#they're.... remarkably faithful to the manga

[doctorweebmd]

I started watching bsd cause you post them and it an interesting show I got to the final season and it alright but I like the characters more than I care for the plot but it not bad sskk are soulmates

first of all YESSSSSSS AHHHH I FEEL SO HONERED I LURED YOU IN WELCOME WELCOME THE SOULMATISM IS CONTAGIOUS its the yingyanging. its the rivalry and narrative foilery. i am on my hands and knees LISTEN.

second of all, i wholeheartedly agree with you.

i've actually been thinking about this ask for a few days now - about why bsd feels so weak as a manga/show. i know you didn't ask for this lmao but... rant under cut.

the premise is any literature nerd's wetdream. a world where authors have magical powers, based on their previous works all in search of a blank novel that, when written in, changes the very fabric of reality. there is so much material to draw from, so much that can be done with this concept! but bsd, all in all, falls flat.

the seasons feel disjointed. there's many, MANY glaring plot holes. we know very little about the characters, their thoughts, their feelings, their fears or motivations. the times where the characters actually seem to shine, when we actually get to know them better, are the arcs based on the light novel. Fifteen, Dark Era and Untold Origins of the Detective Agency are all standout 3-episode arcs that add more to the story than the base anime. hell, there is a decent subset of fans that prefer the BEAST light novel alternate universe to original universe (...myself included.)

and honestly, I think that's the answer. asigiri is a short story writer. look at which authors he chooses to have as his main characters. short stories rely on concise narratives, character qualities only being disclosed by actions, and plots that force the readers to look beyond what is simply written. there's a lot we have to infer about the story and characters and thus become active participants in crafting the story itself.

for example, there was a Great War utilizing ability users. We know almost nothing about it, other than it happened 15 years ago. What occurred during this war is a major driving point for many characters motivations/traumas (and may also be the reason that so many of out current main characters are orphans.) Yet, with this in the background, there's a lot of things you can consider - is this why there are so few people with special abilities? were there more before? is that why you can only use your ability in public with a permit? do you have to register than you have an ability? are there people hiding because of their abilities? discriminated against? abused?

i doubt we'll ever know. that's also probably the point.

you can't expect trilogy-level continuity and world building in what, essentially, is a collection of short stories using re-appearing characters. not to say that it's bad, at ALL. but BSD (in my opinion) was meant to be more like a serialized Sherlock Holmes sort of story - just various adventures without any necessity for interconnections. of course, manga doesn't work like that, so we have 12 years of huh?! Asagiri what the HELL are you talking about?! why is there now a random creepy tower in Yokohama? Was Subarachi City there the whole time? Why the fuck are there prison-planes? HOW IS ATSUSHI RELATED TO THE BOOK THATS LITERALLY WHY EVERYONE IS TRYING TO KILL HIM ITS BEEN 12 YEARS THATS YOUR MAIN PLOT DRIVER CAN YOU TELL US ANYTHING. ANYTHING AT ALL. ABOTU THIS FUCKING THIng.

erhem.

it leaves so much unanswered, so much empty space, so few connecting links - and i think that's part of what stimulates the imagination so much. there's so much i need to fill in, so much that i want to see developed that it just HAVE to write for it.

that is in harsh contrast with my hero academia. horikoshi is a brilliant writer and artist and he only continues to get better. he introduced this world to us within the comforts of the shonen genre and decided to subvert each expectation. now that the series is ending, you see things come full circle. what are heroes? what are villains? who determines this? can someone that isn't born 'special' still make important changes in this world? what does it mean to be a victim? is there such a thing as being born evil? there are a lot of fantastic essayists and analysts that can break things down much better than me, but i'm saying all this because the plot is cohesive. the characters are consistent and have demonstrated stupendous growth. everything and everyONE from the story is making an appearance. its incredibly rewarding as a fan to see these 'lose' threads come together. horikoshi writes like a novelist - everything small in the beginning adds up to something grand in the end.

anyway, i say all this because: when i started writing for my hero academia, it was at the end of the 4th season. heroes rising was just coming out. we had JUST learned that izuku had more than one quirk. deku vs kacchan part 2 was, at that point, the most positive interaction izuku and katsuki had. we had NO idea what the future would look like for any of these kids. but we all that the inkling of something bigger, something GREATER. so many fandom favorites started around this time - because it sparked the imagination!

and, in all honestly, the way in which horikoshi is wrapping up this story is stupendous. there's nothing for me to fill in. it feels complete and resolved in a lot of ways. although i do miss writing for them, i'm satisfied with this outcome.

....this is an extremely extremely long way to say, ugh, i LOVE BSD, and it would be SO GOOD if it was good. alas. thank you for watching it i am truly sorry and/or blessed

[icarianarts]

More about me under the cut! ;P

Icarian • he/they/she (no preference) • transsexual • 21 y/o

I'm a Graphic Design Major ^_^

A running joke about me is a lot of my points of interest reflect that of a cishet boy but I promise I am normal about everything I get into. I may talk about some things more than others because I get embarrassed with what I like easily, but here's a general list!

General Movies + TV Shows

• Seinfeld

• The Birdcage

• The Yellow Submarine

• The Muppets

• The Shrek series (Unironically, whenever I talk about Shrek it is never for the meme, but for my love of the movies and characters.)

Various Adam Sandler movies + things that are so bad they're good, if that makes any sense. I love regularly watching tacky things that were poorly produced and/or written. Pretty much anything I can commentate on easily with my friends and complain about lightly LOL

Anime + Manga

• Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Parts 1 + 3 + 6 are usually my areas of focus, but I have read all of it up to 9, which I've yet to really dive into.)

• Dragon Ball (Childhood interest of mine, I haven't watched the series regularly or have drawn fanart regularly since I was 14 or so. Hilariously, I still find myself to this day getting into conversations surrounding it so I might as well include it!)

• Berserk (I LOVE PUCK ^_^)

• Devilman (Obligatory post-Berserk catch up read so I could see the elements Miura was inspired by.)

Video Games

• Pretty much most Nintendo games, I have a baseline knowledge of everything under that company's label. (Focus on Pokémon + Mario + Kid Icarus + etc. it'll be glaringly obvious what my favorites are just by checking my old smash bros ultimate tags...)

• Mega Man Classic

• Second Life + VR Chat (If you ever consider wanting to play any of these games, feel free to shoot me an ask or DM if you'd like an insider's explanation on what the scene is like on them! I can go into great detail the amount of stories I have accumulated from my excursions, all the good and the bad LMAO)

• Genshin Impact (I do not engage with the fanbase, and find a lot of the fans genuinely exhausting to be around. While it is no worse than The Legend of Zelda with its issues, the fans remarkably make it so much more agonizing to talk about.)

• Ball Gay 3

Miscellaneous

• I love the Abrahamic Faiths and sometimes post about my experiences struggling in queer spaces predominantly ran by culturally christian white atheists who choose to say all organized faith is inherently bad and perpetuate the "queer vs. religion" issue.

