#shougeki-no-stories

[sybilius]

Sunday MaruKEN 2: Jr. Heavyweight Rivalry, Early HW (2006-2010)

2004.11.13 - KENTA vs. Marufuji, "Shougeki 7 Match Series" 7th Match

2006.1.22- KENTA vs. Marufuji GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship Match

2006.10.29- KENTA vs. Marufuji GHC Heavyweight Championship Match (**TOP REC**)

Free links provided, you might be able to dig up a better quality recording with a WrestleUniverse subscription! My notes on the matches (not spoiler free) under the cut! (what’s this?)

*

Match 1 Notes

This match was among the set of 7 “Trials” that Kenta did to prove himself in the Jr. division of NOAH. It made me want to watch the whole Shougeki match series!  I feel like this is the match out of the three with the most bizarre and creative spots (see: the incredibly memorable and silly upside down spot in the screenshot).

Match 2 Notes

I really enjoyed the way this feud summary  (https://prowrestlingpost.com/kenta-naomichi-marufuji-one-of-noahs-storied-rivalries/ )  talks about this match-- one in which Kenta and Maru start as still tentatively friends from their tag match era, and end as undisputedly rivals. There were a ton of fucking bonkers off the wall spots and near falls in this match. I actually watched having forgotten the outcome from the cagematch lookups and wow did they have me on the edge of my seat.

Match 3 Notes

HEAVYWEIGHT MATCH!! This was the first Marufuji match I’ve seen and the first MaruKEN match for me so it has a special place in my heart. It is absolutely fucking non stop-- the gloves are off, both guys are play to win and any hint of affection from their tagging era has been long since shucked off. If you watch one match, make it this one -- they’re at full power and they’re just soooo compelling.

Summary/Overall Notes on the Singles Run and Transition

I spaced out my watching of a few of these and I recommend doing the same! Singles matches of this caliber and narrative clout in NOAH are marathons-- frequently I wondered How On Earth these two guys were still going at it so hard after all they’d done, my god.

This explainer (https://prowrestlingpost.com/kenta-naomichi-marufuji-one-of-noahs-storied-rivalries/ ) talked a lot about how, more than anyone else, Kenta and Marufuji brought the Pro Wrestling NOAH Jr Heavyweight division out of the shadows in a time where the Heavyweights were really being pushed. I think it’s worth highlighting the inter-promotional history in this post: Kenta and Marufuji both started as proteges under AJPW’s four pillars -- Kenta being Kenta Kobashi’s student, and Marufuji being aligned with Misawa. So with Misawa being the one to walk away and found NOAH-- it’s easy to see (narratively) how Kenta becomes a bit overshadowed by Marufuji “Genius of the Ark” and decides he’s better off trying to take him down >:3

[ashitomarisu]

As the summer begins to wind down, I want to share a few non-spoiler things about my experience reliving Digimon's "AiM era" (which covers Adventure, Adventure 02, and Tamers).

(Note: I will not go in-depth because I have a couple followers actively watching this franchise so let's cut to the chase.)

June

Adventure had the least impact on me since I knew most of the story and background already from watching the dub during my childhood. Although, that did not affect my enjoyment in the slightest as the moments between seeing Mimi and [my boi] Gomamon still hit the feels as it did the first time.

(He is best digimon; don't @ me).

[Side note: I did start to let Gabumon slide as second best, since I do remember loving him as a kid for looking LIKE a doglike creature, and MetalGarurumon is still one of the coolest Ultimate forms at that point.]

As for the music? Of course, Butter-fly was a huge nostalgic punch (for the first week), but then it got old (in a weird way). BRAVEHEART still kicks ass though. In terms of the ED, hearing "I Wish" and "Keep on" felt nice to revisit AiM (Ai Maeda) early in her career trying to perfect those vocals (more on that later).

=Let's fast-forward to 02.=

July

(Is "currencist" a good adjective to describe a noob who refuses to accept anything but dollars? )

This is the season I watched over and over again in reruns and still cannot get over it. It ties in with the original 8 as a continuation, but is HEAVILY driven with spoilers. With that, the only change I notice is the fact I finally paid attention more to the ending, which I failed to understand for the last two instances I watched this.

All I can say is "what a literal dark turn".

Nevertheless, the music was a memorable portion of this season. Target ~Akai Shougeki~ is my personal favorite OP with Kouji Wada putting a lot of effort into the song. Miyazaki returns with BRAVEHEART but also Break Up!, a huge double-header of hits to my ears. "Ashita wa Atashi no Kaze ga Fuku" by AiM, on the other hand, is AiM at her literal rise. Her vocals improved so much throughout the ED, and has become my favorite ED overall as of recently. All three singers brought their A-game for this sequel.

Oh, and one more thing: THE NEW TRIO. I can't choose who gets my heart I guess.

August

(I LOST COUNT OVER HOW MANY TIMES THIS BASTARD KEEPS SAYING "MOUMANTAI").

All crossover ideas aside, it was a pleasure [and a pain] to rewatch this spinoff. Supposedly, I had to remember this season was directed by someone who worked on Evangelion; thus, the darker vibe lurking over the usual Digimon traits. Despite the oncoming fear factor ranging from [this spoiler] to [that spoiler], the season still left a massive scar on my psyche. As for the main characters, Ruki and Renamon are still my guilty duo. I still get pumped up looking at Kyubimon every time it appears on screen.

The music this season is decent, although...

[Side note: Once upon a time, I actually considered Days~Aijou to Nichijou~ to be my favorite ED from AiM. However, upon discovering the English translation...]

(I've been living a lie for 8 years).

-----

Overall, this has been an insane, memorable trip back in time for me. Unfortunately, fall is approaching and I must move on from this nostalgic phase.

