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Chapter 5 thoughts

—> I like the pattern for Utau’s outfit here for the most part, but what is with the diamond cut at the midriff? I thought maybe it was referring to her time as Dark Jewel at first, but maybe that’s giving it too much credit. Either way, I don’t like it.

—> But it does look like we’ll be getting an Utau appearance at Arcana at some point. I imagine it’ll be very last minute with her packed schedule. If the manga goes on for much longer, I think it would be funny if Utau just kept showing up at the last minute to deal with the not-final-boss-but-still-a-pain mini boss of the arc.

—> Oof I smell some indoctrination here. Erito is under the impression that characters can just be given to people. She doesn’t mention anything about her would-be self, or really anything that she actually likes or dislikes. I guess in her eyes, any guardian character would suffice even if it doesn’t reflect who she actually is.

—> So either Erito doesn’t like who she really is and would rather have a manufactured egg, or she hasn’t done any self-discovery.

—> I think she’ll return later when the director of Arcana takes center stage. He definitely has plans for her, and I know she’s going to want revenge against Amu. Either way, I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next with her!

—> And even with how everything ended, Amu still wants to help Erito~ I love how she’s not certain what the right answer is here. It sucks that Erito lost Rosetta, but at the same time, Amu knows these Arc Eggs have to be investigated.

—> And looking around hoping to talk to someone about it? It makes me appreciate that the story is only starting with Amu and Tadase. They have to just figure things out in their own for a bit, and sit with their feelings.

—> I love how Tadase is immediately suspicious of Erito’s disappearance. Like, wouldn’t a school focused on guardian characters be prepared for a scenario in which kids have doubts about themselves, affecting their eggs? Yes, perhaps, if you’re at Seiyo. But that’s not the game at Arcana, and Tadase immediately clocks that.

—> Hm, I would have liked to see Tadase struggle a bit more by not having the resources or support someone in a position of power would have, but he was always popular, so it was inevitable he’d get something anyway.

—> Kiseki is so precious here

—> Don’t have a lot of thoughts on the Dia and Kurumu subplot yet, other than it gives me Peach and Twink from Paper Mario vibes for some reason. Still, at least Dia has something going on.

—>not gonna lie I was just as startled as Amu when I first saw Rima and Nadeshiko. Like they literally just appear in the crowd in the previous page. Now I really want an anime adaptation to see how they handle this.

And since it’s been on my mind and I’m truly in my rewatch era:

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Ahhhh I fell completely behind on writing these! Thoughts on Chapters 4 for now, chapters 5-8 to come later.

Ch. 4

—>So Chapter 4 brings us to the end of volume 1, and I'm just left wondering - how many volumes is this going to be? As of this post, we just recently got chapter 8, so surely that means volume 2 will be published soon, right?

-->I?? Didn't??? Talk about Tadase and Niya??? That's a crime against humanity. Forgive me for I have sinned.

What a clever ploy here by our resident streamer. Like, are we sure he isn't from the future, where streaming is more commonplace (if you're like me, and refuse to believe that this arc isn't still taking place in 2008?)? Because kids back then weren't think of likes and view counts and all that. I could certainly believe a kid in this day and age would care about that, unfortunately.

Anyway, I really like how much of a wildcard Niya is here. Like, it's pretty obvious he's trying to manipulate Tadase, right? But to what end? What is his end goal here?? Is he working for the director or does he have his own motives??

Seeing him simply as a copycat to Ikuto kind of misses the point - like yes, on the surface, he has quite a bit in common with him. But based on how he operates, he makes for an interesting contrast with Nikaidou from the first arc. I'll hold off on a more in depth comparison to other characters for now though - I just want to see what he does next and find out what his actual endgame goal is.

--> Character Transformations from the dorm leaders wasn't entirely surprising to me. However, I am curious about the naming conventions - is it solely to reference their dorm names, or is there some sort of connection to Amu's own transformations? We know the Arc-Eggs are manufactured in some way, so is it possible that they were made to be modeled after other chara bearers?

Sure, it could simply another reference to card suites... but it's interesting since we don't normally see overlap with names like this.

--> Yesss!!! The conflict I've been waiting for!!!

--> I want to apologize to Tadase. I never appreciated him back in the OG days. Not that I hated him per se, but he just didn't stick out to me as much as the other characters. But you know what? His growth and determination is such a good parallel with Amu's.

