusei is a school life story about when you meet someone at just the right time.

Summary: "A boy boy met a boy. They were in the flush of youth. They were in love that felt like a dream, like sparkling soda pop."

High school students Hiraku Kusakabe and Rihito Sajou are as different as day and night. But opposites attract and before they know it, they've embarked on a journey neither one can quite define but which anyone with eyes can see is "Love."

Mo Dao Zu Shi

• Complete | 126 chapters

• General vibe: slow burn, historical, epic romance

At the risk of being very cliche here: if you haven't read Mo Dao Zu Shi, you're wasting time. Go. This one isn't a manga, but it a fantastic book. It became uber famous for a reason, you know? All the attention is very much deserved. I can't emphasize enough how good it is.

You can watch the TV show The Untamed as well (and the acting is fantastic) but, to me, the experience is just not the same. The TV show removes all explicit romance references from the story, in order to comply with China's censorship. The book leaves nothing out. It is very much a romance, through and through, and it's an epic one. There's slow burn, pining, misunderstandings, fighting everything and everyone for your loved one and coming out stronger on the other side. Truly worth the read.

As the grandmaster who founded the Demonic Path, Wei Wuxian roamed the world in his wanton ways, hated by millions for the chaos he created. In the end, he was backstabbed by his brother and killed by powerful clans that combined to overpower him. He incarnates into the body of a lunatic who was abandoned by his clam and is later, unwillingly, taken away by a famous cultivator among the clans — Lan Wanji. This marks the start of a thrilling yet hilarious journey of attacking monsters, solving mysteries, and raising children. From the mutual flirtation along the way, Wei Wuxian slowly realizes that Lan Wangji, a seemingly haughty and indifferent poker-face, holds more feelings for Wei Wuxian than he is letting on.

[waezi2]

Re-reading Yu-Gi-Oh (part 1)

So... I bitch a lot about Yu-Gi-Oh. When I don’t complain about it online and accuse it of scamming kid me, I ridicule the story and the many holes in the game rules.

But I actually used to love this manga with a burning passion. I bought it because I was fixated with the cards, but instead I got traumatized. In an awesome way.

So I decided to re-read the manga about the possibly best known TCG game in the world and see how it started, how it evolved, and if the story still holds up.

So, I’m reading chapter 1, and we have to talk about the art.

The art style at the beginning was chunky and sometimes downright awkward. But it was still very enjoyable. The characters were very expressive and the tone of the style could swing quickly from wacky and rubberhose like to eerie and brooding depending on the situation. It makes you forgive odd-looking legs and hands that becomes massive. It is clear that it is someone’s first project.

So, this is Yugi. Possibly the cutest and meekest punk kid who ever lived. Yugi is not an outdoor person, so he spends most of his recesses inside the classroom. He brings a ton of games to school, hoping that someone might wanna play with him, but all of his classmates prefer to go outside and do stuff like basketball. And being a short teenager who practically looks like a little boy means he is not a desirable team mate in any ball game.

This is totally just a theory, but I think Yugi’s signature punk hairstyle is his way of trying to look a bit more edgy to try do something about his cute appearance.

... Yeah, it’s not working. He still looks like a fricking Gummibear.

As Yugi is minding his own business, we meet two familiar faces.

... their names are actually Jounouchi and and Honda, but most people know them by their American names, so I will just refer to them as Joey and Tristan. 

It’s so odd to see their old designs. Especially Joey since his hair is not as big and square like as it is today. And what the fuck is up with Tristan’s face?!

Anyways, while Yugi decides to play with the most valuable game in his collection, Joey and Tristan decides to mess with him. They make an interesting bully duo where Tristan is more loud and is clearly having more fun bothering Yugi who is too short to put up a fight while Joey seems more stoic and is almost annoyed by Yugi for being a pushover. He even tells Yugi to be a man about it and at least try and take the game back from him by force. So while Tristian just enjoys picking on Yugi for the heck of it, Joey seems to sincerely dislike Yugi.

Luckily, Yugi doesn’t have trouble with bullies as such since he is friends with Tea who is so tough that she actually intimidate Joey and Tristan with sheer attitude. That’s actually impressive.

... A shame she is most of the time just the damsel in distress.

Tea is the only person in class who hangs out with Yugi since they have been friends since kindergarten. And she doesn’t mind staying inside at all since a ton of the guys are jerks who only wanna play basketball with the girls since it gives them an opportunity to look up their skirts.

Yeah, there is a lot of that in this manga. Most of the males in this series are kinda horny. the humor often relies on it, which downright creepy at times.

Even Yugi finds basketball more appealing now that he knows about the skirt-looking.

