#tsukasa is just such a thought provoking character

[tsutsumi-kurose]

Do you have any Tsukasa analyses?

hi!! thank you sm for the ask!! i love tsukasa analyses, so i was really excited to get this!! there is a small/specific thing i've been thinking about with regards to a couple tsukasa moments recently, and that is:

tsukasa and some not-so-rhetorical questions

there are two specific instances i've been thinking about recently of tsukasa asking typically rhetorical questions in a genuine way. the first time happens in chapter 91. when hanako and nene ask tsukasa how he got to them and why he was there, he asks "who cares?"

i find it really interesting that this question comes before tsukasa asks a long series of hard hitting questions about nene's lifespan, hanako's wish, and destroying the yorishiros. he's asking very real, actionable questions! and this question is grouped in with them! so while "who cares?" is typically a very throwaway question, coming from tsukasa in this moment, i read it as having much more weight. i think tsukasa is experiencing the feeling of that in a very real way. especially given the context of more recent chapters ("he doesn't come when i call," "if you want out, you're going to have to do the best you can by yourself," etc.) while this question may come across as flippant, tsukasa must truly be wondering: "genuinely, who cares where i've been? how or why i'm here? genuinely, do either of the two of you care what i'm up to? you're worried about nene's lifespan and the yorishiros. who he cares about how i got here or why? i have no reason to believe you do." i don't think it's a stretch to think that a boy whose calls for help don't get answered would genuinely wonder: who cares?

and with all the context of 91 up to now, i love to read this question in 110 as a genuine question from tsukasa that hanako hears as rehtorical, and flippant:

"so?" asked so briefly and bluntly is often a rhetorical question: more a statement of "that doesn't matter" or "i don't care." and from hanako's perspective, he has just poured his heart out. he's just said, "yes i could have anything in the whole world, but then i wouldn't have you." to him, this surely must seem like a logical fill in of, "I wouldn't trade you for anything."

but this is tsukasa. tsukasa, who has spent god knows how many years calling out for amane with no response. tsukasa, who knows the following to be fact: 1) hanako knows tsukasa is his yorishiro. 2) hanako has been working to destroy all the yorishiros. thus, the logic from the facts tsukasa has would say that hanako prefers to be without tsukasa. of course he'll be confused that hanako's words suggest he doesn't want to be apart when all he's done with his actions is keep tsukasa away from himself!

it's not surprising, then, that he would want an explanation of how these things connect. the facts tsukasa has say amane doesn't care about him and is prepared to destroy him. so of course amane saying "i wouldn't give you up for anything" is not going to compute, that seems like almost an exact contradiction to the facts tsukasa is working with. the "so?" here is the same question tsukasa's been asking since 1968 in chapter 101: "you'd prefer it if i stayed here, right, amane? or would you rather me gone?" tsukasa thought he had the answer, but now amane's saying the opposite.

i love this panel, because it reads as so hopeful. i really read this as tsukasa wanting to know more about why amane is hung up on never seeing tsukasa again. how often does tsukasa ever want anything for himself? other than to know how someone is feeling? and this moment feels significantly softer than other times he's asked similar things. tsukasa's always asking: what are you thinking? what are you feeling? amane, are you happy to see me? so i think he's genuinely asking here: why would that be a problem? i interpret this panel as tsukasa really, genuinely asking amane to explain that he cares about him, that he wants to be with him. because he has nothing to go off of to prove that that's the case. are you happy to see me, amane? so what if you can never see me again, amane?

to get really specific, i love the lighting in tsukasa's eyes in this panel. his eyes are mostly in shadow, but there's just a bit of light at the tops of them; his irises are almost all black, but there's a little bit of light flooding in at the bottom. because i love to torture myself with tsukasa angst (lol), i like to interpret this specific lightning choice as representing understanding beginning to dawn for tsukasa. a literal flicker of hope. maybe... amane does care about him? maybe amane does want him around? he might just be starting to understand that amane cares, but he needs it explained more, needs it spelled out. hanako's actions have not suggested this is true, so all he can go off of are hanako's words. he needs more words from hanako to make it make sense. so? why would that matter? he's starting to get it, but he has to ask, especially since it goes against all the other signs he's been given.

but, of course, hanako is hanako/amane is amane (i love him but he does win worst communicator for more than fifty years running <3 lmao) so he takes this as a rejection, and doles out his own in return, not hearing the request tsukasa is making, thus affirming what tsukasa already thought: that he hates tsukasa.

the mix of light and dark is gone from tsukasa'a eyes after hanako says "i hate you so much."

his face and eyes are flush with light--with clarity. i know you hate me, amane. no more doubt, no more questions, no more hope.

i'm obsessed with the angst of this entire interaction, and tsukasa asking, "so?" is the hinge it all rests on. the moment of suspension.

here's their chance. here is tsukasa wanting to understand why hanako isn't going through with the plan just because the two of them would never see each other again. here is hanako's chance to explain that he cares.

but it can't line up, not expressed like this. not with "do you love me?" tsuakasa and "of course!" amane. not when they're both so sure their love for the other is obvious, not when they both hear rejection in everything. not when they've both come to expect loneliness as a default, to the point where the other caring about them is never the logical conclusion in their eyes, no matter how obvious their love for the other seems to themselves.

here is a beginning, here in tsukasa's eyes, in his question. but both of them are only ever expecting an end.

(this analysis of tsukasa's eyes in this interaction also connects to the seed of a larger theory i want to explore more soon, which is the possibility that tsukasa's eyes going black isn't necessarily--or at least not exclusively--about the entity's powers taking over, but rather/additionally a reflection of his emotional state... but then that also ties into the really long post i'm trying to wrangle into coherence about tsukasa being genuinely tsukasa... so i may have to elaborate on that another time lol)

thank you again for the ask!! i really love diving into all the possible meanings behind specific/small moments, so i had a lot of fun with this!!

[hanako-san]

This is shown in p.p rc when Tsukasa hugged Amane. I can now see exactly what eyes Amane has made, those shining eyes that say, "My dear brother Tsukasa" Literally Amane loves Tsukasa so much and suffers knowing he will have to be destroyed. Amane suffers from the beginning of history he cares and suffering about Tsukasa all the time and what he did. It is finally confirmed that both twins love each other and Amane doesn't hate Tsukasa.

This scene is also shown differently here. Tsukasa gives Amane's knife and urges him to kill him. But again, Tsukasa keeps his eyes closed smiling. He doesn't see the pain and suprised in Amane.

Amane when he expresses pain or love for Tsukasa.Tsuaska always has face with his eyes closed. I don't understand this. Why do AidaIro keep Tsukasa believing that Amane hates Tsukasa? since the truth is completely different.

When Amane yorshiro was spoken of, it was shown Amane looking at the moon

My interpretation is that for Amane,Tsukasa's his moon and Amane loves Tsukasa more his little brother than the moon. Which makes a lot of sense!

that's why, the reason for killing Tsukasa must have been love and caring. Amane wants to protect Tsukasa even after his death, is for him the most important person in his life, and his character is not just focused on yashiro.

Amane suffers all the time and the thought that he will have to kill/ yashiro when she decides to make. It makes Amane crush inside and suffer, and Tsukasa provokes it all. He wants to be killed by Amane and doesn't seem to mind what I don't believe. I also don't believe that he is so wild for Sakura's wish he is ready to stand up to the second death, there is more to it than that.

Amane prevents Nene from escaping from the p.p arc also wanted to protect Tsukasa.Amane wouldn't have to lose brother and Nene.

I am so glad that I finally could see that Amane cares for and NOT hates Tsukasa, and that his character and care aren't only based on nene. Killing Tsukasa 1 time while Amane was alive must have been for a very special reason.

[everestica]

heeelooo sunglasses emoji sunglasses emoji

can i pleease have prsk males w/ a reader that’s like,,,, a guardian angel or smn in human form??

like, reader is an angel but comes to earth to protect (character) because they get in trouble n stuff??

Project Sekai Boys x GuardianAngel!Reader

Writing Type: Headcannons

Request: Yes

Warnings: Angst In Tsukasa’s, Mentions of Physical Fighting In Akito’s,

A/N: Thank you so much for requesting! This was a hella interesting idea and I hope I did it well in writing it! Hope you enjoy and if you don’t like it feel free to reach out and have me rewrite it! (I decided to only do Tsukasa and Akito just because I was so stuck for the other two lol, but it you want to rerequst for the other two be my guest!)

-The whole reason that you were sent to him was because he was always working so hard and never gave himself any breaks, so it was your job to make sure that he was giving himself breaks

-When you had first met him you had no idea what they meant it seemed like he went on a lot of breaks until you realized that he didn’t think of them as breaks he thought of them as a way to prove himself in everything he dose

-So now It was your mission to make sure he had a real break where he could just be himself and that was really hard to do because people were always around, and the moment that you got him not around people his walls came tumbling down

-It was the first time you had seen the real Tsukasa, and one that was finally taking a break from being Tsukasa The Future Star.

-You were sent to him because he could not catch a break from fights, no matter what he did he always ended up in a fight. Weather it be a physical fight or a vocal fight.

-You tried your best to make sure he didn’t get it fights and that’s when you realized that he never meant to get into fights but he was so bad with words and always provoked people and that’s why he was in so many fights

-So that’s what the two of you worked on, being better at being vocal about things without provoking people.

-After about a couple months of this training he finally started to get it and he stopped getting in fights everyday!

[jewwyfeesh]

The Lost Tome - 6

Writer: Mitsuki

Characters: Narukami Arashi, Tsukinaga Leo, Sakuma Ritsu, Suou Tsukasa, Sena Izumi

Translated by: jewwyfeesh

Note: no you didn't see me forget to add the quote, no you didnt. (magics it away)

Arashi: Goodness, Izumi-chan, don’t just snatch it from me so roughly! I promised Ou-sama that I’ll take good care of this.

[ ♪ ]

Season: Autumn

Location: Empty Classroom

The next day…

Leo: LMAO, Sena’s the one who’s late today! Yesterday he was nagging me non-stop with such a deadpan expression, should I nag him back today? Hahahaha!

Arashi: Ou-sama, did you forget? Today Izumi-chan’s taking the day shift, and had already notified us via text message earlier on.

Leo: Ah? Really? Lemme see— Oh… Sena really did send us a message.

Arashi: It’s not my intention to scold you, Ou-sama, but you should pay attention to your messages every once in a while. If Izumi-chan were to see this, he’s definitely going to blow his top… again.

Leo: Yeah I know, I know ☆

Tsukasa: Speaking of which… Leader, what’s that in your hand?

