#that bgm is doing work setting the tone

[kitsunabi]

The last part of the Savior's Wake quest is actually really unsettling? Or maybe I'm just playing too late in the evening

[kaiowut99]

oh my god it's good to get to see these in-context finally

Vector's quality long-game plan, you kinda see it as a bit too good to be true that this new "transfer student" cozying up to Yuma is natural but you roll with it, then notice those quick nuanced looks the past 10-15 episodes as a little detail gets mentioned about the Barians and you start to see him look a little fishy, then "Vector" kidnaps him and has Yuma think he's dead to get him to lose his shit by also making this big reveal

And he set Yuma up with Limited Barian Force to use his fitting Vain - Sneer of Betrayal Trap on his "V" Monsters--his Hope Ray "V"

Seeing Yuma distraught at what he thought he knew crumbling, the trust he put into "Rei" all that time (and sticking up for him against Gilag ofc) working against him and even causing a slight rift between him and Astral... also, the BGM playing as this all goes down... He's being an absolute troll about it all, right down to using his Shingetsu voice to really rub salt into the wound, and yeah, it's good stuff

I did have some inkling at the twist eventually coming being in the fandom as long as I have and Vector being such a meme (but being so because he's seen as a great villain), but did my best to avoid/scroll past spoilers going into watching ZeXal for the first time the past while, and even then it was done pretty well to still make the twist land nicely.

[also, checked the dub on a whim, and it's nice the dialogue is mostly intact, but oof dub!Yuma really could not do distraught... though it was interesting that Liscio Jr. sounds like he played R[ei/ay]? Apparently Vector too, but they put a voice filter on him so even if he's supposed to be mockingly using Ray's voice it doesn't hit the same as JP!Vector mockingly going "I lured you here and you thought it was all for the beeest to involve people that didn't need to be"

Also, Durbe I think at some point in Vector's reveal originally says he's pulling "a clever move," his tone implying he's a bit annoyed at the lengths Vector's going here and that there's some history there, but that line's removed in the dub

also how dare they cut the close-up shot that got the entire episode's art budget spent on it]

bonus: me on five hours of sleep:

[nitw]

did you guys know that i really, REALLY love both of the pilot episodes for mp100 seasons 1 and 2 because theyre fucking perfect. i'm gonna talk about them. shut up

S1E1:

literally the first thing you see is a distorted mob fighting evil spirits in a wasteland while his bgm plays. no dialogue, no context, no explanations; just batshit visuals and music to make sure you're awake for what's to come

introduces reigen in the funniest ways possible and immediately gets you familiar with his Vibe, yet leaves you with even more questions like "is this the main character? am i supposed to root for this asshole????"

whoops here comes a little boy! whoops he's extremely powerful! and doesn't that music sound familiar??

"THIS IS SHIGEO KAGEYAMA, ALSO KNOWN AS MOB- ... THE PROTAGONIST OF THIS STORY" incredible.

in contrast to All That we then see mob and reigen's ridiculous dynamic, followed by mob's daily life at school. whatever expectations you had about either of these characters 9 minutes ago were wrong (OR WERE THEY????)

now that you know the duo and their main characteristics a little better it's time to really watch them in action. the haunted tunnel does such a good job of showing what mob and reigen actually do at work, how they play off on each other's quirks, setting the tone for the overall supernatural plot, and of course the animation is just gorgeous too

ESTABLISHES THAT REIGEN ACTUALLY DOES LOOK OUT FOR MOB, AND WORRIES FOR HIS SAFETY, EVEN WHEN HE (REALISTICALLY) DOESN'T NEED TO. i can't stress how important this is to show from the beginning, i've seen so many people gloss over that detail and continue to act like he doesn't care about him?? wtf

ALSO ESTABLISHES MOB'S UNCONDITIONAL KINDNESS AND FORGIVENESS. very good

that final scene of mob just.. staring at a group of teens hanging out and talking together while he waits for reigen at the station, who then takes him out for ramen. it adds even more to the genuinity of their friendship, but also hints at mob's struggle to connect with others and figure out what to do in his spare time. all of that, that single episode is just like, the whole show. this is all you need to know

S2E1:

same old reigen with his same old schemes, but it's a nice detail that he didn't wamt to take money from the poor farmer guy and instead asked for a cut of his harvest (who said he doesn't even do fieldwork for a living anyway). reigen's refusal to accept unfair payment comes up a lot in this show and i think that's neat

same(?) old(?) mob goes "shishou for the love of god i have a life outside of this job yknow"

when the wriggle spirit captures reigen first and threatens to kill him if mob persists, mob actually lets his guard down. 1) he learned from last time 2) possibly foreshadowing how mob will be the one to save reigen in more ways than one this season

mob realizes that the spirit isn't directly possessing the plants, but rather sending out a signal that forces them to obey it, which is technically still a form of "control". COUGH minegishi COUGH COUGH toichiro

also mob basically learns plant magic! ~this action will have consequences~

🅱️ROCCOLI

lots of arcs that started in s1 are immediately continued! ichi and the psycho helmet cult, shinji stepping down from the student council, ritsu supporting his brother, etc. and just seeing how many friends mob has now that want him to succeed is amazing

the fact that mob even agrees to ichi's plan about the election and takes it so seriously is proof of how much more determined/confident he's become

mob gets asked out for the first time in his life, and even though it turns out he rejected emi, he's so cool about everything and still wants to hang out and get to know her - early s1 mob probably couldn't have handled it this well

"do you even have feelings, or your own opinions?" "i decided to consider my feelings more" THOSE ARE THE MAGIC WORDS FOR SEASON 2'S OVERALL THEMES AND PLOT BABEY!!!!

the floating paper scene. i don't even need to say anything just take it in

OHO? TSUBOMI? SCHEMING? LURKING? could this be the beginning of the rumored "character depth" i've heard so much about???

n e way. season 3 soon. explodes

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: Smoky Nectar

Title: Smoky Nectar (スモーキーネクター)

Author/Artist: Minazuki Akira

Release Date: 2021/07/14

Cast: 

Satou Takuya x Enoki Junya

Komatsu Shouhei

Muro Genki

Taito Ban

Tsuchida Reo

Hasegawa Ikumi

Sugiyama Riho

Kobayashi Kousuke

Okada Sachiko

Kida Tasuku

Synopsis: Writer Hasegawa Mitsuru has been investigating a case that was rumored to be the work of vampires known as “Biters”. His childhood friend, Annaka Yuusei, a.k.a. Anna, warns him not to stick his head into where it doesn’t belong.

Review Proper

Just something about this is weird. The manga’s pretty fluid on its own, but it’s kinda, uhh, choppy? in the BLCD. Although I’m not sure if Smoky Nectar’s a serious manga with some comedy here and there, 50:50 serious and comedy, or is a comedy with some serious moments... it kinda doesn’t work in the BLCD. I mean, SatoTaku and Junya did well during the serious parts, but they seem to stumble during the comedy or the parts that lead to the comedic moments. Maybe the comedy just doesn’t transition well into the audio adaptation. *shrugs*

Let’s jump straight into the voice work, shall we?

I was quite interested in listening to this ‘cause yo??? Juujin bottoms??? If Daath and Kai were in these tones in Kemonohito, I would ship them 100% lmao, but then, uhh, idk, Junya was kind of a mess here. We’ll get to SatoTaku later, but I feel like they didn’t record this together. I do not like how Junya drags his moans on during their bedroom Redcross donations because he sounds very out of sync with SatoTaku’s ministrations (this is only very obvious in the first, though). I think he also has a hard time expressing the deadpan humor Mitsuru has. Sometimes my mind wanders off and starts having thoughts of either Reio, Ban, or Shouhei potentially being a better option for Mitsuru. That might just be my other issue with Junya. He was a bit too low for Mitsuru. I feel like if he was in a higher register, then he would’ve been able to express Mitsuru’s feelings better.

Now, as for SatoTaku, the man wasn’t free of my suspicions either. SatoTaku was a little too smooth to match Anna’s equally deadpan humor. I’m not saying that SatoTaku can’t comedy ‘cause sis you’ve heard Sonna ni, right??? But as compared to Anna, Shinobu’s more dynamic a character. Niyama and Ginger also gave the cast time to prepare before a big change in moods. Huh, I’m starting to think that this is the same thing that went down in Takasaki Bosco’s Torokeru Kuchibiru. I feel like Makonyan or Ono Yuuki would’ve done this better. But I know, I FUCKING KNOW, why Fifth Avenue got SatoTaku for this.

Thanks to Fifth Avenue, I know have my ringtone set to SatoTaku saying “erro” in the Mini Drama on repeat.

Goddamn I fucking flatlined on that one. I wasn’t really expecting much from the Mini Dramas, so thanks. 👍

Anyway, I also have to say that the sound effects as well as the bgms suck balls lmao. FIFTH AVENUE PLS. The main piano bgm also starts and ends in random places. There was also this part where Anna jumps off from a fucking building to the floor on the ground, making a table flip. Like we all know how a table sounds like flipped, right??? It definitely won’t sound like a chair shaking! 😂 I don’t think Fifth Avenue even cared at that point. 

This was actually a pretty decent adaptation despite the many issues I have with it. It’s pretty faithful to the manga too, although I would recommend reading the manga once before ‘cause you wouldn’t know what they were doing in real time without the visual cues. This is an action bl too, after all. If you’re looking for another vampire (the “biter” thing also threw me off a bit, but the “nectar” concept wouldn’t survive without ig) bl, I raise you Yuri Azuru’s Fujitsu de Fumou na Koi no Kami-kon starring Okitsu and Egu. That one’s a little disappointing on the action front, but it was a good vampire bl nontheless. Okitsu’s Lark was also a good comedic/spontaneous type, so that’s good vampire + comedy! 

[nomos112]

Persona 1 and 2 Remakes Part 2

Now that we're done with gameplay, let's talk about something integral to the first Persona game, the atmosphere. A potential Persona 1 remake absolutely needs to nail the presentation. As I said before, the PSP version gutted the atmosphere and tone in an attempt to appeal to modern persona fans. A remake obviously needs to avoid this again. It can’t just slot into the standard look Persona seems to be establishing now. It needs to be ethereal and downright trippy. I don’t really care if it’s 3D or not. I need abstract visuals, psychedelic imagery, and overall an eerie, surreal atmosphere and art direction. It needs to keep a good hold on the unique visual storytelling and otherworldly atmosphere of the original. Its original score was just one component. The magic of the original Persona is the experience it creates through its presentation and storytelling. They might need to contact Tadashi Satomi as the head scenario writer. Presentation is like THE thing changed most when it comes to a remake and it's also like one of the most integral things P1 needs to work; So much of its storytelling is done by utilizing the world it builds and the moods it sets and its intricately built atmosphere and if it doesn’t stick the landing, it’ll just miss. Despite my feelings on the PSP soundtrack, I believe adding an option to switch between it and the original score is ideal. I heard some say they like the original soundtrack to be remixed but I have to disagree. The original BGM and the game were perfectly sculpted around each other. It had such a detailed soundscape as well as being longer tracks in general with parts that fluctuate in both intensity and mood. The atmosphere that was created is so fitting for this game, presentation, and themes. It weaves story and effect into the musical notes without having characters to do the job for them. The storytelling here is much more passive here rather than traditional storytelling in later Persona entries. I feel trying to remix it and thus altering the instrumentation would lose the intended effect. We already somewhat saw that with the P2 remixes. I'd just like higher quality rips of the PS1 music. On the topic of new content, I'd only accept if they were written by Tadashi Satomi. There could be new content focusing on Kandori during his movements during the events of the game in a similar style to the additional scenarios from Eternal Punishment. Something like that. Also give P1 a victory theme lol. I'm sure there's some stuff I missed but this is the key things I'd like to see added/changed/removed in a potential Persona 1 remake. Now let's move to Persona 2

[ichigopanhpff]

Someday... Chapter 3: The Story I Heard

[Last Chapter] -- [Masterlist]-- [Next Chapter]

Up a day early. Enjoy!

🎵 BGM: ONE OK ROCK "Heartache"

Warnings: Alcohol consumption, Cursing, Mentions of drug use.

“I passed by the shop on my way to a shoot today,” she spoke up after putting the last washed dish on the drying rack. “That shop attendant’s gettin’ real cozy with you.” Her tone was sharp and cold like sleet pelting your face, making Mitsuya look up from his book.

“Eri-san? She’s harmless.”

“She was practically eye-fucking you,” she flatly stated and slapped down the now wrung out dish rag a lot harder than she wanted to before walking out of the kitchen and into the living area.

“I’ll admit, she gets… too familiar sometimes,” her boyfriend acknowledged with a tone of hesitancy. “But we’re just work friends.”

“Don’t look like that to me,” she scoffed and plopped down on the couch beside him with her arms crossed.

“Are you actually jealous?”

“Yes.”

“Love,” he set the closed book on the coffee table and scooted closer to his girlfriend. “Haven’t we been together long enough for you to know I’m only yours?”

“It’s because we’ve been together long enough I know when I see someone trying to steal you away from me,” she harshly pointed out. “And you don’t even realize it.”

“And what about Ryota-san then?” he shot back with a defensive tone. “You’re ‘friendly’ with him too.”

“Ryo—” she sputtered incredulously. “He has a boyfriend! And that’s unrelated to what we’re talking about!” (Y/N) took a sharp exhale. “Can you… just not stop by that shop as often any more? I don’t like her vibes.”

