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p5x-theories · 4 months

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P5X Second Arc Summary

(last updated 5/17/24)

With the confirmation that this is the actual release of the game, I realized it makes way more sense to break these posts up by story arc, heh!

Usual disclaimer: Please keep in mind this game still has no official English translation, so this summary uses a mix of what happens visually, what I understand of the Japanese dialogue, and Google translate for the Chinese text, in order to get the broader picture here. This will be focused on summing up everything that happens overall, without getting into a line-by-line translation.

Contrary to this blog’s name, this post is going to have as little speculation as possible, and stick to confirmed facts.

This post (and its reblogs) will cover the Miyazawa Arc. Several scenes in this arc have been distinctly changed since the beta tests!

Picking up where the first arc left off, Wonder, Motoha, and Ruferu take the train to Shinjuku.

Motoha looks at Kiuchi's Treasure, and mutters to herself about how this is just a regular rubber ball, like anyone has. Does that mean they could develop Palaces like Kiuchi if they made the wrong choice?

Ruferu reassures her that it's not impossible, but they've already awakened Personas, meaning they faced the embodiment of their desires, their own Shadows, already. They also changed Kiuchi's heart for the sake of others, not their own selfish gain, helping to protect others' dreams and hopes. He firmly believes their desires won't get out of control... well, probably not.

This flusters Motoha a little.

Ruferu continues that they were even able to influence Kiuchi a bit more than he expected, because they were able to convince Kiuchi to keep living even after stealing his Treasure, even when Ruferu thought there's no reason to be kind to someone like Kiuchi.

Motoha explains she thinks that everyone makes mistakes sometimes, even Kiuchi, and even herself. She believes that Kiuchi was really the one who'd given up on his desires. She then credits this realization to Wonder, who reacts with confusion, and she says he's the one who helped her and Tomoko cheer up.

On the topic of Tomoko, Ruferu asks if she's going to tell Tomoko about the news, and Motoha expresses excitement to tell her that the criminal was arrested when she visits the hospital tomorrow.

She then asks Ruferu if any of his memory came back when he touched the Treasure, which he confirms, although it was just a fragment. That's the information he wanted to share with them later (and he clarifies he didn't want to say it in the moment because he didn't want to ruin the mood right after they'd won). He says there are six more Treasures out there, making seven total. Motoha, surprised, asks if that means there are six more bad guys like Kiuchi that the police can't catch, which Ruferu also confirms.

Their train arrives in Shinjuku, cutting the conversation short.

When they reach Shinjuku, Motoha says they should continue their conversation at the restaurant, and it’ll be her treat since they helped Tomoko. Ruferu asks for the egg topping.

As they continue on to the restaurant, however, Chihaya Mifune calls them over, and warns them that a disaster awaits them if they continue with their plans.

Motoha kind of brushes her off awkwardly, saying she’s hungry and they’re in a hurry. They proceed on to the restaurant, Ashouken. Motoha explains the main store is a popular Chinese restaurant, while Ashouken is a branch of it specializing in ramen. Ashouken's reputation went down for a bit, but she's heard the taste improved after it was renovated.

Inside, they order food (both Motoha and Wonder order shoyu, with eggs and chashu pork on the side for Ruferu) then get back to the more serious conversation- Ruferu admits that he did only tell them about Kiuchi’s Palace, so it’s up to them if they want to continue working with him for the other Palaces. He doesn't want to force them and ignore their own desires. Wonder recalls Igor's advice from before about preventing ruin, honing his own desires, and connecting with others.

Motoha seems to need to think about it, and suggests they eat first as their food arrives. They start to eat, though Motoha notices something different about the ramen- the flavor's different than she remembers, and the soup base is lighter- which catches the attention of the Kokatsu student sitting at the table next to theirs. She brushes it off, saying maybe she just remembered it better than it was, and the Kokatsu student goes back to eating.

Ruferu asks if he can have some of his food, since he can't get to it himself. Motoha's briefly concerned whether owls can eat eggs, but Ruferu stresses that his form is just for stealth, and he doesn't have any dietary restrictions from it. He says the eggs will be his appetizer, and the meat is the main course. Motoha tries to give him an egg, but it slips, hits Ruferu’s face, and falls into Wonder’s ramen, splashing him with the hot broth. (Link to a frame by frame post)

Wonder recovers pretty easily, and Motoha apologizes and asks if they’re okay. Ruferu realizes this may have been the disaster they were warned about.

The Kokatsu student at the table next to theirs, who Wonder previously has seen on the school roof, tries his ramen, before muttering "… wrong". He gets up, and addresses the chef behind the counter as "Masa-san", asking if it's really okay to do this.

Masa only replies "Shun...", catching Motoha's attention. Shun insists that he can't taste the soup base flavor that the boss was so particular about at all, and at this rate...

Masa says it hurts him, too, in a defeated tone. Shun apologizes, bows, and leaves.

Motoha recognizes the student as Shun Kanou-kun from Tomoko’s class, Class D. As she and Wonder start to eat again, someone walks into the restaurant accompanied by a cameraman, and greets Masa. Masa apologizes to him, saying the store's still open, which irks the man, asking if he's going to make him wait, in a threatening tone.

Masa apologizes profusely to the customers, saying Ashouken is now closed. He and the other employees bow. When people start to complain, he says they’ll refund them for the food.

Wonder, Motoha, and Ruferu exit the restaurant, and overhear some of the other customers as they also leave. One comments that while he didn't get to finish his food, the flavor's definitely a restaurant worthy of Miyazawa's perfect rating. When the other seems less sure whether the food was all that good, the first one insists it is, because Hiromu Miyazawa said so.

This makes Motoha realize that the man that walked in was Hiromu Miyazawa, a famous food reviewer that she's seen on TV who has the nickname "the Flavor Swordsman". Still, she thinks the original Ashouken was better...

Shun says he agrees, and approaches them. They exchange introductions, and Shun correctly identifies that if they're in Class C, they're in Katayama's class. Motoha asks if he knows the owner of Ashouken, and Shun brushes off the question, and asks what they thought of Ashouken's ramen instead.

Motoha thinks for a moment and says it was “average, I guess.” Shun, seeming troubled, says that's indeed the case, then apologizes for asking a weird question, and leaves.

Motoha's confused, but then realizes she's still hungry, thinks back on everything that just happened, and apologizes for picking this restaurant, realizing the fortune teller was right about the disaster. She suggests they just go home, since at least they'll be able to eat there. Ruferu agrees, but insists that Wonder stop by the supermarket to get some meat first.

Before she leaves, Motoha asks if it’s only terrible people that have Palaces. Ruferu confirms this. She then asks if they’ll all have changes of heart if their Treasures are stolen, which Ruferu also confirms. Motoha apologizes that she said she'd leave but then asked more questions, and says she’ll see them tomorrow.

Ruferu asks if it's okay if he stays with Wonder at least one more night, whether he chooses to continue being a phantom thief or not, to which Wonder agrees. As they leave, the Cyler Eats person from the train bikes past them, but doesn't visibly react to Wonder in any way.

Once Wonder and Ruferu make it back home, Motoha calls them, and says Kiuchi’s on TV. Wonder and Ruferu rush inside to turn on the TV, where sure enough, the news is talking about how Kiuchi turned himself in.

Still on the phone, Motoha murmurs that it’s just like Ruferu said would happen- he had a change of heart. An interview with another woman that was a victim of his plays, and Motoha comments that she doesn’t know her, but she’s happy. As phantom thieves, they can help people. Wonder nods.

The news also reports that letters addressed to Kiuchi signed by the "Phantom Thieves" were found around Shibuya station- Motoha realizes he's talking about the calling cards- and witnesses reported a wild bird was the one distributing these letters. However, the police believe there's no connection between the two, and it was a coincidence.

Ruferu mutters he wasn't cautious enough if he was seen, and they'll have to be more careful next time- or, no, he's not sure if they'll be with him next time. Motoha asks Ruferu if they'll be able to help more people as phantom thieves, and Wonder holds his phone up for Ruferu. He replies that if they continue, they'll be able to steal back more people's desires, and make the phantoms more nervous to act.

Motoha then asks what Wonder thinks- can they be phantom thieves? Wonder agrees, and Motoha says she thinks it'd be pretty cool to be normal students by day, then phantom thieves by night.

She loudly, enthusiastically asks Ruferu to let them continue working with him as phantom thieves, then apologizes for saying that so loudly into the phone, bids them goodnight, and hangs up. Ruferu complains that if they were in the Metaverse, an enemy would have found them, but then a bit more fondly adds that sometimes humans choose the difficult path. He says he looks forward to working with Wonder in the future, and his Confidant ranks up.

Back at Ashouken, we see Miyazawa giving a glowing review of Ashouken's ramen to the camera, describing it as the true taste of Ashouken.

He reminds the audience that this taste was almost lost forever, as the shop's previous owner fell ill, and the quality of the food dropped, leading to Miyazawa having to give it a bad review, as he didn't want to see the flavor lost. Because of this, some people called him a phantom! But he didn't care if it meant he could help protect the true taste. He worked with the other employees to bring the true flavor back, and improve it, even!

Miyazawa seems to get emotional, and thanks the audience for watching this episode of his show. Signing off, he swipes his pen through the air like a sword, and says "Cut off the banal evil of taste with a pen that is stronger than a sword... The flavor swordsman Hiromu Miyazawa reports for you. Good night, everyone!"

As soon as the camera cuts, Miyazawa gets up and stretches, losing the more emotive demeanor he had during the recording, saying it's tiring acting that stupid, and more flatly asking his agent about their plan for tomorrow. The agent confirms it'll be a restaurant in Zoshigaya called Toraiken, which Miyazawa recognizes as the restaurant that Ashouken branched off from. He says it doesn't matter how the food there tastes, he's already planning to "kill" it.

Masa, standing nearby, reacts to this with alarm.

Miyazawa turns toward Masa and grins, saying he'll probably get called a phantom again, and it's so hard for someone like him with a vicious tongue. Miyazawa then asks for him to show his thanks for the review.

Masa sighs, and presents an envelope for Miyazawa, who gleefully takes it, saying they'll protect Ashouken together.

Masa pleads Miyazawa to stop doing this, it's deceiving the customers. Miyazawa replies that he's the one who helped give them dried bonito for the ramen, bringing Ashouken publicity, customers, and praise. Masa protests the method for the bonito, saying you can only get the boss' flavor by using another method, but Miyazawa dismisses him, calling it outdated, and says the cheap bonito he bought is fine.

Miyazawa threatens to "kill" Ashouken again, and Masa reluctantly backs down. Miyazawa then asks if Masa fired the brat that threw water at him, because Miyazawa just saw the kid walking out of the store when he came in earlier. Masa says he's still allowed to come as a customer, and Miyazawa is displeased, reminding Masa that he still has final say in what happens with Ashouken.

The next morning, Wonder receives some more texts from his mother, asking if it's morning there, then if everything's okay, then if phantoms are still causing a commotion, then reminding him to eat well. Once again, Wonder encounters Kayo on his way to school. She asks about his health, and mentions her Darling hates being sick.