------

With the "Digital Summer" over, let's get into what is in store for September. Luckily, I have already lined up something (good, I suppose). The only catch? WE HAVE TO GO BACK ABOUT 13 YEARS.

IT'S TIME TO GO BACK TO THE 80s!!!

Now, if I can remember which button it is to reveal the hint...*brb; pushing buttons*

Okay! Here is the hint:

(If I did an audio hint, it would be a dead giveaway).

Until then, here's hoping your buddy doesn't have a bonk stick nearby.

[shoukugeki-no-stories]

Yo!

So I have just been rewatching the Food Wars series for like, the 10th time and I decided I wanted to make an imagines blog! Feel free to ask me to write something up, I literally love this story so so much ❤️ Just before you do, please look over my guidelines and rules for asks: I WILL NOT WRITE: •NSFW/BDSM •Self harm •Depression/harmful thoughts I WILL WRITE: •Anything else! I'm open for headcanons, scenarios, and imagine requests *Note* I am not caught up in the manga, I only am at where season two of the anime left off so PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN SPOILERS OR NEW CHARACTERS. I won't know who/what they are. Anyways, I'm looking forward to writing and I hope you like it!! -Admin Yuki

[snknews]

Shingeki no Kyojin: The Final Season Ending Theme - “Shougeki”/”衝撃” (Shock) by Ando Yuko (Full Version)

Today’s SnK Season 4 premiere has debuted the new season’s ending theme, “衝撃”/”Shougeki” by Ando Yuko!

Update: The English translation of the lyrics are now available via the above video’s captions! Transcribed below:

I blinked a second ago..

The world I left behind

If you have a chance, just do it

Tell me!

I saw countless birds burning their feathers

I saw the sprinkle ashes and it made me laugh comfortably

Just make it disappear!

Show me the proof that I was here

Even if our bones turn into sand and disappear

I can hear the voices of our friends who were swallowed and I stepped on

That's the reason why I can't finish it

(If you run away in the spiral) Just push our back!

(He rises and I fall) Just push our back!

The moonlight that fills the pillars with light illuminates this faint memory. Just push our back!

Let's look for it

Let's be together in this story

The leading voice is like a mishearing

It's like a floating sea

This is because this is the story you started!

I saw countless birds burning their feathers

I saw the sprinkle ashes and it made me laugh comfortably

Just make it disappear!

Show me the proof that I was here

Our bones will turn into sand anyways..

I'm alive but I will disappear!

Our bones will turn into sand anyways..

I'm going to hear you until the end!

The full visuals of the ED were not revealed in today’s premiere episode, but should be shown in full next week.

Update (December 13th, 2020): Pony Canyon has uploaded the full TV-size ED sequence!

Related: Music || Season 4 || Videos: Other

[dangerouscommiesubversive]

We have finished Shougeki Gouraigan! And man. *insert jpeg of a heavily greebled Amemiya horse staring out at the ocean* It is. It is a show! It is a show that I very much loved, but not one that I think I would recommend to most people. It is both extremely Inoue and extremely Amemiya, and I mean that in the most way possible.

The designs are excellent, and by excellent I mean they're goddamn wild. There are lots of teeth and eyes and big dramatic armor with tons of intricate details and mystical sigils and a little Tinkerbell lady with her boobs out. There's a really fun, engaging young woman as the point-of-view character, which is one of those things Amemiya is shockingly really great with. There are frequent metafictional jokes about the process of writing and filming a television show, another one of his strong points.

The story revisits a lot of things that Inoue's written about in the past to good effect, like love triangles and miscommunication and the responsibility of humanity to fight God. Yamamoto Shouma is there. Mr. Wakamatsu Black Condor is frequently in nothing but his underwear. There's heated drama between men.

It's also, like...really sexist. Eye-rollingly sexist. The cute protag girl, Hitomi, is fantastic, but at the unfortunate expense of every other woman being some kind of weird caricature or other. It also doesn't make much sense most of the time, but that's fine really, it's about spectacle, except when the nonsense starts intersecting with the lady problems. It is a show made by two men who really enjoy looking at naked women but do not necessarily think much of those women otherwise. I loved it, but that's a me problem.

So: Shougeki Gouraigan! I do not recommend it! But affectionately, you understand.

[zafedda]

Toshiki Inoue Interview about Shougeki Gouraigan and an overview of his writing process

This interview was published in the booklet with the first BD set of the series Interviewer: Please tell us how you became the main writer of "Shougeki Gouraigan!!"

Inoue: I got a call from Amemiya saying "It's been a long time, let's work" and I said "Ah, got it". Actually when we met, for the first step we started with approaching the setting of "Light vassal" and "Shadow vassal". Broadly I wanted to make something like a comedy but he wouldn’t listen to me.

Interviewer: Then director Amemiya wrote on his personal blog that Gouraigan would have aim to be a "strange thing"

Inoue: Maybe he was already tired with the same old stuff. (LAUGH) Even for action, he's not even using stuff like wires in town, because he portrays actions in an odd dimension. So he had in mind in the first place some kind of battlefield for actions. After that, to evoke that feeling of "strange thing" , the costumes (TN: the proper term used for costumes is kigurumi which means something like "cartoony costumes") interact in a contest of ordinary life, right? That's the main ingredient, it's not the costumes doing laundry. It's the gap related to daily life that's funny. I think that we moved in order to make that the core of the comedy.

Interviewer: There must have been several meetings, right?

Inoue: We sure had a lot of them, before putting hands in the scenario in order to decide the direction of the show.

Interviewer: That includes director Amemiya?

