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vlltlttrr · 3 years

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Seni e uova

Fino ad oggi sono stata completamente digiuna di letteratura orientale, e Seni e uova è stato il mio primo boccone, perciò non posso valutare quanto lo stile di scrittura di Mieko Kawakami sia in linea con quella di altri autori giapponesi o asiatici. Se dovessi descriverlo lo definirei calmo, perché anche nei momenti più stressanti è sempre presente qualche elemento che aiuta a ritrovare l’equilibrio. Nel mio precedente bagaglio di lettura ciò che sceglierei come miglior paragone è sicuramente L’idiota, di Elif Batuman, finalista al premio Pulitzer 2018, perché c’è qualcosa nella narrazione dei pensieri delle protagoniste che li rende molto simili a parer mio, nonostante le trame siano completamente differenti.

Mettendo da parte le mie impressioni, quello che è un dato oggettivo, e che ritengo molto importante per la comprensione del romanzo, è la sua storia editoriale. Il libro è infatti diviso in due parti, scritte a circa 12 anni di distanza. La prima è quella che in lingua originale è chiamata appunto Seni e uova, edita in Giappone nel 2007 e vincitrice del premio Akutagawa nell’anno successivo. Ambientata a Tokyo, in un arco temporale di tre giorni, nei quali si scioglieranno problemi che la protagonista e le sue uniche familiari, la sorella e la nipote, accumulano da mesi, se non anni. La seconda parte, che prende gli ultimi due terzi del libro, è stata invece scritta nel 2019, pensata come un’espansione di Seni e uova, ed in lingua originale è intitolata Summer Stories (夏物語). Qui i tempi si dilatano, infatti questa sezione coprirà un arco temporale di tre anni, dall’estate 2016, ossia otto anni dopo gli episodi della prima parte, fino all’estate 2019. Oltre all’ambientazione prevalentemente estiva, il titolo è dovuto anche al nome della protagonista: Natsuko, che contiene la parola estate (夏 Natsu).

Il motivo per il quale ritengo che conoscere questa distinzione sia così importante è che, oltre all’evidente cambio di ritmo della narrazione, vi è anche un approccio differente alle tematiche trattate. L’intero volume è infatti dedicato al corpo femminile, ed in particolare ad esso nel contesto sociale. Nella prima parte leggiamo di come Makiko, sorella maggiore della protagonista, desideri rifarsi il seno, incurante della situazione economica instabile, come se potesse risolvere i problemi della propria vita realizzando questo desiderio, e di Midoriko, sua figlia, che si trova terrorizzata sull’orlo della pubertà, incapace di parlare alla madre e di accettare l’immagine che le viene proposta di donna adulta. Sono tre giornate intense, che rievocano anche molti ricordi, più o meno traumatici, dell’infanzia di Makiko e della protagonista, ed il tutto è narrato in prima persona da quest’ultima. Anche la seconda parte è raccontata da Natsuko, ma qui le dinamiche cambiano, gli altri personaggi non sono mai coprotagonisti forti come Makiko e Midoriko, e per gran parte del tempo Natsuko spicca come figura solitaria, sono appunto le storie di Natsu, le Summer Stories. Scopriamo che ha poche amicizie, non molto profonde: alcune ex colleghe, la sua nuova editor, e in seguito un’amica scrittrice, nessuno con cui confidarsi comunque, se non dopo fiumi di alcol. Perciò la maggior parte delle emozioni di Natsuko le viviamo proprio dentro la sua testa, con un gran numero di monologhi interiori. Veniamo anche a conoscenza della sua vita amorosa, passata e presente, e questo ci porta all’argomento intorno al quale ruota questa seconda parte: il suo desiderio di ricorrere alla fecondazione assistita.

Da questo libro emerge un rapporto a dir poco conflittuale con gli uomini, i quali sono quasi inesistenti e solo in rarissimi casi mostrati in accezione positiva, ma più in generale ho letto una critica verso le aspettative della società giapponese nei confronti delle relazioni di coppia. È una narrazione in cui il singolo vince sulla coppia, e non sempre negativamente, anzi spesso con la risultante di una maggiore realizzazione personale o comunque con una vita più stabile e sana. È un libro che parla di corpo, ma che per la maggior parte del tempo racconta la mente e le emozioni. È un libro che incoraggia a riflettere sulla propria vita e a perseguire la propria felicità, e soprattutto incentiva le donne a farlo.

#seni e uova #mieko kawakami #l'idiota #elif batuman #femminismo #corpo

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jgfiles · 6 years

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Create your Joker Game Nendoroid for a JG Official AU setting (plus Emma and Yoru)

So, since I said I would make another post about it, here are some additional options to create Joker Game Nendoroids… be them Nendo in uniforms or Nendo for your AU (police AU, school AU, fantasy AU, restaurant AU) and little Emma (yes, little as in smaller in size compared to Amari as she should be) since in the past post I forgot about her. And well, since I’m at it I’m going to mention Yoru as well because… why not?

Mind you, I won’t repeat my suggestions to create the various Joker Game Nendo. Apart for Emma and Yoru who were included in the previous set, what follows are merely suggestions on EXTRA clothes you can put on your Nendo if you want to put them in other Joker Game official AU setting. In short if you need to create your Joker Game Nendo from scratch you might want to look back at my previous post for info on how to create the head.

Also, although I’ll be mentioning lot of Nendo and accessories and so on, well, buying them all would be EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE so I guess you’ll have to choose to buy only want you REALLY want. This is meant to help you to choose and give you ideas, not to tell you to empty your wallet in order to buy Nendo.

By the way, later I’ll probably add links to the official page. As of now I’m worn out by all I wrote already. Sorry about this.

Okay, let’s start with Emma and Yoru as they’re Joker Game character and I’ve completely skipped them in the past post.