Wonder thinks about how he has to get to school and bows, evidently trying to get out of the conversation politely, but Kayo mentions a clinic in Yongen-Jaya run by a Dr. Takemi. From the bag, Ruferu whispers that medicine might be useful for fighting shadows.

Kayo says he should have medicine, with those phantoms around, but then wonders if medicine even works on phantoms, and laughs, admitting she doesn’t know much about them. As she walks away, she passes a restaurant, and complains that it's closed today, saying she wanted to take Darling there for dinner tonight.

On the train, people gossip about how Kiuchi turned himself in, the fact that he's a phantom, and the calling cards that were scattered around the Shibuya train station.

As Wonder walks to school from the Shimokitazawa station, Motoha calls out good morning to him and Ruferu, and the three walk together. She reiterates that she wants to keep working with them, and when Ruferu calls her another business partner, she says that's too formal, especially given Wonder and Ruferu live together, and they're all just partners. She adds that her parents would never let her have a pet owl.

Ruferu agrees that his "solemn posture" is too bright and eye-catching for an ordinary family, which reminds Motoha that she wanted to ask him to stop using such difficult words while he talks. It seems like he's trying to be cool, but it's not working. Ruferu is immediately flustered, saying he's not trying to be cool, and when he touched the Treasure before, he remembered he's known humans for a long time, and was influenced by them in the past.

Motoha laughs this off, saying he can say whatever he wants since they're friends. She declares the three of them are a phantom thieves group (this is the same term that’s just translated as The Phantom Thieves in P5’s English translation) from this point on. She then remembers with alarm that today is her duty day, and first period is PE, and says goodbye, running ahead. Ruferu comments, exasperated, that she’s a noisy phantom thief.

Shun sees them walking ahead of him, and mutters something about the two of them walking together.

Meanwhile, at what appears to be the back area of the TV station, Miyazawa's agent congratulates Miyazawa on his latest review, saying he was so intense the part-time workers ran away. As expected someone worthy of being an officially recognized phantom! Miyazawa complains that that makes him sound like a villain, but he just needs to figure out how to use that influence.

He says the restaurant he "killed" today was Toraiken, and all he needed to do was give a few fake bad reviews for people to stop patronizing the store, revealing his bigger plan is to force the boss to give him ownership of Ashouken so he can turn it into a chain.

The agent questions whether lying so much is really okay, and Miyazawa turns cold, asking him what's really true. Nowadays, people don't care about the truth, they just care about the trends. And Miyazawa told them it's genuine. He then threatens to have the agent replaced, and the agent apologizes, then leaves as Miyazawa receives a call and waves him off.

Miyazawa's speaking tone switches to something soft and placating, almost ingratiating, as he answers the phone. He confirms he saw the news, and that the person on the news was an "alternative "officially recognized" candidate, right?" It's such a shame. He talks about filling the vacancy, and promises to think about candidates.

After hanging up, his tone returns to normal, and he mutters it's not easy to deal with a topical candidate like the "Collision Man".

In their PE class at school, girls fight over who gets to have Motoha on their volleyball team, while the boys are told to pair up for stretches. Shun catches Wonder's attention, and tells him to sit, suggesting they pair up without really giving Wonder a say.

As Shun helps Wonder stretch, he asks him about Motoha. He asks what their relationship is, and Wonder can reply "friends" or "partners". Wonder can then ask if he cares or if he likes Motoha, which either way causes Shun to insist that's not the case, and push Wonder way too far forward.

He says she noticed that Ashouken's flavor changed, then clarifies he used to work there, and it's amazing that she was able to notice where most people just say it's delicious. He says he can't speak very well, but when he sees her, he feels that she's completely different from him.

After a moment, he finally realizes what he did to Wonder, and apologizes, leaning back again. He stands up, and mutters that whenever someone has something to do with him it ends badly, and walks off.

While Wonder’s gone, Ruferu and Motoha seem to have been talking back in the classroom. Two students nearby gossip about Magatsushin updating to mention Miyazawa giving bad reviews again, and saying he's closed down a lot of restaurants. Wonder slides the classroom door open, visibly exhausted.

He returns slowly to his seat, sitting a bit hunched over like he’s sore and/or tired. Motoha asks what Wonder and Shun talked about in PE, where the player has the option of responding "He said Motoha knows the flavor well" or "He said he used to work at Ashouken". When the former is picked, she realizes he's talking about Ashouken's flavor, and says Shun must like ramen. Wonder then explains the rest, and she reacts, "He worked at Ashouken? He really likes ramen..."

Ruferu switches the conversation to a more important topic- he and Motoha were talking about their next job. They’ll have to look for the next Palace, and also visit the doctor that Kayo mentioned. The bell rings, and Motoha awkwardly asks Wonder if he's going to go change out of his PE clothes before class, which he sheepishly does.

After class, Wonder and Ruferu plan to visit Takemi's clinic, while Motoha says she wants to visit Tomoko and tell her about Kiuchi. Just then, she gets a text from Tomoko, apparently saying she's being discharged from the hospital today. Ruferu encourages her to go visit Tomoko, following her own desire, while they check out the clinic. Motoha thanks him, immensely relived Tomoko cared enough again to message her, and sends Wonder the directions to Takemi’s clinic that she apparently looked up. She leaves, and Wonder and Ruferu head back to Yongen-Jaya.

At the clinic, Takemi notes Wonder is new here, and asks what problem brought him here. Presumably whichever is picked from the dialogue options, she invites him back to the exam room.

She says it's probably an issue of too much pressure, and suggests prescribing sleeping pills. Wonder asks for something stronger. Takemi is unsurprised that's what he's really here for, mentioning the rumors about her. She agrees to prescribe him more medicine, but only things that will restore physical condition. Takemi's shop is unlocked.

After leaving Takemi’s clinic, Motoha texts Wonder, checking in after taking Tomoko home. Wonder tells her they finished at the clinic, and she says she's ready to start looking for the next Palace any time.

Ruferu asks to talk to Wonder for a moment. He mentions that that fortune teller’s prediction of a disaster at the restaurant was true, and suggests she might be another valuable service to look into when they get a chance (unlocking the side quest to go back to her, which unlocks her fortune-telling ability).

Later, in Mementos, Closer asks how they find the next Palace, and Cattle says he was able to listen to the inner voices of humans to find it. He says it's difficult to hear the voices of the next path from here, and clarifies that Mementos is made up of several areas. Closer guesses that means the other Palaces are on other paths of Mementos, which Cattle confirms. He leads them to the door at the end of the first path.

He touches it, and it opens, the MetaNav informing them a new area has opened up. Closer and Wonder check their phones, and sure enough, a new area has appeared on the MetaNav. Cattle explains that people with "excessive desires" are considered troublesome and excluded from the group, and they now have excessive desires because they have Kiuchi's Treasure. Closer wonders if this means the door is opening less to welcome them, and more because it's sort of passively kicking them out of the current area.

Once they’re in the new area, Cattle says he's sure the next Palace is here, but he can't locate it yet. He explains that it's because he understood Kiuchi's actions in the real world, and they were very straightforward, but they don't know much about the next Palace ruler yet, and Closer guesses their actions are less publicly obvious, which Cattle thinks is likely. Cattle suggests they leave for now, and try to get some more information in the real world.

When they return to the real world, Motoha exclaims that being in the Metaverse always makes her hungry, and they should have another celebratory meal at Ashouken. When Wonder asks her why, since she didn't really like it last time, Motoha says maybe one of their other kinds of ramen will be better. Shun, walking by at the moment, warns her not to bother, it's all the same.

Motoha asks him about working at Ashouken, and the flavor change. Shun explains that the current Ashouken has given up its dedication to flavor, though it's not the fault of the employees. Motoha laments that means she'll never get to have the delicious ramen from the past again, and Shun reacts, walking over to them. With a smile, he asks if she really wants to have Ashouken's original ramen again.

Confused, she says yes, and Shun invites both of them to come to Toraiken in Zoshigaya tonight. He then walks off, and Motoha excitedly says she's looking forward to having that ramen again. Ruferu wonders something about Shun, but brushes it off, and says that while he can't eat with them tonight, they better not forget his chashu pork.

That evening, Wonder and Ruferu meet up with Motoha in front of Toraiken, but Motoha starts to wonder aloud if maybe they have the wrong place, as Shun still isn’t here, the restaurant has a sign saying it's temporarily closed, and it has bad reviews. She thinks she's heard the name "Toraiken" before, but can't remember where...

To her surprise, though, Shun then opens the door and invites them in, saying he knows the owner.

Once they start eating, Motoha exclaims in amazement that the food is delicious.

This pleases Shun, who says that their smiles make all the effort he put into making the soup base worth it. Motoha, shocked, asked if he's the one who made this, rather than an employee. Shun says he's still just an apprentice. Motoha replies that's amazing, and it tastes just like Ashouken used to! But... why does Toraiken have Ashouken's ramen?

Shun explains that Ashouken branched off from Toraiken, and even thought it's a Chinese restaurant, the ramen's very popular, and some people actually come here to study. Toraiken's owner liked the idea of helping young people learn, so he opened Ashouken. Shun's also very fond of the ramen here.

As he talks, a man comes down the stairs in the back, and over to their table. He asks Shun to stop saying such "embarrassing things", and Shun reacts with surprise, referring to him as "Yamagoshi-oyassan".

Yamagoshi apologizes for the poor reception he gave Wonder and Motoha, and welcomes them to the store. Shun stands up and helps stabilize Yamagoshi, asking if he's alright, and suggesting he rest more. He says he's feeling better, and it's so rare for Shun to bring friends over for him to say hello.

He then clumsily asks something about mobile phone friends, to Motoha's bewilderment, and Shun asks him what he's saying. He laughs, and says this is how young people exchange contact information now, isn't it? Shun tells him no one would ask that now.

Yamagoshi turns back to Motoha and Wonder, and says Shun's a good kid, but he's bad at communication, so they should contact him if they ever have any questions. He pulls his own cellphone out, and shakes it, to Shun's embarrassment, but Motoha laughs, and says she will. Wonder does as well.

He then asks if they liked the food, and Motoha answers very positively, to Yamagoshi's delight. He congratulations Shun, although Shun doesn't really accept the praise. Yamagoshi can identify just from the smell of the food that Shun still hasn't quite perfected his skills, and Shun agrees.

Yamagoshi starts to say something else, but is overcome with a coughing fit. Shun insists he should go back and rest, but Yamagoshi explains Miyazawa came by earlier and scared off all the part-time workers, to Shun's anger. Toraiken will have to stay closed, because there's no one to run it.

Yamagoshi leaves the room (presumably with Shun's help, though it cuts to black for a moment). Shun thanks Wonder and Motoha for coming by, saying he'll close up shop here and then help Yamagoshi get home, and Motoha thanks him as well for the food.

Outside of Toraiken, Motoha worries about Yamagoshi, then wonders what their history with Miyazawa was. Ruferu pipes up, finally popping out of Wonder's bag (Motoha congratulates him on staying so quiet in there the whole time), and says there's the residual smell of stolen desires here. Motoha asks what the connection between the next Palace and Toraiken is, and then Masa walks up to them.

Motoha recognizes him as the person running things at Ashouken, which prompts Masa to recognize them as customers from the other day, which he apologizes for again. He expresses frustration at Miyazawa.