“That ‘girl’ is a work associate and a friend,” Mitsuya defended. “You’re reading too much into this.”

“Really…” She drew her neck back with raised brows and chewed on the insides of her cheeks. Getting off of the couch, she walked toward their shared bedroom. “Seems like you care ‘bout what your ‘friend’ feels more than your own girlfriend.”

His shoulders jumped at the loud slam of the door.

She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back in her office chair, sighing heavily and pinching her nose bridge. It was another late night at the office touching up photos for Mitsuya’s line before sending it to the marketing department to make the promo collateral. Even though she has an automated script to make it go faster in Photoshop, she’s a stickler to make sure the shots were up to her standards.

Faint sounds of the rain pattering outside could be heard through the four walls of her office. Having sat at her desk for two hours, she immediately stood to get some blood flowing back into her legs by doing lunge stretches.

Letting out a groan of relief, she straightened her leg and slowly bent down, feeling her hamstrings activate and repeated the movement on the other side. She’s always felt guilty leaving him without saying a word after all these years.

There were only so many times she could’ve asked him what time he was coming home, told him how much she missed him, whether or not he needed dinner to be portioned out. Even though they lived together, they felt more like roommates than lovers because of their schedules. All the planned vacations were postponed last minute because of something work related on both ends. Any days off they had together were spent looking at their phones, playing catch up on emails. Conversation became less and whenever they did, a verbal argument would break out.

Physical intimacy dwindled as time went on, with either one being tired or just not in the mood; they were lucky if they were even able to do it once a month! She even had to throw out an entire box of unused condoms because they expired. And her vibrator could only do so much to satiate that carnal itch compared to what Mitsuya could do to her.

Whenever they finally did spend time together, it was always with their friends. (Y/N) didn’t mind it; she wished she was a bit more pushy with Takashi in spending more personal time together.

Even though she still loved him deeply, she felt him gradually getting distant and didn’t know what to do to change that. The day she got the text from him, saying he wanted to talk about something; her mind wandered to the worse case scenario. But it didn’t matter what she thought, what’s important was they were finally going to talk.

Having gotten off of work early that day, she got home and started making dinner while waiting for him. When it got closer to 8pm, she asked him when he would be back via text; he never responded.

She eventually got tired of waiting and decided to go to his studio; it’d been a while since she stopped by. And there it was: the one thing she dreaded happened.

She walked into Eri hovering her overly glossed lips over her boyfriend’s, her petite and lithe body sitting on top of his work desk with her not-so-surprising short skirt and overly exposed frilly top. Her fingers ran up and down on his forearm with light feather touches as she batted her eyelash extensions at her man. Hearing her loud gasp, Mitsuya turned and saw her heart completely break. A tear slid down her cheek and she ran off into the chilly, autumn night, not caring whether or not he chased after her.

Her lungs ached with cool, burning fire as she ran as far away as she could through blurry eyes. Her muscles fired on full blast, feeling the fatigue building up and her tongue tasting the salty iron with every breath. It hurt. Everything hurt like a thousand knives simultaneously stabbing her in the heart with rubbing alcohol pouring on top of the wounds.

She warned him. And he didn’t listen. She told him Eri made her uncomfortable and he disregarded her feelings.

He didn’t care anymore; he didn't care about her anymore.

Stumbling back home, she panted heavily while sobbing. Her tears mixed with the dripping sweat fell from her face, staring into the dark apartment they shared before hastily kicking her shoes off.

Through her tear-stained gaze, she grabbed her duffle bag and her clothes from the closet along with other basic necessities into it; she zipped it up and looked down at her left hand through blurry eyes. Quietly sniffling, (Y/N) hesitantly removed the ring on her finger and placed it on the dining table. Hastily grabbing a loose sheet of paper, she wrote her goodbye message and placed it next to the cold and long forgotten dinner she made.

She didn’t know where to go, but she couldn’t stay there. It wasn’t home any more.

And the consequence of that action was her feelings in limbo for her ex-boyfriend. She hated this, but she also didn’t want to confront it; she didn’t want to reopen these scarred wounds she haphazardly stitched back together.

A few days later, Mitsuya stopped by (Y/N)’s agency after receiving an email saying the shots for his debut line were ready for viewing. Changing out of his usual work attire, he donned a well fitted thin suit jacket with the sleeves rolled up on top of a black short sleeve collared shirt with casual navy blue slacks and leather dress shoes. The receptionist welcomed him in and led him into the brightly lit glass pane conference room. Drinks and snacks were already provided in advance prior to his arrival.

“Mitsuya-san, so great to finally meet you,” Murayama, the head of SOUL LOVE Agency Inc. greeted him and exchanged business cards. “Thank you for hiring us to spearhead the promotion for your debut line. We’re as excited as you are.”

“I’m more nervous than excited, to be honest,” the designer answered with an awkward chuckle.

“Well, we’re going to change that when you see (Y/N)-san’s work,” the CEO boasted. “I have to say, of all the things she’s shot, these are her best by far.”

Not long after, the photographer entered the room with her assistant and some people from the marketing department following behind; she sat across the table from him, not once making eye contact. She wore a black short sleeve silk blouse with an embellished ruched collar. A ribbon was tied underneath it, paired with a set of high waist linen khaki wide leg slacks and black leather slip on sandals. Considering all she used to wear were oversized hoodies and t-shirts when she was younger, the (Y/N) in front of him was now a polished adult. The bracelet and ring she once wore were replaced with a lone, thin silver band on her slender left pinky.

Putting his glasses on, he meticulously looked over the photo proofs one by one. His lavender eyes widened with surprise: the models looked so natural wearing his clothes, showcasing comfort, movement and style. The couple and group shots were intimate and inviting, like the viewer was peering into a private moment in their lives. Her composition had tremendously improved since he last saw her works. It was polished, but still natural and organic with a human touch.

“(Y/N)-san…” Mitsuya called, remembering to add an honorific to her name, keeping in mind of Chifuyu’s words from last night while his eyes still scanned her work. “What was going through your mind shooting this?”

“When I asked the models what they thought of your clothes, majority of them said it was comforting, like an intimate embrace,” she answered with a neutral tone and gaze across the table. “So I did the whole shoot with that feeling in mind.”

“That was exactly what I wanted to portray.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” Her head bowed lightly to thank him, face void of emotion.

After a two and a half hour meeting of going through all the photos and ad design concepts with him, the promotions for Mitsuya’s debut line was set to go with his final approval. Since he had a small budget, the advertisements were to be seen in local fashion magazines, fashion news websites, Instagram and small sized promotional posters around Shibuya, Shinjuku and Roppongi. And after finding out he and (Y/N) were former classmates, they gave him a discount on it. As much as he refused, Murayama insisted in order to build a professional working relationship with him for the future because he believed in his work.

Thanking everyone for their time, the CEO left the conference room, with marketing soon after with the printed sample collateral. He was left with (Y/N) and her assistant gathering their belongings. The designer caught her by the door just as she was leaving.

“Would you be able to do dinner tonight?” he asked. “I want to treat you for doing such good work with my line. It could even just be a round of drinks if you don’t have that much time.”

“I don—”

“She would love to,” Ryota butted in, with her immediately shooting him a dirty look.

“Ryota,” she warned with a sharp glare thrown at him.

Oh. So he was Ryota, he thought to himself, suddenly remembering the conversation they had when she brought Eri up. The man took a lot of care with his appearance, his hair carefully styled with pomade to make his cropped cut tousled like he just rolled out of bed. His facial hair was neatly trimmed, nails manicured and immaculate.

“(Y/N)-chan’s been working really hard lately and she barely takes any days off.” Her assistant then placed his hands on Mitsuya’s shoulder and gently nudged him to the side and leaned into his ear. “Take her somewhere relaxing, not fancy. She hates the white table cloth places.”

“O-Okay…”

Flashing him a quick friendly smile, he hastily made his way out and said in a sing songy tone, “You two have fun tonight~”

“So… what time will be good for you?” Mitsuya slowly asked, immediately noticing the dark scowl she was shooting at Ryota. He immediately knew what she was thinking and snickered to himself: she was finding ways to kill him three times over. At least that part of her hasn’t changed, the thought to himself with a small crooked smirk. Finally giving up, she sighed and rubbed her temple.

“I should be done by seven.”

The day went by in the blink of an eye and she found herself staring at her computer clock. It was close to their meeting time. Sighing, she leaned back on her computer chair and closed her eyes.

A loud, panicked pounding ravaged Draken’s apartment door at 11pm. Audibly groaning in annoyance, the lanky man dragged himself off of his couch to answer it and ran his hand through his untied jet black hair.

“What the hell’s your—(Y/N)-chan?” he looked down with surprise.

She stood there, sniffling and quivering from the outside chill with a travel bag in hand. Her cheeks were dyed with red splotches, her eyes like shiny, reflecting glass from tears threatening to spill out again.

“So-Sorry… I-I know it’s late n’ you just got off work,” she said between her dry sobs and wiped her tears with the heel of her hand. “Didn’t know where else to go…”

Immediately letting his friend in, she set her belongings down and sat on the tile carpeted floor after taking her shoes off in the small foyer. The dragon tattooed man immediately sat beside her and solemnly stared.

“What happened?”

“Takashi… He… He…” Her lips quivered and choked down her sobs, violently hiccupping. “We’re over.”

“What do you mean you two are over?” he asked in confusion. “That guy loves you to death.”

“I went by his studio…” she stuttered as tears freely cascaded down her flushed cheeks. “And that store attendant he works with was there…” Her knuckles turned white from balling her hands up tightly. “She was making a move on him n’ h-he didn’t even try p-pushing her off!”

Finally breaking down, she bawled into her palms. Draken slowly embraced her slumped form, letting her cry it out. She’d been there for him since Emma’s death and supported him through thick and thin; this was the least he could do.

“My words can’t reach him!” she whimpered into his muscular shoulder, feeling herself completely crumble and shatter. “I’m not in his heart anymore…”

What the fuck was Mitsuya doing, he angrily thought to himself while comforting his friend.

It’s just dinner. Nothing else, she mentally reminded herself as she headed to the elevators to meet Mitsuya downstairs.

With a ding, she vacated the building to see a familiar set of short lilac streaked hair waiting with his arms crossed and eyes closed on a guard rail; he ditched the blazer he wore from earlier today. Anyone passing by would’ve thought he was a model with his lanky build. As if sensing her presence, he looked up and saw her just as she exited. She was still as beautiful as he remembered her.

“So where are we going?” she asked in a semi-bored manner.

“I found a spot for handmade soba. That good with you?”

“Lead the way.”

Hailing a taxi to Chiyoda, they rode in silence. (Y/N) glanced out the window, looking up at the sky and passing street lamps. It was a habit she never broke out of back when she used to ride on the back of Impulse. The two arrived in front of the restaurant, with her paying the fare just as he reached for his wallet.

“Let me do this much if you’re treating tonight,” she remarked before leaving the car.

They entered the restaurant and were seated in a booth near the back with plenty of privacy. The two looked at the menu and made their orders, consisting of cold sake and their set soba meal with tempura.

“So how’s your dad doing?” Mitsuya asked to make conversation.

“He moved back to Sendai not too long ago,” she revealed. “He’s working with the Wayamas as a distribution manager now. Less stress on his body from driving and he’s enjoying it. He’s even quit smoking, finally.”

“That’s good to hear…” he trailed off with a small smile. The waitress came by and brought their order of cold sake. (Y/N) took the carafe and poured their drinks before raising the small cup.

“To the success of your debut,” they toasted and sipped the light spirit before setting it back down. The awkward, pregnant silence settled back between the two, neither one able to come up with anything to talk about. It was never like this when they were still together; how did it come to this?

Their food came not too long after and they ate in silence for the most part, with only the slurping of the noodles and the loud, light crunches of biting into the fried goods occupying the dead air.

“How are your sisters doing?” she finally asked after swallowing her food.

“Luna’s working as a sales manager for a fabrics distributor and Mana’s just about to graduate from vocational school for nursing while doing her externship at a local hospital,” Mitsuya replied with a small beam of pride. “And my mom’s eased up on her work hours now. Those two have been through so much. I’m glad they’ve grown into proper adults.”

“Well, they had you raising them so…”

“They really missed having you around…” he trailed off and rolled his lips in.

(Y/N) bitterly scoffed and set her chopsticks down. “Using your sisters to guilt me for leaving? That’s dirty, even for you.”

“N-No. No. I didn’t mean it like that,” he hastily replied and took a breath. “I’m… sorry. Really. I am. I spoke without thinking.”

“It’s fine. I just… misunderstood,” she uttered out and avoided eye contact for the rest of the evening.

Just as dinner wrapped up without any more chatter, Mitsuya was wracking his brain to keep her company for a little longer. There were so many things he wanted to talk with her about, but didn’t know how to say it.

“Would you like some dessert?” the waiter suggested with a friendly smile. “We recently put our green tea shaved ice on the menu as a seasonal spec—”

“Yes,” he immediately answered, startling the young man. “Two orders of that, please.”

The server bowed and made her way back to the kitchen. (Y/N) leaned back in her seat and dumped the remaining sake from her cup into her mouth, secretly wishing to get shitfaced just so she could leave earlier. Just as she reached for the carafe, Mitsuya beat her to it and refilled it for her. Muttering a thanks, she mindlessly played with the small ceramic cup and got lost in her thoughts. About 10 minutes later, a giant bowl of shaved ice topped with green tea syrup, sweet red beans and dango appeared in front of them.