Now… if you’re going to make yourself an Amari Nendoroid you might want to give him an Emma to interact with. Of course you know try and make her with other Nendoroids parts same as you made him… but then she would be as tall as him and this would feel weird, wouldn’t it?

What you should be searching for then is a Nendoroid petite.

What’s a Nendoroid Petite?

A Nendoroid Petite or Petit is fundamentally a Nendoroid that’s smaller in size (6,5 cm opposed to the 10 of an ordinary Nendo) and that therefore, if placed next to a normal Nendo, can give the impression of being a ‘younger’ character. They’re also technically cheaper.

Now… sad things first. As of now, among the Nendoroid Petite collection there’s not yet a character with exactly the same hairstyle as Emma. As usual as

Also, although Nendoroid Petite can be sold separately, often they’re sold in a single group by western sellers. So it can be a bit of a hassle because you might be forced to buy more than you strictly need. On the positive side this might give you more clothes and faces for your Emma.

Now… what you would find a decent approximation for Emma also depend by your personal taste but, if you want my suggestion I think it can help you look at this set.

Nendoroid Petite: THE IDOLM@STER - Stage 02 [RELEASED] [More info]

Beware, there’s more than one set with a name like this one so make sure to search for the one you’re interested in.

Amami Haruka has short hair with ribbons. You’ll need only one but it’ll do no harm to have two.

If you don’t like Haruka’s short hair you can opt for Hagiwara Yukiko who also has short hair.

And, since Emma had no fringe but her hair were pulled away from her forehead, you can use the frontal part of Minase Iori.

Mind you, I know that you can disassemble Nendoroid Petite so that its hair split in two parts (the front and the back) so it should be possible to put the back part of Haruka or Yukiko’s hair and the front part of Iori’s hair together, but as I’ve neither of them I can’t tell you for sure. Sometime you can’t combine Nendo X and Nendo Y together. No idea if this would be the case.

Also pieces might need a repaint job (Emma’s hair would be orange, I guess you can keep them brown but I’m not sure if the shades of brown match).

A downside of the set I’m showing you is also that it contains 11 pieces and while this is great because it gives you a good amount of clothes and faces (you can’t make Petite faces with facemaker yet)… well, it means buying 11 Petite if you can’t find them being sold separately so things get expensive.

There are many IDOLM@STER sets though, so you might find a cheaper one or one that has its pieces sold separately.

Another option is the Nendoroid Petite GIRLS und PANZER 03 set. [More info]

It’s a set of 6 pieces but if you buy them on the Good Smile Online shop they’ll sold to you separately.

In this set Isobe Noriko has the short hair back piece you might need.

Assam instead has the frontal piece that implies the hair are pulled back (you might want to cut her long bangs though).

They will surely need a repaint job.

If you’re wondering why I’m not listing also Sono Midoriko from this set…

…this is because I fear it’s highly unlikely her back piece will combine with Assam considering where’s placed the point in which the frontal part of her hair split with the back part. Maybe I’m wrong and, as before, I can’t insure you that Noriko and Assam will be a perfect fit. You’ll have to see it for yourself.

Another possibility is to give Emma a fringe even if she canonically doesn’t have it. If that’s what you want you’ll find many Nendo Petite that can fit among the ‘GIRLS und PANZER’ many sets or among the ‘THE IDOLM@STER’ sets. It’s up to you and how close do you want your Emma to be to the real Emma.

Are you a Yoru lover?

There are many Nendo (and even some Nendo Petite) that come with a cute kitten who’s already black or that you can paint in black.

Each of them is pretty adorable. The problem would be you’ll have to buy a Nendo to have them… which might not be worth it. If you find just a black cat from a toy store it will probably work just as well. Anyway for the sake of this being a complete list I’ll list them to you.

Nendoroid Hakase [More info]

Nendoroid Kenma Kozume [More info]

Nendoroid Shiki Ryougi (Shiki Ryougi didn’t come just with a cat but also with cat ears if you’re interested) [More info]

Nendoroid Tsubasa Hanekawa [More info]

Nendoroid Azusa Nakano (His face though is white) [More info]

Nendoroid More After Parts 02 (they aren’t black but if you’re interested in this set that gives cat ears and cat tails to your Nendo as well as bunny ears and bunny tails, you might consider them an acceptable compromise. We’ll talk about this set later though.) [More info]

So now we get to the customize your Nendo with clothes that aren’t suits parts.

Let’s start with Sakuma’s Army uniform.

To refresh everyone’s mind this is Sakuma’s uniform (well, the second picture it’s actually the Military Police uniform but, as you can see, the Army uniform is the same just with a red M instead than a black one and no tiny round insignia on the collar) or better the uniform he would have worn in 1938/39.

As of now I couldn’t find Nendo parts that come with the collar for this uniform but we can still give Sakuma an uniform he wore.

In fact, prior to wearing this one uniform he would have worn this other uniform which differs slightly for how the collar is and where the insignia are placed (the second picture is of when Sakuma was still a student and therefore didn’t have a rank but it gives you an idea of the uniform colouring).

No, sadly Nendo don’t come with Japanese ARMY uniforms. The only one who has a military uniform is Japan (from Hetalia) but he has a Navy Uniform.

Nendoroid Japan [Released] [More info]

The sleeves and the legs are wrong and there’s no hat but we can keep it in consideration for the jacket (remember you can remove and replace the arms). Of course it’ll need a repaint job.

Now what’s our next option?

Nendoroid KAITO Senbonzakura Ver. [Released] [More info]

He has the hat and the right legs. Of course he needs a repaint job and the sleeves need to be replaced but the jacket (minus the sleeve) although a bit upper class for our Sakuma (what with all those medals and aiguillette? And where are the buttons?) can still work if you don’t feel like buying Nendoroid Japan.

