#the first time i’ve ever heard of one is from now learning japanese | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kuma829 · 1 year

Text

Adonis FS2- Let my voice reach for you Chapter Two

Did you struggle… To be found by someone…

Cast: Adonis, Souma

Author: Suika

Season: Winter

Location: Beach

Proofed by: ketsuinoyaiba

Adonis: Huh, you just got here, Anzu? I just arrived too. It seems Kanzaki arrived a little bit earlier, it looks like he’s gazing over at the sea.

Souma: Hmm… It seems as though there are no drastic changes; that puts me at ease.

However, Shinkai-dono, too, would probably be more relieved if he sees for himself. Let’s take a picture with this “smartphone.”

“Press here to take a photo,” but why is my face on the screen? I do not wish to take a “selfie,” I wish to take a picture of the sea!

Hah?! What happened… The screen’s completely different now…?

Adonis: Calm down, Kanzaki. Let me take a look at it.

Looks like you’re on video mode, if you press here you’ll be on photo mode.

…? Huh…? Wasn’t it here?

Souma: Adonis-dono, it looks nothing like the other screen we saw. Is it possible to take a photo with this still?

Adonis: Give me a minute… I don’t know how to use smartphones that well either, so I’m a bit confused.

Souma: Aaah, that’s right! I must apologise! I am so sorry for rushing you!

…Hm…? It looks like it’s fixed?

Adonis: No, that’s not this phone. Look over there, Anzu is taking pictures of us.

Souma: Oh, that’s right… Anzu-dono is here to take photos for the “pamphlet.” I must apologise for all the ruckus.

You don’t mind? When Adonis-dono is with me, you get to see a different side of him? I’m happy to be of use.

Adonis: Alright, you should be able to take pictures of the sea now, Kanzaki. I want you to try it out now.

Souma: Aah, thank you.

Mhm! The ocean was captured in all its glory! ♪

Adonis: Hmm, thinking about it now, I’m pretty sure I’ve been to the beach with Anzu before.

But that was a foreign sea, the atmosphere was completely different—but the sea is as beautiful as ever.

Souma: Of course, the weather is good today, so the sea’s surface is shining ever-so brightly under the sun.

The ocean’s charm is that it changes depending on the weather and the ocean currents.

It is especially beautiful in this season, particularly in the early mornings, when the sky turns to white. And when snow falls, it’s a perfect scene! It reminds me of a saying, “early mornings in winter are the best.”

Adonis: I think I’ve heard about that before, wasn’t it related to an old Japanese book?

Souma: I expect nothing less of you, Adonis-dono! Your diligence is admirable; you are truly wonderful ♪

Adonis: No, I’m pretty sure you told me before.

You teach me a lot of things I do not know about this country, Kanzaki—not just you, Kanzaki, but Anzu and Oogami too.

This is the sea’s edge. I came from a land far from here, but you all accepted me all the same. I have a lot of good friends, and that makes me happy.

…I’m sorry. When I see the sea, it reminds me of my hometown.

Souma: There’s no need to worry. Many people come to the sea to reflect on themselves. It allows us to accept our thoughts and emotions in its gentle embrace.

Moreover, if you can find your true feelings about your “feature live,” then it would all be worth reflecting here.

Adonis: Thank you… For Anzu and Kanzaki… And for my own sake, I hope I can get something out of this.

(I’m able to continue my idol activities in this foreign land alongside my friends. I think I have learned many things compared to when I first came here).

(Am I getting closer to my dream?)

Hmm…?

Souma: Are you alright, Adonis-dono?

Adonis: The sand between my feet is moving…

…! Kanzaki, there’s a tiny creature that jumped out of the sand!?

Souma: Calm yourself… Hmm, looks like it is taking a rest. What a rare occurrence in a place like this.

Adonis: Is it rare for hermit crabs to be near the sea…?

Souma: No, I didn't mean it in that way. Shinkai-dono told me that hermit crabs are usually found on the sea shore this time of year, so I was taken aback to see one beneath the sand.

Adonis-dono, let’s take the hermit crab over there.

Adonis: Are you sure I’m the right person for the job…? Wouldn’t they get hurt by my touch?

Souma: There is nothing to be afraid of. Someone as kind-hearted as the Adonis-dono I know would only make a creature feel at ease. Hold it just as you usually do, in your gentle grasp.

Adonis: Anzu, you also think it’s fine? Understood, I’ll try it.

Oooh… Such a small creature is moving in the palm of my hand…

Look over here, Anzu. Isn’t it cute? I could end up staring at it forever.

Souma: You scooped it up perfectly. Let’s take it over to the shoreline over there. Are you comfortable doing so?

Adonis: Aah, don’t you worry. I would never even dream of dropping it.

Hmph, the wind is strong. With the way things are going, the hermit crab will end up getting blown away…!?

Oh, is the wind slowing? Will the hermit crab be safe…?

Looks like it’s taking cover in its shell. I’m glad; it looks like you can protect yourself. Allow me to take you to the shore before the wind starts coming down again.

I’m sorry if you felt scared with me. Please go back to your friends now.

Heh… —Anzu? You’re surprised I noticed the hermit crab?

The sand was moving strangely, so it wasn’t too hard to figure out what was going on.

Kanzaki, I should also thank you. I could find hermit crabs by myself, but I would have never thought to bring them to shore.

Souma: I didn’t help too much, I just gave you some knowledge I had.

I do not know what happened with the hermit crab exactly, but it likely got swept away by the waves from the shore onto the sand.

I am sure it was desperately trying to get back to the shore once more.

I am sure that it felt like begging people to find it on this large beach, and its patience finally paid off when you found it, Adonis-dono.

I am certain the hermit crab appreciated it.

Adonis: Did you struggle… To be found by someone…

Souma: What did you say?

Adonis: It’s nothing… I just thought the hermit crab was like me.

I’ve been singing for a long time too, for songs are a way to express your wishes and your feelings.

This is what I cherish most as Otogari Adonis of UNDEAD. I hope my voice can bring someone peace, even if only for a moment.

I want my voice to be echoed around the world, and I want you to know… I am here.

I have been trying my best to have my dream be heard. That’s what I want for my “feature live.”

Could you consider taking the pamphlet into that direction…?

Souma: So you want to tell the world, then? …Fufu, what a lovely “thought,” it is just like you, Adonis-dono. I cannot wait to see the end result of the “pamphlet.”

Adonis: Ah, then I will be sure to meet the expectations of those who are looking forward to my “feature live.”

No matter where I am in this world, I will be sure to send my voice across the oceans.

Chapter One

#idol story #adonis otogari #souma kanzaki

49 notes · View notes

lolliesinthewind · 1 year

Text

the backroom

|japanese!character x chubby!black fem reader|

Content Warnings: dub-con, fingering, unprotected sex, sub!reader, workplace sex, oral sex (fem receiving), creepy!perv!dom character, he stares a lot,

(a/n: this is a oneshot about my sorta fear of japanese men, no discrimination they just scare me.)

wc: 2.6k

BEWARE THE TRANSLATIONS ARE AWFUL FALFOL! !!!

first pov:

i was never good at disobeying orders given to me you know, it was some instinct to listen to whoever was talking to me and i could never hear anything else that was around. as i got older i realized it was some sort of natural submissiveness, i soon learned that just looking at down and obeying commands wasn’t to get a woman like me far in life.

so i held my submissive self inside, worked hard, and got a corporate job that pays well too. even though i’ve maintained a stereotypical reputation of being hardworking and stoic i still have times when i become meek, quiet, and unfortunately submissive, on those days my co-workers don’t bother me they think i’m just having a bad day, and leave me alone but recently we got a new employee from another department. i haven’t seen him much just here and there around the office and it's always from behind from what i can tell he’s tall or taller than me at least.

ever since he came into the office i’ve been feeling eyes on me like the kind that gives you goosebumps, it makes me shrink into myself and talk softer so that whoever is staring doesn’t hear me speak. sometimes i like the staring and others i want to disappear because i feel his eyes stripping me bare. I just want to be left alone.

third pov:

the sound of a shrieking alarm awoke the pudgy black woman making her almost cry because of how much it scared her, despite her large frame the woman was more emotional and fragile than half of her co worker's kids but we digress. she began her day by forcing herself out of her plush bed, which she didn’t want to start.

on her way to work she nearly cried four times because she got yelled at during her city’s unforgiving traffic. it was a very bad morning for the sensitive woman. now at her job, she sat in the parking garage calming down and preparing herself for a semi-stressful day since she finished the editing on her most recent project and her unfinished work from last week since her company was renovating her floor, the 4th floor.

walking into her office she nodded at most of her co-workers, non-smiling and deflecting their good mornings, as she was getting closer to her desk she felt those eyes again. those eyes were stripping her naked and making her heat up even more as she had started her ovulation cycle earlier that week.

sitting the brown woman began her work, not stopping or moving from her desk until it was lunchtime. she never ate or used the breakroom or left her food in the company fridge; too many people and too many germs, but in this one instance she forgot to heat her food at home. she wanted to cry… again. with tear-filled eyes she got up and walked to the germ-infested breakroom. before walking she looked thru the doorway and didn’t see anybody which was surprising since normally it would be packed.

while waiting for her food to get hot in the microwave she stood near a wall staring at the door fidgeting with her hands and giving quick glances to the microwave which seemed to be taking forever to heat up. her heartbeat sped when she heard footsteps on the tile flooring heading towards her. her eyes widened slightly seeing it was the japanese man that just transferred to her department. his towering figure stood at the large doorway that now looked small compared to his height and his face was considerably handsome compared to the other men in her office but she still didn’t like the grin that appeared on his face it sent shivers down her spine.

something in the back of her head told her to run when he started to walk towards her. with every long step, he took she stepped back until she hit the wall, flinching as the cold wall touched her before and from him leaning down to say something to her in her ear.

“怯えた目で見られると、勃起して変質者のような気分になってしまうのです.” his deep voice whispered in her ear. his warm breath tickled her ear, making blood rush everywhere. it was all too much for her with the earlier traffic madness, her lunch situation, and now him, she couldn’t handle it and started to cry the tears that were gathering since this morning. fat salty tears started rolling down her chubby as she trembled and hiccuped, if anyone were to walk in they probably would’ve thought he was comforting a saddened friend.

the woman wanted to get away from him so badly but he was blocking the out for her so she resorted to pushing him away which didn’t work as she didn’t have much strength in her plushy body. the man grinned at her weak attempts to push him away it was so cute to see, he just had to have her all to himself.