Inoue: Of course, but it’s like even he couldn’t figure out what to make out of this program? (LAUGH) It’s not a matter to just depend on his ideas, but i wonder how much time it would have taken to reach a common ground. It’s like we committed to pull it through, in the beginning. But, in the middle everyone gave up! It’s that sort of a show (LAUGH)

Interviewer: Considering it’s a comedy, everyone will have a different approach to it, and sure it will be hard to make them grasp this to those who want to watch it.

Inoue: Even if there was the concept of the gap made by the suits interacting in an ordinary life it didn’t pass so well I think. I even tried to convey it from the start in the script. Aaaaaah, why did it happen? I couldn’t make it pass. Not even once in that program. It’s not that a good point? When it comes to making the suits ridiculous you make them ridiculous. Usually everyone looks forward to the transformation, it elevates the coolness of the suits, but this product prefers to degrade this. That sure is new (LAUGH). It's Amemiya's idea. Rather than consecrating the suits you make them look uncool as they are. That’s the kind of treat they get.

Interviewer: In tokusatsu there’s a certain depiction of transformations' scenes

Inoue: In that way we turned around that conception

Interviewer: Depicting the suits in an ordinary life it sure makes harder the problem of giving the action scenes a peculiar flavor this time

Inoue: Isn’t this the cause of the battles in those odd dimensions? With stuff like the sophisticated mandala and that game feel in it, i think their purpose is to make the mind go “AAAAH”

Interviewer: Since they’re usually under human form, they really can return into the Light vassal form at any time, right?

Inoue: The human is a disguise, or rather that’s the point of view of the Light vassal, but what about the situation where “These humans are illusions” under their human eyes? It would be easy to accept such a situation. Maybe once they turn into humans even the point of view should be human. That is, their appearance is disguised by some kind of light that affects the human eyes, could it be? Because Light vassal (LAUGHS). Anyway that’s a directional matter, that’s why in the script I omitted the hints that indicate the human parts and Light vassal parts. So when you read the script I think it doesn’t turn out to be interesting. When it comes to watching it on screen though I find it very interesting.

Interviewer: I got the impression that the writing style differed from your previous works, were there any critical parts?

Inoue: It might be close to Changerion a little. I wrote it a long time ago but it’s still my reference point as a comedy. Sometimes I’m prone to write them. That’s why I didn’t find particular challenges concerning this product. Since the opportunity showed up again, I want to write comedies whenever there’s a chance

Interviewer: What comes to your mind when you write your ideal comedy?

Inoue: It’s true that Comedies are hard. You can’t make them pass as a low product, but it's no good to treat them as something intellectual. That’s why it’s important to have a lot of ideas. Then the dialogues. Situational dialogues are the bread and butter of comedy.

Interviewer: Any favourite part?

Inoue: In the first episode when Homeless Yamashita said something like “When life gets you a hangover, drinking will sober you up”, when I watched it on TV I thought it was a good line (LAUGH). Many good lines kept coming to my mind, That’s why I didn’t worry too much about it.

Interviewer: So there’s the impression that this work went according to your expectations, right?

Inoue: You can say it. Well, there’s a direction that makes everyone proceed according to expectations, it went mostly like this. But when it comes to shooting it the reactions were really perplexed. It mostly went according to the script but people were “What did you make us shoot!”. It’s just that in this kind of program people who disagree are really picky. I think there were a lot of unagreeable people.

Interviewer: As if they didn’t know what they wanted.

Inoue: Yeah. So it’s not a matter whether this program is good or bad. It’s more like a matter of if you can accept it for what it is. As a matter of course this program would get complaints.

Interviewer: There are people who also demanded to make it more serious right?

Inoue: A lot. It’s really a program that neglects that kind of person. There are also a lot of people who can’t understand where the fun is.

Interviewer: With its late night slot broadcasting, did you have in mind an adult audience?

Inoue: It came up something like that during the planning meetings, the scene of Hitomi making a bath would have certainly been accepted. But with tacit consent, I went to write scenes with sexual appeal as I wished, even Amemiya was left alone when filming in this regard.

Interviewer: The Navi outlook was really something

Inoue: I was surprised too (LAUGH)

Interviewer: When it came to broadcasting, any impression that striked you?

Inoue: The first episode is still sane (LAUGH). It may be a bit hard to understand it though. With stuff like human form and light vessel form, the point of view gradually changes. But watching it with the young staff they said “That’s not true, viewers can keep up this far”. But I got nothing that made me think of that, what about it?

Interviewer: The goal of the story, or how should i put it, it started with no explanation at all of the circumstances, I was surprised.

Inoue: That’s why the point of the drama has become whether they can keep up or not.

Interviewer: At the start of the first episode, the meta narration of Hitomi got me surprised

Inoue: That was an important device, it’s thanks to this that the events were easy to follow yet. We sorted out her feelings by placing her point of view on matters. If it wasn’t for that the scenario would have been all over the place I think. This program is all about Hitomi, or rather she’s really the main pivot. The first episode flows through the scenes involving Hitomi, in these scenes it also became a proclamation of intents that this program is meant to be funny. The gist of it, this product could be seen easily as the story of Hitomi’s personal growth.

Interviewer: On the screen even the supporters made an appearance (N.T: I made supporters = 黒子-> Kuroko are usually black guys on the background in theatre that put on scene any kind of theatrical postures, for example in the Ran episode whenever she transforms artificial butterflies pop up with the black dressed supporters or when Sailor gamer transforms the same dressed supporter lady pops up to undress her to change her clothes)

Inoue: That’s a directional matter, same with the Hitomi narration, i think it was established to give a certain touch to the product

Interviewer: Were there any solid directions from Amemiya about the development of the story of the characters and their backgrounds and the like, right?