Ruferu, hidden in Wonder's bag, suggests that they try asking Masa about Miyazawa, since he seems to know him and shows signs of his desire being stolen.

Masa recognizes their uniforms, and says they used to have students from Kokatsu working at Ashouken. Motoha takes this chance to ask him about Shun, saying they're his friends.

Masa explains that Toraiken is his master's shop, and Masa got worried after hearing about Miyazawa's terrible review earlier today, so he came to check on it. Miyazawa puts on a show with his excessive reviews, and will review even good restaurants negatively for the sake of trying to take ownership from them after tanking their popularity. No one can do anything about it because they won't believe it, and even if they do, he's an officially recognized phantom. He also has extensive connections in the catering and entertainment industries to back him up. The only way to stop the bad reviews is to give him what he wants.

He also says Shun apparently thinks it's his own fault that Miyazawa's going after Ashouken, after an incident while he was still working there. When Miyazawa came in and started making fun of their soup stock, Shun got mad and threw water from a glass at him. After that, the bad reviews started. But none of the staff blame him, as he just did what they couldn't.

Motoha suggests he talk to Shun himself, as Shun's still in Toraiken behind them, but Masa says he doesn't want to remind Shun of everything, and heads home instead.

Ruferu says everyone they've talked to related to these stores has had their desires stolen- Yamagoshi, Masa, and Shun- so it's extremely likely the Palace ruler they're looking for is related to all this, too. He suggests they investigate more tomorrow.

The next morning at the train station, Wonder sees Tomoko, who greets him.

She says she was cleared to return to school today, although she suspects everyone there is gossiping about her being targeted by the Collision Man.

She also says that baseball was the only thing she's good at, so she's not sure what to do now, and even briefly lost the strength to live, but Motoha's been encouraging her this whole time, and she heard a lot about Wonder from her, too. When she heard Kiuchi was arrested, she felt "a "power" welling up from the bottom of [her] heart, as if saying "I want to live"", and then laughs, thinking she's a simple person for Kiuchi's arrest to be enough to lift her spirits again.

Ruferu comments the change of heart helped, but it was particularly opening up the new area of Mementos that had this effect on her.

Tomoko admits she was still a little scared coming to the station, and says she's glad Wonder's here. Their train arrives.

After school, Motoha says they should go to Mementos and look for the Palace, but Ruferu thinks they should visit Toraiken again first, since they know it's related to the Palace. When they get there, Ruferu smells desires being stolen inside, and suggests they learn from their mistakes with Kiuchi, and act now.

Inside, Miyazawa is trying to convince Yamagoshi to give up Ashouken to him, though Yamagoshi keeps turning him down. When Wonder and Motoha walk in, Yamagoshi recognizes them, while Miyazawa dismisses them with "The adults are talking".

He tries to get his agent to escort them out, but Yamagoshi denies him this as well, saying the kids are his important guests.

Miyazawa warns that Yamagoshi that he's sick, and his restaurant is going to shut down. He's already discussed this with Masa, so Yamagoshi should just stamp the papers to transfer ownership to him with his seal.

Yamagoshi gets increasingly worked up in his refusal, and his illness gets the better of him for a moment. Miyazawa grins, and says he shouldn't force himself like this. This store holds memories of him and his late wife- wouldn't it be better to give it to Miyazawa than see it close down? Miyazawa believes in the authentic flavor of the restaurants, and he doesn't want to see it lost.

This time, as Yamagoshi tries to verbally fight back, his illness causes him to collapse (dropping his seal in the process), and Wonder and Motoha immediately move to help him. Miyazawa lightly suggests the "little girl" call an ambulance.

Motoha, angry, tells him he doesn't need to tell her that, and exits Toraiken to make the call. While she's gone and Wonder is occupied with Yamagoshi, Miyazawa picks up the dropped seal, and uses it to stamp the papers.

Miyazawa declares the contract settled, much to Wonder's shock. Miyazawa says his eyesight isn't very good- didn't he see that Yamagoshi stamped it himself?

At that moment, Shun comes in, and sees the scene in the restaurant. Furious, he grabs Miyazawa by the collar and demands to know what he did.

Miyazawa asks if he's going to use violence again, and his agent takes out a phone to record.

Yamagoshi weakly tells Shun to stop, and Shun immediately lets go of Miyazawa and helps Yamagoshi up with Wonder.

Miyazawa asks his agent if he got that, and after he nods, immediately threatens to ruin Shun's future with the video. He advises Yamagoshi to stay calm, for both his and Shun's sakes.

This only makes Shun angrier, but Yamagoshi urges him not to let himself get provoked and play right into Miyazawa's hands. Shun apologizes, and says he's always dragging others down with his actions.

Yamagoshi reassures Shun that he likes seeing his energy, and how he's honest, straightforward, and informal, but cares deeply about cooking. He reminds him that making guests smile is the "pride" of cooks. As he's talking, he starts coughing again, to Shun's dismay.

Miyazawa comments that this is like an episode of a soap opera, but he hates it, because it makes him look like a villain. This prompts even Wonder to get mad at him (both response options seem to be angry), but he mockingly asks if all young people act like this these days. They look more like the phantom than him.

He then says he'll give Shun a chance, and challenge him to a Flavor Fight. When Shun doesn't know what this is, Miyazawa seems mildly offended, asking, "Haven't you seen it on my channel?". All Shun has to do is make a dish that can satisfy Miyazawa, and he'll win, and Miyazawa won't cause trouble for Ashouken or Toraiken anymore. But, if he's not confident, then forget it.

Wonder tries to warn Shun this is a trap, but Miyazawa says he's being too suspicious, and Miyazawa's lost a Flavor Fight several times, so there's a chance Shun could win. Shun accepts, and Miyazawa gleefully tells him that the time and place will be announced later on his website.

Motoha runs back in, and announces the ambulance is here. Miyazawa casually takes his leave. Down the street, his agent asks why he's bothering with a Flavor Fight when he already has the restaurant.

Miyazawa explains that Shun is always frustrating him and getting in his way, talking about "genuine flavor", so he wants to return the favor. And, if he can control how the story is told on the internet afterward, he might be able to solve the problem of "filling the vacancy". His agent asks what that means, and Miyazawa says it's not his problem, he should just focus on preparing for the video.

Back in Toraiken, Shun tells Wonder and Motoha that the ambulance took Yamagoshi, and his neighbor went along with it. Motoha says his breathing stabilized, so he should be fine, and then asks Shun about the Flavor Fight.

She says she's seen an episode of it, with another chef that had a problem with Miyazawa. When he lost, his reviews got even worse, and everyone was on Miyazawa's side. And it's not broadcast on TV, just Miyazawa's personal channel, so he's in full control of the editing, too. It has to be a trap!

Shun says that might be the case, but he has no other choice, he has to take the gamble.

Motoha says Shun should just tell people the truth about Miyazawa and the cheap ingredients he's forcing Ashouken to use, but Shun says that won't work, because Miyazawa will explain it away. The only way it'd work is if Miyazawa admitted it himself.

Motoha then points out that winning the Flavor Fight might not even do anything, and Shun agrees that he doubts Miyazawa will keep his promise, but if Shun, a fool, loses the fight, he only embarrasses himself, and it won't affect Ashouken or Yamagoshi. If he's the only one who has to bear the burden, it's fine. He then says Wonder and Motoha should leave, before they get too involved with him and Miyazawa targets them, too. He'll figure it out himself.

After leaving Toraiken, Ruferu says he's almost certain Miyazawa is the next Palace ruler, as he's the only one benefiting here; even the customers themselves are having their desires stolen. Motoha agrees that after she lost her desires, she felt like there was just nothing she could do, and she just had to put up with it. The only way to stop Miyazawa is to make him have a change of heart. They decide to head to Mementos next, to finally locate his Palace.

To be continued in the next reblog!

#persona #p5x #persona 5 the phantom x #open beta #game content

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tricksterlatte · 2 months

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Random femAkeshu Pokemon AU lore I couldn’t include in Dark Void for various reasons:

- Akechi becomes the ghost type Elite Four member. She keeps Ceruledge, Mimikyu, Decidueye, and Marowak on the team, but also rotates other ghost types she obtains later during various adventures with Akira.

Among these are a Dhelmise (a callback to Shido’s ship in canon), Gengar, Spiritomb, Banette (throwbacks to her childhood due to their lore as abandoned or resentful creatures), and a Sableye named Kurusu she captured as payback for Corviknight’s supposedly stupid pun nickname. Also she does not mention Kurusu’s name until it gets into trouble and she can call Kurusu an idiot, to Akira’s confusion. Akira thinks it’s petty. Akechi thinks it’s justice.

- She catches a Torracat as well, evolves it into Incineroar, and once again another one of her Pokemon pursues one of Akira’s (Meowscarada this time) romantically. Even the cats are gay.

- Akira keeps Zebstrika, newly nicknamed Loki. For once, Akechi approves of a nickname. Nerd. You don’t even have Norse mythology in your universe.

- The other Elite Four are Sae (Ice), Iwai (Steel), and Chihaya (Psychic). Shido was previously Dragon.

- Gym Leaders as of the fic: Ann (Fire), Yoshida (Rock), Hifumi (Water), Kawakami (Normal), Ryuji (Electric), Makoto (Fighting), Ichinose (Dark), Lavenza (Fairy). Kamoshida and Kaneshiro were previously gym leaders before Ann and Ryuji. Since Makoto was already a gym leader, I let Ryuji take Kaneshiro’s spot.

- Team Ark’s goal was simplistic control over as many regions as possible, and were led by Shido. Shido previously destroyed Akira’s life similarly to canon, so she ran away from home and helped Sojiro at Leblanc. I didn’t pick a singular region for this because I decided it was its own, despite basing the fic mostly in Sinnoh. They globe trot much like the Journeys and Horizons anime.

- Akira doesn’t travel with everyone everywhere like in canon once she befriends them, but some usually accompany her for awhile. Ann and Ryuji journeyed with her after she helped stop Kamoshida because he kidnapped Shiho, a Pokemon breeder and Ann’s girlfriend.

- Madarame was a patron of the Lilycove museum who supposedly painted everything he submitted. Truthfully, Yusuke was painting every contest star submission himself, and lived in poverty at Madarame’s house. Akira, Ryuji, and Ann saved him, he helped Akira with Team Ark in return too.

- Kaneshiro owned the game corner and was a gym leader. He had a bigger hand in Shido’s Team Ark, like a mini boss such as Saturn or Courtney, for example. Makoto nearly outed Akira to the police despite Shido having them under his thumb, because he threatened her city (his gym neighbored his?. However, she decided she couldn’t let injustice slide, and helped her reveal the game corner and Team Ark’s corruption.

- Futaba and Akira were already friends in this AU. She is the PC storage system creator known as Medjed, but she ran into some trouble thanks to a Cofagrius haunting her house. Akira and Akechi were the ones who saved her, solidifying Akira’s trust in Akechi.

- Akira and Akechi traveled together a decent bit, to solidify their bond. They battled regularly, with a pretty even win-loss ratio once Akira got the hang of things. Akechi lied about her Pokemon on hand sometimes “just in case.”