“When was the last time you had this?” (Y/N) asked Mitsuya.

“Hmm… it’s gotta be at least three, four years ago,” he confessed. “You?”

“Probably a year or two ago? Think I was in Singapore…”

Each took a respective spoonful with topping and put it into their mouths, feeling the soft, fluffy ice slowly dissipate on their tongue with the bittersweet taste of the green tea syrup mixed in with the sweetness of the azuki beans. Taking another three bites, they experienced their first round brain freeze.

“Oh man…” she groaned and held her temple, letting out a quick shudder from the cold running through her body. She flagged down a server for two cups of warm tea to offset the effect.

“Remember when we had this as kids after that soccer game?” the lilac streak haired man reminisced.

“You n’ Tanaka had that contest to see who’d get brain freeze first…”

“Idiot ended up losing his own challenge two bites in.”

They both lightly laughed at the memory while taking another bite of their dessert. With both their stomachs full of food, Mitsuya paid for the meal and the two left the restaurant. The humid evening breeze blew past, warming their cold flesh from what they ate.

The two walked toward the train station, with the bottoms of their shoes hitting the gravel of the pavement filling in the chasm of silence. This can’t keep going, Mitsuya thought to himself and mustered up the courage.

“(Y/N)… Why did you leave without a word?” he finally asked, desperate for an answer. Her steps came to a halt and slowly turned to him; this was the first time in a very long time they looked at each other directly like this; his lavender eyes reflected hurt and melancholy.

“What else was there to say?” she casually shrugged, wearing a pensive expression. “We went for weeks not talking to each other and the thing with Eri-san…”

“We didn’t do anything,” he explained. “It was—”

“Just work?” she cut in with a biting tone with an arched brow and scoffed. “Didn’t look like that to me.” She looked to the ground and shuffled her feet. “Both of us used that as an excuse to avoid each other. That’s how we got to where we are now. We’re both at fault here.”

“You have every right to feel the way you do,” he confessed. “All I ask is for a chance to explain myself what happened that night.”

“For what?” she huffed with a look of disappointment at him. “Your ease of conscience? Your ego?” she paused for a beat to give him a chance to answer, only to be met with stark silence. “Mitsuya Takashi, you’ve grown to be such a shitty adult.”

Just as she started walking again, he called, “(Y/N), wait!”

“That’s all I did, Mitsuya. Wait,” she snapped with a strained, hushed voice when she turned to face him again with tears pricking her eyes. “I waited for you. When have you ever did that for me during the span of our relationship? What I saw that night was basically you saying you wanted to break up, so I made it easier for you.”

“Easier? You think you leaving made things easier for me?!” he retorted with his anger boiling inside.

“It made it easier for you to date her right after,” her icy tone cut into him like a well maintained sword.

“How did you—”

“I saw you kissing her when I passed by the shop a few weeks after I Ieft…” she replied in a barely audible whisper. “Clearly… your feelings for me’s ran its course,” she muttered to herself and sniffled before turning on her heels to leave. He stood stationary in the street, unable to say anything back as he watched her figure shrink from his field of view.

It’d been two days since he last saw (Y/N) and their conversation ended terribly. He wanted to reach out to amend things, but didn’t have a way to contact her. He could’ve called her agency, but that may brew more unnecessary questions on her end from her boss and coworkers. The only possible avenue for him to understand her thoughts and feelings right now was to go to the past.

With a few days open in his schedule after finalizing the details of his debut show, Mitsuya decided to go see “Wander” before it ended. And by some kind of alignment of the stars and planets, he managed to get a ticket for the last day. Under the overcast drizzling sky, the budding designer found himself at the main entrance of the gallery, umbrella in tow.

Steadying his breath, he entered the building and presented his ticket to the usher to gain entrance and put his umbrella in a provided plastic bag so droplets wouldn’t puddle all around the exhibit. Remembering what Draken and Chifuyu told him, he was on the look out for this secret message his ex-girlfriend supposedly left him.

Passing by the introduction synopsis of what the exhibition was about, he came across the first photo blown up in a large black and white canvas shot of her arm extended on top of a bed in a room with no personal effects; a caption adhered to the white wall beside it read, “This bed feels like a morgue.”

Mitsuya moved onto the next set of framed photos, all of which were in black and white. One was a random street in Shibuya nearby the main crossing area with the caption, “The brilliant colours I used to see are gone. Is there something wrong with my eyes?” He recognized the street in the next shot: it was where he took her for their first date. The ramen shop they went to then was now a Chinese restaurant serving gyoza. The text below read, “Everywhere I go, all I see is you.”

He stood for a moment, trying to timestamp when these photos were taken. This must’ve been a few weeks after she left him, he thought to himself. Where was she living then? Did she reach out to anyone? Thinking these useless questions now were no good for him now. As painful as it was to be here, he could only imagine how she felt when she took these and put her side of the story together.

He pressed on and caught the shot of a shattered mug with droplets of water around it.

“The birthday present you got me broke today.”

He remembered that mug: it was a matching set they bought at Daiso when they moved in together. Since their funds were all tied up with the rent deposit and things they needed for the place, budget was super tight. He asked her to pick something and chose those mugs for them; she didn’t care they were cheap. (Y/N) was happier knowing it’d be something they’d use together. He remembered two months after she left, his arm accidentally knocked his from the kitchen counter from reaching for something and broke the moment it hit the floor.

A dull pain stung his chest as he stared at the damaged porcelain with sorrow before dragging himself away. Wiping some stray tears away from his eyes, he sniffled and came face to face with the shot of an obscured gravestone with a bouquet of fresh flowers and lit incense in the next photo.

She went to visit Emma-chan?

The text read, “What would my friend do?” He recalled Mikey’s sister was always good with love advice and swallowed the weighty lump in his throat. If Emma was still alive, she and Draken would definitely have been married with a kid or two by now. Mitsuya looked down at his feet and squeezed his eyes close, trying his best to control his emotions. How did his best friend feel when he saw this?

The next shot was blown up as the same canvas size as the first one; it depicted a boarding area at Narita airport with her bag beside her with faded colors.

“Trying to save what’s left of me.”

“That explains why I couldn’t reach her any more when I tried calling.”

Mitsuya then came across an area with bean bags and cushioned seats with boxes of tissues at the ready for use. A black placard to his right read, “Sit with your feelings,” with an explanation of the space below the header. It was basically a safe space for people to take a breather and decide whether or not they want to continue on. Taking the heavy subject matter in mind, (Y/N) decided it’d be best to designate areas like this to sit and absorb what they saw since some things may trigger visitors. Inwardly thanking her for this, he reset himself before continuing on to the second part.

He entered to see a collage of clashing colours to the point of overwhelming his senses. Glancing at a few of them, it looked like she was in Los Angeles. As he looked around, one specific 24x36 framed shot caught his eye. Trails of light swirled around the dimly lit hotel room she was in; her arm dyed a warm yellow over off white sheets. At a glance, the shot was nauseating; he had to blink a few times to adjust his eyes to the extreme contrast. The caption read, “I tried to numb the pain. Worst trip ever. Don’t think I’ll be doing this again.”

The one next to it was sunset shot from a beach littered with people on the horizon.

“Went to the beach for the first time in forever. It was calming. A few people came by and started talking to me. It was weird, but comforting. When I asked them about how to heal a broken heart, they gave the most interesting answers.

The one that stood out to me the most was from a teenage boy. He said, 'A broken heart never fully heals; it just scars. that's proof you were able to give yourself to someone selflessly, not caring about what you have to endure. That scar is your resolve to love again.'

Love again... Is that even possible?”

They were each other’s first loves. First everything.

While she was trying to deal with this heartache, he was already dating someone else to numb the pain of her leaving him. He felt like absolute shit and heavily sighed before moving to the next photo of a European style cafe with the tip of the Eiffel Tower peeking behind one of the buildings.

“I’m going ahead first.”

It’s Mitsuya’s dream to travel to France once he became a well-known designer and suddenly had a pang of envy settle in his stomach. His gaze traveled to the next shot of a lower half of a female’s face, his eyes widened with surprise.

“Yuzuha met her?”

If memory served him right, she was with Hakkai for a job in Paris for the first time and then they had to go to Germany and England after. Was it possible (Y/N) told Yuzuha not to say anything? Actually, that’s 100% possible, he thought to himself and rubbed his temple.

“When did I get this conceited?” he grimaced to himself and moved to the next photo, which was an off focus one of her arm once again in a different hotel room with scattered personal items. A bottle of water and some medicine by the night stand; it was in black and white.

“Hungover. Second worst feeling ever.”

Mitsuya stifled a laugh and covered his mouth tightly so other patrons wouldn’t hear. He suddenly remembered back when they were 22, they both stumbled home drunk at 2am during Hanami with the former Toman captains and vice captains plus Hina. She woke up the next day with a roaring hangover and cursed Pah-chin’s full name for pouring that extra glass of Otokoyama sake for her while she emptied her stomach offerings to the porcelain gods. They both took the next two days off from work to recover and all they did was laze around in bed cuddling and catching up on movies they wanted to watch together.

Regaining his composure, he came across a wide canvas of a wild lavender field with the midday sun behind it. The heavy feelings of guilt and regret he felt weighing on his heart were washed away for a moment from the glowing warmth of the image.

"The way I am now is enough. -Provence, France"

He continued through the rest of the exhibit, with a shot of her feet buried in sand by the water on a quiet beach in Corsica, a hidden restaurant somewhere in Italy, the daily lives of people in Malaysia, Philippines and Hong Kong mixed in with wildlife and nature shots. Slowly approaching the last photo, Mitsuya finally saw her. The plaque description wrote it was taken in Sendai.

It was a self-portrait with her camera blocking half of her face sitting on a cushioned loveseat in black and white. Her gaze was a mix of deep loneliness, humility and hope. The final caption on the wall read:

I've traveled near and far, trying to piece this jagged glass heart back little by little.

To those going through your own battles, you're not alone. Look inward and let your feelings run its course like the blood in your veins. Lean on people to pull you out of a seemingly endless tunnel of despair.

And to you who may see this, there's no one in this life I love more than you.

If I could do it all over again, I'd still choose you. I will always choose you. All I want is for you to be happy, even if I'm not in your life anymore.

Tears streamed freely down his pale cheeks, his heart succumbing to grief. Making his way to sit down in the designated areas, he hastily grabbed a few tissues from the stand and wiped his face.

She still loves him. Even after all this time.

The upper half of his body arched down and covered his eyes with the now crumpled tissue, silently sobbing into it. He realized what she said the other night was right: he only wanted to explain himself for his own self-satisfaction.

It was never about her. It was so he’d feel less guilty for emotionally cheating on her.

Every photo he saw and caption he read was the real her; there was no lie or fluffed up words.

In the end, it was his gentle lies and radio silence that broke her heart and what they had.

What could he right now to honour these feelings she’s laid bare for all to see?

Taglist: @mor-pheus @netzukochannn @moodyhuesworld2 @someone4414

[noteslascl]

Nec sl1100 programming software

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bgm trunk port (use analog trunk ports) 1 (sl1000) trunk ports (total) : 88 (sl1100).

external moh (use analog trunk ports) 1 (sl1000).

external paging (use analog trunk ports) 3 (sl1000).

System number plan/capacities note system type number plan/capacities related pro- gram You can press cursor key (up) or cursor key (down) to scroll forward or backward through a list of programs. Back go back one step in the program display. Table 1-4 softkey display prompts softkey display prompts if you press this softkey. Telephone programming enter data into program 0 ~ 9, *, # line key (1 ~ 6) next index cursor key (up) prior i. Telephone programming change program number - change index number move cursor to right cursor key (right) table 1-2 keys for entering data (sl1100) when you want to. (program 90-04 is used to reload the customer data if necessary.) note that a cf card can only hold one customer database.

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Insert the cf card into the cpu and, using program 90-03, save the software to the cf card. To save a customer’s database, a blank compact flash (cf) card is required.

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This indicates the pro- gram number (15-07), item number (01), and that the options are being set for the ext.Ĭhange the passwords, use 90-02 : programming password setup on page 2-502. After you do, you will see the message “15-07-01 tel” on the first line of the telephone display. In this chapter, you f.Ģ 15-07-01 tells you to enter the programming mode, dial 150701 from the telephone dial pad. By changing a pro- gram, you change the way the feature associated with that program works. This chapter provides you with detailed information about the system programs. S ection 1 before you start programming before customizing your system be sure to read this chapter first. 1-4 table 1-2 keys for entering data (sl1100). Table 1-1 keys for entering data (sl1000). 2-481 84-16 : voipdb limiter control gain setup. Ĩ4-15 : h.323/sip phone keep alive setup. 2-331 34-02 : e&m tie line class of service. Program 34 : tie line setup 34-01 : e&m tie line basic setup. 2-270 24-02 : system options for transfer. Program 24 : hold/transfer setup 24-01 : system options for hold. 2-140 15-10 : incoming virtual extension ring tone order setup. ġ5-09 : virtual extension ring assignment. The informa- tion contained herein is the property of nec corporation and shall not be repr.Ĭhapter 1 introduction section 1 before you start programming. Nec corporation has prepared this document for use by its employees and customers.