Lewd panty-shot aside, I think it is a nice detail that Yugi is as pathetic as the rest of the dudes in school, he probably just doesn’t have the courage to try get a look. It makes him less of a pure hero.

Altight, let’s stop talking about Yugi being a closet creep:/

Yugi shows Tea what his greatest treasure is: A LITTERAL treasure.

Yep, this is the famous Millennium Puzzle, practically the mascot of the series. It’s an ancient puzzle found in an pyramid that Yugi got from his grandfather who runs a game store. The puzzle is extremely valuable, both because it is from ancient Egypt and it is made of gold.

... And Yugi brings it to school where Tristan and Joey pushes him around...

Yugi has been struggling with the puzzle for eight years despite being a game nerd. Even though it is a blow to his not that big ego, he keeps trying to solve it since the box says that if he will be granted a wish if he manage to solve the puzzle.

Meanwhile, Joey and Tristan makes the fatal mistake of talking about picking on Yugi while Ushio is close enough to hear it. He is the school’s hall monitor and rumor has it that he is downright psychotic and is feared by most of the students. Heck, some of the teachers are uncomfortable being near him.

And this guy has decided to become Yugi’s bodyguard, something poor Yugi doesn’t take serious when Ushio tells him that.

Joey and Tristan are unaware how screwed they are as they keep having their fun bothering Yugi without our hero knowing it. Joey managed to steal a piece from the puzzle box before Tea interrupted, and Joey decides to throw the piece in the school’s swimming pool so that the puzzle becomes worthless as it can no longer be solved. I gotta say, that is pretty twisted and surprisingly sneaky of a teen bully. It’s downright creepy.

Speaking of creepy...

This is Yugi’s grandfather Sugoroku. He runs the game shop that Yugi lives in and is a living encyclopedia when it comes to games of all sorts.

And he can’t just tell Tea that she has grown. He HAS to mention her breasts as well. Da fuck is up with all the sex talk and panty shots in this series?! Does Kazuki Takahashi(the author) have some sort of issues?!

Yugi’s grandfather notices that Yugi is STILL trying to solve the ancient puzzle and warns Yugi that the puzzle is supposedly cursed. That the archeologist and his team died mysteriously shortly after finding the puzzle and the last one to kick the bucket said something about a “shadow game” with his dying breath.

That however makes Yugi even more determent to solve the puzzle. If it really is magical then chances are that he will be granted a wish by completing the puzzle.

Personally, I would call the nearest museum and sell the dang thing before it could kill me with it’s insane cursed magic.

Speaking of insane, Yugi realizes that he should have taken Ushio serious when he said he would be his bodyguard.

Yep, the SOB has dragged Joey and Tristan behind the school building and kicked their asses through and through. Tristan is in so much pain that he is barely conscious and Joey is so pummeled that all he can do is watch as Yugi shows how surprisingly brave he is as he demands that Ushio leaves them alone, even refer to them as his friends and that they were just trying to make him a man.

Yeah, picking on someone because they are too timid and demanding that they fight you despite knowing that they hat violence is the right way to make someone a man. Hip hooray for toxic masculinity!

Yugi defending Joey and Tristan results in him getting a beating as well.

One of the interesting things about early Yu-Gi-Oh is the raw and ugly violence. We talking dirty violence where people get kneed in the chest and kicked while they lie down. Not just off-screen, we witness our heroes be pummeled, making the series a bit more gritty and frightening. And this series is not for those with a weak stomach.

Joey is stunned, partly because Yugi defends him, but way more of the short spiky-haired kid’s courage. But Yugi is anything but afraid. After all, he refused to fight Joey, but he still tried to get the puzzle back(not successfully, but he made an effort instead of just squirming).

After Ushio finished kicking poor Yugi’s ass, he tells him to bring him money as “payment” for his “bodyguard service.” And we talking 200000 yen, that’s a lot of dough.

Ushio even pulls a god damn knife(!), just to show how fucking crazy he is!

Yugi goes home to see if he has money enough to pay Ushio, but he only has 1656 yen. In frustration, Yugi decides to solve his unsolvable puzzle, just to think of something else than the brute with a knife who is waiting for him at school.

But what do you know? Yugi finally get the hang of it. He sees that some of the pieces just needs to be rotated differently and he finish it in a couple of minutes.

... Or he WOULD have. He finally sees that one of the pieces are missing, breaking his heart and making his awful day even worse.

But Grandpa has the last piece. He tells Yugi that one of his friends from school had found it and asked him to give it to Yugi. And that he was soaked despite it not raining.