• I went to a Japanese immersion school from the ages 5 through 11 and have been casually keeping up with the language since!

• I love classic country and folk rock. When I say I like country, I specifically mean the genre and general scene behind country that predates the 9/11 shift in music. I also (embarrassingly) know a shit ton of Beatles trivia. John Denver is my favorite music artist.

...and much more I am probably forgetting to list out! I am critical of all my interests, so please do not be presumptuous. Ultimately, I consider a lot of "Fandom DNI" things to be hypocritical and performative in the sense that it eliminates any nuance.

Simply put, I will just block you if you are someone who refuses to have any critical thinking skills...that being said, given how tumblrinas seem to be incapable of figuring out what that means, here is a brief rundown of what I that tends to encapsulate. LMAOOOOOO

No stupid discourse No creeps No "it's just fictional!" No whatever I deem to be genuinely sickening I know "DNI" pages are performative and areas for people to flaunt their basic morality but lately I have had to block so many people I feel as though I need to put a typical warning up so. You Know. Gestures Vaguely. For Genshin Fans specifically coming to my blog know I do not put up with any ship remotely creepy. I see a good portion of the "short" character model characters as children, and genuinely cannot "unsee" it. This is not something to argue in my asks about. Just leave me alone, I do not participate in the fandom for a reason.

[sevrai]

Took a break from silly toku shows to watch Monster and Pluto with Hayley. She read both manga years ago but this was my first exposure to Urasawa. Been wanting to get into them for a long time but never got around to it until now.

They're both really good. Pluto was definitely more to my personal tastes but I loved both stories a lot. The productions on both was great, too. Monster holds up well and Pluto had a lot of love put into it, (and showed remarkable restraint with CGI use.)

I adored Atom/Astro's characterization especially. I really liked the mix of endearing cuteness and thoughtful maturity. I found myself comparing him to how I want to write Ixis.

I don't have as much meaningful analysis or thoughts to air as I would like. Past me would probably have a lot more to say, but would also probably find a lot of the storytelling and themes lost on him. I never was the most media illiterate fellow, and it took me a shameful amount of time to become more interested in stories that don't consist of magic and fights.

I wonder if 20th Century Boys will ever get an animated adaption as faithful as these two before I get around to trying to read it...

(Now if you'll excuse me my wife and I are going to transition from traumatic character-exploration thrillers into Samurai Sentai Shinkenger lmao)

EDIT: I also feel like noting that Pluto worked well as a gateway drug in getting me to look up Astro Boy omnibus prices and grab a torrent of the 2003 series. I got my fill of Urasawa suspense but I need more little robot bastard fun in my veins.

[kyouka-supremacy]

Honestly, i don't want a stormbringer anime adaptation, i love the light novel sm (chuuya stan here) and i'm afraid of an adaptation, what if they animate like shit an important scene? or one not so important but that I like a lot? :( and if they skip something? they would definitely skip something :(( But yk what i'd love? A stormbringer manga, if it's with hoshikawas art even better! :)

Oh OH I'D PAY MONEY TO READ AN HOSHIKAWA STORMBRINGER MANGA. It doesn't even feel *that* unlikely, I really hope they continue the trend of adapting light novels as manga because it's such a wonderful way to experience the stories (and I mean Hoshikawa's art style. c'mon. it's something else.). I do agree manga is the optimal medium for novels adaptations as it's often the most faithful to the original story and even leaves space for new interesting expansions!! Like how Fifteen gave us an insight of how Mori and Dazai met for the first time with the Fifteen manga, I found it such an interesting new puzzle piece to better understand what their relationship used to be like.

I do feel like they will adapt Storm Bringer to anime at some point; I mean, they already adapted Stormbringer in all the ways they could, and the anime production LOVES Chuuya fanservice. Anime-style Verlaine even appeared in the April Fools special, so you know. Also this. Maybe for the second half of this season if they're really going to divide it in two cours like people have speculated. But I hope not, looking at the length of the novel alone it's true it seems way too long of a story to adapt it within a season without cutting too many scenes... Maybe they'll make a movie out of it, but it's hard to tell if they'd invest on that. It's unheard of to me for anime movies adapt novels which are an uncertain investment, opposite to movies like Dead Apple that have the added value of being a brand new story people are curious to learn about. Then again Stormbringer is remarkably popular so! who knows!

I know it can get upsetting to get an unfaithful adaptation– trust me, I really get it! But I think a trimmed adaptation is still better than no adaptation at all? Like look at Untold Origins, it left out so many compelling details and aspects of Ranpo's characterization (and, by the look of it, a lot of Fukuzawa internal screaming lol). But would you rather have gone without it? As bad as the sb adaptation could be we'd still at least learn what Verlaine sounds like and watch him being fabulous in animation‚ which I guess is a win!! But maybe take my words with a grain of salt, I know very little about sb to begin with. Anyways shout-out to Stormbringer Chuuya in Hoshikawa's art style

[katie5000]

Ok, here's episode 7 from OP's blog. This one didn't piss me off quite as much.

One comment was on how Wolfwood and Vash don’t need to become friends since it is Wolfwood’s job to take Vash to Knives.  That is totally correct - however, the ‘98 anime and manga both make it a point that Wolfwood and Vash become friends as it adds to their character development.

And I still think they're gonna go in this direction. Be patient. There's three or four episodes left, at least in this season.

The episode starts off with everyone panicking as the Sandsteamer is off course and under attack.  And it is heading straight for Hopeland.  Cue Wolfwood panic even further!  The map labels the Hopeland Orphanage but the dialogue indicates it is also a town.

There was a small town at the base of the cliff in the prior episode's flashback.

Honestly, it would have been best to label it as the town of Hopeland and note it has an orphanage through context than making that the key landmark.

That's fair.

The original stated that the Church orphanage is located 300 iles from December according to Wolfwood.

It did. But again, this series is not that series.

Again, the fight sequence between Wolfwood and Livio is brutal and the July MPs remark that the two of them are monsters.

Well, yeah. What would you think if you grew up knowing nothing about Lost Tech or weird cults, and then found yourself watching two men with overpowered guns shoot the shit out of each other only to immediately heal themselves right after? They understandably noped the fuck out of there.

While this is happening, the Bad Lads gang is raiding the Sand steamer and not really doing that much honestly.  They are doing a hit and run.  No B.D.N. - personal sadness.

I have to admit, I was also disappointed that he wasn't there. I thought for sure that there would be a standoff between he and Vash while Wolfwood fought with Livio.

We had more 2D flashbacks about them and Wolfwood is resolved to take him out by insulting him and pretending him like he does care.

You mean "pretending like he doesn't care." Otherwise this sentence makes no sense.

Anyway, Wolfwood is trying to steel his resolve to do something that he doesn't want to do, but feels he has to do.

