you.

Y O U .

about your post (link below), about the art style of the characters,

YO IVE BEEN WANTING TO TALK ABOUT THAT BUT SO FAR YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE IVE SEEN NOTICE IT. After reading the last few chapters, I did notice the art style of the series has been changing. At first I thought it was a different illustrator or a new assistant or something but I didn’t have a recent book to check. Maybe the guy is stressed with deadlines but he BUTCHERED a couple of the characters. Kimizuki I noticed the most since I uh- pay attention to him a lot, but the pictures you added really sealed the deal for me. I do hope it can “go back to normal”, since the art was part of what made me check out the series. I just feel like it doesn’t look as refined as it used to, and I definitely missed Yu’s old expressions. The eyes drew me to the characters. Maybe they’re using a different way of drawing things, like switching from traditional to digital, which could explain why the eyes aren’t as detailed anymore. I’d like to know which chapter you think this started in, as I’m looking though my physical copy of book 15 to see if it’s different around then. hopefully it gets turned around, but there’s obviously no guarantee. I really appreciate you posting about this.

https://distinguished-slacker.tumblr.com/post/650704413986521088/dont-you-miss-those-old-days-when

Hi :3

First things first, I just want to tell you that the artist, Yamato Yamamoto sensei, is not a ‘he’😅 Their gender is unknown but it’s most likely that they are a woman.

Now, onto your question, I think you are looking through the exact volume where I think the art style started to change. Volume 15 contains chapters 56 to 59. Chapters 56, 57 and 58 possess the same art style as those of the previous volumes and it’s right at the end of this volume, in chapter 59, where I notice that the faces and eye shapes started to become rounder.

However, you would barely notice this very subtle change unless you are looking through the chapter with the intention of dissecting the art😭 The panel where I go like “Yes. The art style is definitely starting to change.” is this one right at the end of chapter 62⬇️

I can notice it since usually Mika would have sharper features. Artstyle started to change since the early chapter 60s but it wasn’t until the 80s that the quality started to downgrade and especially the recent ones suffered a more severe blow.

I really don’t want to break your hopes but I am still going to speak and say that it’s highly unlikely that the art style will go back to what it was once :(

There is a difference between art style and art quality. Art quality is dependent on the choice of the brushes, the level of shading and of course, tiredness. If you compare these recent chapters with the ones from years ago, you can notice that the brush Yamamoto is currently using for drawing the lineart seems blurrier and so less defined. It seems like, as you say, Yamamoto changed their method of doing art to digital, and this problem can be easily changed if they try another platform or a different method. Then, level of shading can be improved if more time is given to focus on shading (therefore less tiredness).

However, art style is not something that can significantly improve with more free time. Art style is like handwriting; it either changes over time at a very very slow pace or it doesn’t change but it never abruptly changes to something different (it requires a lot of time to change your handwriting and get used to do it like that all the time). The artstyle has been changing since the early 60s, which were written like 4 years ago. Those are 4 years of Yamamoto getting used to drawing like this, with stiff positions, lack of body curves, excess of eye brushes lashes and more which has been getting worse as the manga progresses… It’s hard to expect them to draw like how they used to 5 years ago.

Still, the current artstyle is much better than many shonen mangas out there and I know the artist works very hard but when the plot narrative is being executed so poorly, you at least want to rely on the beautiful art of the manga…but…you know… ;-;

Anyways, I am glad that you liked my post (I really chose some good pictures right?😋) and even if the possibility is low let’s hope that at the very least Yamamoto realises that this is not how Yuu’s face looks like😂💔⬇️

Omggg I was totally wondering about Ferid & Crowley too, but didn’t bring them up bc there’s so little info about what they’re up to rn. I truly get not wanting to get too deep into theories about it, especially with Rigr himself acknowledging the climax of the story, I got no clue to whether quite a few of the side characters are gonna come back into play. I’m hopeful we’ll get some more scenes with them for closure’s sake at least before everything is wrapped up.