“あなたは私を押しのけようとしているのがとてもかわいいです.” he cooed while grabbing her brown hands into his much lighter ones pulling the chubby woman close to him, wrapping his arms around her so fast she didn’t know what happened. squeezing her body against him gave him a feeling of euphoria it was something a kin to drug high and he wanted more. no, he had to have more, more of the feeling, more of her.

a sick thought plastered itself in his mind blocking all other thoughts and making him fully erect, his grin growing into a smile that made the woman shiver and whimper with fear because she knew what that smile meant it circulated in her subconscious late at night when she thought of him touching her in ways that would make a pornstar blush.

moving away from her, the perverted man stepped away far enough so he can watch her full body tremble before leaving the room, and the stout woman was confused as to what to do now. a grumbling sound came from her stomach making her face flush and remember her food in the microwave, after reheating it she speed walked to her desk noticing a note on her desk.

‘Go to room 44 on the second floor after you are done with your work. Don’t try to leave, I will know if you left.

-Your secret admirer’

fear-soaked arousal coursed throughout her body after reading the note. it shook something deep inside of her that made her obey his command, so she completed the rest of her work but she also stalled waiting for most of her co-workers to leave and go home. finally done with her work, she looked towards the window seeing that the sun was setting, her stomach twisted in excitement at what was about to happen and only 3 floors below was the man who started all of this sitting in a chair watching her through a security camera he hacked. he smiled seeing her shift in her seat before packing her things up and leaving for the elevator.

switching cameras he watches as that tubby woman pulled out the note and looks at it before pressing the second-floor button, his pants tightened just staring at her shift around on her feet oblivious to him watching her. after what felt like forever the elevator dinged knocking the brown woman out of her mind and into reality reminding her that this is actually happening. walking out onto the empty floor she speed-walked down a hallway trying to find room 44, twisting down hallways and rounding multiple corners she finally found it at the end desolate hallway.

the flickering lights gave a haunted feeling to the dark hallway which made the stout woman hesitate to open the door, biting her plush lips and fidgeting with her fingers she took a deep breath before opening the door and walking into the semi-lit room. only seeing light coming from one corner of the room, once fully inside she closed the door with her hands behind her back and her head down, she stood anxiously by the door, her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

tilting his head the japanese stared at her then stood up from the chair he had set by the only lamp in the room earlier that day, his footsteps oddly not making any sound as he walked towards her until they were so close that his feet were touching hers. hunching over he reached a pale hand out taking her face into his grasp, making her face pucker up as he squished it, his eyes staring into her brown widened ones with a sick smile on his face he noticed as she struggled to say on her tiptoes because he pulled her face close to his.

moving his hand from her to the back of her neck, he pressed his lips against her immediately shoving his tongue into her mouth not giving her the chance to breathe as his hands went to her ass pulling her black pencil skirt to her waist and massaging her ass whilst her hands were grabbing at his light blue button up shirt.

wanting to see more of the body she hid from he drew away from her addictive lips, placing his head on her shoulder he gazed with sparkly eyes watching as her brown ass spilled from his long pale fingers, it made him twitch in his light brown slacks. his reddened bottom lip pulled in between as he spread her open and smacked her ass watching it recoil, he was over the moon as she was finally in his grubby hands. pulling away from her body, he yanked the brown woman toward the desk he was previously at bending her over with one hand.

confused and horny she stayed bent over waiting for something to but the man just continued moving her ass with his hands until in a swift movement he ripped her soaked panties off her body and tucked them into his pocket without her knowing. spreading her open he groaned at the sight of her pussy, hyperpigmented lips covering her hole. her scent was light, he loved it.

“あなたはとてもいいにおいがする、たわごと.” he whispered, standing up, turning the plump woman on her back, and sitting in his seat from before. slowly caressing her thick thighs, he immediately attached himself to her throbbing clit, sucking on it harshly making her squeal loudly as her back arched off the desk, her chubby hands scrambling to grab onto his hair.

the japanese man watched through half-lidded as she moaned loudly, his tongue flicking her clit and her hips buckling to him. moving his hands to her entrance he slipped a finger into her warm, ribbed insides.

“more please, please, please.” she whimpered into the air looking down into the almond-shaped eyes between her brown legs, hearing her pleads for more he quickly added another within her, pumping hard his mouth still on her clit

he knew she was perfect for what he was about to do and now he couldn’t help but get obsessed with every kiss he presses onto her supple skin, every pump of his finger made into her incredibly tight hole. it filled him with the need to be inside her in more ways than one, he wanted every part of her to be his and his alone.

“i want you inside of me.” she whimpered, snapping the man out of his manic thoughts.

“huh?” he sounded.

“i wanna feel you more.” her voice said weakly, she couldn’t wait anymore, his fingers as good as they were, they weren’t satiating her needs as much as she wanted. sitting up the brown woman she glared her tear-filled eyes into his hazy ones. it was adorable to see her lamb-like eyes try and glare at him, but alas he didn't wanna leave his favorite girl begging as much as he wanted to. he could feel her barely hanging on by a thread.

sucking his lower lip in between his teeth he stood on his feet, slotting himself between her legs, and began to disrobe his lower half whilst watching his finger fuck the woman below him. refocusing his eyes, he trailed them up her body from her plump hickey-covered thighs to her ample chest which was covered by a pretty pink blouse that fitted her so well it made him smile endearingly. in her mind; his eyes were eating her alive and she loved it. It made her feel so pretty, she didn’t want to admit it to herself but she liked when he would stare at her in the office, she liked it when he stood over her earlier in the lunchroom but she would never admit it though.

one hard thrust snapped her back to reality, from what he didn’t make up in size he made up in thickness, his dick was so thick her pussy couldn’t handle it and tried to push him out, but he didn’t allow that to happen, his hips slammed onto hers, his dick kissing her cervix from deep he was in her. not stopping his thrust he pulled her so his chest was flush against hers, one hand held the back of her neck while the other slid in between them and his greedy fingers began to rub on her clit.

“kiss, i wanna kiss, please.” the pudgy woman whimpered out, he gave her what she wanted with fervor, and saliva was swapped as their tongues touched one another.

“fuck you’re so tight, i’m surprised i even got in this tiny little thing, oh fuck.” he said his accent prominent. skin slapped together as he continued his ruthless thrust not wanting to leave within her. a ring of cream formed around his dick before his eyes as he looked in between them. his breathing getting heavier and his eyes getting half lidded.

feeling an orgasm approaching she started to curse, pulling her legs upwards on the desk instead of around his waist and looked with him in pure arousal. her low moaning grew louder until she was nearly shouting. his thumb had begun to rub her clit harshly.

“fuck ima cum, oh my god, oh my god-“ her words with a kiss from the man unbeknownst to her he was close to cumming also. as she gushed around him, he pumped her full of his cum. he still thrusted but they were sloppy and slow.

both were panting as he slowly pulled out of her. cream covered his pubic hair and slick connected the two. the brown woman moved her hand spreading her puffy lips so watch as his cum dripped out of her. she rubbed the spilling all over her pussy making him groan. she stared in pleasure as his dick grew hard again.

“wanna fuck again?” she asked, rubbing her clit whilst looking him in the eye

“yes baby but this time in my bed,” he said, stroking his dick. “but before that.”

he guided his tip and only the tip into her pussy, continuing to stroke his dick. he moved her fingers away and took a hold of her poor clit. feeling it throb under his finger while he masterbaited himself, cumming only moments after as he was sensitive.

the man’s warm cum filled her pussy with a satisfying groan coming from him. when he pulled out again she quickly closed her legs and pulled down her skirt before stumbling around to find her kitten heels as he fixed himself up.

grabbed her heels along with the chubby woman's hand he walked her out of the dim room and into the renovated office. they went to go have more sex in the elevator, in the car, in his garage and all over his house.

#Spotify #black!reader #creepy #perv character #tw dubcon #they scare me

35 notes · View notes

izumi-fanclub · 2 years

Text

A3! Event Story Translation “Moon Traveler” - Chapter 7

In this chapter, Sakuya asks his question, this time, regarding Chikage's name

Chikage

… How is it?

Izumi

You thought of more than I expected!

Masumi

You could’ve narrowed it down a bit.

Chikage

I already did.

Citron

Kazunari will get upset at you for putting 10 point font size on A4 paper!

Tsuzuru

It reads like a newspaper with the font size.

Izumi

From Katakana to Kanji… what language is this? It’s not English.

Itaru

Man absolutely drove off course.

Chikage

There’s no physical imagery, so I have no visual references, I tried to come up with various ideas.

Tsuzuru

It’s already pretty crazy you came up with so many.

Masumi

Let’s just cross out the ones we can’t read.

Izumi

T-that’s right. Let’s narrow it down that way!

Chikage

(I guess naming things is harder than it seems.)

Sakuya

…

Chikage

Sakuya, you’re back. Good job on your part-time gig.

Sakuya

I’m home!

Chikage What are you looking at?

Sakuya

Ah, it’s nothing—— just checking how the buds are doing. I can’t wait for the cherry blossoms to bloom again this year.

Chikage

You really like cherry blossoms.

Sakuya

Yup!

“Sakura Saku”… ever since I found out it was the origin of my name, I felt a sense of closeness to them.

I love both cherry blossoms and my name, I thank my parents for giving it to me.

Chikage

… I see. You must have had good parents.

Sakuya

…

…Hmm, which one?

Chikage

Sakuya

… Alright! I’ve decided!

Your Q&A sesh with me. Chikage-san, what’s the origin of your name?

Chikage

My name’s origin…

Sakuya

Yeah! “Chikage Utsuki”... I thought it was a really cool name the first time I heard it!

*Flashback Sequence*

August

“Since I’m the resident expert of all things Japan here, I thought of some cool names for you both.”

April

“What’s the point of being cool? We have to be inconspicuous.”

*Flashback End*

Chikage

(Come to think of it, I never asked where the name came from…)

I don’t know, unfortunately. I never got to know why, besides, the person who gave it to me isn’t around anymore, so I got no idea.

Sakuya

It’s like that, huh…

Chikage

Sorry I can’t answer that one.

You can ask another one. The last one misled you after all.

Sakuya

No, it’s fine! You already answered.

Even I only learned the origin of my name after my parents passed.

You might think there’s nothing left and it’s all impossible, but there will always be opportunities to know more.

I’m sure you’ll have the chance to! So please let me know when that time comes around.

Chikage

… Sure thing.

Sakuya

By the way, are the aliens named yet?

Chikage

I narrowed it down a lot thanks to everyone, but… here, look.

Sakuya

There’s so many. “Uni”...?

Chikage

Citron insisted on it.