...when he goes to shoot him at point blank range, his shot is knocked off course and destroys Zazie’s monitoring insect. This is where he turns to Vash in shock, since this is one of the few times Vash has fired his gun in the entire series...

And now that Wolfwood knows that the insect was there, it becomes clear to him why Livio was there - meeting him was no coincidence.

Vash keeps pushing him to try to find a way to connect with Livio...

And Wolfwood listens. Wolfwood watches Livio change the magazine in his gun using a characteristic flick of his wrist. There is a flashback that shows kid Wolfwood doing this same thing with a cigarette lighter to show off for kid Livio. Kid Livio is impressed and attempts it himself, but can't do it. In the present, Wolfwood takes out his cigarette lighter and flips it the same way, in an attempt to connect with Livio again. It works, at least partially.

But all of the brainwashing from the Eye of Michael kicks in and he staggers about pointing his guns at Roberto, Meryl, Vash and Wolfwood . . . before he snaps and shoots himself in the head and falls off the steamer.

Okay, I have to admit this shocked me the first time I saw it.

Wolfwood is clearly concerned and looks over the railing and notices a car that he knows is likely Legato and others. 

..."Clearly concerned?" Wolfwood is freaking distraught - even he's not sure that Livio could heal from a head wound. But yeah, he sees that car, and that just confirms that none of it was coincidence.

Legato...state[s] that Wolfwood’s ‘lack of faith’ is an issue and in order to get him to serve Knives better they need to destroy everything he cares about; Livio and the orphanage. Once Wolfwood no longer has these important connections, it will be no problem to control him...

Jesus Christ, OP, and you were saying just last week that you missed Legato's sadistic tendencies. Well, there they are.

...In the last episode we already had Legato establish that this version of Wolfwood has a very strong will and attachment to others...

And this is what Legato is trying to break. Legato had nothing as a broken man himself until Knives came along, and then Knives became his everything. Now he assumes that if he can get Wolfwood into a state where he has absolutely nothing as a broken man, then he will make Knives his everything as well.

What is throwing me for a loop is that Legato is the ‘religious’ one in this version.  That was squarely Wolfwood’s thing in the manga and ‘98 anime.

Not necessarily. In Trimax, Legato says that when Knives spared him and allowed him to tag along after destroying the town he lived in, he was "born anew" or "born again" - an interesting choice of words.

He seems to (based on his dialogue) believe that faith in something is greater than emotions.  Yet, in this episode, we do get some actual anger from him in his voice as well as a more sinister facial expression indicating our bad boy has emotions.

Legato wants to believe that his faith is all he needs, and that everything else (including emotion) is unimportant. But I would imagine that from time to time he "slips" and his emotions get the better of him - he is not as "devout" as he'd like to be.

(Incidentally, this is probably the "good word" that Legato talks about wanting to spread - if one just has enough faith, one doesn't need anything else anymore. Not emotions, not attachments, not anything. However, this line of thinking only serves to betray Legato's underlying trauma and mental instability.)

He seems to be going through somewhat villain motions...

What do you mean, "somewhat"?? He's absolutely going through "villain" motions. Everything he's done so far has been villainous.

I’m also missing his Knives worship.  We have no indication that he’s a man craving validation from a person he’s obsessed with.  Granted, we didn’t get that early on either, but he made it clear he was there for Knives’ agenda.

I mean, he's made that clear here, too. Legato outright states in the previous episode that Wolfwood will be the "Punisher" of heretics in Knives' noble plan, and you even said yourself, OP, that Legato is trying to destroy everything Wolfwood cares about so that he will serve Knives better.

As for Knives worship, well. The official website quite literally states in Legato's character profile that he worships Knives like a god - just because we haven't seen it yet doesn't mean it's not there at all. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing Legato interact more directly with Knives soon.

Part 2.

[a-crimson-dawn]

who are your top ten favorite characters and ships (romantic or platonic)? talk about them!

Oh, hello there, anon! I'd love to talk about them.

I might just make separate lists for both of them.

Except for the first ship on the romantic ships list, none of these are in any particular order.

-:[ Platonic Ships ]:-

1 || Julius Novachrono & William Vangeance

I mean, Julius was the one who helped William finally live outside of the noble household that was so cruel to him by inviting him in his squad, and he gave him a mask, seeing that the boy was insecure about his face. Clearly, he still cares for William despite what he has done, since he's willing to give William a second chance and even tries to take some of the blame for what has happened, and this sort of unconditional fatherly love is really sweet to see.

William clearly respects and admires Julius. Outside of the anime and manga, he also says this in the Book of Yuno, and he's got plenty of reason to do so. Despite initially having called Julius' mask tacky himself, it is clearly dear to him, as when Yami remarks that it's weird when the two first meet he mentions that the mask was a gift so the remark kind of bothered him. It's also partly for Julius that William becomes a captain and makes a squad that would protect the kingdom (though also doom it later).

It's a pity he didn't have more faith in Julius, since the consequences of the reincarnation could have been avoided if he had, but it makes sense why he didn't - at least to me. I mean, having seen and experienced everything he has, would make it hard to trust people, even those he loved. I find it hard to trust people and I haven't had to deal with half the stuff William has.

To me, Julius is William, Yami's and maybe Marx's adoptive dad and you can't convince me otherwise. Man, it must have been hard being a parent for two of those.

2 || William Vangeance & Patri

They clearly have a good understanding of what the other has gone through, and have spent a lot of time together. William seems to think of Patri as a brother and Patri remarks that William is his only human friend. Even though their brotherhood is kind of tainted by all the bloodshed and the devils' manipulations and the fact that their emotions can influence each other, which kind of takes away some of their autonomy and choice from them, at the end of the day they decided to share the same body rather than one person controlling it all the time, allowing each other as much freedom as they could get. Patri clearly still cares for William - even though he's been pushed back into the background for this arc - as he does go to Spade to save him and I'll be annoyed if this disappointing arc doesn't at least end with Patri being the one to hug William instead of the other way around as was done in the reincarnation arc.

3 || William Vangeance & Yuno

Granted, they only really talk much in the light novel, and once in the manga/anime, but William does defend Yuno in front of Alecdora during the dungeon arc which served him no purpose, and in the light novel they did talk quite a bit. I get the vibe like he's more of the screw up older brother figure to Yuno than anything, Yuno on the other hand respects William a lot and is certainly eager to save him. Personally, I actually find William and Yuno's relationship to be more wholesome than Yami and Asta's (even with William's betrayal) because well, first Yami got introduced to Asta he looked like he might actually kill him and he's looked that way on several occasions afterward too. Not just in the anime either.

4 || Kirsch Vermilliion & Mimosa Vermillion

I love how Mimosa just disses Kirsch all the time, and then finally acknowledges him after he acknowledges commoners. They're also some of the more relatable sibling duos in anime.

