#they were referring to Nobunaga

[lokh]

reading and learning

[pocketseizure]

TofK Ganondorf Design Notes

The character design for the Ganondorf who appears in Tears of the Kingdom is extremely interesting. This is just speculation, but I don’t think he’s dressed like a villain.

The golden ornaments on Ganondorf’s topknot, chest, arms, and ankles reference the common portrayal of Fudō Myōō, one of the most widely venerated deities in Japanese Buddhism. Fudō was originally a minor Hindu deity called Acalanātha, who is an avatar of the wrath of Shiva, the god who destroys so that new life may emerge.

Like Fudō, Ganondorf wears long hair bound into a topknot, golden sandals, and loose pants gathered at the knee. These are sartorial traces of Fudō’s South Asian origins, and they serve to connect Ganondorf to the Gerudo of Ocarina of Time and Breath of the Wild, whose designs are inspired by various cultures along the ancient Silk Road.

Fudō was especially venerated by the warriors of Japan’s medieval period, so perhaps it’s fitting that Ganondorf’s costume alludes to the dress of medieval warlords. His robe, with its embroidered hem, crimson lining, and golden sleeve weights, would have been extremely expensive to create and would only be worn by a wealthy domain lord.

The matte black of Ganondorf’s outer robe is an indicator of high rank, as is its colorful interior. Toward the end of the medieval period, black robes were sewn with gorgeous inner linings in order to demonstrate wealth, power, and prestige. To me, Ganondorf’s robe reads as something that would be worn by Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan’s most notorious warlords.

What’s interesting about Ganondorf’s design is that he doesn’t come off as a deity or a warlord. A god would have no need for such a sumptuous robe, while a lord would not reveal his skin or wear sandals. I’m strongly reminded of the sort of rōnin famously played by Toshiro Mifune in The Seven Samurai, a skilled but aging warrior who retains his dignity despite his debased circumstances.

Ganondorf’s lower torso is wrapped in a haramaki to reinforce his core strength, and his right arm is bare so he can wield his sword without impediment. These are both very human touches, as is the cloth covering his shins and soles so that his skin doesn’t chafe. A more godlike character would not need these concessions, and a more aristocratic character would not bother with them.

In previous games, Ganondorf was covered from chin to toe in ornate armor or belted robes, signifying a lack of openness and vulnerability. Meanwhile, the Ganondorf of Tears of the Kingdom literally bares his chest as he reveals a number of contradictions. He is ornamented yet barefoot, and his regal black robe has been peeled back to showcase a bright lotus pattern.

Even despite his stern frown and clenched fists, I don’t feel that Ganondorf is visually coded as a villain… or, at least, he doesn’t seem completely inhuman.

[rayclubs]

HxH Genei Ryodan is such a masterclass in humanizing villains, honestly to a ridiculous degree. They're legitimately terrifying, their crimes are cruel and inexcusable, the violent acts they commit are nearly always played seriously and condemned by the narrative, and yet I find myself rooting for them in every scene they're in.

It's not even the sad backstories some of them have, it's much deeper than that. I think I'm just fascinated with the intricate and peculiar friendship they all share. It's easier to get attached to comedy rather than drama, as a rule of thumb, and they're just endlessly funny.

I've been searching for examples of the interactions that stuck with me and was going to include screenshots but there are just way too many things. Like, okay, in no particular order:

Shizuku wearing Phinks' coat after her sweater gets torn in a fight.

Phinks tucking Kalluto under his arm like a chicken and carrying him out of an exploding building.

Nobunaga getting trapped in a pocket dimension and everybody agreeing that he should just stay there awhile because they've just taken a hostage and now there isn't enough space in the car.

Machi and Nobunaga hanging out like normal people, drinking beer and serving cunt effortlessly in stylistically matching outfits.

Kuroro getting a prediction that "the spider will lose half of its legs" and immediately going "nope not losing any of my men out there let's pack it"

Hisoka actually fucking saying "I can't tell you that. If I told you that, I would be telling you what I can't tell you. This is why I can't tell you that. That's all I can tell you." and they believed him. Maybe it's more normal with English subs, I dunno.

Everyone playing cards while Uvogin is fighting, all while talking about how good Uvogin is at fighting.

Uvogin giving Shalnark a little kissie. I don't even ship them, I think he just kisses all of his homies like a real man.

Franklin getting sent after a crate of beer. Like, that's just so funny to me. Errand boy.

Feitan and Shalnark calling Phinks "very feminine" and giggling.

Franklin and Nobunaga just fucking going at it, sword on gun violence, for no reason whatsoever. It seemed like they were having fun.

Nobunaga asking rhetorically how strong he is compared to the rest of the gang and them replying "7th or 8th idk" you fucking know they debated this.

Uvogin getting his dumb sexy ass captured and everyone showing up for him awww

Everyone being supportive of Shizuku being fucking stupid. Not even in a sweet way or anything, just kind of acknowledging that she has zero thoughts in her brain. "Shizuku why didn't you use your left hand" because she was spinning a vacuum cleaner in her mind, what's not clicking

Dunno what they call Kurapika in the English version but in the Russian subs they all collectively only ever refer to him as "ублюдок с цепями" or "the asshole with the chains".

Nobunaga immediately inviting two twelve-year-olds to join because he thinks they're hilarious, and everyone going "yeah okay as long as the boss is cool with it". You go Nobunaga, everybody grieves differently

The kids refuse and escape, go spying on the other members again, get caught again, and when Nobunaga sees them he's all "Wanna be friends now? ^^" <- nobody has anything against this

Feitan having his arm broken in a fight and Phinks going "HA!"

Literally every single time they toss a coin, but especially when Phinks and Bonolenov were arguing over who should fight Zazan if Feitan fucking dies???

Shalnark being a fucking gamer and inviting everyone else to speedrun Greed Island with him. Franklin going "no thanks" next shot he's in the goddamn game

Tossing the phone around. Can't remember whose phone it originally was but passing it around was hilarious every time. "We already killed the hostages" beep beep beep "Sorry I lied"

There are so many moments and I'm not even halfway done. Supreme quality villains. I need more of them. I need to inject them directly into my brain.

[whencyclopedia]

The Muromachi Period (Muromachi Jidai, 1333-1573 CE) refers to the period of Japanese medieval history when the Ashikaga shogun capital was located in the Muromachi area of Heiankyo (Kyoto). Replacing the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333 CE), the Ashikaga or Muromachi Shogunate (1338-1573) would oversee a depressingly warlike, rebellious, and brutal period of history which saw incessant rivalries between warlords and unchecked bandits plaguing the countryside. There were a few bright spots such as the construction of the Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji temples in Kyoto as well as progress in trade and commerce, the arts and castle architecture. The period ended with the warlord Oda Nobunaga seizing power in 1568 CE and his decision to exile the last Ashikaga shogun in 1573 CE.

[karasukarei]

Windbreaker seiyuu comments part 7

For previous weeks, see this post!

If you were to make a team like Boufuurin, what would you name it?

Sakura (Uchida Yuuma): Shinjuku Sentai Intention (t/n: "sentai " means something like battle group / attack squad and is often used as the suffix for super hero groups (e.g. power rangers = スーパー戦隊), and Intention is the agency that Yuuma is employed under)

Suo (Shimazaki Nobunaga): Aoni Production (t/n: This is the agency that Zakki is under)

Nirei (Chiba Shouya): Miyubajigari (????) (t/n: Idk how you're supposed to read this and twitter does not seem to know either; Google also isn't turning up any results for this. If you know anything about this please let me know!!!)

Sugishita (Uchiyama Kouki): FC Fuurin (t/n: FC refers to football club. No Ucchi this is not Bl*e L*ck)

Umemiya (Nakamura Yuuichi): Jigoku no Gundan (The Army of Hell) (t/n: This is the most unhinged yet most normal name so far help)

Hiiragi (Suzuki Ryouta): Dontokoi (t/n: The rough translation of the kanji is a combination of the words and phrases for "head" (don＝首领), "fight" (to = 斗) and "love" (koi = 恋).)

[cow-rants]

Fair warning: this post is in regards to the recent Assassin’s Creed: Shadows trailer. I will talk about my thoughts and feelings regarding race. Thank you.

I’ve been a massive fan of Assassin’s creed (AC) since I first saw my uncle playing it at 7 or 8 years old. I’m a massive history buff and the idea of being able to experience the past through the eyes of an ancestor is such a brilliant idea. Not mention the concept of a secret war being fought through out the centuries is always fun. But as of late, I haven’t been really excited for a new entry. Odyssey was the last game I really played and it was alright, but I’m personally not a huge fan of the new RPG mechanics (although I do understand why they were implemented).

Valhalla looked interesting, but didn’t really feel like an AC game to me. So I put it on my “to play later” list. Mirage looked far better and I definitely do want to play it, but I honestly just haven’t felt a super big pull to pick it up. But when I saw that AC was finally going to Japan, I was ecstatic. I adore Japanese history in general and the Sengoku period is full of interesting conflicts and characters that would fit perfectly with the assassin’s and the templars.

Although they went with some pretty standard people to showcase, such as Oda Nobunaga, I still think they have a chance to do something really interesting story wise (of course, reserve all real judgement for the gameplay reveal. But I’m mainly just talking about the story). Especially with the portrayal of Yasuke. From what I could tell, it seems like his story will be one of disillusionment, possibly betrayal, and redemption. Certainly a story we’ve seen before, but it’s still interesting to see Yasuke in something as big as AC.

Before I get into the more unfortunate discourse regarding Yasuke, I absolutely have to talk about Naoe. See, what caught my eye about her was how she and my OWN AC OC have very similar stories. Well, I don’t know for sure. But they certainly share a similar experience, which is watching their families be butchered by Oda Nobunaga’s armies. It’s not much, but by the gods does it make me pretty happy. My OC’s name is Minori Kishimoto and she’s one of my favorites, so seeing a canon character with some similar traits is kind of exciting for me (okay, very exciting).