Sakuya

Oh yeah, Citron-san was going on about “I have an uni!” the other day.

When Taichi-kun and the others overheard him, they thought we were having sea urchin for dinner.*

Chikage

“Uni” means “dream” in a Nordic language. I taught it to Citron the other day.

Sakuya

I see! It’s fascinating how the same word can have totally different meanings.

Then what are cherry blossoms called?

Chikage

What was it again… I think “Cherry” would be “Kirsikka.”

Sakuya

That’s kinda cool. Then—— how about the moon?

Chikage

“Moon” is… “Kuu.”

Sakuya

Wah, it’s so cute!

“Kuu”, huh… kuu… It somehow makes the moon feel different. Foreign languages are so interesting.

Chikage

(Now that I think about it, my eyes used to twinkle like this back when someone from my hometown would taught me a language I didn’t know…)

… That’s easy to remember. That should be a good name for the aliens.

Sakuya

Eeh!? After all you wrote down, you’re okay with that?

Chikage

It just feels right somehow.

And… it just reminds me of my old self.

Sakuya

Then, let’s go with that idea!

Kuu… kuu… I’m already attached to it, I’m sure we’ll be fast friends!

Chikage

It’s too early to say.

Sakuya

Ahaha. Today’s “kuu” is a crescent moon, right?

Chikage

… Sure is.

________T/Ns:________

"Uni" in Japanese means sea urchin, but the language Chikage is referencing is Finnish, where "Uni/Unelma" means "dream/to dream."

________________

Prev. Ch.

Next Ch.

#a3 translation #a3! translation #a3 event story translation #a3! event story translation #moon traveler #chikage utsuki #sakuya sakuma #masumi usui #tsuzuru minagi #citron #itaru chigasaki

38 notes · View notes

canmom · 1 year

Text

Animation Night 156 - THREE YEARS

I did it.

Happy birthday Animation Night, my weird little baby. You are now three years old.

Three years ago, I was watching the Japan Animator Expo. I was blown away and charmed and overwhelmed. So I was like, I have to make people experience Me! Me! Me! for themselves. And while I’m at it, everyone needs to absorb Aeon Flux. What if I were to... stream some cool weird animations on Twitch instead of my usual videogames?

Well, that was a hit!

So I did another week, pulling in package films like Robot Carnival. At some point I decided to try screening entire movies. My friends helped me research films I’d never heard of, and compiled two wonderful lists of animated music videos. At some point we switched from mostly short films to mostly movies. Runtimes got more and more ambitious. The writeups got stupidly elaborate. Every week I’d nerd out and research some new director or studio or subject.

Before I knew it, I was celebrating a whole year of that. And then another! And now, what do you know, it’s three. We have covered a truly startling cross-section of animated films from across space and time.

At this point it feels like if I missed a week, I’d die or something.

(You might be thinking, hold on, I thought you said the anniversary was next week? Well, I did a maths oops. I was trying to take into account the difference between ‘52 weeks’ and ‘365 days’ and I screwed up! No, 156 is the closest week to the anniversary. Except... actually all the previous anniversaries were actually celebrated a week early, since I was counting from a notional ‘Animation Night 0′. But uh... having established that tradition I’m not gonna break it.)

So, let’s go over a few highlights from the last year, as has become traditional. But what are we watching tonight? Well, previously we marked the occasion by rewatching some of my faves from the early days, like Aeon Flux, Tekkonkinkreet or Dahufa. This time, the spotlight is going back to the Japan Animator Expo, which was a thing that Hideaki Anno’s Studio Khara organised, pulling in an incredibly varied collection of short films from all sorts of different studios - a chance for some of the greatest animators to cut loose and make some concepts that would be too weird or elaborate to make normally. More on that in a bit!

So. The last year. The first week AN 105, we took a look at old school Imaishi at his most stylish in Dead Leaves, and a strange Japanese-French angle on LA in Mutafukaz. Fun movies, a promising start.

But the next week, I lost my friend Fall. It still makes no fucking sense, and it won’t ever. On Animation Night 106, I used this ritual to remember her by showing Haibane Renmei, an anime deeply important to her. It proved to be exactly what I needed to see at that time - one of the most truthful depictions of grief. I still miss Fall. I wish I could talk to her about everything that’s happened in the last year. (I’ve done my best to learn Japanese in part to honour her love of languages, but now I’m at the point I can somewhat hold a conversation, it hurts that I can’t actually talk to her in ‘her language’.)

The next few weeks, I kept this up despite everything. We visited the ingeniously grotesque ‘gekimation’ of Ujicha (AN108), visited Mamoru Hosoda twice to more or less charming effect (AN107, AN 113), recreated Studio Ghibli’s one-two punch of 1988 (AN 111), and had a look at some absolutely unique directors like Bill Plympton and Joann Sfar (AN 112, AN 114). I got to show @mogsk‘s original fansub of a film of Croatian animator Milan Blažeković (AN 116). On AN 117 I wrote another love letter to independent/web animation.

Short films would continue to have a presence all throughout - AN109 we checked out the latest Love Death and Robots and nearly every CalArts film of the year, and AN135 we did the same with a fantastic selection of Gobelins films as well as some unique animators like Poul Robertson and Pulpe. AN 141 took us out to China, with the glorious return of Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and the brilliant Mee’s Forest by Busifan of Dahufa fame, now with a fresh translation by the writers of Animation Obsessive.

On AN 119, I wrote a post about Richard Williams and The Thief and the Cobbler, telling the story of Williams’ lifelong project to try to live up to his ideal of Disney’s Nine Old Men, no matter the cost. That proved to be one of my post popular posts of the whole year and it’s definitely one of the bits of writing I’m happiest with.

The next week on AN 120 I was in America! We saw something just as technically ambitious in another way: Richard Linklater taking Bob Sabiston’s ‘rotoshop’ software and a great deal of animator sweat to portray the world of dreams, and then Philip K Dick’s tragic scifi version of his experiences at edge of society, caught between exploitative cops and the effects of heavy drug use. It’s a unique style, and an effective one. Another American week took us into the archives of Liquid Television, the incubator of Aeon Flux and Beavis and Butthead, to see what else they had in their vault (AN 121).

On AN 122, we had a look at The Hakkenden, an incredibly ambitious and varied OVA... if one that’s now mostly remembered only by sakuga fans. AN 125 took a look at the rest of Peter Chung’s career besides Aeon Flux, notably the delightfully strange Alexander Senki, which we’d revisit to finish a few weeks later, but also some of his franchise work like Riddick and Tomb Raider.

AN 127 took us to see the three adaptations of the works of ‘Project Itoh’, Hideo Kojima’s best friend and purveyor of sharp near-future scifi. Itoh died tragically young; these posthumous adaptations by three different studios each have a very distinctive style and are powerful films in their own right.

Halloweens are when we go and take a look at horror animation - they’re always memorable. On AN 129 we got to see more of the work of Ujicha, and dive into the baroque, slimy hellish dreamworld of Phil Tippett’s thirty-year magnum opus Mad God.

On AN 130, I got to have another headscratch at the old question of ‘what the hell is up with Hayao Miyazaki’, comparing his old film Porco Rosso against the most recent The Wind Rises, which both approach the tension between his pacifism and his love of old warplanes.

On AN 136 I took another leaf through Animation Obsessive to collate their writing on the Zagreb School into a film night. This unique group of animators put a unique spin on the UPA style, breaking all the supposed rules of animation timing.

Back in the day I wrote a monstrously long post about samurai to introduce an animation night on jidaigeki, Japanese historical stories. AN 137 returned to that subject, with three very different but all excellent films by Production I.G. and Toei.

AN138 was a chance to compare Pinocchios old and new, with del Toro’s new stop-motion interpretation making a hell of a splash. The new one was undeniably beautiful, but could its story hold together..?

On Animation Night 139, I had a look at the mighty realist animator and occasional director Hiroyuki Okiura. Okiura was one of Production I.G.’s secret weapons, renowned for his contributions to films like Ghost in the Shell, but we had a look at some of his more obscure works like Run, Melos. The next week (AN 140) I followed this up with a deep dive into Oshii’s ‘Kerberos Saga’, trying to figure out what Anpo man Mamoru Oshii was doing with all that nazi power armour. Of all the films in that sprawling story, Okiura’s Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade was certainly the most impactful and coherent, but Oshii’s bizarre pixilation film Tatsuguishi-Retsuden was a historical oddity I was glad to discover despite the wonky translation.

On Animation Night 143, I finally gave the Lupin III franchise its due. We took a look at some of the wonkier entries in the long history of Lupin, such as The Mystery of Mamo in which Lupin goes up against a weird blue immortal guy, and the recent attempt to reboot it in C.G. And we had another look at Takashi Koike’s dark, heightened take on Lupin, which is always... an experience.

The next week on AN144, I continued my efforts to get into Gundam by taking a look at Sunrise Studio 1′s overwhelming film duology Gundam Thunderbolt. Jazz and space battles, a nonstop orgy of robot violence, it was a ride.

On Animation Night 146, we commemorated Leiji Matsumoto, one of the most influential artists in the history of sci-fi anime, creator of such immortal characters as Captain Harlock. It was a chance to take a look at his whole career, even the early WWII comics, where we saw his fixation with the figure of a reluctant soldier on the wrong side. The next week (AN147) we saw the time that Daft Punk collaborated with Matsumoto and Toei to make a movie for their album - and some weeks later on AN152 we’d return to Captain Harlock again, with Shinji Aramaki’s odd CG interpretation.

Animation Night 148 was a long overdue return to the world of Korean animation, with a fascinating set of angles, from viciously dark drama to rural nostalgia to... kinda like yugioh? AN149 took things historical, looking at Toei’s adaptations of mythological stories from the earliest days of anime - which hold up really quite well.

Then on Animation Night 150 came the long-awaited day where I got to show everyone Masaaki Yuasa’s incredible film Inu-Oh. A blind monk and a cursed boy join together to tell the stories of the fallen in medieval glam rock. It’s such an expression of the joy of what animation can be, and honestly one of my favourite films, and I’m really glad everyone seemed to enjoy it as well.

After all that, were we running out of steam? Not at all! Animation Night 151 saw the release of Lackadaisy, showing that webcomic dorks on Discord can make animation to rival any big studio; Bani-Chan’s beautiful film for Toby Fox and Itoki Hana, and most of all, Studio Ponoc’s Modest Heroes, the effort of a bunch of former Ghibli staff to bring something new to anime. The third film Invisible, featuring the unbelievably sophisticated animation of Akihiko Yamashita, has to be seen to be believed.