5 || Mereoleona Vermillion & Fuegoleon Vermillion

Especially with the anime-only episodes I really get the sense that those two truly have the kind of relationship most siblings have. They'll fight each other and for each other, they're loyal to one another but they won't hesitate to talk sh-t about each other. Or in the very least, it's the sibling relationship I and some people I know probably relate to most in real life. All three of the fire Vermillions in general have a much more healthier relationship than say... the Silvas.

6 || Noelle Silva & Kahono

I mean, in western stories, female friends are usually either bitchy or they're purely there to talk love-interests with. Kahono on the other hand helps Noelle gain confidence, helps her train, and she has goals of her own, that actually don't appear to - for now - include any romance. Noelle may have been understandably a little thrown about the fact that Kahono had omitted some pretty useful information and upset that she had to fight her, but came around eventually as it hardly made Kahono her enemy. Neither of them are toxic to each other, they respect and help each other.

7 || Noelle Silva & Vanessa Enoteca

Vanessa's basically the older sister to Noelle, even if she can be irresponsible. She tries to help find a magical item to aid Noelle with her control, she tries to "help" Noelle find swimwear - even if I question her choice - and again, she's not just there to bitch or talk about boys.

8 || Finral Roulacase & Vanessa Enoteca

Honestly, those two prove that you can have a platonic relationship with the opposite sex that is still fun and fulfilling. Granted, I love them as a romantic ship too, but, as friends, they are just as wholesome together.

Vanessa is one of the ones who encourage Finral the most, and she's also the one who styled his hair for the tournament arc. I feel like outside of Asta and Finesse she probably values and respects Finral as a person the most. Or at least, she doesn't just use him for transportation, unlike Yami. XD

Those two are also great friends to have overall. Finral tends to see the good in people and is willing to save them even if they've screwed up previously, and Vanessa is encouraging and chill, giving people confidence.

9 || Finral Roulacase & Langris Vaude

Granted, they're less wholesome, but while Langris is a sassy bastard of a brother, I feel that in every family there are favourites, even if it's less obvious than with Langris and Finral, so in a very small way their circumstances are mildly relatable. It's also wholesome to see Finral go above and beyond for his brother and even Langris kind of comes around in the end, in his own way... hopefully Langris will learn to be less of a shit to Finral, but honestly, siblings being assholes to each other sometimes is a thing in real life too. Plus, Langris being there gives Finral a rival to strive to surpass or at least match and, like, not everyone's rival has to be Asta, right? Also I love the wholesome brother art...

10 || Mereoleona Vermillion & Noelle Silva

I mean, I loved the pep talk that Fuegoleon gave Noelle, but Mereoleona just kind of did more, telling Noelle about her mother and everything. And Noelle seems to be the only person who Mereoleona softens up around. Like, with everyone else it's tough-love, but then with Noelle, if you haven't noticed she's a lot nicer...? I found this very entertaining, but also... good for Noelle, you know? She's the big sister Noelle should have had.

---

-:[ Romantic Ships ]:-

Not all of these will be canon. Sorry but not sorry, that's just the way I roll.

1 || William Vangeance x Mereoleona Vermillion | Merilliam

I'm not sure if you've noticed... but I kind of ship them. Kind of very. Okay, they're my comfort ship and my 60% of why I stick around in the fandom. They're also the only William and Mereoleona ships I ship.

I find the idea entertaining. After all they're very different people, with different personalities that normally probably wouldn't get together. That's half the fun of it, though. It's what makes the ship interesting, for me.

While it started out as a crack ship, mostly because the only interaction those two have is an argument in the book of Yuno, it quickly became a serious ship. There was just something wholesome about the fiery lioness getting with the smol birb boi and even though I can't say I can do this ship justice, it's still a nice thought. And even if I can't make it wholesome, I'll certainly try to make whatever fanwork for them as humorous as possible.

Also, I enjoy when the typical roles are reversed, with the female being the tall one in the relationship and the male being the shorter one, the female being the cocky meathead and the male being the insecure sensible (sans the whole elf thing) one. It's a refreshing change from the usual, popular Wattpad dynamics, certainly.

William also just comes off as someone who would probably rather have someone assertive to make much of the decisions for him - he's probably had enough decision-making to last a lifetime - and Mereoleona seems like that assertive person. And while she isn't cheerful per se, she can be enthusiastic... and apparently she can smile too. Besides, she doesn't appear to care about how people look, so she wouldn't mind his face.

I'm not saying I think they should become canon - I'm not going to delude myself into thinking they will (for one, there is what happened with Fuegoleon, also with the kingdom and for another, they are side-side characters that don't get that much panel time in the manga, certainly not compared to the Black Bulls, who are far more likely to be a part of endgame couples, and even with them, with Black Clover being an action shounen first and foremost that's not necessarily going to happen... and of course, no matter how I try to reason it, Mereoleona and William don't match each other's descriptions of an ideal partner as much Asta matches Noelle's likes, and Charlotte and Yami match their descriptions...) - just that to me, at least out of canon, it would kind of make sense if the elf stuff didn't happen. Plus, how many people actually end up with the type of person they describe wanting to be with while they are single... one that matches the description to a T? Methinks not many, but what do I know.

2 || Dorothy Unsworth x Nozel Silva | NoDo? Dodo?

I did say I liked role reversal, in this case, that still kind of stands... Nozel would be the tsundere in the relationship instead of Dorothy, after all. Even if he's also the taller one. Besides, as the Silva secret keeper and someone who would therefore know Nozel better than a lot of people, I reckon they are already closer than Nozel's attitude might suggest. I mean, he even treated his rival and cousin's cousin, Fuegoleon, with coldness even if he tried to avenge him. I also love the sunshine x raincloud dynamics they have. I was going to crack a joke about rainbows but mid typing it out I forgot what it was...

Besides, Noelle can only benefit from having an older sister in the family that's nice to her... you know, if the two get together in the end... > >

It's unlikely to happen since they aren't the Black Bulls and therefore aren't the fandom's favourite and since they're quite a minor ship compared to Charmi/Yamichar or Astelle, but I still hope that this one ends up becoming an actual thing. Granted, there aren't many hints towards it, but it would be sweet if it happened.

Plus, imagine the entertainment value of such a ship. I love how she views him with rose-tinted glasses... it could be interesting to see her react when someone tells her that, no, actually, Nozel can be a bit of a douchenozzle. But this also makes me think that she's seen a kinder side to Nozel that most people haven't, otherwise I have no idea where she got the idea from that Nozel would be super affectionate. Clearly not Noelle, she was freaked out by that Nozel.

3 || Secre Swallowtail x Patri

The two went through the very same event, knew the same people, lost the same people, and suffered greatly for it. Granted, their experiences still weren't the same because Patri was manipulated by the devil and it was his whole tribe that was massacred, sans Tetia and one child, and Secre was turned into a bird and had no idea if her sealing Tetia's wound would actually work, though it fortunately did, but regardless, I'd say that would give them something to bond over.