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Already D Drive size is reduced from Windows server and 4TB size b.Programming manual a50-031167-002 eu issue 1.Ĭopyright nec corporation reserves the right to change the specifications, functions, or features at any time without notice. Hi there,Hypervisor: VMware ESXi 7Guest OS: Windows Server 2019We have a Virtual Disk Size as D Drive of 8TB, and our requirement is changed, so having 4TB space on this D Drive is enough.

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How to reduce Virtual Disk size on VMware 7.Today in History: 1943 - Witold Pilecki escapes from Auschwitz after having voluntarily been imprisoned there to gain information about the HolocaustFollowing the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, the occupiers quickly set about setting up a network of pri.

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Spark! Pro series 27th April 2022 Spiceworks Originals.

Workstation admin accounts (WS-accounts) - admin rights on clientsĪdmin accounts (A-accounts) - server and infra related matters Regular user accounts - logon to clients, email, surf etc.

Block specific AD accounts to logon to all workstations Windows.

Im deploying a new process server soon and wondering if there are any bulletproof. For instance, our mfps surge protector shuts down the machine if it breaks threshold (125-115v). My office has some unique power issues now and then.

[eternalstargazer]

Who's ready for me to painstakingly overanalyze an adorable scene that none of us SatoGou shippers thought we'd ever be fortunate enough to get (regardless of situation/context)? Of course you all are! 😄

Usually it's Goh that's curious about the behavior of Pokémon and wondering what's influencing that behavior, not Ash. He's not even really listening to Ash here. Then Ash changes the subject and assures Goh they're going to be fine once they get back to the lab, but Goh still doesn't seem interested in holding a conversation. Is holding Ash's hand so distracting that it's the only thing on Goh's mind at the moment? One might expect Goh to jump at the opportunity to talk about something, anything... to ease/deflect the awkwardness of having to hold hands with Ash in public, but he doesn't.

Instead, he draws attention to it (maybe he wanted to try and explain why his palm was getting sweaty 😉) when Ash asks him why he seemed bummed out. First, I like that regardless of what might be going through Goh's head at this moment, he wanted to avoid hurting Ash's feelings. He didn't want Ash to get the wrong idea and think he was sad/annoyed/disappointed (the definition of being "bummed out" according to online dictionaries) that the two were holding hands. He mentions he's a little embarrassed since they're holding hands, and this can be taken a couple of different ways. If you're someone that doesn't see anything beyond friendship between these two, then you would just chalk it up as Goh feeling self-conscious and uncomfortable, because that's generally how a straight guy would feel if he had to hold hands with another guy (even a good bud) or how kids at that age would typically react (especially a boy having to hold a girl's hand).

If you're someone that does see something much more between these two, then Goh being embarrassed holding Ash's hand is expected and natural. One of Goh's character traits (which, admittedly, the writers have sometimes been inconsistent with) is he doesn't have many friends and gets uncomfortable around strangers/social situations, and based on some of the flashbacks when he is around six or seven, it might be fair to say he's an introvert (staying in his room looking at computer screens/avoiding kids at school/not going to school). If he does have a secret crush on Ash, he's going to feel embarrassed when his fingers are intertwined with the boy that sets his heart aflutter. If real people in real relationships can feel embarrassment (for a a variety of reasons, as a quick Google search reveals) when holding hands in public, then it's reasonable to believe that Goh was embarrassed here because he's a shy boy that doesn't have a lot of experience making and maintaining friendships, let alone feelings that go beyond friendship.

The point is, Goh's embarrassment over Ash holding hands with him can be used both as an argument for and against journeyshipping. I don't think I have to say which side I fall on here. 😂

I've mainly talked about Goh up to this point, but what about Ash? Ash is... well, Ash. He is typically a lot harder to read because it's a running gag in the anime that he has no concept of love and everything that he does/how he reacts can simply be attributed to him being such a nice guy/great friend. Like here, one could argue that Ash is fine with holding Goh's hand because he wants to help his friend get back to the lab safely. His facial expression changes to worry when Goh sounds bummed out, but again, that could just be Ash being concerned that his friend sounds sad. To Ash, this is all perfectly normal and he would do the same for any of his male/female friends and rivals. Except for Paul. 😆 And possibly Trip...

Just as one could say it's just Ash being Ash when he gets distracted by an Alakazam putting on a show in a park and leads Goh in that direction rather than back to the lab. Some will say if Ash was really concerned with getting Goh back to the lab, he would focus on that, but at the same time you could also argue holding Goh's hand feels so natural to him and that he enjoys being out with and sharing things with Goh so much that he totally forgot about their present situation (he even says here "an Alakazam! Let's go see!" Uh... Ash? Goh can't see! 🤦‍♂️ Isn't that why the two of you are holding hands...? Or...?😏) . The two do practically everything together and spend almost the entirety of their days side by side, so would that really be such a stretch that Ash forgot about their predicament? That's the beauty of shipping; it all depends on how you look at things!

Lastly, credit once again to Zeno Robinson's portrayal of Goh! His line delivery here, especially that pause before the "holding hands" part is so perfect. Honestly, the dub's choice of BGM works pretty well as there was no BGM in the Japanese version, and between that and Robinson's tone and delivery, the potential undertones of this scene come across stronger in the dub.

As you might imagine, I'm very happy about that. 💗

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Visual Novel Review - OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos

If you are at all interested in Yuri or visual novels, you will have undoubtedly heard of OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos. The Yuri rom-com was one of Steam’s top 20 February releases, and it hit the trending page on the platform. These accomplishments are incredible, and it is lovely to see both a visual novel and a Yuri game get so much love and recognition. However, whenever a title succeeds and manages to make an impact outside of the Yuri community, it always brings up a few questions. Mainly, does it deserve to be one of the few Yuri titles to obtain “mainstream success” and is it a positive ambassador for the genre, one which can further Yuri’s popularity and pull new consumers into it? These concerns boil down to one question, is it good? Usually, this inquiry is pretty quickly answered, with most elements of a product either being positive or negative. However, OshiRabu delivers more of a challenge. There are some fantastic parts to this game which I applaud and gush over, yet there are also several problems, both major and minor. The dichotomy between OshiRabu’s highs and lows is possibly the strongest I have ever seen in a Yuri title.

OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos is the debut game of SukeraSomero, the new sister brand of the excellent Yuri studio, SukeraSparo. The plot follows Akuru Hayahoshi, an otaku with an obsession with her “husbandos” from gacha games and seriously bad luck. One day she bumps into a cute and bubbly student, Ren Furutachi. After Ren shows off her uncanny good luck to Akuru, a miscommunication sees Ren believing that Akuru confesses to her. For Ren, it is love at first sight, and she persistently negotiates her way into living with the older woman.

The rest of the game flits between comedic moments as Akuru and Ren live together. Examples include the girls shopping for a new bed, since Ren insists on sleeping next to Akuru, and Akuru creating boys’ love doujinshi with her friend Shino. There is, of course, a climax, which will not be spoiled in this review, and three possible endings, depending on two-player choices. An optional 18+ DLC expands on one of the endings and offers several explicit scenes.

There are some enjoyable aspects of this plot. For one, it is light and pleasant, never letting itself settle too much or grow stale. The situations are not hilarious but enjoyable and well suited to the with the characters’ personalities, and establishing several recurring themes and jokes, such as Shino teasing Ren and Ren accusing Akuru of cheating. There is an excessive amount of adorable fluff, which matches well with the overall tone of the game. These delightful moments cater to a variety of interests and fixations, so every reader is likely to find something they like. My personal favorite was a brief imagination sequence where Ren and Akuru have a child together, cute Yuri stories about women raising a kid are one of my weaknesses, and the reason Voltage’s Lovestruck has stolen hundreds of dollars from me.

The writing is also fantastic. The descriptive prose makes me laugh at the poor quality English translations we had a decade ago, and sometimes still unfortunately get. SukeraSomero deserves a great deal of praise for the simultaneous English, Japanese, and Chinese release. It is amazing that everyone got to experience this game together all over the world, without having to wait years for a possible license and translation. English translator Meru is one of the best in the business, and her work shines here. Her adaptation is amazing and fits the games’ modern setting and feel. I personally do not care for the amount of internet culture language included, such as Ren calling Akuru a “thot,” simply because such terminology tends to become dated quickly. However, I will defend the creative choices as accurate to Oguri Aya’s original story.

There is one more major compliment I have to give this game, and it is a big one. OshiRabu is extremely queer. While most Yuri titles exist as lesbian or lesbian adjacent content with little construction of LGBTQ identity, for example naming, displaying meaningful sexual and romantic relationships, or showing any aspect of queer culture, OshiRabu does all of these. I was floored when, early on in the story, Ren confesses to Akuru that she is a “lesbian.” The word lesbian is actually used directly in the visual novel, an unfortunate rarity for the Yuri genre. I even swapped the game into the original Japanese to confirm, and there again was the coming-out moment; the word “lesbian,” in all its glory, was planted right on the screen. This fantastic scene was not a one-off occurrence either.

Throughout OshiRabu, Ren continuously mentioned her homosexuality, which is usually juxtaposed by Akuru pondering her own sexuality, which she defines as an attraction to 2D men and nothing else. Although, her identity obviously changes because you know the women must end up together by the end. Some other excellent scenes feature queer representation. For example, at one point in the game, Akuru goes to a gay bookstore where another woman approaches her. When trying to explain that she is not interested, Akuru almost exclaims, “I’m normal,” a sentiment which she quickly realizes is hurtful and prejudice with some spectacular self-reflected narration. Moments like these offer nuanced and thoughtful presentations of LGBT culture and are the definite highlight of the game.

Sadly, not every aspect of the visual novel is as fantastic as these. In fact, many parts of it range from unfortunate to downright atrocious. First, the characters, while not awful or unlikeable, have some harmful qualities to them. Akuru is distant and introverted, which often leads to her being cold or even rude to Ren, which is never confronted or resolved. On her part, Ren is sadly the stereotypical aggressive lesbian, and frequently invades Akuru’s personal space, a topic which is again never reconciled. It is fine to have a character make problematic choices, but when their actions do not have consequences and conflicts have no resolution, it is a significant issue. The only character I unequivocally enjoyed was Shino, as she spends the whole game humorously teasing the two.

Speaking of conflicts, the final dramatic twist comes about as a result of Ren running away and refusing to communicate with Akuru. It turns out, minor spoilers, that she was testing her, which is a pathetic and ridiculous action which in real life can and should have serious repercussions or even end the partnership. Additionally, the topic of Akuru’s shared affection for Ren and her virtual husbandos, which is an immense source of stress for Ren, is not addressed in the base game, only the DLC. The extra content has its own set of problems too.

It is not uncommon for visual novels to include adult content in a separate patch so they can sell the base game on Steam. However, such adult patches are usually free, and OshiRabu’s is not, instead it sells for $4.99. This price is on top of the $24.99 base game, which means you are shelling out 30 dollars for the complete experience. An experience which, mind you. only clocks in at about 3 hours, hardly what I would call a value. It is an additional shame because the adult content is really well done. All the 18+ scenes, except for maybe the brief first one, showcase a tender loving relationship and skillfully written erotic content, although one or two metaphors did not land very well. However, not every player will want the 18+ content, and OshiRabu essentially forces them to play through it if they are going to see all the base game’s conflicts resolved.

There is also an unfortunate amount of service. While most of OshiRabu’s service is just sweet and cute moments between the characters, there is plenty of exploitative artwork designed to cater to specific players of a more perverted persuasion. Ren is usually the subject of such content, with shots featuring her panties and one extremely revealing cosplay outfit consisting of little more than two strips of cloth. Obviously, some players will enjoy these aspects of the game, but they did not work well for me, especially when I compared such clumsy service with the robust adult content.

However, this exploitative artwork, along with the rest of the game’s art, is phenomenally well crafted. Artist and character designer DSmile creates detailed and colorful illustrations that match the light comedic tone of the game. The adorable and vibrant artwork, drawn in a light watercolor style, makes my heart sing! There are also plenty of CG pieces, over 20, including the DLC, which adds six more. Given the games short length, this means you will see a new CG every ten minutes or so. The UI is also incredibly clean, easy to navigate, and blends well with the aesthetics of the art. My only complaint visually is that the sprites are entirely static. Except for different facial expressions and a few outfit changes, they are always the exact same, standing like flat mannequins against a backdrop. There is no animation or even alternative poses for them.

The voice acting is similarly high quality. Voice actors Nekomura Yuki, Kitaooji Yuki, and Waou Kirika all give fantastic performances in Japanese, and the quality of the recordings is consistently amazing. Even the adult scenes are voiced and showcase the range of talent present. The music is not nearly as good, but it does not intrude either. There are enough tracks to prevent the music from getting too dull, although the central theme and one of the tracks, “Let’s Go Out!” push this boundary a little far. Unfortunately, none of them are too memorable either, and I can guarantee that I will never be touching the BGM tab of the extras menu.

OshiRabu: Waifus Over Husbandos is a highly polished and visually impressive experience. The visual novel contains incredible artwork and is well constructed, showing the promise and talent of SukeraSparo. The stellar, although unfortunately necessary, adult DLC, and inclusion of LGBT themes are superb aspects that could have made playing this game a blast. However, a poorly constructed story, weak characters, and a high price tag compared to the amount of content offered severely detract from the game’s success. If you do not mind excessive service or are interested in lots of cute Yuri moments, pick this one up when it goes on sale.