Anyhow, back to Yasuke. As soon as I saw the trailer, I knew I was going to see people saying something stupid. So I checked both the comments on the video and twitter. And I was certainly not mistaken. So so so many bad takes and ridiculous arguments that, honestly, only go to show either mild racism or straight up hatred toward African people. Not to mention the fact that they completely ignore Naoe as a protagonist. I guess she must be the greatest assassin of all time.

From what I understand, a lot of people are upset that for a Japan centered AC game, there is a black protagonist. Which, again, ignores Naoe entirely. The biggest argument I have heared against Yasuke being one of the protagonists is that he wasn’t actually a samurai. To which I say: False. Incorrect. Mistaken. Wrong. Factually incorrect.

The primary issue here is the fact that many people refer to him as a retainer. A title that he never officially held, as far as I’m aware, but even so that still makes him Samurai! Looking just at the facts of his life, he was respected by arguably the most powerful Daimyo of that time, earned his trust, received a pension, received a sword, and received property. So then the question becomes: what exactly makes a person a samurai at this time? Because I can tell you one thing, it isn’t noble blood.

A peasant man was once hired by Nobunaga to do a multitude of tasks, one of which was to hold his sandals. This man would soon prove himself to be capable of all of his tasks as well as in the art of war. He would become a powerful man and rise through the ranks until he held the rank of Taiko at the end of his life . That man was Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

If Hideyoshi’s story proves one thing, it’s that at this time anyone could rise to become a daimyo. So then, why wouldn’t Yasuke also be considered a samurai? We’re not even trying to claim he was a daimyo, just that he was a samurai. Retainer, bodyguard, slave, whatever. The fact is that the man was 10000% a samurai and was a respected one at that. To claim otherwise is to prove yourself ignorant in the history you claim to be proficient in, and incompetent at backing up your argument.

Not to mention that from a writing point of view, it’s a brilliant move. Yasuke was not super well recorded and thus is relatively unknown to others. Which makes him perfect for being a:

1. Fish out of water character

2. Real person, that can be treated written like a fictional one

All of this to say, I think that this newest Assassin’s Creed has a chance to become one of my personal favorites. As well as putting the series back on the map for many. But, with no gameplay and an already worrying pre-order package, I’m worried to say the least. Only time will tell, but I look forward to it.

[odaclan]

If the cuckoo doesn't sing...

This one may be a familiar story for those who are fans of Sengoku period.

Below is what is purportedly the original text of the story:

郭公を贈り参せし人あり。されども鳴かざりければ、 なかぬなら殺してしまへ時鳥　織田右府 鳴かずともなかして見せふ杜鵑　豊太閤 なかぬなら鳴まで待よ郭公　大権現様

Someone sent a cuckoo as a gift. If it doesn't sing: If it doesn't sing, kill the cuckoo - Oda Ufu If it doesn't sing, make the cuckoo sing - Hōtaikō If it doesn't sing, wait until the cuckoo sings - Daigongen-sama

It originated from the Kasshi Yawa 甲子夜話, a text written in the Edo period by Matsuura Keizan 松浦静山, whose real name was Matsuura Kiyoshi 松浦清 (1760-1841). It's a text that included various subjects, from contemporary incidents of Matsuura's lifetime, to legends and folktales.

There are various interpretations that could be made, since those lines are very simple. For example, while the standard reading for the Hideyoshi line is to associate it with diplomacy, some has interpreted it as a tyrannical force, making people obey by threat.

Regardless of what the original author intended those lines to mean, though, this was written in the Edo period. It may have very well been passed down through hearsay to boot. It only gives us an image of the perception that people of the Edo period have of them, and not an actual proper description.

Per the customs of the time, the three unifiers were not listed by their plain names, but their honorific titles. 右府 Ufu is the title designating the post of Minister of the Right, which Nobunaga did hold for a time. 太閤 Taikō is a title that is used to refer to a Kanpaku that has formally resigned, but still continues to hold influence. 豊太閤 Hōtaikō is the term used to refer to Hideyoshi specifically. 大権現 Daigongen is an abbreviation of 東照大権現 Tōshō Daigongen. When Ieyasu had died, he was deified by that name.

An interesting thing to note is that "hotototogisu" (cuckoo) is written with different kanji for each person.

Nobunaga's hototogisu is written as 時鳥. The kanji is translates to "the bird that tells time". Hototogisu are active in the early summer (around late May to June), so in olden times it was said the farmers star planting rice when the hototogisu sings.

Hideyoshi's hototogisu is written as 杜鵑. This was taken directly from the Chinese word for a cuckoo (Dù Juān in modern Chinese pinyin). It's originally referring to a different species of bird than the hototogisu cuckoo, but was adapted as such by the Japanese. It is a name connected to a legend where a Chinese king became a cuckoo after his death.

Ieyasu's hototogisu is written as 郭公, alternately pronounced as kakkou. This is the simplest one, derived from the sound of "cuckoo cuckoo" call. As with the above, this originally does not refer to hototogisu, but the Japanese adapted its usage because the bird is of similar species.

I have not seen any theories or analysis relating to why the kanji used to write them is different. Perhaps it's simply for aesthetic reasons.

[animeyanderetalker]

Not including either Chrollo or Hisoka, which Phantom Troupe member(s) do you believe to have the highest probability of being yandere, and which ones do you think could have a healthy relationship. At least, as healthy as you can get when at least one of the people involved is a remorseless criminal.

I’m only counting in the Phantom Troupe members that were introduced in Yorknew City Arc.

High probability to turn Yandere if they gain feelings for someone:

I think her short-term memory loss would be quite interesting to consider because imagine Shizuku not forgetting anything that is related to you. Since you are one of the few things that can stay on her mind, she would think nearly all day long about you because of the limited amount of people she can actually memorize. She’s quite airheaded so she probably won’t even realize for a while her feelings for you but other members can pinpoint that you must be special because Shizuku is able to remember you. Her forgetfulness is what makes her quite dangerous though because it sometimes feels like she is selectively forgetting stuff that would be unpleasant to remember. If you have already a partner for example, she’ll have it forgotten within a few minutes already and would kill them as soon as she sees them displaying affection to you because they’re a stranger to you. If we wanna crank it up even more just imagine how frightening it would be if she at one point conjures up memories that aren’t even real and starts believing that she is your girlfriend.

In a way I can see Shalnark being a similar case as Chrollo. Shalnark is one of the most cold-hearted individuals of the Phantom Troupe. This is a man who rarely loses his composure and refers to the people he uses as toys. So actually caring about someone in a sincere way is a new experience but an exciting one nevertheless that would capture Shalnark’s attention completely and make him quite obsessive over you. He’s going to be such an online stalker who has hacked all of your accounts and has managed to be able to permanently track you down. Shalnark just needs to know everything about you, he needs to know what it is that makes him feel this way about you and he doesn’t care about controlling people to his own advantage to get to know you better. What is posted online is eternal so Shalnark wouldn’t even be above digging up dirty secrets or artificially creating false comments or videos to blackmail the people around you or you yourself.

“Healthiest” relationship:

I’m not going to claim that this women won’t put a bullet in someone’s head if they’re messing with her darling or the relationship but she is reasonable enough to do her best to keep her life away from you. Pakunoda is loyal to death to the people she cares about and besides the Phantom Troupe that would also be the person she has fallen in love with if that would happen. She’s grown up in Meteor City and her past has been filled with hardships and her current life is still filled with danger. So if her darling just happens to be a normal person, she’s just going to be happy for them. It isn’t like she regrets the life she has right now because doing so wouldn’t change anything anyways but if you at least have the possibility to lead a normal life, she sees no reason to hinder you from doing so. Instead she is going to be quite supportive for as long as you don’t do anything that would put your life in danger and will do her best to separate the life she has with you from the life she leads as a Phantom Troupe member.

Nobunaga is usually quite relaxed and laid-back if the circumstances allow him to do so that can be translated to a relationship as well. Now, just like Pakunoda he is also going to be protective and is fully capable of slashing someone with his sword but he isn’t someone who is plainly sadistic like Feitan nor loves a good fight like Uvogin. He’s just going to vibe with his darling in their daily life and he sees nothing wrong in doing so. The fact that you are just a plain person with no Nen abilities or sadistic tendencies is such a fresh breath of air for a man who is normally surrounded by desensitized criminals. Obviously he is no hypocrite, he knows that he is one of them too but you don’t have to know that and you shouldn’t have to know that either. He just wants to enjoy the time he can spend with you when he isn’t with the Phantom Troupe without you knowing who he is and what he does.

[verdantcrimson]

Heaven and Earth / Creation of Heaven and Earth - 7

(Unproofread)

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[After school that same day, in the ES reception room.]

Keito: Now, I’ll summarize the issue at hand for Anzu, who probably doesn’t understand what is happening very well.

Keito: We, AKATSUKI, have been asked to host a long-running show ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’, that any history buff worth their salt knows about.

Kuro: By the way, little miss Anzu, have ya ever heard of ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’? Ya haven’t, right?

Keito: Quit trying to increase the number of your brethren in ignorance.

Souma: Fufu. You say you have yet to properly sit down and watch it, but you know of its name? Well, it does appear understandably difficult and complex to become invested in.

Souma: I too have beckoned for my younger brother to “come and watch” with me, but he does not spare a glance.

Kuro: Haha, wouldn’t it be more fun for a growin’ boy to move his body?

Keito: Back to what I was saying earlier. We’ve been entrusted with this major role, but a problem has cropped up.

Kuro: The issue is that I’m an idiot.

Keito: I’ve come up with a workaround for that bit, so it’s no longer an issue.

Souma: Hasumi-dono is far too strict in his refusal to retort with the simpler, “You aren’t an idiot,” phrase. ~♪

Keito: You’re being annoying. Also, Kiryu isn’t an idiot, generally speaking, he just can’t study. There’s a difference.

Keito: The problem I was referring to, of course, is the ‘Three Sages.’

Keito: These ‘Three Sages’ are authorities in the field for the countless historians that have supported ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ throughout the years. Without their cooperation, this show just wouldn’t work.

Souma: Umu. We are not academics, but ‘aidoru’, for which reason we so desperately require the assistance of such experts.