Since the two are quieter people, and they both are linked to Licht's descendents in Elysia, I feel like Secre has at least some reason to hang around Elysia from time to time after the Spade arc and supposing the two survive... maybe they could hang about some more. I mean, 500 years ago, they wouldn't have been that different in age - I assume Secre would have been like 17 (she already had her grimoire and her human body was noted to be around 17 since she got unsealed from the bird mode and 18 in the spade arc) and Patri was like 15, and they're not too far apart now either, so they could at least be friends. I also don't think Secre is as much of a grudge holder as Patri is... probably fortunate for Patri otherwise he'd get pecked into the next century by Nero for everything that he did, whether the devil was involved or not... so yeah.

4 || Nebra Silva x Zora Ideale

Both of these people are kind of sassy and bitchy, so it almost feels like they deserve each other. Besides, it would be interesting to see two people who should loathe each other given their views be attracted to each other and struggle with their feelings. Also, imagine how their captains would react to seeing the two together... Nozel's reaction would be priceless, I'll bet!

5 || Langris Vaude x Vanessa Enoteca

Honestly, I just think this would be a hilarious ship. With Vanessa's loose attitude to life, while Langris seems more conservative, and with the sass they'd both be capable of, those interactions could be gold. Plus, Langris being as short as he is, he'd be the short person in the relationship, and I think I already mentioned how much I liked shorter guys being paired with taller gals? If Finral were to end up with Finesse, I might be willing to accept it if I still had this ship to ship.

6 || Finral Roulacase x Vanessa Enoteca

As much as it probably won't end up being endgame now... I would have loved for it to be.

I mean, the two already had such a wholesome friendship, and Vanessa did even kinda' flirt with Finral back in sea bed temple arc - granted, flirting seems to be Vanessa's second language, but still...

The two work just so well as a team, and I would loved for them to work out as a couple too.

7 || Gauche Adlai x Grey

I mean, their interaction in episode 150 was kind of sweet, if also very weird, thanks to Gauche's sister complex. And Grey's worry for Gauche in the Spade arc is also really touching, as well as the fact that Gauche - granted, because of Marie, but still - saved Grey. And, he, Grey and Gordon seem to hang around quite a bit, so they were closer than most of the Black Bulls were to Gauche even before the Spade Arc.

8 || Solid Silva x Alecdora Sandler

They're trashy people, but they're trashy people who have paid for their trashiness in one way or another, and are improving steadily. So why not just put two pieces of trash in the one bin? Also, I swear those two would totally sit at a bar in Clover for hours, trashing Yuno and Noelle together behind their backs...

Also, I dunno about you, but Alecdora strikes me to be about as straight as a circle... it's just something about him. Something to do with him being more of a simp towards his captain than anyone else.

9 || Luck Voltia x Helene Barbary

I get that it was one mixer episode, but there was a glimmer of hope that I had when I saw the two interact. Granted, nothing came out of it, but damn... even a friendship would have been nice to see between the two. I mean, I get that Luck would have mostly just wanted to spar with Helene, but maybe if she'd indulged him, who knows... the scissor magic looks like it might have even been useful amongst the magic knights. I mean, sealing magic ended up being more useful than Secre at first thought.

10 || Rill Boismortier x Charmy Pappitson

I prefer this ship to the Yuno x Charmy ship, mostly because I just don't think that there is anything there really between them except Charmy's delusion and her love of food. Whereas Rill and Charmy both prefer things that could be viewed as more artistic, are cheerful and upbeat in nature, get obsessed to the point of irresponsibility, are the same age as each other, and are similarly magically gifted. Charmy also doesn't simply save Rill's food, she saves his colleagues from him when he gets possessed by an elf and then him when the place they are in starts collapsing in on itself, essentially. It doesn't feel so much as comic relief - although it does have comedic aspects to it, which can be good too - as Rill's genuine crush. And the two seem to get on pretty well in Heart Kingdom. If nothing else, they would have a great friendship, but really I hope that, if any Charmy ship becomes endgame, it's this one.

---

Add on

-:[ Favourite characters ]:-

Only the first one is my top favourite, the others are in no particular order and are just part of my second tier favourites.

1 || William Vangeance

Complicated characters - especially screw ups - are amongst my favourites, I can't help it. I love his dynamics with other characters, I find him to be a sympathetic character based on his past, his motivations for what he does, the fact that he does possess a consience unlike some other traitors, and the fact that he is willing to redeem himself. Granted, he made a choice, but at the same time there were various things that factored into it and personally, in his place I doubt I could have made a better choice. Given his experiences, of course he would lack a general faith in humans, and considering that he spent the previous ten years protecting Clover and the immediately started making up for his betrayal, I don't think he's irredeemable. Nor do I think that he should be killed off.

Furthermore, I love his design - it just works so well with his character, it's one of my favourites in the series - and his magic, which is both gorgeous but also really useful. His interactions with other characters tend to be either entertaining or wholesome, and I really, really hope that he manages to come out of this arc alive.

He's also my comfort character.

2 || Mereoleona Vermillion

I love her design, her magic and her devil-may-care attitude. Her character doesn't revolve around a crush, she's not really a tsundere, but she's also not soft and sweet and overall I just don't think that there are many Mereoleona Vermillions in fiction just in general. Besides, while she is very clearly a Vermillion, she is not her brothers and is a distinct character separate from them. She could have so easily just been Fuegoleon's replacement, but luckily for us, she wasn't. She's also been a pretty good mentor to the rookies, having enabled them to train and get more powerful in a way that isn't just getting power-ups in the middle of battle. And with her, Yami truly trained for like the first time since the series started. And the second time he trained was with her too. So I would say that the Black Bulls are lucky as hell that they've got her around.

3 || Kahono

She's a great friend, she has her own - pretty realistic, actually - goals and her design and magic are interesting. Also, her interactions with others were amusing, and I just think she's a very sweet girl. I'd love to see her around more often.

4 || Secre Swallowtail

I prefer quieter, more reserved characters, so of course I like Secre. Also, her design - the dark hair and the blood red eyes is pretty cool. And her bird form is kind of cute. I can't help but want to hug her for what she had to endure 500 years ago, yet she's managed to stand strong and move on from that and for that I admire her.

5 || Vanessa Enoteca

Vanessa's a great cheerleader and big sister figure, she's amusing, she's sweet, and sympathetic, strong, but not violent. Helps balance out the female aggressiveness that Noelle and Mereoleona bring to the anime. I'm not terribly fond of her clothes, to be honest, but her hat and her cat is cute and her magic is very interesting. Plus, her friendship with Finral is sweet.

6 || Yuno

Again, I like quiet and reserved characters. Yuno was the one who got me invested in this series, not Asta. For me, Asta was a bit too loud and obnoxious. Yuno helped balanced that out and tied me over until I managed to find more favourites amongst the wonderful cast of characters in Black Clover. I like his sass, his cool attitude, his friendly rivalrly with Asta, some of his lines and his magic. But I also like his more emotional side, and I wish "crybaby" Yuno was around just a little bit more often.