As Yugi is happy about being able to finish the puzzle and returns to his room, his grandpa thinks about that the boy was Joey and that he asked him not to tell Yugi it was him that came with the puzzle piece. Joey also told him about Ushio blackmailing Yugi, so Grandpa secretly puts money in Yugi’s schoolbag so he won’t get in trouble.

And this is where it get’s freaky.

Yep, here it is. the iconic moment Yugi gets blessed by the puzzle so that he can turn into the split personality we refer to as Yami which is Japanese for “Dark”.

Yugi then calls Ushio and tells him to meet him outside school at midnight.

Ushio is surprised as he sees that Yugi is wearing some sort of costume and that he looks way more cocky than before.

Yugi tells Ushio that he has the money he demands, but he has twice the amount. Fricking 400000 yen!

But Yugi only “owes” 200000 to Ushio, so he suggest that they play about them in a dark and twisted game.

Yugi and Ushio take turns stabbing the stack of money placed on their hand. They have to stab hard enough to take more than one single bill. The winner is the guy with most yen bills.

As they play, Ushio seems to be winning... but when it is his turn, he can feel that his hand is way too eager to stab.

This is not just a weird-ass game. This is a “shadow game”, a game that shows your true nature. Ushio’s greed is now collected in his hand, and he so desperately want to win the game that he can’t control it. He realizes that if he stabs, he won’t be able to control his strength and he will penetrate his own hand. Ushio has to either A) give up and keep his hand or B) win the game with one hand less.

Ushio picks C.

Ushio tries to kill Yugi, but that was a mistake. The puzzle has made him super human and he leaps from the ground, evading the knife.

And cheating in a shadow game is a big no-go as the host of the game has authority to punish you.

Yami Yugi curses Ushio with “Illusion of Greed”, meaning he will be doomed to live in an imaginary world where he sees nothing but money everywhere.

Next morning, he is still outside the schoolyard like a drooling idiot who yells about all of his imaginary money.

Yugi has no memory of what happened but is glad he no longer has to be worried of Ushio who is a harmless nutcase. Not only that, he has finally finished his puzzle... and Joey offers him his friendship.

And that was the start of the horror manga turned card game commercial. It has a lot of charm, is very eerie and I think I prefer Yami Yugi’s first look that is more child like. making him look downright creepy.

This retrospective will continue ASAP.

Till then, I’m Waezi2, and thanks for wasting time with me.

[kiliinstinct]

Jet for the headcanons! <3

I hadn't done the headcanons meme in awhile, but I'll do it for it Jet! Sexuality Headcanon: My own love of Aro/Ace characters makes me want to claim Jet as Demi Romantic as well as Demisexual. Mostly because of his obvious interest in Levy at the beginning of the series and how he never really.. gave much romantic interest in anyone else. (this is ignoring the side claims of him asking others out. I would like to SEE it happening please. And that doesn't mean you can't be demi.) I like to feel that's because Levy had been on his team since they were children so he had a long time to form that bond with her in order to have that attract to her. 'But Kili!' Some may say, 'He tried spying on the girls with the other guys that one time, remember? How can he be this then?' **Whaps with Newspaper** Being Demi anything doesn't mean a guy can't be curious and a bit pervy, or easily susceptible to peer pressure - and he and the other dudes deserved what they got.

Though, if that doesn't satisfy you I'm find with seeing him as Het or Bi too. Though I feel it would take him a long time before he realized he was Bi, but I can see it happening, Gender Headcanon: I feel Jet is very open about Gender for everyone and what they could identify as, but I never really thought about his own specifically. He could be CIS or he could be Trans in any media I see and I'd consume them both just as happily. A ship I have with said character: A shocker for some, but JetxLevy actually. JetxDroy next, but I love them as a Brotp just as much. I like imagining Levy eventually realizing she cares for Jet (or Droy) more than she initially thought when they're older and something actually springing of it. I've also thought he and Cana could be cute together, but I never really explored that. Though, asides from that, I never thought too far into it, but I think Jet could be great with a lot of people, possibly. I'd like to SEE it! A BROTP I have with said character: As above: Droy. Definitely Droy. They're such good besties. But I also think He'd get along great with the others too. Would have been nice to see more of his friendship with Levy actually. I feel that sort of got forgotten about with them the moment Gajeel sorta .. took the scene. But ignoring that! I'd love to see Jet just hanging out with Gray and Natsu. (Or even Loke before he was saved by Lucy.) Also Cana. I bet they'd have some fun times. A NOTP I have with said character: Never thought about this so I'll just say: anyone whose a minor and anyone whose super old. I haven't seen him paired with anyone else much to have any other ideas for what I could notp him with. A random headcanon: One time, Jet thought it would be cool to try and start smoking (or chewing tobacco) and while he and Gray had some bonding time smoking together, Levy's disgust over spitting tobacco and her immense worry (and load of books on the subject she dumped on his lap one day) made him quickly stop the latter. The former he still does from time to time, but not very often. He's not much of a drinker but can somehow take shots of whiskey like a champ with barely any changes in his personality and one time made others think he may possibly have a chance at drinking Cana under the table with it. They were wrong and Jet hated himself the next day, feeling absolutely awful. General Opinion over said character: I honestly have a deep love for Jet (and also Droy.) Team Shadowgear was always one of my favorites at the beginning of the series and I always wanted to see and learn more about them. Those character splash pages in the manga were NOT ENOUGH! Also, I think the guy seriously needs some style help. Someone needs to take him shopping and show him some different clothes to wear cause the clothes Mashima draws him in makes me question his taste in clothing. Sir, your magic is based on speed, your outfit is not aerodynamic! I can also get a bit bitter with his character just because of how.. forgotten he and Droy seem to be after a point in the series. Catch me still mad Levy chose to join the counsel with Gajeel after Tartarus instead of staying with her best friends since childhood. I really wish I could have seen more of him, basically. And that his so-called friendship with Levy had been built up on more than just... never shown much after Tenrou. (If at all, let's be honest here. :< )