Leo: Ah! I’ve been caught red-handed by Suo~! This is my weapon of choice, hahahaha.

Was I too loud earlier on? Did someone notice us?

Tsukasa: Leader, what’s wrong? Why are you acting so frantic?

Leo: It’s nothing, I just snuck this sword into school. So if the Student Council found out about it, they’ll definitely confiscate it.

Tsukasa: But… secretly bringing weapons in like this is a very dangerous matter, Leader. For yours and everyone else’s Safety, it’s better if you kept it away.

Leo: Suo~, there’s no need to be so uptight~ Not to mention, it’s not sharp or anything! If you don’t believe me, look!

Tsukasa: Wow, its edge has actually been made blunt. Furthermore, it… is rather Beautiful. It does make for a rather exquisite weapon… Oh, no. Kindly allow me to refer to it as a work of art.

Though… Leader, I would like to enquire as to why you’ve brought it today? Do you intend to Perform with it or something?

Leo: Well, it’s because of this book~

I went back to study its contents, and they’re super duper thought-provoking! Not to mention, it allowed me to better understand more about being a knight-errant. See, see! These parts at the back talking about weaponry and stuff are super cool!

After reading it, my inspiration surged forth! So I wrote a piece about knight-errants, but felt that it was lacking a little something-something. So I got my friend to help me buy a sword to try and find that knight-errant vibe.

Then again this method is hella useful! I managed to fill the missing piece, and also managed to channel a better understanding of knight-errants into the piece! Even though I spent a lot of effort on this, seems like the end product makes it all worth it ☆

Tsukasa: Even though your drive to keep on improving is something we should learn from, Leader, please allow me to enquire — why is this book still in your hands? Weren’t you supposed to return it yesterday?

Leo: Err… Y-you see… After saying my goodbyes yesterday, I walked towards the lost-and-found while reading the book…

But I was too engrossed, somehow walked into an unrecognisable area, and got lost…

It took a lot outta me to get myself back somewhere familiar, but by then the sky was getting dark, so I just went home…

Tsukasa: Leader, are you aware that the Student Council is currently in a frenzy because of this book?

I had dropped by the archery range after practice yesterday in the hopes of getting some solo practice. Instead, I bumped into Hasumi-buchou, who was desperately looking for this book.

Back then, I was comforting Hasumi-buchou, saying things like this book could’ve already made its way to the lost-and-found, and that he didn’t need to be so frantic, only for you to… Sigh…

(I remember Hasumi-buchou was desperately trying to find a book, saying that it was something that Tenshouin Onii-sama had borrowed from Hibiki-senpai, and that Hibiki-senpai wanted Onii-sama’s suggestions for one of their scripts…)

(Onii-sama had found the script and its setting particularly engaging, thus borrowing this book from Hibiki-senpai. He had wanted to give it a very thorough look-through, before providing detailed suggestions.)

(But Hasumi-buchou didn’t know of this; when the Student Council were tidying things up, perhaps Tori-kun accidentally lost this book while rearranging the books. And Hasumi-buchou, who was in the dark, didn’t realise when he was making an inventory.)

(It was only after Onii-sama returned, looking for said script, that everyone found out about Tenshouin Onii-sama having borrowed it from Hibiki-senpai. Afterwards, the Student Council was in shambles.)

(At present, Leader has yet to return the book… Hasumi-buchou was so distraught, so guilty. Hh… I wonder if he’ll think I was trying to prank him when he was so down-trodden?)

Leo: Suo~, don’t wear such a heartbroken expression…! I-I’ll go return it now!

Ritsu: I don’t think we’d feel very reassured if we let Ou-sama run off on his own, so I’ll accompany him.

(If I accompany the King to return the book and bump into a Maa~kun who’s gone berserk from searching, Maa~kun will definitely praise me, hehehe.)

Leo: It’s rare to see you so energetic, Rittsu~; not to mention, you accompanying me there is gonna help a ton!

Oh, right! I’m entrusting this sword to y’all to safe keep. If the Student Council finds out about it, I reckon we’re gonna be in a whole lot of trouble ☆

Arashi: Relax, Ou-sama. You can leave this to Tsukasa-chan and I.

Leo: We’ll take our leave first, bye bye!

Izumi: Grr, to be inconvenienced on the day that I have to work the day-shift, how frustrating!

Kasa-kun, Naru-kun? Why are the both of you alone here? Where did everyone else go?

Arashi: The King and Ritsu-chan went to return a book — yep, that book from yesterday. So it’s just the two of us left. Since you’re here, Izumi-chan, let’s start practising~

Izumi: That book from yesterday? Shouldn’t Ou-sama have returned it already?

Arashi: He got lost en-route, so he needs to make another trip today. But Ritsu-chan’s accompanying him, so I don’t think we’ll have any more problems on our hands.

Izumi: Ou-sama that f**king idiot! What the hell! What’s that thing in your hands?

Arashi: Oh, this? It’s the King’s sword. Isn’t it very……

Goodness, Izumi-chan, don’t just snatch it from me so roughly! I promised Ou-sama that I’ll take good care of this.

Izumi: Hmph, this King! I can’t believe he even brought this stupid toy to training!

First, he ditched practice, then he doesn’t attend our activities, and now he decides to bring some… some toy to training! Seriously, it goes to show how much he prioritises Knights! No, I must teach him a lesson today!

Arashi: Wait a minute, Izumi-chan, you should hear my explanation first—

And there he goes. If Izumi-chan goes to look for the King in this state, who knows what kind of disaster would happen? I should notify him first, and give him a chance to hide.

Tsukasa-chan, let’s chase after him. If the both of them bump into each other, we can try to soothe their ruffled feathers.

Tsukasa: Understood, Narukami-senpai. Should a Conflict truly arise, I will do my best to mediate the situation.

[ ☆ ]

← Chapter 5 | Story Masterlist

just a little note of appreciation: thank you to all my wonderful friends who've never stopped supporting me and listen to me ramble about these squishies for ages, and to the readers who enjoy my tls!

special shout out to book club as well, thank you for being so amazing. i hope to hear from y'all soon <3

[2n2n]

Show us your favorite official art by Aida please!

I had answered this long ago but unfortunately had a major program error and lost the entire thing LOL, so it took a while to get the fortitude to answer again, as I had liked what I typed before… now ive forgotten all of that lol so here we go again!

My favorite Aida arts, as a category, are images which expand on the canon, show us just outside of the canon events, or turn the camera around from the manga's scenes. These just-- can be eye-opening, they can add depth and illuminate the emotions and atmosphere, EMBELLISH the canon in a way that is thought-provoking and awe-inspiring. I think Aida is incredibly good at this. some ideal examples of that:

a little shot between everything that occurs in the Red House, which is ALREADY DEVASTATING … but this tender moment without words, between Tsukasa and Amane, we are so lucky Aida just felt like blessing us with this amazing image. It is absolutely agonizing. It's the sort of quiet moment that could be hard to script in… I'm glad for a single illustration, with all of the space to 'breathe'. When considering Tsukasa's character, this image is always in my head… a very touchy boy. Both hands holding Amane's hand to his face…. I wonder if he's feeling the circulation in Amane's hands? Probably, they are cold … the tips are discolored. An Amane on the edge of death….

this piece, taking place while Nene and Amane are staying in Sumire's house overnight. Amane says he won't sleep, as he'll keep guard over them. Here we see Hanako getting his fill, the opportunity to stare at Nene as she slumbers finally available to him… he's always seeing her leave school, at the end of the day. He doesn't get to see her sleep every night. For a guy who grew up with his twin by his side day and night… I feel Hanako's attachment style wants things like this very badly … he's such an avoidant boy, reserved in his feelings, but he WANTS to stare for hours, and his love being asleep is his opportunity. It's perfectly creepy and yet deeply romantic, right? A perfectly 'Hanako' thing to do. I love his bug-eyed wide staring, blank expression. He is so funny~~ his love is cute… this image makes me happy to exist.

this image, which is a perspective shift from the "I wanted you to live a life bestowed by my hand, and not the kid, or anyone else" moment we see in the Far Shore. This is an Amane, watching Nene-chan leave the school at the end of the day beyond where he can 'touch' her… as she always does, every day. I love the sense of-- dawning, delusional realization, in this Amane, staring widely, staring at his hands, staring at her, reflected in his eyes … the moment of, epiphany. "I can do something." He is thinking of horrible things! But… this ah, image, it conveys such a romantic or divine sense of purpose, doesn't it? I adore it… I'm glad we get to see the Amane making the decisions towards the Severance… the light source here feels like it doesn't quite make sense but all the better, amazing to to see his pale face bathed in light while his hands are so darkened in shadow. The outside light pouring in behind him. Again this divine delirium sense.

this is it. This is The Image, of all time ... we could not be so lucky as to see the twins at Tanabata within the bounds of the manga ... we are so lucky Aida wanted to draw this header!!! The way all Tanabata images see Tsukasa facing away from us, an air of mystique to this boy we don't know yet-- the living Tsukasa who is growing up with Amane-- TORTUROUS, AND YET BEAUTIFUL ... artistically speaking this image is crazy inspiring to me-- the palate of orange, blue, white, red ... the deep navy, the simplification of the sparklers and the festival, completely scribbly and yet incredibly effective. Aida is so good at putting in just the right amount of detail to create an impression, without overworking herself. Ughghh Amane looks sublime, the poses are so wonderful, feel like they are dancing around one another, feels, like Tsukasa can't take his eyes off Amane.... one of the most inspiring images to me. I wish I could be such a master of gesture and color!

Such an incredible image-- out of context it's a mundane image, but IN context, it's endless. This is the Nene-chan about to depart to the Far Shore with Kou and gang to confront Hanako …. which means, this is the Nene-chan about to offer to 'stay' in the Far Shore …. which means, this is a Nene-chan prepared to die. This is a suicidal girl. She's packed her bag up with all kinds of games and toys, she's dressed herself in her school uniform… to stay with Hanako, forever and ever. She's not crying… she's not miserable… she's genki. I wonder if she's saying a simple good-bye to her family? I would love it if Nene-chan really felt no great weight, but instead a great ease and lightness, for what she's about to do… it's so romantic, right? Ahh~~ it's just, a perfect image … I like when nene-chan is complimented by green in a composition. Very nice orange-pink-green going on here. some other images that are favs, which don't fit in that category I laid out before!