Ratings: Story – 5 (6 with DLC) Characters – 4 Art – 9 Voice – 10 Music – 5 LGBTQ – 10 Sexual Content – 5 (9 with DLC) Final – 5

The visual novel is available on Steam and MangaGamer

[kdramachitchat]

The Devil Judge - The Finale

A dystopian law drama w/a good concept that ended up underwhelming due to terrible writing. The star studded cast made up that fault with the likes of Ji Sung and Park Jinyoung.

Min and Jung has a previous conversation about the live show court trial. They team up so that they could stop this madness with the Supreme Court and with the SRF Foundation. Jung request that Min should keep an eye on someone and that someone is Ga-On. He requested Ga-On during their early meetings to be the Judas for Yo-Han. Min hated Yo-Han for ruining the country so he wanted to attack him by revealing his family affairs. He wants to drag Yo-Han down. He affirmed it when he was at the hospital and Jung visited. But Min didnt know how crazy Jung was and killed Soohyun. He said that Soohyun is like a daughter to him. Min said didnt he want to stop Yohan at all cost, that includes Soohyun too. Jung said that there's no going back now and they're close to ending the chaos, and questions if he wants to be remembered.

Min needed to become a monster to stop Yohan. Gaon then calls him a dirty hypocript and Min calls the security. Gaon is in pain that he just let Soohyun die just like that. Gaon was taken away by the security. Gaon tells Jinjoo that the foundation has set this all up and she wants to help.

The SRF team congratulates Jung for having Min to their side and Heo is in silence waiting for her instructions. He's literally her dog. They then talk about Yohan's mental mind now that he's in prison, he's out of his game. If he disappears quietly, they assume that everyone would be happy. Jung thinks otherwise, if he continues to say things she threatens him to step down. The SRF team continues to praise Jung. Jung discussses with her righthand woman on how Heo changed his personality completely and finds it fishy. She probably underestimated him and there's something else. She then request to check the status of the moving of the residence to the Dream Village.

Chief Ward meets Yohan to have discussiona t the office. Yohan disrespects the Chief  but the Chief warns him that this is not a live court show and that he's in prison.

Lawyer Ko talks to Gaon and how much of an idiot he is. He doesnt know if he can continue to trust Gaon with what he's done. Gaon is asking for help. Gaon wants to go expose the Dream Village and plans to go alone. Lawyer Ko warns him that there's tone of security but he can go to the Medical Center, but no way he can exit out. Gaon says just let him in. Also warns him that the media is on their eggshells and it's not anymore a free media. Gaon though has come up for something and request to get him 1 thing.

Gaon explains to Elijah in a letter that she didnt do anything wrong and promises that Yohan will return and that it wouldnt take long. He tells her to eat well to not get sick so that Yohan wouldnt worry. She then cries and eats her food to recover.

At the prison, Yohan and Juk breaks out a fight at the courtyard.

Gaon then enters through the Dream village by using the food truck inside a box. He then observes the restricted area and records using a small video device. He sees alot of people lying down sick surrounded by nurses and guards. He goes through the wards and surprisingly sees Ms. Han, the woman who sided with Yohan during the live courtshow. All of a sudden the President arrives at the facility. Theyre testing a new vaccine and the number of people that survived is 182. President requests about the behind payments of all the countries. Clinical trials are in high demand. President tells them when a person dies through the trials they collect all the well organs and export them as byproducts. Nothing goes to waste. Gaon silently watches them laugh maniaclly in disgust. The SRF and Heo talks about Jung behind her back, they plan to outs her. Gaon plans to escape with Han but was got caught with a nurse but saves himself that he's checking her vitals. The nurse recognizes him and actually helps him. She has been waiting for some help and said that their phones have been taken away. Also said that there's some sane people in the center too. She promises to help.

Breaking news that Yohan has been arrested for instigating murder is dead. He was stabbed by a assailant. Both co-judges are left in shock. Same goes to Jung. She's in shock but calms herself that it was done because of her. Jung will be President and Min would now be Chief Justice. He did a press conference instead of a inauguration. Oh was able to catch up with Min and tells him that Jung wants to meet him at her office, this is a set up. Gaon tells her to leave the building and requests her to go. SRF team celebrates at the live court set with Jung at the top of the judges seats. Gaon then captures Min and ties him up at the office with a bomb around his body. Since when did Gaon become so violent. Its a plant and the media will receive news about exposing the Dream Village with his name on it. Yohan suddenly appears and saves Gaon on time. The death news was fake and that Yohan had to dig out to save him. He reminded me of Batman at some point here. Yohan was able to get out by threatening the Chief with his corruption and crimes for the last 30 years. Mentions the Chief that the money is not with him anymore. Yohan tells him to save himself is by doing his specialty for swapping prisoners. Just give him 24 hours. Lawyer Ko enters and tells him that he couldnt tell Gaon everything. Yohan tells him that he was able to return the Chief a favor but not in the form of cash but through charity.

While the SRF is celebrating the lights and the screen suddenly went on with Yohan on the screen. Jung realizes that he is alive and so does the rest of the team. Its revealed as a solemn trial. Yohan starts a live trial and its the final trial with the entire SRF team being exposed with the Dream Home Medical Center. Looks like Jung doesnt know anything about it and asks the team about it. Even the conversation Heo had with the team regarding the citizens. They also show that Jung has killed innocent people in the way to fulfill her ambitions and to attack him. Min is attacked too as a betrayer.  Min is let go by Gaon but tells him that his name is tarnished forever and he will live awfully for the rest of his life. That's a better punishment and more realistically given too. 

There was a proper punishment given and Yohan announced that there's a bomb then leaves to go to the trial set. Yohan reveals that Gaon was the one who helped exposed and will testify to tell the whole truth. The bomb is planned and Yohan will sacrifice himself along with the foundation. Yohan asks them if the moment reminds them of the fire incident. All of them trying to escape. Only the fastest person survives. Jung calmly comes up from her seat with a gun on her hand. Heo complains that he is the President and Jung shots him due to annoyance. She also tries and aims the gun at Yohan. Yohan tells her that its the both of them till the end. Tells her to come with him till death. That's the only way she'll be with him, which is quite tragic. Jung says her final goodbye to Yohan and shockingly shots herself to death, like how Ms. Cha did. Gaon then appears at the end, tells Yohan to stop and think of Elijah. Gaon in the end will be the hero and Yohan pushes him out. Will Yohan survive the bomb explosion? He needs to be alive or Gaon will end up with nothing. Well he still has Judge Oh and Elijah at least. Gaon wents back to the mansion and ses the blueprint of the bomb explosion, there has to be a escape route for Yohan. Yohan tells him that Gaon must do something for him. Housekeeper tells Gaon that Yohan stopped by and tells her she's fired and asks for Elijah. Yohan tells Elijah that they're going to move out to somewhere safe and its a rehabilitation center in Switzerland. Gaon then finds out that Yohan is actually alive.

Gaon was set in a trial with the comittee. Gaon inwardly thinks that nothing has changed at all and is confused on what to do now that the country doesn't need Yohan. Yohan secretly bids goodbye to Gaon and he then quickly realizes it. Captures him on time from afar. The 2 men bid each other goodbye which then ends the drama.

Thoughts: If you like stories like Batman or The Hunger Games this would be the drama for you. The writer seem to took inspiration from both works. I think Yohan is like Batman/Katniss while Gaon is like Peeta. Oddly reminds me of the finale alot with the similarities of the characters. Or sometimes Gaon acts like Katniss/Peeta both. Just remove the whole romance aspect of The Hunger Games. There's quite a few angst moments of Yohan and Gaon. Gaon all of a sudden cares for Yohan. The writer tries to include those similiarities with the 2 characters. Yohan wants nothing more than revenge. Then the rest of the SRF are like the trial players or could be the government too. They try to copy the brutality of the hunger games the games itself with the fire incident and the finale of the drama. All trying to save themselves from death.

Messed up the ending. What I wanted most from this drama was for people to rise up to protect their country, because its the job of people to protect their country not the job of one or two people like Yohan and Ga On. Also they didn't even show the aftermath of the last trial. What happened to that dream house project and what was the people's reaction about the live trial? Assuming the whole time it was filmed. What did they think of Yohan after that? Alot of afterthought was left out.

Rating: Story: 3 (Great until episode 12 onwards) Production: 2 (Locations and the offices were ok but not meant for the dystopian feel they were trying to sell. Could've been more modern looking set) OST: 1 (BGM is spot on and fills the scenes well, dont like the rock portion of the OST) Acting: 4 (Mainly because of Ji Sung) Character Development: .5 (Main cast are 1 sided and no room or little improvement) Overall Enjoyment: 1 (The drama's tone is consistent throughout despite the bad writing) Total Rating: 2.5/6

[mesaprotector]

I finally finished the Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni VN today after three-plus months of inching through it!

I'd already watched the 2006 anime (as well as every OVA I could find - yes, including Kira). I've also been intermittently watching the new anime, Gou, but with close to no knowledge of Umineko or any other related series.

My thoughts under the cut.

In short, the VN was absolutely worth playing even having seen the anime. While I still do love it, the shorter time it has to spend on comfy slice-of-life scenes and character backstories mean it does suffer a little bit, in particular:

Keiichi is so much better in the VN. In the anime he had his moments, but I almost felt like he was mostly there to make the cast into a pseudo-harem. In the VN, he's just great, right up there with all of the other kids (well, except Rena, but more on that later).

Meakashi was already my favorite arc in the anime, but in the VN the tragedy hits so much harder, especially with Shion's final line, "I wish I hadn't been born".

The Keichii/Rena fight in Tsumihoroboshi felt weirdly offputting in the anime, and I felt the VN did a much better job of slowly shifting from the dark mood of most of the arc to its almost-happy ending as Rena relearns how much she loves having fun with her club.

Irie's behavior is pretty concerning in the anime, but in the VN he feels a lot more like a genuine good person who just jokes around a bit too much.

I remember already feeling that Miyo was a kinda compelling villain, but the part in the VN where she just grabs all of her pain and hurt and channels it into an incredible drive to excel and succeed (Matsuribayashi, Chapter 4) is freaking amazing, and thanks to that I'm always going to associate its BGM with Miyo, even though it's also played when Akasaka rescues Rika.

There were a few pretty small things I felt the anime improved on:

The anime-original "Reunion" episode and the Yakusamashi-hen arc were really good, and in particular the latter has my favorite Ooishi scene when he just freaks out in frustration over how powerless he was to stop the disaster. I really like Detective Delicious in general, but that one scene, even more so than any of Rika's, was really the moment I felt most "God, please help these kids".

Some of the perviness is slightly toned down in the anime, or rather, confined to the fanservice OVAs. (The exception is Irie, as mentioned above.) I did start to tolerate the story's humor a little better as time went on, but it's still a little much on occasion. 

The VN getting more in-depth was generally good, but there were certain parts where I felt it could have been condensed. Like, instead of cutting repeatedly to Akasaka during Matsuribayashi, just have him show up and rescue Rika (it's set up well enough with the fragments mini-game).

Speaking of the pacing, I initially played the Steam version but at a friend's recommendation installed the "07th Mod" with full voice acting and updated graphics for Himatsubushi and Meakashi. But I switched back to unmodded afterwards, since while the voice actors do a really good job, it slows the story even more, which is generally fine during dramatic scenes but causes the comedic ones to be something of an ordeal (the mahjong chapter of Himatsubushi, not least since I have no freaking clue how to play, was slightly torture).

I also feel that having voice acting changes the atmosphere to something much closer to that of an anime. If you're planning on only playing the VN, I'd recommend doing it all with the VAs, but as I'd already heard Rika say "Nipah" about a million times I was looking for a bit of a different experience.

===Some Thoughts on the Whole Story===

Higurashi's overarching message - that all that's needed for a happy ending is for everyone to come together - is something I often disagree with, and a lot of my other favorite stories take almost the opposite perspective. One anime whose ending I absolutely adore has the main character go off by herself and talk the main villain into a puddle of tears, winning the "final battle" of the entire series thanks to character development gained mostly from introspection.

But in Higurashi, for all that, it really, really works. Ryuikishi07 absolutely goes the extra mile, and as idealistic as it often feels, you can't help but come out of the story feeling that just about everyone deserves more trust, compassion, and understanding. One of my favorite quotations, from a book I read in middle school about a rabbit, is "things only seem impossible before they happen". Maybe it feels like two people, or a village, or a nation couldn't possibly meet in the middle, but they actually can, and they can accomplish things nobody would dream of with their shared will.

(I guess you could nitpick and ask "hey, when does Teppei show up to help defeat the Yamainu"? - lol - but I think the story does a really good job nevertheless.)

One other thing I just have to praise Higurashi for is that it actually resolves nearly all of its mysteries with a minimum of hand-waving, which is pretty uncommon for a mystery story, and I know that at least when I first watched the anime I was sure it would kind of invent an ending out of nowhere. There are magical elements, but they're pretty well set-up, and the one "miracle" that occurs feels very natural.

Rena is still my favorite character, even though Tsumihoroboshi was middling as an arc (meaning still amazing). When she’s sane, she’s the best friend anyone could ever have - Mion and Keiichi try, but their specific flaws mean that they’re dumbasses sometimes when they just want to help. It takes a lot of skill to write a believable, super emotionally intelligent character, which is what Rena is. That - and the scene where she hides in her happy place in the car during the rain was atmospheric as all heck. Being all by myself somewhere out on a rainy night is my comfort and my healing. Fortunately my own problems are more manageable than what she had to deal with in Ibaraki.