Before I ramble too long, I'll end this here. Note to people reading this: These are headcanons. Meaning they are just opinions. If you don't like them, you do not have to follow them, and you do not have to read them. Don't clown on this post or send me arguments in my inbox, because it's simply a waste of your time.

[the-acid-pear]

I just can't get enough it seems, time to start the next Baki the Grappler book!

It seems that this one will take on the saga i saw on the anime (at least by the end) so that's exciting

Chapter 1

First off quality is SHIT lmao

Yesss i remember this. I still think that shit about everyone trembling is a lil... Mmmm bullshit.

Baki be like <:] but in a smug way

Look at Tokugawa my man

OH RIGHT HE LEFT THE TOURNAMENT WITH A CAST

This feels so random

Oh right the synchronicity shit

Baki is so -_- in this manga

Look at the old timer go

YEAH FR TOKUGAWA JUST BROUGHT EXPLOSIVES TO A SCHOOL FULL OF CHILDREN TO MAKE A SHITTY ANALOGY SHSHWKWGGE FREAK OLD MAN

Chapter 2

Ahegao

Epic grandpa

HO NICE

Mf really swam thru the Pacific ocean

Chapter 3

Huh i thought he was Scottish

This random guy was pretty interesting looking, the one executing Doyle

Fucked up shit how they still do this stuff

King, i can somehow still remember his voice in particular fsr

Also since no one reads this i will say it: Doyle does NOT look white ahagdbafhsdbc

I like that he didn't bother killing the doctor

Is that Strydum? 🥺👉👈

Chapter 4

Shagddjd i was going to say that, this dude could have easily taken a different path from violence

GAARN? MY MAN? MY BELOVED GARLAND? IS HE ALIVE STILL?!

FFS NOT FOR LONG HHH LOOK HOW THEY MASSACRED MY BOY...

I mean it's fair, Sirkosky uses weapons, but man, Garland... :'/

This all hits so different once you know the characters :]]]

Chapter 5

That pic is still so brutal

What an absolute troll shsshwgxgd

Also fun fact when i watched the anime i didn't pay much attention at first so I assumed the Russian was Spec (i didn't even know Sirkosky's name)

I love how that was unnecessary shagdhsr

ADAGDFAGAFAD this guy was also great

Spec was fucking insane man aggsggahsfg

I love he's full of tattoos

The absolutely king

OH RIGHT Spec is sus *laugh track*

Chapter 6

Oh hell yeah, grandpa's ex

Baki tf you doing there in the cover you madlad

...bottom storage.

THEY ARE SO MEAN LEAVE HIS SHORT ASS ALONE SHSGJSGS

He's my size btw

Was there a motive for him to be naked or was he just a freak btw?

I love the shape of his eyes ngl

I love how scared the guards are while he just calmly rambles

I don't wanna call yanagi my grandpa because i think yanagi can get it and it would be like calling him daddy but the Gilf™ is Dorian man life is so hard when you are me

I love Yanagi's face lol he's handsome

Chapter 7

Poor Baki lmao he just got better from the maximum tournament and now this

Lmao Baki has a point

Unnecessary, Doyle

Chapter 8

I love how they were recruiting dangerous mfs to beat up this random guy bc his vibes are fucked up

This guy looked a lot like jack

You gotta be brave to shove a knife that sharp into your pants

I love how Baki literally did nothing to em

Baki's face just looks wrong this isn't my beloved child

Imagine you are about to fight this mf and he just shoves his hand inside his pants

Chapter 9

This dude really looks like, fully japanese jack hanma

JWGWKEGWKSGE I LOVE HIM

I love how Spec just showed up dressed up as a fucking monk or something

Chapter 10

You guys know, Dorian reminds me of my now dead great grandfather, with the moustache look even more.