- Okumura was killed by Akechi still in this AU, the same way she attempted to kill Akira. 🫡 HOWEVER, an Okumura power plant was the casualty instead of a spaceship palace, and in the process several Pokemon nearby were injured or killed—including Cubone’s mother. The weight of orphaning something so defenseless the same way she had been after losing her mother chipped at her walls, so Akechi took in Cubone as an apology. It wasn’t enough to change her fate, but Cubone loves her, and she loves Cubone.

- Haru retired from Okumura Corp to open a Pokemon cafe after Team Ark collapses. Shes tired and deserves it

- Kasumi is in a coma after an accident—I still haven’t decided if she’s dead or not. Sumire loses her mind a little bit thanks to Maruki’s totally ethical experiments (lie), and takes on Kasumi’s goal to become the greatest coordinator. She only goes into recovery after the Darkrai and Cresselia incident. Thanks for nothing, Maruki

- Lavenza gave Akira her Zorua, who was the one to fool Akechi at Dragonspire Tower via illusions while Akira rushed to claim Zekrom.

- Zenkichi is in the Officer Jenny role. He has dozens of lookalike relatives, and Akira claims she can’t tell them apart. Takemi is in the Nurse Joy role with dozens of lookalike relatives, and Akira can tell all of them apart with ease. Zenkichi doesn’t know if he’s being pranked or not and he’ll never find out.

- Akira’s Polteageist is on loan from Sojiro, except Sojiro loans it forever. He hopes that kid is safe now

- Shinya is a bug catcher who taught Akira some of those stupid strategies you’d see Ash use in the anime. Akechi is MALDING that they work, by the way.

- Ohya is a reporter much like Gabby and Ty. She exchanges tips about Team Ark with Akira, despite Akira never directly telling her she’s the one committing crimes constantly to bust worst crimes.

- I can’t stop thinking of Akechi just vibing but visibly only there for Akira. It’s like when Piccolo starts hanging out with Goku’s crew because of Gohan, except like with a mean lesbian human. Why did I choose this analogy? Idk!

- Mishima owns a Gimmighoul. I don’t know what else to add here

I have full teams for everyone, but I fear this post has gotten too long! If you’re still reading, thank you for doing so, and I hope you enjoyed!

#akeshu #my stuff #tricksterlatte writes #long post #fem akeshu #fanfic #god I’m so sorry this is so WORDY but I wrote about third sem instead of the main story I’ve had for ages ok #it had to go somewhere #I have other pokemon I assigned to akira too but she has…a lot LMAO #her main team is the one in the fic #I’m sorry for typos. I wrote this on my phone during a power outage

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taldigi · 3 months

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Between P3, P4, and P5, whose social links/confidants do you like best? Both from a mechanical standpoint (which one works the best mechanically) and from a character perspective (game with with most social links/confidants that you like).

5 absolutely knocks them all out of the park. I really liked a lot of them, and I liked how they all gave perks AND a lot of them had momentos missions attached to them too.

4 is next, I think I enjoyed them because.. a lot of them felt really casual and comfortable. They were all small moments rather than big ones that added up. A few in p5 do that, but they feel less meaningful in a weird way: like you're there to fix problems in p5 but 4 you're just there to be a friend and if something gets fixed it's just cause you were at the right place and willing to listen.. like... Chihaya vs Naoki for example.

5 had a lot of grand moments in the links, big events that you just felt "there" for- and it was fitting for the game, but sometimes Joker just felt "there" rather than as a starring aspect of it. Again, it's the framework of p5 that does this, and I still liked them all.

SO FAR the 3 links feel very... ah, pandery? I'm not far enough in to get a full, meaningful grasp on it. I feel like i can't really say anything that isn't "right" without getting punished (I can't talk to someone in P3 to check with them without being locked out of doing the link for the day) vs how you can call Rise stupid to her face and it shocks her enough to realize she IS being stupid. It lends to Joker and Yu feeling more like characters and I appreciate that.

just to show how far i am into p3 as reference

#Anonymous #digit's p5r tag

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nijigasakilove · 8 days

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YURI IN MY MAKEINE EPISODE?? WE WON. Guess the girls got tired of losing and said fuck the guys 😂 Shikiya senpai is amazing I can’t wait till we get to her arc, season 2 I’m guessing which with the way this LN is selling the anime is going is an inevitability

The Tsuwabuki festival is officially underway and the school is buzzing. Loved seeing the cast all off doing their own things and having fun. The literature club’s exhibit was a massive success and it’s sweet how Nukumizu helped decorate and present Komari’s work. That had to mean a lot to her with all the weight she was carrying last episode.

“Try calling me onii-chan” hey I know some guys are into that but not at school Nukumizu! 😂 he and Komari damn near died eating that spicy udon because they got distracted from that.

Chihaya trying to recruit Komari as a Fujoshi was too funny as well… and lemon, girl what is that fit?? I know it’s a track event but the mask is so out of place lmao

As the episode wound to a closed we got on the heavier side emotionally. Would be great for everyone to stay together, but alas it is time to start moving on. The literature club went out with a bang, their exhibit was a big success and a perfect send off for the senpai. Nukumizu and Tsukinoki’s conversation was great and I appreciate Tsukinoki being honest about knowing how Komari felt. She’s human at the end of the day, and a teenage girl so can’t fault her for how she handled things. There’s always a winner and loser.

Komari’s sunset conversation with Nukumizu was my fave part of the episode though. The hardest part is letting go of a crush that’s kept you going for so long. Sometimes things just don’t go the way you want and it’s a part of life. Doesn’t mean you need to be bitter about it and I think she took all the right things from this experience. She’s grown as a person and I know she’ll find the right person some day ❤️

#animangahive #animanga #animanga hive #anime #summer anime 2024 #anime summer 2024 #makeine #make heroine ga oosugiru!#too many losing heroines!#too many losing heroines

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algrolo · 1 month

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Hey yeah, DynastyScan enjoyers, can we fucking talk about Boyfriend Sometimes Girlfriend? Because something about this series just makes the little hamster in my brain go crazy on its little wheel.

Like, (for the unversed) the general plot is 17yo Hodoka asks out a girl in his class, Chihaya, expecting to get shot down, but they end up dating! Only Chihaya has a family curse where kissing someone turns them into a woman.

Now I know what youre thinking. "This is either going to be wildly ecchi or played for laughs the entire time." Yet shockingly, its not??? Like, the beginning chapters mostly revolve around the two of them navigating their relationship and Hodoka being incredibly emotionally empathetic and mature. Like the kid comes to the conclusion that while the curse is strange, it doesnt change the fact that he still likes Chihaya and that as long as she see him for who he is, regardless of his current gender, than whats the problem? Additionally, it must be incredibly isolating for her to keep this secret and not be able to date anyone, therefore reinforcing Hodoka's own resolve to making this relationship work for both of their sakes.

NONE OF THIS IS PLAYED AS A JOKE. IT IS ALL DONE COMPLETELY SERIOUSLY. (The seriousness to which Hodoka considers these things is the joke, in fact)

Its just. Astounding. Shocking. Every time a new chapter drops I just go "well damn. Good for them. I want to see them work out, they are doing so good."

Like this isnt a transgender allegory and Hodokas not trans he just turns into a girl and its not played for laughs or a bit or a gaff it just Is and its a narrative element that the two characters must navigate together. It blows me away every time.

Tldr: go read Boyfriend Sometimes Girlfriend

#this is yuri #PLEASE MESSAGE ME YOUR THOUGHTS #this series blows me away with each chapter

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linagram · 10 months

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mrs sanada and mrs yoshioka reveal!! wow!!

i don't think i'll show everyone's family members, friends, etc, unless they're very important to their backstories and overall plot, but these two definitely play a huge role here. i haven't written full profiles for them, but you can still read some info about them under the cut.

Mrs. Sanada's name, Miori, is written like this: 美居 and it means "beautiful, pretty" and "to stay, to be in the present". Fun fact: she shares a kanji (美) with Aimi and Naomi.

Mrs. Yoshioka's name, Chihaya, is written like this: 知早 and means "knowledge, understanding" and "early, fast".

Both women were pretty young when they gave birth to their oldest children, Miori was 25 years old when Kei was born and Chihaya was 22 years old (Mahiru, I am so sorry.) when she gave birth to Eiko.

Funnily enough (in kind of a messed up way), Kei is also 25 years old right now (26 if we're going with the T2 timeline) and when he was asked what he thinks about children in his interrogation, he said that he wouldn't be surprised to find out that he already has a kid because of his "lifestyle". Oh, just to add to that, Kei wasn't a planned pregnancy. Same goes for Eiji. There's nothing sad or scary about it though, since Miori really was okay with having kids.

I probably should've revealed this sooner, but I wasn't sure how to bring it up. Miori and her husband actually have a quite open relationship, meaning that they're married, sure, but they're free to date anybody they like. Honestly, if I had to describe their relationship, it has both platonic and sexual elements, but they don't have any romantic feelings for each other. They're just friends who find each other very attractive and wanted to live together and that's it. They're so chill about it that it's honestly kinda sweet. (And now you can also see that one of the reasons why Kei doesn't really understand how romantic love works is because his own parents don't like each other in that way) So, where am I going with this? Well, uh. Yeah, there's a possibility that Eiji and Kei are actually half-brothers, it's just that both of them got all the genes from their mother. Their parents couldn't care less about that though and even if it did turn out that Kei and Eiji's biological fathers are different, Miori's husband would still love Eiji the same way. (A very subtle difference between Eiji and Kei's designs is that Eiji doesn't have any noticeable beauty marks and he's more pale than Kei and Miori)

"Then why did Chihaya have Eiko when she was even younger?" Sadly, she had to grow up too fast 😔 Yes, that's why her name meaning is like that. And that's also why her relationship with Eiko isn't really a relationship that you would expect a mother and a daughter to have, for example, Eiko calls her "the head of the family" and says that she "respects" her, but doesn't really "love" her. Chihaya basically had no choice but to have a child at some point in her life and Eiko is a walking reminder of that, so sometimes she prefers not to even look at her own daughter.

Eiko's little brother, however, was born because Chihaya genuinely wanted to have a child that she could love, but.. In the end, she still felt nothing for him. She should've expected it, really. She doesn't even love her own husband after all.

Just like Kei said, Miori really is a toymaker and she really does love to see children's face expressions when their parents buy them the toys they wanted. Her toys, however, are popular mostly with "weird" kids and teenagers because her toys can be cute, but they have this creepy vibe that scares other children, especially very young ones, and their parents. And honestly, good for them, because literally all Sanada family members are criminals in some way. Miori's toys are totally not dangerous in any way, trust me <3 (Some of her toys have tiny hidden cameras and yes, that means she's responsible for many cases of child kidnapping. Why did she have to kidnap them? For her husband's movies, of course!)

Hm? You want to know what Eiko's parents do?.. Well, for certain reasons I still can't tell you much about it, but what I can say is that they got a new job recently. And no, they still were criminals even before that. If you want a hint.. Pretty much all main characters and side characters have never seen or heard of each other (not counting the established dynamics like Akio and Arata, Kei and Ruka, etc) since they come from different towns, cities, etc, but these two actually knew Takame when she was in her twenties and even spent some time working together.