Overall: 9.5/10, whatever you might imagine that number means to me. The anime gets one point less, but it's still really good.

[mutt-stuff-archives]

Bruno is Orange❥Sanemi Shinazugawa

➳ Bruno is Orange❥Sanemi Shinazugawa

➳Words: 807

➳Genre: Oneshot, angst, songfic

➳Warnings: Past Death, generally just sad boy hours

➳Forgive me for grammar mistakes. It's 4 AM and I already know it's going to be yet another one of those days 😎. This isn’t my best work, I’d rank this on the lower scale. My mind gets too crazy to write properly when I’m like this. (Ahem, it is now 6:20 AM as I post this, yep, today’s another day as usual). 

❥Recommended BGM: Bruno is Orange by Hop Along, Queen Ansleis

Night was something difficult for Sanemi. Forever shall the sight of blood cloud his vision of that night, when your fangs grew and your delicately painted nails sharpened. His dulling eyes shut for a moment and opened once again, the moon too bright in his eyes to continue. Upon turning on his side, his eyes shut once again, though his brow furrowed. In anger, or perhaps sadness, he had no clue. He thought long and hard, trying to find something; something calming and happy.

No longer could he recognize those memories though. No longer could he feel the time your hand passed through his hair or when your lips pressed against his own. They were long passed now, when the sun was brighter and the days weren't filled with training.

"Sanemi, what did you tell that man?" Sanemi jumped out of his skin when a familiar hand brushed his shoulder. You quirked your head to the side at his alertness but shrugged it off, knowing your lover's anxiety. A bright smile spread along your face as you chuckled to yourself, covering one side of your face with one hand and using the other to point to the cameraman setting up his equipment, "He seems like quite the clever man. I bet he works for Okayata-sama, that man bribed him to get a picture of us. You know that silly man, he always loves to have hashira memorabilia to pray over."

The whitette couldn't speak, quickly wrapping his arms around you for a hug. He nuzzled into your shoulder, feeling your hand sift through his cloudy hair as your chest rumbled with a confused laugh, "Now then dear, what's this about?"

A quick flash of white confused Sanemi, but the camera pointed towards him told all. Yet again, a vibrant laugh left your chest, sticking your tongue out at the cheeky old cameraman, "You can give that photo to our dearest Okayata-sama, Gramps! He'd love it. We'll be ready in a moment."

You rolled your eyes melodramatically at Sanemi, fixing your crumpled haori before straightening Sanemi's uniform collar (adding your usual quippy comment about his need to keep his shirt open). You unlatched the katana from his side and the one from your own, murmuring something about not needing such depressing subjects in your engagement photoshoot, before linking your arm with his and leading him further into the courtyard. You passed the training equipment, instead taking him to the garden you insisted on starting where the old cameraman had amazingly reset his gear in front of your bush of roses.

Before you two could pose for your photo you let go of Sanemi, rushing over to a tree you had imported from the west, with it's hanging orange fruits and white blossoms. You quickly returned with a tangerine you had already peeled and halfway eaten, showing a piece to your fiancé, "You want a piece dear? I couldn't help but get one, they're so good this time of year."

Upon offering another slice to the photographer, you were given a dubious look. Sheepishly you grinned, hiding the orange flesh behind your back and smiling, "We're ready when you are, Gramps."

The old man tucked himself beneath the camera's cloth, waiting a moment before lifting your arm to wave Sanemi off a couple inches away. He followed obediently, keeping his angered comments to himself. You on the other hand gave the man a look of disbelief, brow furrowing.

"I think it's unfair that you should put him there. All we do is kiss; you think we're not comfortable being together unlike those stuck up noble couples you capture?" The offended tone in your voice made Sanemi smile. There was that attitude he remembered. You huffed sharply, sliding yourself over back next to Sanemi. The photographer didn't argue, going back to the lens to capture the moment.

"Smile you silly little dear!" You laughed (breaking Sanemi out from the saddened look he didn't know he held), letting another cheeky carpel of your tangerine pass your lips quickly before grinning childishly and leaning your head against Sanemi's shoulder. He blinked and turned red, smiling shyly over at the cameraman. A flash of white blinded the both of you.

Sanemi nearly fell when he burst up from his pillow. The spark in his eyes faded as quickly as it sparkled though as his head against the pillow and swiveled to gently pick up the faded picture next to his futon. There were no fangs in your row of teeth, no slit's in your mellow [E/C] eyes, nothing he saw when he brought his sword down on your neck. If only he had waited a bit longer. A scowl defied the tears that started to leak from his eyes, tucking the photo under his pillow. He never did look good in that picture; you, on the other hand, will always be an angel.

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: The Titan’s Bride (for reals this time)

Title: Kyojinzoku no Hanayome (巨人族の花嫁)

Release Date: 2020/12/23

Author/Artist: ITKZ

Cast:

Ono Yuuki x Itou Kento

Nakazawa Masatomo

Takatsuka Tomohito

Synopsis: “It’s like a small fruit…” The Titan’s large hands grasped my thing easily with one hand… With the difference in our size, if we go all the way, I’m definitely gonna die…!?

Review Proper

Sorry.

I honestly might have downplayed my review for the mini drama CD back in August.

This, along with the anime, is a disaster.

See, as a manga, Titan’s Bride is okay and good at best, but there’s only so many ways you can voice giants with utter believability. Ono did well in the mini drama cd, but oh boy, I really don’t want to say this, but Caius here is just... trash bad. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t wholly Ono Yuuki’s fault. It’s just that this setting is just so impossible to work with without visual cues, and since Ono’s natural tone isn’t nearly as deep for a role as this one, it all just sounds so fake that I couldn’t help but snort at it most of the time (also, I slept through this TWICE). And no, it’s not just Ono; it’s literally everyone who’s been cast as a giant that sounds weird. 

Wait.

Wait.

I just came back from reading my notes, so I’ll be taking all of what I said back. THE VOICE ACTING WAS INDEED BAD. On top of struggling with an unbelievable Caius, Ono also didn’t have any chemistry with Itou Kento. HAHAHAHA why do I find this so funny? How’d we go from Love Hole 303 (aka OnoYuu’s best) to this (aka OnoYuu’s worst?) 💀 Itou Kento’s performance wasn’t flawless either. He caught me off guard when Kouichi cried and not in a good way. 🥴 Caius’ farmer friend takes the cake, though. His actor wasn’t credited either, but for the short amount of time he was on track, believability was 0. Nakamo did well as Bertholdt, though, and his Beartoto might be the only one that was a good casting choice from the get-go because he wasn’t really a giant. Bardlot might have been able to save the manga, but he alone wasn’t enough to save the BLCD. Tomo was idk not bad, but not really commendable either.

You know a casting that could probably save this? Kawahara Yoshihisa (Juda) or Shingaki Tarusuke (Byakuya) for Caius, Hirarin for Dr. Martu (Tomo sounds like new-age Hirarin ngl), and Ono Yuuki for Bartholomew. I actually didn’t like Itou Kento voicing Kouichi at first, but he grew on me. I don’t even know who else could suit Kouichi better. Itou Kento just has to step it up more.

The sound engineering for this one was shit—I’m not going to hold back punches on this one. Again, if Glanz was just able to give Ono that giant-esque edge he so needed, then we might have a bearable outcome at least. But with regard to the sound effects and the bgms, it’s still shit. Sometimes, the volume of the sfx for Caius’ or any of the other giants’ movements isn’t even right. You’d think that the bed and Kouichi’s bottom would sound like they’re breaking because they’re being railed by a goddamn train, but nooooo. AND OH MY GOD THE FUCKING MOMU—the fucking Momu (the giant ass cow) was voiced by a man and it freaks me out. I would have appreciated it if it was just voiced by a real cow and was amplified. Y’ALL KNOW IT’S BAD WHEN THEY GET A MAN VOICE A COW AND FAIL.

Just thinking about this BLCD makes me feel exhausted. Do you know when the last time this industry has seen a good isekai? It has been a long 11 years since Kyou Kara Maoh Sora ni Hibiku Ryuu no Utagoe, damn it. I didn’t want to say this because I’m pretty sure that this isn’t true, but just the outcome wants to prove otherwise; this BLCD feels like there’s 0 effort put into it. I mean, I guess that’s suitable for what Titan’s Bride really is, but come on. As I’ve said in the mini drama review, y’all just shouldn’t adapt something when a. it’s not worth it and b. if y’all aren’t going to be serious about it. I KNEW THAT ME HAVING THREE GOOD BLCDS IN A ROW WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.

I just don’t understand how it’s already 2021 and there still hasn’t been an adaptation for MadK! All these talents and money wasted. 😩 I DEFINITELY DON’T RECOMMEND GETTING THIS. It’s not entirely faithful to the manga either because many events have been rearranged and y’all know what went down with the other bits. Just listen to Sora ni Ryuu which stars Kondo Takashi (young Fei Wan), Konishi Katsuyuki (adult Fei Wan), and Yusa Koji (Ryuusei). The world building on that was just amazing. *sigh* Where has that 2010 quality gone, I wonder.

[revangerang]

Oh boy I really got in my feelings and wrote way too much lmao

Tagged by: @edithpattou86

Tags your friends to do their own lists: @chierafied @mother-ishvara @doughygraduatestudent @kazoomajor @pagan-assassin

[[MORE]]

Top 5 animated movies:

1. Whisper of the Heart - Such a cute and whimsical slice-of-life coming of age story, and so inspiring for creative types! I love how Shizuku sees her fantasies come to life in the world around her, and how she just follows her whims to wander the city and treats each day like an adventure. I see a lot of myself in her. The grandpa and his shop are so cool! I want to find a place like that in my city! I love how she and Seiji inspire and encourage each other to improve themselves. Even though they’re so young and I usually hate that kind of thing, I think it’s a very realistic portrayal of what true love and a healthy relationship should be. The way her writing is treated as a creative process and something she can polish with hard work is just such a wonderful message and so inspiring to me.

2. Spirited Away - I love the Japanese culture and mythology, and the serene, still tone of the film. Truly beautiful. The way it doesn’t paint the spirits and gods in a bad light is good and correct: they were the careless humans who went into their world and took what they shouldn’t have. But it still focuses on the supernatural and eerie elements, often without even explaining anything, which I love. And the bathhouse feels like a real functioning place with workplace culture and all. And of course it’s great that Chihiro steps up and learns to be strong. I just love it.

3. Howl’s Moving Castle - I love all the characters so much, and all the magic and whimsy. The fantasy European setting is so charming, and they did a good job depicting Western magic. Ghibli movies really have such mundane magic, and they make me feel like my life is magic too. Sophie is so good and strong and I love seeing her come into her own. And Howl is hot. lmao

4. My Neighbor Totoro - I had the original Fox dub of this on a bootleg VHS my grandma made us when I was literally like an infant. My parents threw it away when I was still young- like no older than 5- because it “has Eastern religion in it” 🙄 Too bad for them the damage was already done lmfao. It was definitely one of the biggest influences of my formative years, I loved it so much and I’m so grateful to it. That mundane magic I talked about before, and just introducing me to a totally different worldview from my sheltered white American Christian bubble. I was fascinated by every single aspect from the traditional Japanese-style home to the bentos to the shrines... I really admired Satsuki and how grown up she was, taking care of her little sister like she did, making the lunches, all that. It’s really such a charming movie with great music and such a realistic depiction of childhood. Plus who doesn’t love Totoro himself?? And catbus! Iconicccc. I still look for little portholes in bushes and trees to this day lmao

5. Mulan - My little 8-year-old enby ass crying in the living room and repeatedly playing the Reflections scene over and over makes so much more sense now 😂 But really it’s just such a great film with a unique art style, fun characters, and great music. I love how Mulan fights for what she believes is right, and wants to protect her father. And I think it’s great how she also fights to find her own place in the world. I like how they don’t make it a “not like other girls” thing, but just that she personally somehow doesn’t feel comfortable in her own skin with the makeup and all that. Between her living as a man and the clear romantic relationship between “Ping” and Shang, it’s pretty good queer representation for a 2000s Disney movie lol. Also Mulan and Shang can both get it I mean what.

Honorable Mention: Prince of Egypt - That animation tho! So fucking cinematic!! And the music and everything just ugh so good! The characters are really compelling too and you can totally feel the brotherly love and familial issues.

Top 5 live action movies:

1. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day - This is a movie where you can’t look away for a moment or you’ll miss something important. It really is just one entire heck of a day for the main character like howwww does so much happen. It’s really just written so well honestly that they manage to pack so much into a single movie and a single day. I aspire to that level. The 30s setting is so great with the costumes and set and music ahh I get so much inspiration from it. Every single character (and actor for that matter) is just fantastic. It’s super funny- that situational comedy is my jam. And there are touching moments that give me inspiration for my own life. I relate to Miss Pettigrew with her clear social anxiety, and perhaps neurodivergency? But I love how the events of the film bring out the best in her. And Delysia is just so charming! I want her confidence

2. La La Land - Such a fun and whimsical musical about life for creatives in Los Angeles~ It makes me feel nostalgic and proud to live here. I love all the different homages to classic Hollywood, and the music is so good!! The love story feels realistic and I actually really like that they don’t end up together in the end. They just encourage each other to be better, and if that means being apart, they’re willing to do it. It is another one that gives me inspiration for my life and creative endeavors, especially The Fools Who Dream 😭 Gets me every time.