And, if you’ve bought the suit set I was talking about in the past post and aren’t using all the suits in it, you can replace the arms with some from that set, even the ones from the female suit should work.

Really, that type of sleeves aren’t so hard to find so replacing them shouldn’t be impossible.

Still, it won’t be a perfect replica but one has to make with what he has.

There’s something else about clothes I skipped in my previous post. The hat the boys wear.

Well, truth to be told there isn’t a hat set and anyway Nendo don’t have fedora hats but they can wear hat that look like one so, if you really want a hat I’ll list you 2 options:

Nendoroid Chuya Nakahara [More info]

Nendoroid May'n [More info]

Oh, if you want a Sakuma with really short hair Good smile company is about to release the pre-order possibility for a new Nendo

Nendoroid Giovanni [More info]

So now we’re ready to start travelling toward AU LAND

The first Joker Game AU was the police Au. Now, the cover of the cd showed that the boy dressed up the same as in the anime so you technically don’t need a police uniform but if you’re desperate for one you’ll have to make one.

In order to do so you can use the following Nendo:

Nendoroid Sakura Monden (She’s of the Police railway team to be honest but her jacket is the one you need. Of course you’ll have to remove her shirt and legs) [More info]

Nendoroid Minami Kurihashi (She’s actually a railway station assistant but has the right legs and with a repaint job you can also use her jacket) [More info]

Nendoroid Alice Kuji (She’s actually not a policewoman as she drives trains but her hat can work for your uniform and so her legs if you decided to go for Nendoroid Sakura Monden) [More info]

Too bad there’s no male Nendoroid police uniform already ready to use, isn’t it?

The next AU universe is the school AU, isn’t it?

In it Sakuma is very likely dressed up in his own suit so he wouldn’t really change but I know some like to depict him in gym clothes so you might want to look at this nendo.

Nendoroid Tobio Kageyama Karasuno High School Volleyball club's jersey ver [More info]

And now... you probably want a school uniform for the boys.

Nendoroid Ushio Aotsuki [More info]

You can also use

Nendoroid Koyomi Araragi [More info]

Another option, although not so good is:

Nendoroid KAITO: Cheerful Ver. [More info]

Last but not least there’s:

Nendoroid More: Dress Up Cheerleaders [More info]

Why this set? Because it includes a secret piece which would be the outfit Kaito is wearing above

Only well... unless you manage to buy ONLY THE SECRET PIECE, buying the full set would cost you more than buying a Nendo... so, unless you also want the cheerleader girls part that’s something I discourage you from buying.

Oh and you want gym uniforms for the boys as well? Try this.

Nendoroid Shoyo Hinata Karasuno High School Volleyball Club's Jersey Ver [More info]

The shorts will give them a younger feeling compared to the guym clothes I picked up for Sakuma... though of course you can decide to go for the long pants as well if you prefer.

Theoretically you could use Nendoroid petite to make the students... as there’s a student uniform among the Nendoroid petite and this would make them look younger...

Nendoroid Petite: Bakemonogatari Set #1 [More info]

As you can see it includes again Nendoroid Koyomi Araragi so you can use his uniform (which is in 3 different poses) and Tsubasa Hanekawa comes with two kittens one of which is black to satisfy your Yoru needs.

The problem is that so far you can only Make a Miyoshi Nendoroid Petite as he is the only one for whom I found fitting hair (you’re free to try and find them for yourself though).

Nendoroid Petite Touken Ranbu -ONLINE- 1st Squad [More info]

See, there’s a petite version of Kashu Kiyomitsu so we can use that for Miyoshi’s hair... but remember, we’ll have to keep his faceplate as facemaker so far doesn’t make Nendo petite faceplates.

Of course a school AU is nothing without the right setting. I’ve talked previously of how Joker Game has setting we can use.

Nendoroid More CUBE 01 Classroom Set [More info]

Nendoroid More CUBE 02 Shoe Locker Set [More info]

Nendoroid Playset #01 School Life Set A & B (These are actually 2 set combined and the photo is not showing the door so as not to cover up the inside of the room, although it’s included in one of the two sets. You can see it below, in the next two sets) [More info & More info]

Nendoroid Playset 03: Culture Festival A & B Set (These are actually 2 set combined and the photo is not showing the window so as not to cover up the inside of the room, although it’s included in one of the two sets. You can see it above, in the previous two sets) [More info & More info]

And so that’s all for the school AU.

Next AU to come up is the fantasy one, isn’t it?

To be honest it wasn’t possible to find clothes for all the characters of that universe as they aren’t shown clearly.

Anyway we’ve:

Sakuma, the hero: Nendoroid Link Majora's Mask 3D Ver. [More info]

Miyoshi, the mage: Little Witch Academia - Nendoroid Lotte Yanson (It’ll be a good idea to replace her legs with some more manly though) [More info]

Don’t like Lottie’s skirt?

Nendoroid Kukuri (Her clothes will require a paint job though) [More info]

If you’re wondering about the other characters from Little Witch Academia for Miyoshi so far the other available are Nendoroid Sucy Manbavaran [More info] & Nendoroid Atsuko Kagari [More info]

... but Atsuko clearly has breasts and Sucy has female hips so neither would fit Miyoshi’s body.

Another option would be to buy:

Nendoroid Ryoko Asakura and Extra Parts Set [More info]

Why would this girl be connected to Mage Miyoshi? Due to the extra part set that comes with her and that includes a wizard hat and cape.

While all this is nice and fitting and comes with a cute kitten I’VE NO IDEA WHATSOEVER IF IT’LL FIT ON MIYOSHI as it was made to fit on Nendoroid Yuki Nagato (the one in the picture) [More info]. Some other Nendo can still wear it, some doesn’t. No idea if Miyoshi can... and I’m assuming you’ll let him wear the suit. Otherwise you’ll have to also get fitting clothes for him.