I. Think about him very much… this image-- just perfectly lets you simulate what it was like to be Tsukasa, it is spellbinding. It is too captivating. Amane--!!! ANYTHING TO SAVE HIM!!! too charming, reading aloud to meeeeee…. UAH-!_!!! first person PoV, STRAIGHT TO THE HEART--!!!! I UNDERSTAND!!! I understand, ok …. this image is so chaotic, I have no idea what sort of error or intention exists on the right side of it-- did Aida crop it incorrectly? All the stars around him feel like, Tsukasa's brain framing him…. too, captivating. Tsukasa's love is too deep…. Amane makes you go a little crazy, doesn't he.... I can feel it in this image wwww....

unfortunately I have to put this image here, because I think about it, too often. It's one of my backgrounds, to torment me. This image pairs with the Red House arc .What on earth does this image mean? Amane is pushing his hat off his head; Amane's hat coming off symbolizes vulnerability (whether he intentionally pulls it off, whether something causes it to fly off, or it simply askews… scenes where Amane is behaving earnestly, through force of another or his own intention, see his hat coming off)…so, he's not guarding himself, here. He's amongst all the playroom toys. His expression feels pleading, it feels beseeching. It's asking for-- attention, would you say? A best guess. Now the other aspect of the image: his feet planted on the ground, knees bent, arms over his head…. I want you to pose like this and try to NOT feel like A. you are in Britney Spears music video and B. you are meant to hump the air in this position. Everything about it is TOO EROTICALLY CHARGED!!! It feels like Amane is pleading "play with me, pick me, I'm one of your toys, please, me me me"… APPALLING… THIS IMAGE IS TOO MUCH, THE VIBES OF THIS IMAGE, THEY ARE BEYOND ME… they are TOO INTOXICATING… it chokes me. Why are you like this--?!?!??!? WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE RED HOUSE????? an absolutely mind rending image.

ah the, classic. Nnngh. The swirls in Amane's eyes. The STARING. We just watched his stare fixed on Nene-chan earlier… an Amane who doesn't look away, who isn't grimacing, who isn't hiding his eyes from anything. A freshly bloodied knife. Staring down at Tsukasa. What do you think that says, about the shinjuu? The camellia-shaped red smears obfuscating Tsukasa…. the sense of wondrous delirium in the abstracted night sky around Amane …. these colors and playful stars, swirling, clouding. Sublime. We are too lucky to have this image!!!! Such a wonderful Amane…. Tsukasa saw a lot in this expression once, didn't he?

the simplicity and again the effectiveness of Aida's stylization just floors me. This is such a simple image, but it has such an atmosphere. For a sticky-note!! This image… does it show us Amane, finding his lunar rock….? in a field….? I have such field emotions, in my heart, I wonder if they'll ever come to mean something, haha … I love whenever Amane looks this out of his mind, pre-shinjuu. All the peace of a boy with a promise he'll keep forever. Must feel great~! To know what is important, in life.

I place this image in posts constantly because it is… oh heart-pounding~~ Couldn't ask for a better image of the living Amane… couldn't ask for a more implicating image. He's filled with decision and absolution. This isn't anybody's victim. He'll do what has to be done. I base so much of my conceptualization of pre-shinjuu Amane upon this image's amazing vibes… I love the stained-glass colors decorating it gently. Ohhh Menhera boy…. you'll make the moon yours, won't you? The most beautiful Amane, ah…. I can't wait to meet him.

and now for an Amane I simply find sooo ~ beautiful ~ I look a lot at him~

tooo handsome~ I love how often Aida colors in eyes a darker shade of gray than the surrounding skin... Daffodil, for 'unrequited love', as this image surrounds the Far Shore, where he is insisting on making his & Nene-chan's bond unrequited. But framed so beautifully, I get that impression that Amane is very nobly insisting it be unrequited-- he is forcing Nene-chan to move on from him, he is seeing a future in his mind where Nene-chan is with someone else. He is the very incarnation of the resistant golden daffodil. Insisting his love stay unrequited, forever ... committing to an oblivion of separation, his love dead in the water. I really love the daffodil imagery surrounding this arc. Ugh the cold gray is so lovely... this Amane's gaze too handsome...

because Amane is such a frightfully deeply loving person, so possessive and obsessive... I think he must feel so selfless to be willing to let Nene-chan go, like it's an incredibly loving and caring gesture coming from him, at great cost and great effort to make it...

so, I understand all the Daffodil focus in this arc's art. I really like it for that.

there are other images that I would call my favorites, but I don't want to go no forever haha, I think 'non-OT3-related-images' would have to be its own category... but essentially every Sumire/Hakubo image is a core favorite of mine next. I feel as if the most beautiful colors and settings and vivid detail are reserved for those two ... their setting feels very idealistic for Aida, it feels like she outright loves to render out its specificity, the simple house they live in, the nature surrounding them ... she doesn't tend to skimp on the details. Lots of warmth and romance always radiating from Sumire/Hakubo imagery... and often a very striking red/purple/blue colorscheme.

[codes]

HAI MATTHEW ok ik YOU are the sena here but i thought it was funny that before on twitter my friend there gave me the nickname secchan as a shortening of one of my names!!!

anyways speaking of secchans, ik izumi is a character embroiled with a certain level of narrative problematicness cuz diff writers, fanservice and sometimes just intentional character assassination but do u think there is any changes to his "original" character that might be potentially good if pursued or any alternative directions izumi should be taken in !! era

HEHEH ty for the validation, I appreciate it so so much but let’s be secchan partners in crime… together 🤝 <- us shaking hands

Hmm this is a very thought-provoking ask, you’re incredibly good at these type of questions. Personally I don’t know if I’d want any changes to his “original” character. It’s not bc I wouldn’t want expansions on his characterization, but bc I wouldn’t want my own personal bias to fuck up his characterization or be influenced through what I think his character should be like… that sounds so goddamn pretentious but it’s how I feel! I generally like how his character is tackled for the most part… beyond the obvious icky parts. Hmmm maybe some confrontation on his self-perception and body image would’ve been nice since his identity as a model is a huge part of his image.

I think the !! era part of ur ask is a lil easier to answer for me but honestly I just want the loose ends to be wrapped up more nicely. I wanna know if the relationship w his parents changed, I want more interactions btw him and tsukasa, I want an actual talk btw him and leo bc there’s an obvious point of dissonance relating to his breakdown and while it’s been somewhat tended to, the fight hasn’t been fully confronted yet as they have completely different perceptions of what happened… maybe some of this has been touched upon before but off the top of my head at 4 am… that’s what my answer is! Sorry it’s not very coherent

[aannonn]

[tbhk/jshk] chapter 106!

I already have read chapter 106 yesterday, but since it was already almost midnight in my country, I couldn't do this analysis lol

Ok.. Chapter 106.... God. This chapter was... something lmao

First, let's start with the cover.... Because it's so awesome!

Tsukasa-kun make his entrance after stealing his brother's girl! How shameful...

But- Wait. This isn't the full art, is it?

Now that's the full art! It looks even more good than before! Idk exactly much about art, but I really love the colors palette Aida choose here. It just fits the background, the characters and the aura here!

"A voice beckons from the darkness

But whatever you do, you mustn't respond."

I wonder what could that mean... Hm.. After reading that phrase again, I suddenly remembered what happened in chapter 101;

"A voice beckons from the darkness

But whatever you do, you mustn't respond."

Maybe I am just overreacting and this could mean something else, but it is really suspicious that we still don't know who talked to Nene at that scene, and then there is this phrase a few chapters later, telling the exact same things that just happened in chapter 101.

I'm surprised there aren't many people talking about this, I've only seen a few people talking and theorizing about this hand and who it should belong to.

Some said it's Sakura, others said it's Future/Older Nene, some others said that it's a completely new/different character...

Honestly, seeing how the chapters are going right now and what arc we're in at the moment, I feel like this person could be either someone from the past or someone from the future.

I thought about this person being Sakura from the past, or someone who knew Sakura, and that person might be trying to tell Nene what happened to Sakura in the past. (It's already been confirmed that she is/was a supernatural, so maybe this person is trying to tell Nene about how Sakura died? Maybe something that is related to the festival..)

Idk, just a thought! xd

Back to chapter 106...

Guys.. No bullying. >;(

Poor Hanako-kun... He's being bullied by the cool kids...

(Once again, I love the color palettes!)

Hanako-kun... Is this the same character that fought a decades-old mermaid in chapter 1...?

Is he really that devasted..?

I mean, I supposed it's understandable. After reading this analysis, I think I gained more understanding of why Hanako seems so devastated that he doesn't even try to fight his way out of the restraints that Teru placed on him. Lil' man got ignored by his brother and got his gf stolen, all at the exact same time... Without having the chance to do something about it.

I think he's still trying to process what just happened-

Poor Hanako-kun, not only that his gf got stolen and that his brother ignored his existence completely, but he also had to be dragged around by the 2 people who absolutely hates his guts...

Didn't thought we would see Nene's perspective in this chapter (More like Hanako's or Akane and Teru's perspective), but I am not complaining! Reading the chapter from Nene's perspective satisfied my curiosity that chapter 105 has had put me in.

Well, that's big... Be careful not to get lost, Nene!

Honestly, this place gives me a sense of running through time, which really might just be the clocks, but it's really nice.

Tsukasa was really this impatient to destroy the yorishiro...? Tsukasa-kun, if u really just wanted to destroy the yorishiro and kidnapped Nene-chan for it, why did u kiss her in the first place...?

Hm... I know some people are saying Tsukasa kissed Nene just because he wanted to see Hanako's reaction, but...

Those panels makes me think otherwise, actually.

Why did he look so happy? In a way, it really felt like he was just teasing his brother by kissing Nene, but on the other hand, it really felt like he had been waiting for a while now to kiss her.

The way he shouted "I kissed her!" didn't really seem like he was just provoking a reaction out of Hanako. Especially if we look at the beginning of the manga, a few chapters later, where he seemed very curious if kisses taste like lemon.

I am not saying that Tsukasa likes Nene the same way Hanako likes Nene, I'm just saying that there may be another reason about why Tsukasa kissed Nene.

Maybe that's why he kissed her, to maybe both provoke a reaction out of Hanako, and to see if kisses taste like lemon.

If he actually does have feelings for Nene though, even if it's just a silly lil' crush, that may be another reason on why he kissed her. There are some hints that Tsukasa may have a tiny lil' crush on Nene, but we can't really assume anything.

He completely ignored Amane's existence in this panel too, so I doubt that provoking a reaction out of Amane was the only reason. But eh- Just a thought lol

Anyways! Back to chapter 106!

Why does Tsukasa and Hanako legit looks like Teru... lmao

I will always love Nene's imagination. Always thinking about romantic scenarios, even if it's not the great time for it.

