#tanuma souichi

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Autistic Anime Boys Side A Round 1 Match 7

Propaganda:

Itona -

"his beautiful blank expressions mean everything to me <3 generally he's blunt in a way that people either find funny or rude, and he's very talented with electronics. he starts off working for one of the villains (due to tragic backstory reasons), but eventually gets adopted into the world's most neurodivergent friend group - which is in turn part of the world's most neurodivergent class of middle schoolers.

one of the core parts of assassination classroom is that even though the class the story focuses on is the worst academically at their school, it's not because they're bad students or bad people, it's because they were all dragged down by personal circumstance or couldn't thrive in a traditional school environment, and they had nobody who tried to help them up or understand their situation. when they're given a teacher who truly cares about them, and takes time to connect with them all personally, they improve a lot.

also here's a gif of him sneezing like a cat:

Souichi -

"His special interest is the shamisen and he's considered a prodigy. His sister also plays and when she asks him what he thought of this or that performance, he uses synesthesic metaphors only he understands. He has rituals!! I might be watching the wrong animes but it was my first time seeing a character with rituals!! On the way to a competition he has to kick the same rock all the way from his house to the venue!! When he starts eating somewhere, he has to finish there, he cannot move until he's finished. Once he sat down to eat next to a guy he wanted to be his friend (he saw a shamisen player eating alone and went. my friend now) and then the guy just. left and Souichi was there like :( but I have to finish my rice :( but he's my friend :( anyway he's so me I love him so much + he's mega cute. Gonna go rewatch, now, goodbye."

[anyaaforger]

Mashiro no Oto ~ Episode 11 ~ Memories

[kaydeedc]

(08-17-21)

Happy Birthday Hatanaka Tasuku!

He is the Japanese voice behind Gorou (Genshin Impact)!

He also voiced notable characters like Kaminari Denki (Boku no Hero Academia), Kudo Anya (Nakanohito Genome/The Ones Within), Tanuma Souichi (Mashiro no Oto) and Torataka Itsuki (Project Scard)~

He is also the singer of the OPs for Yuukoku no Moriarty/ Moriarty the Patriot and Nakanohito Genome/The Ones Within.

[bbqsauceonmytiddiez]

im pretty sure Souichi is autistic and people calling him funny, eccentric etc are completely missing the point of all these

[moontheoretist]

(I kinda ship it now. He is just so cute. This dynamic speaks to me).

LOL WHAT A CUTE GOOFBALL, OMG! I didn’t expect that! Also is it just me or all men in this anime are just so pretty? Ikemen invasion or something?

[recentanimenews]

Those Snow White Notes – 03 – It’s Fine if It’s Different

This week Setsu becomes raveled in the web of the adorable Maeda Shuri and her childhood friends Kaito and Yui. Yui tries in vein to get Setsu to join Shuri’s club, leading him to ask why she won’t join. Then Kaito asks Shuri if Setsu’s bothering her, even though we later learn he’s the one who bullied her when she was little!

Everything chances when Shuri gets lost in a recording of her grandmother’s humming a tune on her phone and misses the bell. She gets reamed out by the teacher, who unplugs her earbud, and the whole class can hears the tune. Setsu recognizes it: his own grandfather’s “Shungyou (Spring Dawn).”

Setsu boldly approaches Shuri in the hall and asks her about it; turns out the whole reason Shuri started the club was that she hoped to meet someone who could tell her what song it was her grandmother heard some decades ago, a memory that no longer has any sound. Kaito who has an unabashed crush on Shuri, grabs Setsu, who says he was mistaken and storms off.

Then it’s Shuri’s turn to be unexpected, as she grabs Setsu’s arm with both of hers. She answered his question, now he has to answer hers: Could she someday play the piece her granny hummed? “Impossible”, he says flatly, drawing the ire of both Kaito and Yui. Koyabu-sensei breaks up the tussle by suggesting all five of them go listen to a live performance by the former owner of the shamisen in Shuri’s care.

Meanwhile in Aomori, Kamiki Seiryuuu, formerly Ogata Kousuke, shamisen player extraordinaire, plays for the Tanuma siblings’ father, who is impressed by his progress but still assures him that his son Souichi will beat him. Kamiki politely replies that that ain’t gonna happen.