Just a fun design note: Kei and Eiji look a lot like their mother, however, Eiko and Chihaya don't look that similar. Only when you take a closer look, you can notice that both of them have some shade of purple as their eye color and also Chihaya has a hair gradient as well, it's just that hers is a "reverse" version of Eiko's. And Sanada brothers have a very close relationship with their mother even if Eiji hates her, meanwhile Chihaya and Eiko honestly act more like coworkers.

Some information about their husbands: Kei and Eiji's father has been mentioned to be half-American and he really doesn't look that much like them. He's also younger than Miori. Meanwhile Eiko's father is older than Chihaya, has a hair color that's similar to his daughter's (though he lacks the gradient and it's a bit darker/more "dirty") and wears glasses.

Eiko's younger brother's hair color is very similar to Chihaya's, but just like his father, he doesn't have a gradient and he also got his eye color from his father.

The reason why Miori is.. like this is because YAY, HER FAMILY ALSO WAS DYSFUNCTIONAL! She had a lot of generational trauma to deal with (and is now inflicting it on her sons) and she grew up not knowing how to be a child, but also not knowing how to be an adult. She also got the "pain=love" belief from her own parents as well, except she really does love her sons and doesn't know how to show it in a more healthy way.

Eiji had to protect Kei from her because he didn't want Kei to grow up and become like her, since the older boy was already showing signs of it and Eiji wanted to show that it's wrong and begged Miori to leave his brother alone. Except Kei got jealous because he started to think Miori loves Eiji more and he still grew up to be exactly like her.

She still had some oddly cute moments with her kids. For example, she made some toys for them (no, they were completely safe) when they were little and they slept with them too (Eiji still has one hidden under his bed. Yes, he finds his mother terrifying. Yes, he still loves her). When something really bad happened to Kei in school, she took him to his favorite cafe and talked to him about it. And when Eiji got his heart broken because the girl he liked turned out to be dating someone else, she suggested that they make her the star of his dad's new movie- Ah, that one is probably more scary, but still, she cares.

#if you haven't got it yet. yes chihaya and her husband had an arranged marriage.#there is something so. heartbreaking about sanada family actually loving each other and just not knowing what “healthy” love is like #i think i'm getting better at drawing older women. probably.#it's okay guys old women yuri can fix them 😌 /j #🍓prisoner 005: sanada kei 🍓#🗡️guard 001: sanada eiji 🗡️#💎prisoner 006: yoshioka eiko💎#tagging these three bc. yeah their mothers

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the-chihayafuru-landslide · 2 years

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Charles Rambles: on Chiharata and shipping the losing ship

I’m currently working on something else but I had to break away for a bit because this train of thought was too long to include and needed a post proper. This is a topic I have always wanted to discuss but have been too scared to because people are always ready to jump you in a dark alleyway if they even hear Arata’s name mentioned in vain. Well guess what DING DONG bitch ANSWER THE FKIN DOOR because today I’m breaking my silence and talking about Chiharata.

I mean lucky for me most of the avid Chiharata shippers have died in the war and what else do I have to lose since I am already hated by quite a few in this fandom (lol). So anyways this is more of a ramble (not an essay) on why I never shipped Chiharata and the reasons why I think it would have been a lacklustre ending to Chihayafuru on the basis of the way that Chiharata was PURPOSELY written.

You should have known it was over for your when Arata did the platonic Eden no Hana goodbye handshake. I blame the flowers.

For anyone who knows me, I was an Arata hater from day 1. When I was about to watch the anime people told me I was going to like the 2ND ML (Taichi) more and be very depressed. I was like pffff yeah right we’ll see about that. Then it happened exactly the way they said it would. The moment Taichi was introduced I was like oh noooo that guy lol he’s the one. Then for the rest of Chihayafuru I laid awake in anguish as I watched Chihaya have a crush on Arata FOR NO DISCERNIBLE REASON (to me)!! I was like WHERE TF DID THIS COME FROM??

So she did want to see him but was it because of a crush or because she wanted to play him in a match? (Spoiler: it was about Karuta)

I’ll admit a little hatred began brewing for Arata (but like I didn’t hate him but I also did y’know??) and I’m going to be real, I wasn’t always fair to Arata’s character lmao. I was biased because of preconceived notions I had going into the anime. I know this, but I don’t regret it because at least it was funny:

OK NO THE SECOND TWEET I AM STILL RIGHT ARATA SHOULD HAVE DELIVERED IT HIMSELF? EVEN IF TAICHI WAS HER BF HE CAN GIVE HER HIS PHONE NUMBER WTF

Like at the start of the manga Arata was going through the traumatic loss of the person he loved the most (canon) his grandpa. And I was like HOW DARE YOU NOT TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS IMMEDIATELY?? Why was I so needlessly heartless towards him LMAO.

I mean he was purposely written as the boulder so WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO FEEL

Sometimes people tell me that Taichi was right (when they first visited him in Fukui) in pushing Arata over when he kicked the cards but Taichi really DID NOT need to do that at all idc what you say. I’m defending Arata’s big stinky dogs in this case. Taichi I still love you even when you make mistakes. Sorry this got off topic... (that’s why this is a ramble not an essay)

However, I never fully hated Arata. The problem was since I didn’t like him in the ship there wasn’t much to like him outside of that. I did like the relationship with his grandpa but it only seemed to be really relevant at the beginning of the manga and at the end. Arata’s Karuta arc was probably the messiest out of the three and it was really difficult for me to resonate with it. His arc seemed to be a prodigy not feeling bad for playing at his full strength and winning? I don’t know the jury is still out on that one (and I am simplifying it a lot for the comedy). I actively looked for people discussing Arata’s Karuta arc but I almost never found any and I’m not sure if it’s because they kept their analysis locked up behind an Arata loving paywall or because I quickly made myself known as another bitchass illiterate Taichihaya they kept me blocked and off their lawn. So I am not an authority on that but I think when I do a re-read I actually would like to try and figure it out.

What I did often read in relation to Arata was of course the romance the ship between him and Chihaya. Now, I didn’t read these analysis to piss myself (necessarily lol). I actually think to be fully critical and fair you should read the other side’s arguments if for no other reason than to rip them apart (which I could every single time lmao). However, now it make a me sad because now that Chiharata didn’t pan out nobody wants to talk about him much anymore. Taichihayas hate him and already dug his grave out back Chiharatas threw him in there started piling dirt on him. It’s ok Arata, if nobody loves you then I will. YES I HAD MY LOVING ARATA ARC…

Funny story after shipping him pettily with Sumire I flew to close to the sun b/c I wrote a 5k petty fic about him and Sumire (as a response to my ACTUAL LEAST FAVOURITE SHIP TAICHI AND SUMIRE) and then I started to like the ship and Arata… I was like oh no this isn’t a joke anymore… AND THEN I MANIFESTED MY CRACK SHIP? Crazy

Back on topic:

From what I observed through the bars of my Taichihaya cage these are some of the reasons people like Chiharata:

Arata not putting any sort of pressure on Chihaya when he confessed and respecting her boundaries (not that she ever had to explicitly set any since they barely interacted)

His earnestness

The connection they had to their childhood

Their flirting? (I mean people thought it was sweet the way they were always blushing around each other and using someone else’s words “the cautious touch” personally I found it awkward that’s why I cannot in good sense not put a question mark LMAO)

Both being Karuta Bakas and the idea that they would be clueless in their relationship because they would just hyper-fixate on their shared passion. (This was more a HC than what we actually saw considering Chihaya didn’t remember the game she played against Arata)

Right so on the surface level I don’t see anything wrong with any of these points? A lot of them I too like in theory. Especially a man who respects boundaries (side eyes at you Taichi). I don’t think shipping them because this kind of relationship appeals to you is bad even if they were not the canon ending. It’s fiction and you can do whatever you want. You can have your head canons and your fan fictions (like someone passively aggressively said to me about Taichihaya once lmao)! Please your Chiharata AO3 tag needs it there’s only 24 fics (I think)

Even I can think of moments between Arata and Chihaya that made me question my loyalty (ok there was only 1 LMAO).

Not gonna lie it’s kinda funny he picked hauled her up on his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. ARATA IS SO IMPULSIVE AND THAT’S WHY HE’S A FUNNY LIL GUY.

Why did I like this moment despite finding it a lil awkward and cringe? Because for the first time Arata kind of understood the weight that Chihaya carried and he really saw who she was - someone who works hard and wants to win more than anything. He learned more in this little moment than he ever would playing against her. It was THIS that was needed… moments outside of a Karuta match where they could dispel the illusions that they had of each other and actually get to know WHO THEY WERE IN THE PRESENT!! Both of them had changed a lot since their childhood.

That was always my criticism of Arata and Chihaya’s relationship was that they really did not know each other beyond their childhood selves. Let’s look at what I tweeted I think 12 episodes into the anime:

This tweet still makes me laugh because of the Karuta name thing cddkj I was really going through it

That is not to say you need to know someone in order to date them. You can date anyone for any reason. In fact, people seem to forget that Chihaya herself was willing to date random man from train station who had no interest in Karuta lmao.

But surely, knowing someone intimately is something required to maintain a romantic relationship? I’m hoping that is a given for everyone. That’s why I failed to understand why people would see them dating as a victory in the romance department; that they would instantly have this incredible profound, moving, and impactful relationship instead of thing that happened because Chihaya had a crush and felt like it? Or was it because they both liked Karuta and dating would be an extension of their passion for Karuta…….. uh ok sounds gr8 but they don’t need to date to play Karuta together dclksdjknsdjk

Like what did Chihaya even see in Arata as a person? The only thing that she seems to admire about him is how he plays Karuta..

That and his big hands I guess lmao. Big hands to play Karuta with.

Because I am in my Arata defender stage I actually think THAT IS A CRIME BECAUSE ARATA HAS A LOT OF GOOD TRAITS GOING FOR HIM:

He’s shy and blushy

He’s awkward but cute

His black hakama

He’s blind in an endearing way

Domestic King (thanks to the spin off chapter)

Caring to the elderly

Occasionally very sweet when he feels like

Cares DEEPLY ABOUT HIS FRIENDS

Strong arms can pick you up because of his 500 practice swings

Gives tall guy vibes despite being shorter than Taichi (he’ll always be taller to me idc)

Now unlike Arata we actually saw Chihaya’s thoughts towards Taichi:

I mean I don’t even need to point out the stark difference between them lmao. That’s not even mentioning what the boys think of Chihaya. It’s pretty evident when you put their confessions side by side.

Like for Arata the basis of his confession is him thinking back to their childhood memories and Chihaya asking him to play Karuta together forever. So no wonder he ended his confession with “let’s play Karuta together sometime” because literally that’s all he knows about her.

Which brings me to my next point of why I never shipped Chiharata and this is due to their lack of present “screen time”. Now, do not misunderstand me, lack of screen time does not stop me from shipping two characters when I think characters might actually be a good pairing. I shipped Arata and Sumire based on their one single interaction in the manga BEFORE IT WAS COOL. So trust me when I say I AM OPEN TO FILLING THE GAPS OF CANON WITH HEADCANON.