Keito: Exactly. However, for better or worse, these exalted scholars were quite unique—

Keito: They had their own set of conditions for us to follow. Though it seemed like they’d be cooperative if we fulfilled them,

Keito: All of these conditions are ill-matched, and in theory, it seems impossible to fulfill all of them.

Keito: Now, we need to figure out what to do. Do you understand now, Anzu?

Kuro: No really, what’re we supposed t’do…? Both Hideyoshi-sensei and Nobunaga-sensei said the same thing, come to think of it. Turns out ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ is a total landmine of a job after all.

Kuro: We’re just dumbasses that jumped for joy, and fell right into a trap.

Souma: Now Kiryu-dono, let us try and think of this the other way around. I believe that it may be precisely because we are without a proven record of accomplishments unlike the ‘beterans’ of our agency, that the responsibility of handling such a precarious case has been entrusted to us young people.

Keito: I agree with Kanzaki’s view on this.

Kuro: Why’re you two just freakishly in sync these days!? You ‘good at studyin’’ folks are conspirin’ together, aren’tcha? Little miss, you’re on my side though, right? Won’t ya come to the ‘can’t study for shit’ side…?

Keito: Don’t act like a baby to gain Anzu’s sympathy, Kiryu… But seriously, what side would you take, Anzu? I’ve always thought that you were sincere, and a hard worker, so your grades must be good, right?

Souma: Hmm. Anzu-dono is currently enrolled in the ‘purodyuusu’ course, so I cannot say for certain, however, the year prior, her grades were of a generally average nature. They were neither good nor bad.

Kuro: If ya studied super hard and still got an average grade, that must mean you must’ve been a pretty terrible student in the past.

Keito: Don’t try to recruit fellow bad students. Quit trying to run from reality, Kiryu. It’d be best if you tried to be reborn as a wiser version of yourself.

Kuro: Easy for you to say, but y’know… I can’t change that fast. I mean, I worked real hard to finally be reborn at the level I am right now.

Keito: Yes. I acknowledge your hard work.

Keito: Effort will never betray a person. People are only ever betrayed by people.

Souma: Those are meaningful words. Unfailingly, problems can be attributed to people.

Keito: That applies to our current predicament as well. What should we do, Anzu?

Keito: I would like to hear your opinion.

Kuro: Careful now, little miss. If ya answer with somethin’ strange, Hasumi’s gonna blow his lid.

Keito: Stop fooling around. If Anzu had been even a little less self-assertive of a person, she would’ve shriveled up by now.

Keito: —Hm, I see. Decide on what our priorities are, huh?

Keito: It’s better to be selective, and decide on what you want to accomplish, rather than try to accomplish everything and risk ending up with nothing.

Keito: That sounds fair. Nothing good comes from being greedy.

Keito: And naturally, what’s most important to us is the progress of AKATSUKI.

Kuro: As an idol, ya should’ve answered with somethin’ more like “the smiles of our fans.”

Keito: If we’re very successful and sparkle brightly, our fans will be pleased and smile anyways, right?

Keito: We would like to bolster our reputation by hosting ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth.’ However, in order for the show to be a success, we need the cooperation of the ‘Three Sages.’

Keito: However, in order to get them to cooperate with us, we have to meet their conditions—

Keito: …I’m just repeating myself. What I’m trying to say is that the order of priorities is (1) AKATSUKI’s progression, (2) Getting ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ approved, and (3) the feelings of the ‘Three Sages.

Keito: In the most extreme case, even if we are unable to achieve (2) or (3), accomplishing just (1) would be fine.

Keito: … Hm? What is it, Anzu?

Keito: If you have something to add, don’t be afraid to say it. That is why I called you here, after all.

Keito: I see… That sounds drastic, but I guess it’s technically possible.

Keito: It’s not like we’d be punished for trying. Oi Kiryu, Kanzaki—

Keito: Let’s prepare whatever documents and materials we’ll need by tomorrow.

Keito: As per Anzu’s suggestion, we’ll make a trial version of ‘Rumbling Heaven and Earth’ on our own.

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[genderfluiddoppio]

Hiiii you should talk about why you love pakunoda a lot, I absolutely did not glom onto her when I was watching through hxh 2011, but I am so excited to be sold on her. Sorry if this is the wrong blog to ask on!

I'm so glad you asked :) I also didn't really click with Pakunoda after watching the 2011 anime. I thought she was neat but that was it. But the 1999 anime (and ova) gave her a bit more time in the spotlight and developed her character A LOT more and once I watched that I was obsessed.

(Honestly I think the 1999 anime is better than the 2011 anime in general but that's a topic for another time)

Any time I go into the Pakunoda tag I get so mad because a lot of people tend to make her one personality trait Being A Woman. And I suppose it's my own damn fault for becoming obsessed w a female character in a shonen anime, especially one that only shows up for one arc (and a flashback in the manga).

Okay I'm gonna start with actual canon evidence (meaning like. literally any scene that has her in the 1999 and 2011 animes and the manga) of her personality/character before I delve into my insane theories/headcanons. Also spoilers for the manga obviously I'll try to keep the most spoilery bits to their own section

So Pakunoda doesn't get a lot of screen time and before the hostage exchange situation, she's pretty passive. She doesn't speak much and in the beginning of the York new arc, she's chilling with chrollo at the hideout. She doesn't get an active part in the story until the blackout happens and she decides to ignore chrollos orders to save him. Before this, the phantom troupe were like. Not generic villains, but they haven't had a chance to truly show their motivations. As far as the audience could tell, they were villains through and through and didn't have any sympathetic qualities. During the hostage exchange plot, we see a sympathetic side to Pakunoda and the rest of the phantom troupe and the troupe becomes more nuanced as characters. Not only do we see the spiders loyalty to chrollo, we see it's not as simple as "aw the villains wanna save their friends too just like the heroes" though that is part of it. It's made clear that some of the troupe considers following chrollos orders true loyalty, while Paku, shizuku, machi, nobunaga, and kortopi think saving chrollo is more important. Pakunoda even admits this would be seen as a "betrayal" because she's ignoring chrollos orders and compromising the safety/integrity of the troupe by valuing his life above all else. She says "consider me betraying the spider for your sake" when she decides to follow Kurapika's demands and go through with the hostage exchange. her loyalty differs from most of the other spiders because she's loyal to chrollo ABOVE her loyalty to the spiders. While I'm sure most of not all the spiders consider him a friend, they value his leadership and his orders above that. 

Also everyone talks about how chrollo and kurapika are parallels and like they're not wrong but kurapika and Pakunoda are just as similar if not more so and melody even points it out (internally) during the negotiation!

Melody says "[Pakunoda] who you despise with everything you have is driven by the same motive as you. She wishes to save her friend, her boss." 

Kurapika doesn't realize this because he's still clinging to the mindset that the troupe is a group of bloodthirsty heartless monsters, when in reality they are complex people with the same motivation as him, especially Pakunoda. The only reason kurapika is able to get Gon and killua back safely is because Pakunoda is just as desperate to get chrollo back safely. 

(Manga spoilers here kinda)

In the phantom troupe backstory, we see that Pakunoda was closer to chrollo than any other member of the phantom troupe. she refers to him as her "little squire/little brother" (depending on which translation you read) and says she likes how kind he is

gonna throw one of my headcanon/theories in here but like. i feel like pakunoda still thinks of chrollo as that sweet kid who everyone had to look out for. i think part of her yearns to just be happy and carefree with her friends again. I didnt mention the ova's extended scene with the cat before now because i feel like thats the scene everyone points to when they say they like pakunoda. but i think it's even deeper than "pakunoda is nice to cats" because in the ova, the cat represents her and the troupe. while she takes the cat back to its colony, she flashes back to her time in meteor city when the troupe was first formed. not only that, but the cat has purple eyes like paku does (in the 1999 anime) and the black cat is positioned on top of the slide like how chrollo is positioned on top of the junk pile. i think thats when pakunoda made her decision to go back to the troupe and share what happened during the exchange, though she knew it would cost her her life.

Tldr; Pakunoda is (almost) singlehandedly carrying the phantom troupe's reputation as well written and nuanced characters and people tend to forget that

ALSO. Very important information.

she has dimples

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Friends to Lovers Tournament: Round 1, Side A, Match 7

propaganda under the cut!

Sasuke/Mai:

THE MOST FRIENDS TO LOVERS EVER. Mai is the MC of Ikesen which is a dating sim/otome game. Originally from the 21st century, she's accidentally time travelled to the Sengoku Era where she unknowingly rescues Oda Nobunaga from his historical death thus changing the course of history forever. She reunites with a fellow 21st century dweller Sasuke whom she'd briefly met right before the accidental time travel, who is now a ninja. Though they're on opposing sides, they're friends in all the routes as Sasuke promises to protect her and bring her back to the 21st century safely. Regardless of which route you're playing, Sasuke will always be your friend and he's the same smart yet silly goofy guy, making references to 21st century events and slang and memes which have the other warlords scratching their heads in confusion. Sasuke's route is the ultimate friends-to-lovers + slow burn + mutual pining combination, as they both gradually develop feelings for each other, yet it's also kinda frustrating (in a good way) bc Sasuke is SO clueless to her feelings and his own for a good majority of the route while Mai was down horrendous for him. The pay-off in the end is really sweet (i legit cried when sasuke finally confessed to mai lol) and spicy (ikesen is uhh a bit of a mature game), which makes the achingly slow burn really worth it. Also Sasuke's just a really nice fucking guy, like real boyfriend material, no red flags, the perfect golden retriever boyfriend frfr

Fuyupoly:

Submission 1:

they're from the winter troupe of the mankai company, and unlike the other troupes they're all adults. that said, they all have varying degrees of trauma and emotional stuntedness. it takes them some time to fully open up to each other bc they're all very cautious of each other's boundaries and don't want to cross any lines which initially led to some issues in the group's formation. over time they've learned to bridge the gap while still being mindful of hard boundaries. at one point they have a discussion about what exactly their relationship is (gay) cuz they were talking about how the other troupes have clearly defined dynamics (spring=family, summer=besties, autumn=rivals & teammates) but they don't,, and homare deadass says they're "people bound by a common destiny" which in and of itself sounds very Gay (like why are you as a man bound to other men by a common destiny), but it goes even further because homare starts spouting WEDDING VOWS: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE GAME AND THE MC EVEN REMARKS "i can already hear wedding bells in the distance..." 