Oh and if you want a wand which resembles more the one Miyoshi has…

Nendoroid Riannon [More info]

Now...

Jitsui, the sage: Nendoroid Kazuma [More info]

Okay, well, he has a cape that resembles Jitsui’s. Sorry, I’ve no idea whatsoever on how to dress Jitsui apart for the cape. If you’ve suggestions I’ll love to hear them.

We’ll go to Fukumoto and Hatano. To reproduce their wings and horns you might want to use this:

Nendoroid More After Parts 01 [More info]

It’s a set of extra parts that includes, among other things, bat wings and horns. Nendo wearing it would look like this:

Sadly Fukumoto wears a single horn and there’s no such option as of now so I don’t know how to help this one. He also wear a Kappogi though and this one can be found.

Nendoroid Suzu [More info]

I’ll let you choose what to put on Hatano. He seems to wear a normal short shirt but I’ll let you the choice.

So next up is

Yuuki, the Demon Lord

Well, this one is a Nendo you’ve to assemble as well.

For the horns as previously suggested you can use:

Nendoroid Demon King [More info]

For the cape it’ll be great if you can try:

Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy Beast King Ver.

Or something simpler like:

Nendoroid More: Halloween Set Male Ver. [More info]

which comes with a cute black kitten for all your Yoru needs (I told you that there are many Nendo cats).

We’ve no info about the others so I’ve no suggestions for them.

I’m going to skip the zoo AU as we’ve no visual of how the characters look.

I’ll jump to the family restaurant AU

Actually we don’t know how they’re dressed in it either…

But, if you need a restaurant here it is:

Nendoroid Playset #05 : Wagnaria A & B Set - Guest Seating & Kitchen (These are actually 2 set combined and the photo is not showing a wall which is the same as the other wall with window so as not to cover up the inside of the room, although it’s included in one of the two sets.) [More info & More info]

I guess if we assume the boy were dressed like that:

We can use a Nendo we saw the past time:

Nendoroid Kagamine Len Harvest Moon Ver [More info]

If instead we want to go for something like this:

We can go for the boys wearing just the waistcoat of the suit set.

Nendoroid More: Dress Up Suits [More info]

LOL of course you could try to mix up things and use the skirt of the suit set pretending it’s actually an apron and attaching to it the legs of the male suit version. Just an idea. If you don’t look behind your Nendo it might work.

So now you might be wondering... what about the Chibi animal version?

Any chance to see it?

So far no. Japanese fans just sew clothes that reproduce it for their Nendo when they’re in Chibi animal version mood.

If it can help though you can put cat or bunny ears on your Nendo.

Nendoroid More After Parts 02 [More info]

That’s how your Nendo will look.

They also made dog and Kappa accessories but...

Oh, also there are Nendo which comes with cat ears so of course if, in order to get Yoru, you’ve bought yourself

On a sidenote if you want wolf ears we have them as well, though you’ll need to buy a Nendo to get them.

Nendoroid Holo (She also have a tail but I doubt you can attach it to a male suit) [More info]

Nendoroid Shiki Ryougi [More info]

Nendoroid Tsubasa Hanekawa [More info]

You’ve cat ears already.

Another option, although still unsatisfying are

Nendoroid More Face Parts Case

This is a penguin [More info] but I guess you can do it a paint job and make it look like a roaster, especially if you add a crest with clay.

This is a bear [More info]...

A cat [More info]...

A bunny [More info]...

And this is supposed to be a fox [More info] (sort of) but I guess with a paint job you can claim is a dog.

Last but not least you might want some traditional Japanese clothes for your Nendo.

Sadly there are no Kimono or Yukata sets for the males but there’s at least this:

Nendoroid Nozomu Itoshiki 1.5 [More info]

Nendoroid Nozomu Itoshiki 1.5: Kouji Kumeta Color Ver. [More info]

Nendoroid Hozuki [More info]

Though of course you can use also these:

Nendoroid Co-de: Kashu Kiyomitsu -Hanamaru- Uchiban Co-de [More info]

Nendoroid Co-de: Yamatonokami Yasusada -Hanamaru- Uchiban Co-de [More info]

They’re Co-De, they cost less but they can’t really move, just swap parts. But I’ve both and they’re adorable.

Now let’s end with some useful links.

Official Nendoroid list

Official Nendoroid Co-de list (same size as Nendoroids but they are placed in a fixed pose so they have less parts to swap and as a result are cheaper)

Official Nendoroid More list (accessories for Nendoroids be they clothes, faces or animal ears and tails)

Official Nendoroid Petite list (They’re the same as Nendoroid but smaller, as in their height is 65mm)

Official Nendoroid Playsets (stages on which you can move/place your Nendo)

Forum for who’s searching Nendoroid specific parts

And that’s really the end.

Also, if, after this, you feel like making a Joker Game Nendo please let me know! I would love to see it and know I was of some use!

#Joker Game #Sakuma #Miyoshi #Kaminaga #Yuuki #Amari #Tazaki #Hatano #Jitsui #Odagiri #Fukumoto #Joker Game Merchandize

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panzerkrieg · 7 years

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Chapter 4: Disappointment

Mako reached her home, already almost sleepwalking. When she opened her front door, the envelope fell flat and hit the ground. She looked down to see it lying there. Grumbling, she reached down and picked it up. She didn't want to have to deal with it tomorrow, so she opened it right there and read it. She nearly dropped it. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.

Hana read her draft orders several times over to make sure she wasn't misreading. She kept hoping that she might have suddenly become dyslexic, but it was to no avail. She couldn't help but start to cry. She was going to war, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Saori found herself numb. She knew there was no way to change this, as much as she wanted to, and throwing a tantrum would help no one. She started packing, preparing to bring everything she needed and some of the things she knew everyone else would forget. This was happening, so she had to be ready.