While on the way out Kamiki runs into Tanuma Mai, who may be the only one outside the Sawamura family to hear Setsu’s playing. And he was so skilled, his distaste for competition made her mad. She’s been mad ever since, and doesn’t quite buy that it’s “fine” for Setsu to not want to seek recognition.

Speaking of recognition, Koito and Setsu arrive at Kamiki’s performance with Shuri, Yui, and Koyabu-sensei, and a crowd full of adoring ladies. Shuri asks Setsu what he meant by impossible, he says even he wouldn’tbe able to play it, as his “emotions would get in the way”. Yui wonders to herself why he can’t simply try to play it.

Then the lights go out, and a dramatically silhouetted Kamiki begins his performance, pulling the crowd in with a clarity of sound Setsu didn’t think possible from a futozao. As Mai’s dad said, his playing is like a breath of mountain air; crisp, bracing…even a little frightening. Again Snow White Notes delivers another awesome shamisen performance, and due to the performer being Kamiki, it’s unlike any of the previous ones.

Koyabu-sensei gets everyone backstage so Shuri can ask Kamiki about the shamisen he left behind, but Setsu gets uncharacteristically chippy about the fact Kamiki basically abandoned such a kingly instrument to the tender mercies of a school that could have easily thrown it out.

Kamiki says he trusted someone would find it who would be able to ascertain its true value…and that turned out to be true! Then Kamiki hands Setsu his current shamisen and asks him to show him what he’s got. Setsu plays, and Shuri, Koito, and Koyabu-sensei are impressed…but Yui isn’t. Nor is Kamiki.

Yui finds his playing boring. Kamiki had an even meaner word for it in his thoughts…insipid. He recognizes Setsu has some skill, but he was just striking away recklessly.

Setsu runs off. Yui follows him and asked why he phoned it in. She heard him play properly online during the rock show and was blown away despite having zero interest in the shamisen before. But Setsu wasn’t sucking intentionally…he just couldn’t play. Shuri listens in around the corner as he laments not being able to play for Shuri even though she’s so desperate to hear that mystery tune.

A rain-soaked Setsu arrives on his block to find Sakura outside the boarding house, and he asks her upfront what she’d do if someone asked her to do something she thought was impossible for her. Sakura says she’d give it her best shot on her own terms, even if she knew she’d fail. It’s just what Setsu needed to hear to come out of his funk.

The next day, when Shuri is along in some supply room strumming out some basic shamisen notes, Setsu appears from behind and corrects her posture. He asks if it’s okay if the song he plays is different from the one her grandmother remembers, and she says of course it will be fine; like Sakura, she’s more concerned with trying than not trying. If anything, it’s better if it’s different, because that makes it his sound. That’s what he’s scared of, after all: his sound never shaping up to his gramps’.

But his grandfather didn’t want him exactly copying him anyway! Setsu thought his sound didn’t exist at all without gramps around, but by bringing sound to the silent memories of Shuri and her grandmother, he’s one more small step towards discovering that he always had a sound separate from his master’s—everyone does, and everyone should. I’ll close by saying way to go, Setsu, for totally making Shuri’s day!

By: sesameacrylic

[chibicrow]

Natsumeme’s OTP Master List

Behold: the product of nearly the past seven hours of today lmao. 

So my Twitter fam was interested in seeing an OTP Master list after I asked “hey should I make one?” I actually only did this in the event I reblog one of those writing memes where it’s like “write your OTP in this scenario with these tropes” and people . . . actually know what my OTPs are and don’t have to guess at it lmao. 

Without further ado, check under the “read more” for my comprehensive list of OTPs. 