Not impressed, 15 yo Hanayama did the same when throwing a tantrum

He's so insane i luv him

Okay but look at the cut of that outfit look at how well it hugs his chest and waist but flows bellow... Spec my dude you could have been a mad good model 😐 he's even giving me gender envy! 🥺

I love how Baki used both his hands for the handshake

Chapter 11

Ho, speak of the devil, i was just talking of this fucker with Blood

Mf got so old

I like how there was no motive for him to be naked he literally is just Like That

Also it's from here that he got that wasp waist lmao

Mf just flexing at this point lmao

GRANDPA!! <3

Yanagi got cake

That's so unnecessary rude, obsessed. Also, as if you weren't old Yanagi. I see why they broke up now ;/

Chapter 12

11 and 12 are the same fsr

Chapter 13

I honestly wonder where these prisoners got their clothes, like, aside from Doyle that one time everyone else is never shown shopping or even owning money

Also i love the fact that on a daily basis i dress the same as Spec, that definitely says something bout me jagsjsgwhwfwg 😭

To be honest, considering the size of Spec's body, they should definitely feed him more

He didn't wash his hands 😢

Dick and balls too strong ajgshsgsg

I love how fucking, polite he is.

Oh i see, i thought he might have stolen a wallet or something but nah

Btw i genuinely don't remember shit JAGSKSGWJGS even if it watched the anime i forgot most of this

Chapter 14

GOD the way the anime butchered Katsumi, he's so handsome in the manga in comparison 😐

Also i like how they aren't explaining this like, Katsumi was the one who lost, did he wait until Retsu was okay to fight again in HIS ("") dojo?!

RETSU STOP DOING THESE SORT OF TRICKS THAT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE AJDGSJSG

HE'S JUST BUILT DIFFERENT

Okay he actually explained, oddly nice of Retsu to accept tho

Hoho this scene hits different now that i know and like Katsumi

Also I'm not even gonna question where Doppo is, dude is never just around skdgksgd

Chapter 15

I love this genre of cover

WHITE BOY SJDGSJGSHS-

I love that retsu is just watching, he's still an asshole QJGSJSGWH

If i didn't know Katsumi I would say he died

I did actually think he had died when watching the anime

Retsu still has his thicc ass i see

Chapter 16

See all this makes sense now that i know retsu and the shit he has seen and been thru!

Angry lad, lucky his hair didn't burn

I DIDNT EVEN REALIZE HE EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE WITH HIS SCREAM

Chapter 17

Ahegao in the cover

I'm looking at the pages and I'm obsessed with Doppo being described as a "bold, badass karate master", it's so accurate <3

Also Igari being called eccentric, and the mention he defeated Mount Toba!! <3

Baki is slowly looking more like Baki

"my mother is dying"

Tasks keep failing successfully

Chapter 18

mAh boy...

That happens and it's the worst

Musashi you good boy 🥺

Chapter 19

Igari <33

That's insane

Chapter 20

I love that Igari looks legitimately worried and sad, not sweating tho

I love how he didn't have any serious damage until the punches like, okay.

Poor Igari tho

DID HE CHEW EM OFF OR SOMETHING? SHSHWGEGCH

Was anybody going to tell me is Sikorsky and not Sirkosky?

Also i love how legitimately scared Tokugawa is, probably more than when Yujiro picked him up

Chapter 21

The heights are so off in this saga

Oh my fucking god i didn't know Spec was 221

Either heights are all over the place or Yanagi is not 160

Either way HOW CAN YOU BE THAT SMALL? 🤣

GAFSFWEAD Tokugawa like "i own this place 😐"

Doyle is still the most decent one of the bunch

URSURSUTSUSTSRU

LOOK AT YANAGI DORIAN AND SIKORSKY ALREADY GETTING THEIR HANDS READY SBDGSHW

I googled how big Andreas from the tournament was and like, 2.40 😦

LET'S GOOOOO EVEN WITH A BEARD OMFG 😳😳😳

I see Hanayama descended into alcoholism after losing in the tournament. Also tf is with that bag? Was he hiking or something?