Ok can we talk about how both Hanako and Tsukasa being taller than Nene it's so weird to see since we know she's canonically taller than both of them I think she still prefers taller boys... But Hanako is an exception to that, of course.

Confirmed, once again, that Hanako-kun is the one she loves! Not even his twin can surpass the love she feels for Hanako-kun!

Nene and Tsukasa being besties! Even if it's just in Nene's imagination...

They have such an really interesting dynamic. I wish we could actually see them being besties lol

.......................................I have my doubts. But, hey! You got this, Nene-chan!

I feel bad for laughing when we saw Tsukasa being that close to Nene's face with a tiny smile on his face lmao...

Poor Nene, she's traumatized- I mean, of course she is! She got kissed without consent, then right away kidnapped!

Pretty sure the panel where she got startled was supposed to be a lil' comical scene, but I cannot help but think she's actually traumatized by that, or atleast afraid to be kissed without consent again.

Istg, her trauma is so overlooked in this fandom...

Trying to act cool in front of her brother-in-law, that's Nene-chan for you!

Idk why but I love when Aida draws Nene into a 'ghost' shape lol its cute

There is always a 'but.' in this kind of situation....

Like someone else said, playing tag with Tsukasa must be terrifying... Especially if u know what's going to happen if he tags you...

And basically after that panel, it's just them 'playing' tag xD

It's adorable tbh, if u put away the context of it, that is.

A compilation of my favorite tag moments because yes;

In this compilation, we have;

Tsukasa being clumsy as ever, just like how he was when he was 4. Nene running away from Tsukasa in a incredible panik. Tsukasa playing with Nene.

My favorite moment is this part;

Seeing as how Tsukasa seems to be doing nothing right after Nene told him to stay away from her, maybe he's finally feeling the feeling of rejection..? lol

Or maybe he knew what would happened the moment Nene stepped into that building(?), so he has been waiting for whatever happens to happen.

Just a maybe.

Amazing compilation!

Alright, now back to chapter 106's real plot...

A big owl....

In Japan, by contrast, the owl enjoys a highly venerated status as a symbol of wisdom and fortune. The Japanese name for the bird, fukurō, has an auspicious ring, carrying the homophonic meaning of “without hardship”—the negative prefix fu (不) attached to kurō (苦労)—as well as containing the word fuku (福), or good luck. - Google.

Not exactly sure what could that mean, but apparently that big Owl that appears here can turn people into how they were in the past/can go back in time, just like Kako!

Nene seems to still have her memories intact, despite her returning to her middle school age. Which is quite a contrast compared to how her and the other students' memories were erased as soon as Kako went back in time. Maybe time has to be stopped so she has no memory of what happened before she went back in time…? (In this case, her body went back in time.)

Oh well-

Tsukasa-kun to the rescue! Maybe he was waiting for it to happen, after all. Or maybe he really was feeling rejected back there. Or maybe both.

Either way, congrats Tsukasa-kun! You saved Nene from being turned into a newborn!

:O

Mini-Nene makes her entrance! She looks so huggable honestly-

Now they are matching! In the same universe! That's warmly adorable. And somewhat comforting too, tbh lol

After this chapter... We haven't got the answers we wanted. But atleast we might know Nene's past more clearly now? I mean, she is one of the only characters that we still doesn't know the past of... And she's the main character...

I'll be honest; I was more interested in Sakura, Natsuhiko, and the Yugi Twins' past. But getting the hint that we may finally get to see Nene's past it's cool too! I'm not really sure if we will actually get to see her past on the next chapters, but still find it cool that we may be closer to finally getting to know her past more. To know what other things could she be interested in than only spooky things and have someone love her for who she is.

Welp, I guess that's it for this post lol it's getting pretty long right now...

Bye! ~ Have a good day/afternoon/night, you all!

[yea-no-thank-you-nope]

The Philosophy of Dr. Stone

  My intentions for this essay are not to try and persuade you into thinking Senku is an awful person and whoever thinks like this is selfish and childish. I’m very sorry if I did come across as that. I do believe Senku is right in some aspects like the whole “leveling the playing field” thing and the curiosity humans naturally have towards science. I just think that everyone should not be unpetrified, that there should be laws in place on science to make sure it’s not unnecessarily cruel or harmful, and that in this situation it would be better to try and rebuild humanity better than in the past. Both Senku and Tukasa are flawed in their way of thinking. Humanity cannot survive with only one in power, shaping the world to what they want.

Now I wanted to say this at the start but I absolutely love Dr. Stone, this essay is not a barrage of the story and how it’s garbage or anything or that anyone is. This is not an attack but an invitation to a discussion. I’m making this essay because I appreciate the story and think it is so incredibly interesting. This essay is constructive criticism so the story can be better and so people can discuss the topics and the opinions they have of them, basically just an excuse to make people talk about this awesome story. I also have not read the manga, I’ve only watched the anime so if you decide to respond please do it very vaguely. I’m fine if you talk about the new arguments brought up but not ok if you spoil the show so please be careful.

I’m going to begin with psychology because that’s my jam and I obsess over psychological topics and discussions. I am by no means a professional but I haven’t heard anyone point out or talk about the ideas and opinions I have, so I’ll just do it. The psychology in Dr. Stone is incredibly thought provoking and makes the audience take a close look at their society and the people around them. What would you do if all of humanity was turned to stone and when you wake up all evidence of humans has corroded away except for the statues of said people scattered everywhere? What would you do if the world was basically reset, including humanity? What would you do?

That in-and-of itself is exiting. It's fun to think of what you would do in such an radial situation. With that the audience can automatically empathies with the cast of characters and their versions of how they decide to handle the situation. Senku’s choice is to unpetrify everyone and bring humanity back to the modern age. This may be what most people would do, I don’t know for sure but I haven't heard a lot of people who actually disagree with his point of view so I’m just assuming. This is like the textbook, basic ideology a human could have. All humans have that basic instinct to save as many people as possible, it just makes sense. This and the fact that Senku is google reincarnated makes him the perfect protagonist for this story. People may not be able to empathies with a scheming scientific genius but they can empathies with his desire to save everyone just like in any other Shonen anime. It’s easy to think this way and it's understandable, but that doesn't mean it’s right.

On the other hand we have Tsukasa. He is, to put it simply, the complete opposite to Senku. He is still smart but is not a walking talking Alexa and is incredibly strong. He believes that they shouldn't bring back everyone and instead pick and choose who to unpetrify. He thinks that bringing back humanity to the way it was will only cause destruction, war, power imbalances, and greed. Now you may call this a “hot take” but I came across some misunderstandings on Tsukasa’s stand. He does not disagree with science, he disagrees with Senku. He does not think that science itself is the root of all human evil, he thinks humans are. Now you may be asking “How do you know that for sure?”, well, why would he compliment Senku on his knowledge of science if he hates it? The only time I can remember him saying anything bad about science is when he was talking about guns, bombs, and other weapons of mass destruction. But it’s clear that he only brought that up to persuade Senku in not reviving the greedy and the ones who will use them to oppress and kill others. Again, just like with Senku, the audience can sympathize and understand this character and their actions. No one wants to see another in pain and surely does want anyone to die, they want to save everyone.

Senku and Tsukasa are on the absolute opposite side of each other but are still on the same coin. They both want the best for humanity but have 2 conflicting viewpoints. Now it would be incredibly easy to just pick a side and argue for that side and why it’s right but I don’t think people see that both of those are very flawed ideals and although in theory they could work, in practice both of them fall apart. If Senku gets his way and everyone is revived and basically back to the way the world was, humanity will get right back on track to the destruction of the world. We were already on that track before the petrification. Scientists predict that 2050 is basically the doomsday year. In 2050 there will not be enough food to feed us all due to overpopulation and global warming is getting worse and worse by the second. If we don’t take drastic steps to stop it then the world is on track towards an early ice age and even the destruction of the entire planet. But in this universe that exact thing happened (the drastic steps not the destruction of the world). With all of humanity frozen in an instant all pollution creation stopped, the furnaces burning coal died out, and over hunting/ over deforestation ceased in an instant. I’m not a professional scientist so I don’t know if 3,000 years is actually enough time for the world to completely reset but I do know that with the sudden halt on human activity could allow the earth to completely heal.

So the issue with Senku’s viewpoint seems to be that he viewed the modern age as a utopia of sorts which makes sense, it’s the peak of science and he loves science. Senku was born physically weak and preferred to use his brain over his muscles. He viewed science as a way to “level the playing field”, and he’s not wrong. It definitely levels the playing field but that’s only if they have access to it, it does not work if the people who don’t need it are the only ones who can have it. In primitive society (I’m mainly going to focus on Native American culture and history because that’s the one I know the most) many people were born with deformities or any other phenomenon that now-a-days is seen as a disability, but they were just as important as anyone else in the group. Back then it didn’t matter. Yes you were more likely to be killed or die by natural occurrences but not by other people. By eliminating the dangers of nature, people shift their hatred onto other people. This is exactly the reason that in so many stories 2 opposing groups come together to defeat a common enemy. That's where the phrase “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”. Now to be fair the show never really touches on the topic of nature being dangerous, it always seems to just be humans. It only ever sturs away from this in situations like the acid lake that gives off toxic fumes, but the show doesn't really want to focus on that aspect, which is fine, if they want to tell a story about the people then they can, I mean that's what I’m writing about now.

Senku wants to bring back everyone because he knows that that is the fastest way to create all the technology. If you remember from before I touched briefly on how the world was going to shit was in part due to overpopulation. I think you know where I’m going with this. Even with the earth reset and nature covering all, that is still not going to be enough food for all of them. It has already been proven that there is no way to sustain this large of a human population. The reason we are not all dying of starvation right now is because most of the food produced can barley be considered food at all, the other food is genetically altered, and it all goes to only one group of people. You see, when I asked “why are we not starving to death” I was technically lying, we are. Not counting the small percentage of the population that can afford all the food, we are starving to death, and it is by our own hands. The world we live in today is not a utopia. Yes we have science that can save lives but those are made by the countless deaths of rats, monkeys, and so many other animals we use as “lab rats”.

I’m not saying all this to make you feel bad, I’m bringing it up to try and explain why what Senku is doing terrifies me. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to wake up to a fresh new start on life only to find out someone wants to rebuild it all again. He is not learning from history, he is repeating it. That is why Senku’s idea of what he wants the world to be is great on paper but crumbles apart when put into practice.