Though it immediately becomes clear at the beginning of Chihayafuru that Chihaya feels some sort of way towards Arata (a crush) however we as the reader only got like 6 chapters of childhood backstory to explain their relationship which included Arata helping Chihaya make a dream of her own and her awesome moment when she takes a card from him. What is lacking is any cute childhood blooming romance. Most of the childhood arc is spent on the trio: Chihaya, Taichi and Arata. So I always failed to understand WHY she would be crushing on this guy other than guy really good at Karuta and me likey Karuta. Literally she said the time they spent apart made him become like a God of Karuta… Like uh this your man?

Chihaya and Arata’s bond based on their shared childhood dream is meant to be contrasted to the relationship Chihaya has with Taichi. While one is confined to Chihaya’s longing to see him (Arata) THE ONE SHE HAS WITH TAICHI IS REAL TANGIBLE AND CLEARLY UNFOLDS BEFORE OUR EYES.

This is from the first 11 chapters we early Taichihaya shippers were FEASTING

From this we understand their dynamic! Did Chiharata’s ever listen to the reasons we liked Taichihaya? Well here are my reasons: it was because of their chemistry, their banter and teasing. But they are also so caring towards each and supportive and it wasn’t one sided either. They help each other become the best versions of themselves and they also have something that the other person lacks. Chihaya has a terrible memory and Taichi doesn’t have naturally gifted hearing. They are soulmates but opposites. SUN AND MOON.

Maybe all of this could have been used to develop a friendship? You know sure I’ll roll with that let’s say it was all leading to something completely platonic. Then please explain to me what would be the reason of PURPOSELY DEPICTING TAICHI AND CHIHAYA LIKE THIS?? LIKE THE PICTURES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

I purposely picked moments from Chihaya’s perspective to make a point lol

The only thing that was lacking from these interactions is the shoujo filters, sparkles and flowers almost like the point was a superficial teenage crush vs. SOMETHING WITH A BIT MORE SERIOUSNESS AND DEPTH.

I have always ascertained that Chihaya is clueless when it comes to love but I never meant that in a derogatory sense. She is a teenager who is figuring herself out IN A COMING OF AGE STORY! She has to start as a dumbass in order to grow up!! People always seemed to get it wrong and think that Chihaya was somehow very mature in her feelings when it came to Arata when she was most certainly not. Why did she leave Arata hanging for 8 months only to be reminded by Kana’s remarks about turning into sea foam (sea weed?) that she should actually respond to his confession like kdjsnakjdsnsc.

It’s fine that she had a crush on Arata though. At that age, I too had dumb ideas about love. I thought that the person I marry should be good at piano because it would be very important to be serenaded in the future. While this certainly would be nice I AM WISER that there are far more important qualities to look for in a partner.

Since Chiharata shippers have also suddenly become cognizant that Chihaya and Arata had little screen time together (and none outside of Karuta) they are calling it bad writing since it wasn’t “fair”. First of all, real relationships are not always “fair” - not everyone gets an equal chance to become a couple with someone and spend time with them? Not to mention that it wasn’t the problem that Arata didn’t live in Tokyo because LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIPS EXIST? If Chihaya and Arata wanted to they could (Taichihaya ending up long distance is almost like Suetsugu is trying to say the distance was never the problem). It was never supposed to be “fair” because thematically that’s not what Chihaya’s crush on Arata was ever about.

These girls are me being like Chihaya what on earth are you talking about.

Chihaya’s views about love at the beginning are incredibly and purposely naive and immature. The only thing that seems to matter to her in a partner is being good at Karuta. THIS IS NOT TREATED AS SOMETHING SERIOUS AND OR MEANINGFUL IT IS PURPOSELY RIDICULOUS!! Because of this being one of the only traits Chihaya looked for in a partner IT MADE HER FIRST CRUSH BE her MARRIED sensei.

On the one hand I get it Chihaya Harada is a dilf you are valid.

That’s why when Chihaya said she needed to be “worthy” to sit in front of her crush I hope every single one of the people who shipped Chiharata realized this was an arbitrary standard and really should not matter when it comes to love?

If you or someone you know had to say this line with any ounce of seriousness as a defence for your ship you may be owed financial compensation.

I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were thinking that eventually this notion would be deconstructed afterwards because damn that is very shallow and also stupid lol. It’s just very weird that so many people still thought that “feeling worthy to sit in front of him” was relevant for Chihaya to be able to confess back to Arata because…

Arata confessed independently from Chihaya feeling “worthy”

She already sat in front of him and smoked him

It definitely does help when the person that you love shares your passion absolutely but again “passion” for another (love) is not the same as “passion” for sport. They are separate and not interchangeable. That was the point.

Like I’m sorry it couldn’t get more on the nose when some NPC said this about Chihaya’s crush dcndacjkjkn.

Then of course there are the subjective reasons why I don’t think a relationship between Chihaya and Arata would be really good for them. In a lot of ways they are too similar to each other in the sense of being “clueless” Karuta bakas. That’s why so many people made a ship where Chihaya and Arata’s relationship had to be mediated by Taichi who would keep both of them in line, which, would be fine if Taichi wasn’t a miserable sod who had his heart broken. Like that was simply too much to expect from him even if he was the happily rejected party in the end… Like sorry I don’t wish that for him !! He has the self esteem of a roll of paper towel in what world would that be a good ending for him kjncjdjkn

Even in canon like Arata simply must let Chiha go to move forward (I will expand on this a later time). The love that was pushing him forward (unlike for Taichi) was actually the love he had for his grandpa.

That’s beautiful, I guess platonic love wins! Thank you, I’m collecting tips in my hat.

No but seriously there was also this holier than thou attitude that some Chiharata shippers had that they were the enlightened ones who valued the true platonic love that Taichi and Chihaya had and that people who thought it was romance were simply projecting. Taichihayas simply were not respecting Chihaya’s agency! Because YES it was so clear that Chihaya was already in love with Arata!!

Damn Kana that manipulative mastermind making Chihaya doubt her strong and passionate love for Arata!

I mean she had a crush on him, she already said she was in love with him (even though she said she didn’t understand her feelings platonic love could never apply to Arata shhh) and rejected Taichi. The thing is, it’s fiction idc what the author might have “intended”. The depth in a relationship I wanted was in the Taichihaya pairing. I never once felt guilty shipping them even though I didn’t genuinely believe in a Taichihaya ending until 246. Not because Chiharata was better written but because I am a depressed bitch. But like if Chiharata was canon I could simply write it off as being dumb and pretend away the ending while enjoying everything else. However, I was always willing to accept a Chiharata ending because at the end of the day I actually do respect the character’s “agency” to pick their partner and love doesn’t always make sense.

What would not make sense to me in the slightest is why Taichi and Chihaya would be written like that to have a more meaningful and impactful relationship than the guy who she was in love with. But then we get to subjectivity, maybe people consider their best friends to be their closest relationships and the guy is the one you date because of his large hands and supposed sexual tension. Idk to each their own.

It speaks volumes that now that Chiharata didn’t become canon people are pissed off because at the end of it they don’t even consider Chihaya and Arata to be friends? SO WAIT A MINUTE THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS ENOUGH TO SUGGEST LOVERS BUT NOT FRIENDS?? I don’t even need to say much about that.

I know some people REALLY wanted a friendship ending with Taichi maybe more than they even wanted Chiharata to happen. I get it, the idea that your friend can be crazy in love with you but then be you know what after everything we can still be friends (WHICH TAICHI FKIN DID). So if you liked that theme, why are you not satisfied with it being told through Arata? HELL SUMIRE HAD THAT EXACT STORYLINE?? YOU HATE WOMEN OR WHAT.

Is it because Arata didn’t need that much time to process getting rejected (well he did actually b/c as we always said he got soft rejected) because MAYBE HE CLUED INTO THE FACT that he was fighting a losing battle? Or is it the fact that absolutely nothing changed Chiharata’s relationship with Chihaya not reciprocating his feelings? If that’s the case, then maybe the author was trying to say that Arata’s feelings weren’t that DEEP for Chihaya. Maybe HE VALUES friendship with both Taichi and Chihaya more than to make a big scene. He has been set up to process disappointment easier than say Taichi?

LIKE LOOK:

I guess it sucks when it turns out you guys were PROJECTING as much into the story as those Taichihaya romance obsessed baboons. Everyone projects into a story. It’s actually ok ! WE ARE THE SAME IN THIS REGARD. LET’S JOIN HANDS AND UNDIG ARATA FROM HIS GRAVE PLEASEEEEEEE. To conclude my massively long rant and because I can no longer add any pictures, by the time we got to 246 without Chihaya and Arata dating it should have been fairly clear that it was not going to happen. Their relationship had barely progressed and if Chihaya would date Arata with the intention of getting to know him more OUTSIDE of Karuta... SHE’D NEED TIME FOR THAT!! It should have happened much earlier and not been dragged out to the end of the manga. (A topic I will leave for another time)

However by the time we got to the ending if Chiharata happened it would simply just be the pairing off of two characters a romance conclusion a la shonen. Chihaya would be getting a trophy and a husband for accomplishing her dream.

Instead the thesis was actually that “love” like Kaurta is something you have to work towards. It’s not always easy nor is it always “happy”. Yet it is worth it when you find the right person- you will still want to be with them “by their side” even when it’s rough.

Crazy how Taichi said this in chapter 9.

SO that pretty much wraps up my thoughts on Chiharata (for now)

This is Charles reminding you that Arata is now in his Tokyo Hottie arc!

#chihayafuru #chihayafuru manga #taichihaya #chiharata #chihayafuru spoilers #chihaya ayase #taichi mashima #arata wataya #chihayafuru thoughts #charles rambles

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getlolgetlolsong · 3 months

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Welcome!!

Thanks for stopping by!! This is my Idolm@ster series graphics/screenshot blog!! Here I'll be posting different screenshots and edits from the Idolm@ster games (and maybe sometimes other idol games? We'll see ✨)

My only rules are that I do not want interaction from lolicons/shotacons/proshippers and also just. Keep in mind that I'm an entirely f2p player (after recovering from years of a gacha addiction) so I'm just. Not going to have a LOT of cards. I don't have any of the newer paid outfits and just... Miss a lot of stuff due to not being a whale. I don't mind requests, but please don't be upset if I can't fulfill em!!

You're free to use my edits for whatever. Crediting is appreciated but not required. Just don't claim them as your own please!!!

Pls ASK for my Cinderella Producers link!! I'm weird about posting it publicly for Reasons.

More about the mod under the cut!!

You can call me Blush!! I use any pronouns, I'm 28, and I've been an Idolmaster fan... TECHNICALLY since 2009 or so when I'd listen to some of the music, but have been an active fan since 2015 when I found Deresute through Instagram!

Idols I produce!!

765: Chihaya 🐦

876: Ryo 👗

Cinderella Girls: Nono 🐿️ and Rimau ❤️‍🩹

Million Live: Matsuri 👑 and Kaori 🎹

SideM (rip): Jiro 🧪

Shiny Colors: Kaho 🧸

Gakuen: Hiro 🦉

My favorite anime series is Shiny Colors, and my favorite of the mobile games is Deresute!! Chihaya is my number one most beloved character!!

I also kin a lot of Imas characters!!