Kadotani sat in the emptiest corner of her room, eating all the random treats she had left. There was no reason not to. This was probably the last time she'd be able to eat like this. She had no doubt that Kawashima was the reason for her phone ringing non-stop. She would answer eventually, but not right now. She still had a lot of food to go through.

Mallard Team had gathered together to make sure, through their frightened tears, that they would be the most ready of all the teams. Hippo Team got right down to business, packing and preparing. Leopon Team put on a bold face, going to check in on the first-year students of Rabbit Team.

It was then that everyone received a message from Yuzu Koyama, explaining military regulations regarding hairstyles. Up in her room, Yukari read the message out loud to herself, then ran downstairs.

"Dad! I think a lot of my friends are about to come over for haircuts!"

The morning had come. Maho walked out to the military ship that was docked with the massive school ship. The tanks were just now being loaded on. She could see the Type-89 was the last one on board, being lowered below deck for transport. All that was nothing unexpected. What she hadn't anticipated was the large crowd of people gathered around the docking station. They were there to wish the girls of Ooarai's Tankery team farewell.

Stepping quietly through the crowd, she made her way to the boarding ramp. She could see the Major waiting at the other end. She looked back at the crowd, who seemed to have noticed her now. They were calling out to her, asking her to take care and to stay strong. To come home in one piece.

The first of Ooarai's girls appeared, dragging a rolling suitcase behind her. Maho wasn't sure what the girl's real name was, but she knew everyone called her Erwin. She was still wearing her costume, trying to look like the German General from World War II, Erwin Rommel. She was far from tall enough, but Maho had to respect the effort.

Erwin's team followed closely behind her, Saemonza and Oryou pulling their own rolling luggage. The other girl, who everyone called Caeser, was carrying a duffel bag instead. The four of them generally ignored the crowd and walked right past Maho. One by one, they showed their papers to the Major, then made their way below deck.

Mako Reizei showed up next, with Yukari Akiyama right behind her. Maho noticed that Mako's hair was shorter, cut so that it didn't even reach her shoulders. Yukari's hair looked like it had been trimmed a little as well, but not nearly as much. Mako shuffled past Maho without a word.

Yukari stopped and looked up at Maho. "Where… where is she?"

Maho knew who she was talking about. "Miho is safe. I'm going to be taking care of you all from now on."

"I… see."

Saori and Hana appeared through the crowd. They had done their hair up in braids that they hoped would be acceptable, both inspired by Saint Gloriana's styles. They rushed past, probably thinking they were late.

At the other end of the ramp, Saori turned around and called out. "Yukarin! Come on!"

Yukari let out a sigh. "Well, I'll see you around." She dashed off after her friends.

The next to appear were Midoriko Sono, Nozomi Konparu, and Moyoko Gotou. The three of them looked as ready as they could be, but Maho could see how thin that disguise was. Her own was wearing thin as well, so she had to respect the effort they were putting into this. No doubt, Midoriko was the only reason the other two were keeping it together.

A pair of girls from Ooarai's automotive club arrived next. Maho wasn't sure of their names, but the one she recognized as the commander of Ooarai's Tiger prototype gave her a quick nod before walking across the ramp. The taller girl took a moment to look around, then followed. The other two girls from their team were only a few seconds behind. They all looked shaken and uncertain, but there was a level of strength in them that was absent in most of the others.

That's when Miho showed up. Maho saw her standing at the railing with the first year students, all of them wearing their Tankery uniforms. Maho knew they would be conscripted as soon as they could be, if they didn't volunteer first. Those younger girls looked more ready than their seniors, if only because they didn't want to be left behind. Apparently, another team hadn't been conscripted as well. Maho could see them, the three weird gamers from Ooarai's team. They had probably been overlooked by the military due to their rather poor performances, in Maho's opinion. They would be safer this way.

She watched as Kadotani struggled to make her way to the ramp, Kawashima hanging off of her. Koyama was right behind them, trying to calm Kawashima and get her off their leader. It wasn't working.

Kadotani stopped in front of Maho and looked her over. "I assume you want to protect your sister, so that's all I'll say about that. I've figured it out, you know."

Kawashima let go for a moment. "Figured what out? What's happening?"

With the brief instant of freedom, Kadotani dashed away and across the ramp, carting her luggage along behind her. The other two ran after her, dutifully following their leader. The Major stopped them all, insisting that they show their papers. With Kadotani's stature, Maho knew he would want to be certain she wasn't too young.

Too young. Maho frowned. That wasn't right. They were all too young. Nothing illustrated how painfully irritating the arbitrary rules being implemented regarding age were more than Noriko Isobe. She trudged along slowly, approaching the ramp at a snail's pace. The rest of her crew, the volleyball team, followed right behind her in their Tankery uniforms. Noriko herself was wearing normal clothes; jeans and a t-shirt. Maho had never seen her when she wasn't wearing her uniforms for Tankery or volleyball. It was always one of them.

The reason was obvious. Despite how much older the other three looked, they were still in their first year. Noriko was not. By the time their training was done, she would be an adult, as would all the second-years. Just like Miho.

They stopped just before the ramp, and the three younger girls gave Noriko long and tearful hugs one at a time. Akebi and Taeko went to join the other first-years, wiping their eyes. Shinobu stayed back and picked their leader up in her embrace. Noriko, stuck in the hug, let out a long sigh.

"Okay, you can put me down."

Maho heard Shinobu say something quietly to Noriko. "We'll come find you as soon as they let us." Then she put her down.

Noriko nodded, wiping away her own tears. She turned away and walked across the ramp. That was all of them. Maho took one last look back toward her sister, then followed Noriko. She pulled her papers, Miho's papers, out of her jacket and handed them to the Major.