Boku no Hero Academia

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Uraraka Ochako x Tsuyu Asui Ashido Mina x Hagakure Tooru Hagakura Tooru x Ojiro Mashirao  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Todoroki Shouto x Midoriya Izuku   Kirishima Ejirou x Bakugo Katsuki   Yaoyorozu Momo x Jirou Kyouka   Yaoyorozu Momo x Todoroki Shouto  

Cardcaptor Sakura

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Kinomoto Sakura x Syaoran Li

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Kinomoto Touya x Tsukishiro Yue

Cardfight!! Vanguard

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Sendou Aichi x Kai Toshiki   Katsuragi Kamui x Sendou Emi   Mitsusada Kenji (KOUTEI) x Usui Yui  

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Olivier Gaillard x Sendou Aichi Olivier Gaillard x Kai Toshiki   Tokura Misaki x Usui Yuri Tokura Misaki x Tatsunagi Kourin   Tokura Misaki x Kai Toshiki   Mitsusada Kenji (KOUTEI) x Kai Toshiki  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Narumi Asaka x Suzugamori Ren   Kai Toshiki x Suzugamori Ren  Tatsunagi Kourin x Sendou Aichi Souryuu Leon x Sendou Aichi  

Cardfight!! Vanguard G

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Shindou Chrono x Shouji Kazuma Ibuki Kouji x Anjou Mamoru   Kai Toshiki x Sendou Aichi Anjou Tokoha x Okazaki Kumi   Yumizuki Luna x Chouno Am  

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Okazaki Kumi x Shindou Chrono Yumizuki Luna x Shindou Chrono

Durarara!!  

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Celty Sturluson x Kishitani Shinra

Fruits Basket

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Honda Tohru x Sohma Kyo Honda Tohru x Sohma Yuki

Fullmetal Alchemist  

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Edward Elric x Winry Rockbell Roy Mustang x Riza Hawkeye

Hanasakeru Seishounen

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Kajika Burnsworth x Li Ren Fang Kajika Burnsworth x Mahati Sheik di Raginei

Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Ryuugu Rena x Maebara Keichi  

Kimi ni Todoke

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Kuronuma Sawako x Kazehaya Shouta   Yoshida Chizuru x Sanada Ryuu

Natsume Yuujinchou

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Natsume Takashi x Tanuma Kaname

Ouran High School Host Club

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Fujioka Haruhi x Tamaki Suoh Fujioka Haruhi x Hitachiin Hikaru

Phi Brain

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Daimon Kaito x Rook Banjo Crossfield Daimon Kaito x Freecell Daimon Kaito x Raetsel   Himekawa Elena x Sakanoue Gammon   Chieno Tamaki x Jikugawa Souji   Doubt x Mizerka  

ReLIFE

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Hishiro Chizuru x Kaizaki Arata Kairiu Rena x Ooga Kazuomi  

Rurouni Kenshin

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Kamiya Kaoru x Himura Kenshin

Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Tanaka x Ohta

Teen Titans

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Starfire x Robin Raven x Beast Boy Bumblebee x Cyborg Jinx x Kid Flash  

Umineko no Naku Koro Ni

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Ushiromiya Battler x Beatrice   Ushiromiya Jessica x Kanon Ushiromiya George x Shannon

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it  

Yami Yugi/Atem x Yugi Muto Anzu Mazaki x Yugi Muto   Kujaku Mai x Jounouchi Katsuya Kisara x Priest Seto  

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Kujaku Mai x Seto Kaiba Kujaku Mai x Valon Rebecca Hawkins x Mokuba Kaiba Priestess Isis x Kalim   Priestess Isis x Mahado

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Ishizu Ishtar x Kujaku Mai Seto Kaiba x Yami Yugi/Atem Anzu Mazaki x Yami Yugi/Atem  

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it  

Yuki Judai x Johan Andersen Yuki Judai x Yubel Tenjoin Asuka x Manjoume Jun

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Tenjoin Asuka x Marufuji Ryo Tenjoin Fubuki x Marufuji Ryo   Edo Phoenix x Marufuji Ryo Edo Phoenix x Echo  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Yuki Judai x Manjoume Jun Yuki Judai x Edo Phoenix Marufuji Ryo x Edo Phoenix

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Yusei Fudo x Bruno/Antinomy Yusei Fudo x Kiryu Kyosuke Izayoi Aki x Crow Hogan Carly Nagisa x Jack Atlus   Crow Hogan x Jack Atlus Yusei Fudo x Jack Atlus  