Inoue: There were some regarding the characters like “The path is clear!” It's not a line that I put, Amemiya wanted it! It’s like a line that fits a character that confronts the sea shouting at it. Eventually, other characters' backgrounds were picked for me

Interviewer: Besides Gou were there any rough spots with other characters?

Inoue: More or less I developed the characters as they were talking to each other. But in the end many things came up when I was in the process of writing which I gave life to it. That’s why there weren’t any characters that were particularly hard to write (LAUGH). It went all smoothly. The most troublesome aspect was the Light Vessels’ lifestyles. That’s where the comedy parts are, it was hard to make them whatever in a riciclation shop or rather it was troublesome to think about it. Sexual scenes with suits floated in my head but when it came to writing them I didn't find them funny. Making some kind of osè skits when they were humans felt wrong yet. It’s precisely because they were designed for the suits that it can be said that the scenes were funny. Comedy and skits are separate matters.

Interviewer: Is there a favourite character?

Inoue: Hitomi was the most fun to write. With her rakugo mania, her aloofness, like a guy who’s fine with shutting himself off. In this environment Gou and the others brought her chaos. Hitomi’s absenceness of mind or rather her dull emotions was a really important factor. Then there’s Jin. it makes sense that he gives off a feeling of  being out of place. And it makes sense too that Gou is a straightforward character. it’s stupid eh, just stupid (LAUGH).

Interviewer: Kinda all the Light Vessels are… (LAUGH)

Inoue: That’s true, everyone’s stupid. Sure no one is smart (LAUGH). But because they went to Earth there’s a sort of a gap. You can also say that when they arrived on Earth they got exposed to a lot of new stuff so they get more and more dense.

Interviewer: Originally the characters should have been passionate and wise right?

Inoue: It wasn’t thought of what kind of characters would have inhabited the Spirit World. Just, more or less they commited sins, so I had to put something to fit the occasion in everyone and putting something that would have made them not detached from the world would have been a little wrong.

Interviewer: Isn’t the character of the old lady really appealing?

Inoue: when the Light Vessels got all assembled, I thought that she would get too bothersome. Since depicting her like a young wife or in search of specific attention would have come out wrong in the moment. (LAUGH) There are Shou and also Hitomi, so the atmosphere would have changed up too much in the end. That’s why placing her as a perfect nanny was no good.

Interviewer: Inoue, did you have to go personally to the filming location to make instructions directly?

Inoue: I went just once but it wasn’t for this case at all. I couldn’t be there that much when they planned for the shooting periods, but the shop set was amazing, I was surprised.

Interviewer: You had to go to have a talk with the actors, right?

Inoue: Whenever I went it was mostly for that. Even if this is the case,  I had the occasion to meet them in this regard once.

Interviewer: How did everyone get along?.

Inoue: It was full of youthness. It was full of spirit and they were good young lads.

Interviewer: If there were some stories behind this program please tell us!

Inoue: When the program was about to start the broadcast I went to drink with the staff, I was scolded to have drunk a very expensive wine (LAUGH). At the time everyone was fixed with the program and the feeling was great. It was fun to have a drink together. The directors were all zealous guys, so I think they had inside their head the purpose of this comedy. So we talked about various things. There was an episode like that.

Interviewer: From episode 1 to 4 please tell us what to look forward to.

Inoue: Gou starts the searching of the Dark Vessels alone but eventually he will make friends. Each character's introductions are surely interesting. There’s this sort of feeling that I like that gets you excited as the episodes go that it’s like “What kind of character will show up next?”. The exchanges with the leading actors and new characters are funny too. Please look forward to that.

[weebviews]

Weebviews: Attack on Titan The Final Season (Shingeki no Kyojin Season 4)

Aired: Dec 7, 2020 to Mar 29, 2021

Episodes: 16

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Military, Mystery, Super Power, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen

Studios: MAPPA

Licensors: Funimation

--

HOLY CRAP THIS SEASON.

I have been following SNK and its manga since the first season ended in 2013, and I was so pumped for this season to come out. Let me tell you, Mappa did GODS WORK. If you didn’t like this season for its animation, then IDK what to tell you buddy cause Mappa did it PAGE FOR PAGE.

The voice acting in this was so phenomenal, and the change of scenery we got in the beginning was a really nice change. I am absolutely satisfied with this, and with Mappa.

The story was EXACTLY how it was in the manga. I know we love Wit for beginning this series, but the little changes they made in the first seasons never sat right with me. I’m so excited to watch the second part, and I hope everyone is as well.

With the end of the manga happening today, I want to thank Hajime Isayama for crushing my hopes and dreams, and giving me something to look forward to every month. You may be the true SNK antagonist, but you played it well, and I would give anything to erase my memories and reread/watch this series. Thank you Isayama for the years and the tears, you truly are an amazing mangaka.

-----

MAL RATING: 9.08/10

PER: 10/10

----

OPENING:  ‘ Boku no Sensou " by Shinsei Kamattechan

ENDING:  "Shougeki" by Yuuko Andou

[lonely-night]

is there an explanation why these two days I keep listening to old anime songs that I heard during my childhood time???? I mean I don't even remember much about the anime, each anime I've only watched few episodes not all of it but songs still stuck in my head and gosh the feelings the rush through me once again the moment I listen to them at this moment. I just love it, old japanese anime songs makes people feels hopeful and the beat is really catchy.

here's the anime I watched when I was a kid:

1. Pokémon - the 90s version, I guess it's the original? Love the OP Mezase Pokémon Masutā

2. Digimon 01 and 02 - I think I watched 02 mostly at the time. Love both OPs (01 Butterfly, 02 Target ~ Akai Shougeki~) and the revolution song (01 Brave Heart, 02 Break up) got goosebumps every time

3. Dragon Ball - zero memory of the story except for the song Dan Dan Kokoro Hikareteku, I LOVE IT

I think I might be going through some crisis here I just don't know what and it makes me seek comfort from my childhood memories

instead of sleeping I'm writing this post at 1:37am, if this doesn't ring any alarms :D

ps: I watched the dubbed version (cantonese) but the songs are original (japanese) not sure why but uh that's the VCD I got at the time??? lol

[fourangers]

Female characters in shounens

I'm seeing a Sakura gif set with her being badass and people are claiming how she was a character wasted. And while I agree with this notion, I can't shake the feeling that Shounen is still long ways to improve in this regard. No matter how developed are the female characters, they will never have an equal footing with the male characters, with (very rare) exceptions when the main character is a female and/or is written by a female mangaka.