7 || Langris Vaude

Who needs sodium chloride when you've got Langris Vaude? Okay, bad joke, but the point is that I love this salty bastard even though he's a wee shit who deserves to be smacked around a bit. It will also never stop entertaining me that he's one of the shortest guys in Clover. But I do love his design, his development - in the anime, the manga just decided "who needs development anyway, this is the golden dawn we're talking about, fuck those guys" - and his interactions with others. He also lights a fire under the Black Bulls and I think people who antagonise them help them improve as both people and magic knights, so... he's useful in that sense, at least. And it's pretty clear to me how he came to be the way that he is - the combination of a toxic household with terrible parents and the elf soul inside him probably didn't help with his arrogance or his tendency for violent solutions.

8 || Finral Roulacase

He's sweet, he's helpful, he might be coward, but he's come along way since the start from Black Clover and I'd love to see him continue to grow as a person and a mage. It's a shame that he hasn't really had much of a chance to shine in this arc. That said, he was the first one to claim the Black Bulls to all be good people, and I love his interactions with others. He also didn't simply gave up on his salty little brother, which is really touching. Not everyone would have been willing to save him. And I like his pacifist nature.

9 || Patri

Like William, he's complicated and a sympathetic character with a great design and great magic. I loved his introduction in the dubbed version of the anime and honestly, he was definitely one of the better Black Clover antagonists. At the same time, I'm glad to have him on our side, I just wish he wasn't turned into a background character in this arc.

10 || Nacht Faust

Another salty bean. I loved him since the moment he said "I hate Yami" and he's grown even more on me since those magic words.

[phantom-of-nrc]

Hi, may i get a Twisted Wonderland matchup please?

I'm 5'6, virgo, infp, true neutral and my pronouns are she/her.

I have a dark skin tone, long purple hair, freckles on the cheeks and brown eyes. I can be both introverted and extroverted, it depends on the person I'm interacting with, for example with my friends i'm always cheerful, but with strangers i'm usually quiet and shy. I have a sarcastic sense of humor and i'm pretty chill in general; i'm also super clingy and i love giving hugs!

Another thing is that i don't have self esteem at all and i'm always negative about myself, buuut i'm trying to be more confident and positive, even if it's pretty difficult. I am never motivated to do anything, and when i have something important to do i always do it at the last minute, that's another bad habit that i should fix. I consider myself a good listener, and i'm happy to help the people i care about with they're issues, or cheer them up when they're sad, with good advices and a lot of affection. I really dislike crowded places, loud people and being the centre of attention; I also tend to overthink, and i daydream quite a lot. My main hobbies are napping, drawing, wasting time on social media and playing video games. Random things i like: sweets, pastel colors, listening to music 24/7, telling jokes (especially bad ones), drawing on rainy days and headpats. Sorry for the messy description, thank you very much for the matchup!!💞

-🎀

ℌ𝔬𝔴 ℭ𝔬𝔪𝔢?

🍀 Well, well! Looks like you’ve got the resident smug trickster big brother of Heartslabyul! You like sweets? Our dear Clover is just the right person for you! Riddle does rely on him whenever Unbirthday parties, tea parties and similar occasions that come up! As a bonus, *pats Trey’s head* this closet chaotic big brother of little siblings and Heartslabyul comes from a family that owns a bakery!

🍀 You like headpats? He’ll give you headpats. Now that I think about it.. You two might seem like one of those cute manga couples I see in Pinterest at first glance.. Being clingy and having a fondness for hugs, Trey wouldn’t mind it! He finds this trait of yours cute. Aren’t you two just a cute fluffy couple? Just make sure to prepare for Trappola’s teasing and Rook’s monologues of your beautiful relationship with Trey. The hunter’s bound to see your loving cuddle sessions and cute bonding moments with the Vice Dorm Leader of Heartslabyul.. Consider yourself dubbed as the Maiden of Roses by Rook! (In French, of course! One cannot trust shady translators...)

🍀 You like telling jokes? Trey likes to joke too! Except.. People tend to take him seriously when he was just joking.. Or is he..? The two of you are like.. The embodiment of types of bad jokes. Him being like the representative of jokes that just seems serious that people take him seriously and you being the representative of bad jokes that are bound to lure a fond smile from Trey’s lips. He can’t help it. You’re just so wholesome to him, especially when you tell bad jokes!

🍀 Of course, Trey is bound to find your hobby for drawing, especially once rain has decided to come and grace NRC with its presence. Trust me when I say, he’ll be curious of all the drawings you’ve drawn. However, the choice to show him your works or not is entirely up to you, whether you’re comfortable or not! If you decided to show him your drawings, he’d be delighted! He’d talk about your drawings with you, perhaps share some memories of his little siblings that drew for him back then. Perhaps one day, you’d be drawing something for Trey with the help of his little siblings.. If you’re comfortable with it, of course! If you’re not comfortable with showing your drawings, it’s alright!

🍀 Sarcastic sense of humor? Trey would definitely enjoy that! Perhaps it might lead to a light-hearted teasing between lovers! You’re napping? There comes our beloved Trey! He’d offer his uniform jacket/coat as a blanket for you, carry you somewhere more comfortable or just make sure you’re napping comfortably in general.

🍀 Seeing that you’ve mentioned about having no self-esteem, trying to gain confidence (honestly, we’re on the same boat in this one. Cheers!) Trey would be there by your side, helping you in your journey of finding your confidence! He’d be there to offer words of encouragements, give you a gentle nudge to take a step forward to finding confidence in yourself. Trey would be there for you in every step. Have faith in yourself, you’re worthy and you’re beautiful! Trey thinks so too. If you ever say anything negative about yourself, Trey would be there to say otherwise!

🍀 A bad habit of procrastination? That won’t do.. Whenever Trey catches you unmotivated, he’d try to provide motivation for you! How about once you finish the activity you’re supposed to do, he’d bake you something? What would you like? A pie? A tart? Make sure to brush your teeth afterwards though!

🍀 Trey wouldn’t really mind your dislike in crowds, loudness and being the center of attention. If anything, once he notices your discomfort, he’d try to excuse the two of you out of the area. Heartslabyul can be very lively with the parties.

🍀 Your caring and helpful nature would earn you a reputation as the mama or big sister figure among the people close to you, perhaps it wouldn’t be long until you and Trey would earn the reputation of fluffy couple.. Expect Ace Trappola to make a remark on how the two of you act like a happy married couple—

🍀 You being a Virgo and Trey being a Scorpio is a plus. Virgos and Scorpios are compatible!

𝔐𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤:

The Rose Kingdom. That was where the two of you had met. In his homeland.

  Whether a tourist or a local in his hometown, there was one thing that you’re sure of. The craving for something sweet. The sky above was clear and blue as the sun casted its warmth upon the world. It wasn’t too hot, nor too cold. The weather was perfect. It seems like today would be a good day to search for something to eat. And so, you set on a small journey to find either a bakery or a candy shop to buy sweets. 