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Jack Atlus x Kazama Souichi Crow Hogan x Brave Stephanie x Crow Hogan Stephanie x Jack Atlus Sagiri Mikage x Ushio Tetsu Sagiri Mikage x Jack Atlus Izayoi Aki x Sherry Leblanc Sherry Leblanc x Yusei Fudo   The Zetsubou Quartet (Aporia x Z-ONE x Antinomy x Paradox)   Aporia x Z-ONE Antinomy x Z-ONE  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Yusei Fudo x Crow Hogan

Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Tsukumo Yuma x Astral Tsukumo Yuma x Kamishiro Ryoga (SHARK SON)

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Kamishiro Rio x Mizuki Kotori Kozuki Anna x Mizuki Kotori   Alito x Tsukumo Yuma   Droite x Gauche   Kamishiro Ryoga (SHARK SON) x Tenjo Kaito   Droite x Tenjo Kaito   Mihael Arclight (III) x Tsukumo Yuma Thomas Arclight (IV) x Kamishiro Ryoga (SHARK SON)  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Tsukumo Yuma x Shingetsu Rei   Mizuki Kotori x Tsukumo Yuma   Astral x Tenjo Kaito  

Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc V

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Sakaki Yuya x Hiiragi Yuzu Yugo x Rin Crow Hogan x Shinji Weber Kurosaki Ruri x Yuto

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Masumi Kotsu x Hiiragi Yuzu Crow Hogan x Jack Atlus Hiiragi Yuzu x Yugo Hiiragi Yuzu x Yuto Sakaki Yuya x Serena Sakaki Yuya x Dennis Macfield Sakaki Yuya x Michio Mokota Edo Phoenix x Kaito Tenjo Kurosaki Ruri x Dennis Macfield Kurosaki Ruri x Sasayama Sayaka  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Akaba Reiji x Sakaki Yuya Akaba Ray x Zarc   Kurosaki Shun x Yuto

Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Fujiki Yusaku (Playmaker) x Kogami Ryoken (Revolver)  

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Ema Bessho (Ghost Girl) x Akira Zaizen Queen x Ema Bessho (Ghost Girl) Aso (Faust) x Kyoko Taki (Baira)  

Yuri!!! On Ice

Definitely hardcore ship and will scream on the rooftops about it

Katsuki Yuri x Viktor Nikiforov  

Hardcore ship but I haven't seen much fan work, so no one knows lol

Mila Babicheva x Sara Crispino  

Ship but I'm not into the ship enough to be gung-ho about it

Otabek Altin x Yuri Plisetsky

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

did tanuma souichi (those snow white notes) make it in? i don't see him in the prelims so did he get eliminated for lack of submissions or will he be part of the tournament? thank you for your hard work, i really look forward to this!

Yes, he did make it into the main bracket! :)

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

Autistic Anime Boys Round 1 Matchups!

Side A

L Lawliet (Death Note) VS Muichirou Tokito (Demon Slayer)

Gohan (Dragon Ball Z) VS Kiibo/K1-B0 Idabashi (Danganronpa)

Haruka Sakurai (Milgram) VS Seishirou Nagi (Blue Lock)

Satoru Gojou (Jujutsu Kaisen) VS Seto Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Umetarou Nozaki (Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun) VS Tamaki Suoh (Ouran High School Host Club)

Gin Gagamaru (Blue Lock) VS Taisei Yoshida (Assassination Classroom)

Itona Horibe (Assassination Classroom) VS Souichi Tanuma (Those Snow White Notes)

Light Yagami (Death Note) VS Tenma Matsukaze (Inazuma Eleven)

Shouto Todoroki (My Hero Academia) VS Sunny (Omori)

Broly (Dragon Ball Super) VS Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

Yu Narukami/Souji Seta (Persona 4) VS Sechs (XBlaze)

Kiyotaka Ishimaru (Danganronpa) VS Kento Nanami (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Nate River/Near (Death Note) VS Kyouya Ootori (Ouran High School Host Club)

Mash Burnedead (Mashle: Magic and Muscles) VS Noiz (DRAMAtical Murder)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Kabuto Yakushi (Naruto)

Lan Wangji (Mo Dao Zu Shi) VS Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai)

James (Pokémon) VS Monkey D. Luffy (One Piece)

Yuusuke Kitagawa (Persona 5) VS Tsubasa Yuunagi (Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure)

Hitoshi-san (Nyan~ Neko Sugar Girls) VS Illumi Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

Mikazuki Augus (Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans) VS Wakatoshi Ushijima (Haikyuu!!)