Also, I’m super glad you brought up Yu’s personality. When I see other ppl talking about it, it’s usually just criticism of him being too happy-go-lucky, but I totally agree with addressing it from the perspective of a coping mechanism. I definitely wanna see how Yu and Mika are affected by being together again in a new way. And how Mika’s gorgeous demon sword power is gonna stack up against the 1st.

Oh and thank you for once again assuaging my fears about the well-being of the characters lmao. I love these little check-ins. Your feedback never fails to help me process the chapter better and get me more invested in the story <3

Aw, that's really sweet anon! I'm glad you enjoy my little rambling thoughts. <3

That's the whole reason I left it as a crossed-out line. I wouldn't be surprised if they were yet again left as a sort of deus ex machina and are currently doing something to help further the plan off-screen, but *shrug* who knows. Then again, Ferid was left as a head last we saw. He'll... probably(?) be whole when we see him next? Idk

What I want to know is where Narumi is. WHERE IS HE?? He went with Kimizuki and Yoichi and then dropped off the face of the planet. At least with other characters that have disappeared, we kind of saw them go their separate way. Narumi just faded out of existence. You and I both hope that everyone will get a proper wrap-up.

Yeah, I've seen that too, and I mean, it's fair to complain about, but I really do think it's a coping mechanism. If you track Yuu's character progression across the series, Yuu did genuinely become a more happy-go-lucky person after he reunited with Mika. However, it wasn't to the degree it is now. That was a very sudden change that didn't appear until after Mika died, and if you compare it to his optimistic moments prior to that death, these moments feel almost forced now. I'd have to go back and check if it's consistent, but the actual text lends itself to this idea a bit too, at least in this last chapter. The more over-the-top moments are in a different text font. It's not something I really noticed before this chapter, but I couldn't not notice how often it was used here. The only time Yuu wasn't really using it is when he was talking about family, which all that talk is just typical Yuu. I don't want to get into a full breakdown because that would be long, but here's some "quick" analysis. Yuu has developed a sort of twisted belief that everything will be okay as long as he has his family with him. Losing the (arguably) most important member of that family broke Yuu. We can see how it tore him apart. Yuu was at his absolute lowest when Mika died. He was so hurt that he was ready to die too. He only came out of that when he heard Mika could be saved, and the second he heard that, he smiled while tears streamed down his face. He hasn't stopped smiling since really. Yuu hasn't properly acknowledged what happened to Mika in a serious way since then either. You don't ping pong personality-wise like that unless you're repressing how hurt you actually are. I suppose it could just be absolutely terrible writing, but Yuu lives for other people. Mika dying showed us that. He's also shown us countless times that he doesn't think his own personal pain and suffering matters so long as his family is happy and safe. This wouldn't be the first time he brushed off his own pain and suffering to help someone else. The only difference is that this is emotional rather than physical, and that kind of pain is very hard to brush off. Emotional pain doesn't heal instantly like physical pain does in OnS. We see it with how much Guren is still suffering and agonizing over his friends' deaths. Forcing a smile and saying everything will work out just makes sense for Yuu, after all, he has to be strong for others right? There's so much else I could say, but again, I'm trying to be conscientious about length.

Anyways! I too am excited to see just how powerful Yuu is now. Probably ridiculously powerful.

August 8th, 2018

Title: Siren (pt. iii)

Author: Lillian

A/N:  I’m writing this on a plane, I’m tired and uncomfortable. Sorry if the writing is crappy. Enjoy anyway! <3

As Mika followed the small boat, he could tell the sky above him was darkening. Mika wondered why the boat was still out, anyone with a hint of common sense could tell there was a thunderstorm coming. However, Mika carried on following the boat.

After a few more minutes, Mika heard voices yelling from above and assumed that a storm had started.

Mika got closer to the boat, and he saw that something, no someone, had fallen into the water. The same instinct that told him to follow the boat told Mika to get closer to that person. Mika grabbed the human, swam up to the surface, and started to swim toward the bay. The human seemed to be unconscious, so he went as fast as he could. When he looked down to look at the human, Mika nearly dropped them. Mika scanned their face, emerald-green eyes, raven hair, pale skin and a slim figure. He was, without a doubt, certainly, Yuichiro Hyakuya, the orphan that he had fallen in love with 7 years ago. Mika carried on swimming toward the bay, and at first, he was so excited to see if Yuu remembered him. But as he got closer to the shore, he started to get anxious. It was still raining, so Mika could only hope no one saw him.