  It didn’t take long until the smell of freshly baked pastries reached your sense of smell, beckoning you to find the source of the smell. And so you did. Following the smell of freshly-baked pastries, you found yourself in front of a cake shop. Looking through the windows of the cake shop, you found your craving for sweets grow stronger. The sweet smell of freshly-baked pastries matched the pleasing presentation of each baked products. From tarts to cakes, they all looked delicious. 

  Entering the cake shop, you found yourself walking towards the counter. There, you found an ivy-green haired man, his mustard yellow eyes locking with your brown eyes. A welcoming smile reached his lips as he welcomed you to his family’s cake shop.

“Welcome! Is there anything you’d like to order?”

Romance will soon bloom like a beautiful rose, and it’s all thanks to your shared affinity for sweets. To the smell of his baked pastries that beckoned your curiosity and craving.

[theangrypokemaniac]

I'll state from the beginning that the images below display the sort of sweet synchronicity to which only love can give life:

MaAndPaShipping is the best ship, and here are five reasons why:

1. It Made James

Like the boy do yer? Ever felt the slightest tingle of warmth at the mention of his name?

Well get down on yer knees and give thanks to his mother and father for gifting him to the world!

Where would we be without their remarkable commitment? Could James have grown into the dandified dream boat of your desires if deprived of the safety provided by his parents?

Had they not brought him up, he'd be dead, The Dog of Flanders fantasy made reality. If miraculously he survived, foraging in the wild is not conducive to a foppish personality.

Is that to yer fancy? No? Then let's have a little respect. The luxury Ma and Pa gave enabled his macaroni tendencies to reach such heights.

Their love created him! How can it not be celebrated?

You lot would ship Jessie's parents but you can't, because she has no dad, and I don't suppose you'll ever assent to his obvious identity of Windy Miller, although 'Jessie Miller' has a wonderful ring to it, so what can be done?

Should a Pa Jess be conjured for the purpose, he still buggered off, didn't he? Where's the allure in a faithless git?

I can't comprehend the obsession with Ma Jess. As soon as here she's stiff, and what is there to remember but coercing her daughter into eating snow?

Hey, I named her. What more do you want from me?

I'd rather have the living, visible ancestors, if you don't mind.

Yeah, says the history fanatic.

Why not make the most of the chances offered, and follow a devoted couple whose love made a difference to your existence?

2. Canon!

There are many ships which I find repulsive for involving depravity, or absurd as the subjects haven't met, or don't inhabit the same fictional universe.

Video et taceo: I see and I say nothing.

Neither does anyone. Forcing decent folk in to incest, bestiality etc. is quite alright.

Perverted ideas are left alone, but woe betide a Rocketshipper, because that's offensive.

It may be the only original ship left standing, with proper evidence and sanctioned by Nintendo, but no, it's fair game for undermining. People pick at your arguments, quibble constantly and NEED to register their objections NOW. You MUST be made aware of opposition. You're not to be permitted your views the way those with twisted tastes are indulged.

Why, out of tens of thousands of combinations, does making Jessie and James an item provoke hostility?

The strength of negativity actually serves as validation, for why be so concerned if it's an impossible relationship?

However sick they are, I'm not anti any ship. I can't muster sufficient interest to do it, and if I scroll on, I forget. I certainly don't attack those responsible.

Anti-Shipping is inherently nihilistic for promoting loneliness. They aren't against Rocketshipping through wanting Jessie and James to be with someone else, as an alternative is not readily available, so the outcome of it is neither finding a companion.

MaAndPaShipping attracts no sourpuss silliness, for 'tis canon beyond question. There's nothing about being 'just friends' when married with a son.

How's the state of your O.T.P.? Not looking too clever I expect, and what's your contribution: wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying?

Cast it off! None of that longing is necessary in these quarters, as MaAndPaShipping is a fait accompli.

Hallelujah! Wallow in that Love!

Don't you yearn for at least one ship that all of us accept by default, to the extent these aristocrats are spoken of as a single unit?

Across the internet, Ma and Pa are bracketed as 'James's parents', never 'he' and 'she', always 'they', barely counting as distinct characters. That's how undeniable the love is between them. Sheer indifference has awarded it a blessing from everyone.

MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Of course, now I've drawn attention to it the moaning will start, but we all know a spoilsport when we see one.

If they had any legitimate complaints they ought to have mentioned 'em before this piece highlighted the marriage!

Except it won't have occurred to 'em previously, proving the eternal, indissoluble quality of MaAndPaShipping.

You get good value with this one.

Find a post referring to Ma and Pa as individuals and I'll have written it, for that's what you call ironic.

3. It's a Fine Rocketshipping Proxy

I was at primary school when Pokémon hit the West like the bright, bearded meteor it is, atomizing all competition for a child's attention.

I have shipped Jessie and James before I knew anyone else did it, unaware shipping was even a thing.

There are other pairs where I think: 'That seems to fit', but it's incomparable to what I feel for them.

It is part of me. I bleed it.

I have shipped it longer than most Tumblerries have dwelt upon the earth.

I used to believe, what with the hints and manga finale, that this resolution was  inevitable, and all I had to do was wait.

Well I've been patient for two decades now, thus when I look at the modern incarnation, and realise it's no nearer to that goal, and instead is further away, waiting starts to wear a bit thin.

I resent the lack of appreciation shown to the fans by the cretins in charge, how any meagre shippy inclusion is done not with an interest in deepening bonds, but with the blatant cynicism of moulding us into performing monkeys dancing to their manipulative tune.

I dislike being treated like a sea lion, expected to clap me flippers at the wave of a fish, or as a panting dog begging at top table, where, because they're desperate to maintain the status quo, every scrap flung down from above now comes with an Anti-Ship kick in the teeth, just to be sure nothing progresses. Not whilst the franchise can still be milked for all it's worth.

I have lost faith Rocketshipping will happen. What passes for Pokémon today carries not the remotest indication of any intention on the so-called writers' part to finish it that way.

Even if it did, it's not my Team Rocket, it's those skeletal, gargoyle bastardisations. My Jessie and James never got the reward they deserved.

I'm somewhat in the market for a replacement. Beneath this loathsome carapace of acid and ice beats the tender heart of a true romantic, and it must have an outlet!

Shipping Ma and Pa provides a certain spurious relief, because it's as close as you can get to Jessie and James without it being them, both biologically as his parents, but they're so similar to the duo it counts as proof in itself.

Holy Matrimony! is prime Rocketshipping territory, not merely the balloon lift, but many slight additions are as important, like the haircuts matching.

Ma and Pa are therefore Jessie and James in the past, present and future:

The past for representing Jess 'n' Jamie gone Victorian, and we've all wondered how that'd turn out.

The present as it's there right now, absent of suffering the shameless whims of morons to get what you want. 'Tis yours to savour.