3. Mamma Mia - This is my shameless feel-good movie. I love just putting it on in the background as I clean or whatever. It’s just so upbeat and fun!! I love Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep especially. And I like that the main character learns what she wants (and doesn’t want) out of life right now. And I love that they depict older characters and women!! having full and rich lives including romance and sex. The message that it’s never too late for love is so great! And also just like please communicate and you will probably save yourself so much heartache lmao.

4. Across the Universe - I have an affinity for the 60s and 70s, and I love how this movie kind of takes you through that era with the various characters. It’s such a fun movie with great costumes, cinematography, and music! I just love all the covers of the Beatles songs!! I honestly like them just as much as I like the originals. This is one of the first things I ever saw with positive/neutral queer representation?? Like Sadie is presented just as she is, without it being like WHAT SHE LIKES WOMEN?????? I”MPOSSIBLE !! Or making it all about sex or whatever. It’s literally just like “I want to hold your hand.” Also the whole bit with Eddie Izzard is just incredible lmfao

5. LOTR - My first fandom~ I love these movies so much ughhh. The music! The costumes! The characters! The world! The high fantasy!! I think PJ was so true to the books, or at least as much as he was able in just 10-ish hours. I love that they just went for it and filmed all three in one go, and made them over 3 hours long, which was basically unheard of at the time for blockbuster films. They did so good fully representing the different races through costume, language, culture, and the music too. I literally used to just lay on my bed for hours at a time in junior high, listening to the soundtracks and being immersed in the world. My friends and I would often play pretend that we were in Middle Earth (so lame for middle schoolers lmaooo). I love every single (not-evil) character and I will fight for them. I will especially fight Denethor I don’t even cARE !

Honorable mention: A Little Princess - Sooo whimsical and lovely, even when the girls are going through hardship! I love Sarah and how she literally does magic and even puts a curse on what’s her face omgg. She’s so charming and a genuinely good person too, even though she could have been a spoiled brat. The big climactic scene is so !! Omg I still get the adrenaline when she’s crossing the board and then hiding from the police even though I’ve seen this countless times since I was a small child. And it’s so wonderful that she’s reunited with her father, and they adopt the other girl. It taught me at a young age that the world isn’t fair and people will be nasty and abusive for no reason, but that you can still believe in magic and “fancy yourself a princess.” And the neighbor guy taught me that strangers will step in to help out of the goodness of their heart.

Top 5 TV shows:

1. ATLA - One of the best series of all time. The worldbuilding, lore, storyline, character development, animation, music, etc, are all incredible. If they had gone with the original intention of making Zutara canon it would have been literally perfect and so subversive and innovative! As it is it is still nearly perfect and they still did an amazing job with Zuko’s redemption arc. I just ignore that very last scene tbh. In my mind, it didn’t happen. The series addresses so many issues like imperialism, sexism, abuse, family, disability, war, etc, in a very realistic way. Uncle Iroh is literally a treasure.

2. Steven Universe - So charming and wonderful!! I just love it so much!! It is so goddamn queer, it makes me so happy. Stevonnie is the nonbinary representation we don’t even deserve!! I love every single character. I love the animation and the music too! The bgm is so bubbly and glitchy and cool, super on point for trends these days. And the original songs are so charming~ It also deals with a ton of important issues like imperialism, interpersonal relationships, oppression, self-identity, abuse, leadership, mental health, boundaries, consent, brain-washing, unlearning unhealthy behavior, etc. I love that every single character, even minor ones, get character development and a chance to be strong and improve themselves. And it shows that even the ones we initially think are super strong and have it all together, actually have their own issues that they struggle with too.

3. Yuuri!!! On Ice - This show!!!! Oh my goddddddd. Literally perfect. I love that it just subverts every single trope???? Especially with the events at the beginning and the big spoiler in episode 10. Simply incredible. I love every single character so much??? Even ones I was expecting to hate, like how Yurio is a little shit at the beginning, and then when Lilia is introduced as this super severe tyrant, but she ends up just being a good, yet strict coach because she really wants Yurio to succeed. It’s honestly just so wholesome! The music is so amazing and the ice skating is really realistic too! It really shows that they had an actual skating choreographer and worked off video of him performing. I love how realistic the whole show is like with lots of social media, youtube, instagram, etc. And it does a queer romance without it being a gimmick. It’s just a sports anime with a side plot of a romance but it just happens to be gay. And Kubo-sensei has stated that homophobia doesn’t exist at all in their world which makes me so happy. It’s honestly so queer and I adore how all three main characters are genderfucks a bit. I also love how realistically Yuuri’s anxiety and depression are portrayed. I relate so much to him, especially because mine exhibit in the exact same ways as his. It’s another one that inspires me to fight to be better and live the life I want to live.

4. OTGW - So charming. A perfect addition to the canon of New England fairy tales. The music is great, the animation is wonderful and nostalgic, the characters are fun and interesting and spooky. I love how liminal it is and you aren’t really sure where they are or what’s going on for the majority of the episodes. Greg is the most realistic depiction of a small child and the brothers’ relationship is the most realistic I think I’ve ever seen in my life lmao. He’s just so random and weird and has such Little Kid Logic I love it so much lmao. The story is perfectly contained in its 10 short episodes, and it gives a very satisfying ending. I still can’t get over how many huge stars were in it too?? Like fucking Tim Curry as Auntie Whispers???? I can not believe.

5. Inuyasha - I’m weeb trash and this show is also trash but I love it so much okay. As a big fan I hold so much against the anime for changing things from the manga, but even so I love it. Overall I think the animation, music, and voice acting is perfect. It’s so cool with all the mythos of youkai and the shikon jewel, plus I love traditional Japanese culture stuff. And isekai type stuff is my jam. If I found a portal to another world or to the past you bet your ass I’d go through it. I totally don’t still look for portals as a 30 year old adult, I don’t know what you’re talking about 😂 Kagome is such a great mc tbh like she’s so smart and strong and talented and kind I just love her so much??? I want to be more like her. And I love all the characters honestly. I have to overlook some questionable 90s anime tropes for certain ones, but I still love them. As much as we rag on the constant upgrades thing, the battles and stuff are pretty thrilling, and overall the series is good fun. And yes Sesshoumaru is my husbando, next question.

Honorable Mention: Doctor Who - I love how this show manages to be like every single genre?? SciFi, historical, comedy, thriller, mystery, slice of life, etc. I love all of the Doctors, and all of their companions. I just love how much the Doctor loves humans, and how much faith they have in humanity. And again it’s that whole isekai, time travel, normal modern human goes on magical adventures thing. I would go with the Doctor in a heartbeat. I still cry over Donna 😭

[elyvorg]

Misc. Luigi rambles (1 of ?): mostly LM1 edition

Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a great game that I thoroughly enjoyed, in large part thanks to the character animation on Luigi doing a fantastic job of getting across how scared he is all the time. That’s the main draw of a Luigi’s Mansion game, after all, right? (…No? Just me? I hope it’s not just me.)

Playing the game rekindled some of my Luigi Feelings from back in 2013, to the point that I decided to get some of those thoughts down in words now that I have a tumblr that exists for rambles like this. Said thoughts are actually mostly about Luigi’s Mansion 1 and are things I kept thinking about while eagerly waiting for the second game to come out. There’s also just some overthinking of Mario canon in general.

The deep backstory

So Mario is your typical perfect invincible hero who’s always eager for adventure and knows he can save the day, while Luigi is easily scared and lacks confidence and is rather emotionally dependent on Mario. They’re twins, but Mario is emphatically the “big brother” and Luigi the “little brother”, despite the fact that Luigi is physically taller, and also that he’s physically stronger than Mario in a lot of regards. He can jump higher, to name one example, and yet Mario’s always the one who’s famed for his jumping, as seen in the kinds of games where characters talk about this sort of thing, with nobody ever mentioning that actually Luigi’s an even better jumper than Mario, not even Luigi himself if he’s there.

This general gist of the bros’ contrasting personalities in spite of their relative physical ability actually happens to be perfectly set up by their backstory in Yoshi’s Island. In that game, they’re newborn babies (or as “newborn” as you can get when it happens via stork), but they’re evidently already self-aware to some degree based on the stuff Baby Mario is capable of, which I guess is just how babies work in this universe. And the game features Baby Mario going on an epic adventure with Yoshis to rescue his brother, while Baby Luigi is kidnapped and helpless to save himself, yet apparently has some kind of twin telepathy that lets him know his brother is coming to save him. So it’s only natural that Mario then grows up to be the heroic adventurous brother and Luigi the scared dependent brother, regardless of which of them is physically more capable. It makes an amazing amount of coherent character-writing sense as a backstory considering that this is, you know, Mario games.

(Plus, there’s also a Yoshi’s Island sequel on the DS, which, as far as I’m aware, features other babies the Yoshis can carry along with Baby Mario such as Baby Peach and Baby Wario… but Baby Luigi is still the damsel in distress who needs saving. It’s like the developers of that game knew they needed to keep Baby Luigi kidnapped and helpless because if he’d also got to have adventures with Yoshis as a baby then he would have gained confidence in himself after all, and clearly they couldn’t risk compromising the entire Mario canon like that.)

As far as I know, Luigi having an irrational fear of ghosts in particular doesn’t seem to be set up anywhere, alas. That’s probably just down to what I’ve noticed seems to be something of a Japanese writing trope to just give a character a deathly fear of ghosts, even though it usually doesn’t make any rational kind of sense to be so afraid of ghosts in particular (nor in Luigi’s case when there’s plenty of other types of dangerous beings in his world), simply as a shorthand to show that they’re a wuss. Which generally tends in the more complex cases to be rather disappointing lazy writing, but I don’t mind in this case because, A, it’s the Mario canon, it was never going to be that thought-out, and B, it means we get to have the Luigi’s Mansion games in which Luigi is constantly terrified throughout, and that’s obviously a good thing.

Humming

My favourite thing about the first Luigi’s Mansion game, something that it has going for it over the others even though the later two games are far better both in terms of gameplay and character animation on Luigi, is Luigi’s humming. Whenever Luigi is in a dark room that might have ghosts in and is not actively using his vacuum, he is constantly humming the same tune over and over. The best part of this is the three different humming tracks that the game uses depending on Luigi’s health, which get increasingly more desperate and terrified-sounding the more hurt he is. (Turns out Charles Martinet isn’t just here to do goofy Italian voices – he’s actually a really fantastic voice actor.) The lower-health ones especially really give the sense that Luigi isn’t humming this tune just because he feels like it, but rather because he’s desperately trying to keep himself going despite every instinct telling him to run away and never come here again. He does not stop humming, even though at lowest health he sounds so exhausted that he can barely manage to hum at all – yet he Just. Keeps. Forcing himself to hum that next note anyway no matter how brokenly off-key it is. It’s like he’s clinging to that as something to focus on and distract himself with, because without it he knows he’ll just fall apart. And he cannot afford to fall apart no matter what, not when he’s the only one who can save his big bro.

I say this is the one thing in the first game I like more than the second or third, but I’m not complaining that the second or third games don’t have this, because that kind of desperate constant survival-mantra humming wouldn’t make narrative sense in them. (Luigi does sometimes nervously hum the BGM in LM2, but only occasionally and only for short bursts, without different versions of it for different levels of health, so it doesn’t have nearly the same effect.) See, in the second and third games, Luigi’s done this before. He’s still scared, but beneath that, he knows that he’s capable of doing it again. As such, he doesn’t need such a desperate coping mechanism to keep himself going out of a fear that without it he’ll never make it to the end.

The tune that Luigi hums throughout the game is what I consider to simply be the Mansion’s theme (though I don’t know whether it’s officially called that or not). The mansion theme happens to be quite similar to E. Gadd’s theme, sharing a decent chunk of melody with it, to the point that I’ve seen multiple people not even realise they’re two different pieces and mistake one for the other. My headcanon for the similarity is this: E. Gadd’s theme was playing in-universe in some form the first time Luigi talked to him in his lab, to the point that it was stuck in Luigi’s head when he went back into the mansion. (This is very plausible, because E. Gadd’s theme explicitly does exist in-universe in the form of the GameBoy Horror ringtone.) So Luigi started humming it to himself to try and take his mind off his fear… except he only remembered some of how it went and filled in the blanks with his imagination. And because he was so scared, his imagination made the bits he filled in sound a lot more ominous and creepy in tone than the original tune was. If you listen to the differences between E. Gadd’s theme and the mansion theme, the parts which are unique to the mansion theme are the creepiest-sounding parts of the tune. In fact, as Luigi hums the mansion theme with the game’s instrumental backing, the only parts of the melody that the BGM actually plays are the parts that are unique to the mansion theme.

(You can also hear the ghosts faintly cackling along with the entire mansion theme in some places, but we can imagine that they started doing that after Luigi had created the rest of the melody and been humming it for a while, to try and unnerve him even more and make the humming less comforting for him.)

“M-M-Marioooo?”

Another fun thing which has increasingly desperate and terrified voice clips depending on Luigi’s health is him calling out Mario’s name. But something notable about this is that, even after the cutscene in which Luigi sees where Mario’s being held captive, the button which makes him call Mario’s name… still makes him call Mario’s name, even though Luigi now knows exactly where Mario is and that he won’t be getting a response.