Here's the list of shounen mangas I've read:

- Saint Seiya: female "main" character is a goddess which just inspires the male characters to fight. She has one glorious fight moment but it's just at the end of the story.

- Yuu Yuu Hakusho: female "main" character also is just a trophy to inspire the main character and although their chemistry was good, she was mostly pushed aside. In the last arc they finally put a strong female character, but she wasn't shown much.

- DragonBall: female side character is strictly for comedic purposes and/or inspire character (Vegetta) for good. Shown every once in a decade.

- Hikaru no Go: 2 female side characters. Yawn.

- Katekyo Hitman Reborn: female characters are trophies and their sole existence is the fact that they are good housewives. Only one female character fights and have character development but that's in a veeeeeery loose sense.

- Full Metal Alchemist: FINALLY. Good female characters, complex, well-written with their own ambitions that has nothing to do with the male characters. But it's written by a female mangaka.

- Ranma 1/2: Main female characters that...yeah, it's inspired for the main character to fight but at least she has some agency? Eh, idk.

- Inu Yasha: Main female character but she doesn't have many moments to shine, which is really a pity. She's mostly in the middle of a romantic triangle squabble with another female character that is shown to be equal in strength but somehow this other female character uses her power better.

- DeathNote: *bitter laugh*

- Hunter X Hunter: ....two, three female side characters? At least one is funny as heck, strongh, ripped when she wants to transform herself. Not to mention she's the teacher of the 2 main characters.

- Bleach: Oh God.

- Fairy Tale: Ironically enough, the female main characters have enough agency, have enough moments to shine, have character development. But a lot of ass and boobs so...

- Naruto: *staring at the camera in the Office meme*

- Silver Spoon: Full Metal Alchemist same mangaka, so thank the GODS the female character is awesome-sauce.

- Boku no Hero Academia: Alright, they show some promises with the female heroines, but they are mostly shoved to the sidelines because the main characters are always stronger.

- One Piece: ^points to above. They had an arc where the female villain was stronger and was well-developed, but still. I think both BNHA and One Piece suffer some problem where the female characters are well-rounded but forgotten most times.

- Haikyuu!!: I love this manga to pieces but the female-centered chapters are like... 2 or 3 out of 402? Eh.

- Bakuman: Female character only inspires one of the main character, the other marries the other one because...? I still don't get it. Ok, I'll put one positive point in the main female character because she has her own ambition.

- Magi: Main female character is pretty strong but slanted to the side. And I still don't really get her ambition, maybe. Honestly though, Magi deconstructs a lot of things tho. Still leagues better than Naruto. (I said what I said)

- Shougeki no Soma: Boobs and ass. Alright, main female character has her own agency but is suddenly weakened once the main male character is around.

--.--

Anyways. People might claim "But it's shounen! It's right there, for boys and/or young men." But really? One Piece mangaka already told in a Q&A that his female audience is 50% to 60%. Naruto I reckon is around that percentage. Prince of Tennis is 80%. It doesn't hurt for them to put proper development to the female characters.

I wrote most of the titles I read from 90's to 2010's. Now reading my own musings I realized that they didn't progress much. Exceptions of the role is our wonderful Hiromu Arakawa (FMA and Silver Spoon mangaka).

I get that Japan's feminism is still walking really damn slow but idk...

Honestly though guys, don't get inspired by female characters in shounen. You'll end up disappointed. Eh, but what I'm saying. I'm pretty sure a lot of people here just use them for shipping purposes.

Except Hiromu Arakawa's titles though. She's the best.

[graphicabyss]

2019.12.11 Shougeki no Ano Hito ni Atte Mita (衝撃のアノ人に会ってみた！)

There was one more show I have to write about before moving to new ones. Tegoshi was a guest on this show and they talked about his image and how it’s changed over the years. Some pretty amusing stuff. I mean, most of it wasn’t new, they showed some old footage of him and asked him about Emma. Which is cute but he really didn’t have to mention she peed on Shige’s mat. Like, seriously, nobody asked for that. They also interviewed Tegoshi and he keeps pushing his very tragic and unrelatable story where he was number one in everything since childhood and then suddenly he wasn’t. Stfu already. But they also interviewed the dude who was his voice coach after debut for two years. He asked him to train him in secret so he could become better so they legit went to local karaoke parlors and trained there. But the best story was how he told the black-haired high-schooler Tegoshi that once he becomes more popular, he will surely dye his hair blond and become all showy, but the kid said “No way! I will never become that guy!” Well, son, here we are. At the end, they made him say some sweet words to the ladies in the studio. First was Matsushima and it was just his usual gross stuff but then they also made him do it with the older actress there and he basically just invited her to dinner. She said “I’ll go. I’ll even pay.” Careful, boy, you’re not the hunter here. She then added “I know it’s a lie but his eyes weren’t lying. It’s scary.” 