--> I love Kinomi. I think he's my second favorite character introduced in this arc (after Erito ofc). Like he just has so much potential for interesting interactions, and this moment here is so funny. Please, please, please, can we get an anime reboot announced so we can see this become the cinematic masterpiece it's meant to be?

--> I'm not entirely buying that Niya likes Amu. Him saying this feels calculated for the same reason him collaborating with Tadase does. He's definitely stirring the pot one way or another though.

--> And this is what makes the Arc-Eggs so interesting. Guardian Characters are supposed to represent what someone wants to become, in terms of personality or aspirations. Amu's characters represent both traits (honesty, kindness, etc) she wants to express, and skills (athletics, art, cooking, etc) she wants to have. Kiseki is a symbol of Tadase's desire for power to protect others, while Yoru was born of Ikuto's dream to be free and live his life on his own terms.

So what does Rosetta actually represent? What does Erito really want for herself? Considering she didn't get the glossy eye look other X-Egg victims get, does this mean Rosetta has nothing to do with Erito's inner self?

--> Okay so... not gonna lie, I'm pretty lukewarm on this. Like, yes, transformation upgrades are pretty standard, but like... I kind of wanted something a little different? Like, I love the Arcana Academy uniforms because they still fit the characters while also reflecting their growth and maturity. And I was kind of hoping these character transformations would do the same?

I don't really know what would work here though. A different silhouette maybe, like with long sleeves? Less ribbons? Maybe it'll look better when it's colored?? IDK, it's been a few months since this chapter dropped and I'm still not entirely sure on this.

--> !!! So her name was Annabelle the whole time, and interestingly it was changed to Rosetta... almost as if trying to force a connection with Erito. And look how many more flowers she has on her after the X is lifted!

Was she taken from another child's heart?? Was she artificially created, and then modified for Erito's sake?? What's the backstory here???

--> I didn't even realize the lock changed to a heart shape at first, since I was so transfixed on the wings. I really like that detail for Amu, as if she's soaring to new heights.

--> Okay, so of course the big reveal of the chapter is that Ikuto is returning and headed to Arcana Academy, and the big question is why? But also... since the Humpty Lock changed, did the Dumpty Key pick up on that? Or did it change too? OR, will it change once he gets close to one of the other artifacts? Were these artifacts made by the same person who made the key and lock?

Overall thoughts for volume 1: I'm not going to lie, I was nervous picking up this sequel, since I wasn't really sure what else Peach-Pit could really do with these characters or this world. Others would (fairly) disagree with me, but I felt like Encore wrapped up enough of the narrative to feel like a satis

But the Arc-Eggs and their guardian characters pose some pretty interesting implications to what we've come to expect.

Anyway, time for a new poll!

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Green Day ~ American Music Awards 2016

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Shugo Chara!'s official X account has revealed more information about the upcoming Volume 1 of Shugo Chara! Jewel Joker. It will be released on February 13th, 2025. There will be a regular edition and a special edition. The special edition will include a sparkly sleeve case and 5 illustrations cards, with one of the illustrations being newly drawn. It will cost 1,760 yen (tax included).

You can pre-order the volume from the following places:

Amazon Japan

Animate

Mangaoh

Melonbooks

Source: X

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ALSO RIMA AND NADESHIKO (I know it's Nagi but still non-binary icon)????? CUTIES!?!??!!

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This is a reminder to:

Never mention a possible pregnancy/abortion to anyone, especially not through a social media app messaging service such as messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, Snapchat, etc.

Delete all period tracking apps and to start tracking using a planner or physical calendar

Book appointments for a form of birth control if possible, or to always carry condoms for yourself and other

Look into sterilization options if that is the route you want to go down (here is a list of 1000 doctors willing to sterilize you without a fight)

Protect your fellow person, protect the women in your life, the queer people, the disabled people, everyone will be affected by this

Form communities. Tell your people that you love them. Protect one another. Check in on one another. None of us are alone.

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Time for a bit of a different poll

I personally think it’d be interesting to have the voice actors do the songs, especially if we have the VAs for Utau and Amu sing the themes during the Dia arc

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Opinion time!~ Spoilers for up to ch. 3 of Jewel Joker!