Jsgsjsgd Shibukawa is so excited too

I think this is chronically the first time Doppo appears with fully casual clothes, usually he either was in a suit or in his karate uniform

I'm straight up simping to the public now sgsjsgwhw

Chapter 22

LOOK AT THESE DUDES..... 💞

FUCK I WAS GONNA SAY THERE WERE MORE BAD THAN GOOD GUYS THEN LOOKED DOWN AND REALIZED THAT NO, SHIBUKAWA WAS JUST NEARLY OUT OF FRAME 😭

They all look so upset about that information

SIKORSKY NAME GOT SPELLED AS SILCOSKI...

Looking at them drives me insane i developed such a bond with all these fighters

I haven't seen Doppo this excited since last time his wife showed up

BAKI SWEARING?! 😰

How did Tokugawa grab Baki's shoulder?

ALSO WHY TF IS BAKI SO SURPRISED AS IF HE DIDNT GO AROUND BEATING UP PEOPLE WHEN HE WAS 13...

Don't worry Baki y'all will, Tokyo is not that big it seems

Shibukawa swearing 😨

"Imagine being mid but and Spec pulls up on you" "imagine having sex and she takes the mask and it's fucking Spec"

To be fair i would fuck a 2.21 muscular lady without going "hmmm this doesn't seem like a good idea..." in any moment

Chapter 23

I love how Dorian is just looking up

ACTUALLY ALL THEIR STANCES, Yanagi making dead eye contact with Gouki, Sikorsky with a firm pose just as Hanayama, Doyle with hiss chest up but eyes down giving a sense of pride, and, well, then there's Spec being Spec.

I like seeing Sikorsky having fun

I love Spec he played so smart SGSGSGS

😳 love wins!

Oh i had already forgotten about the dojo

Old man Dorian just has that effect on people

Threesome i see /j

He really was just fucking hiking i would love if they ever explained that ough 🥺

Did his facial hair just disappear?? STSGSFSD

BWHEKEGWJG THEY REALLY JUST FORGOT TO ADD IT FOR ONE PANEL IM OBSESSED

Such a good kick tho

The relationship these men can have is so oddly nice like not Doppo and Retsu specifically but all of the fighters in general. Like many of them barely know each other, but they all know their fighting styles and respect each other, plus have no reason to be in bad terms with one another and specially not now that they are all fighting for the same cause. It's just so nice to see em idk JAGSHS

Hey Igari.

Chapter 24

Thank God Doppo went <3 again it had been so long

Babe are you okay? You hadn't put a lil heart in your speech bubble for a while...

King really punched the fire

I will chose to believe that's true bc it's impressive 😍

You know it's funny like, Katsumi is mad good but he doesn't has as much experience as his dad and that leaves him in disvantage

Hehe i remember that guy

The manga is so much better than the anime ffs

I love that he didn't even realize

Chapter 25

Manga i don't think that's science

Also Baki just chilling with some doves lmao

I'm looking thru old messages see how my og reaction to this was

Huh i found nothing, that's odd. Well my reaction would have probably been like NOOOOO anyway so, y'all can imagine it

You left my dilf handless you fucking asshole good thing he has a wife

Imagine this dude cuts your hand and then just flexes his knowledge about science or whatever

HSSGGSFS THEY FIXED THE NO BEARD ERROR

Illiterate king <3

A guy did this to me once btw!!! Obviously in way smaller scale but he just touched something and the bleeding soon stopped!!!!

Honestly that's the most huge dick energy thing Doppo has ever done

Pfff I'm starting to remember why i liked Doppo so much 🥴

Bitches confused over him running away, tf was he supposed to do? He played it smart since there are no rules

Though yeah an eye and NOW a hand, insane

Chapter 26

Sjshhdhsn tanuki?

Oh, fox, he was calling him slick

Manga is pretty faster than the anime

Chapter 27

Where's your honor, Igari...

He is right sadly enough 😔

Oh i keep forgetting Igari's nature, he was probably trying to pull his silly little tricks again

This is just brutal honestly

Hehe this time i didn't get scared ☺️

I like that at least I'm not the only one who needs their mind off the gutter

Chapter 28

Love seeing em datin <3

He's so aggressive accidentally i love these dorks sm 😍🥺💞

SPEC FFS SJGDHWGW

Chapter 29

SPEC FOR FUCKS SAKE SJSVSJWGSH

Hanayama is such a real bro man

I LOVE THAT HE WAS JUST STALKING BAKI TOO BTW SJDGJDGDHSBDGDGS

To think i will still love hanayama but for entirely different reasons 😌

Chapter 30

Kaoru looks different but idk how

What the fuck is Spec even saying?

The fact that that makes no sense, i still love it a lot tho.