  I have also heard that the reason Senku wants to bring back the modern age is because he just wants to go to space, making it a selfish act on his part. I thought this was incredibly interesting and relatable and really made me look at his character differently. This would be another way of thinking about the petrifying if humanity, some would see it as this horrible event that ruined their lives and again, this makes sense. All Senku ever wanted to do was go to space. That’s why he learned science in the first place. He spent his entire life working towards that goal and right when he could have had it, it disappeared. I don't blame him for wanting everything to go back to where it was and now I really want to see if this is addressed or challenged in the story. I want to see Senku come to terms with this and finally get closure, not only on the situation but also his dad. Basically I just want him to cry god dammit! Let him cry! Let him be healthy and accept his emotions!

Speaking of emotions, it’s well known that he hides his and if you have been screaming at me about that fact, I know. I understand that until this point I may have been portraying Senku as this selfish greedy and mean person who doesn't care about humanity at all and I’m sorry if it did. That description does not fit him at all. It’s subtle but when you see it you can’t unsee it. As mentioned before he was born very weak and so couldn’t really protect himself from others, this is by no means a disability but close enough to where he can understand the pain and struggles that people who are disabled face. When he made glasses for the 2 villagers he stated that science levels the playing field. That little interaction reveals that he does care about helping other people and hoping to fix their problems with science. He also further elaborated on his idea with Magma when they were mining. He stated that everyone has a job to do and neither job is better than the other. This shows his understanding of everyone's roles and how, as a species, to thrive we must all work together. This further drills home the point to me that it’s not that Senku is stupid or that he doesn’t care about humanity but that his still a little kid who never really had to go through or see the awful and corrupt side of the world. I hate using this word because I feel like it’s used too much but by all intents and purposes, Senku is privileged. He only seems to know the science of today as this life saving, world altering and fundamentally good concept, not the steps in which it took to get there, how many lives and dead ecosystems it took to get where we are today, and what we are still doing. Don’t forget about the whole global warming thing, mass deforestation, and pollution.

I am going to give 2 examples of how science can be cruel and how it doesn't need to be. I’m going to get into deep stuff here so it’s ok if you skip it. I’m talking about slavery and the experimentation of animals. Do you remember when the U.S.A was tearing down statues? One of them (I don’t know if it was torn down. I just know that it’s in front of a university and people wanted it gone) was a statue of a man who progressed the field of medicine and healthcare immensely, but did so at the expense of specifically black women. He believed that they were incapable of feeling pain and so performed many horrific surgeries and tests on them with no pain killer. Yes he greatly furthered the field of healthcare, but that doesn't make it right and especially not humane. He should not and did not need to do that. We would figure it out on our own. Sure it would probably take a lot more time but that doesn't justify the actions of that man. The other example is an ongoing process that is still in practice today, the experimentation of animals. If you don’t know, before a beauty product or medicine of some sort can enter the market it needs to be checked by the government to see if it is safe for us to use. So companies use monkeys and other animals to test their product on. It is horrific. The scientists treat those animals with no respect or care for the lives of them. It is unnecessary and cruel. We would figure it out on our own. Sure, it probably would take longer, but that doesn't make it right. It’s an excuse.

Senku doesn't seem to know this seeing as how he basically learned everything from scratch with experiments. That’s why I’m saying Senku is naïve and not a cruel monster who doesn't care who gets hurt, as long as it satisfies his curiosity and expands the field of science. I do hope that later down the line the story confronts that fact and we see first hand that he is not willing to do whatever it takes to go back to modern civilization as much he wants us to believe. I want to see him come to terms with this and decide that, with everything, there are rules and boundaries. This is also why I keep harping back to how I want to see this explored in the story. Senku clearly wants to help humanity and cares for others. He has morals and so has boundaries. I want to see him pushed to the edge, to see just how far he will go in the name of science and for the bettering of humanity. At the end of the day he is still human, everyone is.

Tukasa’s turn! The issue with Tukasa’s view point is simply because he thinks all young people are good people. This is not true. Old people can be good and bad. Adults can be good and bad. Children can be good and bad. It all depends on the person. This is not even mentioning the fact that children can not raise other children. No matter how wise Tukasa is for his age, he can not raise children (and yes teenagers count as children). There's a reason why in every culture all 3 stages of life serve a purpose and depend on each other, one cannot live without the other. He needs good people, not young people to restart humanity.

At first I saw it unfair and one sided how the story constantly depicted Tukasa as an evil person and that he is a tyrant. This was until it was pointed out to me that the reason for that is because Senku is the main character so the audience sees through his perspective, so if he sees Tukasa as evil, the audience will too. Even with that I understand why people will not like Tukasa and so in extension not listen to his argument. I want to give him a chance because he, and by extension the people like him, deserve it. I understand why people don’t though. He smashes the statues of people because he genuinely believes that all are bad and so takes action to protect others, just like Senku who seemed ready to kill Tukasa with the crossbow he made and the gun he was going to use on him, they both thought what they were doing was right. This does not excuse either of their actions, no one to be clear can use this as an excuse, I still want to bring up a fact that I personally think people forget (including myself). The show is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Yes, characters can unpetrify other characters but some are too far gone. In the background we see statues missing limbs and body parts. I was actually surprised and skeptical when it was shown that there were so many perfectly intaced statues Tukasa was able to find. They must be made out of harder rock than I thought. Either way, I know people can survive without certain body parts and I’m not saying they can't. It's just as far as we know, if they attempt to unpetrify someone missing a body part (especially if it’s a leg) they might bleed out instantly and without all the proper equipment needed. Or will the stone heal the stump? If so what if they find the missing part later? Can they reattach it? Can they attach body parts from other people and unpetrify them? What would happen? Would the stone merge the parts together or reject it? The stone is explicitly stated to have healing properties so what would happen? It’s still too early to know and with knowing that information comes from human experimentation and could lead to many lives lost. It was ok with the birds because they were small and still intaced so there was no danger. The point that I’m getting to is that the line is incredibly blurred and the drastic life-and-death situation everyone is in, I wouldn't jump to say Tukasa is a monster. He may be killing people or they could have been dead in the first place, not to mention like I said before it would be impractical and deadly to revive every human being on planet Earth.

This is why I think Tukasa’s plan is flawed. He is only one person and so is limited in his ideas. He thinks that only the young are good people and if only the characters would actually TALK to each other then both of them could see the flaws and work together instead of jumping to conclusions. I hope now that Senku and Tukasa are friends of sorts that they finally get to do that but again, I don’t know I have not read the manga.

I have also heard (mainly from video essays on YouTube) that, uncoincidentally, people think that Tukasa’s ideals are naïve when I think Senku’s is. I find it amazing that both of us thought the same thing but of the opposite philosophy. The opinions they expressed made me realize something. Because humanity discovered science, it will do so again and again. While I thought it was naïve to simply return to the way things were and not carry any of the emotional baggage needed to at least try and better humanity and learn from the past, someone else thought that it was futile to hinder the scientific process of humanity and go back to hunter-and-gatherers. I did disagree with some things they said, that is to be expected, but I also realized that that is what we have been doing since as far back as the history books go. It was called different names but the idea is still the same. We try to make sense of the world around us. In cultures across the world gods represented the natural world and phenomenon that occurred, it was just by a different name. Those religions and science try to explain the world around them. Why does corn grow? Quetzalcoatl makes them grow. Chlorophyll provides the nutrients necessary to sustain the plant and make it grow by Photosynthesis. Why does it snow? Frau Hole shakes her sheets and some feathers fall out, causing snow. With the evaporation of water leaves the gaseous form in the sky and if it gets cold enough will freeze and fall. It’s all the same thing. Humans are curious by nature and will always be.

The things that I disagreed with was that they didn’t really seem to think that science can coexist with nature, like it’s either one or the other. They explain that Tukasa believes humanity should be more naturalistic but also calls him stupid. I understand his side in thinking there is no way to revert back to being hunter-gatherers and that no matter what, over time people will rediscover science so the effort is futile. What I don’t seem to understand is why we can’t have both? It might seem naïve at first considering everyone only knows a society of science that destroys the world for progress but with a world altering event like the one in the story and a good leader to boot, it is absolutely possible. The world has already changed so much so I don’t see why people wouldn't (not talking about those greedy people and politicians, I’m talking about the average human being). It just seems so cynical of humanity as a whole to give up before even trying. I understand we are all depressed but still. It’s no excuse not to try.

My ideas for what they can do is to live both with nature and science. First set up rules and laws. Everyone can pitch in to create them and vote on which ones should be reinforced so that not one person has too much power and so the people collectively can understand the importance of those laws. Everyone can choose their job to do like black smithing, building, hunting, sewing and other jobs that are needed. With that they can either choose to have a form of currency or not but under no circumstances is anyone allowed to own land. The land is for everyone and the resources are to be shared accordingly. With the issue of the statues, it could be voted on who can be unpetrified. This way we don’t raise the issue with Tukasa and Senku. One thought too narrow minded and the other was too broad. With the voting system everyone gets to assess the needs of the society as a whole and if the person unpetrified turns out to be bad, the blame would not fall on one person but everyone. This eliminates one person having too much power and subsequently the people would not revolt and kick them out of power, putting another in their place and the cycle starts anew. There can still be science, there will just be restrictions on what is acceptable to do or not.

I understand the flaws in my ideas. I know that making everyone agree to certain things is incredibly hard especially when there's no way anyone can really stop people from doing what they want. There is no government already put in place. They need to build one from scratch and make it so that everyone is down with it and will follow it. I also understand that people can be lazy and not know what they want. Some people will choose to be lazy and either not do their job or choose a job that is specifically lazy in nature. People also probably don’t know what job they want to perform, this is especially prevalent in the young. People could also fight over who will be revived. I know many people, including myself, who have people in their life that they love but are not good people or who will probably not survive in the new world. I mean who’s going to tell Becky that we all know she loves her grandfather but he’s racist, a known sex offender, and already has a diet of 20 hamburgers and 50 Gatorades, there is no way we can provide that much food, we don’t even know if he’ll eat it considering he’s use to junk food and we just reinvented bread a week ago. It tastes awful and the bakers are trying their best but no one can make 50 Gatorades . No one sure as hell wants a sex offender or racist around either.

My intentions for this essay are not to try and persuade you into thinking Senku is an awful person and whoever thinks like this is selfish and childish. I’m very sorry if I did come across as that. I do believe Senku is right in some aspects like the whole “leveling the playing field” thing and the curiosity humans naturally have towards science. I just think that everyone should not be unpetrified, that there should be laws in place on science to make sure it’s not unnecessarily cruel or harmful, and that in this situation it would be better to try and rebuild humanity better than in the past. Both Senku and Tukasa are flawed in their way of thinking. Humanity cannot survive with only one in power, shaping the world to what they want.