He looked it over. "Ah, yes. Welcome to the army, Miho Nishizumi."

Maho nodded and stepped onto the ship. From now on, she was Miho Nishizumi.

The ship set off, with family and friends waving farewell to the girls of Ooarai High's Tankery team. As the two ships got farther and farther apart, the people on the school ship got too small to see. Yukari held up a pair of binoculars so she could see them for longer. She had to see them as long as she could. There was an unsettling knot in her stomach that told her she was never going to see them again.

The trip was tiring, bouncing them from one vehicle to another. They had nothing to do inside the ship, so it was just a bunch of high school girls sitting around with nothing to do. Yukari and Erwin spent their time above deck, but the rest stayed below. When they reached the dock, they were separated from the tanks and ushered onto a bus that took them to an airfield. They were then directed onto a military plane that would take them to Okinawa.

Yukari pointed ahead of them. "It's a Kawasaki C-1." She smiled. "They've been in service for forty years now. I'm glad I get to ride in one before they're replaced by the C-2."

Caeser shouldered her duffel bag. "You're so easy to please, Guderian."

Maho led the way, stepping past them. "Come on. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

Strapping in and holding tight to their luggage, they tried their best to make it through the flight to Kadena Air Base. The plane shook the entire way, and none of them managed to keep the time. When they landed and stepped onto the tarmac, all of them exhausted and shaken, they were quickly directed to another plane that would take them to their destination. No one had told them yet where they were ultimately headed.

As they were approaching the second plane, Yukari dashed ahead. "Oh, wow! It's a-"

"Yukarin!" Saori grabbed her collar and pulled her back. "Do you mind?"

Mako grumbled at her. "Tell us what one more plane is and so help me I will make you eat it."

Once they were again loaded onto the plane, and they were in the air, most of them tried to get some sleep. It still wasn't a smooth ride, and only Mako dozed off with ease. Maho could see that Kadotani and Erwin were asleep as well before she drifted away herself.

When Maho woke up, they had landed. The other girls were already up out of their seats and picking up their baggage, with the exception of Mako who was still fast asleep. Maho undid the straps holding her down and stood up. She walked over to Mako and started unstrapping her as well.

Midoriko walked by, clearly dead tired, but still awake enough to fix Mako with a stern glare. "I sure hope this habit of yours doesn't keep up. We can't afford for you to be sleeping in the middle of a battlefield."

Mako responded by continuing to sleep.

With Mako on one arm, Maho grabbed Mako's bag in the other hand and helped both down the ramp. The air was hot and humid outside. They were in some military compound, but all she could see in every direction was military buildings. Walking farther away from the plane, she could see a pair of trucks waiting for them.

Saori and Yukari jumped up onto the first truck, setting their baggage on the floor of the open-top back. They helped Noriko and Hana in, then turned back to see Maho carrying Mako over to them. They grabbed her and hauled her up, setting her down in one of the seats. Maho looked back to see Erwin and her team. Those four didn't need any help up, as they were rather well rested.

Maho looked back to see that everyone else had loaded into the other truck, so she joined Miho's crew. She climbed up and stood in the back, taking a second to look around before sitting down. If she'd spent any longer standing, she would have been thrown from the truck when it started moving. As it was, Saori fell on top of Oryou. She could hear the complaints of the girls in the other truck as well. Mako didn't move an inch.

For the brief moment when she stood up in the truck, Maho had gotten a better view of the base and the surrounding area. The land around them was dry and brown. It looked like a desert to her, but she had no way to tell which one.

"Where's the nearest desert to Japan?"

Oryou looked up, trying to get Saori off of her. "China?"

Saemonza looked thoughtful. "Outer Mongolia?"

Erwin looked between them. "I think that's the Gobi Desert."

Caeser nodded, adding her piece. "I'm pretty sure all of Mongolia is a desert."

Mako woke up, glancing around lazily. "Outer Magnolia? What?"

Yukari looked over the side of the truck, surveying the land around them as they drove through the compound. "It does look like we're in a pretty dry climate, but I don't think it's Mongolia."

Erwin shook her head. "It would have to be, since we weren't in the air nearly long enough to be in Africa. Trust me, I know Africa when I see it."

Hana clapped her hands, almost missing because she was so obviously tired out, but still smiling all the same. "Maybe we're in America! I've always wanted to visit!"

Noriko started counting off on her fingers. "We could be in Mexico, maybe Chile, even Spain… I guess Australia would be a lot closer, though."

"That's right!" Five girls exclaimed as one, pointing at Noriko.

The other four sat back down, leaving Yukari standing in the back of the moving truck. "But… there's no reason for them to be shipping military recruits to Australia."

"Oh my god." They all looked over to see Saori, who had stood up and was looking ahead of them. She pointed at something they could not yet see. "Everyone's here."

Looking out over the sides of the truck, they watched as they passed other trucks that were unloading other girls from other schools' Tankery teams. As they passed by, they caught sight of Darjeeling directing the movements of the girls from Saint Gloriana Girls' Academy. Kay waved at them as they passed the truck unloading girls from Saunders University High School.

Caeser pointed to another group of the trucks. "There's Anzio."

Erwin pointed up ahead of them. "There's Maginot and Pravda. Where's Kuromorimine?"

The trucks pulled to the side, right between Jatkosota High School and Chi-Ha-Tan Academy. They stopped suddenly, causing Saori to hit the back of the cabin. Maho was the first one on the ground. Just as the others started getting out, carrying their baggage with them, a Humvee drove past. An officer standing out the top of the vehicle with a megaphone was barking at all the girls in voice that held no sympathy or humor.