Which, sure, is probably just because the game developers couldn’t be bothered to program it to change halfway through the game, but shush, it can make sense in-story too if you think about it. For the first half, Luigi was calling out for Mario because all he knew was that Mario was somewhere in the mansion, so there was always a chance he’d get a response. It was always possible that Mario could be just behind that next door, and then Luigi’d just have to do one more room before it’s over and they can leave and he’ll never have to go near another ghost again. But after having seen where Mario really is – held captive in some fancy underground altar room guarded by King Boo – Luigi would be getting the sinking realisation that he’s probably going to have to go through every other room in the mansion before he can get in there, isn’t he. Him continuing to call Mario’s name anyway after that point isn’t because he has the memory of a goldfish, but because he’s trying to trick himself back into the mindset he was in before he learned where Mario is, when his task didn’t seem quite as incredibly daunting because there was always the chance Mario was just behind the next door. He just has to do one more room, and then Mario’ll be there, right? Just one more room. Just one more note of the tune. Don’t think about the big picture and how impossibly terrifying it seems. Just keep going, one step at a time, no matter what. Luigi’s implicit coping mechanisms during this whole ordeal are delightful.

“What’s the holdup?”

Speaking of the point at which Luigi sees Mario through the bottom of the well, while you’re in the back garden where that well is, you can sometimes faintly hear Mario’s voice echoing out of the well, saying, “Hey, Luigi! What’s the holdup?”. Which seems on the surface like an absolute dick move, berating him for taking so long like the reason why isn’t obvious, making light of the struggle Luigi would be having here. But I refuse to believe that Mario would ever be a dick to his brother, especially not at a time like this where Luigi is his only hope of rescue and Mario has to know that his little bro’s got to be terrified and yet doing his best anyway.

It’s possible, especially at this point in the totally-strictly-defined Mario timeline in which he hasn’t really had any starring roles of his own yet, that Luigi has something of a complex about this kind of thing: always being considered the forgettable one of the pair, the backup option who’s really just dragging his superstar brother down. This is not, mind you, in a sense that makes Luigi resentful of his big bro for hogging the spotlight – Luigi is too pure and idolises Mario too much to ever feel that way, even deep down, and if anyone thinks otherwise they need to go and see the Dream’s Deep section of Mario and Luigi Dream Team. But perhaps Luigi gets kind of tired of people acting like he’s basically useless just because he’s not quite as super-amazing as his big bro definitely is.

So maybe hearing Mario apparently having that same opinion sparks the same feeling in Luigi that he always feels when he overhears those sorts of comments about himself, one of anger and indignation, that no, he’s more capable than that, he’ll show them. Why is Mario of all people saying this to him, now of all times? He’s doing his best, and he’s only taking so long because this is really hard! Holdup? What holdup? He’ll get through this, just you watch! …Which would be a mindset that might manage to distract Luigi from his fear, at least a little bit, and motivate him with something other than the terror of losing Mario if he fails.

One possibility for why Mario said this, then, is that he knows Luigi well enough to know that he’d have this reaction, and he said this with the deliberate intent of giving Luigi something to push him forward and take his mind off his fear.

…That was my headcanon about this line for the longest time, since sometime before 2013, even, and so I’m mentioning it here for posterity. But it only just now occurred to me that actually there’s a much simpler explanation. “What’s the holdup?” doesn’t actually have to be meant in a derogatory way; it could also just be meant as straightforward encouragement.

Getting to see a little of Mario’s behaviour towards Luigi in situations like these at the end of Luigi’s Mansion 3 made me realise that Mario’s just kind of like this in general. His way of helping Luigi through his fears isn’t to acknowledge the fear and reassure him, but to just jump on ahead while calling for Luigi to follow him, leading by example to inspire Luigi to try and be like him and keep pushing forward despite his fear. Mario acts like there’s nothing to be afraid of in the hope that it’ll help Luigi realise that there really is nothing to be afraid of, because they’re both superstar heroes who can save the day. After all, Mario has to know that Luigi’s really even stronger and more capable than him, and the only thing holding him back is his fear.

“What’s the holdup?” is the same kind of principle, even though Mario’s not able to lead by example in that situation. He’s making light of Luigi’s struggles only in the sense that he’s trying to help Luigi see as well that they’re not as big as he thinks they are. “What’s the holdup? There’s no need to be afraid, ‘cause you got-a this, bro! I believe in-a you!”

Anyway Mario and Luigi are adorable brothers and Luigi is the bravest of heroes.

[toonstarterz]

BECAUSE I’M NOT POPULAR, I’LL READ WATAMOTE: CHAPTER #165

Summer shenanigans are a staple of the manga and anime work, though how much you can expect the clichés to actually happen depends on how much effort you’re willing to put into making it a reality. Fact is, summer is never as fantastical or memorable as we’d like to dream. You only get three(in Japan) high school summers in one lifetime. But as they say, it’s who you spend it with, not what, that will stick around with you. 

Chapter 165: Because I’m Not Popular, I’ll Enjoy My Last High School Summer Break 

Hey, if Futaki wants to be a professional gamer girl (minus the bathwater), she’s gotta stay on top of the new releases. 

Mother always knows. Always.

There’s a fine line between persuading and threatening, Katou. Just saying.

I can already see the (not totally implausible) jokes about Mako and Yoshida secretly meeting to hook up. Even though that’s 99% not what will happen, Mako’s vagueness is something to note. The way I see it, Mako doesn’t want Yuri to feel left out, so she’s downplaying the “fun” she’ll be having with Yoshida.

Or Nico Tanigawa are blatantly ship-teasing. Either or.

Nemo’s got a pretty sweet LINE avatar.

Even through her messages, Nemo is still passive-aggressive, like she expects Tomoko won’t listen to her unless she’s demanding in her tone, exclamation points and all. She still gots a way to go to meet Katou’s level of intimidation, however.

Summer school?

Oh, the beach.

The greyscale nature of the manga medium makes this beach look a lot prettier than it probably is. Those delightful memories involving washed-up stingrays sure doesn’t help. 

I’m not entirely certain just how studious Yuri is as a student, but I imagine she’s playing up the “all work, no play” angle just to free herself from Nemo.

Nemo makes a fair point. Getting too cooped up indoors where it’s comfortable can make it difficult to study, especially when you're surrounded by distractions. A change of scenery can clear your head and make it easier to retain information. 

Of course, that sort of environmental shift doesn’t work for everyone. Someone like Nemo may appreciate the summery atmosphere, but a girl like Yuri would get agitated by the heat and humidity. Having external stimuli is ideal if you’re the type who operates better when your attention is dispersed. But for those that need to be focused on a single task to complete, it can be quite difficult.

Next time on Mythbusters...

But in all seriousness, I would like to see if there have been any real-life studies on certain sounds–waves in this case–improving one’s ability to concentrate and overall performance. My amateurish theory is that a lot of that “improvement” is a result of the placebo effect, or that there are otherwise too many extraneous factors to make a clear correlation.

In that respect, I think Yuri and Nemo’s arguments are both valid.  

A recent trend I’ve been noticing with Yuri is that she looks to Tomoko for validation. She acknowledges that they’re not the same, but having Tomoko back her up probably makes her feel more confident in her opinions, if for nothing more than having an equal-to-majority rule.

Of course, when Tomoko does disagree with her, that’s when Yuri has to either stubbornly stick to her guns, or honestly reassess herself. And thanks to the beauty of character development, the latter’s been happening more at a healthy pace.

OUCH.

It pains me to see Okada call out Yuri like that.

It pains me even more that you can’t really call out Okada for it, either.

Introverts are generally self-conscious about the very traits they embody, even when it’s that’s their comfort zone. Much like how an otaku will get uncomfortable when non-otakus hype them up. Sure, Okada probably meant it as a compliment when she called Yuri talkative, but it’s based on the idea that Yuri’s quiet nature was an incorrect assumption, which can feel kind of demoralizing.

It’s not an easy thing to address, and I’m curious to see how they’ll work through it going forward. 

Quick, someone go update their Wiki pages!. 

Reality ensues. All those amazing anime-esque summer plans can be deterred by something as simple as unreliable weather.  

Although, having to make your own wave sounds kind of defeats the purpose of being there, doesn’t it, Nemo?

Now playing...”Eroge BGM” Playlist.

Set on autoplay.

I’m glad that no one’s complaining about translating this text, cause let’s get real. The amount of redraws that would take is ridiculous, especially for an unofficial translation. 

If you think that I’m going to screencap every image of Yuri smiling just so we can bask in her cuteness...

You’d be absolutely correct.

Oooh man, this is arguably worse than calling out the quiet kid as “talkative”. At least during that time, it could pass as just an innocent observation. But being able to smile is one of those things they supposedly instill in you during primary school. Bringing it up like that suggests that Yuri is a child who purposely tries to hide her smiles. Again, Okada meant no harm, obviously, but if they’re going to push for an OkadaxYuri friendship, there’s going to be a lot of hoops to go through.

Tomoko may have opened her mind up more about the negative stereotypes about “normies”, but the positive stereotypes still persist. In this case, it’s the idea that her more sociable peers would enjoy school simply because they can hang out with their friends. Little did she know, that’s often not the case...

PINEAPPLE-CHAN DEVELOPMENT, BABY!

Ahem, pardon my outburst, but I’ve got a lot to say about this. We’ve known for a long time now that Okada is part of the “semi-in-crowd”, and it was easy to assume that all her socializing–going to karaoke for example–were just things she always enjoyed.

But what if it wasn’t. From what Okada’s implying, she sometimes ends up hanging out with people that she would rather not. Perhaps its a friend-of-a-friend type of struggle, where she hangs with people she doesn’t really like out of politeness for a mutual friend. And even if Okada is harboring a few dark thoughts, there’s plenty of reasons to not like going to school, as she said. As someone who’s relatively extroverted, having to work through the more solitary parts of school like studying can be especially difficult.

In short, hidden depths are great.

I can’t really blame you, Tomoko. When you secretly put people on a pedestal like that, it’s hard to acknowledge their human sides that show how they struggle with everyday problems just like anyone else. Even the most well-adjusted of people have their share of frustrations. 

This was totally Nemo’s plan all along.

All these panel shots of Yuri off to the side while everyone else gallivants fills me with those paternal feelings of a father wanting their daughter to make friends. It goes against everything I know about Yuri’s character, but I guess you shouldn’t underestimate the power of moe.    

This is a pretty good example of the line that separates Tomoko and Yuri. They have very similar perspectives, but it’s Tomoko’s status as an introverted extrovert that allows her to go in the ocean, while Yuri’s extroverted introvert personality lets her stay on the sidelines. 

Poor Beach-kun is not having a good day.

So even the others are noticing how Tomoko is like Yuri’s social floatation device.

Another person probably would’ve taken the sentimental route, going on about “saving these precious memories” or “I want you to experience this with us”. The kind of things Yuu-chan would say.

Thing is, Tomoko would get too embarrassed saying that touching crap, so she has to go the indirect route instead. Using pseudo-logic so she doesn’t have to exaggerate her emotions (which are there, just more reserved). 

Either way, it still sounds vaguely creepy coming from her.

Thankfully, it actually works here because Yuri has trouble articulating her emotions, too. Tomoko probably knows subconsciously that touching crap doesn’t work on Yuri, so it makes a great deal of sense that Yuri would be more responsive to dumb logic. Especially if it’s from her loveably dumb friend.

I can get used to Tomoko and Yuri unknowingly showing Nemo up.

Off in the distance...

“Getting tangled up in gross seaweed so you can spread your own grossness to other girls? Gross!”

Okay, so I know Tomoko is probably just genuinely startled by what's happening here, but you can’t tell me that her face doesn’t scream, “NOW’S MY CHANCE FOR A GROPIN’!”

lewd.

Okay, let’s be honest. I’ve watched enough anime to know that shots like this are easy fodder for fanservice. Conveniently transparent wet uniforms, amirite? And to be frank, I don’t think the mangakas are totally playing the innocent game. Sure, it’s not as blatantly objectifying as a lot of other series tend to do in scenes like this, but the posing of the girls and angle of the camera just seems too opportune to be anything but deliberate. Be careful when walking that fine line, Nico Tanigawa.

On a more positive note, I’m glad Tomoko’s first instinct was just to help them up. Though heaven knows she’s gonna milk this for all it’s worth back home.

Oh, Yuri and your accountability issues.

When life gives you lemons...you know the rest.

The best part about watching the crazy shenanigans you see in anime is that you can omit all the boring and troublesome real-life consequences. So yeah, accidentally getting splashed by beach water may seem fun in the moment, but the annoyance of having to wash your clothes afterward just isn’t worth it.

Sometimes, summer just won’t give you a break. 

Yes. Yes, you did.

Ignoring Tomoko’s embarrassed (or lewd–it’s kind of interchangeable) expression, this is probably the most wholesome summer chapter is the series’ run. That’s not to say that the chapter is “unrealistic” in any way. Sure, the end shot of all four of them reeks of 4-girl slice-of-life moe, but it actually deconstructs it a little. Instead of a fun memory, the memory itself is decidedly bothersome and more trouble than it’s worth, but there’s a sense of enjoyment to be gained from that. As Tomoko once implied, doing stupid, embarrassing things isn’t so bad when you can share in the experience. There’s a reason for the saying, “A few years from now, we’re gonna laugh at this,” after all.  

It may be Tomoko’s final summer in high school, but it will most certainly be her fondest.