If you want to use my essay in a video or something you are welcome to as long as you credit me. If you want to respond or just talk about this topic feel free to, this is a discussion, not an argument.

[kagami190]

“Death & Rebirth” Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Death

Prologue

Konata, Kagami, and Tsukasa sat around a table at the Hiragi household, finding themselves restless in the summer after graduation. And as per usual, Konata had found something to rant about. What was unusual was that it wasn't anime or games or even something arbitrary - she seemed it have a genuine concern with the lack of romance during their high school years.

"The funny thing about it is," Konata said holding up one finger in a declaration, "As much as we talk about it, not one of us goes seeking out boys."

"YOU'RE the one who's talking about it," Kagami said annoyed, "I think that's personal stuff and it's rude to ask someone about it if they're uncomfortable."

"And me talking about boys and dating makes you uncomfortable?" "Yes!" Kagami said, "Why else would I have said that?!"

"Well we have been friends for a long time,". Tsukasa interjected followed by an innocent smile, "If you can't talk about things like that with girlfriends, who else would you talk about it with?"

"That's my point though, what's there to talk about?" Konata said, "No one even talks about having a crush. We're missing a core dynamic in a female social circle."

"I've just had more important things to concentrate on." Kagami said, "I was worried about my grades up until the day of graduation... Wow, can you guys believe we're done with high school?"

"I can believe that." Konata said, pausing for a beat, "What I can't believe is how a group of hotties like ourselves made it to the end of high school without so much as holding hands with someone."

"Wow," Kagami said, "You're not letting this one go, are you? "I'm just saying," Konata said.

"She does have a point," Said Tsukasa, looking sadly at the ground, "I mean, I don't think I'm ugly..."

"You're not." Kagami said, "You just have priorities as I do."

Tsukasa smiled, "Thanks, sis." She turned to Konata, "But Kona-chan you've never really cared about boys and relationships anyway. Why start now?" Tsukasa asked.

"I'm just making an observation," Konata said, "Not like it keeps me up at night." "Yeah, I'm sure your pervy dating sims satisfy your loneliness anyway." Kagami teased.

"Nah, I don't get off on it or anything. My dad might with his dating sims, but I'd rather not think about his gaming practices." Konata said, shivering a little.

"So then why play them?" Kagami asked. "It's a great social exercise," Konata said nodding.

"Right," Kagami rolled her eyes, "Social skills for the social life you don't have?"

Konata shrugged, "It beats talking to people and trying to convince them to be my friend. In the game everyone likes me."

"That's all well and good," Kagami started, "But the adult scenes?"

"Good study material for how stuff is gonna go down in college. Girls gotta be prepared to face the world of naughty coed antics."

Kagami sighed, "Riiiight. If you say so." Tsukasa gasped, "Is... THAT what happens in college?!

-1-

Konata stood at the front door of the Hiragi household, about to leave for the night.

"Bye Kona-chan! Thanks for stopping by." Tsukasa said smiling at her friend, "And thanks for letting me borrow this anime DVD. Promise I'll give it back."

"Yeah, you'd better," Konata said matter-of-factly, "I know where you live." "Real nice, creep-a-zoid." Kagami shook her head.

"You know I'm your hero." Konata winked, waving to the twins as she walked out, "Have a good one!"

"Bye!" The girls said in unison.

And with that, Konata had left for the evening.

"What'd she lend you?" Kagami asked.

"Oh, some kind of show about giant robots." Tsukasa said, taking a second to think quizzically, "For some reason, she really wanted me to watch it."

"Giant robots huh?" Kagami said, "I've seen a lot of those around in my life - which one is it?"

" I think it's called Ev******," Tsukasa said.

"Really?" Kagami said, "Sounds kinda Christian or biblical."

"Yeah, but she said it was really good and thought-provoking." Tsukasa said, "So I figured what the heck."

Kagami shrugged, "If Konata likes it, it has to be weird."

"Probably," Tsukasa said knowingly, "I won't be able to watch it tonight though - I have some college applications to fill out."

"I already sent mine off," Kagami said worriedly, "You know, you should have sent yours by now too."

Tsukasa felt a slight sweat drop of embarrassment, "Always one step ahead of me, sis."

"I'm riddled with anxiety waiting for the responses, though..." Kagami sighed. "Ya mind if I watch that anime tonight then? If you're not gonna watch it I may as well to keep myself occupied."

"Sure, sis!" Tsukasa happily handed the DVD to her sister.

"Thanks, Tsukasa." Kagami smiled, "Let me know if you need any help with those college applications."

"Kay. Night, Sis." Tsukasa said walking off. "Night," Kagami replied looking down at the anime DVD case she was holding.

It was a standard DVD case with a white piece of paper inserted where the artwork would usually be, on the spine in pen the title read, "Ev*****: Death and Rebirth."

Kagami opened the case to find a burnable, unlabeled DVD-R on the inside.

Kagami rolled her eyes. Of course, Konata would only have an illegally burned copy of a DVD. Probably purchased at some anime convention somewhere at a shady bootleg table. She briefly pondered how bootleggers got away with stuff like that at public events. It must be such a staple of Otaku culture that they just let it slide.

Kagami shrugged at her inner thought and headed for her room with the DVD.

After changing into her nightclothes, she opened the case again and marveled at how unorganized it looked. Title scribbled in the spine. Not even labeled. Only Konata.

She pressed the center button in the DVD case and with a click it released the disc, which she put in her DVD player.

The anime automatically played and opened up to a schoolyard. The camera's view panned across the front of a normal-looking high school and followed the building around to the back, in front of a group of windows. Kagami could lightly hear the sound of moans.

Moans of pleasure. Soft and breathy from a female.

"What in the..." Kagami started to herself, her entire body immediately getting extremely hot, so hot she almost broke a sweat. Her eyes stood locked on the television screen.

It was then on the screen that Kagami saw the hands of a beautiful anime girl with pink hair and small breasts pressed against one of the windows of the building. She was being pounded from behind by a strong man. A darkly handsome man, albeit in the form of an anime character. He held on to her sides and continued to penetrate the pink-haired girl. Her moans growing louder and more passionate. The man cupped her small breasts as he continued to thrust his member into her.

It was at this point that Kagami was certain this was not "Ev*****: Death and Rebirth." This was not an anime with giant robots this was explicit anime, hentai. Kagami assumed correctly that there was probably an anime with giant robots somewhere out there, but regardless, Kagami knew she wasn't watching the intended film. She grabbed her remote to lower the volume but did not stop the feature.

But she continued to watch, transfixed, now watching as the petite pink-haired girl was in a reverse cowgirl position, her small breasts bouncing up and down as the character on the screen continued to moan.

Kagami felt tingling all over her body, craving the same pleasure she could hear in the moans.

She picked up the remote beside her and turned the TV off.

Kagami couldn't believe herself. She was getting turned on, getting off to a cartoon. What the hell as the matter with her?

"I'm not going to sit here and turn into an anime perv," she whispered to herself, a light blush still apparent on her face - she could still feel the warmth her body had released.

She couldn't help but dwell on what she felt as she sat in her room in silence - the yearning. She'd never felt this way before. All thanks to Konata her first taste of sexual appetite stemmed from a perverted anime. Great.

She knew, though, that she couldn't let this moment slip away. It felt too good. She finally knew what it meant to make an irrational decision about sex. Should she watch it? Of course not... It was immoral and completely out of her character. But she wanted to watch it, to hell with everyone else. She wanted to feel pleasure, to be relieved of this bold new feeling. To feel the release, the ecstasy of what she knew to be the result. It was well worth a little bit of guilt.

Once again she picked up her remote and turned the TV.

When the screen lit up, she saw that the film had continued to play and now the same pink-haired girl lay on her back, legs spread. In between her legs was another girl, just as cute and sexy with blonde hair and a busty chest, slowly licking in between her vaginal lips.

Kagami's hand flew up to her chest, partly in surprise. When she felt her hand touch her breast she instinctively gave it a firm squeeze, a small burst of pleasure shooting through her. She let out a surprised moan. She wasn't expecting that to feel good.

She moved her hand in a circular motion, pressing down on her petite breast as she did so. She let out a small, this time pleasurable, moan, and began to unbutton her shirt.

Once she had the first few buttons undone, Kagami allowed her hand to slip underneath the shirt. She continued to fondle herself, grabbing her chest and rubbing her breast.

Kagami stopped for a split second and took two fingers and pinched her small pink nipple. "Ah..." She let out a soft sigh.

With her other hand, she slowly moved towards her waist and put her hand underneath the elastic of her pajama pants, moving past her cotton panties and feeling herself.

Kagami let out a moan so loud she had to cover her mouth with her free hand.

"It's wet..." She said to herself, smelling her sexual juices, "I'm wet."

So this was what 'wet' meant.

Keeping her hand covering her mouth she went in with her hand again, shutting her eyes firmly in anticipation.

It wasn't in vain, she moaned loudly into her hand as soon as her fingers reached under her panties. She rubbed her fingers up and down her pussy.

"Yeah..." She whispered to herself, "Oh my God..."

Her breathing became heavier as she continued to rub her young body. Looking back up at the TV, the scene with the two women was still playing, the pink-haired girl now pleasuring the blonde one with her finger. But she was concentrating on a specific part towards the top. Kagami recognized why.

Kagami had always known what her clitoris was, and what it was, but never dared to try anything.

Unlike tonight when she thought, it was anything goes.

She ran her middle finger over her clitoris for the first time and hunched over in pleasure.

"Fuck..." She heaved, slightly taken aback but not completely surprised at the use of the expletive. "Jeez..."

She took her middle finger and moved it back to her clit, this time rubbing it in a circular motion. "Oh yeah..." Her other hand covered her mouth once again as she let out a long muffled moan, "Oh, God!" She screamed again into her hand. She slowed her hand as she rubbed her clit, the ecstasy became more sensual and bold.

"Hah..." She panted, her voice raising an octave or so, her body began to tremor.

She once again sped up her finger movement massaging her clitoris. It was unlike anything she had felt yet, the soft fondling evolving to a faster more aggressive rubbing was so potent with pleasure, she felt like she was going to explode. She felt like she was going to explode.

But she kept on.

She thought for a split second that she might pee. But the feeling of ecstasy far outweighed the feeling of impending urination. Something else was about to happen and she didn't care what.

She felt her entire body tighten and fill with the nicest, the most pleasurable thing she had ever felt in her life. Her body filled with warmth. It almost felt like a magic warmth and it shot through her entire body.

Without warning her pelvis shot up into the air as her fingers continued to massage her young 18- year-old clitoris. She used her other hand to grab her right breast and massage into it as she experienced her first clitoral orgasm.