Just wanna start by saying I haven’t felt so invigorated to talk about something like this in so long. Like, Shugo Chara isn’t my first magical girl manga, but I think it’s the one that resonated with me the most. One of these days, I really need to write that Dia arc essay, because years after reading it, it’s resonated with me so much.

—> So we learn about the existence of Arc-eggs, which seem to be some sort of manufactured (?) egg made by the school? I have a few theories that pertain to them:

A. The X-Egg in chapter 1 was an Arc-egg, and the reason it couldn’t be healed was because it wasn’t anyone’s actual dream.

B. Kurumu (Amu’s roommate) will have an arc about rejecting the manufactured arc-egg and coming to accept her own dreams, even at risk of not actually being able to have her own guardian character

C. Erito will reject Rosetta in favor of an Arc-egg, with Amu trying to convince her to accept her own authentic self over seeking out power or whatever else tempts her.

—> Kinomi (the Spade dorm leader) is def a horse boy, that is the only explanation I will accept. Also, what are the chances he’s related to the Arcana academy director?

—> Niya is another character I suspect has deeper ties to the director. Also, he’s clearly meant to foil Ikuto. We know he’s into make up and content creation (just as Ikuto is a musician), and he’s got the cat thing going for him, but now we have Michaelangelo the Second (who insists on his full name), and interestingly, Niya’s egg isn’t an arc-egg (which isn’t entirely surprising).

—> Erito insisting that she will beat Amu at the games when Amu doesn’t even know what’s happening is funnier than it has any right to be.

—> It’s interesting to see Tadase and Amu no longer in positions of power, and now be on the outside as part of the student body. Of course, they’re not entirely normal, and still have targets on their back (especially from Erito) and it almost feels like it’s using what made them popular in elementary school and leveraging it against them.

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Also while we’re at it…

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Thoughts on the new chapter to come later, but here’s a poll to keep you busy:

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

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damn, they had one interaction and already have a canon ship name

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THEY NAMED NIYA GUARDIAN CHARACTER MIKE? SHORT FOR MICHAELANGELO THE SECOND!? THAT'S ACTUALLY CRIMINAL HAHAHAHA

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Still awaiting the translation for Ch. 3, so in the meantime…

Ultimately, the biggest deciding factor in my opinion is having a VA who also sings. Nana Mizuki, Utau’s JP voice, is both a well-known voice actress and singer, so I’d want her to have the same spoken and singing voice.

There’s two major angles I had in mind:

1. Elsie Lovelock or AmaLee - if a reboot were to be set in the 2020s, I think it would be interesting to have a VA for Utau that has solid internet fame. When the original anime aired, internet fame wasn’t taken seriously, with TV and movie celebrities being favored. If they really want to lean in to social media and influencers, giving Utau a VA who got her start on YouTube or other platforms would help to bring that energy. Plus, AmaLee has an English cover of the first OP, so it’d be dope to hear her covers of Utau’s songs!

2. A seasoned veteran VA - to thematically tie to the conflict in the Dia Arc, I think giving Amu a VA newer to the industry and giving Utau a veteran with years under her belt would help highlight Utau’s confidence in herself, as well as Amu’s admiration of her. I know I listed Laura Bailey as an option for Amu, but seeing as she’s voiced more mature characters such as Lust, Vex, and Anko, I think she could handle Utau’s emotional range and confidence. Brina Palencia probably has my favorite tone and inflection for this option, but any of the four veterans I’ve listed would work well in my opinion.

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Gotta keeping going with these polls!

Finding options for Tadase was a bit more challenging. I tried to pull VAs who voiced either princely or soft-spoken characters (Brian Beacock as Helios, Chris Hackney as Dimitri, Johnny Yong Bosch as Emil, etc). I also really liked Briner as Deku and thought he could provide an interesting performance.

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I’m too impatient so I’m gonna be rolling out these polls as I think of options.

Personally, I’m leaning more in the direction of Liam O’Brien and Lucien Dodge. Ikuto has a similar personality to other characters that Liam has played before (loner, a bit angsty) but has a fun, playful side to him. It’d be interesting to see him balance that.

I’m most familiar with Lucien Dodge as Felix from Three Houses. However, hearing him briefly in other roles makes me think he has versatility to handle the role too.