Homare Arisugawa (A3!) VS Kamille Bidan (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam)

Subaru Mikazuki (My Roommate is a Cat) VS Atsushi Murasakibara (Kuroko no Basket)

Tanaka (Tanaka-kun is Always Listless) VS Natural Harmonia Gropius (Pokémon)

Haru (Tsuritama) VS Giorno Giovanna (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Floyd Leech (Twisted Wonderland) VS Laios Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

Touma Akechi (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Trafalgar D. Water Law (One Piece)

Lotte “Roy” Carmine (BlazBlue) VS Gon Freecss (Hunter x Hunter)

Nahoya “Smiley” Kawata (Tokyo Revengers) VS Senkuu Ishigami (Dr. Stone)

Ash Ketchum (Pokémon) VS Mafuyu Satou (Given)

Alhaitham (Genshin Impact) VS Shichirou Balam (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Shintarou Kisaragi (Kagerou Project) VS Izuku Midoriya (My Hero Academia)

Toshinari Seki (Tonari no Seki-kun) VS Takashi Natsume (Natsume’s Book of Friends)

Side B

Haruka Nanase (Free!) VS Tsukasa Tenma (Project Sekai)

Takeo Gouda (My Love Story!!) VS Karna (Fate)

Shintarou Midorima (Kuroko no Basket) VS Kim Dokja (Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint)

Roronoa Zoro (One Piece) VS Junpei Tenmyouji (Zero Escape)

Sig (Puyo Puyo) VS Kanata Shinkai (Ensemble Stars)

Kyoujurou Rengoku (Demon Slayer) VS Yugi Mutou (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Legoshi (Beastars) VS Gaien "Enkidu" Enkidou (Under Night In-birth)

Doppo Kunikida (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Hiroshi Odokawa (Odd Taxi)

Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.) VS Katsuya Serizawa (Mob Psycho 100)

Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa) VS Haruhito Yano (Odd Taxi)

Yotasuke Takahashi (Blue Period) VS Manjirou "Mikey" Sano (Tokyo Revengers)

Kyouya Onodera (Talentless Nana) VS Misumi Ikaruga (A3!)

Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney) VS Shu Itsuki (Ensemble Stars)

Meguru Bachira (Blue Lock) VS Ren Mihashi (Big Windup!)

Ranpo Edogawa (Bungou Stray Dogs) VS Kaito (Vocaloid)

Zero (Puyo Puyo) VS Masayoshi Hazama (Samurai Flamenco)

Genos (One Punch Man) VS Jotaro Kujo (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)

Vivia Twilight (Master Detective Archives: Raincode) VS Sora Harukawa (Ensemble Stars)

Satori Tendou (Haikyuu!!) VS Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic X)

Houtarou Oreki (Hyouka) VS Kabane Kusaka (Kemono Jihen)

Ghiaccio (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) VS Tenya Iida (My Hero Academia)

Malleus Draconia (Twisted Wonderland) VS Tetsuya Kuroko (Kuroko no Basket)

Kensuke Aida (Neon Genesis Evangelion) VS Goku (Dragon Ball)

Shinichi Kudou/Conan Edogawa (Detective Conan) VS Toya Aoyagi (Project Sekai)

Rei Suwa (Buddy Daddies) VS Gin Ibushi (Your Turn to Die)

Jade Leech (Twisted Wonderland) VS Akihiko Sanada (Persona 3)

Xiao (Genshin Impact) VS Loid Forger (Spy x Family)

Souya "Angry" Kawata (Tokyo Revengers) VS Sabro Sabnock (Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun)

Apollo Justice (Ace Attorney) VS Tobio Kageyama (Haikyuu!!)

Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter) VS Saitama (One Punch Man)

Sol Badguy (Guilty Gear) VS Langa Hasegawa (Sk8 the Infinity)

Subaru Natsuki (Re: Zero) VS Yusei Fudo (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds)

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

with all the submissions you got so far, were there any that made you curious about the source material?