gradually they become closer, in individual sub-units based on who's paired up as co-leads for a play, and as a troupe overall. also two of its members are childhood friends who had a messy 'divorce' in their young adulthood and it took the game breaking its genre to introduce a timeloop for them to finally make up if that means anything to you. one of their troupe songs "precious to us ~bokura no kisetsu" has some pretty beautiful and fruity lines: "The many kindnesses born in me here / Never fail to breathe life into my chest / Even all the pain and bitterness / Have now become dear to me (Ah…Stay with me)", "No matter how many times our season passes / Let us keep living together / Holding our hands, without ever letting go / Let us open up the curtain of tomorrow", "There is no need for words, because once our gazes meet / Joy sparks a light in your eyes", "Our journey, may it be a brilliant one / As our breaths overlap as one"

a lot of their plays has a LOT of homoerotic tension between the two leads too. their first play has tsumugi and tasuku play angels, and it's heavily implied that tasuku's character has an unrequited crush on tsumugi's character. their third play has azuma play a vampire and tasuku play Just Some Guy and it's generally agreed in the fandom to be one of the gayest, if not THE gayest, play A3 has ever written. obviously the vampire thing is very fruity, but there's also how the vampire was longing to bite the human but was holding himself back, and when the vampire left the human in the end, the human was absolutely HEARTBROKEN over it and was swearing they would reunite one day. the stage play of this takes it even further by having the vampire embrace the human from behind and BITE his neck. the fourth play is a watered-down adaptation of Phantom of the Opera where they genderbend Christine into Chris among other things and change the relationship between Chris and the Phantom to one of friendship.... ostensibly so, because there's still a lot of homoerotic undertones in their interactions. i could go on but this should be enough of a sampling taste 

Submission 2:

the writers rlly said "let's take 2 normal guys who are childhood friends and have been into theatre since their school days and have them go through a pre-canon messy divorce, an eccentric poet with a potentially controversial haircut, an amnesiac sleepyhead who can only be awoken with marshmallows but is also somehow extremely athletic despite doing nothing but sleeping and eating marshmallows all day, a man who is so beautiful and mysterious he breaks gender, and a supposed android from a fictional south asian country, and throw them into a blender, oh and for good measure let's throw in some theatre and angst and gay and angst and gay" and the end result was marriage. i mean it took them a lot of awkward fumbling around and conflicts to get there but they got there and thats what matters. ok *technically* in-text they're all rlly good friends and kinda found family BUT they are found family via marriage papers i do not make the rules chief

Submission 3:

The reason why they are so friends-to-lovers to me is because their relationship is founded on quiet and unconditional acceptance of each other—regardless of how flawed they may be or how heavy their burdens and trauma may be. When the troupe first formed (sans Guy who was in another country at the time), they didn’t have any major clashing personalities at the very beginning and generally they were mindful of each other’s boundaries, unlike the other troupes that came before them. However, it’s BECAUSE they were too mindful of said boundaries that it was difficult for them to break down their walls and bond as a team—and there were a LOT of walls to break down, as all of them had varying degrees of emotional baggage and trauma.

In fact, it’s only three plays in that they finally truly start opening up to each other, with Azuma getting the ball rolling by opening up about the deep loneliness that haunted him ever since his childhood. It’s during this conversation that they also discuss what their relationship as a troupe is, because the other troupes have defined their relationship as a team (Spring is family, Summer is best friends, Autumn is rivals & teammates), and Homare goes on to declare that they’re “people bound by a common destiny” and goes on to spew wedding vows: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" I mean… it can’t get any more obvious than this, really. They are married.

But anyway, Tsumugi says he wants their relationship to be one where while they respect each other’s need for space, they’ll also be there for each other and share their pains and burdens—or in his words: “supporting each other when our burdens become too heavy to bear on our own”—which I think is really sweet because it carries this idea of quiet, unconditional acceptance; they don’t push each other to share more than they’re comfortable with sharing, but with whatever they ARE comfortable with sharing everyone carries the load and pain because pain is easier to bear when you’re not bearing it alone <3 

A later part of the story focuses on Hisoka, a mysterious amnesiac, being terrified of regaining his memories and facing some “sin” from his past that has led to another character, Chikage, trying to take revenge on him. When he confesses this to the rest of the Winter troupe, Homare asks, “How heavy is this sin you bear?” and Azuma suggests, “Perhaps it’s just heavy enough for the five of us to carry together.” (at this point Guy hasn’t joined yet). The stage play adapts this scene into a song called Key to Memory. The key (pun unintended) part is 1:27 where there’s a back-and-forth between Hisoka and the other Winter troupe members (sans Tasuku because he wasn’t in that particular play)

Hisoka: “I’m scared…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s okay.”

Hisoka: “My unforgivable sin…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “Let’s carry it together.”

Hisoka: “I might not be me anymore.”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s all right. We understand and we accept you, so let’s go together.”

And it ends with Hisoka singing: “I was afraid to open the door of my locked memories. But if everyone is here, I believe I can do it.”  In both the game and stage play, Hisoka fully regains his memories and reconciles with Chikage (long story). He tells Fuyupoly he can’t go into detail about his past with Chikage because it’s dangerous but he’ll tell them when the time is right, and they accept this saying that no matter what his past is, they know and love him as their Hisoka which obviously is a very sweet thing for friends to say, but it’s also very Marriage-coded to me.

Later, Guy is introduced as an android from Zahra (a fictional South Asian country) and joins the Winter troupe as a temporary member—because he’s stuck in Japan for the foreseeable future—until they find a permanent member to replace him. The other Winter members have a conversation among themselves and agree that regardless of whether he’s really an android or a human they’ll accept Guy for who he is and help him improve his acting, which again harkens back to the idea of ‘unconditional acceptance’. Eventually it’s revealed that Guy is in fact a human who has forgotten his memories of the past and his emotions. He recovers his memories all at once which shocks his system and causes him to pass out. When he wakes up in his room, he finds the rest of the Winter Troupe asleep around the room—which I believe is symbolic of their whole theme of “quiet acceptance”: they don’t want to push Guy to share beyond what he’s comfortable with, but they’re always there to listen to him and share his load if that’s what he wants. He opens up about the memories he recovered, and they don’t treat him with pity like he’s a lost child, but still extend gentle empathy and understanding. They also emphasise that it genuinely doesn’t matter to them whether he’s human or android because he’s Guy first and foremost. It’s at this point that Guy truly lets himself become part of the Winter troupe/Fuyupoly and not just as a temporary stand-in member, because he’s found a place where he’s found himself again and people who will accept who this “himself” is, whether that be an android devoid of emotions or a human brimming with vivid beautiful emotions.

[Mod note: There’s a LOT more but we’re afraid of crashing the post. I (Deli) summarised it the best I can since I’m familiar with A3, but if you want to read the full thing you can check it out on this google doc)

[the-art-of-sanshoku]

Manga Recommendations from Things I Read in 2023

I wanted to make an end of the year post highlighting things I read last year and want others to know about! I tried focusing on manga that don't have anime adaptions (although a few of these are getting ones soon) and covering a variety of genres. Anyway, let's get right into it with:

Ikoku Nikki (Tomoko Yamashita)

Status: Complete, 54 Chapters, unlicensed - complete fan translation (Note: When I say something is licensed or not this only refers to having an English release.)

Genre: Josei, SOL, Drama

Synopsis: After the loss of her parents, 15 year old Asa finds herself in the custody of her aunt Makio Koudai. Makio, the introverted novelist, has no experience with children but will do what she can for Asa.

While this isn’t an ordered list I will start with what is probably my favorite manga I read this year. Ikoku Nikki is a very cathartic read for me as there are a lot of adult characters who are just trying to figure things out (although this also applies to the teen characters, but it’s just more relatable with the characters closer to my age). Figuring out how to like yourself even when you don’t fit to society's “norms”, figuring out how to process traumas from growing up that still affect you well into your 20s and 30s and beyond, figuring out how to love others, figuring out who “you” even are.  And it’s written and worded so lovely and deliberately that sometimes it says something and just puts into words a feeling you’ve had for forever but were never able to express and all of a sudden it just makes sense.

The cast is diverse and I think everyone can find someone to relate to. There are neurodiverse characters, and characters that widely spread the LGBTQIA + spectrum. But they don’t feel trope-y or anything, they’re just well fleshed out and well realized people. Ikoku Nikki just has a very “understanding” vibe that is just comforting to read and be seen by media. In a way it was a little of a life changing (life affirming?) read for me and I highly recommend it to anyone, and I pray it gets an official English release in the future so I can add it to my collection and support the author properly.

Tenkaichi: Nihon Saikyou Bugeisha Ketteisen (Yousuke Nakamaru & Kyoutarou Azuma)

Status: Releasing, 32 Chapters, unlicensed - ongoing fan translation

Genre: Action, Battle Royale, Seinen

Synopsis: 16 historical figures participate in a grandiose tournament of 1v1 battles to determine Nobunaga’s successor

On the opposite end of the manga spectrum we have Tenkaichi, which is just a very fun read. And sometimes I feel kind of crazy how little I’ve seen this talked about online by anyone, as it’s a super quality battle manga. It feels like a manga written by battle manga lovers for battle manga lovers, and in the author’s notes you can see this to be true. They love unpredictable battles with over the top powers and larger than life characters and they deliver. Tenkaichi lacks a “main character” so every fight feels like either side could win and I have even been surprised by a few outcomes of the battles. And even without a main character, the characters that exist are just super cool and easy to pick one to root for. They also usually become a bit more fleshed out via backstories so they’re not super shallow either. The art, paneling, and character designs are also really good, if you like fighting manga at all check this out.