🍎Airi Totoki

💤Anzu Futaba

🐻Hinana Ichikawa

👟Mami Futami

🧬Shiki Ichinose

🎀Uzuki Shimamura

I hope we can be friends!! I'm always game for answering any questions you might have about idols as it's a huge hyperfixation of mine!!

#intro

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sycopomp · 11 months

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Barula and Pich? 👁

HELLO MY DEAR ROANOAKS, ALWAYS LOVELY TO SEE YOU IN MY INBOX <33

YES!! Barula and Pich are characters that @rainboopz and I have, in her setting of "The Sea King's Mermaid"! It's an Asian fantasy set unda da sea 🎶 and she's actually going to be publishing a website on it soon so everyone can learn more about the world and lore!! 👀

But for Bich specifically, these two have become just. two of our favorite bastards. And bastards they are-- irredeemable, absolute, bastards.

Barula is General of the North Sea, and Pich is General of the West Sea. Illicit affairs with your enemy? Oh my. It's more of an "enemies with benefits" situation going on, but they're also pretty friendly when their seas aren't actively at each other's throats (and even sometimes when they are lmAO). They swap notes on interrogation techniques, boast about victories, gossip like a pair of old grannies, and in general make themselves a pain in everyone else's asses.

Neither of the other Generals really like them-- of course Barula hates Chihaya, considering they're a shark, though their general demeanor and personality grates on his nerves as well. He did manage to take one of their teeth after an unfortunate… accident… led to Chihaya going into a blood frenzy-- which Barula was quick to put an end to, and he sure as shit never lets anyone forget that he bested a crazed shark General.

On the flip side, he doesn't mind Minseok… but he is salty that he's never bested the guy in any of their spars. He's General of the South, which Barula mostly considers a joke since all they really do is party. How the hell does a leafy seeahorse of all things, from the happy-go-lucky kingdom of all places, defeat him? General of the North, the most battle-hungry and warmongering kingdom in the seas, infamous even in his own right for being one of the most formidable warriors in the history of the four kingdoms. What the fuck!!

We haven't done as much on the Advisors of the four seas, but the North Sea Advisor, Hoaxuan, is also mine and they Do Not Get Along. But Hoaxuan doesn't get along with anyone in the North. (Wonder why...)

As you could probably tell, Barula is mine, so I can talk for him about hoouuuuurs. He's a striped dolphin with a hate-on for sharks, he's way smarter than anyone assumes from such a brute, and he shamelessly takes advantage of the privilege and authority afforded to him by his position. He worked damn fucking hard to reach the top, and like hell he isn't going to enjoy it to the absolute limit. His Emperor couldn't give less of a fuck either; Ganbold is a temperamental, stubborn, self-righteous old lung that, if anything, encourages Barula's abuses of power-- so long as it serves to strengthen the North (or at least its image). I mean, the Emperor himself doesn't seem to care much for doing shit by the book, so why the hell would Barula? (They're a hell of a pair tbh, enabling back and forth lmAO.) However, their closer relationship doesn't mean Barula is blind to Ganbold's flaws, and even he gets fed up with those divine temper tantrums. But part of his job is shutting up and obeying, and he doesn't really care about the motivations behind being sicced on someone by his Emperor, hehehe.

I have a playlist for Barula, appropriately titled "Barulastard," with such songs as "Animals (Cover)" by Living in Fiction, "Animal in Me" by Solence, "Move Your Body" by My Darkest Days, "Detonate" by Black Math, "Between Breaths" by Blaqk Audio, and "Limbo" by Freddie Dredd. It's about the vibes, man.

You can learn more about Barula on my Toyhouse: https://toyhou.se/21387196.barula

And Pich's Toyhouse is over here: https://toyhou.se/12707449.pich They have a lot of wickedsauce art by Rain, so plsplspls go check them out I'm not normal about them I love them.

(They'll both be getting updated bios for the website to keep all the TSKM bios uniform too, so look forward to that hehe.)

If you have any other questions about (or for) Barula, pls send 'em my way because he's my favorite bastard. (Or Minseok! He's also mine, tho he is not a bastard. His bio is a WIP but we just did some work on his lore recently and I'm sooooo in love with him rn.)

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historyhermann · 1 year

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BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! Spoiler-Filled Review

BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! is an anime series adapting the band MyGO!!!!!. Its the latest adaptation of Bushiroad's BanG Dream! music media franchise, also known as Bandori. Koudai Kakimoto is series director. Sanzigen animated the series.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fiftieth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on September 29, 2023.

This series has a simple premise: a girl returning from the U.K., Anon Chihaya (voiced by Rin Tateishi), returns to her homeland of Japan, and learns that everyone at her new school, Honeoka Girls Academy, are in bands. So, she tries to create one of her own, meeting avid rock collector Tomori Takamatsu (voiced by Hina Yomiya), piano player Sakiko "Saki" Togawa (voiced by Kanon Takao), and a student from a prestigious academy, Soyo Nagasaki (voiced by Mika Kohinata). However, she faces an unforeseen obstacle: Tamori, Soyo, and Taki were former band members. Guitarist Mutsumi Wakaba (voiced by Watase Yuzuki) and drummer Taki Shiina (voiced by Coco Hayashi) were CRYCHIC's other members. At first, it seems that Taki caused the previous band to split apart.

In many ways, BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! differs from BanG Dream!, which aired three seasons from 2017 to 2020, short series such as Pastel Life, CiRCLE Thanks Party!, and Morfonication, and the five films related to the franchise. More broadly, Bandori was created by Takaaki Kidani, president of Bushiroad, in January 2015, with Kō Nakamura as writer of the manga. In fact, the franchise itself compromises various manga issues and volumes, and a light novel, until September 2017, overlapping with the beginning of the anime series. Later, a game was created, and the related manga, RAiSe! The story of my music, began in February 2019.

As for this series, the CGI looks better than in previous iterations and the cast remains realistic, even with a feel which isn't like other shows centered around girl bands. It was even recommended by Anime Feminist, calling it a sweet, and enjoyable, introduction of a new group in the franchise (and girl band anime in general), and an "easy recommendation." There is much more going on than this in the series, however. While I'm not aware of every detail about the characters, the characters are relatable in many ways, to those who have been part of a band, and those who haven't.

I haven't seen a series which begins with a band breakup in the first episode, bringing with it angst and emotions. Most series centered around girl's bands follow a similar structure as the characters build-up the band through the first (and sometimes only) season. Unfortunately, BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! is a bit rocky at first. Viewers are thrown into a practice session. Saki quits the band. Taki demands to know whether this is true. Mitsumi admits that being in the band wasn't fun.

The writers, such as head writer Yuniko Ayana, do a good job of calming those rocky, chaotic beginnings. This begins by focusing on Anon. She is a young woman with long pink hair who returns from the U.K. She tries to remake herself. As a new student at Honeoka Girls Academy, she meets Tomori, who collects rocks for fun. In the process, it is easy to relate to both characters. Social interaction tires out Anon. Tomori is more introverted. Taki pushes Anon away, calling her "scum" and doesn't want to interact with anyone else. The drama, animation style, and music pull you in even more.

At first, it seems that a new band comprising Anon, Taki, and Tomori is possible, thanks to Soyo, with various meetings are RING, where Taki works. However, Anon is controlling and Soyo seems to have a hidden agenda. This doesn't get any better, even as Anon and Tomori get closer, with the revelation that her diary entries are actually songs (or at least they can be songs). One of those is Spring Sunlight, which she composed when she was part of CRYCHIC, as shown in a flashback in the third episode. The fourth episode hints at Soyo's real agenda. She claims that no one is at fault for CRYCHIC breaking apart. Later, she challenges Taki, declaring that everything will turn out the same way with this band, claiming that they never connected.

The story leads viewers to see Anon as controlling and problematic, Tomori as submissive, and Taki as more forthright. While Anon is arrogant and selfish, there is more to it. For one, emotions are high between all of them. The yuri subtext within this series, and the franchise, is clear. The feelings between Taki and Tomori are clear, with Taki having a soft spot for her, while Anon teases Taki. In addition, after Kaname Rāna (voiced by Hina Aoki) calls Tomori an "interesting woman," Taki protects her. Occasionally, during BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!, Taki blushes when talking to Tomori, when they are talking one-on-one.

Rana is one of the more interesting characters, as she only participates in the band when she feels like it. She doesn't want to get caught up in the drama between the other girls. She is extremely skilled at playing the electric guitar. Often she wows people with her skills. Anon worries about Rana outshining her. Clearly, Rana's skills go beyond Anon's meager guitar skills. As a result, Anon attempts to become competent at guitar playing, but takes shortcuts, which backfire.

It takes Taki to tell Anon the truth about her for her to open up. She confides in Tomori that Taki was right. She reveals in a date-not-date at the Sky Forest National Aquarium, with Tomori, that when she was studying abroad in England, she couldn't keep up. In a very relatable scene, Anon is excited to be in another country, but can't understand what people are saying. Since she doesn't know much English people ignore her. She is even nervous to introduce herself to the class.

After she says that her whole life she has been running away from her problems, Tomori ends up reassuring her that even if she runs into a dead end, you look for a path and try and move forward. She even admits that Anon pulls her forward. She says she wants to move forward, even if she feels lost. Ultimately, Anon and Tomari agree to perform a live concert, despite the band's lack of preparation.

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The character writing (and storytelling) of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! on another tier, with real emotions and comedy mixed together, with love triangles, with good use of the light, and dark, to symbolize the moods and thoughts of the characters. The sixth episode brings all of this to the fore. It makes clear that Anon is still a beginning guitarist. While she plays guitar, her fingers get hurt. Taki tries to compose music. But she causes fissures in part by being too hard on everyone.

Rana's character shines in later episodes, not only as the "stray cat" as some characters call her. She is the only character who distances herself from the emotional conflict between all of them. However, as shown in the sixth episode, her lack of presence causes stress on Taki (called "Ricky" by Anon), who attempts to be the leader of the band, rejecting help from anyone. Rana later helps Tomori express herself by playing the right music behind her, giving what she is saying meaning. She also calls them all "boring women" due to their arguments with each other, and takes a step back from the band.

Even so, the band puts on a stellar performance in the seventh episode, despite the fact none of them feel ready, and they have little live performance experience. Other bands, shown in the BanG Dream franchise, like Afterglow and Poppin' Party, make an appearance. Tomori's voice shines above all of them, as she believes that her songs are "screams" from her heart. Everyone is in the groove, except Soyo. She's caught up in the past. Angrily, she grumbles when the band begins playing Spring Sunlight. She snaps, almost claiming the song for herself, even though it was Tomori that composed it, not her.

The seventh episode of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! makes Soyo's motives abundantly clear: she wants the band to crash and fail, and revival of CRYCHIC. Her beliefs echo Jay Gatz/Gatsby, in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby who famously told Nick: "Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!" Just as it was a failure for Gatsby, it is also a failure for Soyo. She attempts to rope Saki back into the band. Her goal is to bring together the former band members, including Tomori and Taki. She sees Anon as someone who can further her goals. She can't accept the reality: that CRYCHIC is dead and gone.