The future as a glimpse of Jessie and James once married with children, and they agree:

That's how they play it given the opportunity!

What, James in blue, for his and Pa's hair, and Jessie wearing purple, like Ma's, with a red shawl for her own, and Ma Jess's orange earrings to copy the beads?

• Money!

• Bun!

• 'Tache!

• Classy pad!

• Fancy gear!

• Pampered pet!

• Identical cups of Earl Grey!

4. Original Blend

Ma and Pa have only got two fans! We care more than the entire fandom has in twenty years!

Rocketshipping art is ten a penny, so why not display a pioneering spirit, sharpen up those pencils and be inspired?

Let your mind expand and marvel at the possibilities of these unchartered territories, and I'll reblog it if it's nice.

Pay attention to the condition of it being nice. I'm not putting up with any old toss.

Real Ma and Pa is what I want too, not those Sinnoh coffin-dodgers.

It's never been done! Every drawing breaks new ground!

I don't like fan fiction, but I wouldn't say 'no' to that either. Recall the 'nice' stipulation again.

Come on, be the first amongst your friends and get ship shape!

5. It Gives Us All Hope

Suppose your favourite amour one day became canon: you imagine that's the end of the matter?

Well it ain't.

Between Ash, Misty, Brock, Jessie, James, Gary and Tracey, there are three-and-a-half out of fourteen parents (Flint doesn't count as a complete man) and one out of twenty-eight grandparents, and that's not enough!

If the series drew to a close with your beloved couple apparently walking into the happily-ever-after, there's no guarantee it'll endure. In fact, the odds are they'll split up within a few years and leave another generation to fend for themselves or starve.

That's right, so don't presume the final episode is all you need to worry about. Can you rest easy knowing it'll go pear-shaped once the camera stops rolling?

It's futile soothing one's worries with:

Oh, but they know what it's like to be alone. They'd never inflict such stress on their children.

Oh really?

Look at that poor showing of grandparents. Either Pokémon has a system reminiscent of the sci-fi film Logan's Run, where everyone over thirty is vapourized, or these disappearing maters and paters were themselves victims of abandonment.

I bet when they settled down, they thought it'd be different for their kids, they'd make sure of it, but no, off they went down that same route of feckless self-indulgence, and that's being kind assuming they intended not to repeat history.

Depressing eh? What's the good in any of us surrendering to romance, real or otherwise, if love is but a mayfly of emotion, and all dreams are doomed to die?

Then Ma and Pa arrive, and suddenly the storm clouds part for a ray of heavenly light.

It's not only that they made the effort in what was probably an arranged marriage and have stayed together from youth, it's that they've stayed together when no one else has, which augments its value.

When separation is commonplace, sticking it out becomes rarer and rarer as any belief in the sanctity of wedlock erodes with every failure.

If they didn't bother, why should I? What's the use when it won't work?

Once that idea enters your head, it's over, and your gloom-laden attitude fulfils itself.

Society is collapsing about Ma and Pa's ears, but they persevere nevertheless, refusing to buckle under the turgid malaise engulfing the arrogant and weak.

It's bloody beautiful, man!

You may suggest an environment of supreme wealth erases normality, and to their class and time period divorce is still taboo, so they don't really have much of choice but to remain wedded.

Ah, but it's not as if they simply tolerate one another for appearances, or carried on for the sake of their son (which is more than anyone else did besides), not when he walked out on them.

They've been married longer than James has lived, so at least eighteen years (don't all squeal at once), and they're still blissfully contented!

They hold hands!

They use terms of endearment like 'dear' and 'my precious'!

They were made for one another!

They work as a team!

They want the same thing for James!

It could bring a stone angel to tears it's so beautiful!

See what success can be achieved when you try? When you endeavour to love the one you're with and make yourself worth loving in return?

Better that than chucking 'em at the first sign of trouble.

Ma and Pa is such an irrevocable union even the despair of losing their only child failed to tear 'em asunder, and that'd defeat many, but not this husband and wife.

Be grateful, for it means all is not in vain.

It doesn't have to be misery and pain: love can last despite the pressure of a wretched, hollow culture bent on self-destruction. Your ship might just succeed too.

God bless 'em for keeping the magic alive!

...

Why do I have the presentiment that I'm going to regret encouraging support?

[tobiasdrake]

Dragon Ball E016 - Training-- The Rock Hunt / Find That Stone!

Y'know, it occurs to me that we haven't heard from Bulma and Yamcha since the anime left them stranded in the wilderness. I thought their filler plot would pick back up last episode, but that was dedicated wholly to fleshing out Lunch's intro. I guess they just died out there.

In any case, this episode hews very close to the manga, with a couple small added bits here and there. For instance, on the 100 meter dash, the Muten-Roshi warms up for his own run by hurling his turtle shell across the distance and into a rock which shatters from the impact.

The chapter-close punchline of a knife-wielding Lunch chasing Krillin out of the house is enhanced by the Muten-Roshi actually timing Krillin's desperate escape; Lunch's motivation improves his 100 meter dash time from 10.4 seconds to 8.8! We also get to see that scene end; Lunch sneezes during the chase and reverts - in the process dropping her knife, which embeds itself in the ground inches away from Krillin's pat-pat area.

As a brief aside, multiple characters throughout the dub make remarks about how Goku must be an alien or how Goku can't possibly be human. These comments serve as reminders that the Dragon Ball dub came after the Z dub, as they're pretty obvious Call Forwards to Goku's Saiyan heritage. Krillin remarking that Goku can't be human after he leaps down the cliff to find Master Roshi's thrown rock is, like, the fourth one of these remarks I've heard.

When Krillin schemes to deceive the Muten-Roshi's test, he borrows a pen from a black woman in a nearby house. Toriyama drew her as an ordinary woman, but shaded her skin. Toei, hoo boy, updated the visuals on the black woman to give her much more pronounced Racist Caricature features. They darkened her skin to be nearly jet black and added huge, pink lips. So that's fun.

An added scene features the Muten-Roshi attempting to grope Lunch's ass from behind while she's preparing dinner. His attempted molestation is interrupted by Krillin racing into the house to turn in his manufactured stone. Krillin's arrival distracts Lunch, who turns around and nearly stabs the Muten-Roshi in the face with her butcher knife by mistake.

This is in all three versions, but it's something that occurred to me. The chase sequence between Goku and Krillin doesn't make a lot of sense when we just established last chapter/earlier this episode that Goku is significantly faster than Krillin. Krillin should not have been able to keep pace ahead of Goku like this.

Krillin returns with the (stolen) rock just in time to interrupt the Muten-Roshi's second attempt at groping Lunch. The punchline of everyone but Goku eating deadly puffer fish because Lunch made poor shopping choices is then expanded into an actual scene, as opposed to the single panel in the manga.

All in all, this was a good one. Very faithful adaptation and the extra bits and bobs added complemented the story. Uh, minus the inexplicable decision to redraw that extra to be offensive.