Oh definitely. I've heard of 'Your Turn to Die' before, but the submissions I've gotten have just piqued my interest further.

Also 'Those Snow White Notes' has been on my watchlist for a while, and I found the Souichi Tanuma submission really compelling, so it's definitely rose in priority level.

I thought the Aesop Carl submission was very funny, so I'm curious about 'Identity V' now too.

Some other things that I already knew of, but hadn't seen/read, that intrigued me:

'Insomniacs After School', 'Mo Dao Zu Shi', 'Big Windup', & 'Yowamushi Pedal'

[weeb-polls-with-pip]

hi! i'm the snow white notes submitter.. did i write tamura? it's souichi tanuma! i apologize if i made a typo, i submitted with my phone so it's probably autocorrect >< idk if he'll make it in but i'm glad you found my submission compelling!! ^o^ looking forward to the competition!!

Oop, okay! I'll change it in the spreadsheet. It's okay, typos happen 😅

[moontheoretist]

I got lost in Sawamura’s family tree... so Kamiki Ryuugen is Sawamura’s father by blood, which means that he and Umeko had a fling at some point, which also explains why Tanuma Sayuri and Umeko were engaging in battle by stares a few episodes ago. Now Mai and Souichi are adopted children of Ryuugen and they are named Tanuma after their mother... who then is Kamiki Seiryuu? I mean till this point I was sure it was some kind of a stage name, but now I am confused. How is he related to Kamiki Ryuugen? Brother? Son? The naming may suggest they’re siblings, but I have literally no idea how old Seiryuu is, because he looks old enough to do what he wants, but he could still be on the young side (minor), because in Japan you have to be over 20yo to be considered an adult, and he is like confusing me so friggin much, because I dunno on which side of 20 he is. And the fact that Wakana looks old and everybody mistakes him for Sawamura’s father doesn’t help at all in actually judging their ages. Speaking of which, if Ryuugen is only Sawamura’s biological father, then who is Wakana’s father? I mean it looks like as if Umeko and Ryuugen were hell bend on creating the most complicated family tree in existence. Also, funny that, from this conversation you could assume that adoption means that kid isn’t a “real child” of the family, and that word “sibling” doesn’t apply in their case, thanks to what marriage is ok?

Anybody knows anything about Japan to explain?

Bonus:

*stares at Seiryuu* You are not helping in determining his age, Anime Planet.

[recentanimenews]

Those Snow White Notes – 07 – All Together Now

When Setsu leaves his tenement house bound for the Matsugorou Cup in Asakusa, Sakura has a special lunch prepared for him, even though he says there’s no need. Of course, need’s got nothing to do with it; Sakura simply wanted to make him a lunch, so she did, period. As she and her dad see him off, Setsu notes how Sakura is more of a mom than Umeko.

When the team arrives at the Cup venue in Asakusa (a throwback Tokyo district best known for its giant lantern), they’re all a bit caught off guard by how goshdarn EXTRA it is, which comes as no surprise to Setsu, since it’s a reflection of his extra mom. And yet, Yui presents the team with special competition outfits that give each of them way too accurate Super Sentai colors!

As expected, Yui’s online friend Maimai is Tanuma Mai, who demands to be placed in the Individual competition when she belatedly learns Setsu is in it. She’s got it in her head that it matters whether her dad acknowledges her, and that the only way to do that is to beat Setsu. But the officials don’t budge, and her mother Sayuri scolds her for being so gauche.

Then Umeko catches wind of Mai’s attempt to use her second-place finish in a past competition to muscle her way in…but Mai’s mother isn’t about to let the strutting peacock like Umeko bash her daughter, so the two moms engage in some ultra-fuckin’-high-class trash talk while Mai gets the fuck out of the way.

Yet, when you analyze the content of their discourse—Umeko mocking Sayuri was a fool and a naïf to marry the man she did, while Sayuri accuses Umeko of drinking the blood of the young—it ultimately comes off pretty trashy! I absolutely loved it.

Setsu goes off on his own for a while, and revels in the sound of so many shamisens in one place. Wakana may later accuse Umeko of “torturing” Setsu, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case. Setsu is, as Brian Cox often hums in McDonald’s commercials, lovin’ it, even if some of the musicians are a little sharp with their B’s.