"All new recruits report to the barracks for orientation. You will be assigned your living quarters and daily routine." He just repeated that until he had reached the other end of the long lane of trucks, then turned around and made his way back through them, issuing the order again.

Maho waited for the Ooarai girls to be ready, then headed off. They followed her, walking down the lane towards the barracks. Girls from other schools crowded the way, all of them heading the same direction. In front of the barracks buildings, there was a desk. An officer and several soldiers, all of them large men, waited as the girls formed a line.

Maho reached the front of the line, and the officer held out his hand. "Papers." He had a long day ahead of him, but he didn't sound the least bit bored. He didn't sound like he could become bored. He didn't sound like he knew what being bored meant. It probably wasn't his job to be bored.

Maho handed him her papers, Miho's papers. He stamped them and handed them back.

"Miho Nishizumi. Building three. Here's your schedule." He handed her another paper that detailed where she was supposed to be and when, every day, for the rest of her training. "Next!"

She wasn't the leader of the most prestigious Tankery school in Japan to him. She wasn't a commander here. She was just another face to him. Now she was in his world. Maho was now just another face in a sea of faces, lost in a world that didn't know who she was, what she had accomplished, or where she came from. Now Maho was Miho.

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janathanwick-blog · 6 years

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Box de 6 Nendoroid (Assam, Orange Pekoe, Rosehip, Isobe Noriko, Sono Midoriko, Darjeeling) – Girls und Panzer : Assam, Orange Pekoe, Rosehip, Isobe Noriko, Sono Midoriko, Darjeeling - Good Smile Company, Nendoroid

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cooterie · 7 years

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(via Girls und Panzer: Midoriko Sono (Sodoko) (Piece) Figure Review - Cooterie)

#girls und panzer #sodoko

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triteamiwright · 9 years

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#anime #girls und panzer #midoriko sono #sono midoriko #mako reizei #reizei mako #miho nishizumi #nishizumi miho #me

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animegadaisukiidesu · 4 years

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#Girls und Panzer das Finale 2 #anime #movie #scared #Konparu Nozomi #Sono Midoriko #Girls und Panzer: Saishuushou #Girls und Panzer #Girls und Panzer: Saishuushou part 2 #ガールズ #Girls und Panzer das Finale episode 2 #Mallard team

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more-moe-more-problems · 10 years

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Artist: katahira masashi

#Girls und Panzer #gup #midoriko sono #goose team #anime #Char B1 #anime girl #swimsuit #duck team

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panzerkrieg · 7 years

Text

Chapter 3: Draft Order

Maho looked out over the ocean. She watched the waves crest and fall, and then break against the side of the school ship. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun. It was a beautiful day, if only in appearance. She reached into her uniform and pulled out two envelopes. Their contents were identical this time, save for one letter. That letter made all the difference.

Leaning over the edge of the ship's massive deck, she looked down at the waves beneath her. Holding out the first envelope, she released it, letting it fall down, carried by the ocean wind until it landed on the surface of the water. It slowly soaked and sank out of sight. She wanted to let the other one go too, but she still had a job to do.

Putting it back in her jacket, she stepped away from the edge and headed back towards the school. It had taken her a while to run all the way back to Miho's apartment, and then back past the school to a forested part of the deck where no one would see her. She knew it was likely the military men would have already arrived at the garage to acquire the tanks by the time she got back. She hoped Miho wouldn't blame her for not being there.

She ran up beside the garage building, slowing to a walk just before turning the corner. Between the heat of the sun and the running, her sweat was starting to soak through her clothes. She was worried about it soaking into the envelope and ruining it, but she was more worried about appearing in front of everyone looking like she'd just run a marathon. Miho was certain to notice and ask her what she'd been doing.

They were all there. Ooarai High's entire Tankery team was there. The sense of helplessness was pervasive as they all watched the StuG III being towed out. It appeared that the girls had not even been permitted to stand in front of any part of the garage. The Hetzer and the Panzer IV were already out, and a large truck was waiting nearby for the tanks to be loaded on. It didn't look like the truck would be able to hold any more than three tanks, though.

This, she knew, was a disgrace. Taking the tanks these girls focused so much of their time around without more than a day of warning. If what had happened at Kuromorimine was any sign of what was to come, taking the tanks was hardly the biggest disgrace. From across the distance in front of the garage, she saw Miho. The look of despair on her face was the last straw for Maho.

Straightening her back and making like all the running, in her uniform, in the heat of the day, had no effect on her, Maho stormed over to the man directing the others. She stopped right behind him and waited. Another man silently pointed her out, and the man turned to face her.

"I thought you girls were told to stay clear while we're moving these. We don't need you getting in the way."

Maho hadn't thought about what she was going to say to him, but thankfully another man walked up to them and addressed him, giving her time to construct some sort of sentence in her head.

"Major, there's something else in there that I don't recognize. It looks like some sort of customized Tiger. Definitely based on a German design."

From the sidelines, Nakajima shouted at them. "Don't you talk smack about my tank!"

Hoshino piped in. "Only Ooarai's automotive club knows how to operate the Tiger (P)! It's useless to you without us!"

Suzuki joined in. "It's not modified, you idiot! It's a Tiger prototype!"

Finally, Saori shouted at them for good measure. "I'm never dating any of you! You hear me! Never!"

Maho called the Major's attention back to herself. "What are you planning to do with the other tanks?"

He looked down at her. "Their coming with us as well. The Type-89 is going straight into service as soon as it's cleared and crewed. The other three are going in reserve for now." He noticed her uniform. "You're not from this school. Who are you?"

Taking a deep breath, Maho reached into her jacket and pulled out the envelope, handing it over. "That will explain it."

He opened the envelope, taking out the paper and quickly scanning it over. "Hmm… Nishizumi, huh? Well then… we'll be loading the tanks onto our ship tonight, but we're setting off tomorrow morning at nine. You should be there."