[japanessie]

Hello Shelly! :)Excuse me, please, in your block on Swanky Dankhave some photosJ-dramas 青 の 衝 撃 / Ao no Shougeki & 青 い 経 験 / Aoi Keiken(photos from your collection or from the Internet?)Have you watched these dramas?) Could you please tell us in more detail (if you know) about the participation of Yuichi and Koji in the dramas 青 の 衝 撃 / Ao no Shougeki & 青 い 経 験 / Aoi KeikenI'd like to know more about these dramas :)

Hi 😊

Thank you for reading the Swanky Dank portion of my blog. Most readers are here for MY FIRST STORY.

Regarding the J-Dramas ( 青 の 衝 撃 / Ao no Shougeki & 青 い 経 験 / Aoi Keiken ) that YUICHI and KOJI starred in, I actually bought them on VHS tapes from Japan’s online second-hand markets. Some people were selling off their old tapes for cheap. As far as I know, these were NEVER released on DVD or any digital format. The tapes can only be found on second-hand markets though, since they’d been discontinued. I don’t know if anyone has ever uploaded these two dramas on the internet 🤔. Those photos on my blog are my own files.

DETAILS

Top Row:  The drama name is 青 い 経 験 / Aoi Keiken. Shooting location was Elba Island, Italy. Released on 27 Sept 2000.

Bottom Row: The drama name is 青 の 衝 撃 / Ao no Shougeki. Shooting location was Santorini Island, Greece. Released on 24 Jan 2001.

Both dramas were produced by : TV Tokyo (Vol.1,2 & 3) on VHS format.

As you can see, some (or maybe all (?)) of the tapes I bought were obviously ex-rental tapes that the shop owners wanted to let go LOL 😂

[supergenial]

[translation+lyrics] 葬雪サクリファイス by Ideadoll

Well, yet another story that ends in tragedy? What else would you expect from this blog? Anyway, this song’s composed by リゼ from Ariabl’eyeS which would be an interface spoiler (given their track record of sad endings) if the song wasn’t already named Snow-tomb Sacrifice to begin with, so you know things go south. While I enjoy it, I find the tale a bit too similar to Ido he Itaru Mori from Sound Horizon, what with the townspeople madly trying to kill an innocent “witch” as they’re led by superstition, plus it also reminds me of Ariabl’s Zettou no Labyrinth because of the cold motif and the witch supposedly being the one behind the winter, on top of you know, having the same composer in this song.

Overall it was pretty cool ep. This song slaps, and the other two also hold their weight. After much thinking, I’d say it’s about an 8/10, maybe a 9. I’m not sure how the circle may pan out in the future but I certainly got my eye on them now and hope that debuting on this ghost-M3 isn’t a bad omen for them. Lyrics down below and see you all next time.

Edit: Yeah, it’s a 10, and my favorite album of the year to boot!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

葬雪サクリファイス (souzetsu sacrifice, Snow-Tomb Sacrifice)

composition: リゼ lyrics: 鹿伽あかり vocals: Ideadoll

furuku katari tsugareru otogibanashi sono majo wa banbutsu wa madoromi he to izanau toiu yume to utsutsu no sakai ni saku sunoudoroppu no hana chi ni kogareru sono sugata ni majo wa nani wa omou no ka...

An old fairy tale passed down through generations A witch that invites people in and leads them into a deep slumber Snowdrop flowers which blossom in the boundary between dreams and reality As she wishes to return to the land what does the witch think of...

furitsumoru awayuki kasa wo masu hodo tsunoriyuku mayoi tachikiru sube mo naku

the snow keeps gently piling up if it keeps up we'll be in real trouble

nanigenai nichijou kage ga sasu hodo kumoriyuku fuon na uwasa ga mimi ni hairu

a shadow creeps into our unconcerned daily lives and scathing rumors find their way into people's ears

「sekai wo itetsukaseru madoromi no majo tou ni sumu bukimi na shoujo koso majo nano da」 to

"The Witch of Slumber is causing this and the creepy girl who lives in the tower, she is the witch"

yorube no nai fuan to kyoufu chiisana machi wo mushibande usuyami ni kokoro tozasu taishuu shinri sakerarenai mama

Left with no other recourse the panicking and terrified small town rots and so peer pressure controls them they cannot help it

tome do naku tsumori tsutsukeru yuki ga kanaderu Epiroogu hakugin ga nanimo kamo wo ooitsukushite owaru sekai

the downfall incessantly continues making the snow play our Epilogue as the silver snow blankets us our story approaches it’s end

omomi masu shirayuki iwa ni naru hodo kooritsuku haru no kizashi wa hodo tooku

and so the freezing snow turns to pure ice letting us know that spring is still far away

kuzureyuku nichijou fukyou na ko oto narihibiku fuan no ori wa tsui ni nadareru

as our daily life breaks apart to the tune of this noise it's echo finally leads to the inevitable avalanche

「kono yuki wo furasu no ga ano majo naraba erabubeki shudan wa tada hitotsu majo wo korose!」

"since this snow is the witch's fault she leaves us with no other recourse let's kill the witch!”

ne mo ha mo nai majiwaru kyojitsu muku na shoujo wo matsuriage danzai no maku wo akeru mujihi na marisu tomerarenai mama

and so the baseless falsehoods seal the fate of the pure girl the merciless malice draws the curtain on her judgement for the people's wickedness cannot be stopped

ikudo naku yuube shiteyuku zaika ga meguru Purorogu arishi hi ni fureta kibou kobami tsutsukete kooru mirai

and so opens the prologue to the sin humanity won't let go of as the cold future blocks the way for the hope we had on those days

kagayashi hagukumu te ni kyouki wo nigiri chibashiru me de shoujo ni tsumeyoru

madly holding onto their farming tools as blood rushed through their eyes, they preyed upon the girl