Medalist (Ikada Tsuruma)

Status: Releasing, 36 Chapters, licensed 

Genre: Sports, Drama, Seinen

Synopsis: A cinnamon roll coach and his cinnamon roll student aim to make her a gold medalist level skater

Medalist is a classic underdog story that is really elevated by its superb main characters and art. Inori and Tsukasa are a very silly and endearing duo, but are also incredibly dedicated and hardworking that make them impossible not to root for. Their relationship and belief in each other really forms the core of the manga. The art can be really funny with silly faces, but also really intense and beautiful to capture the figure skating and emotions of the skaters pouring their blood, sweat, and tears into their work. Each competition feels really thrilling and has you on the edge of your seat, and it does a good job of getting into the specifics of the scoring so you can follow along. It’s inspirational in the way that great sports manga are, it just makes you want to work hard to become someone you can be proud of.

Souboutei Kowasubeshi (Kazuhiro Fujita)

Status: Complete, 250 Chapters, unlicensed - complete fan translation

Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Action, Shounen

Synopsis: A lovecraftian mansion poses a threat to Japan. To handle this, a team of supernatural/paranormal/spiritual experts are sent in along with - a scrungly artist?

Kazuhiro Fujita is a mangaka that I feel is super underrated in the west. Despite getting anime adaptations of 2 of his works in Ushio to Tora and Karakuri Circus (although the Karakuri adaption was not the best unfortunately), I feel that these were overlooked and he doesn’t really get talked about. Which is a shame because I think he’s a really great mangaka. He’s been around since the 90’s, and you can tell through his artstyle and storytelling style. Despite Souboutei coming out in 2016 it still feels very old school shounen, but this isn’t a bad thing at all. Fujita’s manga are full of heart and his artwork really exaggerates faces and body language to communicate the character’s feelings. I like his manga a lot because from the start it will often tell you “the big bad” and the whole manga will build up this antagonist until a satisfying end and climax. It doesn’t introduce new threats, or powerscale indefinitely, or pad its runtime with unnecessary filler, it starts - brings you through an emotional rollercoaster of twists and turns - and then ends.

Souboutei is no different in this regard. It builds and builds on the primary antagonist (in this case the mansion of Souboutei) and its mysteries to make a journey full of intrigue where you want to keep turning the page to find out more. The mansion is also a great setting that becomes a character in its own right, a twisting labyrinth full of malice and various horrors. Fujita also always makes a unique cast of characters with varied motivations, ages, character designs, and abilities that make each memorable and likeable. Fujita also likes to make every little detail count and sometimes add to the main plot where you least expect. Being a shounen there’s also plenty of action, and his battles feel creative and the abilities are inventive to make for some exciting fights. Souboutei has a bonus for the main character being an artist and having large themes on passion and creation and “what is art” that gave me an extra layer of enjoyment. Also it must be said that Sakamaki Deido would totally be a hit as a tumblr sexyman if this manga had any fanbase at all. But whether you read Souboutei or one of his other works, I hope you give Fujita a try.

Rojica to Rakkasei (Kinome)

Status: Complete, 25 Chapters, unlicensed - has complete fan translation

Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, SOL, Seinen

Synopsis: The titular characters Rojica and Rakka spend wacky days in their wacky world.

Rojica to Rakkasei is a breath of fresh air with a fantasy world that’s just plain weird and unique. A lot of manga fantasy lately feel like derivative goblins and dragons and slimes type worlds in medieval european-esque settings. Not Rojica though, it kind of feels almost like surreal and absurdist manga, but doesn’t go quite that far so it’s easier to follow as a series of episodic adventures. It’s a short, creative read that I enjoyed from start to finish. 

Witch Hat Atelier (Kamome Shirahama)

Status: Releasing, 74 Chapters, licensed

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Drama, SOL, Seinen

Synopsis: In this world there are people born as witches who can wield magic to help others. Or at least that’s what the world is made to think. After one fateful day, ordinary girl Coco, will learn the truth behind magic and become a witch apprentice.

Speaking of refreshing fantasy worlds, Witch Hat Atelier is a wonderful manga with great worldbuilding and setting. The “magic system” used in the manga is unique and feels very naturally woven into the world and society. This magic is harshly regulated and has many rules of its use, but Witch Hat Atelier lives by the creed “restrictions breed creativity” to create interesting solutions to difficult scenarios. The characters are delightful, focusing more on a younger cast of aspiring and bright girls who aim to become witches proper. Their struggles to make a magic unique to them and find their own voice in society make them a relatable bunch. Kamome Shirahama’s artsyle and paneling is also to die for, I love just looking at this manga. This manga isn’t all just school life and rainbows though, there’s a dark undercurrent to the story in the form of the antagonists the “Brim Hats” that bring some extra excitement and thrill to the story as well.  Just a brilliant manga. Also the only manga with my little meow meow Qifrey

Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Uoto)

Status: Complete, 62 Chapters, recently licensed

Genre: Historical, Drama, Seinen

Synopsis: We’re studying heliocentrism! But it’s the 1400s…

A manga that really touched me on its themes of legacy, and passing knowledge down to new generations. This manga focuses on the secret studies of those who look at the stars and dare to challenge the current knowledge of the world. It takes place in Poland, which is a rather unique setting, in the 1400s. The constant threat of the inquisitors is felt at all times and our characters are left to question if this pursuit of knowledge is worth the weight of risk. What is the worth of my life? What is my purpose? What does it mean to be fulfilled? Philosophical, romantic (in a literary sense), and profound, this manga stands out among the crowd.

Futari Ashita mo Sorenari ni (Suzuyuki)

Status: Complete, 87 Chapters, recently licensed

Genre: Romance, Comedy, SOL, Seinen

Synopsis: Long term couple moves in together - fluff ensues

This is likely my favorite romance manga as it is one of the few to depict fluffy domestic life with your partner. Finding manga that deal with established relationships can be hard, but to find one about a healthy romance where the characters just live together and love each other and feel like adults and not the blushy “oooh she h-hh-holding my hand??” teenager mentality is a super fresh and nice thing to read (although I like those kinds of romances too, it’s just a bit oversaturated of a market comparatively). It’s a feel good romcom SOL with pretty much zero drama which some people may not like, but it had me grinning from ear to ear like a madman the whole time. If you like cute domestic fluff it’s a must read. Doesn’t overstay its welcome and has a great ending.

I have some more manga I want to talk about, but this post is pretty long so there will maybe be a part 2 ^.^

[giuliano-fan-account]

Hxh ch 396-397 review

WHY DID EVERYBODY FLOCK TO MY CHAPTER 395 REVIEW FOUNDING PART ONE OK??????

Anyways yeah I didnt do reviews for the past couple of weeks because Things happened and I got busy and it got me out of my groove so.

I have been reading of course because who am I .

I’ll do an overview of the rest of the flashbacks because those Messed Me Up actually and I have art and things to say about it.

Spoilers, obviously . (Warning for Child Abduction and death)

Chapter 396: Founding part 2

Sadly I dont have viz screenshots because of it only being the recent 3 lol so I’ll be using an unofficial translation

There he is again with some weird Popcorn Cauliflower lookin things and ooh nooo

Hi Uvogin!

Also hi Phinks with the walnut hair. At this point I’ve adjusted to how wonky it looks though but

SARASA *50 crying emojis*

I actually love Sarasa a lot. She’s adorable and confident and fearless... I really hope nothing BAD HAPPENS TO THIS CHARACTER. auughgggggg

I also really like Sheila. Even though they didn’t end up being actual phantom troupe members Sarasa and Sheila matter to me and I really want to know what Togashi has in mind by bringing her back into the plot. But aside from that we also get another moment of exposition for Pakunoda and Chrollos relationship. Im Not Crying Youare.

I love to think that while a lot of other people call him ‘Little bro’, Pakunoda is the closest to being his actual “big sister”  

Power cleaners moment. I actually slipped up and call them Power Rangers sometimes or like for example “Ranger red” instead of Clean up red. Whats funny is that I didn’t even watch power rangers as a kid this is just how it is

Look at all those sillies

I really really want to know what this sounded like because Im not gonna say that it’s really bad just because they’re kids, but I think it would be very funny if they were sugar coating it not even on purpose because of how young and silly they are.

Chrollo is actually 11 you learn in 397 so I’m guessing that would mean Paku is 10, Sarasa is like 8-9 or something since she’s the youngest, and Sheila is somewhere inbetween them all.

I love how out of context he sounds like a victorian child whos about to make an important announcement.

“Father, may I have the mic?” I never thought I would hear those words but knowing that it comes from baby Chrollo makes it all make sense.

Also look theres Nobunaga!! Wow!! He’s finally in his own flashback!

I like the composition of this panel because This chapter is supposed to be a highlight on Uvos progression and his relationship with Chrollo and the fact that Chrollo is straight ahead of him really drives that home.

IM CRYING THIS PANEL

To be honest you gotta love this because you really just see how sincere he is in just wanting to make all the other kids happy here, and they are ecstatic

With Chrollo doing all the same lines though just imagine theres this kid and he just has crazy vocal range for no reason and hes talking to himself in 7 different voices

omfg is he Jerma985. .

.....

..i mean  i did make this one thing

Anyways

HOLY CRAP JEDSURS

I bet he put his entire freakin heart into that line like no holding back

I love how everybodys like stunned and then theres just Nobu who is there

HELLO??????????? JFC

ALSO IS THIS A SAIKI K REFERENCE BECAUSE I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED IF TOGASHI JUST SLIPPED THAT IN THERE... (In some volume extras I think of vol 35 he put references in random panels and replaced the text and there was a saiki k reference in one. Fun fact)

Scrungly Sarasa and Sheila only ever

I also really like the composition of these panels.. Its also very centric on Uvo and Chrollo which I appreciate. Also I can see it being animated a lot for no reason like its so easy to imagine with this format.

When the Sarasa are Scurngly and adorble

Im just gonna put this whole page here and then talk abt it I love it so so so so so omuch and tears are definitely not in my eyes right now because of it.

So first of all, I read this translation first, and I think the lines they put here are better than what they put in the VIZ one. I don’t remember what they were, but the top panels lines here are just so raw and “That was me dubbing you!” Flows well. Sometimes unofficial translations can be wonky, but they did great on this page.