And that almost brings us up to now! Animation Night 153-154 took us into a dive of an early work by the master of chuunibyō, Kinoko Nasu, with year-spanning nonlinear story of wizards and traumagirls and murder - as envisioned by the madly ambitious early Ufotable. And last week, I wrote a monster of a post covering the story of Kunihiko Ikuhara for AN 155 - the man launched from Sailor Moon to create such uniquely powerful works as Utena, Penguindrum, and Sarazanmai. Thanks for reading that, it means a lot that so many people did!

So... phew. Hell of a year.

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to bring new material every week for a third year running. I’m kind of amazed that I did - and it’s not like this is the dregs, we’re still finding things that amaze and delight. But that said, I am kinda running out of stuff to show. Animation Night will continue, but I’m going to start introducing more reruns - which I hope isn’t a bad thing because a whole lot of you joined quite recently so it will probably be new to you!

And with that in mind, it’s time to go watch one of the very first things I ever showed on this film night: The Japan Animator Expo.

If I was to write a full writeup on the Animator Expo, it would take so long that we’d have no time to actually watch the films. So with that in mind, here’s the short version.

So. Hideaki Anno (AN: if u don't know who she is get da hell out of here!) left the hot organisational mess that was Gainax to run his own studio Khara, their primary mission being to create the four-movie Rebuild of Evangelion series (see: AN 18, AN 66). But this mammoth project was not their only undertaking. In 2014, Anno and Khara organised a series of short films for the Tokyo International Film Festival, designed as a showcase of both new and old animators. The series was called the 日本アニメ（ーター）見本市 Nihon Anime(etā) Mihonichi or Japan Animator Expo. Each week, a new short would be released on the web.

The shorts vary incredibly wildly. Some of them are incredible technical flexes by some of the most experienced in the business; others rougher work by independent animators. Some tie in to existing franchises (mainly Eva), or function as pilots for later works; others are standalone. Some are music videos, some are short films, some blur the lines. Some use a relatively standard anime style, some are CG, some have a unique design aesthetic. It’s an incredibly varied and cool collection.

^a brief clip from the psychic bomb that is Me! Me! Me!

I will write up a full breakdown of every film in the animator expo and what’s interesting about who made each one at a later date. Tonight let’s just watch the thing - it’s not short! So Animation Night 156 will begin pretty much right now; movies will begin in 10-20 minutes once people are in so please get over to twitch.tv/canmom and watch for as long as you like! ^^

See you there!

#animation night

36 notes · View notes

risualto · 1 year

Text

“You should go out,” my mother said, through a screen. Of course, having her voice in my ear for two decades meant that I could hear exactly how she would say it--she would try to sound like she was scolding me, but we would both hear the nostalgia in her voice from her own missed opportunities that made it sound soft, and I would pretend not to notice.

I, of course, complained that it was hot (81, I’d say, and then wonder again at when I would get around to learning to translate Fahrenheit to Celsius without manually calculating it step-by-step). But I did go out to the bakery my mother suggested, instead of the little sushi joint I’d been thinking of. That bakery, of course, was delicious. One of the most delicious bakeries in the whole city, and one of the most memorable restaurants anywhere in the world, for me. It just hadn’t been what I’d planned.

Shifting the planned sushi meal farther ahead in time was easier, ultimately, than taking the plate off the board and throwing it out on the designated trash day, so I went there for dinner, instead. I’d never been to that restaurant for dinner, actually. As I approached, I realized that meant the menu was possibly different in the evening, and the sign outside didn’t make it obvious how.

Still, I went in, and found the place busier than I’d ever seen it: four people at the six-chair bar, with none of the three other tables occupied. The hostess smiled at me, a little surprised but clearly happy I’d come back, and gestured to the seat at the corner of the counter. It did take a little deciphering to figure out the evening menu, but I settled on a course of nigiri that seemed similarly priced to my favorite lunch set. The names of the exact nigiri included were nowhere to be found on the menu, but I’ve only ever discovered a few sushi fish that I dislike. (The only food allergy I’ve ever found is kumquats, and--more crucially--I have a good poker face.) The moment my order was accepted, I quickly pulled my hair out of its tie and swept it over my left shoulder, both to make a curtain between myself and the other customers, and to avoid any attention on the back of my neck by the three older men sitting there.

The first point was, as it turned out, a complete failure. Putting up an obvious sign that I didn’t wish to be spoken to was no deterrent when weighed against my obviously out of place features.

“The couple over there,” the chef said to me as he placed the second piece of nigiri in my course on the bar before me, “would like to buy you a roll.”

(She eats sushi! She eats Japanese fish. How? I heard, from over there.)

“Is there anything you’d like? Maguro? Anago?“ asked the chef. His prompts were the two fish I said specifically that I loved last time I came here. Tuna and saltwater eel.

I turned towards the over-there side of the bar and bowed my head. “Thank you,” I said, and looked at the chef. “Anago, please.”

“With cucumber?”

“Oh, yes!”

“Anago-kyuu maki, understood!” said the chef, loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. I ducked behind my hair, but kept a smile on my face whenever I wasn’t eating. Now that I’d been offered food by strangers old enough to be my parents, to look ungrateful would be just about the worst social faux-pas I could commit, and I would prefer to be remembered for my sushi preferences than a bad attitude by the one sushi restaurant within walking distance of my apartment. Some of my colleagues frequent this area, and half of my job is being a cultural ambassador, after all. Of course, anyone who has been such a thing understands that this actually means you’re a local celebrity. Your public presentation is an open invitation to speculate on not just your character, but the character of all foreign people.

Doesn’t that just make sense?

Now that I’d revealed myself to be capable of at least elementary Japanese, though, hair curtain or no, the two businessmen closer to me than the couple-over-there were determined to talk to me. “Where are you from?” asked the older one.

I told him. America.

“The West half or the East half?” he asked. Seiban or touban. Of course, if the words had been written down, I would have realized their meaning instantly--West half or East half--but I’d never heard them spoken before. The rarity of those words could be equated to asking something like, Occidental America or oriental America? With a few seconds to compute, one might be able to arrive at an understanding even without knowing the phrases fully, but a non-native speaker would be thrown for a loop. My confusion must have showed, because he rephrased the question. “West coast or East coast?” Higashi-kaigan or nishi-kaigan. Longer words, but ones that had been drilled into my head in my second year of language study.

When I answered him this time, the older man grinned and started telling me everything he knew about the area--the local baseball team, the time he’d seen Otani Shohei play there on TV, the abundance of casinos and how fascinating the process of minting casino chips was. His companion, who I realized quickly was both younger and probably subordinate to the excited man, watched me respond softly in disbelief, and his colleague with the same, but to an exceptional degree. I must not have been the first person to entertain this man’s excited tangents, I realized.

He was so excited to tell me all about how incredible the fish was in this city--”It’s a great success that you came here, and not to Tokyo!”--and this shop in particular, that I couldn’t help feeling a little warm to it. “If Osaka has okonomiyaki and takoyaki,” he said, listing their local specialties, “then this shop has seafood.” I chuckled. “She even understands jokes!” he said. I laughed.

Despite not being part of this conversation, clearly the couple-over-there were listening, because the chef came back to ask me if I liked shrimp tempura. I said yes, and he told me that I was being offered some by that same couple. So I turned over there and bowed, a little deeper this time, and thanked them a little more properly. The husband shook his head, laughing, and pointed to his wife. All her doing, he told me without words. I tried to catch her eye, but she was hiding from my line of sight as if embarrassed by her own generosity, so I just bowed again. She did assure me--through the chef--that I could take the food to-go if it was too much on top of my meal already. (I did, in the end.)

And now it was almost a competition, because the older businessman turned to the chef and asked if he had anything in specially today, and to get three plates of it. The chef did--I think what he had was a specific kind of tuna meat, but certainly not one I had ever heard of before. I did, however, receive a thorough lecture on how it was very different from any preparation of fish that could be achieved in America. (Pointing out that this man probably had no idea of all the ways fish were prepared in America would have thrown a wrench into the evening, so I just agreed that I’d never had this before.)

So I ate some of the most delicious maybe-tuna I’ve ever tried, and a free roll of eel and cucumber, with a box of shrimp tempura sitting beside me on the counter, as I explained that food was my initial inspiration for wanting to study Japanese, with music and history as close seconds. And in return, besides the food, I got recommendations for a few tourist spots in the city I hadn’t been to yet, along with the name of a comedy performance troupe to look up on YouTube.

In the end, the couple-over-there refused to be outdone in terms of generosity. They paid for my whole meal, telling me that I just had to make sure to come back to the restaurant. I’d lived there a year by this point and never met them before, so it seemed unlikely I’d ever meet them again. But it did make me think I should, perhaps, go to that restaurant for dinner every now and then to increase my chances, and perhaps speak to them.

The one point that everyone kept going back to during my meal, though, was that I understood the humor. I knew when they were joking and when they weren’t, and that somehow served as proof of my mastery over the language.

Actually, though I didn’t say as much to anyone in the shop since pride has always been my fatal flaw, mastery would be a strong word. The man I primarily spoke to, the businessman, was older (and so using very casual speech), excited, and at least a few beers in. I grasped the literal meaning of maybe 70% of what he said to me, and that’s being generous. And at times, I didn’t understand exactly what part of his delivery should make something he said particularly funny.

It’s not that I’m fluent in Japanese humor, or even textbook Japanese. It’s that the way your mouth curls and your tone embellishes your words is more universal than you want to think. I didn’t say this, though. Not because I lacked the vocabulary to say it in Japanese, but because I lacked an opening in the mood to slide something like that into the discussion. English and Japanese both have an expression that means “to read the room,” after all.

Being able to read people, however, is no substitute for learning languages. After all, I did my best for the beginning of the night to close myself off as much as possible, hoping not to be approached. Soft voice, no eye contact, hiding my face--and yet, things worked out the opposite way I’d hoped. Not badly, of course, but differently to what I wanted.

It is a crutch, however. One that got me enough of a leg up for about $35 of free sushi and a very good night, in the end.