「majo wo sabake!」

"Let's punish the witch!"

senretsu ni osou shoudou ni omowazu tobidashita

amidst the fierce assault I jumped in before I could realize

shougeki ni madoromu shikou dokoka tooku hibiku dogou musekaeru chi no nioi to yasashii kaori ano hi no nukumori

as the attack happened my thoughts receded and I could only hear screaming as the smell of blood covered that gentle scent that gave me warmth on those days

senketsu ni boyaketa shikai jojo ni too no ku ginsekai madoromi no oku he shizumu amai sasoi ni aragaezu

my vision goes red and blurs out as I slowly drift to another silver world slowly sinking into that deep slumber as I can't reject it's sweet allure

kuzure ochita ichirin no hana koegoekitta mihatenu youkou sora tsunsaku doukoku no koe sae mo matsuyuki ni tokete

my one precious flower has been completely torn apart the sunlight we didn't get to see has frozen thus the sky is filled with our wailing as the snowdrops thaw

furiyamanu yuki wa subete ooikakushite majotaru shoujo no doukoku sura kakikeshita chiisana karada wo furuwasete kanawanu negai wo idaita mama sekai ni mugen ochiteyuku

soredemo, watashi wa anata ni ikite hoshii

the never ending snowfall covered it all even the cries of the girl deigned a witch as her small body was shivering a single unfulfilled wish remained in her heart for the entire world to be consumed into dreams

Even so... I wish for you to live

You can buy the album digitally on their booth https://ideadoll.booth.pm/items/1870017 just make sure to select  “digital” 

[lunafaeris-archive]

Tagged:  stole borrowed from @stagtic​ Tagging: i’ll let peer pressure be the judge of that >.> <.<

𝐈.   (   ALIAS / NAME  )  :  red, bc i am a redhead irl ♥ .

𝐈𝐈.   (   BIRTHDAY   )  :  december 21st.

𝐈𝐈𝐈. (   ZODIAC   )  :  sagittarius.

𝐈𝐕. (   HEIGHT   )  :  6′ 2 ″

𝐕. (   HOBBIES   )   :   aside from writing/roleplaying, i like drawing, playing my favorite video games (i.e. Legend of Zelda, Pokemon... i grew up on Nintendo mostly) and baking! i’m also catching up with a lot of anime this season (Kimestu no Yaiba, Food Wars: Shougeki no Soma, Dr. Stone, etc...). i fell out of the loop for a year or so but finally bit the bullet and renewed by crunchyroll subscription.

𝐕𝐈.     (   FAVORITE COLOR   )  :  cerulean blue.

𝐕𝐈𝐈. (   FAVORITE BOOKS  )  :  The Book Thief, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Silmarillion, The Hunger Games trilogy, Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead

𝐕𝐈𝐈𝐈. (   LAST SONG LISTENED TO  )  :  Hit the Road Jack (Electro Swing Remix) // Wolfgang Lohr & Maskarade

𝐕𝐈. (   LAST FILM WATCHED  )   :   just saw knives out & loved it! the cast was fantastic, hope daniel craig’s character possibly makes a return in another movie, and can i just say that christopher plummer is a silver fox?? mm bop.

𝐗. (   INSPIRATION BEHIND THE MUSE  )  :  my ocs, my babies ♥ . honestly, i’ve been giving this some thought lately and i think why i like to explore the supernatural and demons in particular is because i myself grew up catholic, going to catholic school, having mandatory religion classes and masses that just... left a pit in my stomach. i felt disillusioned more than anything, and as i got older my world views started to change and i began to disagree more and more with what they taught us as ‘gospel’. they were the same old stories, glorifying saints and angels and the dichotomy of good and evil... but real people, real circumstances usually aren’t so black and white, and are sometimes much harder to define. that’s why i like exploring the traditionally ‘dark’ creatures and characters, alongside those who may be the exact opposite from their personality type (i.e. Anton and Luna’s relationship in a nutshell), to see how they contrast and mesh with one another against all odds. i love characters who are foils to one another as much as i love characters who stick together because they share the same interests, but more so with the former because over time they’ll end up challenging each other tooth and nail and eventually choose to look after one another in a found family and/or lovers kind of way.

( also, this is not me bashing catholicism or any religion/faith in particular, just me relaying my experiences and what i personally took from them. )

𝐗𝐈. (   URL MEANING  )  :  luna = ‘moon’ in Italian, also the name of one of my main ocs / faeris = kind of a bastardization of the pluralization of ‘fae’, meant to indicate something mysterious or magical, otherworldly.

[ei-ei-io]

I have found out that my favorite types of anime are cooking anime...

[soundgoodizer]

if you like naruto kill yourself

Tooku de kikoeru koe wo hinto ni Hitori mata hitori tachiagaru doushi Kurikaesu dake no fudan doori kutsugaesu Junbi iize are you ready? Karadajuu furuwasu shindou ni hageshiku uchinarase yo stomping Taezu tsuki ugokasu call me kawarazu yuru ga nutsukamu story

Come on!!

Everybody stand up! Agero kyou ichiban no jikan da Me ni mo tomaranu supiido hantaa Daremo ga mina toriko kanban yeah! (Come on!) Everybody hands up! Matashita na hero's come back!! Zujou kazoe yubi oru count down Ikuze 3-2-1 make some noise!