I love Love Love the way this page was drawn too. The way that Uvo and Chrollo just look shocked and are shown side by side is great, and I love the focus and detail on Sarasa and also even though it’s a still picture, her hair has so much motion and i i i i

Everybody’s reactions are nice too. I’m just thinking. No wonder Togashi had to take all that time off especially for these chapters. Drawing this many people is not easy at all...

IM M MLITERALLY CRYIGN HH hh  G HHhhhhh UE h fhf hh n SNIFF

I like Uvo and Machi’s dynamic lol. They seemed to already be friends which is just really funny since she’s just this tiny little child and then Uvo is like. Already like 6 foot 2 or something idk. (He grows to be 8′5.)

This is so funny because when you think of the Phantom Troupe you think of incredibly twisted people, but no, their original original name came from them trying to make a company name for their little dubbing thing.

Im Crying again haha. I mean I guess in the end he did become a villain, so wish fulfilled!

This line is so relevant to so many things involving Uvogin, even having to do with his character in the yorknew arc

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO ONO NO ON NO NON ONON ONO OOOHHH NOOOO SARASA. COMMUNICATION IS KEY SARASA. JUST TELL THEM THAT THERE WAS A BUNCH OF TAPES THERE. SARASA. SARASA NO STOP RUNNING COME BACK

NO!!!!!!!!!! YOU CANT DO THAT

Chapter 397: Founding Part 3

at least this time I can take fro m the viz official translation.. Ha ha

Are you ready guys? This is going to be a wild ride! (Warning for Child Abduction and death especially here)

So they finally notice that Sarasa’s not here and there Might be Something wrong! WHY DID I HAVE TO BE RIGHT ABOUT THIS IN MY CHAPTER 395 REVIEW.

This is Depressing but I love the attention to detail with how he’s gripping his shorts. I just wanted to point that out

Oh and haha he’s blaming himself for something only somewhat inside his control as a young child... Hmm.. That sounds familiar...

Dont you love when you start having a little more hope for something again...

Oh haha look at them on the bike Oh look everybodys doing their own part in the search!!!......

Oh god....

....And then everything just plummets....

Seriously when I read this part I felt my heart drop. SO much so that I made a whole redraw of it for chapter 357!

I love Hunter x Hunter.

THIS WAS THE TREE. THE TREE. TOGASHI WHY. I TRUSTED YOU WITH THE TREE. WHYYYYYY

mmm I hate this I hate this I hate this I hate this

Currently completely Fine right now actually ignore everything I just said.

NEVERMIND. IM NOT SHOWING THE PANELS WHERE IT HAS WHATS IN THE BAG FOR OBVIOUS REASONS BUT LIKE. THERE WAS A NOTE. ON HER AND IT HAD A FREAKING SMILEY FACE ON IT

A SMILE FACE....

My exact reaction

GEEEZZZ!!!!!

GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IM NOT OK WITH THIS AT ALL OK OH MY GOD NEXT PAGE NOW PLEASE NEXT

Thank You.

I feel like the flowers on her head would be little orange roses.. Because well for one, the orange cleaner, and also orange roses are a symbol for Joy I think and that’s perfect for her

Im so glad that Togashi decided to make this little scene because I wouldn’t be able to handle what just happened before without this closure and Im pretty sure that was done on purpose because That was like one of the most horrific scenes in Hunter x Hunter in my opinion.

You could feel how everybody was panicking and the grief and anguish and it was just aaahhhhhhggghghhgh.......

Anyways. Onto another thing that is helping me process all of this lol

NEN!!

LITTLE MACHI AND NEN!! EVEN BETTER!

This is another line that I liked better in the unofficial translation

JUST. JUST. “Those pretty eyes of yours make my skin crawl.” ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF MACHI IS SUCH A COOL LINE!!! anyways :)

I like nen so This is also very relieving. We are getting lore....

THIS GUYS LIKE 11 AND HES ALREADY DOING STUFF TO FIX METEOR CITY. SO IS CHROLLO THE REASON WHY METEOR CITY HAS TO DO WITH THE MAFIA???? PROBABLY.

Add Predicts the technological revolution to baby Chrollo’s achievement list. This kid Hunter x Hunter children are insane for a fact

He would do great in my English 10 Honors class with all that evidence and reasoning there

hey guys its Shalnark here  and today I’m going to explain chrollos Nefarious plot  

Hes so happy that he didnt have to do 3 paragraphs of more explaining! ..also

Jus dont even ask why I made this but I sure did I also made a video but idk how to put videos on tumblr other than have them be at the top which is not what I want so you just get this

I kind of wish we got more of younger Shalnark because we got focus on Paku and Uvo who are both... decreased  and you know...  

oh god I just realized

All the phantom troupe characters that are commonly nicknamed are Dead. Quick everybody stop saying Nobu for Nobunaga

Anyways

At least he gets a little bit of a moment here

I feel so bad for Sheila little sheila talk here

Like man her best friend just got Murdered and she can not do this. I bet part of her does not want to be involved with the troupe anymore because they have the most to do with her death, and maybe she even counts them responsible for them not caring, and with that she probably blames herself too.

I really want to see her again she is such a character and there’s no way that Togashi’s just gonna bring her back here and not have her be plot relevant. Was she for or against the kurta massacre!??!?!?!? wha????

Top ten ways to become a mass murderer

lets play a game. Is this a quote from Kurapika or Chrollo?

Look at all these parallels and foreshadowing... Putting that in perspective, that means that Chrollo became the very person he sought to destroy as a child, and I wonder if he realizes that, especially now in his current mental and emotional condition. But at the same time, he may have been expecting that. He should know that the Troupe has all the right to be persecuted with the amount of carnage that they’ve caused.

THIS OUT OF CONTEXT.

I think the whole thing with the Villain and this panel is a callback to Uvo’s line about being the worlds greatest villain, and maybe Chrollo was thinking that he would fit as leader because of that but...

Get pranked! Also notice how Paku is also gripping the end of her dress. Since I’m an empath, I can tell that Paku is having mixed feelings and is nervous about this /s

In 3 years he shed his old pair of eyes and then regrew Strange Eyes. Hold on.

This is extremely important and like one of the best things Ive ever made.

He has Strange Eyes HE GOT HIS STRANGE EYES LETS GOOOOOO

I decided I wanted to do math So their reunion happens around 7 years before the Kurta massacre, and that’s when Chrollo is 21.. so 10 years after sarasa’s death is when the Kurta massacre takes place.

Ok were finally to the end of this fun fun fun Chapter! I have 2 questions.

1. Where is Phinks?

2. Shalnark What has he the Hair and Outfit? What? Ok well technically he’s in style since this is like the mid-late 80′s then but he looks a little bit like a Flamboyant Pop star from that era and then everybody else is just regular for their character. Then there’s just Shalnark with his fluffy mullet and the oversized suit and the collar

And also if that was his style when and why did he change? We could have had a totally different Shalnark tbh but I’m happy with the one we have.

Anyways

Hope you enjoyed this absolute behemoth  of a post and I may do another one with the next two chapters some time

In the meantime, who knows, just keep doing what you do & make sure you drink enough water so that your pee looks like light pineapple juice or lemonade (that means youre healthy)

[selenacosmic]

Hi Selena!

I really enjoy your Teen "Little sis" MC headcanon series. Here's an HC request for Teen MC....

Warlords when Teen MC tries to bake them a birthday cake - but messes up the recipe somewhere along the line, and ends up with something resembling cake soup (or some other obvious #fail).

Thanks in advance (no rush).

Hello! I am really happy that you like this little series! I love it too, so I will be more than happy to do this!

Teen!MC bakes them a cake… and fails.

Oda forces.

Nobunaga Oda.

He likes sweets, so as long as you add his favorite, Konpeito, there shouldn’t be any problem with pleasing him! Except that… he can be hard to please. Being a teenager who can barely cook can bring a lot of trouble, specially when you want to bake a whole cake for your adoptive big brother.

Nobunaga was curious about what you were preparing for him, which is why he was excited when you said it was ready. He wondered to himself if it was meant to look that… liquid. He does tries it and doesn’t hate the taste, he drank the whole bowl of the ‘water cake’.

Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

Now, hideyoshi isn’t a fan of sweets, actually. But because you wanted to do something nice for him, he decided that it wasn’t bad to try some of your cooking. He was even excited to see what you had planned.

Hideyoshi will be shocked by how… burned the cake looked, but he didn’t have the courage to call you out on it, you looked so expectant of his approval that he just swallowed the whole thing, even if it didn’t taste good.

Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Ieyasu is another one who doesn’t like sweets, which is why he didn’t have high expectations for liking the cake. But since you were his little sister, he would go easy on you and at least try it. But… you accidentally switched the sugar for hot sauce. How? Don’t even ask.

Your luck? Since Ieyasu doesn’t like sugar, he actually liked the cake, though he added a bit more hot sauce to make it spicier.

Mitsunari Ishida.

Mitsunari was definitely excited, but he doesn’t know what kind of cake you tried making. You were apprehensive about his opinion, specially since the cake was way too liquid. Surprisingly he thought you made some sort of sweet soup and enjoyed it.

Mitsuhide Akechi.

Honestly, he is a much more complicated case. He can’t taste food, which means making a cake would be difficult, if not by taste, would making it aesthetic pleasing be enough? Maybe not, giving his habit of mixing the food he eats.

Nevertheless, he didn’t seem to mind the strange shaped cake. If anything he seemed pleased and even praised you by patting your head, truly his little sister understands his taste.

Masamune Date.

This one will be even harder to impress, which… left you stressed. Masamune is a great cook, and he likely would be picky about what he eats (you would call him chief Ramsay, but that’s a reference he wouldn’t understand).

When Masamune heard his little sister was cooking something for him, he got curious… and also a bit concerned, which is rare coming from him. It probably has to do with the fact that, if he gets concerned about Mitsuhide and Mitsunari eating probably, he gets concerned about you cooking. Still, he will swallow whatever happens to the cake, even if it doesn’t taste good.

Keiji.

Keiji would feign excited when he heard you were baking him something, when in reality he knew you had no experience with cooking. First off, you were way too young to be able to cook well, and he never saw you actually cooking in the kitchen, you aren’t fooling him. He is the kind of big brother who is will be cruelly honest about the cake.