Although Anon was controlling, Soyo is much more manipulative. She claims that she is sick and cannot go into band practice, causing the band to split apart. Later, she texts Saki repeatedly, but gets no response, since Saki blocked her. But Soyo won't stop. She even strong-arms Mutsumi into meeting Saki. This doesn't go as she expects. In a heated discussion, Saki calls out Soyo for being selfish and tells her to forget the past. She tops this off, with a bold declaration: "CRYCHIC has been destroyed. It will never be revived." Unsurprisingly, Soyo begs and pleads Saki to reconsider, even after Saki tells her to leave her alone. This leads to the clincher: "you only really think of yourself, don't you?" This completely destroys Soyo.

Saki feels that she told Soyo the cold, hard truth, while Mutsumi stands there, unsure what to do. The story's construction makes you somewhat sympathize with Soyo. This is despite the fact she is a jerk, just like Saki. However, there is more going on. The ninth episode of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!! makes this clear. In a flashback, the origin of Soyo's depression is shown. She moved around a lot as a kid and her mother doesn't come around much. These memories are bathed in a warm light. They include remembrances CRYCHIC's formation and its breakup, and playing a bass. Soyo comes to realize that Saki's words about her were right.

Soyo's actions don't only affect her: they impact her fellow band members. As noted earlier, her actions cause the band to splinter, with Tomori blaming herself for everything that's happening. Soyo actively ignores Tomori and Anon, who only want to talk to her. Taki even confronts her. Soyo defends herself by claiming she told lies to keep the band together. Despite the fact that Soyo, who seems to imply, almost in a homophobic way, that Taki is nothing without Tomari, she restrains herself from punching her. After the new bassist (and classmate of Taki), Umiri Yahato, leaves, Taki makes matters worse: she explains what Soyo told her. As a result, Anon declares that they don't "need her. Tari is unsure what to do as Tomori bawls her eyes out, with Tomori questioning whether she wants to be in a band.

All of this comes down to teenage angst, either between Tari and Soyo, or more generally. Some fans were right to say, after this episode, that Soyo is the jerk. Taki, Soyo, and Anon, at minimum, are horrible. Tomori isn't, nor is Rana. The characters in this series go beyond the bad/good binary and are more complex than they seem on the surface. Surely, this could have been shown in more episodes, but the thirteen episodes of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! didn't seem rushed. They perfectly show the angst the characters went through, making them relatable. All of them have clear (and understandable) goals and motivations.

Otherwise, Tomori's astronomy club could be called an "autism club." This, however, only scratches the surface. Tomori doesn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past, as she did with her previous band. Taki is one of her only friends. In the third episode, Tomori composes a song about her social isolation. While she tried to fit in, she felt alone even when she was with other people. Tomori is not unique in feeling this way. Consider the protagonist Bocchi in Bocchi the Rock! who occasionally has anxiety attacks, or other protagonists such as Shoko Komi (in Komi Can't Communicate), Rina Tennoji (in Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club), Bocchi Hitori (in Hitori Bocchi no Marumaru Seikatsu), and Sasaki (in Azumanga Daioh).

By the tenth episode of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!, it seemed that the band won't get back together: the members had split and are doing their own things. Tomori is determined to reunite the band. Soyo pushes back and asks about Soyo. One person helps her, playing background music to match her feelings: Rana. She calls Tomori an "interesting girl," helping give Tomori's spoken word poems/songs meaning. Tomori is successful in getting Tari to play drums, and Soyo and Anon to play guitar. The latter is possible after Soyo and Anon talk. Anon hears what Soyo has to say. Both realize they are lost. The episode ends with Tomori, Rana, Tari, and Soyo playing a rock song together. It is about how the band was blasted apart into nothing. All of them (apart from Rana) begin crying, with their memories flooding back.

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While, Tomori is the only "normal" person, Rana goes above the fray of the emotional conflicts. She becomes a bigger part of the band by the eleventh episode. Soyo is partially redeemed, after she admits she used all of them, but stays with them regardless. Tomori leads the band forward, pushing them to do public performances. Taki remains stubborn, not wanting to perform. Despite continued conflicts, the friendship between them grows. Even Soyo and Tari become friends-of-sorts. Most significantly, Anon comes up with their new band name: Maigo, meaning "lost girls." This later becomes "It's My Go!," hence the title of this anime.

There is one interesting connection to the previous BanG Dream series in BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!: Rana's grandmother, Shifune Tsuzuki, ran the club SPACE!. It connects the two series together, making clear they are in the same world. It also makes the crossovers-of-sorts of characters within the BanG Dream franchise smooth and without much explanation. There isn't a need for a direct confirmation of this. Take for example the Season Two opening of Milo Murphy's Law, "The Phineas and Ferb Effect." That episode indicated that characters from Phineas and Ferb would crossover into that series. In this series, such confirmation would be unnecessary.

The tension between the characters fades away as they bear their emotions on stage in a performance which compromises most of the twelfth episode. Tomori sings her heart out about finding herself and loss. She ends up embarrassing Taki when introducing everyone. Then, she explains what each of them means to her. To her, being lost is fine. Powerfully, Tomori sings about feeling scared, hurt, self-righteousness, moving forward, and not hiding anything.

This heavily music-centered episode is the last one which centers on this band. At the episode's end, Soyo pushes away Mutsumi. She doesn't want to see her again. At the same time, Saki recruits Mutsumi and Yutenji Nyamu (voiced by Akane Yonezawa) into the new band she is forming. This is reinforced by the final episode. Soyo, Tomori, Tari, Rana, and Anon meet in RING for their band. Anon and Tomori meet Uika Sumika (voiced by Rico Sasaki) outside a planetarium. Soyo realizes she's self-centered. None of these interactions are the central focus. Instead the story focuses on Saki's new band: Ave Mujica.

This band is led by Saki, who demands that they hide their real / true identities by wearing masks. Their debut concert begins like a play. Each wears mask which hide most or only part of their face. They begin with introductions and give themselves code names of sorts. The song they play has horror vibes and has images which connect to the Moon. To make matters worse, Saki doesn't even have an after-party with them. She returns home to her alcoholic father, who she calls "rotten."

If it wasn't apparent enough from the final episode, the story of Soyo, Tomori, Tari, Rana, and Anon will be in the background in another series. Instead, the story will center on Ave Mujica now, even though Saki is terrible. The sequel is entitled BanG Dream! Ave Mujica. Whether the song played in the final episode of BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! is weak, not fully there with a metal / hard rock vibe, gothic metal, or pretentious, it is clearly meant to close one chapter and open another.

Personally, after watching all thirteen episodes, I'm not very sympathetic to Saki. More likely than not, BanG Dream! Ave Mujica will center on trying to make Saki sympathetic, just as the writers did, particularly, with Soyo and Anon in this series. Some may dislike this series because of the angst, or argue it was not as strong as D4DJ. However, the difference is that D4DJ, from what I remember, didn't have angst at any level comparable to this series.

BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! is more than the adaptation of a five-member band. It is similar to previous parts of the BanG Dream! franchise, either the three-season BanG Dream!, which aired from 2017 to 2020, the chibi BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico series, Morfonication, the five films, and other parts of this expansive franchise. It has a tone which is very soft, comforting, and with drama, but is not over the top. It is hard to say that it integrates "canonical queerness and themes of gender identity" like D4DJ, as some described it. Nor does it focus on the reality of being a young caregiver like BanG Dream!.

While I can't be sure whether this series has similar vibes to Uma Musume Pretty Derby, as some have asserted, it shares no similarities with other music-themed series. The "delightful" Carole & Tuesday strangely has all of its songs sung in English and has themes centered around race, gender, and environment, which garnered its some criticism. Then there's the mix of healing and music depicted in Healer Girl, the slice-of-life feel of K-On, and the series within the Love Live! idol music franchise. Adding to this is the combination of fantasy and idol music in Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror, which is, itself, a spinoff from the aforementioned franchise, which recently ended. This doesn't even account for the many other music series.

Personally, I wish that BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! could have focused on Anon, Tomori, Rana, Tari, and Soyo for another season instead of pivoting to an entirely different band. In that way, the series isn't as strong as it could be. However, it still goes to extremes, with peaks and depressing valleys. It is more ambitious than any other BanG Dream! series and features Tomori, a neurodivergent-coded character. All of this interlinks with melodrama. The visuals also keep pace with the narrative tone, which has clear awkwardness. At the same time, the series' abrupt conclusion could be purposeful.

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The voice actors are all very talented. For instance, Coco Hayashi is known for voicing Mirai Momoyama in the idolish Kiratto Pri☆Chan, Setsuna Yūki in an OAV entitled Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Next Sky, and Ikuko Kamiyashiki in Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star. She voiced characters in Bocchi the Rock!, High-Rise Invasion, Luminous Witches, and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai as well. Hina Aoki voiced characters in series such as The Great Cleric and Cardfight!! Vanguard will+Dress. Hina Yomiya prominently voiced Anna Yamada in The Dangers in My Heart and Lainie Cyan in The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady. She will voice protagonist Honami Konohoshi in Stardust Telepath, which premieres in early October.

Other voice actors, Mika Kohinata, Rin Tateishi, Akane Yonezawa, Hazuki Tanda, Kanon Takao, Mei Okada, Rico Sasaki, and Yuzuki Watase specifically, are just as talented. Although Kohinata, Tateishi, and Yonezawa, are new to voice work, their talent shines through in this series as Soyo, Anon, and Yutenji. In contrast, Tanda prominently voiced Miyū Sakurada across the D4DJ franchise. In addition, Okada voiced Marika Mizushima and Watse voiced Miiko Takeshita in the same series. Those voice roles could explain why they voiced characters in this series.

Takao also had many voice roles. This included characters in Asteroid in Love, Bibliophile Princess, Edens Zero (Hermit Mio), and Management of a Novice Alchemist (Sarasa Feed). Additionally, Sasaki voiced Poporon in Dropkick on My Devil!, Ayoko Yamada in Kageki Shoujo!!, and Chisa Sasuga in Stella of the Theater.

The BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! director, Koudai Kakimoto, is known, in part, for his work as an episode director and storyboard director on many other iterations of the BanG Dream franchise. He was an episode director on Library War and Le Chevalier d'Eeon, and storyboarder on A Lull in the Sea, to name a few. The series writer, Yuniko Ayana, in contrast, has written on many series, including series composition throughout the BanG Dream! franchise. She wrote episodes of D4DJ First Mix, Flip Flappers, Given, Kinmoza Kiniro + Mosaic, and Sweet Blue Flowers. Considering that some of these series have yuri subcontext, or even yaoi themes (in the case of Given), that undoubtedly influenced how this series played out. After all, Ayana is a go-to person "for yuri content."

The animation studio for this series, Sanzigen, previously produced seasons 2 and 3 of BanG Dream! (and other parts of the franchise) and D4DJ, provided key animation for I want to eat your pancreas, photography for Little Witch Academia, 3D graphics for Wandering Son, and 3D layout for Yuri Is My Job!. The company has worked on many other series beyond this small grouping.

Despite the fact that there is a lot of angst, emotions flaring, and drama, and the series abruptly ends, BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! stands strongly on its own, unlike other anime centered on girls' bands. That, combined with the focus on the music process, makes the series shine above others which have aired this year, even if series airing later this year are just as strong.

BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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