‘What if Yuu hates me now? I’m a monster after all’ Mika thought to himself, and other related thoughts followed. Mika was scared, but he got to the shore eventually, so he had to stop with the worried thoughts, and focus on keeping Yuu alive. Mika knew CPR, but he was a siren, and he didn’t know if CPR would work on Yuu. Mika eventually decided to just push his stomach and hope for the best. As he did so, Yuu started coughing and spat water out of his mouth. Mika jumped back, and sort of hid in the water. Yuu sat up, and looked around him, with a confused expression on his face, and before Mika could swim away, he noticed the blonde-haired boy, swimming in the ocean.

“Hello? Excuse me, did you save me?” Yuu asked, and Mika slowly turned around and faced Yuu.

“Y-yes, I did…” Mika said, wondering if Yuu recognized him. And by Yuu’s expression, that had turned from confused to surprised, happy AND confused, Mika assumed he did.

“M-Mika? Is that you?” Yuu said, nearly choking on his own saliva. Mika nodded, and Yuu’s face lit up like a candle. Before Mika could say something back, Yuu ran to him and hugged him like it was the end of the world. Mika hugged back, and the two boys stayed in a tight embrace for some while. Even though they didn’t want it to end, they eventually let go.

“Mika, you have no idea how happy I am to see you!” Yuu said, tearing up, “When you got adopted, I was adopted too, so I couldn’t stay in contact, and when I got word you had gone missing, I was mortified, but I never forgot you, promise!”

“I promise Yuu-chan, I never forgot you either! I missed you so much!” Mika said. Now Mika had started to tear up too. Mika was so happy that Yuu had never forgotten him, and to be honest, Mika had thought about Yuu every day. The pair carried on talking, meaning Yuu talked about his life, and Mika just stared intently at him.

“Mika, come with me! You must be cold, and I wanna introduce you to my parents!” Yuu said, getting out of the water, waiting for Mika to follow.

“M-Mika? Why aren’t you coming?” Yuu asked.

“Yuu, have you heard of sirens?” Mika asked, not answering Yuu’s question.

“Yes, the sailors talk about them, telling stories about how they lure you into the water and drown you,” Yuu said, oblivious as ever.

“Well, you see… I’m one of them.”

“Wait what! I thought the sailors just were pulling our legs! Show me your tail, then I’ll believe it.” Mika nodded, and Yuu went back into the water. He looked under and saw the blue colored fin that was attached to Mika’s body.

“Hideous, right? If you hate me now, I totally understand. I’m a monster,” Mika sighed and started to cry, not of happiness, but of sadness.

“No no no! Mika this is so cool! You’re a siren! A mythical creature! This is great… but can you turn back into a human? How did this happen?” Yuu bombarded Mika with questions, and Mika answered all.

“So, what should we do?” Yuu asked, “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“I promise you won’t lose me, and I won’t lose you. I thought of something, but you might not like it,” Yuu nodded, signaling to carry on, “I’ll travel around the shores of Japan, looking for a broken heart. You’ll stay here, train to be a sailor. When we’re both 18, hopefully, I would’ve found a broken heart by then, we can meet here and never part, ever again.”

Yuu thought about it for a while, but in the end, he agreed. He hugged Mika tightly, wished him luck, and waved him goodbye as a purple-haired person, blonde, pink-haired person, and a brunette approached.

-One year later-

“YUU! SOMEONE’S HERE TO SEE YOU!” Kimizuki’s voice called. It had been a year since he had seen Mika, he had moved in with his best friends, and lived in a small apartment. His friends were convinced he had dreamt it all, but Yuu thought otherwise.

“OKAY MOM!” Yuu said, dragging out the ‘O’ in mom. Yuu made it to the doorway, and there was the soft, fluffy, blonde hair he had waited a year to see again.

“Hey Yuu-chan,” Mika said timidly. Yuu ran straight toward him, and hugged Mika tighter and longer than ever before.

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