She screamed - not bothering to cover her mouth. It was loud, almost a guttural moan, followed by her soft voice letting the rest of the exasperation crawl out of her mouth, out of her petite body.

With that, she simply lay there to catch her breath, heaving and panting, not regretting a single moment. She already knew she needed more.

She looked down in between her legs to see a small puddle that her juices had left on the bed. She used two fingers to wipe over the small puddle and investigate it further. When she brought her two fingers closer to her face, they were damp and slightly dripping.

"Wow, " Kagami said to herself, "That's a lot of... Uh, stuff." There was a light tapping at her door.

"Kagami?" She heard Tsukasa's voice, "Are you okay?"

Kagami jumped, a pit in her stomach dropping like a slab of cement. She pulled the cover over her body frantically and did her best to answer her sister in a normal voice.

"Yeah," She said weakly, "I'm good."

"Can I come in?"

"NO!" Kagami said, "I mean.. No sis, I'm totally ok, besides I look horrible."

She looked again at the puddle in between her legs. Yeah, she could look pretty bad if someone walked in.

"Umm. Ok." Tsukasa said, "I heard a scream I was just worried. "Uh, yeah," Kagami said, "Just stubbed my toe, it really hurt." "Oh," Tsukasa said, her tone not buying it, "You're SURE?" "Tsukasa!" Kagami said, "Go to bed!"

"Ok.." Tsukasa said, a little hurt in her voice, "Sorry. Good night."

Once again Kagami felt her red cheeks subsiding and the blood finally rushed back into her body, her face going from a bright red to her normal skin color. That was a close one.

She didn't know what to do with her newfound hobby, or who she should confide in... IF she should confide in anyone. Konata was out, she would just tease her until the end of days. But this was too much for her to not seek advice from someone.

She sighed. That was probably enough sexual stuff for the night. She felt spent anyway, as the experience was considerably intense.

She got up from her bed and began to get dressed in her pajamas once again, going to her closet and grabbing a spare sheet... so that at least the giant wet spot wouldn't keep her from sleeping. It would probably be dry by the morning.

Turning off the lights and laying down she pulled the covers over herself couldn't help but wonder what this meant. The death of her innocence?

Maybe. But it felt good. It felt really, really good.

[woolishlygrim]

Winter Weebwatch #2

Alright, Week 2, second episodes, which we are getting to a lot quicker than we got the Week 1 episodes, hence why this post is going out, like, three days after the last one. Hey, maybe by the time we hit Week 3, we’ll be current! That’d be nice. 

Several third episodes have already aired, and In/Spectre always seems to be subbed a little late, so we might skip over it for Week 3 and come back for it in Week 4.

Same seven shows as last week, those being Darwin’s Game, Plunderer, ID: Invaded, Pet, In/Spectre, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen and Infinite Dendrogram. Nothing has been dropped or picked up yet, but the season’s still young.

Darwin’s Game

★☆☆☆☆

Haha, this time I’m reviewing the episode immediately after watching! My memory won’t pull the rug out from under me this time!

So, Darwin’s Game episode two sees … um … sees the guy … whose name begins with a K I think … doing something. Um. Oh! There’s a treasure hunt game with murdery elements on, but … but wait, that happens at the end of the episode? So what happens before that? I think there’s a guy who’s like a boxer with superspeed, and he steals the protagonist’s phone, maybe? But I don’t remember why. I …

God, this show is difficult to review. I swear I just finished watching it, but literally none of it has stuck. It just doesn’t take up any space in my memory, it’s like when you wake up from a dream and you remember it for like six seconds before it starts getting jumbled and confused.

One star again, I guess, because I can’t properly review something that I don’t even have a clear recollection of.

Plunderer

★☆☆☆☆

Fresh off what might well be the worst first episode of the season, Plunderer proceeds to demonstrate that it could have won me over easily if it hadn’t decided to devote the first twenty minutes of the series to making me hate it.

So, episode two kicks off with a fight scene between the protagonist, Licht, and Skeezy Military Guy, and it’s honestly pretty fun, as is the sequence just afterwards where Licht pretends to be an amoral thief as part of a convoluted gambit to keep the deuteragonist, Hina, from being arrested for possession of an illegal Ballot. There’s even a kind of emotional arc in this episode, of sorts. If I hadn’t seen the first episode, I probably would’ve given this one three stars.

Except I did see the first episode, and the consequences of that still apply. I can’t really ever sympathise with Licht or even enjoy seeing him on screen because the very first thing we ever saw of his character was him committing sexual harassment. Despite what my reviews of Darwin’s Game might suggest, I have a memory longer than that of a goldfish, so no matter what kind of emotional moments or ‘Aw, see, he really is a good person!’ moments the show throws out, it’s not going to matter, because his introduction already soured me to him and, to be honest, to the show entirely.

Anyway, the episode ends with some random background extra revealing that he’s actually a major villain, and I guess Hina is going to track down Licht to warn him or something, and I’ve just emotionally checked out at this point.

Pet.

★★★☆☆

Pet wins the coveted Most Improved prize this week, as its second episode retells the events of the first episode, but from the perspective of the psychic criminals. This is kind of a great move, as it shows us how these powers work, sets up rules and limitations, clues us into the character dynamic between psychic crime boyfriends Hiroki and Tsukasa, and their boss, the tyrannical and short-tempered but noticeably less powerful Katsuragi.

With this new perspective, events from the first episode are recontextualised, as we see how Hiroki and Tsukasa alter their victim’s memory, and also see how Hiroki is toying with Katsuragi (most noticeably, by making him believe he’s smoking when his cigarette is unlit), and the tension that arises from Katsuragi’s ostensible superior position juxtaposed against Hiroki’s vastly more powerful psychic abilities, setting us up for a future conflict down the line.

We also get to see Hiroki and Tsukasa’s co-dependent relationship, with Tsukasa relying on Hiroki in their work, while Hiroki is emotionally too tangled up in Tsukasa to function without him. That’s actually genuinely interested, and it’s compared and contrasted with the victim’s relationship with his best friend/possible boyfriend -- a relationship that Hiroki and Tsukasa are, by changing his memories, destroying.

The animation is still pretty bad, but it makes up for that somewhat with some stylistic flair and some interesting aesthetic choices.

Infinite Dendrogram.

★★☆☆☆

Infinite Dendrogram picks up this week with Ray and his new person-weapon Nemesis attempting to level up. After learning about a war between the NPC nations of Altar and Dryfe that ended with Altar’s defeat, Ray’s first attempt to level up sees him making both a new friend in the form of another player named Rook, and a new enemy, in the form of a mystery gunman who shoots him down for no readily apparent reason.

I really wanted to give this episode three stars, I wavered back and forth on it for quite a while, since this is still a really enjoyable episode, but ultimately I had to scrape off a point for two reasons: The first was the inclusion of some really jarring and irritating fanservice in the form of the antics of Rook’s Embryo, Babylon, which just threw me out of the episode and grated on me. The second is the scene where Ray’s brother Kuma informs him that the war between Altar and Dryfe was lost largely because when Altar’s NPC king (and remember, NPCs are sapient in this game apparently) said he would not be giving out loot rewards to players who assisted in the war, players just outright refused to help.

Which is kind of … wow. Thousands or maybe hundred of thousands of sapient AIs perished because players, who were at no risk of serious injury or permanent in-game death, refused to help out unless they got ultimately meaningless in-game rewards for doing so. It wouldn’t even as if they would be killing other sapient NPCs, since it’s clarified that Dryfe uses non-sapient robot soldiers. To make this a more bizarre turn that frames the entire playerbase of this game as sociopaths, apparently a bunch of players did fight for Dryfe, which offered rewards to them for doing so, and those players actually did murder a bunch of sapient NPCs.

I’ve elected to be fairly forgiving with the absurdity of this show’s premise, but that one worldbuilding detail kind of pushes it into the red for now.

Sorcerous Stabber Orphen.

★★☆☆☆

Not a whole lot happens in episode two.

Actually, nearly nothing happens in episode two. There’s a very brief explanation of the magic system, and a short sequence that sets up the next few episodes, as Orphen is blackmailed by his sorcerous former friends to assist them in hunting down his sister Azalie, and apart from that it’s alllllllllllll flashbacks.

The flashbacks don’t really communicate anything that couldn’t have been communicated in other ways, though. I mean, in general I really don’t like flashbacks, given that they bring a story to a grinding halt, but these flashbacks are just sort of pointless. We see that Orphen was a student at the Tower of Fang, which we knew, and we meet a few of his friends, which we meet again just afterwards so it’s kind of pointless, and we get some explanation of how the Sword of Baldanders, the weapon that turned Azalie into a dragon, got to the town that Orphen is currently in -- only for us to be told the same thing in exposition a second later.

The pacing of this show is just not … great. After two episodes, it feels like there’s been maybe one or one and a half episodes of content, and I know that doesn’t sound like it’d drag too much, but I have the attention span of a horsefly, so.

ID: Invaded.

★★★★☆

Continuing on from last week’s episodes, ID: Invaded -- now on its third episode, since again, it aired two episodes at once in its first week -- picks up with a new case, that of a bomber who mixes fireworks into his explosives, creating brightly coloured displays as he murders people. Diving into his mental world, Sakaido finds himself on a tower surrounded by a waterfall with dozens of people, as a sniper picks them all off. As he attempts to find clues, his progress is hindered by constantly dying, causing him to reset his memory and start over each time.

This is kind of an opposite situation to Infinite Dendrogram, where this would have been a solid three star episode, being entertaining, engaging, occasionally even thought-provoking and atmospheric (such as in the scene where Sakaido is thinking back to the aftermath of his daughter’s death, pointing out as he remembers it that his recollection of it, in which his daughter is able to talk to him before she dies, the body is recognisable, and the mortician praises her bravery, is incorrect), if not for a few small things.

In this case, it’s the final scene that pushes it up to being a four star episode. With the bomber in custody and in the cell opposite Sakaido’s, a solid four or five minutes are devoted to a harrowing sequence where Sakaido uses what he learned in the bomber’s mind to talk him into committing suicide. It’s an atmospheric, tense, and remarkably upsetting scene, made all the moreso by the voice actors’ excellent performances.

In unrelated news, for those keeping count, the surrealist director Ei Aoki references this time around is Koichi Mashimo, director of the impressively surreal and atmospheric .hack and Tsubasa Chronicle animes.

In/Spectre.

★★★☆☆

So, after a first episode that was kind of all over the place, the second episode actually settles into something like a single genre, establishing itself as a light-hearted supernatural mystery with some romance elements. Which is fine, and it does it well, and I’m happy to not constantly be getting genre whiplash anymore.