Which will lead into a sibling’s bickering.

Ranmaru Mori.

Ranmaru is naturally a nice person, he wouldn’t have the courage to be honest about the cake, he just can’t imagine his little sister being sad that he didn’t like her surprise. Which is why he had a plan.

In case your cake really was a disaster, he would pretend it was the best thing in the world, Ranmaru is a great actor. After eating, he would secretly eat at least ten peaches to feel better.

Uesugi-Takeda alliance.

Kenshin Uesugi.

Normally Kenshin would be brutally honest about the cake, but when it comes to his little sister… he just can’t be cruel. Now, you were wondering what flavor the cake should be, until you decided to make one of your worst and best decisions of your life.

You made him plum cake, which went surprisingly well! He liked it and was honest about it. The others around were disgusted, though.

Shingen takeda.

His adorable little sister is preparing something for him? He simply couldn’t wait! But then it will hit him… you are still too young and might not know how to cook properly, you will make something coming from your heart but it might be… a mess. He felt conflicted, if it’s bad he should be honest to let you learn from your mistakes, but what if he makes you cry?

He just couldn’t handle it… regardless of how it tasted, shingen would let you know how much he appreciates you. Even though… the cake was salty instead of sweet. He ate every last bite with a tear in his eye.

Yukimura Sanada.

Just like Keiji, he will be brutally honest about his opinion on the cake, and you know it. Which will make you too afraid to bake him a cake, but you will still try doing it. Yukimura will have his expectations low, but he also doesn’t want to make you upset.

The cake turns out to be too liquid, almost like a soup. He will make a weird face but will drink it, his opinion? “It’s not as liquid as it looks like, so… it’s not lower than what i expected.” He was smacked after that.

Sasuke.

Sasuke will feel happy that you want to bake him a cake, though he already predicted a possibility of failure (through his calculations, of course). He had one good thing about his lack of expression… it was easy to hide his dislike for the taste, but you would likely notice he didn’t like it.

He planned ahead and decided to tell you that he was allergic to cake… yeah, not the best excuse, but he tried to use it to not hurt your feelings.

Yoshimoto Imagawa.

It’s not that Yoshimoto is a cruel critic… he is just very honest and therefore is hard to please. He likes sweets, so he would love a cake, but he will judge whatever you make. But different from Keiji and Yukimura, he will have bevway better at comforting you.

Though… he will hide his face with his fan to hide the disgusted face he has while staring at the atrocity you call cake.

Kanetsugu.

He will be brutally honest as well, and it might come off as a bit mean. You just want to make him something special but he won’t hesitate to tell you it’s bad. But Kanetsugu wouldn’t want his little sister to cry, so he would hold back a lot while trying out your cake.

He will look very tortured but won’t tell you the truth.

Lone forces.

Kennyo.

Kennyo might look like the cruel type, but he would be very careful as to not hurt your feelings. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he pampers you a lot, so he doesn’t want to hurt you or make you sad. Kennyo will definitely try out your cake, and force a big smile.

You know he tends to sacrifice himself for others, even in this situation he wants to spare your feelings, so Kennyo will eat the whole thing. You will feel bad but will appreciate it.

Kichou.

Yeah… he will be harder to please. Kichou will already be straight with you and say that you won’t be able to bake a good cake. But in turn, he will help you, which will end up in disaster because he also won’t be able to bake a good cake.

The result? You two got a burned cake.

Motonari Mouri

He will be even harsher, as he is also a cook, though he isn’t like Masamune, he will criticize your cake. But… Motonari will appreciate the cake you bake him, it would be the first time a family member, even if it’s an adopted one, made him something nice.

[whencyclopedia]

Japanese Castles

Fortifications of one kind or another had been used in Japan since ancient times, but in the period from 1576 until 1639, a new and distinctive style of castle was constructed. Rather than being used for fighting, these were impressive structures intended to enhance the power and prestige of the person that built them. The most famous surviving example of this style of architecture is Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture.

The Warring States Period

The period from the beginning of the Onin War in 1467 until the collapse of the Muromachi bakufu (military government) in 1573 is known as the Sengoku period (Warring States period). As the name suggests, it was a time of civil war. As central authority collapsed, powerful warrior families fought each other for land and power. In Japanese, these are referred to as sengoku daimyo.

As time progressed, the number of sengoku daimyo gradually declined as the more successful ones destroyed the weaker ones. In order for a daimyo to be successful, it was necessary not only to have a good army but also to have a well-organised administrative system that could successfully exploit both the human and natural resources under their control. In the 1560s, Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) emerged as the strongest daimyo in Japan, and in 1573 he entered Heiankyo (Kyoto) and overthrew the bakufu of the Muromachi period.

Continue reading...

[syneilesis]

🎧Ikemen Series R18 Seiyuu Masterlist🎧

As I have said before, I am listing Cybird Ikemen Series characters and their voice actors, indicating whether they've done R18 otome drama CDs and how I find their performances. I'm mostly familiar with Ikemen Sengoku, Revolution, Vampire, and Prince, but I'll include some Genjiden, Live, and Villains when applicable.

Since I've outed myself as an R18 drama cd enthusiast (connoisseur lmao), might as well lean into it completely 👀 This is going to be long, and nsfw language abound; MINORS DNI!!!! Please don't let this destroy your image of me lmao 😂🥹

Note on the distinction: R18 in this case is when you can hear the characters climax (voice actors use pseudonyms for these); some drama CDs are nsfw, but they cut off before the climax, so R15? R16? (voice actors use their real names here); sfw are just kissing, nothing spicy (VA real names).

Without further ado, onward!

Ikemen Sengoku

5 out of 17. Small number.

Oda Nobunaga (VA: Sugita Tomokazu): None, sfw only. I don't know if I'd listen if he'd ever have one; he'll always be Gintoki and Kagerou to me.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (VA: Toriumi Kousuke): None, also sfw only.

Akechi Mitsuhide (VA: Takeuchi Shunsuke): None, he's too young let him live purely a little longer lmao

Date Masamune (VA: Katou Kazuki): None, but I'm curious. He could do a Taniyama Kishou and dabble here and there 👀

Tokugawa Ieyasu (VA: Masuda Toshiki): Yes. Listen, I like his voice, I like to listen to his slightly raspy and husky voice. It's soothing to my ears. I like his sfw drama cds, the ones I've listened to. But his nsfw ones? He needs his kisses and sucking noises wetter. He needs to practice more *hinthint*

Ishida Mitsunari (VA: Yamaya Yoshitaka): HE HAS ONE OMG I listened to his samples once, I don't know if I'd listen to it again OMG MUKU MITSUNARI MY ANGELS i can't wrap my head around soft-voiced Muku committing sins

Maeda Keiji (VA: Sawashiro Chiharu): None. From what I gather of his personality from event clips, I think I'd like to shield him from sinning a little longer too lol

Takeda Shingen (VA: Umehara Yuichiro): None. I'd like to hear him though.

Sanada Yukimura (VA: Ono Kensho): None, sfw only.

Imagawa Yoshimoto (VA: Yashiro Taku): MY BOI. It's funny how he voices angsty and sad characters in ikeseries but HE'S SO CUTE AND WHOLESOME IN DRAMA CDS. I love him in Switching best.

Uesugi Kenshin (VA: Miura Hiroaki): I am averse to yandere characters, but in this one he did, he's a tsundere. NOW I LIKE KENSHIN BY ASSOCIATION. Miura's drama cd is one of my favorites, sad but romantic.

Sarutobi Sasuke (VA: Akabane Kenji): None, iirc.

Naoe Kanetsugu (VA: Nakagawa Akinori): None. I don't know if he's done sfw ones, but I'd be willing to listen to them, just so I can add more Kanetsugu voice reference lol

Kennyo (VA: Shingaki Tarusuke): Hehe. Hehehehe. Heh. It's been a while, I want to hear him again. Especially when he whispers against my ear amidst a packed train. I also liked his cute and flustered daycare employee cd. HA. SE. BAE.

Mori Ranmaru (VA: Aoi Shouta): None, as far as I know. I think he'd get a kick out of it, though.

Mouri Motonari (VA: Konishi Katsuyuki): None. He does sfw ones? How sfw are Cybird CDs?

Kicho (VA: Kaji Yuuki): None, but I remember he did a mature one where's he's like a yandere and a do-S and just whips you while laughing maniacally. I don't know, that was a long time ago. I didn't even remember if there were ever spicy scenes; I just remember the whipping lol

Ikemen Revolution

This game is, like, the treasure trove of R18 voice actors. 13 out of 17 have done at least one R18 drama cd. Well done, IkeRev!

Lancelot Kingsley (VA: Okamoto Nobuhiko): None, sfw only. He usually uses his cute voice for these CDs.

Jonah Clemence (VA: Hanae Natsuki): Yes, early on. I think he stopped after he married. Listened to two of his CDs, his voice is too soft for my tastes. He does good moaning and whining.

Edgar Bright (VA: Yashiro Taku): see Imagawa Yoshimoto

Zero (VA: Kumagai Kentarou): MY LOVE, MY CURRENT OBSESSION. He does desperate, drugged out, and angry-at-life so well. His moans and kisses are 💯 I prefer his boyishly youthful voice than his deeper one. When he hits that high-pitched whine *chef's kiss* He comes so prettily *dreamy sigh*

Kyle Ash (VA: Furukawa Makoto): What a man, what a voice. Personally I liked his earlier works because there were more variety in the plots and characters, but I think he works best with plotty CDs and/or emotional drama. Rouge et Noir comes to mind; REUNION for the drama. I enjoy the CDs where his voice is cooler, not too high-pitched, not too deep. He sighs when he kisses, and it sounds divine.

Ray Blackwell (VA: Shimono Hiro): He did a few early in the r18 drama cd years. I remember the one where he was a yandere butler. It was also a mobile game, but I didn't know which came first (I think the game). There was also that teacher x student cd. He also did Wasurenagusa as Todo Heisuke iirc.

Sirius Oswald (VA: Suwabe Junichi): None. This man was born with a velvet voice bUT FOR WHAT

Luka Clemence (VA: Enoki Junya): He has a recognizable voice (makes me think of aluminium idkw). He did an angsty incest one and a servant to a lady one. They're okay. His orgasms need more work, though.