ALSO I ADORE HOW QUIET HANAYAMA IS WHEN FIGHTING

Okay Spec really has a point it really is beautiful

GOD I'M STARTING TO UNDERSTAND THESE CHARACTERS TOO MUCH I NEED HELP AJDGSJSGSHS 😭

But it's beautiful in the sense like, look how built he is! Look at all those scars!!! It IS beautiful it's a masterpiece!!!!!!!

"i choose to believe this is how hanayama always undresses" KSHSKDGSJ THE AMOUNT OF SUITS THIS MAN DESTROYS.. OBSESSED

Though yeah Hanayama in general is also beautiful isn't he?

Chapter 31

I would sob man look at him. Look at Shiba.

NO ONE RISKS HIS LIFE MORE THAN SHIBA YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE I STILL HOLD A LOT OF RESPECT FOR HIM!

A BENCH...

I really don't get why he's letting himself get hit, is he just flexing?

I cannot way to see him do his Technique ™

Chapter 32

Manga is so much superior to the anime, like, i haven't complained about Spec even once bc he isn't annoying anyone, in the anime he was so infuriating!!

I love when they just steal their standing poses sjsgjssgsh

That distortion effect so good

Chapter 33

I still think it's weird they used humans and not machines, though it was effective

I love how Spec managed to punch that statue without calling the attention of much people that's impressive

And i love that he keeps saying man he sounds like me with bro

Hanayama my beloved

Chapter 34

Yeah I'm not reading all that 😐

Oh this explains the holes in his clothes

[opbackgrounds]

Hi there Sarc' ;) I am sorry if the question has already been asked but I thought it could be interesting to have your opinion about this. While I love most of the female characters in OP and think that most of them are well developed and can be truly good role models for girls I still feel that Oda sometimes has a sexist view on female characters (the jokes about the naked bath scenes for example or Kororo being considered ugly make me really uncomfortable). What do you think about it?

Ah, I wondered when I would get this question. 

When people talk about sexism in One Piece they typically are referring to two different things: How women are drawn, and how they’re treated within the narrative. While there’s some overlap here, there’s enough distinction that I want to address them as two separate points in two separate posts, because I guess I had Opinions, and by god there should be a limit to how much text one tumblr post can be expected to hold. Consider this an introduction.

Buckle up, kiddos. This is gonna be a long one. 

Nami Face Syndrome Isn’t the Problem...

An important thing to remember with Oda’s art and storytelling style is that almost everything is hyper exaggerated for effect. You don’t go into One Piece looking for realism. You don’t go into One Piece expecting the characters to act like normal people. Everything--from the art to the humor to the battles--is stretched and pulled to its absolute limit in hopes of garnering a particular reaction. When a character is sad they cry big bubbly tears with dribbles of snot coming from their nose. When they laugh their mouths take up half their face. 

And when a girl is hot, her tiddies are two great big watermelons stuck to the center of her chest.

What is often dubbed “Nami Face Syndrome” within the fandom is somewhat misleading. After all, why was Wanda, who is a literal dog that walks on two legs, decried as yet another Nami clone at her introduction? I would postulate it’s less to do with her face and more to do with the fact that from the neck down they are virtually identical, something that’s made more obvious because Wanda is literally wearing Nami’s clothes

What makes this frustrating for a lot of people, myself included, is that it’s not that Oda is incapable of drawing more diverse body types, but that he often chooses not to. Take for example the Kuja tribe

or the Charlotte family daughters (thanks to Arthur at Library of Ohara for the resource). It’s pretty clear Oda has the chops to make his women as weird as the men, and he often does! For important characters, even. And yes, as the Kokoro example given above sometimes the gonkness is brought attention to, but for others like Lola and Chiffon it’s...not. 

(more on mermaids later)

But Sarcasticles, one might protest, even Oda’s “ugly” characters have ginormous boobs! Where is my itty bitty titty committee representation >:(

To which I can only shrug. For Oda, boobs on a woman are like abs on men. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense, they’re gonna have ‘em

Seriously, Oda. What the fuck.

...So What Is?

I have a theory that’s impossible to prove, and that the problem isn’t so much Oda’s character design so much as the ratio of his male to female characters in general. It’s not that every female character is a Nami clone, but Oda has a template he uses for attractive female characters ages 16-25, the same way he uses Robin as a template for attractive women ages 26-35, which is how you get cases of mistaken identity like Viola for Robin or scenes during Reverie where one could be forgiven for thinking Nami’s supposed to be an identical triplet

 Oda does this for his men, too. It’s not as obvious because 1) Even men with similar facial features can have a wider variety body types due to Oda having a sliding scale of buffness he’s willing to attach to a pretty face and 2) There are more men. 

There are a lot more men.