To his surprise, someone else tells them this and they retune their shamisens correctly. This lad, Tanuma Souichi, then approaches Setsu with eyes unclouded by hate. Instead, Souichi is elated to meet someone who speaks with the same Aomori dialect, and believes that automatically makes them friends…even if Setsu isn’t quick to agree.

Meanwhile, Yui finally encounters Mai, who happens to be in a sour mood after getting caught between two tiger moms. I love how they recognize one another by matching each other’s auras to their avatars. Poor Shuri is afraid she’ll have to try to break up a fight, only for Mai and Yui to join hands in giddy friendship.

The Cup finally gets underway with an opulent opening reminiscent of the 2004 Athens Olympics opening ceremony, with Umeko mimicking the role of Björk, who wore the whole world as a gown. From there, the Groups start to perform before the judges. Some are traditional, others are trying to grab attention with rock chords or an idol aesthetic.

As this is going on, Setsu’s teammates grow increasingly weary of his absence, and when he finally arrives, he pooh-poohs any thought of practicing before their performance. This once again draws the ire of Kaito, who assumes Setsu is looking down on them (him), doesn’t want to play with them…but he’s wrong. Setsu headbutts him, cowing him in the process, saying he “knows his own quirks”.

After some gimmicky units that put Umeko in a foul mood (leading her to go “powder her nose”…which I’m guessing means do some coke), a group from Osaka comes along that puts everyone on notice.  Led by the mild-mannered Takaomi Kaji, whom women love and men want to be, the six-man ensemble practices perfect posture, form, and near-hypnotic synchronization, summoning a crisp cool wind that courses through the venue. Even Umeko is impressed.

Wakana apologizes to Setsu’s teammates on his behalf, assuring them that if you were to ask who his little brother is playing for, it’s for all of them, and if you asked why he was doing it, it’s because he wants to win, and win with them. It’s just that hearing a sound of Kaji’s group’s caliber “maxed out” his emotions, making it hard to do normal human interaction.

Now he simply has to find a way to channel that energy into his performance, not leave his team in the dust, and save enough in the tank for the Individual competition … his first ever. No pressure!

By: sesameacrylic

[recentanimenews]

Those Snow White Notes – 02 – Let Loose and Take Flight

Setsu remembers back when a girl in his class was mad he dropped out of a shamisen competition, calling him a coward who was running away with tears in her eyes. She wanted to beat him, but it was more than that: she clearly admired and respected his play as someone worth working to defeat. When he tactlessly tells her he only cares about his grandfather’s sound, she slaps him.

It’s that same cheek—along with the other one—that Setsu’s mother is grasping when he finally comes to after being gassed. Umeko, would never win Mother of the Year, but she’s at least concerned enough about her son to establish some structure to his new home in Tokyo, setting him up in a boarding house in the vibrant old town (Shitamachi) and enrolling him in school.

When Setsu tells his mom he’s lost his sound, Umeko asks how far it went, and insists he answer with his shamisen. Beside the boarding house room’s open window that overlooks a bustling street, Umeko challenges Setsu to make everyone down there turn and look as he accompanies her singing, warning she won’t tolerate disgraceful play.

It’s then, during his playing and her singing of “Tsugaru Ohara Bushi”, that we learn that while she’s by all appearances a pompous, arrogant, and overbearing force of nature, Sawamura Umeko is perfectly able to offset those traits with her singing talent. Tetsu says he “hates” her, but her voice has always made his heart tremble. You and me both, bud!

Unlike her personality when not singing, Umeko’s voice is more than a force of nature: it’s all four seasons. It’s apropos that her song can be interpreted as the life cycle of an apple tree…and a woman. From the first note she sings, the unyielding power, confidence, and beauty of her voice is plain…and terrifying.

For a bit under four minutes, I was transported to nirvana, experiencing winter, spring, summer, and autumn, feeling the wind blowing, smelling the blossoms and ripening fruit. Every single person in the crowd below stops what they’re doing, turns to the window, and listens. A girl seemingly falls in love before our eyes.