Fenrir Godspeed (VA: Kakihara Tetsuya): Semi-active. My fave is the one where he's childhood friends with the MC and has a badboy/playboy rep but he's actually a virgin I think, or at least acts like a blushing maiden when he did it with the MC (who takes control of the sex). He's vocal in this one; he cried at one point because he came prematurely. It's funny and I love it.

Seth Hyde (VA: Murata Taishi): PLEASE. PLEASE LISTEN TO KOIBITO VS NIJIGEN VOL 1. HE'S JEALOUS OF MC'S OSHI LMAO IT'S SO META AND HILARIOUS I LOVE IT.

Harr Silver (VA: Terashima Junta): I'll buy any r18 cd this man makes, period.

Loki Genetta (VA: Murase Ayumu): He did one. Like Hanae, his voice is too soft for my taste. He did, however, once choked on a candy trying to emulate blowjob noises for a BLCD, I don't know what else to tell you.

Blanc Lapin (VA: Shirai Yusuke): CHAOTIC KING. A couple of times, he tried to insert objects up his ass, just to know what it feels like lmao. What dedication. I liked his first R18 otome drama cd where he's a submissive and breedable pirate subordinate (MC is the pirate captain).

Oliver Knight (VA: Hamano Daiki): He did some. Haven't listened to any of them though.

Mousse Atlas (VA: Toki Shunichi): He did one! Around the same time with Yamaya. At the time I was liking him for voicing Ginji in Kakuriyo no Yadomeshi. Haven't listened to it though. Also did a few more.

Dean Tweedle (VA: Wada Masanari): I don't think so.

Dalim Tweedle (VA: Asato Yuya): Ditto.

Ikemen Vampire

5 out of 17. Funny how this is the game where sucking and sexytiems are advertised and yet!

Napoleon Bonaparte (VA: Shimazaki Nobunaga): Not R18 ones, but he did some for Rejet? I don't know.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (VA: Toyonaga Toshiyuki): Sfw only, I think.

Leonardo Da Vinci (VA: Tsuda Kenjiro): None as far as I know.

Arthur Conan Doyle (VA: Kimura Ryohei): None. He does some for Rejet. Wasurenagusa. I love him as Utashiro in Yuugen Romantica!

Vincent van Gogh (VA: Aramaki Yoshihiko): None. I want to listen to his Vincent voice more though. Very soothing, perfect for falling asleep.

Theodorus van Gogh (VA: Sato Hisanori): None. As Theo he should be braver in making sucking noises lmao

Osamu Dazai (VA: Yashiro Taku): see Imagawa Yoshimoto

Isaac Newton (VA: Aoi Shouta): see Mori Ranmaru

Jean d'Arc (VA: Someya Toshiyuki): None. I like the quality of his deep voice though.

William Shakespeare (VA: Hirakawa Daisuke): Yes, plenty, but not as active as before.

Comte de Saint-Germain (VA: Horie Kazuma): Yes, way back when, which explains why he's so good at ear-whispering. I only know he worked for one series (and sequels) where he's a tsundere student council vice president (?). A CONFESSION: I listened to his drama cds when I was writing That Comte Fic in order to capture the mood of the sexual tension.

Sebastian (VA: Morishima Shuta): None. After watching him in Cybird events, I'd probably laugh at him or pity him. I can no longer imagine him doing R18 based on his Cybird hyper host image.

Vlad (VA: Saito Soma): None. Shame. I really want to hear more of Vlad 😏

Johann Georg Faust (VA: Kamio Shinichiro): None. With his voice, I'd rather he read erotica to me.

Charles-Henri Sanson (VA: Kijima Ryuichi): He has one; listened to the samples, his voice here is same as Charles's. Actually, even the character looks like Charles lol. There seems to be a bathtub sex scene there. Or hot spring, I dunno.

Galileo Galilei (VA: Furukawa Makoto): see Kyle Ash

Francis Drake (VA: Hatanaka Tasuku): None, far as I know.

Ikemen Prince

4 out of 13. lol

Leon Dompteur (VA: Katou Kazuki): see Date Masamune

Chevalier Michel (VA: Ono Yuuki): I'm trying to look for any of his works that has Chevalier's timbre but he does more lighter voices! Sad. He did a couple of hardcore ones, but I liked the one where he's a tsundere magician.

Yves Kloss (VA: Uchida Yuuma): None?

Nokto Klein (VA: Eguchi Takuya): He did one a long time ago. It was a hentai game I think, the Queen Bee one? There's a drama cd for that. The characters are all insane if I'm not mistaken.

Licht Klein (VA: Oomi Shoichiro): None.

Clavis Lelouch (VA: Nojima Kenji): It's funny, because his brother had done R18 drama cd BUT HE HASN'T D: EDIT: WAIT WAIT WAIT I THINK HE DID R18 LET ME CONFIRM OH MY GOD EDIT EDIT: I listened to it but – the name credit gave it away – it's not R18 😞 It is, however, a yandere vampire cd so there's ear licking, biting, and blood drinking. But that's it. Sad. He would've been good with r18 >.>

Jin Grandet (VA: Yasumoto Hiroki): He did some, and he's coming back in the bdsm game What in Hell is Bad? !!!!! Haven't listened to any of his CDs though.

Luke Randolph (VA: Yoshitaka Sion): None.

Sariel Noir (VA: Hayami Show): None. I don't know if he does sfw CDs.

Rio Ortiz (VA: Mineta Hiromu): None. He, Oomi, and Yoshitaka are the hosts of IkePri Cybird events; I still see them as kids, I'm leaving them alone.

Silvio Ricci (VA: Satou Takuya): I AM A SHRINE MAIDEN AND HE IS THE GOD I WORSHIP. My all-time fave. I'm willing to make a recommendation list if you ask 😂 He's prolific (!!!!!), I think he's done every character tropes – tsundere, yandere, ore-sama, senpai, kouhai, osananajimi, CEO, do-S, do-M, dom, sub, oniisan, and so on. He's so good and dedicated at capturing character tics?? He slurs his words when he's lust-drunk oh my god. He needs to do more do-M and/or submissive characters pLEASE I NEED IT

Keith Howell (VA: Hatano Wataru): None, sfw only I believe. EDIT: I was told he did R18 games hehehurrr 😏 (thank you for that info!)

Gilbert von Obsidian (VA: Asanuma Shintarou): None.

For the games below I'll just list those who have done R18 drama CDs.

Ikemen Genjiden

Tamamo (VA: Tamaru Atsushi): I got used to his cutesy voice that I forget he's good at deep voices too! My fave of his is Nochikare where he's a wanko-type kouhai, he's so cute there I'd smash a table from so much cute aggression.

Nasu no Yoichi (VA: Suzuki Ryouta): I know he did some before, heard a couple of his. Could've been better. (Tbf, this was during the time when R18 drama CDs were just starting out. So I think many key players were new to it, compared with BLCD.)

Kurama (VA: Morikawa Toshiyuki): I can't have Sephiroth whispering in my ear lol. That aside, I really couldn't imagine him doing R18 because he's known to voice iconic characters. And yet here we are. His Yamazaki Susumu in Wasurenagusa took me out because of his drunk line, "Nyaruhodo." I will never look at Sephiroth the same way again lmao. But yeah, I haven't listened to his works properly because they were made years ago.

Kitsuji Sueharu (VA: Komatsu Shohei): MY NEW FAVE, MY NEW LOVE, MY NEW OBSESSION OH MY GOD?! I haven't bought any of his works (WHICH I SHOULD REMEDY IN THE FUTURE) but from the sample of this one CD I – I JUST. H-He's good. I love the sound of his panting 😭

Ikemen Live

I'd like to mention here that I love KENN's character in Yuugen Romantica. It's not R18, but that is one of the few sfw drama CD series that I listen to and enjoy.

Chigusa Kyouichirou (VA: Itou Kento): Deep voice, cute high-pitched moans! Love him.

Fujishiro Meguru (VA: Kuroda Takaya): Haven't listened to his works yet.

Mashiro Kanade (VA: Fukamachi Toshinari): Only found one, and wow. Gosh. What an aggressive CD 😂

Shinonomi Eisuke (VA: Taniyama Kishou): Len Tsukimori 😭 It's been a while since I listened to him. All I remember is that he also did a vampire drama CD (LOL HE SHOULD'VE BEEN IN IKEVAMP) but I can no longer recall the details.

Tsubaki Makoto (VA: Ono Yuuki): see Chevalier Michel

Ikemen Villains

William Rex (VA: Tachibana Shinnosuke): I AM SO FOND OF HIS VOICE. What's funny is that my favorite works of his are not R18. Wasurenagusa is probably my ultimate fave out of his CDs. Primarily because he used his ax crazy voice there. I AM LIVING FOR HIS AX CRAZY, MANIACAL VOICE. It's *chef's kiss* perfection. He also did one in Midnight Jiang Shis. But for R18 I like his Otona no Meruhen best. He often portrays do-S characters, but I want him to do more do-M.

Harrison Gray (VA: Sugiyama Noriaki): I know a couple! Girl's Therapist where he's a beautician and Otona no Meruhen where he's a tsundere wolfboy. He puts the uke in Sasuke huh lol Recently listened again to his wolfboy cd. It's entertaining enough (the story was more entertaining than the sex scenes lmao [but that's a given in Otona no Meruhen series]).

Roger Barel (VA: Eguchi Takuya): see Nokto Klein

Victor (VA: Takahashi Hiroki): I'm surprised he has one; haven't listened to it though.

So that's it! If you've reached this part, wow congrats I salute you, please don't think of me differently now lmao.

I'm sure more of them have done BLCD, but I'm only familiar with otome drama CDs. Cybird drama CDs may have spicy moments, but since they're using the voice actors' names, I'm pretty sure that they don't include R18 scenes; hence, this list. If you know a voice actor who did an R18 otome drama cd but is listed here as not having one, tell me!

I can't be the only one listening to drama CDs in this fandom, right? Please say hi? 🥹