#writing #risurants #idk this is kind of a story #too prose ish to be a journal but with too weak a main point to be an art piece

12 notes · View notes

leaahhh · 1 year

Text

here are some of the songs that soundtracked my summer

maps by the yeah yeah yeahs because i have a secret theory that you must pay attention to the songs that play in the background of a first date because they might be premonitions. it was one of the first that came on the day we met. you were quieter then and everyone knew your name. i overslept far past my welcome that first night and maybe that should have been more telling than the song. maybe i shouldn’t have given myself over so quickly. maybe i should’ve listened to tyler. maybe maybe maybe a lot of things. still, i laughed the whole way home. my kind's your kind, i'll stay the same.

acolyte by slaughter beach, dog because it is one of the only unabashed love songs i can listen to several times in a row without recoiling. it is the best song to wash the dishes to, to walk into the sunset with, to believe in kinder things because of.

group four by massive attack because the man i was seeing at the time played it once at the bar he worked at. i visited several nights a week, it became part of my routine: something to rush around for, a soft place to land. i was mesmerized from the jump, it was all i could fixate on for its full eight minute runtime — the song and also him, flitting back and forth in the dim red light. (i played it for S a few days later, saying it was the best thing i’d ever heard — he didn’t like it, said it was scary.) i remember going into the bathroom and stabilizing myself in the mirror prematurely thinking that i’d miss coming here when it all ended. each time i was met with eyes a little more vacant. a self-fulfilling prophecy. (i’m at a different bar alone now writing this. your coworker spotted me, came over, and reminded me that you’re working there tonight. i shook my head and he said “oops” three times.)

lost angel nights by james blake and alphabet city by the national because they say the quiet part loud. they made me feel justified in my self-abandonment and my masterful act of pretending to be okay with distance and mistreatment. “away from me is just fine.” “if anybody asks, i’ll say you’re coming back.” “i’ll still be here when you come back from space.” it’s not true. it shouldn’t be. but love is this way sometimes.

montana by youth lagoon because J brought it up around 3am at a bar in bushwick and before then i hadn’t thought of it in many, many years. she joked that i should play it next to your ear while you were asleep that night because it might rewire your brain. i laughed hard then but later it made me want to cry. a couple months after, her and i sat on a couch backstage with T before he played a sold out show in brooklyn. i told him i think i might’ve met you just so i could meet her. i do believe it.

this house by japanese breakfast because a friend posted it on her instagram story right after going through a bad breakup and i listened to it eating dinner alone at the neighborhood fast casual korean restaurant staring out the open front door while hot air hit my face and it felt like i was hearing music for the first time. what if one day i don’t know you? what if one day you leave? i could sense it was coming but i came over for a kiss despite it all. i really learned about liquid courage with you and i probably never needed to befriend it so closely. when we were together, my head was always spinning; my nose always stung.

very overdue goodbye by runo plum because my friends all know i prefer dragged out, tortuous storylines over clean-cut endings and rightfully shake their heads. i’ve never gotten over a thing in my life, i tell david in a frankly unhinged voice message that closes with me laughing pathetically, squeezing in at the end that i hope the baby is healthy. it is the last friday night of summer. he says that 26 is the new 18, that i am the one making bad decisions, *i* am not the bad decision. he tells me to stand up for myself. it takes me several weeks but i listen. you made being alone feel so clean. i see you more as a pile-up of my own grief.

to me it was by samia because the guitar gives me goosebumps all over. eliza and i have used the format “everything with ____ is totally fine/don’t freak out, it’s gonna be alright” back and forth all month to punctuate every nervous interaction. we ended up being wrong a lot of the time, there was absolutely reason to freak out. samia was right though; maybe i didn’t need tequila for that. someday i think i’ll look back and remember this as a good time. right now it just hurts.

blue flower by mazzy star because it reminds me of my favorite line in that other song that makes me think about that other guy: i had a fever when i met you; now you make me cool. you were a superstar in your own private movie and i wanted just a minor part. ang is the first person to call it by its name: cruelty. i sweltered and seethed while you slipped away.

street rat by blondshell because i fell back into my old habits as quickly as i’d tried to kick them as soon as you entered the scene. if a doctor put her hands over my liver she would tell me my resentment’s getting…bigger. i felt a lump, hard and unforgiving, growing there. my back tooth turned brown and started rotting the day you disappeared. Z yelped at me from across the street when he saw me and said i’m withering in front of his eyes. it’s a race to see who dies first and you’ve got five years on me. (as i’m typing this, the bar has begun playing sepsis by blondshell. it feels almost evil. it really should’ve taken a whole lot less to turn me off.)

split up by boyish because i could have said all of this word-for-word in that text message. i kept it short for both of our dignities.

aspirin - slight return by tropical fuck storm because christian responded with just the link to that after i ranted for 5 minutes straight about my rapid descent into madness. it was a perfect response. i’m a harrowing rest stop for the men i date. disarming enough to trip them up. not enough to make them stay.

moon song by phoebe bridgers because after three years of knowing it so well, i heard it entirely differently one night and it nearly rendered me immobile. you asked to walk me home but i had to carry you. you pushed me in and now my feet can’t touch the bottom of you. i would have stuck around, by the way. like a dog with a bird at your door.

5 notes · View notes

terra-fatalis · 2 years

Text

FFVII Remake Easter Eggs and compilation continuity - Part 7: OG FINAL FANTASY VII

ELEMENTS ORIGINALLY SHOWED AFTER THE MIDGAR SECTION & VISIONS OF THE FUTURE

CAIT SITH

This character didn’t show up until the group reached the Gold Saucer. In the Remake he witnesses the plate fall.

YUFFIE

In the OG Yuffie could only be recruited after visiting the Mythril Mines and nothing hints she had ever been in Midgar before. Now she is the protagonist of Intermission, spending a whole day in Midgar, getting to see Barret’s cell and infiltrating in Shinra HQ thanks to Avalanche. Some main points of this character have already been shown like the rivalry between her and her father, some details of the Wutai war and even her motion sickness.

ROMANTIC RUDE

In the OG Rude confessed Reno that he liked Tifa. In the Remake, when he spotted her on the Sector 7 pillar, he deviated the chopper to prevent Reno from killing her.

Reno: Dammit! You wanna explain yourself, partner?

Rude: Uh... Hand slipped.

PALMER’S TEA

In the original, at Cid’s house, Palmer asked for some tea with “sugar, honey and lard”. In the Remake he walks in the corridor of Shinra HQ with a cup of tea, complaining that he ran out of butter (though in Japanese it’s still “lard”).

Oh dear, oh dear... A man of my refined tastes running out of butter! Shorn of its proper accompainment, this tea...might as well be boiled pond water!

BLACK-CAPED MEN

In the original there was just one clone in Midgar, in Sector 5, and he wasn’t wearing the black cape yet, while in the Remake they can be met also in Midgar.

The Remake also confirms that also some former SOLDIERs can turn into caped men, something that the OG revealed only in an optional scene in Junon.

OG: I used to be in SOLDIER. Lately I’ve felt like dressing up like this...

Remake: My dad told me that that man, he used to be a SOLDIER when he was younger. I heard he came back because he got sick or something. Isn't that kinda weird? Can SOLDIERs even get sick?

This concept is further - more openly - reiterated also in Intermission:

Nayo: Mako poisoning. That's what happens if you don't make the grade as a SOLDIER...or when the military's done using you.

REUNION

When Cloud attacks Marco believing he’s Sephiroth he has a vision of the Reunion at Whirlwind Maze.

BARRET’S PAST

In the Remake Barret mentions the day he survived from the destruction of his home town, while in the original this happened one the group arrived in Corel.

Wouldn't be the first time I spit in destiny's eye. Whether you can see the seams or you can't...doesn't change that she's always trying to have it her way.

JENOVA

In the original game the first fight against Jenova took place on the Cargo ship, while in the Remake the group fights it in Chapter 17.

Note: the first form of Jenova in the original was called Jenova∙BIRTH (followed later by Jenova∙LIFE, Jenova∙DEATH and Jenova∙SYNTHESIS). In Remake it is called Dreamweaver, referring to its ability to project illusions, while the Japanese sticks to the original calling it Jenova Beat, hinting to the prenatal heartbeat of fetuses.

LIFESTREAM

During the presentation at Cosmo theatre (an allusion itself to Cosmo Canyion) the group can see a depiction of the Lifestream flowing throughout the Planet. In the original this only happened at the very end when Aerith summoned it.

MATERIA

During the aforementioned presentation it was explained how the Ancients were able to create Materia with condensed Lifestream, while in the original it was explained during the flashback in Kalm.

7R: In the distant past, our planet was home to a people we call the Ancients. Many millennia before we discovered mako, these precursors were already pioneering its use. Somehow they learned of the great reservoir of energy pulsing beneath their feet. And once they had...the Ancients developed the means to harness this bountiful energy and bend it to their will. The fruits of their labors have survived to this very day in the form of certain kinds of materia.

OG: Materia. When you condense Mako energy, materia is produced. It’s very rare to be able to see materia in its natural state. (...)...the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients is held in the Materia.

PROUD CLOD

During intermission Yuffie can see the Proud Clod still under construction stored in Shinra underground. Moreover, the Pride and Joy Prototype (in Japanese: Proud Clad Unit Zero) is a boss that can be fought in Shinra battle simulator.

MIND READER

During the second bombing mission Tifa jokingly asks Cloud if he could read her mind. This is a hint to Jenova’s ability to read minds.

7R: I swear, your timing was perfect. It's almost like...you could read my mind. SOLDIERs can't do that, can they?

OG: Inside of you, Jenova has merged with Tifa’s memories, creating you.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

In the Remake Cloud "remembers” two episodes of his childhood in Nibelheim, scenes that originally were included in the Lifestream sequence in Mideel.

BURNING TOWN

During the first vision of Sephiroth in Chapter 2, Cloud re-experiences the distruction of NIbelheim. This info wasn’t revealed in the OG until the flashback in Kalm.

TEST SUBJECT

When Cloud, Barret and Tifa discover the secret underground lab with specimen detained in mako tanks, Cloud starts remembering his captivity in the basement of Shinra Mansion. This was originally revealed only in the optional cutscene in the basement of the Mansion, after the Lifestream sequence.

MAKO POISONING

Mako poisoning is an element that in the OG was explained just in Mideel, while in the Remake Jessie’s father suffers of the same condition. A sector 7 NPC also witnesses one of Cloud’s Jenova headaches and suggests he may be Mako poisonesd (before the whispers intervene).

7R: [Chapter 3] What the—You okay, buddy? Mako junkie, huh? Figures...

[Chapter 4] Jessie's got a theory about it. Thinks her dad's spirit is stuck now—between his body and the heart of the planet.

OG: He probably has no idea who or where he is now... Poor fellow, his voice doesn’t even work. He is literally miles away from us. Some place far away where no one’s ever been... All alone...

UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH

Discovering that in reality Cloud never made it in SLDIER was a pivotal plot twist of the OG. In the Remake that’s hinted more than once, until Hojo openly reveals it.

No, not quite. Oh, now I recall. My memory was mistaken. My boy, you weren't a SOLDIER...