She took the envelope back when he handed it to her, letting out a low sigh as she did. "I know."

"Now stand back with the others. You're just in the way right now."

As Maho walked over to the rest of the girls, most of them cheered her. They thought she was brave, and that she was standing with them. She felt like she was walking with her tail between her legs. There was nothing she could do. Nothing she could do to save their tanks, and nothing to stop what was coming next. She walked through them and continued on through their confused looks.

Miho ran to catch up with her. "Wait!" She stepped in front of her sister, blocking her way. "What was in that envelope?"

Maho's eyes glazed over, and she stared over Miho's shoulder. She couldn't look her sister in the eye. "You don't need to worry about that."

"But…"

"It's not your problem. I made sure of that." She tried to step around Miho.

Miho stepped in the way again. "What does that mean?"

"I've done what I can. We'll talk back at your place." With that, Maho pushed past her. After a moment of staring after her in disbelief, Miho ran to keep up with her.

The Major turned to the remaining girls, looking over them for a second. "You all have far more important things to focus on right now. You should go home."

A shorter girl, Midoriko Sono, placed her hands on her hips and shouted back at him. "In the middle of a school day? Are you crazy? Surely you of all people understand the concept of being absent without leave!"

"You have leave. Now leave." He waved them off as he turned back to his work.

The finality of his dismissal left them all in a state of disarray. The first year students and the volleyball team were the first to wander off, followed by Midoriko's team and the automotive club.

Erwin adjusted her hat and half-turned away. "Do we secede with dignity or keep fighting?"

The rest of her team considered their options carefully. It was Saemonza who found the solution. "Seppuku?"

Saori shoved her way between Oryou and Caeser. "How are number puzzles supposed to help?"

Mako appeared beside her, addressing the others and ignoring her own teammate. "Death before dishonor. Let's take our tanks back."

Anzu Kadotani, president of the school's student council, called them all over. "Come on. Everyone go home for now. We'll figure this out later. Right now, we're all too stressed out and upset to do anything smart about this."

The rest of them slowly wandered away, some heading home like they were told, others heading back to the school. Those that tried to return to their classes found that they had the rest of the day off. Confused and a little concerned, they too went home.

Maho finally stopped just outside Miho's apartment. She turned to look at her sister. "Miho… our mother… she may have been strict, but you know she did love us." Miho nodded. Maho let out a long sigh. "I never told you, but during your match with Pravda, she was there. She was watching the match with me."

"I see."

"No, you don't see. Miho, when I asked her, she said she was there to disown you." Maho cut off her sister before she could make any sort of disbelieving outburst. "But she didn't. It still bothers me why she didn't. When Pravda had you cornered and trapped, and we all thought you had lost, she just got up and left. She said it was a waste of time to keep watching, but… if that had been the end, then it would have been all the more reason for her to stay and to do what she told me she was going to do."

Miho shook her head, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"You were more important to her than the family name, Miho. Even at your lowest point, she had to leave because she couldn't bring herself to do it." Maho looked away. "That's what I think, anyway."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Maho surprised Miho, grabbing her shoulders. "Listen to me. This is important. She wanted us to stay away from the war. She didn't want us to ever have to live through that. Never. I want you to promise me that you won't try to join the fight. Okay?"

"What?" Miho tried to break free. Her sister was starting to worry her. "What are you talking about? How would I even get there?"

"Miho, I mean it. They're running out of options over there, and they've started drafting people. Anyone who is already able to operate military machinery. They're taking vehicles from Tankery teams, but they're also taking the girls who operate them."

Miho gasped, stumbling back several steps. "What? How could they… How?"

"Desperation, Miho. They drafted Mom. They-" Maho reached into her uniform and pulled out the envelope. "They drafted all of us."

"Is that…" Miho covered her mouth with her hands, too shocked to finish. "No…"

"This is where I need you to promise me something, Miho." She held up the letter. "This is yours. The ship leaves tomorrow with the tanks, and everyone who has been drafted. Miho, don't go to the ship. Find someone you can stay with, because they'll look for you here."

"You… you want me to… I'm supposed to just hide?" Miho jumped forward, grabbing her sister and quickly searching through her pockets. "Where's yours. You can't go and leave me behind!"

Maho pushed her back, holding her at arm's length. "We don't have much time, so listen closely." She took a deep breath. "Tomorrow morning, Miho Nishizumi will be at the docks, and she'll get on the ship with her classmates. She'll prove it's her with these draft orders, the same ones I showed the Major earlier. I'll go, so that you don't have to. My draft orders are somewhere in the water behind the ship, so they can't find it anywhere. They'll be looking for me, but I'll be you, and you be… anyone else. Whoever you want to be. Just don't be me."

"But-"

"Let me protect you this way, Miho." She reached up and straightened her cap, resting her arms at her sides. Miho could see the sad determination in her sister's eyes. "This is how I'll protect you. But I can't protect everyone, so I do have to go. By now, your friends have all read their own draft orders. If I'm you, I can be there to lead them. I can protect them too. Your team, and mine."

Yukari Akiyama opened the front door of her family's barber shop. "I'm home." She didn't have the energy and wasn't in the mood for any cheerful greetings. The loss of the tanks, those precious tanks, was too much for her. That she knew what awaited them, probably being smashed apart by mortars and missiles, just made it all the harder. She headed right past her parents, making her way to her room where she could curl up in a blanket and cry.

"Yukari."

She stopped at the sound of her mother's voice. She didn't want to explain why she was home from school so early, but they probably deserved to at least know. "Yes, Mom?" She didn't turn around, not sure she could look at her parents. She didn't want them to see her suddenly start crying.

"You got a letter."

"What?" Yukari finally turned around, seeing her parents both standing there behind her, worried looks on their faces. "From who?"

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