In groups where the male to female ratio is more or less equal (Baroque Works, Big Mom’s kids) you get a wide variety of designs. But there’s only one female Supernova. There’s one female Warlord. CP9 only has one female agent. Only one of the Revolutionary Commanders is a woman. There are very few female background characters in crowd shots, especially among marines. Big Mom might be the only female Emperor, but she’s not young, In fact, when drawing her at age 28, Oda defaults to a much more generic “pretty girl” face before giving her much more striking, memorable features in her 40s

If you look at Oda’s male characters, the ones that are supposed to be hot are often given the same square jawline and the thin-bladed nose that at one point in time was reserved for Robin. Both Coby and Sabo had very distinctive noses before their glowups, while Ace must have had a laser treatment done on his eyebrows sometime between Alabasta and Marineford. 

But the biggest difference on the men has got to be muscle mass. The overgrown noodles of early One Piece are lost to the annals of time. Shanks alone must have gained 30 pounds of pure muscle from the time Luffy got his first bounty to his appearance at Marineford. 

Now, I will acknowledge that there is a difference between the increasing sexualization of female characters and the male power fantasy of giving Zoro bara tiddies post-timeskip. While I do think there are certain male characters specifically designed to be the Hot Dude, what I’m trying to emphasize here is that Oda works with templates for both men and women, and both of those templates have been exaggerated over time. Bigger boobs for women, more muscles for men. And when you’re only slotting for one girl in any given group, and that one girl has to be The Hot One then you’re going to have a lot of ladies that end up looking the same. 

My love for Otohime on this blog is well known, and I want to use her as an example of what Oda can do when he works beyond this template, because it’s really freaking good  

Otohime is neither conventionally attractive nor gonk. She’s dressed in very conservative, traditional clothing and has a narrow waist and small chest. 

There are no sharp edges on Otohime. Not her eyebrows, not her jaw, and most of the time not even her hands, emphasizing her gentle nature. You don’t see it as well in this panel, but Otohime’s head is often drawn wider than her shoulders, emphasizing her frailty. Oda gives her a longer neck to compensate, and the overall effect is a very soft, willowy figure. 

Her headpiece looks like a sunburst. The audience never sees her fins, so Oda gives her a scale patterned kimono-dress-thingy (my knowledge of Japanese clothing is, uh, not good) as a visual reminder that she’s not human. The sash that circles around her head harkens back to Japanese mythology as a symbol of divinity, similar to a halo in Western culture. And fun fact: Otohime is named after a god, just like Neptune, while her goals and ideals are pure enough to be heaven-sent. 

I’m not an artist, but this is a really damn good character design. A lot of Oda’s older female characters are. Dandan, Tsuru, O-Tsuru, Shakky, Kureha, Big Mom, and Nyon are all instantly recognizable and have strong designs, even if a few of them fall into the hourglass figure that Oda often defaults to. It’s just...there aren’t that many of them.

So the question becomes why aren’t there more women, and I think the answer is because, ultimately, One Piece is a series geared at boys. While I wish there were a few more important ladies, I can understand why there aren’t. 

Note, that doesn’t mean I think it’s right or that Oda is obligated to include more women. It’s just one of the facts of the shonen manga industry at this point in time. 

A more important question, I think, is why does every younger woman have to be attractive? And why do the attractive ladies have to wear outfits that are blatant fanservice? This is something I don’t have an answer for. Oda has said on more than one occasion that he writes One Piece with his twelve year old self in mind. It could be that it’s a calculated move to appeal to his audience, in which case it’s certainly worked because said Hot Ladies are constantly used in marketing and merchandising. It’s the Hot Ladies that top the popularity charts (although, to be fair, who’s there for competition?). In the most recent chapter a new Hot Lady was introduced, and the fandom went batshit crazy for her.

Even the fans who are very vocal about how Oda sucks at drawing women. It’s interesting how that works out sometimes.

Or maybe I’m giving Oda too much credit, and he’s just horny. Not having direct access to Oda’s mind, I don’t have an answer. If I had to guess I’d say it’s a little of Column A, a little of Column B, because that’s usually how life is. 

But in a vacuum big tiddies are just a design choice. An exaggerated aesthetic, in a series full of exaggerated aesthetics. It’s when that design choice is paired with in-story comments, actions, and decisions where things really start to get heated. But that’s a whole other ball of wax, and there should be a limit to how much one tumblr post can be expected to hold. I promise I’ll get to the meat of your question next time.

Thank you so much for your patience. I really do think it’s important to start here before diving into everything else, if only because it helps keep my thoughts organized. I hope you’ve found this helpful, and if not, I hope to do better next time.