SEPHIROTH’S DEATH

In Chapter 2 Cloud remembers he killed Sephiroth. This is surprising as in the OG, during Kalm flashback, he told the group that he didn’t know what happened to Sephiroth after Nibelheim incident, even pointing out that, in terms of strength, he couldn’t have killed him.

AERITH’S DEATH

Cloud has some visions of Aerith’s death: after falling in her church in Chapter 8 (pics 2 and 3) and at the beginning of Chapter 9 (pics 1 and 4). Moreover he and the rest of the group have a blurred vision of her death in Chapter 18, Aerith’s refers to death in her resolution scene and Sephiroth tells him he’s unable to protect people in Chapter 2 (while seeing Aerith for the first time) and in Chapter 13 (after she’s been kidnapped).

METEOR

Cloud, and the others have visions of Meteor and the storm that destroyed Midgar at the end of the OG in Chapters 16 and 18.

#Final Fantasy VII #Final Fantasy 7 #final fantasy 7 remake #final fantasy vii remake #easter eggs

14 notes · View notes

wytfut · 2 years

Text

just once...

Raining out today, and I’m waiting for parts. And I’m in the mood to write... so be it.

With a last name like mine, I promise you, I have experienced just a touch of bigotry many times in my life time. No I’m not native, and no nothing I have experienced is like living with racism EVERY SINGLE DAY.

But I have had a taste of it. The first few times, confused me, as I was younger and didn’t know about such things. Every time it was in reference to my last name.... with a promised “well you don’t look .....” to follow.

Truly from what I’ve witnessed there are different levels of bigotry. Pure hatred to simple distrust and ignorance.

Early grade school (Pershing), some folks moved in next to us, that had adopted Japanese kids. Being a kid, that meant nothing to me, they were just my friends.

Later in Jr. Hi, my best buddy was Hispanic/Native. I still saw nothing different, until an event.

Marcial and I had witness a car accident, that was drawing a crowd. So being curious, we wondered up to the site. There on the curb was another kid our age full of hormones trying to prove his manhood “we don’t need any of your kind here....”

His comment spooked me, but I didn’t know why. Marcial got stone cold quiet, and we just walked away. Here I had just witnessed my first bigoted remark, and didn’t know it. And my friend knew exactly what had happened. We didn’t speak of it, probably because I didn’t know.

In hi school trying to prove to my peers I was as tough as they, I made a horrible off handed racist comment to no one in particular in the locker room. I didn’t even know what it meant, .... and a black friend walked around the corner, and heard the whole thing. We were never the same after that, and it is still to this day one of my most embarrassed moments of my life.... even though I was only 15. I remember it vividly.

I know the verbiage.. “words don’t hurt no one” ... and I couldn’t disagree more. Words are words, but its human nature to for us to push the envelope, every step of the way. When words become common, they lack less and less the definition by commonality. Even though in reality, its definition is still there, even with all the smoke and mirrors. With the envelope pushing, it just never looses its impact.

“Fuck” back when I first heard this word, was brutal, and ruthless. Never ever said in polite company. Now its common. Pretty much everyone uses it..... its become part of English language world wide. Has the word lost any of its definition/punch of use? No... perfect example in my itty bitty head. I’m not slamming the word fuck by any means.... my foul mouth it flows frequently. But here its an example of “words”.

I attended UNL for 1 semester fall of 1971.... Being a very thin, docile, and small statured, I was hit upon a few times by early confused Homosexuals. This was all new to me, and had no idea what was going on until much later. No, there were no contact sports. Nothing but inferred comments, all which went over my head, as I didn’t know what “gay” was. If someone were to have told me, I’d probably had nightmares...

Once I realized this portion of experience was about, it drove me to prove to the world I’m far from gay. Heavy mustache, big dogs, wrench on cars, guns, motorcycles.... all the macho stuff.... talk about stereotyping. Still enjoy all of that stuff.

Point being, I was bigoted possibly as gay, and as Native up to this point in my life. All before the main portion of my adult life.

To be honest.... in this portion of my life, I’ll be the first to admit, I was a sexist of sorts. Practiced with no conscience. I do not condone such behavior to this day, but it still a struggle at times for myself. And unfortunately from my Mom... I resist commenting about people who are over weight (yeah I’m fat too).

At Lincoln Hoot and Hollar, is where I experienced real world bigotry, with a full on understanding.

It was horrible at times, but a huge learning curve on growing up, and excepting “people for what they are”.

My family for the times definitely was my learning curve. As they say, kids don’t know bigotry naturally, they are taught it. I think this is very true, but with a noted exception (some people are just evil naturally).

What was acceptable back then will not work today. My Pop had a hard time in his later years.... almost comical and I couldn’t believe what he’d say, without any qualms or quilt. Back in his day he was considered a big supporter of equal rights. Todays standard he couldn’t meet the mark.

WWW... came into my life, including X world. I went social way before facebook or any of the others popular sites now.

I picked up on new friends comments (who had never met me face to face, or even a phone call)... that they thought I was really Native. Hints of “that Indian guy in Nebraska...”

Historically, us stupid White Americans have shown no mercy to “others”. When the Olympics were in Australia.... accolades were showered to the Australians for their recognizing Aboriginals, and giving them rights after “hundreds of years” belittlement. Americans proudly awarding Australians for their work with the races??????

WHAT? REALLY? ... SMFH!!!

A large portion of the world treats “others” just horribly. The examples are endless. Holocaust was a nightmare of the worst kind. But it still continues to this day, in modern times, with no reporting in main stream news (that's old news, it doesn’t sell papers). As if nothing ever happens. Genocide is real, and living in the back yard.

America’s pride of history with races is nothing but a sham. Our true history is never taught. And now Critical Race theory is up for conversation? What? Why, is it even questioned. Is anyone interested is fixing real problem?

My own kids didn't even know American past race history.... until I told them of the examples. Rosewood, Greenwood, Indian White schools, Japanese internment camps, Sikhs, Palestinians, Muslims, Islam's, White Clay, Pine Ridge. etc etc etc....

An astonishing story happened to me a few years back.

In casual conversation one day my nephew Devin mentioned, he had an employee at LPS that worked for him.

This employee found out Devin was related to some Whitefoots. This guy went on to tell Devin a wild story from over 50 years ago dealing with a Whitefoot. In translation I was rubbing my head, as I couldn’t comprehend this crazy story. And honestly, typically I thought initially it had to do with my Pop and the Patrol. Not me.

My scout troop.. (1965ish?) took a trip to the Ozarks. We invited another troop to join us. This other troop had a large black membership ... not an issue, but pertinent to the story.

On the bus on the way down to the Ozarks I apparently befriended one of the scouts from the other troop and didn’t even realize it. Hell I don’t remember this actually. 50 years is a long time ago, and I was maybe 13? I remember the trip, but an isolated incident of this sort is mind blowing.

Back in 2018, my Hunny and I were invited to a wedding. The bride just so turned out to be this very same guys daughter.

But there he was, and he remembered it all. And made a point to tell me the complete story. And me the first 30 seconds or so questioning my mental state, confused, with “who is this guy”... but he knew Devin. Then is all came together remembering the story Devin had told me..

He was on this bus with his troop and a bunch of silly white kids. I’d guess feeling a bit out of place. And I was the only one that would talk to him. And me being a nerd proceeded to try and teach him a couple of “knots”.... He never forgot this very tiny piece of time in his life time.

Please understand, I was walking into another realm, blindly. The wedding was a celebration of life, but this was astounding and overwhelming at the same time.

Paul Lecher is his name. Went to Northeast a few years after me. Went onto UNL, and was a “walk on” for the Cornhusker’s football team.

And here at a his daughters wedding, was proudly telling me this story from another century.

This story really doesn’t have anything to do with the theme of this blog, other than the fact that I mention he is black (this could be misconstrued). But I do feel it relates to the theme on an entertainment level, from the opionion of an old guy.

JUST WOW....

I truly haven’t kept in touch with Paul since our reacquaintance other than a text or 2. . No excuse other than Life in general. And this story is one of my favorite hi lights of my life.

Some where in the back of my cavernous empty skull, I remember something about a phone call I got a couple of years after the Ozarks trip. I hung up on the caller, as I didn’t recognize the name as introduced. Was this Paul trying to reconnect? Caller ID wasn’t a thing then, so no way to figure out who had called. I just knew caller was young like me. I feel bad about this memory, but then why should I.... so young and blind to reality.

Another one of those things an Adult just bears with another ding in his life.

As an elder adult, it still amazes me bigotry, among the wealthy, educated, upper shelf life style folks in our world today. A friend of mine for years of pretty fair stature here in Waverlyville, was making blanket comments during Desert Storm. I really don’t have qualms with bigots, but this one changed my opinion of him for many years later.

We as stupid white Americans have treated everyone .......... in the worlds swimming pool, its just embarrassing.

Yeah I know, its obvious, I’m not really too proud of America’s race history.. But seemingly its getting worse, at best the same of 100 years ago.

As an elder adult now. I suppose I just have to except human nature. I’ll still make my futile stands time to time in conversation. My hopes that future brings us together will not happen in my life time. But maybe in my grandkids??

4 notes · View notes

chanstopher · 2 years

Note

I resisted most kpop and all kpop fandom for a very long time 😆

I got into visual kei in high school (2007 ish) and one of my online friends also listened to some. She got me into J dramas, from where I got into KAT-TUN in 2010. She also watched K dramas and listened to kpop and she sent me some, but not being able to sing along by ear or through romanized lyrics frustrated me since I'd been able to do that with Japanese since I first listened to anime openings and such in middle school. I did listen to some 2ne1 and Big Bang, but mainly Japanese releases since at that point I was studying Japanese and reaching conversational fluency.

After college she and I mostly fell out of touch, KAT-TUN had slowed down after losing a member in 2013 and then another later, LiveJournal got taken over by a Russian "news" company, so all my sources of music and drama torrents were gone, the two main VK bands I listened two took hiatuses or had record company issues (one came back, the other eventually broke up), and so I was back to mostly listening to top 40 radio.

At some point, I got suggested a "reacts to kpop" video on YouTube, and I was like, "I wonder if I'll even recognize and of these groups." The answer was no, I did not, but one if the songs was Blackpink's Whistle, and I was like, "damn, this song is fun," so I started listening to them. I still didnt keep up with anything beyond just their music (and still dont), but it got some kpop on my radar again.