Umeko and Setsu put a spell on everyone, including me…and then Setsu breaks a string before he can finish his big solo, and it’s all over but the ovation below. Umeko admits she did this so Setsu would make a good first impression on the neighborhood, ensuring he could practice whenever he wants.

But that night, all of the praise and promised freebies from his neighbors amounts to nothing in Setsu’s angsty thoughts. All Umeko has done is ensure he can continue drifting along and going with the flow, accomplishing nothing; amounting to nothing. Methinks our boy doth protest too much…I think he’s got a pretty sweet deal here!

The next morning at the boarding house restaurant run by a father-daughter pair, Wakana arrives as promised to see Setsu to his first day at his new school. Umeko gave Setsu a choice: continue his education, or return to Aomori. The brothers’ breakfast and tense discussion is interrupted by their mother in a cosmetic ad on TV.

As they walk to Setsu’s school, Wakana tells him about the competition he just came from, in which he placed third. First Place went to Kamiki School master Ogata Kousuke, while Second Place went to his kohai, third-year high schooler Tanuma Souichi. Setsu recognizes the name Tanuma, as his little sister was in the same year as him, and indeed girl who slapped him in his flashback.

While Setsu gave up on competition to try to pursue his gramps’ sound, Tanuma Mai won in the competition’s women’s division, telling Wakana prior to the performances that he was no match for the Kamiki School…and turned out to be right. With Wakana and Setsu’s master deceased, it’s as if they’ve hit a brick wall and are “stuck in the dark”.

Between his good looks and refreshing accent, Setsu is well-received by his classmates despite his cool introduction. Wakana learns Umeko told some tall tales (and signed a fat check) to get Setsu enrolled so quickly. While in the faculty lounge with his homeroom teacher Kobayu-sensei, Setsu meets Maeda, a girl in his class who also happens to head up the school’s shamisen appreciation club.

She also happens to have a shamisen left at the school by one Ogata Kousuke. Setsu is initially troubled by the idea of a tourist like Maeda handling such a honed instrument, but lowers his hackles when she looks at him forlornly with trembling eyes and asks “Is it wrong for me…to touch it?” Phrasing!

He helps her assemble the shamisen, which has a torn skin as a result of disuse and neglect. But other than that correctable flaw (at the not insignificant cost of ¥40-50k!) he recognizes it as a particularly exquisite specimen. Maeda is smitten with it, and with Setsu, who clearly knows his shamisens. Alas, before she can properly thank him, Setsu has executed a perfect Batman exit.

Wakana meets up with him after school and presents him with the parting gift of a genuine kiri wood case, which Setsu clearly loves. Wakana also says he now understands more why Setsu left home, considering the burdens left for him there. Setsu tells Wakana how, like penguins and seals can recognize the call of their young out of a group of hundreds, he’ll always be able to pick his brother’s sound out of a chorus of shamisens.

Before Wakana takes his leave, Setsu suggests they go somewhere and play something together. They invite the boarding room father and daughter (Sakura) to join them, and they pick out a nearby Inari shrine where Sakura assures them the kitsune won’t mind their music.

Talk about it! Once again a musical number sends me straight to heaven. The two brothers play a piece with no title they came up with when they were younger and “just messing around”. As Sakura and her dad stand absolutely rapt, the brothers’ music summons images of a golden light-soaked Aomori evening. Wakana recounts how Setsu would always follow him. He’d run ahead, or climb a tree, and Setsu would fall behind and cry.

But then Wakana would take Setsu’s hand and bring him along, making sure he didn’t fall too far behind or feel lonely. Back and forth they’d go, just as their dueling shamisens chase each other. The piece gets very quiet for a bit, then they both cut loose and take flight like birds.

Sakura recognizes that this is no idle strumming, but the melody of the two brothers; the vocalization of their love and devotion; a dialogue of souls bound by blood far stronger than words could manage. With fresh strings on Setsu’s shamisen, the piece ends properly with a two-note exclamation point: blang-blang. The duet is the perfect cap to another perfect episode of Those Snow White Notes. Now the wait begins for the third episode, when Maeda will no doubt attempt to recruit Setsu into her club.

By: sesameacrylic