This week’s episode sees Kotoko summoned up to the mountains by a snake spirit who wishes to know why a murderer tipped the body of her victim into the snake’s swamp. The main bulk of the episode is taken up by Kotoko and the snake’s interactions, with Kotoko acting as prosecutor and presenting plausible theories as to why the killer did what they did, and the snake picking holes in those theories and shooting them down.

It actually kind of works, to be honest. As Kotoko explains her theories, we’re shown them happening on screen, and since the snake points out some pretty reasonable flaws in them, it feels like a nice, even back-and-forth debate, as the two make point and counterpoint. Written well, debates like that can be really compelling viewing, and this episode actually is written really well.

There’s also some nice character development moments early on, with Kuro turning down Kotoko’s offer of accompanying her to visit the snake, only to insist she take a thermos of soup and a jacket with her, and later wandering up to meet up with her anyway. Mamoru Miyano doesn’t have the easiest job here, playing someone who is meant to have extremely flat affect and yet still make them interesting to listen to, but he pulls it off pretty well.

[notanotherasiandrama]

Currently Watching:

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim (Kdrama): Yes I still haven’t finished this one yet, but I am on episode 12 so I only have 4 more eps left. After a long slump in the Romcom department of kdramas this show brought me back to life. It’s not all that deep of a show, but it’s funny and all the characters are adorable. Actually some of my favorite scenes have been delivered by the side characters. It does dabble a bit with the struggles of PTSD, but only on a surface level as this is a light romcom after all. 4 out of 5 stars so far because it’s enjoyable, but a little vapid.

Kingdom (netflix kdrama): I binge watched this series all in one night, that’s how good it is. I swear this show was tailor made for me. It’s set in historical Joseon era Korea, and it’s centered around the Crown Prince and his desperate search for the truth about his father’s illness which he feels is suspicious. I’m not spoiling anything because it’s obvious there are zombies after the first 2 episodes. I mean it’s like Train to Busan meets Ruler: Master of Masks. The zombie aspect is actually well done and doesn’t feel campy or stupid like most zombie series. Strong male and female leads, not really any romance except for a useless official’s adorable crush on the female physician. A little graphic, so if you are weak stomached you might want to close your eyes on certain parts, but I still love the plot. The Walking Dead falls into a Joseon era political drama. 5 out of 5 stars!    

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (kdrama): I know I’m super behind in what’s hot in the drama world, but I have a job and a social life so I get to what I can when I can. I’m on episode 11 and I have mixed feelings about this drama. The plot is interesting and the acting is great, but Seo In Guk’s character feels like a sociopath (which I understand is the point, but if this is a romance it’s really hard to root for a character that has the personality of a pretty cactus). Still it has kept my interest so I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars so far.    

The Legend Of Hao Lan (cdrama): After just coming off of The Story of Yanxi Palace I was searching for another great historical cdrama. I thought The Story of Ming Lan would fill that void, but sadly I couldn’t get past the first 3 eps. It was just too sad and boring. Might come back to that one later, but Hao Lan started off with a bang. Typically cdramas drag out the sufferings of their heroines for like 10 eps, but they just jumped right into it with a forced marriage to an abusive minister, a betrayal by her fake sister and fake prince charming, and then her wicked stepmother tries to kill her. I’m serious this is first 30 minute stuff of the first ep. I’m on episode 5 now and I gotta say this one has me hooked. I have high hopes for this one. Plus I really want to ship Wu Jinyan and Nie Yuan together. I couldn’t do that in the story of Yanxi because the emperor was just a selfish jerk all the way to the end and because Fuheng was still in the picture and he and Yinglou will always be OTP material. Too early to rate this one yet, but could be 5 star material. 

Meteor Garden (netflix cdrama): I’m halfway through this drama and after watching every single adaption there is for Hana Yori Dango this one has to be my favorite. I feel like they make Doaming Si (tsukasa) more likable and less like a psychopath. The rest of the F4 are fully fleshed out characters. I also like how they go into how hard it is for Shancai to express her feelings. The cinematography is also beautiful so 5 out of 5 stars. 

Kaguya-sama: Love Is War (Anime): “I’ve only seen 3 episodes so far. The show is about two really prideful people who believe that the first person to confess their love for other is the loser and so they both employ mind games to try to get the other to confess first. Full disclosure: I’m a fast reader, but this anime goes super fast so sometimes it’s hard to read all the subs before the scene changes. Slower readers and newbies will have a hard time keeping up with the lightning quick dialogue. I originally thought this was going to be a cute fluffy romcom, but so far it’s missing any light fluffiness, at least in the typical shoujo vein. The characters aren’t that endearing and their pride is on an insane pathological level. Each episode is basically like an unresolved one-shot so it’s a casual anime you can watch without much thought put into it. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.   

On Children (netflix cdrama): The Chinese Black Mirror in my opinion. It’s definitely a dark and thought provoking series. Each episode is a stand alone episode with the thread that connects them all being how academic pressure on children can be abusive. It’s genius in the way that each parent’s toxic relationship with their children is different. Some seem loving and affectionate, but their love is burdensome and demanding. Some of them are your typical cold, tiger moms, but all in all the call for perfection from their children for “their” future is heartbreaking. If you are looking for a feel good show this is not the one for you. 4.5 out of 5 stars. 

The Girl From Nowhere (netflix thai series):  Truthfully I finished this series months ago, but I felt it deserved a shout out. The series centers around a “girl” named Nano who goes to various schools where chaos seems to follow. Each episode is a one-shot story with all the episodes involving Nano. Being more of a psychological horror/thriller series there are a lot of questions about who and what exactly Nano is, but in typical Asian horror fashion the more abstract and unexplained a monster or character is the more terrifying they are. This was a hit and miss show for me. I really enjoyed a lot of the episodes, but there were some that just fell a little flat to me. It is kind of similar to Black Mirror in it’s thought provoking execution of how it shines a light on the darker sides of human nature. Like On Children this series also focuses on the academic pressures of Asian teenagers, but not all of the episodes are about academics themselves, some are just set in a school setting. 4.9 out of 5 stars. 

That’s it for now. I’m actually watching a lot more than I’ve mentioned here, but I’m in the early stages of most of them so I don’t have a solid opinion on most of them yet.  What dramas do you guys recommend? I’m willing to give anything a shot.

[alexiethymia]

Chapter 258 and SouEri (or why Souma and Erina make such an awesome Power Couple)

This is me basically rambling, in honor of the release of the first episode of San no Sara and all the SouEri goodness. Ok, so SnS is not a shoujo manga, and unlike other chapters (specifically the chapter where Souma cooks for Erina), this chapter doesn’t have any outright shoujo vibes that would make your heart go ~kyun!<3~, but it still made my heart go ~kyun!<3~ because of all the implications.

SOUMA AND ERINA COULDN’T MAKE THEIR SPECIALTIES WITHOUT EACH OTHER!

In Souma’s case, it’s pretty obvious. He certainly wouldn’t be able to make his dish without Erina’s god tongue, and he says so himself. In Erina’s case, I don’t think she’d be able to surpass herself without Souma challenging her. It’s the exact same dilemma with Eishi. Because of their perfection and their heavenly abilities, no one would ever dare to say anything they made was less than perfect. But perfection is the end of innovation and the beginning of stagnancy. But here we have Souma, a simple diner brat, he’s certainly no gourmet, and yet he dares to say to Erina, your dish is not enough, you can do even better. That’s amazing to me. His audaciousness and cheekiness are exactly what Erina needs. 

THIS CHAPTER IS AMAZING BECAUSE IT RESOLVES THE ASS-PULL WE THOUGHT WE WOULD GET AND SUBVERTS COMMON TROPES.

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that the past few chapters have been average. Not necessarily bad, but they didn’t have the same feel that early SnS chapters had. Here’s the thing, everyone thought that if it fell down to a showdown between Eishi-Rindou and Erina-Souma, no matter how our main characters won, it would be an asspull. 

And yeah, I thought so too. I mean Eishi and Rindou had such overwhelming strength. They wouldn’t be able to win with just the god tongue. But this chapter blew that out of the water and answered all my questions. See, Eishi and Rindou are top-notch. Their teamwork is amazing. Rindou knows how to maximize Eishi’s spotlight (it seems to me that’s what she’s been doing for their whole friendship, silly hc that she’s sorta hostile against Azami since he gets to call Tsukasa, Eishi), but they are not co-dependent on each other like Erina and Souma are now, precisely because of their skills and their experience. They aren’t as desperate either. 

And thus this is the beauty of Souma’s plan. If Rindou’s dish was 90% to give way to Eishi’s dish being 100%, Souma made his appetizer 100% to equal Eishi’s. But then the dilemma of the whole course meal. However, Souma expects Erina to bring out a dish which is 110% to blow his dish out of the water. It’s a simple analogy, but that’s how I see they could win. 

And that plan is just so Souma, unconventional and crazy. It makes me laugh, because the thing is, Souma really was planning to make a main dish no matter if he lost jankenpon. This is because his partner is Erina. Any appetizer Erina would have made would have been fantastic, thus he would have to make a main dish equal to it. The same logic applies the other way around. But he became lucky since with this, he had a chance to challenge Erina to even greater heights. This chapter goes to show how much he trusts her.

SOUMA TRUSTS ERINA SO MUCH AND RECOGNIZES HOW MUCH BETTER SHE IS THAN HIM. 

Do you know how sweet his trust in her is? From the outside, their teamwork seems to have a lot of cracks, but this chapter shows how absolute Souma’s faith in her is. 

He believes Erina can make a dish more amazing than Eishi’s, even better, he believes that Erina can make a dish even better than HIM. 

He can word it in any way he likes to provoke her, but the bottom line is he created a scenario where Erina beating him would mean their victory over Eishi and Rindou, as well as saving their friends from expulsion. For a guy with so much pride, for a guy who hates so much to lose, it means SOMETHING that he would do it this way. 

He has always liked to take over the responsibility for saving Polar Star, for saving their friends, but this time around he entrusts this responsibility to Erina. 

‘Don’t disappoint me’, he seems to be saying to Erina. Do you know how rare it is to have this equal rivalry-relationship between two characters in shonen or shoujo? Where both of them inspire each other? Especially a scenario where it’s the girl who’s better, and the guy recognizes it? The closest I can think of is maybe ‘The Devil is a Part-Timer’. 

This chapter is indeed a perfect appetizer which is a prelude to Queen Erina kicking ass and taking names. How can’t she when her husbando challenges her like this?