Then I went to Holiday Matsuri in 2021 and went to the hottest men in anime show, which is a men's burlesque contest. The winning act performed to God's Menu and Lisa's Money, two bangers that I hadn't heard because I wasn't actively paying attention to new music. I went and looked them up and played a Spotify kpop playlist the whole 6 hours drive home to add new songs to my library, but I still didn't look up any groups. I continued like that for about a year, just liking individual songs. Then, around when Time Out came out, something made me look up the Stray Kids youtube. I had watched the God's Menu video that first night I heard the song, but I didn't watch anything else. I subscribed to the channel that time, but u still didn't dive into the music videos or add a bunch to my library. Its like part of my brain new I'd not crawl out of that hole and it wasn't the right time for it lol

Finally, late August of last year, I let myself watch the music videos and listen to full albums. Then I resisted any additional content outside of "making of" videos for another month (which is a while for a disabled person with nothing to do but consume content).

Now, here I am. Awash in the swamp. Watching Han and Chan and understanding nothing 🤣

Thankfully I had already planned to learn some Korean since its the third most common language where I live and I had started watching kdramas, but its hard! I still have some bias to Japanese releases for that reason 😆 but it does vary by song since some don't fit/match rhythmically to the Korean versions as nicely as others. Hopefully I'll get there with Korean. I have to remember I have decades of familiarity with the sounds and basics of Japanese compared to very little familiarity with Korean.

this is a wholeeee journey u did not take the easels to mordor lmao but omg i’m learning so much about how things were found in the 00’s and 10’s when i was content to go to warped tour and never be online lmao but this journey feels educational with all the stuff u were into! and ur bias for japanese releases is understandable especially jyp groups they just hit different so i can understand having spent all that time learning japanese and being into japanese culture would only add to the fondness for them! your will power to get into skz so slowly is amazing I don’t know if i’ve ever done such a good job of avoiding diving straight into something the second i found a part of it i liked, but alas we all end up in the skz swamp one way or another lmao

#drm.ask #the2amrevolution #long post

3 notes · View notes

purplesurveys · 2 years

Text

1597

What are your plans for the day ahead? I actually feel like binge-watching Good Mythical Morning tonight; overheard my siblings watching it earlier and now all I want to do is to catch up on the episodes I missed all year long. Apart from that...might have to work on this kinda urgent deck for work, even if we’re on company shutdown -_-

What was the last thing you cleaned? I tidied up the living room since my sister and I wrapped gifts for an hour and the place got very messy very fast.

When do you go to your soonest appointment? I don’t have any booked in the near future. What did you last order online? Just more Christmas presents - the last batch I got online were for cousins on my dad’s side. I still have to shop tomorrow, but since online orders made at this point obviously won’t make it here by the 24th/25th I’ll be going to the mall for those instead.

Can you see any bottles from where you're sitting? Yeah I’m taking bottled coffee right now. It’s ‘Sweet Black’ flavored, which I’m loving because otherwise this brand’s regular Black variant is way too bitter for my taste. Which I don’t hate, but I can’t fully enjoy either.

What time do you usually try to wind down in the evening? Around 8 or 9 PM. 9 is my upper limit - I don’t want to be doing any overtime work or chores by that point, and ideally I’m already lounging in bed or on the couch just going through my phone.

What's something you have been putting off? The said deck/Powerpoint I have to work on. One because we’re on company break and it’s just difficult to be in the mindset to work; two because it’s a deck for an upcoming pitch (for a potential client) and I always dread that stuff. I really have to touch it tonight though because by tomorrow I’ll already be out all day to shop and to have my Christmas gathering with friends.

What restaurants do you frequently eat at? I'm not a regular anywhere anymore, but in general if I do eat out I like going to Japanese or Korean restaurants. Do you like banana pudding with a lot of bananas or more vanilla wafers? Banana pudding sounds so nasty.

How many books would you guess you've read in the last 5 years? 1 or 2, I’m guessing.

What was the last message you sent? “I didn’t cross-post it, it’ll be fine!” to my sister. Basically I posted an Instagram story of our gift-wrapping session earlier and the photo revealed some of the gifts I bought. My sister was just looking out and telling me not to post it on Facebook to keep relatives from seeing the presents, so I reassured her that I didn’t toggle the feature to crosspost it. Have you ate anything green today? What's your favorite way to add greens to your diet? The sandwich my dad made for me earlier had some lettuce in it. I don’t really have habits when it comes to vegetables...Filipino cuisine is inherently loaded with them, so it’s not like I have to go out of my way to access them.

When did you last light a candle or incense? Months ago. Not really a part of my routine.

Is it currently warm where you are? It’s finally getting colder in the evenings yaaaaaay. It’s currently 27C, which is a lovely and welcome change.

Have you ever fallen out of bed? Once, and as a kid. I vividly remember crying the moment I crashed and my mom immediately springing up when she heard the noise.

What do you like on your hot dogs or burgers? Continued from last night. I don’t have hotdogs frequently, but on my burgers I like to have jalapeño slices, onions, and always some sort of mayo dressing on them. I have novelty burgers from time to time and I’ve learned that the best gimmicks are doughnuts and peanut butter,

Are you currently listening to anything? Yeah, I literally JUST prompted Indigo to play. I’m at the first few notes of Yun.

What did you last put in storage? In our general bodega space, shoes. We don’t really have a designated storage room for things that need to be put away for a while.

What's your favorite thing to do outside? Go to museums and art galleries, drive around (I don’t mind getting stuck in traffic these days, especially if it means I get to be by myself), go through bookstores, eat.

Are there any celebrities that you are a big fan of? BTS would be a very obvious answer here. I have other favorites too, but I check in with them and what they’re up to only from time to time - Paramore, Beyoncé, bunch of other artists in the Korean music scene here and there.

Do you ever watch award shows? Only when the boys have a major participation or performance. Otherwise I have largely stopped caring, especially when I heard more and more claims of racism and favoritism come about. Also, I never really recovered from 25 winning over Lemonade as Album of the Year - if Adele herself can’t accept the award, you’ve got a problem in your hands lmao.

Do you usually run out of shampoo or conditioner first? Conditioner because I have to use a fuckton of it for my bleached hair. My head reacts terribly to shampoo.

Do you have any LED lights in your home? I guess, but I wouldn’t be able to identify which.

What is your biggest challenge? Saving money. When you grow up not-so-well-off, there are two routes you take – be very rigid about saving to avoid going through what you experienced ever again...or be an excessive spender to make up for the times you couldn’t afford the things you want. Unfortunately, I am the latter hahaha.

What was the last sweet thing you've eaten? My mom had me try these chocolate coffee bites? nibblers? tiny thingies? that she got as a Christmas present. SO good, I might end up eating the whole box.

Do you prefer buying new clothes or thrift shopping for clothes? Both. As long as I like the look, doesn’t matter where it’s from at that point.

What is something you need right now? To finish my Christmas shopping list PLZ.

What's something you like that is blue? My denim jeans.

Have you treated yourself today? Kind of? I have a deck to work on but I am ‘treating’ myself but ignoring it. Hehe

Have you ever traveled alone? Not yet! It’s something I really want to do, even just locally. Filipinos are very judgmental when it comes to this though, and the last thing I want to happen is to end up being the anonymous subject of some random ass content creator talking about how I must be some lonely person going through something. No, Mark, I just want to go to the fucking beach.

What color is your most worn jacket/hoodie? It’s navy blue.

Who is someone you would like to get to know more? Reena; we’ve been friends for over a year but we only hang out in the context of BTS gatherings. I’d love to have more solo dates with her and become as close with her as I am with Angela. Also my new associate, Erin; she’s definitely easier to get along with and talk to vs my previous teammate.

What toy do you miss the most from your childhood? My cash register. Loved that little thing.

Have you ever lost something valuable to you? Nothing comes to mind. I lose things a lot, but for the most part they’ve just been tiny trinkets here and there that I get over by the end of the day.

What or who has impacted your life the most? My parents, for better or for worse.

Would you say you are toxic in any way? In the past. It’s something I continue to actively work on.

What's one of your favorite memories from the past year? Going to Zambales with my closest friends for my birthday.

How often do you use a straw? Usually when I buy drinks from restaurants and I get served a paper straw.

What's your current favorite song? Closer by RM, Mahalia, and Paul Blanco. Fascinating how it used to be my least favorite track (if I had to pick a least favorite) off Indigo and now I can’t even stop repeating it. That di-di-diddy-diddy-bop goes harder.

What are some books you'd recommend to someone? I wouldn’t even know.

2 notes · View notes

i-like-soup-2 · 2 months

Text

Convention Blog Post

Being as avid an anime fan as I am, I’m incredibly surprised I’ve never intentionally been to one single convention in my life. All my friends have, and I’ve heard incredible anecdotes from each and every single one of them, but I’ve simply never found it too appealing for me. I consider myself more of a closeted fan, where I’m not shy in discussing what I like, but I also don’t go out of my way to meet people in person. I’m very active online, because it’s convenient and I can do it within the safety of my own home, and I’m very thankful for the people I’ve met over the years, but I couldn’t see myself brave enough to venture out and experience for more than 15 minutes. The one time I did was back in 2019, before the pandemic, in San Francisco (picture below). That was my first ever taste of an anime gathering, and I had bumped into it unintentionally. I was amazed and inspired by all the hard work everyone put into their cosplays and designs. I didn’t go inside the building, I was content with just staying outside and admiring everyone until my mom said it was time to go back to our original plans. However, after watching True Otaku, I’m definitely going to reconsider and join in on all the in-person fun I’ve been missing out on.

The documentary showed thousands of people bonding over similar interests. It mainly focuses on Otacon, a longstanding convention that’s been going on since 1999 for fans of Japanese culture. Its attendance only keeps increasing in numbers as the years go by, with more and more people showing heavy interest in anime, manga, fashion, and more. Many attendees don’t put a certain definition on the word otaku, but the majority agree that in recent times, because of fans like them, the term has switched from being derogatory to a term that is now embraced proudly by people who consider themselves avid and deeply loving fans.

I learned that the convention isn't simply people dressing up and hanging out, these conventions actually have events going on. There are musical events presented by special Japanese guests, events held by voice actors and directors with the latest information on the industry, workshops where otakus teach other otakus, larping, anime showings, late night raves, artists and fans selling their merch, etc. These events are also perfect volunteer spots for people looking to help their community and gain some hours somewhere. Personally, I would love to see booths/workshops teaching us how to cook food that shows up in anime. I think that would be very interactive and cool to see in real life.