What you gonna do? What you gonna do? Taemanaku nari hibiki kizamu Deja vu yori mo gotsui shougeki ga Zenshin wo hashiri hanasan break it down Turn it up (Turn it up) hey kikoekka? Sakenda kinou made no koto ga Kawaru darou madaminu asu e Koborete afureta omoi no bun made

Machinimatta show time saitechiru shukumei Dochira ni katamuku shouhai no yukue Agura kaiterya kyou nimo tsubureru Nagashita chi to ase onore de nugue Negai mo puraido mo fukume subete wo seotta tagai no haigo Nasake wo kaketerya dame ninaru ze Tamote potensharu mentaru men

Neko mo shakushi mo matta you na hiiroo Hitoban dake no goran, roman hikou Oo ii nee sonnan ja nee sa Kick on the corner mada tari nee ka? Itsumo to chigau hijou na jinkaku mamoru no sa subete Like a taamineetaa Yon kai, go kai de tatsu hairaito (fly high, yeah!) Isso kono ba de tsutaetaru zo

Everybody stand up! Agero kyou ichiban no jikan da Me ni mo tomaranu supiido hantaa Daremo ga mina toriko kanban yeah! (Come on!) Everybody hands up! Matashita na hero's come back!! Zujou kazoe yubi oru count down Ikuze 3-2-1 make some noise!

Mou tashou no risuku wa kakugo desho Nanka korunda tte tatsu (get it on) Nare ai ja nai ze kami hitoe no sesshon Irikunda kanjou kidzukiageta kesshou Made in hyuuman no dorama no enchou Marude moesakaru yoshihara no enjou Endoresu saki mo korogaru nichijou Warau hodo baka ni narerutte koto

Resseifuku mukaikaze nimo maken Makikomu nandomo dekuwashite kita ze Ikudotonaku tatsu kono ba no batoru Tatakai kata nara kono mi ga satoru Ichiya niya no tukedakiba ja Mamoru mon ga chigau na shirohata wo furi na Hi no moe akogareru hikage wo shiru Iiwake wa kikan sorekoso ga real

Faito maido i'm proud Nanikarananima de mada ucchi yanai zo Yes ka no ja nai itsuka kou warau Nana kara patto kimeru iku ze aibou

Wakiagaru kansei ga yuuki tonaru Tachiagareba ima ijou kurushimi tomonau Soredemo saigo wa kitto warau Subete sarau shouri to kansei

Everybody stand up! Agero kyou ichiban no jikan da Me ni mo tomaranu supiido hantaa Daremo ga mina toriko kanban yeah! (Come on!) Everybody hands up! Matashita na hero's come back!! Zujou kazoe yubi oru count down Ikuze 3-2-1 make some noise!

Everybody stand up! Agero kyou ichiban no jikan da Me ni mo tomaranu supiido hantaa Daremo ga mina toriko kanban yeah! (Come on!) Everybody hands up! Matashita na hero's come back!! Zujou kazoe yubi oru count down Ikuze 3-2-1 make some noise!

[satoshi-mochida]

Following its initial announcement in August, Bandai Namco has fully detailed the Japanese “20th Anniversary Box” limited edition for the upcoming Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory.

For 10,300 yen (plus tax) on PlayStation 4 or 9,200 yen (plus tax) on PS Vita, the “20th Anniversary Box” includes the following:

A copy of the TV Anime Sound Edition version of the game

Includes the following 12 tracks:

Digimon Adventure – “Butter-Fly” by Koji Wada

Digimon Adventure – “Brave Heart” by Ayumi Miyazaki

Digimon Adventure 02 – “Target~Akai Shougeki~” by Akai Shougeki

Digimon Adventure 02 – “Break Up!” by Ayumi Miyazaki

Digimon Tamers – “The Biggest Dreamer” by Koji Wada

Digimon Tamers – “Slash!!” by Michihiko Oota

Digimon Frontier – “Fire!!” by Koji Wada

Digimon Frontier – “With The Will” by Koji Wada

Digimon Data Squad – “Gou-ing! Going! My Soul!!” by Dynamite SHU

Digimon Data Squad – “Believer” by IKUO

Digimon Fusion – “Neba Giba!” by Sonar Pocket

Digimon Fusion – “We Are Cross Heart!” by Koji Wada

Suzuhito Yasuda-illustrated visual

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory character designer Suzuhito Yasuda has drawn an original visual featuring the new and old protagonist of the Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth series specifically for the 20th Anniversary Box.

170-page visual art book

A full-color, 170-page visual art book featuring character designs and main visuals from the 2006-released DS title Digimon Story (released as Digimon World DS in the west). There are also character and Digimon designs from Digimon Story: Sunburst and Moonlight (Digimon World Dawn and Dusk), Digimon Story: Lost Evolution, and Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars illustrated by Taku Koide. Enjoy the world of the Digimon Story series all in a single art book!

16-track original soundtrack CD

Includes the following 16 tracks:

“Ya Cyber Sleuth”

“Cyber Duel”

“Fudie”

“One Mind”

“Hikari Todoke kame Ranmyaku no Tsuchi”

“Digital Wars II”

“From the Darkside”

“Rojiura no Hacker-tachi”

“Hacker’s Dignity”

“Memory Server”

“Kyoui no Kengen”

“Terror”

“Masked Necromancer”

“Shinshoku-sareta Risoukyou”

“Last Cyber Attack”

“Memories”

Trainable Digimon: Gallantmon NX and Alphamon (NX Edge Style) – download code printed on a Kuremi Detective Agency business card

NX Edge Style Gallantmon and Alphamon appear as trainable Digimon. Adventure alongside with the cute and cool Gallantmon NX and Alphamon NX. (NX Edge Style is a new generation of action figures from Bandai that make use the modeling and movability know-how it cultivated through its “Robot Spirits” brand. Its edgy design and silhouette by means of its “Edge Plus” arrangement are also expressed in the game.)

Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker’s Memory will launch for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita in Japan on December 14, and in North America and Europe in early 2018.

View a new set of images at the gallery.