There were a lot of cosplayers within the documentary, and I thought I’d mention some of my favorites (as a cosplayer myself). The Sailor Moon from the beginning was ethereal, which much of it is owed to the cosplayer’s beauty but the outfit completed her – looked like it was made for her to wear. Later on, a Princess Peach was shown and I absolutely loved the intricate design on her parasole. Sailor Pluto made an appearance, which I thought was awesome because so few people like her because of her limited screen time. Hetalia’s Belarus was even present which made me incredibly happy to see it because Hetalia was my favorite anime for three years (she even had a knife! Talk about dedication to the character).

Overall, I saw a lot of people having fun and showing their appreciation to the creators by bringing their good attitudes and amazing costume designs. You have to admire these fans' dedication because even in the summer they’ll wear the warmest of outfits just to keep their character alive. Many spent hours working on the smallest detail because they wanted it to be just right. I’m quite jealous – they all have something they love so much that they’re willing to spend hours creating outfits to show off. I can only imagine how proud they must feel whenever someone chips in and tells them “I love your outfit!” at these events. When I finally have the chance to go to a con, I will definitely be spreading this love! If they’re proud to be an otaku, then I should be too. Many have fought for us to freely enjoy these events without guilt or shame, and I am honored to be able to be given this chance!

PS. I wanna be as cool as the girl who works as a broadcaster for the US Airforce and can still rock a Princess Peach cosplay.

1 note · View note

cooledtured · 6 months

Text

The Start of a Journey

Anime has slowly become more mainstream in the West with it now becoming a big part of our entertainment. While 10 years ago if you asked someone if they heard of Demon Slayer they’d make fun of you, now those same people will say that it’s the best anime to ever exist. And while it is a great anime, I can’t help but feel that praising it like that ignores the long history of great anime out there. This is the issue with anime mainstream though as doing so means that the old greats will usually be overlooked. So that’s why I’ve decided to talk about one of the anime that is considered to be a part of “the Big 4”. Bleach Part 1: Substitute Shinigami Arc.

Our story follows Kurosaki Ichigo, a normal Japanese high school boy. He lives with his father who owns a small clinic and his two sisters. What makes him unique though is the fact that he’s able to see spirits of the dead. For most of his life, he lives occasionally helping spirits while continuing to be a highschool student. This all changes one day when he meets the Shinigami (Soul Reaper) Kuchiki Rukia. After an intense battle with a spirit monster known as a Hollow, Rukia’s back is against the wall with Ichigo coming in to save her.

Seeing no other choice, Rukia decides to give him her powers so that he can fight Hollows in her place. With this Ichigo becomes a Substitute Soul Reaper with the power to fight back against these monsters.

From here on, we follow Ichigo as he learns more about what it means to be a Soul Reaper while also protecting his town in place of its previous protector, Rukia. As the battles rage on, we are also introduced to another character and faction: Ishida Uryu, the Quincy. While similar to Soul Reapers in that both fight Hollows, he still starts off hostile towards Ichigo as Soul Reapers and Quincys are considered mortal enemies mostly due to the way the two fight against Hollows. As time goes on, though, some of this animosity starts to vanish with the two even working together at times to fight against Hollows.

However, just when Ichigo has finally started to get the hang of being a Soul Reaper, things take a sudden turn when more Soul Reapers come from the home souls, Soul Society, to have Rukia executed. While Ichigo does his best to try and fight back and protect Rukia, in the end, their skills and experience far outmatch his own, resulting in him even losing his sword. With no way to continue fighting, all he can do is watch as Rukia is taken away right in front of him. Thus ends the first arc of Bleach.

Bleach is considered one of the Big 4 of anime for a variety of reasons, standing together with the likes of Dragon Ball, One Piece and Naruto. The biggest reason why, though, is because of its influence on anime as a whole after its debut. While I can understand why people would like modern anime like Demon Slayer, I can’t help but feel that just saying it's ‘the greatest anime ever’ without even watching the greats that came before it ignores so much of what makes anime great. So that’s why I hope these series will help open your eyes to what is out there and even get you to watch the show for yourself one day.

Logan Floyd-Mcgee | Writer POP-COOLEDTURED SPECIALIST cooledtured.com | GROW YOUR COLLECTION

#Bleach #SubstitueShinigami #SeriesinReview #anime

0 notes

woolishlygrim · 4 years

Text

I really can’t overstate how utterly fascinating I find Ex-Arm.

It’s like - we’ve all seen bad shows, probably worse shows than Ex-Arm. We’re familiar with the reasons why: Low budget and no idea how to stretch what little budget they have, incompetence, lack of interest or inspiration from the creative team, executive meddling, what-have-you. It’s old hat by now.

But Ex-Arm is just endlessly interesting to me because it’s an animated series where the director decided he didn’t need any animators. As other people have pointed out, it’s not like Ex-Arm is cheaply made, it’s got what is probably a very impressive budget! And it isn’t like the director is necessarily wholly incompetent, he’s directed several live-action movies and dramas! And Crunchyroll, who deal exclusively in anime, must surely have some idea of what does and does not make a good anime!

And yet, multiple people signed off on this animated series whose staff did not include animators.

If you ever needed a more perfect crystallisation of the idea of high-prestige and low-prestige work in entertainment, and the idea that the industry elevates individuals in managerial positions while devaluing the teams under them, just - just think about that. Think about Yoshimatsu Kimura, who has never directed an animated series before in his entire career, declaring that he was just going to hire his usual live-action team, and multiple producers going “I see no way this could go wrong.”

It sounds absolutely absurd, like a parody of the industry’s devaluation of certain workers, and yet it actually happened, and then Kimura declared that Ex-Arm was going to be the best science fiction anime ever created and make every other work in the genre look like trash.

I don’t understand how anyone could find that less than riveting.

But it doesn’t even stop there!

So Kimura, the music director, is a guitar teacher and part-time DJ under the name SIGMA X81. He’s never worked on an anime before, and his music is ... pretty terrible, to be honest. Not the worst, but, like, if you listen to it, and then you heard ‘And this was composed and played by a middle-aged guitar teacher who is also a small-time DJ,’ you’d go ‘Yeah, no, that tracks.’

Tommy Morton, the writer, is also a first-time writer, and appears to not ... actually ... speak Japanese? Like, anime adaptations that utilise a Japanese animation team but which are initially written in English and dubbed into Japanese after the fact aren’t uncommon these days, especially on streaming platforms, that’s what the excellent Castlevania was and also what the equivalently terrible Dragon’s Dogma was. But there’s two differences here: Firstly, Ex-Arm is adapted from a manga that hasn’t been localised into English yet, which means that Morton was either translating as well as writing, or that he was working with a translator and writing based on their work, neither of which is ideal. The second difference is that Ex-Arm wasn’t scripted and recorded in English and then dubbed into Japanese, but rather seems to have been translated from the manga, scripted in English, translated back into Japanese, and then recorded in Japanese.

And as you can probably tell by now, Crunchyroll’s seeming intent here was to give first-time directors (for anime, at least), composers, writers etc a platform to get their names out there, which is very admirable. Unfortunately, they picked a director who didn’t think he needed animators, a composer who’s a middling DJ, and -- I mean, admittedly, the writing is the most competent part of the whole production here, even if it’s not that great.

Just ... fascinating. If we emerged from the hellscape of 2020 for one thing, it was so we could bear witness to Ex-Arm, and I say that without even a hint of irony or sarcasm. They say you learn more from failure than success, and Ex-Arm is a masterclass, far and away the most interesting anime of the decade from a production standpoint.

The only real victims here are HiRock and Shinya Komi, the writer and artist of the manga respectively. I’ve never read the manga, although the art actually looks really good, but it was well-received enough to get a sequel despite being in a pretty competitive magazine. I can only imagine that they are horrified by what became of its adaptation.

#ex-arm

7K notes · View notes

chimielie · 2 years

Note

Akaashi + asking you out

You and Akaashi always seem to be the last people left at the student council meetings. It’s already dusk outside, the sky melting into blue and purple hues obscured by a layer of grey smog.

It’s understandable for you; you’re president of the council, and determined to personally see each and every thing they do through. Akaashi, on the other hand, doesn’t hold any official position (it had been offered to him, but he had declined, citing too many other responsibilities already on his plate. A compulsive nosiness, however, keeps him tethered to the organization).

He really doesn’t know why he always stays so late.

“Is it okay if I turn out the lights now?” Your voice cuts through his reverie, and he jumps.

“Yes, of course. Sorry, my head was,” he doesn’t finish his sentence for continuity’s sake.

“Elsewhere,” you smile at him. “I know. It’s late; let’s head home, okay?”

At first, you’d protested his walking you home: I’ll be alright, you insisted. I don’t want to take you out of your way. But after every meeting, he was the last one left cleaning the club room with you, and he was pretty sure he’d never sleep again from guilt if he’d prioritized convenience over courtesy. Eventually, you’d stopped arguing and started asking, still offering up the opportunity to say no, and by now you’d learned that if Akaashi Keiji had at least one working leg and was the only escort available, he would see you safely home.

He wanted to say he didn’t know why he did it. He wanted to blame it on social mores and Japanese custom and the way he was raised. It had been a nice white lie, the kind he himself could believe and thus tell with no trouble.

An offhand comment earlier today, though, had blown it all apart.

Your vice president had made an offhand remark about your boyfriend, which Akaashi desperately wanted to interpret as a joke except that you’d turned your head so he couldn’t see your face and emitted the most embarrassed little laugh he’d ever heard you make. And he couldn’t stop hearing it.

It replayed in his head, over and over, and Akaashi’s brain was going to explode from overthinking.

Your name tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop it.

“Yes?” You looked at him, expression open and curious, and Akaashi had to stop walking and lock his knees just so he wouldn’t run back the way he’d come.

“Your boyfriend,” the words feel syrupy and ugly in his mouth, even while his expression remains as blank as he can get it. “Why doesn’t he walk you home?”

He waits, a lecture on his lips about how you deserve someone who will wait for you even if he’s not on the council, how important that kind of thing is in these early relationships, but you startle him—for the nth time—when you laugh that tiny laugh again.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” you tell him. His computational processors temporarily overload. “Since you walk me home... you’re probably the closest thing I’ve got to one.”

“You mean that?” His words come out in a rush. He folds his hands over each other, pale, slim fingers fidgeting nervously.

“Yeah, ‘Kaashi.” He could die. “Do you...?”

“Do you like me?” You seem struck speechless. His breath catches until you nod, a minuscule jerk of the chin down. He exhales into the cool Tokyo night, dark eyelashes sweeping down in a fluttering motion. “Will you let it be me?”

#keiji akaashi x reader #akaashi keiji x reader #shorts!#haikyuu!! x reader #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #hq!! x reader #akaashi drabble #ask n answer #anon!

190 notes · View notes